A Bond of Light and Dark

Elayne froze at that and looked at him with a look of shock but smiled. "I can't replace your mother, sweetheart. Despite what you may think, i'm sure she's worried about you, she just may not show it." Elayne walked over and knelt before him. "However, I will protect you and and care for you like any mother should. So let's just say I'm your guardian for now instead of mother. Fair enough?" She asked as she pushed his hair out of his face and smiled. "Now, how about you come with me? I have a present for you. Let's have some lunch in the gardens. Belle will be there as well as her siblings Aisling and Thalion." She smiled and took his hand as she stood up and pulled little Fendrae along with her.

"I don't think so. She's more worried about avenging my aunt and grandmother." Fendrae frowned at that, doubting that his mother, Menaka, had even noticed that he was missing. After all, it had been too easy to sneak out of the dark elf territory and into the high elven grounds. He would have liked to have Elayne as a mother because she seemed like she genuinely cared about people.

He was disappointed that she was not going to adopt him, but was still grateful that she would be his guardian instead. "Okay, but I would have liked it better if you became my new mother." He looked up at her with his golden eyes that stood out against his black as night skin. He nodded, perking up at the mention of getting to see Belle again. "Okay." He followed after her, looking forward to seeing Belle again.

Elayne felt bad to say no but she knew if someone had her children she would be upset if they told her children that they were their mother. She was merely being respectful. Elayne smiled as she held Fendrae's little hand in her's. Se could see guards and others stare and glare at Fendrae which she would shoot an angry glance at them too and then back to smiling. "Never go off on your own, you understand? Ever." She looked at Fendrae seriously before walking into the archway that led outside to the gardens.

The long hedge mazes towered as Elayne knew her way out of it to get to the gardens. Elayne waved to the children as Belle jumped out of her seat and ran over. "Hello, Fendrae!" She giggled brightly and took his hand to lead him to the table as Elayne let go with a smile. "Come on! Come meet my brother and sister!" She smiled as she walked over to the table. "Fendrae, this is my sister Aisling. She can't hear at all but we can teach you sign language if you want. She says 'Hi, welcome.' and this is my brother Thalion. We're triplets." She smiled as Aisling looked a little uneasy but she trusted her mother and tried to be polite.

Fendrae could feel the gazes on him and knew people were looking at him with fear or hatred. It didn't bother him too much, or at least, that's what he told himself. He glanced up at Elayne as she told him to never go off on his own. He nodded. "Okay, I won't." He also remembered Ailuin saying that he wasn't supposed to go anywhere without supervision anyways.

The last thing that Fendrae wanted was to anger the king. He looked ahead as they entered the garden and his golden eyes instantly gravitated towards Belle. He smiled at her slightly, happy to see her. He blushed slightly as she took his hand and led him to the table. "Hello," He said, mostly to Thalion as Aisling couldn't hear.

Thalion looked at the dark elf prince with a wary expression. He was confused about why his mother and sister didn't seem bothered by the dark elf's presence. Weren't dark elves the bad guys? Why was one here? He looked at his mother, fighting the urge to run and hide behind her skirts. Fendrae tried not to be bothered by the way Belle's siblings reacted to him. "I have two sisters but we're not triplets. They are older than me."

Elayne sat down with a smile as servants begun to serve lunch. "Come sit down, children. its time to eat." Elayne smiled as she sat next to Thalion, knowing he was nervous. She smiled at her boy and patted his head gently before eating. "Aisling, I told you to put away your weapons when at the dinner table." She gave her a look. "Its not dinner..." Aisling signed as Elayne glared. "I don't care if its breakfast! no weapons!" Elayne growled as Aisling just rolled her eyes and begun to eat rather desperately as if she didn't eat in days. Shoving food in her face, chewing loud, and making a mess. Elayne inwardly sighed and ignored her. "How do you like the castle, Fendrae? Isn't it cool? Mother told me you'll be taking private lessons with me! Surprise!" Belle giggled as Elayne nodded. "Yes, since Belle can't learn with the other students and we didn't want you cooped up in a room all day you'll be learning with a private teacher along with Belle." She smiled as Aisling signed "Why can't we go?" Aisling frowned as Elayne sighed. "because you two arent responsible for burning down a classroom." Elayne rolled her eyes.

