Anchorite and the The Heart of Effie. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE. ROTTEN LINK OF CHAIN

On the way back from that unfortunate encounter with mountinour, which seemed to have spoiled Taurebeleg’s mood for the rest of the day, the King of the Enchanted Forest was not particularly eager to discuss the issues that were on the agenda of the gathering of elders this afternoon. Still one of the members of this council, deeply elderly, but nevertheless stubborn and restless, followed Taurebeleg, not paying any attention to how much the ruler was agitated and aggressive at the time.
This honorable person was called Ehreon, and he was the most senior member of the royal council of Taurebeleg. This respected elf knew everything of Taurebeleg’s conversation with mountinour, and his opinion of union with the mountain men was fundamentally different from that of the king of the forest. Ehreon was genuinely convinced that Taurebeleg had overreacted, dishonorably banished the guests from the threshold of the Enchanted Forest, and was not afraid to express his opinion, apparently aware that even in his rage and indignation, Taurebeleg would not dare harm his valuable advisor. Ehreon was trying to persuade the king to send a messenger to the mountinour, pointing out that this was the most sensible thing to do, given the state of affairs. Taurebeleg, of course, listened to all these words, but did not react to them in any way. In the end, the elderly elf had to back down from persuasion, which obviously could not last forever. He merely said to the King that all actions taken in the interests of emotions always had negative consequences for the inhabitants of the kingdom. Ehreon was clearly upset, but his determination never disappeared. The elder was confident that he would bring it up again at today’s meeting.
The meeting of the elders was a weekly event where Taurebeleg discussed matters of the day with the councilors. The forest was protected by a magical dome, so they lived much calmer than other people of Abbaddon, but even in a quiet little world there were also some jolts. Now Taurentius didn't want to recall thing that had happened and he just needed to visit the children that also had been bringing regular disappointments to him.
The elven house - called here folt - looked just like a part of the forest: the branches intertwined into living walls covered with huge leaves of the forest ashfartah, a very useful plant. Centuries-old trees surrounded the dwelling with columns, and they had much more meaning than just beauty and creating harmony with the nature. Despite the fact that Taurebeleg was the leader of the forest creatures, this did not distinguish him from his subjects, and there were no palaces or royal imperial mansions in this elven abode: everyone lived the same way, in prosperity and harmony, considering each other brothers and sisters. In any case, such an ideology was popular in the Enchanted Forest, and every inhabitant of the Elven Kingdom sincerely believed that it was true.
In the courtyard behind the folt, in a forest clearing strewn with spray flowers, something animated was happening: screams and the clang of swords striking each other were heard. Taurebeleg already guessed what was happening, and quickly walked towards the source of the disorder.
As expected, a girl, a beautiful young elf, and a tall youth, the same young stately elf, fought with swords in the glade. From the side, one could immediately notice that this was a training fight, since no one delivered dangerous blows. On the contrary, there were friendly comments, even encouraging ones, and it was clear that both the girl and the young elf were enjoying the fight.
However, when they saw Taurebeleg come to the glade, both fighters were seriously frightened, and the youth even dropped his sword.
'It wasn’t you who won,' he hissed at the girl. 'It's because of the arrival of the father!'
'What's going on here?!' boomed the voice of Taurebeleg.
'Father, we just…' the youth began timidly, but the girl immediately interrupted him, taking several decisive steps towards the king.
'I asked him, father! And if you are angry, then know that it is not Aegion's fault. I just tortured him with my requests ...'
'I strictly forbade you to engage in combat, and even with swords!' Taurebeleg sprayed, feeling that today clearly did not promise to be a successful day again: one disorder after another!
It was not typical for female elves, to put it mildly, to learn to fight. Usually, the she-elves were engaged in decorating the folts, sewing clothes for the whole family, gathering herbs, mushrooms and berries, and some also developed the talent of singing, since by nature all elves had a beautiful marvelously voice. But Lairiel, from the clan Aglar, daughter of Taurebeleg had never been about this interests considering them frankly empty and stupid. Since childhood, Lairiel has been a very restless child, naughty and expressive. Taurebeleg and his now deceased wife tried to instill in their daughter the character traits inherent in a real princess, which Lairiel was in fact, but as the years passed, the young elf's craving for battles and adventure grew stronger day by day. When the father was simply tired of trying to re-educate his daughter, he turned to direct prohibitions, although they practically did not change anything. Well, after the tragic story with Oriel, sister of the forest King, the prohibitions of Taurebeleg became much tougher, and the punishments became more severe. In his angry tirades, Taurebeleg tended to constantly remind his daughter of Oriel's story, hoping that at least such a bitter experience would put the troublemaker on the true path and make her think about the consequences of reckless behavior. But everything was in vain.
