A Bond of Light and Dark

"Im sorry...i'm trying so damn hard to be strong for you and the children. Its so hard." Elayne clung tonhim and cried. "If anyone is a disappointment its me. I ruined our marriage, i acted selfishly with Zelious, and now our daughter feels alienated. I'm a horrible wife and mother." Elayne cries as she hugged him close. "I live Zel but I wish I never met him sometimes...we could still be a family. We would be happier if none of this happened. I'm a monster..." Elayne whimpered and nuzzled into his neck.

Belle was very confused by the crowds until she found herself lost in an alleyway. Belle then sat on a crate and slowly cried as the device stopped working. She was worried to tell a guard because she would get in trouble yet she was afraid to come back home because others were scared of her. Belle looked helplessly at the people walking by, hoping someone would help her. She pulled her hood down as her little elvish crown glimmered like a beacon.

Ailuin held her close and moved so that he was sitting down so that she could sit on his lap. He rubbed her back soothingly, listening to her troubles. "Elayne, you are not a disappointment and you are not a horrible wife. I did not like, at first, that you fell in love with my half-brother, but now I am glad that you did. With him, you can be yourself. You are not a monster." He kissed the top of her head.

The little dark elf boy was walking when he heard the sound of crying. He grew curious and followed the source to find a little girl sitting on a crate. As she pulled her hood down, he spotted the crown on her head. Was she one of the princesses? What was she doing out here?

He moved over to her and peered at her from beneath the hood of his cloak. "Why are you crying?" He asked softly, wondering what she was doing out here all by herself. Shouldn't the princess be accompanied by guards and not sitting in an alleyway, crying?

Bellethiel looked at the strange boy and tried wiping her tears. "I...made a mistake in class today. People usually laugh at me when I'm nice to others. People say I'm too nice. I was supposed to do a report on my hero...so i thought since a lot of people don't like my grandfather, id tell them about all the nice things about him." Belle sniffled at rhe boy and looked at his eyes glowing under his hood. "Your eyes are pretty...like two suns staring at me..." She smiled as her silver eyes looked at him too. 
 
"Anyway, people laughed at me and i got so upset that I didnt realize that I was bursting into flames. Now my parents are upset and my teacher refuses to teach me." Belle wiped her eyes. "Then i just used a teleport thingy to run away. I'm too embarrassed to go back..." Belle frowned as she looked down.

The boy paused as she started to tell him about why she was crying without even asking who he was. Were all the elves in the city this trusting or was it just the royals? Or was it maybe just this princess in particular? He listened to her story and then flushed slightly at her compliment about his eyes. He never would have expected her to compliment them.

"It sounds to me like those people were just jealous of you or insecure about themselves. They seem someone nice and they want to pick on them and beat them down. It happens all of the time. You shouldn't let them bother you like that. You're one of the princesses, aren't you? Don't you know how dangerous it is out here without any guards?" The boy frowned, knowing that he could probably kill her without her even expecting it.

He didn't quite understand why he was trying to cheer her up when she was his enemy. But then again, was she really? He wasn't interested in war and what his mother planned. He would rather not get involved but he knew that his mother was quite angry.

"Um...well that's what mother and father tell me..." Bellethiel said with a little confusion. "But, I'm nice...why hurt me? I don't understand why people hurt each other..." She frowned as she looked at the stranger. "What do you look like? I'm Bellethiel or Belle for short!" Belle held her hand out to shake his.

After Elayne calmed down she got off Ailuin and put her dresses away. She sighed as she went to her child's rooms. Aisling and Thalion were playing as she entered. "Hello my darlings...where's your sister?" Elayne noted that Belle was missing. "She went out there a while ago." Aisling signed as Elayne gasped as she felt for her device and realized she left it on the table. She shut the door and hurried to find it was missing. "Ailuin! I think Bellethiel took the teleporter and run away!" Elayne said with worry as she entered the bedroom.