Thalion cast one final look at Fendrae before obeying his mother and sitting at the table. He was inwardly happy that his mother chose to sit next to him, making him feel safer. Fendrae joined them at the table, sitting next to Belle. He watched the interaction between Aisling and Elayne in confusion.

If Fendrae had even dared to speak to his mother in such a way, he would be flogged. He would also have been denied meals for some time and confined to his room without any visitors. He tore his gaze from the two and looked at Belle as she spoke to him. "It's a lot different than what I am used to." He then paused, looking surprised.

He hadn't expected that he would be educated while here. "Does that mean I get to learn about the high elf culture and history?" It could be useful to know more about them, after all. Not that he would share the information with his mother or sisters. Not when they would use it against the high elves. He then looked shocked as Elayne mentioned something about a class burning down.

He looked at Belle in surprise. "You burned down a classroom?" He couldn't help but be impressed.

Belle blushed and looked at Fendrae with embarrassment. "Well it was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen. I just got upset and it sort of happened." Belle said as she explained what happened. "Its why i tried to run away. I was embarrassed..." She blushed at him as she remembered how he found her crying and saved her from harm. "Yes well, you're getting a teacher to control your fae magic because clearly you need them." Elayne sighed as she ate fruit.

Fendrae opened his mouth to reply but stopped at the sound of Thalion making a sound that sounded like a snort. "You got upset because of a stupid report. If you had written something about our father or someone else, they would have never teased you," Thalion said, unable to help but voice his annoyance.

He was embarrassed that his sister had caused a scene like that. Now the other kids would look at them differently. Fendrae looked at Thalion and couldn't help but glare at him, feeling protective of Belle. At Fendrae's glare, Thalion lost his courage and cowered.

"Thalion that was rude. However, he is right Belle. You knew Taeral has a bad reputation and you chose to write about him anyway." Elayne sighed as she sipped her tea. "I wrote something nice because deep inside, grandfather does have good qualities! He's protective, wise, and he loves me." Belle frowned as she felt like no one understood her. "Yes darling but he's also done a lot of terrible things that out weigh the good. Just be careful." Elayne said as she she looked to Fendrae. "How is the food dear? I hope you are pleased with it." She smiled at him.

"Sorry, mother," Thalion said, sneaking a peek at his mother with a guilty expression on his features. He then focused on eating, grabbing a sandwich and nibbling on it. Fendrae relaxed a little bit, inwardly glad that Thalion wasn't going to be rude to Belle anymore. He finally started eating, also grabbing a sandwich and munching on it.

Truthfully, Fendrae was starving. He hadn't had much to eat since leaving the dark elf lands and he was famished. He paused and looked at Elayne, smiling some. "I like it. Thank you."

Elayne smiled at Fendrae before a servant came by with a letter for Elayne. "Oh, thank you." Elayne said to the servant as she bowed before walking away to do her duties. Elayne opened the letter while Belle and Aisling looked over at their mother curiously. "Who is it from, mother?" Aisling signed to her as Elayne smiled. "Well it seems that your Uncle Liam wants to organize a family reunion in Shadesong territory. I shall have to speak to your father about this matter but he requests the whole family...well almost. Hmm..." Elayne says as she realizes Leon and his family were missing from the invitation.

"Almost?" Belle asked curiously as Elayne folded the letter back up. "Oh none of you children mind that. Now, I want you three to be nice to Fendrae. Go play in the gardens with him. Remember Fendrae, I'm trusting you." She eyed him with a gentle stern face but remained lovely doing so. Bell got up after finishing along with Aisling as they went off to play.

