Dawn of Dusk

Vistyral laughed at the frustration that Thorak was feeling just about now. Thorak had given him sage counsel; he was glad that Thorak would be in Cryarlac after his father died. Marriage, he had never given a lot of thought to it. He knew that he had fallen in love with a sweet young girl six or seven years ago. Now she was a woman ready for marriage and if he wanted her to be his, he would have to do something about it the day she became free. He hoped the bracelet would fit and that it would be the color that would look best on her.

He would need to meet with King Montrosal after dinner and ask his daughter’s hand that would be easy enough. He would then have to meet with Mirtar and ask her to become his wife; that would be the hard part and she wouldn’t make it easy on him.

He placed the mole back where it belonged and headed back to find Chertal. He ran into him coming out of the woods with several Elven soldiers, he looked very frustrated.

“How are you doing on your wood lore?”

“Don’t even ask. I feel like the stupidest person in the world.”

“The lead Elf spoke in Elven to Vistyral “He is doing better than any of the Men I have ever seen. He is as good as an Elven recruit, may he learn as fast and as well.”

Vistyral answered back saying let’s let him think he isn’t doing so well, it will make him work harder.”

“If he works any harder,” The elf said, “the rest of us will have nothing to do.”

They all laughed.

“What did he say?”

“Oh you know, stuff about how you are doing, that kind of thing”

“Like what? Come-on what did he say?”

“Chertal, believe me, you don’t want to know what he said. Just keep on doing your best.

“Oh all right, where are you going?”

“I am going to Karron.”

“Is that wise with the edict that Mon Treel has on you?”

“Wise or not, it is what I must do. I will invite Landif and his group and Rockledge and his group to accompany me. A lot has happened in the few weeks we have been here. My brother is engaged.”

“Is he engaged to her?”

“Engaged to whom?”

“You think that you have been so casual about this but a person who really knows you is aware that you are smitten with Mirtar.”

Vistyral blushed but gave no other indication. “No, he is going to marry Lymar from Fulsimter. Her father Krakal has died and the funeral, burning and coronation of Lemmal is to begin in three days. In two days a banquet for the king, queen, and princess of Artermador will be held in Karron for the purpose of ransoming Princess Mirtar’s Dowry.”

“Good, that will make you a richer king.”

“Now look here, I’ll do as I see fit, my main concern now is Cryarlac.”

“If it truly is then you are a fool. You can do more in the world as a king than you will ever do as a duke for your brother. When he goes to war with our friendly neighbors, where are you going to be? Can you better oppose him as the head of his army as Guardian of the East or in a position to stop him as the leader of another country.”

As Chertal was saying these things Arborly and his wife, Graslina were passing by. Arborly stopped and looked at Vistyral carefully. He then took his wife’s arm and they hurried away.

“I plan to ask for her hand, okay? I just want it to be my idea. I want to ask her but I want her to say yes, not because I am the first to ask, but because I am the one she wants to be married to. Haven’t I done the right thing most of the time?”

“You do the right thing most of the time, yes.”

“Then trust me to make the right decision for my life and to do what I feel is best for those I love and care about as well.”

“Oh I trust you to do what is right, I just want you to do it before you make everyone in the world crazy.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Anytime boss.

“Anyway, I am going to invite Landif and his party and Rockledge and his party to Karron and then to go on to the funeral and all. I want you to stay here and continue to learn. I feel even stronger that we may need this knowledge in the future.”

“Why because Artermador is sixty percent forested land?”

“I won’t even respond to that question.”

“You don’t have to, because it’s true.”

“I think I will be safe traveling with the Elves, few priests like to disturb Elves.”

“You will be going back to Flageran; you will have to go right through there to get back to the sea.”

“That is the last place I will have to worry. You made such fools out of them they would never admit to having seen me there.”

“Well I guess you will be OK with the Elves.”

“There will be more Elven warriors than Guardians of Karron.”

“True but you humiliated them.”

“I didn’t humiliate them, you did.”

“A detail they won’t care about when they see you and I are safe in Arborlea.”

“I’m less worried about Flageran than I am about Elven Woods; they are more used to Elves there and less intimidated than they are elsewhere. They also have a larger contingent of the Guardians of Karron there.”

“True. Well promise me that you won’t leave me here forever in ignorance. Here take this.”

He handed Vistyral a large ring.

“When she agrees to marry you, send me this back. Then I will be content to stay here as long as you want.”

“Well I really don’t know if she plans to marry me or not, but I am going to ask her. I have loved her too long from a distance to pass up the opportunity to have her as my wife. Now I have got to go and inform Landif of what is going on in the rest of the world.”

