Scales, Ears, & Eyes (butterfly0408 & Greeneyed23)

The moment that the door closed behind him, Jacob once more turned to his sister. "Maia you don't HAVE to do this," he stated once more, the strength he had brought forth as the young king washed away and once more he was like a scared young lad that was afraid to loose his sister. "We can find another way Maia. We can-"

"No. Jacob. There is no turning back upon this now. The papers are signed and the war will not end if we go back upon what has been agreed upon in the document. There is no turning back now." She tried to smile for him, but it seemed ever so slightly forced. She suddenly took her brother into her arms and embraced him tightly, "Don't worry Jacob. This is for the best. Perhaps it's appropriate. It was because of what happened to be that started this war, it only seems right that the war end with me as well....."

----

Hours later, she went in search of her husband to be. It was going to be awkward, but she thought it best to talk over with him just what kind of things they would need for preparing for their sudden wedding. Not to mention that she could not help but wonder and worry over just what he meant by a "mating" according to the way of his kind.

She found him, just as they had been so many years ago, under an arbor filled with bright multi colored and heavily fragrant blossoms. He was sitting with his legs crossed, his feet now bare and raised up onto the opposite knee his hands forming a diamond with the joined fingers above his ankles his odd eyes closed, his long pointed ears covered by his thick unbound hair.

as she approached he spoke softly. "There is little you need to know. Dress as a human would, act as a human would and speak as guided by the elder during the ceremony. Dragons mate for life so when we are wed it is expected that i transform and mark you."

He said no more. The balcony he had exited by was only thirty yards away and he had proven to have excellent hearing and also proved that he was still less than thrilled to be taking someone who thought so little of him as his bride and queen.

She sighed, certainly sensing his annoyance with her in the way he spoke to her now. At first her instinct was to turn and just walk away. Let him be as annoyed with her as she was with him in that moment. But even before her feet could care out her will, she stopped herself. There was a long pause as she just seemed to stand there, thinking. "It is frightening....." She said then. She spoke but not so much to him directly but more just... talking openly. "I have only ever known this place my whole life. I have only ever known these people. I have only ever known this. You will get to still live in a place you know. A place you love and with people you know and love. It is frightening giving up my life for one I know nothing of and have never been ever remotely prepared for. It feels like I am bein thrown into a lion pit to be torn to bits by those who hate me. Forgive me if my fear reads as distaste. This is sudden and... well as I said... frightening."

He opened a single eye and caught her with it and though she was perhaps held by her fear and her indecision, there was also something binding in that unshakeable gaze.

"I understand that. If it were possible i would offer to live here but you know they will never accept a prince at court. Well at least not in this century. likely not even in this millennium. But it is not as if my people will attack you. Brand you as a murderer. Insult you repeatedly with apology. Or spurn your kindness or explanations without thought."

He snarled the last words, reminding her that she had done the same to him. He had made what she called excuses and he reasons for what had happened, but he never shirked his responsibility or ownership of a single deed that was indeed his or his people's. She had dismissed all of it summarily and that troubled him. His people, both elves and Dragons were deep thinkers who operated with logic as rule but emotion as guide. They had fought that way as well. As had he. He did not force this into her mind as he had also sensed that this, more than anything else, was actually why she had thrown such hatred and anger at him. But he did let the presence of the Dragon, however small, within her show her these things.

He sighed. "My apologies. I have been rude once again." he closed the one eyes then raising his hand she folded the ring and pinky of each hand down, holding them with his thumbs while he pressed the first two fingers tight together then lay the pads of the right down onto the upraised pads of the left forming deep v with his fingers, hands and arms before his heart and pushed it toward her whilst bowing his head into the V, the elvish sign of apology.

He leaned back and resumed his former posture his eyes closed again. "What I cannot promise you is the same home and love you have had here. I cannot compare to such life. But i can promise you respect, dignity and privacy, as well as activity. We elves enjoy our leisure but have no real need of it. Such is true of the Dragons as well."