Thalion looked over at his mother, also curious about the letter that she had just been handed. He waited in silence, knowing one of his sisters would ask about it. His eyebrows knitted in confusion when she said that his uncle Liam requested almost all of the family. Who was excluded? He snapped out of his thoughts as Elayne told them that they needed to go play and that they had to be nice to Fendrae. He couldn't believe his mother trusted this dark elf child enough to leave them alone with him. Still, he wasn't going to question his mother's judgement even if he didn't like it.

Fendrae looked at Elayne and nodded. "I won't cause any trouble. You have my word." He had no intention of breaking his word and causing trouble. Besides, he wanted to play with Bellethiel. He had never really had children around his own age to play with back at home. His mother kept him isolated for the most part. Speaking of his mother, he couldn't help but wonder if she had noticed he was missing yet. Was she angry? Or did she not care? He just hoped that she wouldn't find out where he was and find reason to attack the high elves. He slipped from his chair and followed after the three of them.

Bellethiel giggled with Aisling as they signed to each other while taking a stroll into the gardens. Then Belle and Aisling as they gestured for Thalion and Fendrae to come hither. "A gnome hard at work..." Belle giggled as she watched the little rodent like gnome waddle about as he was rooting out new plants and putting them into fresh fertilized soil. "What should we do?" Belle giggled as she looked to Thalion and Aisling. It was always an inside joke for the three of them to pester the gnomes in a lighthearted way.

Meanwhile, Elayne told one of the guards to watch the children before entering the castle. The gardens were well guarded and she knew Belle was strong enough to protect Fendrae if needed to. Elayne headed to the family quarters as she assumed Ailuin would be hiding. She entered the living quarters and headed for their bedroom. She noticed clothes laid out and figured her husband was in the bath. As she entered the bathroom she knocked before entering. "Hello Love, how are you enjoying your bath?" She smiled as she went to stand by the tub, not at all phased of his nudity. She's seen him naked enough times to not bat an eyelash. "The children are playing with Fendrae. "Don't worry the guards are watching them.. Aisling and Bell seem to like him...Thalion...he's skeptical like you. Its rather cute to see him act like you actually." Elayne smiled as he looked at him sweetly. "How is she? Your Lover? Is the little one fine? I pity he has to live with perversion around every corner and grow up so fast." She sighed as she slowly knelt down as her skirt circled around her.

Thalion followed after his sisters without hesitation while Fendrae trailed behind a little, looking around the garden. He was still getting used to the new environment. Back home, there wasn't much plant life besides the few plants that grew in the desert and caves. He then noticed the gnome and peered at it curiously, having never seen one before. Thalion eyed the gnome before looking at his sister. "Move the plants it's trying to plant?" He suggested while Fendrae looked confused. "You intend to disrupt the creature's work?" He asked, glancing over at the gnome.

Ailuin was currently relaxing in the bath and had his green eyes closed. At the sound of a knock, he opened his eyes and looked towards his wife as she entered the room. "It is quite nice. The temperature of the water is perfect." He then paused as she mentioned the children. He smiled at the mention of his son behaving like him. "He is a good boy." He then tilted his head as he looked at her. "She is fine. Well, no, she is quite excellent, actually. I think she is enjoying her new business. And Alduin seems to be fine as well. I talked with him for a long while after visiting his mother."

"Oh nothing too mean Fendrae. We just like to annoy them a little. That's what a prank is. You annoy someone a little to get a laugh." Belle giggled before focusing on the plant and teleport it back where it was, rooted in the ground. Aisling snickered and Belle hissed as the Gnome looked at the plant in surprise. He stood curiously at it and scratched its ear in confusion before going back to dig it up again. Aisling signed for Belle to do something in which she giggled and nodded as she waved her hand at the flower beside it. The red rose begun to sing in an operatic tune as the gnome jumped in fright. Belle and Aisling roared with laughter as the Gnome noticed them with a raised brow. "Very funny prince and princesses! Fix my plants now!" He squeaked as Belle giggled and waved her hand and all returned. "Run!" Belle grabbed Fendrae's hand and bolted as Aisling chased after.

