Konoro Kingdom : Conquer Games Forum

[battlemage]

He let out half a breath...slowly feeling it escaping his lips as he took dead aim.Steading the bolt as the string was taunt in his fingers.

He watched the arrow flex and bend as it flew through the air before striking the stag right behind the shoulder.....dropping the large animal before it could run.

"Nice shot Prince Aranhil" his task master said..

Aranhil lowered the bow...and cringed inward....everytime he heard Prince before his name,thoughts of his father came....although he was young when his father was killed....the Princess,his mother...told him countless stories..

"Lets hurry and field dress it,the sun grows low in the sky...i dont want to worry mother to much.. Yarl"...

"Lad...you know how your mother is...beautiful...but hard as nails...yes maybe we should hurry "...the large man winked as he said it..

[battlemage]

The Elves had mostly left this land a long time ago..having giving there ability for magic in exchange for the immortals to help in the great war...now they were left with a little magic to work the forest.

As Aranhil and Yarl entered the last Elven vestige...Linildel...Aranhil still was taken back by the beauty.The elven houses seemed to be a part of the trees,looking like they were grown that way.As Aranhil was lost in his thoughts he did not see the page coming over until the man spoke.

Bowing his head the page delivered his message.

"My Prince...the council requests your presence in the great hall."

[battlemage]

Entering the House of the Leaf...and watching as the hand maidens made there way to him...he waved them off with a small smile....and although he could not help himself,he could not break eye contact with one....she seemed to captivate him every time he saw her..

Shaking off the effect she had on him...as she turned and flashed him a small smile before disappearing around the corner..

"Arahil...the Council is waiting"...Yarl said after a few seconds

"Of course Yarl...lets not keep them waiting any longer" replied the young Prince

As they approached the great hall...the guards bowed and opened the large ornate wooden doors....the small audience that was present bowed there heads as the Prince entered.....it was no secret that Arahil did not like the power this council wielded.

"Prince Aranhil...how nice of you to join us.....im afraid we are the bearer of bad news.." the council spoke as one..

It was then that Arahil noticed his personal guard lining the back of the hall....why were they here...and what bad news....his thoughts wondered.

"Your younger brother and his escort have been surrounded and cut off from Lilindel" the council continued..

Then Aranhil saw Drake ,one of his brothers personal guards and the man was covered in blood.

"Drake where is Eronis and why are you not with him"....the Prince asked calmly...but it was the calmness that froze the Elf in place..

"My Prince ...i wanted to stay....i...i begged him.." he replied almost in tears now..

"Drake where is my brother" Aranhil voice now even lower..

"We .....he ....ordered us to leave the forest and we crossed the border...."

Berfore the man could finish Aranhil let loose with cursing ...and then looking at Yarl and then his personal guard..

"NO...WE WILL NOT PERMIT THIS ".....the council said....."If you go after him and cross the border...break the treaty...you will have no help from Lilindel...it was your father that put that rule into place...you know the penalty"

Looking at his guard one by one...and seeing the look there eyes held...."Yarl....prepare the men....we leave now"

As Aranhil and his guards left the chamber...the councils raised voices and protests could still be heard..

[battlemage]

The soft colors of dawn were just starting to expand across the sky,chasing the darkness away.....The silence only broken by the pants of the warhorses...there breath turning to large plums of smoke in the cold dawn.

Aranhil had stopped the group at the edge of the forest.....for an Elf he knew he could be hotheaded....must come from his mothers Dark blood,a small smile as he thought about her....but then quickly faded when he remembered why they were out here....and who was with him.

"Im ordering you all back to Lilindel....i cant ask any of you to do this"...his voice carrying through the cool crisp air.

His thoughts back on his brother and if he was safe.....Aranhil knew there would be trouble when Eronis and he had found the Human girl too close to Lilindel,the way Drake had looked at her....then he was brought from his thoughts when he realized no one was moving.

His armor starting to to reflect the hues of dawn as the sun broke the horizon...the soft green of the Elven armor seeming to come from inside the armor itself,glowing as it caught the light.

