Stranger things.....(Razgriz x Lady Bloody Ava)

(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.

((My inexcusable absence is just that... inexcusable. I'm sorry.))

What adrenaline had compelled her to relinquish such a bold display eventually came to realization upon her and a light flush painted her ivory cheeks in a pink hue. She listened on as the human king spoke and began getting things underway. High elf Sylvari tucked his smile away and took on a more concentrated look. Nodding when King Richard was correct in his assumption as to who cared to contribute to negotiations on their side. Knight Commander Uthal grew stoic as it all commenced. Steel grey eyes looked towards her King as it was now his turn to speak. "You are right. While the Knight Commander here wants the same as us, we have the negotiations for the Argonians, and ,considering the location, the fae will negotiate as they please with their own terms."The high king sipped upon his goblet before continuing on. "If these negotiations continue, then we should be able to reach some form of peace that can be forged with a treaty. Until then, how shall we proceed? A ceasefire?" He asked with a raised silver brow. A ceasefire was only partial in orders from the leaders, but any free mercenaries would be lucky if they could be controlled after this much time at war.

Obviously this negotiation could not be completed in a day. Given the arrangements, there was nothing more important, in Uthal's mind, than putting peace in everyone's mind. He would not leave until the negotiations were done and over with, but it would seem like forever until then. This will be deemed a temporary home until then. Maybe a taste of peace will linger before them as a reminder as to their aspirations for this temporary union. For now, the start was going according to plan. "Maybe as we get further with the negotiations and the beginnings of a treaty, they will feel less threatened and feel like this is less of a waste of time." A small assumption on his part. Dwarves were proud folk and loved any excuse to use their weapons. That was his silent thought of them. Princess Eola dawned a smile as she ate. Looking at her father with pride. This was what they needed. This was what EVERYONE needed. As everyone ate and spoke, she simply listened.

Queen of the fae intervened for but a moment. Her presence noted with silence and a few smiles. At lease one from Eola. "During these arbitration's I wish to make it well noted that the Garden is open to all. Both human and elven alike. Otherwise, both with remain within the spacious walls of their designated, and hopefully comfortable dwellings. I hope you are comfortable in your time here." The air was abuzz with small fae as they clung to their Queen. Food was eaten and the tension in the air was considerably less tense, but it still lingered. Peace was not instant and more was it this easy to achieve. The elven king spoke up after a bite of egg was swallowed and savored. "I will send word back to my kingdom as negotiations progress. This is as good as a start as I had expected."

As food vanished and stomachs were filled. Eola was surprised when her father excused himself. "Please... I must check on my wife as she is ill from the venture here." Announcing his reason for departing was beyond him. Maybe to set an example for his daughter? figuring that her parents needed some alone time, she thought to inform him of her departing to glance at the garden. There was no need to verbalize the order for someone to stand at guard while in such a neutral area. So as Princess Eola left the table, so did two men who stood a few feet behind their princess as she walked out of a large double arch that lead outdoors. The smell of fresh air was certainly welcoming. To be outside of walls being even more so. The garden was vast. She questioned being able to even run into a human if they were to even enter this garden from another doorway. Several trees provided shading. Leaves occasionally raining down. Flower beds here and there. Small natural running veins of water here and there. A small arched stone bridge with water beneath it and a few lily pads. She took seating upon a bench. Listening as the air hummed with small noises. She was fairly happy as to the outcome of their first meeting. Hopefully all would go as smooth, but she had her doubts.

Richard was just as pleased that so far, at least, the negotiations were smooth and somewhat stream-lined; despite Sybal's previous outburst, the Human King could tell that the Elves here truly wanted peace and a stop to this fighting as much as he did. Perhaps they wanted it more, maybe less, but the magnitudes were not important; this was no time to start declaring about who wanted peace more after all. Even still, the road ahead would be a tough one; getting the Dwarves to even consider agreeing to meet would be a trial in and of itself. As much as he respected Orrin and his ability to lead, that man's stubbornness was utterly infuriating at times.

Nodding to his comments regarding the Dwarves, Richard added "The Orcs as a whole probably won't be very forthcoming either; Gash'nul, son of the most powerful Orc warchief, has extended his hand to participate in the negotiations already, but I advised him to wait until we had made some progress into negotiating the terms and determined who would be attending. Last thing we need is a war here on neutral ground, after all". As the negotiations continued for a short while, the polite and well-timed interjection of the Fae Queen brought the talking to a temporary halt. As she gave her notice of the Garden and how they would be proceeding, Richard said with a well-mannered smile, "Thank you, Your Highness. We'll be sure to be mindful of that". Even worse than a civil war would be to upset their host for this gathering; Richard knew that despite the Fae declaring themselves neutral, the Elves had more of their favor than the humans. Thankfully, none of his guards seemed overly concerned with shedding the blood of their enemies. He knew it probably wasn't easy for some to have to share the same residence with a race that they held such a deep hatred for, but he appreciated their trying.