Elayne smiled as she got up and walked over until she was sitting behind her husband and decided to massage his shoulders. "I'm glad to see all is well. Darling, how do you feel about taking a trip to Ironwolf Hold with the children for a few days? Liam was generous to invite the whole family for a reunion. We haven't all been together since Callum's wedding. It would be nice for the children to meet their cousins. You could also make deals of trade with lord Asgeir once we got there. I know there's been an increase in desire for Mithril and he has large sums of it..." She smiled mischievously before playfully kissing his neck and hugged him from behind. They may have fallen for other people but occasionally old feelings came back and Elayne would embrace it instead of shame herself.

Fendrae had never heard of a prank before now and couldn't help but tuck that little tidbit of information away in his mind to remember. He watched as Belle focused on the plant and teleported it back to where it was. He couldn't help but chuckle as the gnome seemed confused about it. He then noticed Aisling signing something to Belle but because he didn't know sign language, he didn't know what she had said. He then turned his attention to the rose that suddenly started singing. Thalion laughed with his sisters, amused by the gnome jumping in fright. Fendrae smiled as Belle grabbed his hand and they began to run with Thalion following after them.

Ailuin closed his eyes in contentment as she began to massage his shoulders. At her question, he opened his eyes and glanced over his shoulder at her. "A trip?" He was quiet for a moment, obviously considering it. "Yes, I think that would be fine. I would love to see Liam and my sister again along with their children." He paused again before nodding. "Yes, that sounds perfect."

"Thank you, my love. I'll make preparations. Now you go ahead and relax...you had a long day." She kissed his head sweetly before getting up and walking away. Elayne walked away with haste as she headed for her dresser to find a portal device with a smile. She waved her hand to dress a little differently as she activated a portal before stepping into it.

Belle hurried on her feet as she held onto Fendrae. Then she ran into a small little cave entrance covered in ivy and laughed. Aisling halted away from it though. "What are you worried about?" Belle signed before Aisling looked to Thalion nervously. "Mother and Father said don't go in there..." Aisling signed as Belle rolled her eyes. "Have you two ever been down there? No? Then how do you two even know its dangerous?" Belle scoffed followed by a giggle as she went into the gave. "Belle! No!" Aisling signed nervously but Belle was gone inside now.

"Excellent. Thank you, I appreciate it." Ailuin smiled at her and watched her go before closing his eyes and relaxing in the hot water once more. He was enjoying the hot water and it was making him sleepy. Though, he knew better than to fall asleep in the bath.

Thalion came to a halt beside Aisling and frowned at the sight of the cave. It was somewhere that their parents had warned them not to go in. Why? He didn't know but it must have been dangerous to cause them to worry like that. "Belle, I don't...I don't think it's a good idea," He said nervously but made no move to follow after her. Fendrae moved past the two and followed Belle into the cave.

Belle was traveling down a spiral staircase as she turned and noticed Fendrae followed. She smiled at him as she continued to climb down the stairs. "Thalion and Aisling can be a little paranoid. "She explained with a laugh as she hopped down the steps carelessly. "I've been down here many times! Its pretty cool! I won't tell you though. It was amazing when I first saw it." She giggled as she continued to hop down until a dark tunnel was before them. Belle held out her hand as light shined from her palm. "Here...I'll guide you..." She held out her hand with a smile to him before continuing on.

As they got to the end of the tunnel A giant skeleton of a Dragon laid there as Bell smiled. "Apparently, mother and father were friend with the dragon until my Aunt killed him." She said while looking to the wall paintings. They looked rather old and worn. "Apparently, because he was such a wise dragon mother thought putting him in the hall of prophecies was a fitting grave for him." Belle smiled as she looked at the many paintings but she was looking for one specifically. "Hey, look at this! It looks like us." She smiled before pointing to the painting of a female with pale skin and white hair holding a ball of light above her palms while there was a dark elf with his palm above hers while darkness surrounded the ball of light like a defensive wall. "Huh...interesting...there's no etchings on this one like the rest of them. I wonder who drew this one. The rest have markings of prophecies that have already happened. But this one has none..." Belle looked curiously on.