He smiled and rolled his shoulders and for a moment the image of him flickered revealing the massive black Dragon in his place, proud and regal as ever, then the image faded. "But you speak as if you would never see this palace again and I see no reason for that to be. This is where your life was. Where your brother lives, where your people are. Where the elves and humans must conduct their affairs from now on to prevent further mistakes. It is easier for us to fly here than you to travel to our lands anyway."

He smiled. "Apologies. For your brother to travel to us. Here you were never to rule. Always to be the forgotten sister. Especially had your father lived. He never would have let you marry anything resembling a man of power or substance. He would have cowed one of his minsters into taking you and breaking into a pretty tool nothing more. As the Queen of the Elves you will rule. Perhaps not totally but you will have power independent of me. And you may come and go as you wish. Either with me or your own transports, whether horse or Dragon is entirely for you to decide."

He chuckled at the thought then turned serious. "And Your Grace is this not a small price to pay for a lasting peace between our peoples? neither of us has in our lives known a time of true peace between our races." There had been skirmishes and incidents for years prior to her birth.

He opened both eyes once more catching her. "And if you will allow me I will try with all i am to make you happy. I swear it. I will not force you to bear my children, my name, or even my presence." He studied her for a long moment his eyes still blank to her.

he was silent for more than a minute and not once did he blink, nor did his odd pupils shift from her face. Then he spoke softly. "But I will promise you my protection, my honor, and my kindness for as long as you live." He raised his hands again and smiling dragged the fingers of the left over his heart in a cross. A rather silly human gesture but one that was impossible to mistake.

She said there, feeling somewhat unease still even though his words were an attempt to calm her and reassure her. She knew that the prince meant well but there was something lost in translation before their two kinds of races. Something told her that humans and elves emotions caused them both to look at this situation in different ways. He could only try to see the positive things while she could only see the negative. There was a slight laugh she could not stop from slipping out of her lips as he spoke of her ruling as queen of the elves. His people would never be happy with her as their queen. She was an outsider, not one of them. How would they ever accept her? She didn't see how. Even if she was the most perfect queen there ever was, she would still not be one of them.

At the end of the day, the choice was already made. It didn't matter how he tried to paint the situation for her, her mind was already made up. Trying to muster up a smile to him that he may just drop this frustrating conversation. What was done was done. All they could do was accept it.

"Forgive me if I am apprehensive. It's... it's human nature in a way." Rising to her feet, she bowed her head in a sign of respect as she was departing for the time being, "I feel the need to retire for the evening is in order. I will start to see to the arrangements of the ceremony of my people tomorrow. I don't know how long it will take to prepare for it...."

Ellowe's smile faded as he watched her turn what should be happy or at least soothing news into darkness within her mind. She was dooming herself without knowing his people.

Was she not blessed by the Dragons themselves? and was she not to become family? His people would not just accept her they would love her...if she but let them.

He started to say this but she was standing. he nodded. "I understand. I will remain here. if I am needed for any reason this is where I will be."

He didn't tell her that while beautiful, he hated the palace. The stone and furniture was too heavy and dark, and most importantly dead to him. He didn't blame her or the humans, but elves lived within the living trees of their forests, always surrounded by life....maybe thats why humans were so negative and dark...they had to kill so much.

His heart went out to them and he wished he could help them somehow but they lacked the nature magic and more importantly the options of such a life....still perhaps Maia could help with that....she was the key to the peace.

He watched her go and had an idea.

Outside her room, under balcony, a loving gardener had planted a rose bush. But it had never flower. It didn't die and produce great huge thorns and gorgeous rose leaf, very useful in medicines, not even a single flower. Still the gardener had faith one day it would grow. Ellowe found this bush with his mind and began to softly sing to it in the language of the flower and it grew. It grew vines and it's roots stretched even further, wrapping around the wall until it reached the balcony, which it wrapped fully in strong vines, then enclosed with lines of rose ivy, while the thorns on the entire plant withered away, and in the place of each one a huge rose grew, with every color imaginable. Red,pink,white,orange, yellow, blue, green, black, and even purple. And the scent was removing that tangy sharpness of a rose and given the sweet fragrance, which filled the castle, and those within with hope and light.