The meeting for now was concluded, so it seemed, and as the High King excused himself to check on his wife with the Princess following him to their part of the castle, Richard excused the rest of his guard but told for Trystram and the other Inner Circle Knights to remain. When the room was empty once more, Richard asked his best Knight, "Sir Trystram...When your charge rescued that girl, you knew it was the Princess, didn't you?" Trystram, not ashamed of what needed to be done, replied, "Yes, Your Grace...I apologize for the deception, but if we had tried to take the girl, these negotiations would not have been possible". Richard just stared at him, but eventually nodded in concession before stating, "You know I don't like being misdirected, Trystram...Even if I understand your motives for it. But 'tis true; it would not have boded well if your patrol had gone after the Princess".

And while Trystram and the King talked, Abel was left to his own devices; for a while he just laid in his bed, noting how utterly comfortable it was. Far more so than his own bed back at Evugid. His light-colored brows furrowed, though, as he thought of the strange Elven girl; Trystram still didn't explain why he kept his knowledge of her real identity a secret. Tossing the thought from his mind, he decided to heed the Fae Queen's words and explore the Garden a tad. Readjusting the chainmail suit, tunic and metal cap, he made his way through the halls and out into the sprawling meadows. Even with the number of times he'd ridden with his mentor, he'd never seen anything like this. Of course, his being an orphan for most of his life meant he was largely constrained to a town or city, having to steal and trespass his way to get food in his stomach or a form of shelter, but still...This was incredible. The silver hues of the boy went to and fro, looking on as Fae flitted about, like there wasn't a care in the world. It was almost like the war had not tainted this place...It was, peaceful. Serene. So much different from the chaos that seemed to rule over the other lands these days.

It was here as he moved along, feeling the tiny beings fly around him as their wings hummed in his ears, that he noticed the Elven girl...Princess Eola....sitting upon a bench. He could only stare for a short while; she seemed so different compared to human royalty, and despite the elongated ears in his eyes she was incredibly beautiful. Though truthfully it could have just been that little incident where she hugged him. Being only a Squire, he was taught from observation that anyone of royal lineage did not lay hands on a servant, even if that servant was one of a Knight. He wanted to ask her what she was doing out there in Orc territory, what being from an Elven house was like...But he also didn't want to risk damaging any chance of peace, so he merely turned his head away and tried to focus on the scenery instead.

The guards kept a safe distance from their charge as the young elven maiden had expressed on multiple occasions, how annoying it was to be followed so closely that she could feel the warm breath of her guardians beating down her neck. Elola was first, and foremost, the High Elf's only daughter and heir. Her arguments with her father were never pointless and usually proved valid and the outcome was always in her favor. Eola was said to be a reincarnate of her mother, personality wise. Upon the bench she sat with one hand extended out as one of the light little Faye perched upon the tips of her fingers only to fly off once more. Her father was, no doubt, relaying the happenings from the meeting to his wife. From the initial tension to their daughter's surprise outburst. The atmosphere was peaceful, to say the least. Her heart still threatened to burst forth from her chest from her initial outburst at the meeting. It was more embarrassment and adrenaline the fueled the fast pace.

Those eyes that resembled the color of precious green gems looked up from the fae to see a familiar sight. "Sir Abel?" Her voice chimed as she hastily stood up, hitching up the skirts of her dress in both hands and ran to join him at his side. He was rather handsome and so interesting in her eyes. Save for the eyes she appeared no different than any elf. "I am so sorry to have put you in that spot at the meeting, but I thought you deserved recognition for your admirable rescue. And...." With a careful sigh she averted her eyes for but a moment before looking at him one more with a lightly reddish hue to her cheeks. "Thank you, again. I owe you my life. My father was trying to save me by hiding me, but it nearly cost me my life either way. " It may have been a rather odd topic to laugh about, but when your life is safe, she looked back on the irony with a sense of humor. "I think you should be a Knight after such a display, but..." with that she shrugged her shoulders, "I'm far from versed in the Knighthood ways of humans." She looked to what looked like a dandelion floating her way, which turned out to be a fae that landed on her outstretched hand. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to impose if you wanted to be alone." She uttered soft as she tried not to disturb the soft peace that they had.