Chapter 12: Revelation [Pt 3]
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Over the next couple of weeks, the friendship between Shimon and Elora blossomed. They would talk about things ranging from the simple house chores Shimon did to Elora's job as an ambassador
She was from Isadora, the land of the Elves, and had come to Lirdunia as part of an envoy. Her father was a member of the high council of Elves and she was been groomed to take his place. She didn't want this though, her dream was to become an adventurer, traveling from place to place and seeing all the things the world had to offer, but alas her fate had been set in stone, being an ambassador to other nations would be the closest she would ever come to exploring foreign lands.
They enjoyed each other's company a lot, and would often make time from their working schedules to meet up and talk as friends. Eventually, though this friendship blossomed into love. Shimon had been preparing for weeks to express his feelings to Elora, every time he had tried however he would suddenly become tongue twisted and unable to express himself properly, Elora would simply laugh at this and attribute it to his shyness.
One night, however, as they lay in the fields just outside the Frost mansion, staring into the moonlight sky, Shimon found his voice and expressed how he felt to Elora, she was hesitant at first but she eventually told him that she felt the same way, Shimon was ecstatic and thus began the love story between them.
It was an unspoken rule in Lirdunia for no intimate relationship to exist between two different races, this rule was only synonymous with Lirdunia however, nobody knew why this was so but the rule was never opposed.
Shimon and Elora were aware of this rule and this was one of the major reasons why they had to keep their relationship a secret. The other was that Elora was of noble birth while Shimon was nothing more than a servant to a noble family, even if they took the alternative of leaving Lirdunia to marry somewhere else, there would still be the issue of status separating the both of them.
Due to the nature of their relationship, Elora would mostly sneak out of the mansion; provided for her and the other elves to stay in by the government, at night to meet with Shimon. It wasn't an easy venture, but she always found a way to do it to be with the man she loved. It was on one of such occasions as she tried to sneak away as usual that she heard a voice from behind her,
"Where are you going, Elora?",
She was startled and quickly turned around, but even before she did, she already knew who it was, a short elderly elf stood in front of her using a wooden cane as support,
"Grandma Rhodiola," Elora said trying to force a smile, " I was just going to use the uhm, the bathroom ".
The old woman stared at her unmoving and Elora could feel the bright green of Rhodiola pierce through her soul, she quickly averted her gaze. Rhodiola knew Elora more than anybody else, having raised her single-handedly since she was born. Her mother had died during childbirth, and her father had immersed himself in his work to handle the grief. She also knew that the girl had been sneaking out every night, probably to see someone, the only reason she hadn't said anything was that she could see the happiness in Elora, the young girl had always craved emotional attachment in a way that Rhodiola could never provide and it seemed she had found it.
" Just be careful," Rhodiola said as she turned and began walking away.
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A few months had passed since Shimon and Elora had been together, when they discovered that Elora was pregnant. Shimon had mixed feelings about the pregnancy, on one hand, he was going to be a father and start a family with Elora and on the other, there were complications surrounding their relationship, he was at a loss on what to do. Seeing a worrying expression on Shimon's face, Elora placed her hand on his, this little gesture reassured Shimon, taking her hand in his he stared into her eyes and he said,
"Let's run away together ",
Elora hesitated a bit before nodding.
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A few months had passed since Elora and Shimon had decided to elope together. As much as they would have liked to do it sooner, they couldn't for various reasons, their first problem was finance. Shimon had a bit of saving but still needed some more for them to be able to survive. The second reason was the winter season, it had continued well into the new year with no end in sight, and they couldn't travel with Elora in such a condition.
Elora tried her best to hide her baby bump which was becoming visible but it was only a matter of time before her pregnancy was discovered.
The Elf in charge of the envoy, Swed, was furious and demanded to know who the father was, Elora stubbornly refused to tell him who it was, he had heard rumors of an Elf courting a human but he never imagined that it could be Elora.
" I never imagined that you could do this Elora, since you have stubbornly refused to tell me who the father of the child is, I have no choice but to put you under house arrest. Also, we will wait for you to give birth, and then that abomination will be killed. We cannot let the child live and risk it affecting our relationship with Lirdunia".
Swed had made his final decision, and despite the cries and pleas of Elora, she was placed under house arrest.
Shimon on the outside had no intention of knowing what was happening. The sudden disappearance of Elora was a mystery to him and he was sincerely worried about her safety. After waiting for a few weeks with nothing from Elora, he decided to go to the Elven embassy where she resided. He knew it was a foolish plan, but his concern for Elora and the baby overruled all logical thinking. He left for the embassy the following day, just as he was about to enter the main building, an Elf maid with the name Rode pulled him aside and gave him a letter. She quickly gave him a rundown of what had happened and how Elora knowing Shimon would come looking for her, had begged Rode to act as a means of communication between them. Shimon was saddened by everything that had happened but there was nothing he could do, he simply took the letter and left thinking it would best for both Elora and the baby.
Within a few more months, Elora was due to give birth, and Rhodiola was instructed by Swed to oversee the pregnancy and silently terminate the baby.
The labor procedure was very hard on Elora and her screams could be heard throughout the house. When she finally gave birth, she asked to hold her child before he would be taken away from her permanently. Rhodiola watched the sight of Elora holding the baby boy in her arms and could not bring herself to do the unthinkable. She and Elora quickly formed a plan for Shimon to come and take the baby away to save its life. Just as they concluded the plan and sent Rode to fetch Shimon however, the baby began to cry and mana began to accumulate within him.
Rhodiola was dismayed, this was a rare case that happened between halflings where the mana circuit of a child would spiral out of control, it spoils surely kill the child if it wasn't treated quickly.
Shimon had just arrived at a secret spot behind the embassy where he was waiting for the baby to be handed to him by Rode. He had kept in contact with Elora all this time and already knew of the plan through Rode. He was however shocked when Rode returned and told him that his son's life was in danger, she didn't go into the specifics but she told Shimon that he needed to get a Soulrune to save the baby's life.
Shimon was distraught, where was he supposed to find a Soulrune, a magic gear so rare and valuable that many sought after it. In that moment of desperation, he ran to the Frost family, he had no idea if they even had a Soulrune but they were his only choice.
He gave a brief explanation of what was happening, excluding that Elora was an elf of course. Gamesh Frost initially decline vehemently, Soulrunes were just too valuable for him to give out to a servant but Miera pacified him, she reminded him that they owed Shimon a great debt in the past and Gamesh finally agreed, on the condition that Shimon would serve the Frost family till he died.
Shimon did not protest, he was too interested in saving his child to care and quickly accepted. The Soulrune was given to him and he quickly hurried back to Rhodiola. She performed an Elven ritual using both bloods from Shimon and Elora to seal the Soulrune in the baby to stabilize his mana, the ritual worked and the baby was given to Shimon. Elora had named the baby Arnik and had sent a letter , her final letter to Shimon, she would be leaving Lirdunia at the request of Swed and would probably never see both of them again.
As Shimon read the letter in his little room with the baby in his arms , he let out a tear, he then looked at Arnik who was sleeping peacefully in his arms and promised to do everything within his power to keep him safe
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*A halfling refers to a half-Elf half human hybrid.
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