"Because most people only care about themselves and making themselves feel better," The boy said, keeping his hood up and his face hidden. As she asked him what he looked like, he took a step backward and frowned. "I can't show you. I can't let anyone see what I look like, sorry."

Ailuin stood up once she got up and smoothed his clothes down. He lingered in the bedroom, sitting down on the bed. He was quite tired. However, the sound of Elayne's frantic words captured his attention and he stood up. "She is gone? We need to send out guards to search everywhere. We will start with the city."

Elayne hurried to inform the guards that the princess was missing and hurried back in to find a teleportation device. "Like hell I'm sitting here doing nothing. Remind me to lock these things up when we get back! Come on! We'll bring some guards with us!" Elayne pulled Ailuin with her and hurried to find guards to teleport into the city with. 

"How come? I wont hurt you. I just want to be friends." Bellethiel smiled until a stranger hooded and cloaked walked in. "Well, well, looks like we got ourselves a little princess here." He chuckled uncomfortably as Belle frowned and backed away. The figure turned into smoke as it clouded the alleyway and made Belle cough. Then she felt something grab her from the back of her neck and saw the blade inches from her face as she blocked his hand and screamed in fear as he dangled her from her neck.

Ailuin could only hope that nothing would happen to Belle while she was away from them. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for not protecting her better. He followed after Elayne. Along the way, they were met with Ayen who had a few guards with him.

"I just heard the news, your graces. I will personally help look for the missing princess. You have my word," Ayen said, bowing to the king and queen. Ailuin nodded, knowing that it would be useful to have Ayen with them.

The boy was just to lower the hood when the stranger showed up and interrupted them. He frowned and covered his mouth as smoke clouded the alleyway. He quickly used a wind spell to blow the smoke away and saw that Belle was in danger. He pulled a knife from his hip and stabbed the stranger in the side. "Let her go!"

Belle screeches as the assassin yells and lets her go as she drops down with a grunt. She then takes the boy's hand and runs away as the assassin chases them. "You little brats! Get back here!" He yells as Belle runs into something, and freezes when its Elayne. "Belle! Oh my goodness! Don't you ever do that to-ahhh!" Elayne shrieked as a dagger flew right to Belle and the boy she was with. Elayne grabbed voth of them and shielded them with her back facing the dagger when a guard jumped in front and guarded his queen with a shield as the knife bounced off it.

The boy wasn't finished with the assassin but before he could do anything else, Belle was pulling him away. "But my dagger!" He protested but didn't stop following her, allowing her to drag him away as they ran from the assassin. He made sure to keep his hood in place, not wanting to be revealed.

As Belle crashed into someone, he looked up, preparing to draw another dagger but stopped when he realized that the woman knew Belle. Was this the queen? He knew that he couldn't be caught and he wormed his way out of the queen's grasp and tried to make a run for it.

Something maternal inside of Elayne told her to keep following the boy so she run with Belle in hand until he caught himself in a alleyway that was a dead end. She saw how frightened the child look so she slowly walked to him. "Hey its okay... Its okay." She hushed him and knelt to his level but kept distance. "Why run? I didnt get to thank you for protecting my daughter. You're very brave..." She smiled as she slowly crept to him. "Don't be afraid... I won't hurt you..." She softly smiled at him while Belle hugged Elayne from behind. "Why dont you show yourself? I bet you're very handsome..." Elayne giggled and held out her hand to him. "Trust me, sweetheart. Nothing will harm you, not while im around..." She smiled at him.

He ran as fast as he could and darted into an alleyway. Unfortunately, it led to a dead end. He cursed under his breath and looked around for something to climb on to make it to the rooftops but paused when he heard footsteps. He turned sharply and spotted Elayne slowly approaching him. He backed up against the wall, his heart pounding in his chest.

This was it. He was going to get caught and killed for being in high elf territory. His death would only give his mother further cause to torch the place. It wasn't as if she would care if he died, but she would use his death an excuse to attack. He eyed Elayne warily but didn't reach for another dagger. There was something about her soft voice that made him feel like he was truly safe.