In rare occasions when Lairiel wasn't under supervision of her father, she always took the chance to practice sword fighting - it was her weapon of choice. Fortunately, her brother, Aegion, who loved his sister very much, always approved these requests to train and generally believed in Lairiel like no other.
Ironically or by the young, green naivety, none of the king's children considered the death of Oriel senseless and in vain. On the contrary, Aegion and Lairiel considered the act of their brave relative a real feat and, to the horror of their father, sometimes stated that they would have done the same in her place. Aegion, of course, was more restrained in his impulses, since he was the heir to his father's possessions and was afraid of becoming a complete disappointment for the king. However, Lairiel was not shy in daring and dreamed of getting into the thick of things, and battles and opposition to evil in all seriousness seemed to her something more romantic and inspiring than it really was.
Now there was another scene of preaching from the father, which the young man and the girl obediently listened to, lowering the eyes under their feet. For the most part, of course, Taurebeleg chastised his daughter, once again reminding her what a big responsibility it is to be a royal daughter, how important it is to observe traditions and customs, and threatened her with a wedding with the son of his adviser of the council, one of the elders, and this sounded like marriage is the ultimate punishment, which would seem strange to any ordinary elf, but was pure truth to Lairiel.
After Taurebeleg heard from his daughter the on-duty phrase “I understand everything, forgive me, father,” he sent her to the folt, left alone with his son, who silently anticipated something unkind. The father came very close to Aegion and gave him a hard look.
'Do you need to be reminded why your mother and my sister died?' Taurebeleg said quietly, even in a kind of soft voice, atypical for the situation. 'Our family would be weakening without heirs. Every week, the elders try to convince me of the wrong vectors of my direction, some even openly hint that it is our family that is guilty of the war that is coming every day. And no one knows if we will be able to repel the onslaught of the enemy. Oriel has already become a victim of these feuds! And now you're also pushing Lairiel to the same path? What's wrong with you, after all?'
'I know, father, I'm sorry,' said Aegion, not daring to look Taurebeleg in the eyes. 'Lairiel does not want to fight. After all, she has never even left our forest in her life. She does an excellent job with household duties, and with everything, in principle, that you entrust her and that you require from her. What's wrong if in some way she is stronger than her peers?'
'Women of our kind should not wield a sword, bow, or any other known weapon! This is the lot of men, isn't that what I taught you from early childhood? You are the prince and future king of the entire Enchanted Forest. You are my successor, heir of the Aglar clan. Who, if not you, will honor and preserve the foundations and traditions of the elven beings? You were born of a king and queen, consider it as luck or a curse, but you and Lairiel from birth have a huge responsibility that will be with you until the minute you leave to the World of Shadows. Our family has already lost a mother and a sister. It's hardly wise to lose your mind and new valuable links, son!
Taurebeleg placed his hand gently on his son's shoulder. His words sounded firm, but there was no heavy pressure in them.
'You are right, Aegion, that there is nothing wrong with these pursuits, even though they are contrary to our principles. Then certainly, there is something bad about what these exercises can lead to. If war breaks out, Lairiel will, of course, rush into battle, because with each blow of the wooden sword, her faith in herself as a warrior grows stronger. And in a moment of real danger, do you think the word of the father or even the word of the king will be able to keep her in place? Even if Lairiel is experiencing true happiness, brandishing a sword, our goal with you is to deprive her of this happiness, even if it sounds terrible and looks unfair. For the sake of our family, do you understand?'
Aegion had something to object to his father, but he did not, although rather simply did not dare. He just nodded, continuing to look down at his feet.
'Now I'm going to the Council of Elders. It's going to be very heavy. In my absence, remember what I told you here. Also, did you hear about the attack in the western part of the forest?'
'Dead fairy?' Aegion shuddered. 'He looked up at his father and frowned. The topic touched on excited him much more than the previous one.
'There are no fairies left in the forests, as far as I know,' Taurebeleg replied. 'Bloodless elf. Again. A vampire is operating in our forests, apparently alone. This is the second attack in the last two weeks, which suggests that this predator is a loner. We need to find and neutralize this creature before rumors spread. The Council is not yet aware of the attack. Moreover, our task is to make sure that they will not know. I entrust this to you. I think such a task will be within the power of the heir to the royal family.'
Aegion nodded his head eagerly.
'Okay, father. I'll do anything and I won't let you down. I promise.'
'That's nice,' Taurebeleg concluded the conversation with satisfaction and, exhaling with relief, pulled on a semblance of a forced smile on his face. 'This activity will be useful both for our family and for its reputation.'
'I'll just take a bow and arrows with aspen tips!' shouted Aegion, and went to the building where all his hunting gear was kept.
Taurebeleg exhaled as he watched his son with hopeful eyes, and then left the glade, heading for the meadow near the Firetree, where the gathering place of the elders was located.