*****

“I am sorry to see you leave but I realize that family matters are important. I am flattered that you want me to come to a formal dinner to sign the treaty but I really would rather meet at the treaty room at the magicians’ fortress. It isn’t your father, frankly, it’s your brother. I don’t feel safe around him. When he was here, I had his room guarded and I doubled the guards in my quarters as well. Don’t try to guarantee my safety either. First you can’t do it; second I don’t believe you - even if you can.”

“Landif, I know you don’t trust him, I’m not sure that I will trust him either, after father has gone. Will you go to the funeral in Kalob?”

“Yes, good point. We can arrange a signing there, I’m sure. In the meantime, you have a price on your head. I will have ten of my best warriors accompany you to Karron and then on to Kalob. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Will ten men be enough?”

“I don’t think so Highness, the guardians of Karron number forty-eight in Elven Springs, and they will be looking for me in Pottswine as well.”

“Very well, I will send Valedif to Karron as my Ambassador with word to your father that we have come to agreement, and that I will sign with him as long as he allows you to sign a separate trade agreement with me as well so your brother will not be able to extort additional concessions from us after your father dies. It is your law I believe that not even a king can interrupt a trade agreement that he is not a party to.”

“That is correct.”

“Good then when your father passes the throne to Borrial, if Borrial tries anything funny, we can simply tell him that all our future business will go through Cryarlac.

As cousin to the Elven King, and Ambassador to Karron, an honor guard of, and say seventy guards is not too pretentious, is it?”

“Under those circumstances, no, not at all.”

“I am sure that Valedif, your brother, will want you to make plans to travel with him.”

“Thank-you.”

“When will you leave?”

“As soon as we get ready and can get out of the woods.”

Landif turned to his guard, “Please ask Valedif to join us here.”

The guard turned and left. A few minutes later, Valedif came striding into the room.

As he approached the throne he fell to one knee and saluted the king.

“May your treefriends be many and your arm strong my king.”

“May my treefriends be your treefriends and may my arm be sustained by you.”

“I hereby appoint you as an ambassador to the king of Karrondor for as long as he is king. Your duty is to go to Karron as soon as you can get there and tell him that I have accepted the terms of the trade agreement with Karrondor as long as I can negotiate an identical agreement with Cryarlac separately. I’m sure he will appreciate that statement. Tell him that I am sending a draft of the treaty proposed by his Ambassador, the Duke of Cryarlac and that the only change I requested was the secondary trade agreement.”

“What is the the hurry Majesty?”

“There seems to be a necessity for your brother, Meadowlea, to arrive as quickly as possible in Karron. There also appears to be a certain group of people who might mistake him for a certain Duke that they would like to detain for some reason.”

Valedif smiled. “I’m sure that an armed guard for the Elf King’s Ambassador with, say fifty...”

“Make it seventy.”

“...seventy, Elven soldiers of which my brother would be one, would not be disturbed in any way that they couldn’t handle.”

“My dear cousin, we always understand each other so well, all is entrusted into your hands. I know you will handle yourself well. Make sure that your brother wears a helmet to protect his ears from any damage to them.”

“Have no fear for your cousin, I will give my life for him, and he is the prophesied one you know.”

“Yes, I believe he is the one as well, but before we commit too far, let’s see what happens. He will have to make all the right choices. If he does, and those around him react in the right way, it will come to pass in our lifetimes.”

Valedif rose, saluted, and left the room.

“You’re Majesty,” Vistyral said, “What did you mean by me being the one prophesied?”

“Something only the royal family of Elves knows about, something I am not prepared to discuss with you at this time, but if you continue to move in the direction that the prophesy talks about, I will share it with you. Since you are now part of the royal family, I legally can share it with you, but I will keep that information to myself for now.”

“I’m sure that you know best, Majesty.”

“Not always, but in this, I think so.”

“Well, Majesty, I must prepare to take my leave. I will see you in Fulsimter in a few days.”

“I look forward to it; will there be any important news for me to hear from you in Fulsimter?”

“Obviously someone has told you something, I must talk with Meadowin about what he needs to keep to himself. Well, I will be asking the Princess of Artermador, Mirtar, to marry me. I love her, and her dowry will be ransomed by my brother to whom she has been betrothed since her birth. I don’t know if there will be good news or not, but I hope that good news will be the response to my proposal.”

“Well Meadowlea, you strike me as a very good statesman, an excellent general, and a superb ruler. You also strike me as a totally unromantic type. Women like romance, they breathe it in like you and I breathe in air. You must learn the arts of romance if you are to win your lady and more importantly, keep her happy. I know something of this woman. She is probably the smartest most cunning, and most knowledgeable in the world. As far as I know, my kingdom is the only one that does not have a spy reporting directly to her. If Elves and Men intermarried, no doubt, she would have one here as well.”