"Once you leave the forest...you know the penalty"...once again only the sounds of the warhorses breaths could be heard..

"Good...lets go get my brother" as he nudged Morningstar forward..

[battlemage]

It was a phisycal feeling as they crossed the border,Aranhil had not been outside of Liliindel since he was a child,and truth be known they were still children to the Elves.

His father The Prince had secured a tentative treaty with the humans before his murder...Arahil was sure it was only because the humans could not enter the forest enmass.The Humans memory seems to have forgotten it was the Elves that came to their rescue in the great wars...it was the Elves that sacrificed their magic for the Immortals to finally enter the fray.....

Having Drake tell him everything .....Erons and this girl had been seeing eachother for awhile......thats what she was doing on our side that day he and Eronis had found her,thats why Eronis didnt want him to come that day.....

"im an idiot.." Aranhil mumbled

"Her father found out....and she was being punished....and when word reached Eronis...he flew into a rage...kinda of like the ones you fly into...except this was the first time we saw ur brother do it" Drake's voice trailing off...while he thought about the story..

"Then when we crossed the boarder her fathers men had been waiting...and as many as their were....Eronis ordered us to stand down..and tried to just turn himself over to them...but the Human smacked him from his horse...and then chaos started to ensued......but Eronis still ordered us to halt...before we could clear our blades.....on Eronis's command i managed to slip away....the Humans are lazy and slow....his personal guard could have cut them down.....but he would not let us.." Drake finished.

The Prince took off his helm and ran his fingers through his dark hair,letting out a slow breath......his thoughts on what the repercussions of his move to get his brother back would bring...Aranhil had been against the continuation of the Elves exiling themselves still in the forest.....their numbers had grown in the protection of the forest...it was time to reenter the new world of man.....but the council had been vehemently against it...they still fear the world without their magic to defend them.

He did know that his mother was probably already aware of his actions...and she would send the Black Guard after them,they didnt have much time.

Placing his helm back on and then looking to his men ....without a word they started preparing....and with the sound of metal against metal,the Prince closed his visor ... completing the face of the Dragon..

[THeHoLYSiNNeR]

Entering the House of the Leaf...and watching as the hand maidens made there way to him...he waved them off with a small smile....and although he could not help himself,he could not break eye contact with one....she seemed to captivate him every time he saw her..

Shaking off the effect she had on him...as she turned and flashed him a small smile before disappearing around the corner..

Jennah was feeling restless.. .Words of the Prince and his men riding off to the forbidden land have been flying around and didn’t take long to reach her. Sitting on her bed.. her arms wrapped around her legs, her forehead resting on one of her knees, she let out a long, deep sigh…

“Oh please be safe my Prince..”, she whispered to herself.

She remembered vividly when he came to the House of Leaf..As soon as he entered, her excitement so intense she couldn’t help but make her way near the entrance with the other handmaidens to welcome him. Looking so tall and handsome..so brave and gallant, she knew very well that many of the girls fancy him. Little did the Prince know..she, for one, has long been admiring him from afar..adoring him from a distance..So when his eyes caught hers for a brief moment..her brain nudged her to look away. The look in his eyes though was so alluring that instead she let out a small smile before shyness engulfed her and made her quickly disappear around the corner.

“Jennah, what’s keeping you up this late?” The voice of Selina, one of the other handmaidens, startled her.

“Um, nothing really of great importance..I’m just deeply worried.. about.. oh well..maybe I’ll talk to you about it in the morning.”

“Are you certain?” Selina asked with a silly smirk on her face.

She let out another deep sigh. “Yes.”

“Would you mind going outside then to grab some fresh midnight air? Just for a few minutes..I think sleep has also evaded me tonight..” Selina kept on.

Jennah hesitated for awhile, but then realizing some fresh air would give her some kind of comfort, she gave Selina a wooden nod.

