Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
OP
OP
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
(Inexcusable! A partner as awesome as you should not have to wait this long for a reply! I sincerely apologize, friend of friends...And hope that this post makes up for my horrid lack of adherence to a timely schedule)
As the Human King and his guard traversed through the corridors, a noticeable tension hung between them; some of the Knights wondered if they were just wasting their time here, chasing a fool's dream of trying to mend such an enormous rift between the two races that warred for so long and still did outside these walls. Others marched resolutely on the King's flanks, steely determination and faith in the success of these talks coursing through them; Trystram and the other Knights of the Inner Circle were among these numbers. Sir Justin was more on the fence, but that was partially due to some particularly bad experiences he had with Elves and other halflings in his journeys, and more of it was his pessimistic attitude towards peace in general; a truce in his experience did not last long. And with all this animosity between the Elves and the Humans, how could there be peace?
Regardless, they were greeted by two Fae assistants that opened the doors for the Human King and his troupe; the Elves were already being seated by the time they arrived, causing some of the humans to look around at each other uncertainly. The table piled high with all various sorts of foods, it seemed their hosts spared no effort in making sure they were comfortable while they would be staying there. Abel felt his own stomach grumble upon the sight and scent of such delicious looking morsels; while it was true he ate relatively well under the care of his mentor Trystram, this seemed...exceptionally exquisite. As they were directed to each sit in the well-crafted chairs - guards included - the previous tension seemed to rise in the room, even after thanks were given to the Queen of the Fae; to say they were uneasy to be in each other's presence was an understatement. For a few long moments, only the sound of the silver utensils clinking on fine ceramic dishes could be heard and the trade of glances was next to nonexistent. As much as they wanted to try and make things easy on each other for the sake of the peace talks, there was a lot of bad blood to overcome. It wasn't like they were just going to come here and instantly become comrades; it would be foolhardy for anyone to expect
However, the silence was soon broken when Princess Eola said those simple words; as she addressed Abel directly, the young boy's silver eyes meeting each that turned to peer upon him. Abel could see the disbelief in the King's gaze as well as the lesser Knights that sat at the table. Before he could reply, the Drow Knight Commander's outburst caused the rest of the Knights as well as Abel himself to reach for their swords, raising from their seats with well-practiced precision and speed...for humans anyway. However, King Richard's voice boomed out "Enough! Stand down, all of you!" Even if what she said and did was cause for them to respond in such a manner, such actions would only worsen the situation; nonetheless, the human guards sheathed their weapons. Nearly everyone in the room was caught incredibly off-guard by the Princess' rather forward statement; it seemed the honesty of the Elves was all that it was rumored to be. Even for a princess, her words spoke volumes of her tenacity and forthcoming attitude.
As King Sylvari laughed and raised his goblet in a toast to the sacrifices the fallen have made, King Richard smiled and replied, "Indeed; let this feast and company show that our races can cooperate and prosper" A resounding 'Hear, Hear' was enunciated by the Human guards as they too raised their glasses and downed a swig of the liquid in the goblet. When King Richard finished, he set down the cup and added, "King Sylvari...First and foremost, allow me to say that I am most pleased that we're able to meet like this. Too much blood has been shed, for both our people and it must be stopped if we're to continue as people". He then shifted his gaze to Abel, whose mouth was currently filled with roast boar and bread, and asked, "You....Boy, is what the Princess says true? Did you save her from Orcs?" The young lad paused in his eating for a moment, but after swallowing what was in his mouth, responded, "Yes, Your Grace....I did not know she was a Princess, but when I saw her in trouble...I acted as I believed befit a Knight". "You're not a Knight yet, boy; still a Squire, you are and you won't last long if you charge in towards those that can crush rock and metal" Richard stated in a somewhat reprimanding tone; Trystram then came to his charge's defense, "Sire, with all due respect, Abel has already been dealt with regarding his reckless action. We need not distract ourselves with what happened in the past, for it is to the future we must look". At this Sir Florence chimed in, "Indeed; to the business at hand...My Lord, I respectfully request that we start the negotiations".
King Richard then cleared his throat and looked back towards King Sylvari, "Your Highness, I believe that before we try to establish any conditions, we must first address the parties to be involved. I would be willing to wager the Drow..." he gave a nod to Knight Commander Sybal, "the Fae and the Argonians will want to weigh in on the potential outcome of these negotiations. However, I am not so arrogant to believe I know what they are thinking, but given that peace is a mutual goal and the purpose of this meeting, I can tell you that the Dwarves and the Orcs - as hard as it may be to believe - would like to be able to stop the bloodshed on their warfronts as well. Unfortunately....King Orrin of the Dwarven Clans and Gash'nul, son of Durgash are somewhat hesitant to come here, even with a promise of sanctuary and security. I have told them that once I spoke with you, we would do our best to make their voices heard as well. I do hope I did not overstep any bounds, of course". Of course, he was leaving out the part where Orrin basically told Richard to piss off and that he would NEVER work with the Elves, but he was hoping to help things along by showing, albeit falsely, that other species involved were willing to work towards peace as well. All the while, young Abel couldn't keep his eyes off the Princess; he knew it was incredibly rude to stare, but he couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was. Even if she wasn't human...She was far more attractive than any girl he'd ever seen, and with her air of confidence and self-assurance about her, he was simply awed by her presence.