Aegion ran into the folt. He saw Lairiel sitting at the window, who instead of spreading a tablecloth on the table, rubbed her brother's sword with it, looking at the reflection in the shiny surface of the blade.
Lairiel was a tall and strong girl. It seemed that everything feminine was alien to her: she did not like to wear silk, jewelry, she could not be frightened by dirt on her clothes or a wound from a fall. She even put her incredibly beautiful silver curls in a ponytail or even hid them in a tight knot, and while everyone around admired the hair of a young princess, she perceived them as a burden, but it was impossible to cut the curls under any circumstances, so Lairiel had to get used to this shortcoming.
'Where are you going?' she asked, breaking away from polishing the blade and watching her brother pull out his weapon.
'Father directed me to the west of the forest. Looks like there's been a problem there. But this is, strictly speaking, a mystery. I shouldn't talk about it. We need to figure it out,' he said in a fuss. 'And if I were you, I’d hide the sword far away. Father's patience is not rubber, you know. Yes, and secretly train, you see, it’s getting harder and harder.'
'If so, then it would be better to run away from home,' Lairiel said, either jokingly or seriously, shrugging her shoulders.
'Outside the forest, for sure,
many interesting things. And we are sitting here like some kind of prisoners!'
'You know, father, with his prohibitions, is just thinking of saving you from the troubles of the outside world. Oh, finally you should tell him that in any case you are doomed to become a victim of the ruthless monsters of Abbaddon ... Or that you will be gutted by Taurentius in search of magical power.'
Aegion slung his quiver over his shoulder and sheathed his sword. He was ready to go.
'I know that my father is afraid that I will get the fate of Oriel. But I'm not going to fall in love with a mountinour and go on dates with him. And I don't plan to give my life for love either. It is not at all necessary that I will repeat the fate of my aunt! Oriel could have become an excellent warrior, if not for the fears of her father, but it was not the desire to own weapons that killed her at all...'
'Shh…' Aegion hissed, walking up to his sister and placing a long, pale finger to his lips. 'Folt also has ears. If a father finds out what kind of speeches his daughter is pushing, then this will not end well.'
'It won’t end well anyway,' Lairiel cut off, stamping her foot. She was so angry that everything in her was shaking. 'And I will not put up with eternal bans. Father will have to come to terms with this, otherwise...'
'It will not be otherwise,' the young elf did not let his sister finish the sentence again. 'Father, though quick-tempered, but not stupid, very much far from stupid. The story of Oriel not only brought him a lot of grief, but also taught him a lot. In time, he will understand. But it takes time...
Lairiel agreed with a nod and hugged her brother tightly. She loved him so much that words cannot express. And the feeling was deeply mutual.
'I know you'd like to come with me,' smiled Aegion, opening his arms. 'But if I let you go then two more torn bodies will be found in the forests. And the culprit will no longer be some lost vampire, but our highly respected king, the king of all the Enchanted Forest himself!'
Lairiel didn't argue. But not because she humbly accepted her father's ban, but because she had a different plan, quite simple and not promising troubles.
'Bring me the head of a vampire. Or at least his fang…' whispered the elf, grinning. 'I'll hang it around my neck as a talisman, and tell my father that this trophy has increased the honor of the family. He'll like it.'
'I'll try,' Aegion chuckled. 'Now I will hasten to carry out my father’s order. And you, come on, do something useful: cook food, knit lace, sing songs, well, everything that a noble princess is supposed to do there...'
'Dumb!' Lairiel exclaimed, jokingly tapping her brother on the shoulder.
Aegion shook his head, smiling.
'I love you, sister,' he said softly, and was like that.
As soon as Aegion was out of sight, Lairiel, wearing soft sandals, looked out of the folt, looking around and making sure that there was not a soul around, and quickly but silently ran towards the gathering place of the elders. Thank the gods, it wasn't that far, and the journey took no more than five minutes.
It was a large space, like a perfect circle of a meadow in the middle of a forest, where there was a folt of an unusual shape and crowned with a dome of a strange irregular shape, resembling a curved thick root. The roof stood on snow-white pillars, which were surrounded by bright green plants. And above all this structure stood a fiery orange tree of gigantic proportions, with a crown resembling a huge green cloud descending over a meadow. Marble steps led to a raised platform, on which stood a round table, at which twelve people sat during meetings. The meadow was much stronger protected than the whole forest as a whole: important topics were discussed here that should not have gone beyond the discussions of the council, which is why even Lairiel could not take even one step into this area, although, in fact, that she didn’t need now. Hiding behind the trunk of an old tree, she put her hand and cheek to the rough bark of the trunk, whispering something inarticulate, completely unlike common human language.