[THeHoLYSiNNeR]

As Jennah expected, the star-filled night welcomed them with a cool breeze as soon as they got out of the door. She remained silent, notwithstanding the fact that Selina was talking non-stop from the moment they left the room, her voice sounding like a mere buzz in her ears.

Her mind was somewhere else…

Finally, Selina later on realized Jennah wasn’t paying attention…after she’s thrown her a couple of questions that were left unanswered. She then watched Jennah quietly, as the young elf lady stood with her arms crossed, rubbing her shoulders, her eyes empty…and decided to shut her mouth and just let her be. She knew this lady very well from working with her for a few years. Younger than her by two years, she usually keeps to herself..which Selina finds admirable as compared to the other ones they work with whose only favorite past time is rumor mongering.

“How can the Prince be so stubborn sometimes?” Jennah's voice was soft and low..but took Selina by surprise.

“What do you mean?” Selina asked.

“You heard what’s going on. Prince Aranhil and his men are heading towards the human land. You know what it means. It means trouble.” Jennah replied, as she glanced to her side to look at the Selina, now coming closer to position herself beside her.

“So I heard." Selina’s response was short and firm.

“But then again, I can’t blame him. He has to get his brother. I don’t know the entire details though. Someone just overheard the conversation in the great hall. And you know how words spread like wild fire.."

“Right.” Selina then took a couple of steps forward to face her. “And you are worried about the Prince..” she continued.

Jennah looked away and as she did so, caught sight of the trees not too far from where they were standing. “I am, Selina. I worry about him everyday. Much more so now.” She responded dreamily.

Selina didn’t say a word after that…not because she had nothing to say but she didn’t know exactly what to say. Instead she placed a hand on Jennah’s shoulder and gave it a gentle rub.

Jennah kept her gaze steadily at the trees..the silhouette of which were hard to see because of the night fog. Then for a moment, she thought she saw some kind of movement in the midst of darkness that surrounded those trees. She quickly disregarded the thought..until she saw it again, but couldn’t make out what it was. The back of her neck turned cold.

“Let’s go inside...My bed awaits me.” She said calmly, faking a yawn and grabbing Selina gently by the arm to lead her back to the door.

Selina didn’t protest, unmindful of the fear slowly creeping up inside Jennah's body.

Right before they entered the door, Jennah quickly glanced back at where she saw the eerie movement. However, the fog had quickly gone so thick that made it impossible to see anything. As soon as they were inside, she closed the door behind them quietly, feeling more worried than before...

At the back of her mind, she was certain of one thing – they were being watched.

[battlemage]

They smelled them before they heard them...of course the Humans felt comfortable,the Elves were hardly ever seen and to think an armed Elven patrol in full battle gear looking for trouble ,would be seen was unheard of....The forward post was not big,but Aranhil would first try and talk to them,before he had them all rode down.

As they rode closer...they were seen from the guards,and some of the men in the encampment.Before the Elves reached the encampment,Aranhil saw the elven steeds...off by themselves.Upon reaching the human guard,Aranhil noticed immediately they were not as nervous as they should be,like they had been expecting the Elves.....before he could speak,he saw Eronis exiting a large tent followed by a human.....one that looked barely out of his human teen years.Eronis immediately saw him and smiled,making his way towards Aranhil,and the human flanked by a guard escort.

"Aranhil....i know you would be the one to come..." Eronis started ,but was cut off..

"Eronis...all this was pretense...you crossed the border...do you realize what you have done,what i have done." Aranhil said...his voice still neutral,but not for long.

"No my brother,i did cross the border,and was confronted by a patrol...but luckily William was out hunting and saw it......Prince Aranhil.....allow me too introduce you to Prince William....he wants to continue where farther left off....he wants to come to Lilindel" Eronis now holding his gaze on Arahil..

Breaking his gaze from Eronis,he hooped from the saddle and landed lightly on his feet....as Prince William stepped forward and extended his hand..Aranhil reached out and gripped the mans forearm.

"Prince William ....i assume you are speaking for your father the King..." Aranhil asked..