The gardener awoke in the night sensing something and went out to see his bush and was stunned to see it had become part of the castle itself, and was now covered in thousands of rose blooms in a rainbow of colors, from the roots all up the wall and all over the balcony, especially along the parapet, which was entirely covered in the flowers. he called his fellows and they all stared in awe at the transformation and Ellowe smiled and closed his eyes, resting in his place int he garden, well aware that his actions had the entire garden overflowing with life. This was true elvish nature. To create and glory in natural beauty, surrounding themselves in it.

He had removed the thorns to protect people and the flowers, which had their own secret. They could not be plucked, cut, or removed, and the petals, no matter how old would never fade. They would fall as the blooms would change color from the inside creating glorious transition effects, but not a single petal would fade. And they were possessed of great healing magics.

Ellowe nodded. This would be his first true gift to the humans. Life and beauty. They had need of it. Especially his fiancee.

Ellowe was sadly naive to just how suspicious most of the humans were of him and his powers. The next morning, when his lovely work was discovered, indeed it touched the heard of the old gardener who have never seen such beauty before in his many long years but others whispered about the elf prince's unnatural powers to create. They didn't seem to notice or care that it was such a thing of beauty only that it was not something a 'normal' person could do. When it was discovered that the very plant was actually indestructible, uneasy only seemed to travel faster in whispers. All it needed was a few key players to start the whispers and keep the fuel upon the fire burning for his good intentions to only make the humans within the close confines of the castle all the more uneased by his presence.

Maia was to busy most of the day planning the sudden wedding, trying to make it a nice as she possibly could for the two of them one such short notice. She knew as the whispers of the 'unholy thing' dwelling in the gardens, it was better for them to join in marriage and leave sooner rather then later. It was near to dusk when she finally had everything in order and at last went to see him in the gardens to tell of him the news. They would be wed the following day.

Upon entering the gardens, her eyes were of course instantly drawn to his handy work. It pulled her to draw closer. The spectacle honestly touched her and took her breath away as she stared at the display in amazement.

He moved up beside her, silent as ever. "I am glad at least you like it....do you humans not just enjoy anything?" He was badly hurt by their distrust and whispers which could not be concealed from his keen senses.

He sighed. "I...I just hoped to give you something useful but also beautiful...." He shook his head then smiled at her. "You seem more settled...I hope you have found some peace."

He reached out and cupped a bud and sensing his troubled nature the plant released the bud to his hand, instantly regrowing another in it's place. he smiled at the blue flower in his hand, then turned and ignoring protocol, put it in her hair, right about her left ear. "It suits you. A stunning ornament for a breathtaking beauty."

She jumped a little, not hearing him approach her until he started to speak to her. That was going to take some getting use to but she supposed she was going to have the rest of her life to do so. Turing her attention back to the lovely creation from his powers. "They are not use to such powers as what you have displayed here. Human kind has long been taught to fear such things. Even years and years ago, when there was a peace between our people, your kind's powers were seen almost like witchcraft to humankind."

As he moved to place the floor behind her ear. The way he called her beautiful actually made her blush. She suddenly realized that though she had often been called the same by others, for the first time the words seemed to feel more honest when spoken by him. "Thank you. If you like it, perhaps I can wear it in my hair when we are wed...... tomorrow..." she was unsure if he would be pleased with this news or not."

He blinked. "so soon?...I am willing of course..but has something... Oh." his eyes fell on the rose bush and he nodded understanding.

He turned back to her and smiled. "Yes please...It truly does suit you."

He reached out gently stroking the petals of the flower, then his hand lightly ran along her jaw. "Never has there been a more beautiful bride. What do you need me to do to help?"

He had already changed into his more regal clothing, but he wasn't sure what human wedding required.