Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: Dark Elf Arc

Chapter 18

Waking up early the next morning, Caspian and Elincia put on their cloaks, left the inn, and traveled to the Peacekeeper headquarters in Dorumhold. There was no gate surrounding this building like there had been for the one in Axium. He guessed that, because Dorumhold was larger and contained more buildings, they didn't have the luxury of fencing off their property. The Peacekeeper headquarters sat between two buildings with the same three-story height. A pair of guards stood at the entrance.

"Are you ready?" asked Caspian.

Elincia took a deep breath as she reached up and moved her hood back, revealing her face. "Yes."

The guards response to their presence as they walked up to the door was instant and predictable. Shock permeating their features when they saw her elf ears. He and Elincia were not disguised this time. Since they were going to meet with the peacekeepers, they could not afford to disguise themselves.

"Excuse me." Elincia smiled gently at the pair, catching them even more off guard. "My name is Elincia. I'm a sorceress sent by Lady Sylvia. Would you mind taking me to see the commander?"

Caspian stood at the ready behind the guards, who didn't seem like they knew what to make of Elincia and her long, pointed ears. The two of them looked at each other, then her ears, and then at each other again. It looked like they were struggling with their natural inclination to fear elves.

"Are you two okay?" Elincia expressed concern even though she probably knew what was wrong. "You both look so pale. You're getting enough sleep and eating properly, right? Oh, I hope the commander is treating his men well..."

"W-we're fine," one of the guards said.

"We will take you to see the commander," the other added.

The last one who spoke opened the door and allowed her and Caspian to enter the foyer, which was a large room made of wood panels with a wooden staircase leading to a second floor and several doors. There weren't many people present. Either the foyer only saw use when people were coming and going or, more likely, it was just too early.

"Follow me," the Peacekeeper said.

"Thank you." Elincia smiled at the young man, who coughed into his hand and looked the other way.

They walked through a door on the first floor, traveled down a small hallway, and soon reached a plain-looking door that the Peacekeeper knocked on several times.

"Commander, there is a sorceress here to see you." The Peacekeeper glanced uncertainly at Elincia's ears, then continued. "Her name is Elincia."

"Elincia?" a voice came from the other side. "Send her in."

Nodding at the order, the Peacekeeper opened the door for them. "You may go in."

"Thank you again." Elincia smiled at the young man once more as they passed, and Caspian nearly popped him in the face when a blush spread across the man's cheeks. He wasn't jealous that Elincia was smiling at this person. He just didn't like the man's reaction.

The commander's office in Dorumhold was more ostentatious than Commander Feral's office in Axium. Several swords and shields rested against the walls. A bookshelf filled with numerous tomes rested on one side, while an area with a rug, table, and posh chairs sat in a corner. The commander's desk was located near the back. There were no windows in this room, but there probably wasn't much to see with Dorumhold being such a tightly packed city.

Caspian wasn't sure what to expect from the commander of this unit, but the gnarled man before him fit what many people traditionally thought a Peacekeeper commander should look like. His face was covered in several scars. Hard eyes of dark obsidian seemed to stare at them with a stern, unwavering expression. He wore gleaming silver armor and chainmail that gave him an almost majestic appearance, like the tales Caspian used to read about knights of old.