As the Human King and his guard traversed through the corridors, a noticeable tension hung between them; some of the Knights wondered if they were just wasting their time here, chasing a fool's dream of trying to mend such an enormous rift between the two races that warred for so long and still did outside these walls. Others marched resolutely on the King's flanks, steely determination and faith in the success of these talks coursing through them; Trystram and the other Knights of the Inner Circle were among these numbers. Sir Justin was more on the fence, but that was partially due to some particularly bad experiences he had with Elves and other halflings in his journeys, and more of it was his pessimistic attitude towards peace in general; a truce in his experience did not last long. And with all this animosity between the Elves and the Humans, how could there be peace?
Regardless, they were greeted by two Fae assistants that opened the doors for the Human King and his troupe; the Elves were already being seated by the time they arrived, causing some of the humans to look around at each other uncertainly. The table piled high with all various sorts of foods, it seemed their hosts spared no effort in making sure they were comfortable while they would be staying there. Abel felt his own stomach grumble upon the sight and scent of such delicious looking morsels; while it was true he ate relatively well under the care of his mentor Trystram, this seemed...exceptionally exquisite. As they were directed to each sit in the well-crafted chairs - guards included - the previous tension seemed to rise in the room, even after thanks were given to the Queen of the Fae; to say they were uneasy to be in each other's presence was an understatement. For a few long moments, only the sound of the silver utensils clinking on fine ceramic dishes could be heard and the trade of glances was next to nonexistent. As much as they wanted to try and make things easy on each other for the sake of the peace talks, there was a lot of bad blood to overcome. It wasn't like they were just going to come here and instantly become comrades; it would be foolhardy for anyone to expect
However, the silence was soon broken when Princess Eola said those simple words; as she addressed Abel directly, the young boy's silver eyes meeting each that turned to peer upon him. Abel could see the disbelief in the King's gaze as well as the lesser Knights that sat at the table. Before he could reply, the Drow Knight Commander's outburst caused the rest of the Knights as well as Abel himself to reach for their swords, raising from their seats with well-practiced precision and speed...for humans anyway. However, King Richard's voice boomed out "Enough! Stand down, all of you!" Even if what she said and did was cause for them to respond in such a manner, such actions would only worsen the situation; nonetheless, the human guards sheathed their weapons. Nearly everyone in the room was caught incredibly off-guard by the Princess' rather forward statement; it seemed the honesty of the Elves was all that it was rumored to be. Even for a princess, her words spoke volumes of her tenacity and forthcoming attitude.
As King Sylvari laughed and raised his goblet in a toast to the sacrifices the fallen have made, King Richard smiled and replied, "Indeed; let this feast and company show that our races can cooperate and prosper" A resounding 'Hear, Hear' was enunciated by the Human guards as they too raised their glasses and downed a swig of the liquid in the goblet. When King Richard finished, he set down the cup and added, "King Sylvari...First and foremost, allow me to say that I am most pleased that we're able to meet like this. Too much blood has been shed, for both our people and it must be stopped if we're to continue as people". He then shifted his gaze to Abel, whose mouth was currently filled with roast boar and bread, and asked, "You....Boy, is what the Princess says true? Did you save her from Orcs?" The young lad paused in his eating for a moment, but after swallowing what was in his mouth, responded, "Yes, Your Grace....I did not know she was a Princess, but when I saw her in trouble...I acted as I believed befit a Knight". "You're not a Knight yet, boy; still a Squire, you are and you won't last long if you charge in towards those that can crush rock and metal" Richard stated in a somewhat reprimanding tone; Trystram then came to his charge's defense, "Sire, with all due respect, Abel has already been dealt with regarding his reckless action. We need not distract ourselves with what happened in the past, for it is to the future we must look". At this Sir Florence chimed in, "Indeed; to the business at hand...My Lord, I respectfully request that we start the negotiations".
King Richard then cleared his throat and looked back towards King Sylvari, "Your Highness, I believe that before we try to establish any conditions, we must first address the parties to be involved. I would be willing to wager the Drow..." he gave a nod to Knight Commander Sybal, "the Fae and the Argonians will want to weigh in on the potential outcome of these negotiations. However, I am not so arrogant to believe I know what they are thinking, but given that peace is a mutual goal and the purpose of this meeting, I can tell you that the Dwarves and the Orcs - as hard as it may be to believe - would like to be able to stop the bloodshed on their warfronts as well. Unfortunately....King Orrin of the Dwarven Clans and Gash'nul, son of Durgash are somewhat hesitant to come here, even with a promise of sanctuary and security. I have told them that once I spoke with you, we would do our best to make their voices heard as well. I do hope I did not overstep any bounds, of course". Of course, he was leaving out the part where Orrin basically told Richard to piss off and that he would NEVER work with the Elves, but he was hoping to help things along by showing, albeit falsely, that other species involved were willing to work towards peace as well. All the while, young Abel couldn't keep his eyes off the Princess; he knew it was incredibly rude to stare, but he couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was. Even if she wasn't human...She was far more attractive than any girl he'd ever seen, and with her air of confidence and self-assurance about her, he was simply awed by her presence.