“I know that she will not be surprised when I ask her to marry me.”

“Don’t be so sure, women like to hope but they seldom allow themselves to suppose that which we are planning to do.”

“Well, I know to bring pretty flowers, and I can tell her how much she means to me, I’ve known her for a long time. Borrial from the very beginning chose to ignore her so when her parents came to visit or when she made state visits with her entourage; she and I would spend time together. Originally, I felt that if my brother couldn’t or wouldn’t spend time with her that the responsibility fell to me.

Later I began to enjoy her visits that came about three times per year, and then I longed for them. When I went to Cryarlac as a squire, I missed her desperately. Once she made a surprise visit there, I imagined that it was to see me. Since I have become Duke of Cryarlac, I have made it a point to be in Karron (on business of course) whenever her visits were made there.”

“Well maybe you have more romance in you than I first thought. Best of luck, my friend, I will see you in three days.”

“Thank-you, Majesty, by your leave?”

“Of course, I hope you have a safe voyage.”

Vistyral was heading back to his room to finish his packing when he was stopped by Prince Rockledge.

“You, you are the Guardian of the East, aren’t you.”

“Look Prince Rockledge, I hold that title, yes, but so could lots of people. As Duke of Cryarlac and son of the King of Karrondor, I was given the title when I ascended to the command of the combined armies if Karrondor.”

“None held it before?”

“No, and it isn’t likely a title that someone would inherit, it’s probably just a coincidence.”

“You are the one. Please don’t hide it from us; you are the first and the only Guardian of the East!”

“What does that mean? You cannot pledge your allegiance to me now I must ask you to keep your knowledge of this from everyone else, even your wife and father, as we discussed before, it might be a dangerous thing for the Elves as a group to know before the battle of Gilep if there is such a battle. I pledge to you my help and support in finding your children, it may be that finding them may mean the difference between life and death for me. Please as a prince; give me your pledge of honor that you will tell no one.”

“From the moment I knew that you were the Guardian of the East, I have been yours to command. A prince who will be king bows and pledges his service to few people in life, if any.” Rockledge Knelt before Vistyral, “I pledge to you my loyalty and my service, even to my life and the lives of my children.”

Vistyral took him by the shoulders and lifted him as he nervously looked about to see if anyone was watching him. Luckily, no one else was around them at that time. “Please, don’t do this in public. Until further notice you are a prince and I am a Duke and you will treat me as such. We can be friends but please, don’t kneel of offer any other signs of subservience; it would raise too many questions.”

“I understand that you soon go to become a king, please invite my wife and me to your wedding.”

“Don’t marry me off yet, many things have to take place before that could happen.”

“Best wishes my friend. I will see you in three days in Fulsimter.

“I will have to leave immediately and go by land to Elven Woods then down river to Flageran and hire a boat to go up the Krackowal River to Karron.”

Vistyral went to his room, packed his things including his ceremonial Elven clothes. He met up with Valedif and his escort and was surprised to see all of them dressed in Elven battle dress. Each soldier had on a coat of Elven chain mail, helmets made of Dwarven Steel and then plated in silver and gold. Each of the sixty-nine guards of the Ambassador had a breastplate of Dwarven steel plated in silver which was polished to the quality of a mirror. In the center of the breastplate, was in gold, the mothertree. Valedif as cousin to the king, leader of the Elven army and ambassador to the king was opposite. His breastplate was gilded in gold with a silver mothertree in the center, his elven chain mail was also gilded in gold and his helmet was also mostly gold with silver trim but it had a green plume coming out of the top. He carried a lance also glided in gold in a carrier on the right side of his Horse. Each member of Valedif’s escort had a silver lance in a holder on the right side of his horse. Elves don’t usually use horses unless they were traveling into the lands of Men but when they do they ride only the purest white horses. Men, it seemed respected armed men riding on horseback more than people who could run all day and never tire.

A small group of Elves came over and began to dress Meadowlea. To do so, they had to take off the clothes he was wearing. Only Meadowlea seemed to mind that the whole Elven world saw him with absolutely no clothes on. Soon he was dressed in armor just like all the rest of the soldiers except he had a plume of green on his helmet just like Valedif’s. Valedif informed him that the green plume indicated membership in the royal family.

Meadowlea climbed onto his white horse. Since Elves rode only white horses seventy-one white horses started the voyage through the forest that would end in the city of Elven Woods.”