"Of course not..Prince Aranhil " a sly smile forming...."I assume you are speaking for the famed Elven council and have crossed the border with there permission.." He asked politely..

"Of course not...Prince William " his own small smile forming..

[THeHoLYSiNNeR]

The next morning, Jennah carried on doing her chores but caught herself drowning in absentmindedness a few times. Lilindel has been home to her for many years. She’s always felt safe...until she caught glimpse of that strange movement in the darkness that previous night... However, she dismissed the thought that there could have been something or someone watching her and Selina. She just thought herself worrying too much sometimes over what could be possibly nothing. But the Prince.. and his brother, Eronis.. She wished them both safe..

With worry for the prince building up again, she immediately felt the need to go outside to distract herself. To her astonishment, as she stepped out, standing right outside the door was Elgar..an elf known to many as not to be trusted. He’s been found guilty of stealing a couple of times but has been pardoned each time, for his father was a very good and loyal servant to the Queen. Jennah could never forget..for her younger brother, Alfred, was among those accused. And though Elgar was proven guilty, no one ever looked at her brother the same way again...

“Erm..planning on leaving your post and abandoning your duties young lady?” Elgar's voice was deep and husky, not suited for his skinny and rather short figure.

“I have to say that how I want to spend my time is none of your business. What brought you here?” Jennah asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, well, well..you’re still as ill-tempered as you are stunning Jennah..” Elgar looked at her from head to toe..making her feel uneasy, especially after she saw the wicked smile forming on his lips.

“I find that remark rather inappropriate, Elgar."

Giggling, he said, "Hush now.. I only came here to ask a few questions."

"Well my lips are sealed to whatever you may ask."

"Even if I beg?"

"I have no time to answer questions.”

“Don’t be too hard on me now young lady.. My questions are rather important.” His voice now sounding agitated..his eyes thinner..his gaze sharper..

“I’m sorry Elgar. I suggest you find someone else to ask. Now, leave me be..I have things to do.”

Turning her back away from him, he grabbed her by the wrist and in what sounded like almost a whisper, said, “Okay..Just ONE question. Was the Prince here a couple of days ago to discuss something with the council?”

Jennah quickly pulled her arm from his grasp..stared at him for a few seconds...then without saying a word, walked back inside.

Watching Jennah disappear, Elgar just stood there contemplating..

[THeHoLYSiNNeR]

Days have passed with no news, not even rumors, concerning the whereabouts of Prince Aranhil and his men. The last thing Jennah heard was that they finally reached their destination and the Prince found his brother safe. With that in mind, she found rest in the assurance that everything was okay…that the Prince was okay...

After her daily duties she would sneak out with Selina for a walk.. The forest they both found very enchanting..the breeze very relaxing..the trails that lead to the elven houses fascinating. She felt safe once again..after she found out that it was Elgar hiding in the dark that night. According to Selina, Elgar started seeing one of the handmaidens, Rebecca, quite recently and apparently at night they would meet in the wilderness… When she found out, Jennah found herself giggling..wondering how someone would be attracted to Elgar. Then thinking to herself, “Aahhh..love is indeed blind..”

The only thing that still somehow made her curious was the way Elgar was asking about the Prince…

”Could be jealousy..”, Selina told her. “You know how we all get when the Prince is around. Love struck.”

They both laughed.

“I suppose..Perhaps she’s mentioned Prince Aranhil to him..with dreamy eyes and all..” Jennah said, with a dainty smile on her lips. “Anyway, it’s none of my concerns. It’s none of OUR concerns.”

“Right.” Selina replied.

Then closing her eyes to welcome the soothing caress of wind on her face, Jennah instantly found the Prince in her mind - where he’s always been lurking. Remembering the way their eyes met always filled her with an overwhelming kind of sensation…He gave her emotions that she swore never to feel again.. Everything about him though just seemed strangely too familiar…

Lost in her thoughts, she whispered, “ Very soon I will be seeing you, my Prince..”

(p.s. and i am sooooooo excited... )