NOW THAT THE IMAGE of Lady Quinn disappeared and the screen faded, Juan turned to the elves and was about to open his mouth to speak.when one elven woman raised her hand and asked, "My lord, what is that place? I never heard Norsewood has such a grand palace before."
There were a series of head nods, and one said, "How could it be built so fast, a mere four years after the dungeon break?"
Juan said, "That is not a palace. 'Tis merely a lodge for the Norsewood residents to temporarily live in until homes can be built again."
"That grand place is a temporary lodge for the Norsewood people?" Chief Myriil asked, astonished. And he wasn't alone. Most of the elves were, too, and they wondered just how wealthy Norsewood must be to have a mere lodge that lavish. Indeed, even the palace in the capital where the wood elf king and his family resided was not that beautiful compared to the glimpse of the lodge they had seen on the screen.
Les didn't waste time and took the golden opportunity given. He stepped up and said, "My team and I have been inside the lodge. What you saw were the dining hall and the courtyard, and believe me, the lodge is much more magnificent than what appeared just now on the magic screen. Why were we there, you ask? To cut the story short, on our return after the supply expedition, we, along with the Mountain Dwarves, were kidnapped. We were forced to mine a dungeon. If Lord and Lady Norsewood didn't save us, we would still be slaving away in that dungeon, or worse, dead."
A member of Les' team stepped forward and said, "We wouldn't be here bringing aid to Wodria if it wasn't for Lord Norsewood, who annihilated our captors and slayed the dragon."
"Dragon?"
"What does a dragon have to do with Lord Norsewood?"
"What?" Chief Myriil asked, his eyes wide. "Lord Norsewood slayed a
dragon?"
Les and his men nodded. Juan could see that the elves were craving the full story, and he said, "Let's keep the spreading of tales for later. Right now, it's important we get everyone fed and the sick healed." He turned to Liam, who nodded and then headed off to begin the treatment of patients. Soon, the hall was abuzz with noise as the elves watched the soldiers finish setting the serving stations.
At the soldiers' directions, lines were formed, and the distribution of the meal boxes commenced, and the aroma of the hot food filled the room. It wasn't long before tears of joy started to burst as the elves tasted chicken rice curry for the first time, something that was so heavenly tasty, unlike anything they had ever had before. Like most in the world of Eseron, the elves' basic diet was hard bread and bland soup. When they managed to procure something luxurious, it'd be cheese and dried fruits. But this...
Most gobbled the food down, so starved they were, and once their meal box was empty, they stared at it, wanting more.
A soldier shouted over the buzz of noise, "Don't forget to get your hot drinks over here. There's coffee for adults. It tastes bitter but delicious and will keep you awake for hours. Good for a morning wake up. There's hot cocoa for both adults and children. It's sweet and creamy. Everyone loves it in Norsewood. There's tea and water, too."
Instantly, the drink station was surrounded, and the young elves begged for the hot cocoa. Soon, they had a mug each, and the moment they took a sip, their eyes widened, and more eager sipping ensued.
A mid-aged elven women asked, "Sir, what is the food called? And what's in it? We've never seen the white grainy thing before. The stew with white and yellow potato and carrot and meat is so delicious."
The soldier said, "It's chicken curry rice. The white grain is rice."
"Rice?" the elven asked and then looked at her group of friends. "You mean the grain grown in Norsewood that is used to feed livestock?"