Fendrae caught up with her with ease and knew that her siblings had no intention of following them. "That's all right. I'm not afraid of caves, though." He then looked at her as she summoned the light. "I can see in the dark, but I appreciate the sentiment." He smiled at her and continued to follow her. He then saw the giant skeleton of a dragon. "Your aunt killed him? That's a shame. I've always wanted to meet a dragon." His gaze then wandered to the paintings and he took his time in looking at them.

He moved to approach the painting she had pointed out and studied it. "That's interesting. Perhaps the prophecy hasn't been fulfilled yet?" He glanced at her, tilting his head. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at her. She was so pretty. He blushed and looked away, hoping that she didn't notice him staring.

Belle couldn't stifle her giggle as she blushed and looked away from him. "We should probably go back before Thalion goes and tattles on us for being down here." Belle smiled as she held his hand as her hair glowed like white starlight in the cavern making crystals glimmer in the cave. As they got to the surface Aisling sighed with relief that they were fine but walked away in annoyance at Belle. She had already gotten in trouble today, why look for more trouble?

Meanwhile a woman was walking in the garden with other ladies of the court. This woman was human however as she glided past Belle and Thalion. Her hair was dark, adorned in gold and jewels while tied up nicely. The ladies of the court who followed her were of elven descent but took a liking to the new foreign lady. She eyed Thalion with a cat-like glance. Mysterious, inviting, and exotically as she fanned herself and nodded to him. Her eyes didn't leave him as she brushed past him. Belle didn't like the woman, something was sinister and manipulative by how she looked at her brother. Besides, adults shouldn't look at children like tat unless she wanted something from him. "Thalion? Hello? Stop day dreaming!" She snapped at his face to get his attention.

"Yes, I would hate for us to get in trouble." He blushed as she held his hand but didn't pull away as she led him out of the cave. As they arrived, he noticed Aisling and Thalion standing there. Thalion, truthfully, had been just about to go and tattle on them for going down there but stopped when he saw them emerge. He then noticed the woman and stared at her in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. What was a human woman doing here? And why was she looking at him like that?

He watched her for a moment longer before snapping out of his daze and noticed his sister trying to get his attention. "S-sorry." He was quiet for a moment before looking towards that woman again. "Who do you think that woman was? What's a human doing here?" Fendrae had noticed the exchange and also didn't like the vibe he got from her.

"I don't know, but she makes me nervous for some reason. I mean from the looks of it she looks like some kind of Lady. Perhaps she comes from the noble court from Avinora? Perhaps engaged to an Elven lord? I know marriages to ladies in court from Avinora have become quite common with the Elvish lords.Something to do with joining businesses. I don't know. I hear mother talking to grandmother about it sometimes." Belle explained while staring at the woman who was now sitting at a garden table with the ladies as servants were serving tea and little sandwiches.

Thalion frowned at that, feeling nervous as well. Though, it didn't take much to make him nervous. "Well, I hope she isn't here to cause trouble. She was looking at me weird." He chanced another glance at her, trying not to be obvious with his staring. Fendrae was silent as he listened to their conversation.

The woman merely looked at him again but this time she looked away bashfully as she gave him a side glance before talking to an elven lady. Her outfit was at all conservative like most humans. She was wearing a long bright blue silks her skirt had a high slit on each side to reveal her milky thighs. Her torso revealed her stomach with light fabric as well as silk draped at the sides of her arms. Bellethiel frowned as it seemed this woman enchanted her brother and she didn't like it. The woman then got up from the table as she said something to the other ladies before walking away just after glancing at Thalion before disappearing out of sight and into the hedge maze.