The strong elf

Prolouge

An elvin queen paced nervously in the barricaded throne room. The sound of war ravaged her kingdom violently. She suddenly held her swollen belly as it contracted. A sign of the birth that was so near now she gritted her teeth in pain.

The queen tucked her long, straight, strawberry blonde hair behind her pointed ears.

The sound of blunt force striking her castle made her hands shake and tears pool in her eyes. Her stomach contracted again. She fell against her husband's throne.  

"Elanaril!" She heard the familiar call of her lover.

She could no longer keep herself on her feet and collapsed at the foot of the throne. Her king took her in his arms and held her close with a pleading tone. "Please my love, the dwarves draw ever closer. We must flee." He too had tears in his eyes.

"Ailwin," The queen's voice was weak against the sound of chaos outside. She placed her hand on the king's cheek lovingly. "I cannot go, the babe is coming."

Ailwin's face blanched and he tightened his grip on his weak wife. His long blonde hair blanketed her like an angel's wings.

Suddenly the sound of wood splintering and weapons being drawn pulled king Ailwin's eyes from his wife. He saw the dwarves had made their way into the throne room as well. He kissed Elanairl's forehead before standing and drawing his sword.

There were three dwarves standing before him. Two of the short creatures had soot covered faces and dark messy hair that fell to their shoulders with split ends. And their breads covering their chests, looking equally as much like a rat's nest as their hair. The third was the dwarf ruler Bormound. His read messy hair was unmistakable and his blue eyes were cold with vengeance for his fallen soldiers.

"You have driven me to do this!" He shouted, his axe in the air.

Ailwin scowled at the dwarf. He pointed his sword to the dwarf accusingly. "I believe it is you has brought this war." His tone was like stone.

Bormound shook his head as if giving pity. "Aye, old friend." He spoke sadly. He pointed his axe at Ailwin and the two dwarves standing beside the king rushed forward with their spears.

Ailwin clashed with the dwarves and sparks fell flew from his blade. He kept one held at the tip of his blade before the other dwarf jabbed the elf king in his ribs. Ailwin fell to one knee gasping for air then swung his sword. He severed a major vessel in the neck of one dwarf, but still had to defend himself from the other dwarf.

The dwarf stepped behind the king and used his spear to choke the king from behind. Caught off guard, the king panicked, momentarily losing his breathe. He writhed in the strong grasp of the shorted creature then saw Elanairl. She was watching helplessly from the foot of the throne, holding her swollen belly.

Ailwin found a burst of energy in his heart and used his legs to push back the dwarf, then backwards summersault over the shorter being. The elf and dwarf rolled over each other multiple times before they finally came closer to a glassless window and Ailwin, when he finally ended up on his back with the dwarf over his, used his legs to force the dwarf over him and out the window.

Ailwin stood up breathing heavily. The war still raged on outside. Suddenly there was a dull pain in the king's side again. He fell breathless. A heavy boot kept his pinned to the floor. Above him he could see the boot belonged to the dwarf ruler.

"I'm sorry, but this has to be done." the dwarf said apologetically. He raised his axe over his head to bring down on Ailwin, but he suddenly froze.

"GHAAK!" The dwarf ruler made a horrible hacking noise then fell. To his side holding his side, now soaked with blood.

Behind the dwarf stood Elanairl with her husband's blade in her hands. Her knees wobbled weekly and she fell, crying out in pain, holding her belly.

"Ah you wench!" the dwarf howled. He lifted his axe just enough to strike he belly before he went back to writhing in pain.

"My love!" The king cried. He gathered her in his arms and rushed out of the palace to meet with his people in the valley, where they had evacuated to.

That night a prince was born, but at a bitter cost. The queen Elanairl laid in the lush grass bed her people had made her, hidden away in the caves. One of the Elf maidens held the newborn prince. She had blonde hair like his father and light blue eyes like his mother.

"A little lower and you wouldn't have a son." The elf maiden tried to sound reassuring.

The king held his wife's hand and tears fell into her palms as the labored breaths began to slow.

"Where is my babe." The voice was hoarse and broken.

Ailwin tightened his grip on his wife's hand then turned to the maiden. She handed the newborn to the king, swaddled in his father's cape.

Elanairl's eyes watered with relief as she looked upon her child. Her proud smile almost made her look alive again. With rosy cheeks and fine skin.

She lifted her hand and brushed her child's cheek with what energy she had left. "A..Ailduin." She managed the words with her last breath before all life left her eyes.