'You can no longer deny the fact that our home is becoming vulnerable: The Enchanted Forest has never been in such a dangerous position. Why did you have the meeting with the mountinour by yourself? Why hasn't this been brought up for discussion? That's what the Council of Elders is for! For greater certainty…'
'For greater certainty, try not to forget, my dear Garcius, that I am the king! And all my actions, even those that seem dubious to the council, are done solely for the benefit of the Enchanted Forest!'
Voices appeared and disappeared like ghostly echoes in Lairiel's head. Some of the words were hard to hear. The girl hid and clung even tighter to the tree, trying to catch every word.
'I agree with Garcius. Rumors about Taurentius and his army are everywhere. Moreover, allies would be useful to us, especially mountain people. They are strong, there are many. And, let's face it, they are excellent warriors. In addition, the story of the young Oriel, although tragic, is not a sufficient reason for refusing to unite between the forest people and the mountain people. These grievances and civil strife have already created many unnecessary squabbles.'
'You justify these savages?! Those who so unscrupulously took the royal person from our people?'
Even in the ghostly voice of her father, Lairiel caught clear notes of contempt and hatred. It didn’t fit in her head how it was possible to hate someone so much, because such a strong negative emotion could cause tremendous harm to the soul. Even after the tragic love between Oriel and Oreon, hating the entire mountain people was highly unwise.
'We do not justify them, Your Majesty,' a creaky old man's voice was heard. 'And they will not justify us when the enemy deprives the entire forest people and mountain people of their homes overnight. If outside information is to be believed, Taurentius has succeeded in his hunt for fairies. His army may be more dangerous than we can all imagine right now. All of you know about it, I'm just stating something obvious. I think Garcius did not intend to question your desire to make good in the name of the Enchanted Forest. He only wanted to say that in such troubled times, one should not abandon allies, especially if they themselves come to our doorstep.'
'Our magic is enough to repel any onslaught!'
Lairiel recoiled from the tree when she heard her father lash out again about his hatred of the mountain people. "Here's the thing," thought the girl. “So the war is coming. The mountinours were here and wanted an alliance." The girl gave herself about half a minute more to process what she had heard and to deliberately skip her father's speech about "dirty mountain degenerates", and again clung to the tree trunk.
'I want to marry her as soon as possible. I'm afraid that harmful thoughts and ideas were sown in her head. The seed has already sprouted. I want to root this out. It would be for her own safety...'
'You are the father, Your Majesty, you decide. However, I want to note that this is not a primary task. If you have firmly decided that the union of the forest people and the mountinours will not happen, we need to consider how to strengthen the borders of the forest and protect your loyal subjects. War is war. It is never safe and calm. And, I'm afraid, losses cannot be avoided.'
'Forest borders are protected. I told you that a million times! And you see for yourself that not a single evil spirit has yet penetrated our lands...'
Lairiel shuddered. Why does the father lie to the council? After all, recently there was an attack on an elf. Why is the king hiding this incident from his close advisors? Nevertheless, the girl heard everything she wanted, and continued to listen simply out of interest and because she simply had such an opportunity. Being in ambush, she was in no hurry to leave the border of the meadow.
'We will strengthen the magic shield. There is nothing stronger than the magic of the elves, and you know it. Taurentius and his army will break against our defense, and the mountinours will crawl to us on their knees in gratitude for saving them from a terrible fate.'
'You heard our advice, your majesty. It's up to you, nobody but you,' the same raspy voice sounded.
Lairiel knew that voice well. It belonged to the wisest and kindest forest dweller she knew. It was Lord Ehreon, an elderly elf who loved the children of Taurebeleg as if they were his own. In addition, Lairiel always perceived him as her own grandfather. And this venerable elf often restrained the explosive temper of Taurebeleg, and the king always (that is, almost always) tried to listen to the opinion of such a wise adviser.
'We only hope that your wisdom will not be obscured by the acrid smoke of hatred for the mountinours, who, I dare say, have done nothing bad directly to you,' continued Ehreon. 'Thoughts are like circles on the smooth surface of a forest lake, there is clarity in them, you just need to let the water calm down - and clarity will come.'
'You are wise and reasonable, dear Ehreon, I thank you for such a useful review. And you, dear Garcius, I ask you not to hesitate and inform your son about the imminent wedding with Lairiel. Marriage will do my daughter good, of that I'm sure. My daughter will not be a rotten link in the chain of dynasties. I will not let that happen, I swear to Five!'
Lairiel backed away from the tree again, breathing heavily. Marriage? So, the father had already agreed on everything, behind her back, without even considering it necessary to ask the opinion of his own daughter.
'Well, no, it won’t work like that,' said an inner voice to the girl.
Realizing that the meeting would last for several more hours, as it usually happens, Lairiel turned around and silently walked away on soft sandals, hiding in a dense thicket, but not heading in the direction of her native folt, and certainly without thinking at that moment of her sacred duty of a princess and the honor of the royal family.