章 527: Reunions
"Mama!" Colvyr squealed.
The baby prince squirmed out of his sister's grasp and ran into Aurora's spread arms. The fiery-haired Empress hugged him long and hard, scarcely able to speak.
"My baby," she said, kissing her shed tears from the top of his head.
Mairwen and Alaron were on the child's heels. Together the twins joined the family hug.
A moment of silence ensued before Alaron finally spoke. "It is very good that I convinced the elves to give us a moment of solitude. I am sure seeing four humans hugging on the ground would be against some sort of protocol."
They all laughed, even young Colvyr, who did not get the joke. Aurora picked up Colvyr, and the group made their way to one of the couches around the room.
The Private Chamber for Dignitaries was lavishly decorated with plush cushions and elegant tapestries. The elves certainly wanted their visiting guests to feel appreciated.
"How in the world did you convince Lanassa to let us meet alone? I can't imagine she went quietly." Aurora looked around for some hidden alcove where the Queen Mother might be waiting.
"Nanny did all the hard work actually. She somehow managed to convince the queen that reunions with humans were a sacred tradition. Even Renat was not allowed to be privy to this conversation." The Guardian wiggled his eyebrows and amusement. "You know how the elves feel about the ancient ways."
Aurora nodded slowly. A small smile on her face. "That was very clever of Nanny, though I wish I could've seen Renat with the rest of you. I am looking forward to laying eyes on his smiling face. "
Mairwen bit her lip. "About Renat… there was a reason the elves decided not to welcome us into the throne room today beyond just courtesy. "
The Empress nodded slowly. "Zan thought it was because of one of the guests we brought with us."
"I'm afraid not. The decision had been made before you even arrived. It's hard to explain so we may as well show you. That is, if you're ready." Mairwen knew that there was no amount of preparation that would be enough. It was best to get it over with.
Some of the color drained from the Empress's face. "Is Renat unwell? I have brought the doctor back with me. Perhaps he can take a look."
Mairwen shot a wary glance at her brother and gave a short nod. Without another word Alaron went to fetch those waiting in the next room.
First to enter were the Queen Mother and king Ithel. Their greeting was enthusiastic but somehow it left Aurora ill at ease. It was clear they knew something that she did not.
"I am pleased to see you looking so well, Your Majesty." King Ithel gave a bow. "Calla sends her regards."
Lanassa's velvety green dress spread wide as she welcomed the Empress. "I trust you had a fruitful trip. We took good care of those you left behind while you were away."
"Thank you very much Queen Lanassa. I cannot repay your kindness. I do hope His Highness was not too much trouble." Aurora looked towards the baby sitting on her hip.
"Prince Cole is welcome here anytime. I cannot say anything bad about that little angel." Lanassa cooed at the child before another voice interrupted her.
"That is because Her Majesty spoils the little prince. It was a good thing I was here to make sure the boy didn't go rotten." Nanny strode in behind the Queen Mother, her tongue as sassy as ever.
Lanassa turned up her nose. "I cannot help it if Colvyr loves his 'Nana' best of all. there is no need to be jealous."
Rather than stir up the argument which had obviously been going on the entire time the cohort was gone, Nanny turned to the Empress and embraced her.
The old Councilwoman looked at the picture of health. Aurora was very glad to see that Nanny looked just as good if not better than when she had last seen her. It was nice to know that the water's effects had been permanent for her as well.
Aurora was so happy about this, that she almost missed the old lady's words in her ear. "Brace yourself, dear, this next part isn't going to be easy."
Looking towards the far door, from which all of the others had come, Aurora was confused by what she saw. Coming through the doorway next to Eira was an unarmed brown wolf.
"An abomination!" Aurora wondered how in the world one of these creatures had gotten in the land of magic, no less into the Elven Palace, and among the Royals.
And unlike any of the abominations Aurora had seen thus far, this one had on clothes. A tunic had been hastily fashioned to cover his muscular arms and torso. Likewise, some ill fitting breeches with a hole cut out for the wolf's truncated tail were on his lower half.
It made some sense. The Queen Mother would never allow nakedness in the Elven court. Probably even now Gela was getting his own strange pair of clothing to wear before he left his room.
This explained what she was looking at, but not why she was looking at it. What could be the reason for the brown wolf's presence?
Then as Mairwen got moved toward the figure, Aurora remembered the princess's words. They had moved the meeting to a private location because of…
"Renat!" Aurora gasped. King Ithel had forgone protocol to spare the Empress from having to react to this moment in public. Her own family member had transformed to look like the enemy.
"I am glad to see you are well, your majesty," Renat said with a deep bow. His eyes quietly searched her face, trying to find the meaning behind her expression.
"We ran into a bit of trouble outside of oblivion," Mairwen began to explain.
"Did someone force you to drink a potion?" Aurora asked.
The question cut the others off-guard. It seemed the Empress knew more than they realized.
Renat gave a weak smile. "You have been doing your research, I see. But I was not changed due to any elixir. I was scratched by a wolf-man after escaping a deadly flood."
"A scratch did…this?!" Aurora could not believe what she was hearing.
She had been scratched by one of the wolfish abominations as well. The wounds had festered and refused to heal, but had not caused such a drastic change.
"How did I not succumb to the same fate?" The Empress wondered aloud.
Running her fingers along the Fates' chain around her neck, Aurora knew the answer. The golden weave had kept her going in ways she could not begin to describe.
But when the Empress had taken it off to have the magical bath, the poison, suddenly unrestrained, had tried to take hold of her body.
At the time she thought that the powerful force inside her was trying to kill her. Now she knew otherwise. The poison which the magical water had defeated was much more sinister.
It had been trying to change her.
Clutching the chain Aurora sighed. 'Without this, I would be like Renat!'
"What about Nanny?" Aurora looked at the perfectly healthy woman who was also not a wolf.
"I have recently run into another who was unable to transform. He has some elven blood in him just like Nanny claims to have some fairy blood. That bit of magical lineage seems to be enough to counter the full effects of the curse." Renat laid out his findings as best he understood them.
"Devrim is supposed to be fighting the creatures in Oblivion! He doesn't know…" Aurora was relived when all of the others quickly shook their heads.
"We have seen Father," Mairwen explained, "He is aware of the situation. Hopefully even now he already was victorious in the battle and heading this way."
"Battle?" Aurora felt her head begin to spin. While she knew the attack on Oblivion might end up being a full scale battle, it still hurt to have it confirmed.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but you look like you might faint. Perhaps we should all make ourselves comfortable?" King Ithel motioned back to the many couches.
It was a wise suggestion. This was going to take a while to unravel.
Aurora returned to her seat and placed Colvyr in her lap. The young prince had somehow gotten a sweet treat while his mother was talking, presumably from his 'Nah Nah'. Just now he was using the lovely sleeve of his mother's gown to wipe his sugary face.
Unfazed, the Empress brushed the crumbs from her arm. If only her other problems were as easy to solve as a soiled dress.
"I think it would be best if you started from the very beginning. I shall do the same. But first, I do think we should wait for the rest of the group. I think Gela in particular will be interested in what you all have to say."
Everyone else in the room except Alaron looked befuddled. "Who's Gela?"
Alaron gave a mischievous grin. "Is that the talking bear?"
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