The Three Kingdoms

8: The Dár

The road ahead of them was wide and open, slowly making a curve towards the southwest. After several miles, the northern border of the road was met with the large and powerful river Duin, and followed alongside it as it made its way further and further southwest. The far side of the river was covered in fir trees that slowly grew into the foothills of the stark and towering mountains. The southern border, however, did not boast such a powerful scene; not a single tree could be seen as far as they eye could see, as it opened up into a vast and arid expanse of tumbling hills covered in a blanket of parched grass, spotted with large boulders and scattered shrubs. For Eruviel, the view was a stark contrast to her lush and fertile home in Gúl.

The road continued like this, following the river for many miles. The road was, for the most part, empty, with the exception of a few passing caravans or parties that traveled by horseback, most of them merchants from the river realm heading to Hollen Garth to sell and trade their goods.

While the passing of travelers and merchants did not strike Eruviel as something unusual, what did spark her curiosity was the fact that each of the travelers they met, no matter the size of the party, seemed to have at least two fully armed elves traveling with them.

"Is burglary a common occurrence when traveling the road?" Eruviel asked after another well-armed caravan had passed them on the road.

"Burglary?" Bor asked, seeming confused as to why Eruviel would even ask such a question.

"I just have noticed that all of the travelers we have met, seemed well prepared to defend themselves." She explained.

"Burglary is the least of their concerns when traveling out on the road." Nithron said with a laugh. "Most caravans travel with a few armored guards to protect them from goblins." He explained.

To this, Eruviel let out a small squeak, and looked alarmingly at Beinion for reassurance. "Surely you can't mean to tell me that there are goblins on the road?" She asked feeling rather surprised.

This seemed to amuse Bor, and he let out a strong laugh. "This surprises you?" He asked.

Eruviel nodded vigorously. "Yes, it does." She said, giving Bor a stern look for laughing at her. "There have been no reports of goblins entering Gúl in thousands of years..." She explained. "We had assumed they were no longer a threat."

"While that seems lovely, goblins do not simply up and vanish for no reason." Beinion interjected. This made Eruviel blush, feeling rather foolish for believing something so ridiculous, which she did her best to hide beneath her green hood.

For the next several miles, Eruviel kept to herself, still slightly embarrassed at her own naivety about the outside world. The four elves were fortunate in their travels, as they encountered no signs of goblins on the road. The journey was actually beginning to feel long and dull, and the scenery remained unchanging and monotonous. However, the travelers seemed to be in luck, as the river current seemed to be slowing down, and the banks became wider and wider apart, soon opening up into a vast reservoir, which signaled that they were drawing close to their destination.

The road continued to follow the southern border of the now large lake that the Duin had flown into. In the distance, a large white structure began to come into view. As they approached, it became evident that the structure they were approaching was a large tower carved out of smooth white stone, behind it, a large white wall jutted out into the lake, forming what Eruviel was able to guess was a large dam across the reservoir.