He was quiet for a moment before he reached up to his hood with gloved hands and pulled it back enough to reveal his face. His golden eyes seemed to glow and burn against the sharp contrast of his black as night skin. "Will you still say the same about me being safe knowing that I am a dark elf?" He asked, a wary look on his features.

Elayne looked a little surprised calong with Belle but they looked at each other with a smile. "Let me get a look at you..." Elayne spoke gently as she gently approached him and slowly reached out until he let her cup his face in her hand. "Why would that make a difference?" She gently spoke as she looked at his beautiful eyes. "What a handsome face...you remind me of someone i love very much. What's your name, little raven?" She smiled as she pulled him into her lap and held him as Belle watched on with a smile. She didn't understand why the boy was so scared, sure he was different but that made him much more interesting to Belle.

He eyed the two of them warily, expecting looks of disgust but was surprised when they just looked at each other and smiled as if there was nothing wrong with him being a dark elf. His mother had told him that everyone here would think of him as disgusting and dangerous. Why weren't they afraid or disgusted?

He forced himself to relax, unable to help but lean against her as she pulled him onto her lap. "Fendrae. My mother told me that all of the other elves thought of our kind as disgusting and dirty. That we should be feared." He was quiet for a moment before he looked at Elayne. "My mother wants to attack and destroy this place. I wanted to see it with my own eyes, just once, before it was destroyed."

The words came out easily and he felt like he could really trust her. He was afraid of what his mother wanted to do to this place. "She would probably be ashamed of me for helping the princess of the enemy, but I couldn't let that assassin hurt her. When I saw him targeting her, I wanted to kill him and protect her."

She rocked him gently as he spoke and played with his white hair lovingly. "I'm sorry, your mother must have had a really bad experience with the high elves here. Thank you for telling me Fendrae." She smiled and kissed his forehead. "Would you like to stay with us?" She smiled as the guards came filing in abd she held Fendrae protectively as they pointed spears at him. "Put your weapons down! He's a child, gods be praised!" Elayne said as Belle also guarded Fendrae with her magic in her hands. The guards looked in confusion as they were perplexed that their queen was protecting a dark elf.

Fendrae nodded and couldn't help but cuddle up against her. He felt safe in her arms. His mother had never treated him so lovingly. "I--" He cut himself off as the guards appeared and he tensed up, looking like he wanted to run for a moment before burying his face against her chest. "Please don't let them hurt me. Don't give my mother another reason to attack."

It wasn't long after the guards had appeared and Fendrae asked to be protected that Ailuin finally made his appearance. "Belle! Elayne! You are both safe..." He trailed off as he spotted the dark elf child in her arms. His eyebrow went up as he stared in confusion. "A dark elf child?"

"Ailuin, this is Fendrae. He helped protect our daughter's life and informed me of other things. Please tell your men to stand down and put their weapons away." Elayne held Fendrae very close and nuzzled her head on top of his. "Shhh, its okay. You are safe little raven. I wont let them hurt you. Just stay close to me." She smiled as she picked him up and stood him up as she got off the ground. She then held his hand and waited for Ailuin to lead them back home.

Ailuin was silent for a moment before he nodded to his men as they stood down. It didn't take long for Ayen to reach them but the captain didn't say a word about the dark elf child in his queen's arms. Fendrae allowed her to stand him up and peeked over up at the elven king looking down at him. He clutched onto her hand with his gloved hand, sticking close to her side.

Ailuin looked at the dark elf child. "I thank you for saving my daughter. I would like to ask you some questions but it will wait until we return to the castle." He then turned on his heel and lead the way back to the castle.

Belle hurried over to Fendrae's other side and held his hand too. "Its okay! Father is very kind and mother will make sure you are safe." Belle smiled as Elayne led them both with Ailuin in front. Once they got into the castle Elayne looked to Belle. "Sweetheart, why dont you join your brother and sister?" She said nodding to a guard to guide her. "But mother..." She whined but Elayne raised a brow. "Young lady, you better mind me. You are not out of the woods yet. I suggest you listen." Elayne sai as Belle bit her lip and nodded. Elayne sighed and picked up Fendrae and let him cling to her like a monkey. Once they were in the war room, Elayne sat him into her lap and cuddled. "Oh Ailuin, he's such a sweet boy." She smiled at Fendrae and played with his white hair as she had him on her lap.

Fendrae held onto Belle's hand, feeling comforted from being able to hold both of their hands. He didn't know what the high elven king planned to do with him, but he hoped that Elayne would protect him. Once they reached the castle, he looked around. Their city's structure was a lot different than the dark elves.

He felt said that Belle would be leaving him but perhaps he would get to see her later on. He looked at Elayne with his golden eyes as she picked him up and he automatically looped his arms around her neck, resting his head on her shoulder and sneaking another peek at the somber Ailuin.

Ailuin quietly led the way to the war room and watched his wife sit down with the boy in her lap. "Elayne, it could be an act. What if he is a spy? What if this is all according to Queen Menaka's plan?" Fendrae looked at Ailuin and shook his head. "No, my mother doesn't know I'm here." Ailuin looked surprised at that. "You are the queen's son?" Fendrae nodded and cuddled close to Elayne.

Ailuin pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down. "I do not want war with the dark elves but having her son might give us an advantage, Elayne." Fendrae frowned at that but didn't say anything.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Ailuin? He's just a little boy." She glared and hugged him closely. "I'm not going to let Fendrae get used as a political tool." Elayne glared protectively as she hugged him close. "Does he look dangerous to you?" Elayne looked at Ailuin with concern before kissing Fendrae on the head.

"I am saying that perhaps we can use him to keep his mother from attacking. At least until I can come up with a better solution." Ailuin didn't enjoy playing dirty but he would do whatever he could to keep his kingdom and family safe. If he had to hold a boy hostage in order to do so, he would do it. Even if he didn't like it.

"Elayne, he is a dark elf child. Just because he is a child does not mean he does not already know how to kill people. Just because he looks innocent, he could be quite dangerous. His docile behavior could be an act. I think it would be better to lock him up until we are sure that he will not pose any threat." He looked at Elayne pointedly, knowing that she was about to fight him on this.

"You cant be serious?! Lock him up in the dungeons are you mad?!" Elayne held him closer and frowned. "If you're going to lock him up then younhave to lock me up too because I refuse to leave this poor boy locked up alone." Elayne says as she holds him gently. "Fendrae, do you have any weapons? Could you give them to the guards please? For me? I promise I'll protect you, sweetheart." She looked at him gently but expectantly.

Ailuin knew that Elayne wouldn't be pleased with him over this but what other choice did he have? "Elayne, do not be this way. I am only trying to protect our kingdom and family." He was quiet for a moment as he watched Elayne talk to the boy. Fendrae looked at her and then nodded. He reached into his cloak and pulled out several daggers and two glass vials filled with different colored liquids.

"I lost one of my daggers when I attacked the assassin. But this is all I have. You can search me, if you want." It was clear that he didn't want to cause any trouble. Ailuin sighed and rubbed his temples. "He did save our daughter. Would you feel better if I confined him to a room, Elayne?"

"Yes...I suppose that's fine but I'm still watching him...perhaps even I'll even ask my brother to watch him when I'm not. You'll like Quinton, he's very nice." She said as she looked at Fendrae with a motherly gaze. Elayne looked at Ailuin almost more lively thaln before, there was a glimmer in her eye to have this child in her arms. Perhaps because he reminded her of a smaller and darker Zelious. "Thank you, Ailuin. Fendrae, the king has been kind enough to accommodate you. Go on and thank him." She put him down to walk to Ailuin with a gentle yet encouraging nudge for Fendrae to approach Ailuin. Elayne was determined to show Ailuin he wasn't dangerous.