by Clark Graham
“Are you going to have problems with this Mauric?”
“Possibly; my father said he was power hungry,” Aron responded. “It is a good thing that we will have the Dwarves here now in case Mauric gets out of hand.”
Sarchise smiled, “Only if I can get them some more ale, they get grumpy when they don’t get their ale.”
“We have something similar that we drink, made from honey. We call it meade. Maybe they can develop a taste for it.”
Sarchise smiled, “It’s worth a try.”
After traveling all day the next day, they stopped at the Capital of Fernar Darus next to the garrison of Elves that was already there. The Dwarves were tired but most of them went into the city to see how the restoration was progressing. When they saw all that needed to be done they stepped in to help. The group ended up staying a week to take loads of debris out.
When Sarchise met up with Kolis inside the walls of the Capital, he thanked him for allowing the Dwarves to stay.
“I did it before Mauric took power; he would have denied it.” Kolis replied.
“I have not met this Mauric. Is there going to be a problem with him and the Dwarves?”
Kolis did not hesitate. “Yes.”
“Do I need to pull them out of here for their own safety?” Sarchise asked.
“No, the army will not follow Mauric, so it is only a matter of time until they unseat him from the silver throne. The Elves will have to find their place in the world again. It is all part of the rebuilding process,” Kolis replied. “Your Dwarves are welcome here by all of those who fought side by side with you. You did not have to come, but you did. For that you will be always honored.”
“Thank you again,” Sarchise said. "Oh, I keep hearing them refer to the silver throne, have you found it, and is it like the one the Elves had in Elvenshore?"
Kolis replied, It was made as an exact duplicate of the one in Elvenshore and we have found it. It is badly damaged but we will fix it when we have the time. Right now we have our world to rebuild."
After a week of working in the ashes of the destroyed city, the Dwarf troops marched out again. When they reached Vil Mawe they were greeted warmly by the other Dwarves who had come from Elvenshore.Sarchise was particularly happy to see Fordin because he had fought alongside the young commander during the last Gremlin war.
“How are things in Elvenshore?” Sarchise asked.
“The Elves have moved into the city of Santera and are thriving there. They have elected a Chancellor who, as his first act, removed the banishment of Amlius. All of the races seem to be getting along. The Queen of the Valkyrie is very ill. That is about all that has changed since you have been there.”
“Any word on Fawn?”Sarchise asked.
“She went to the Hidden City and was still there when I left.” Fordin replied.
“How about my twin sons?”
“They are well. I visited the Mountains of Iron and went through the Golden City before I left and then stopped by to see them. They are starting to walk, even though they are not good at it yet.”
“I miss them so. I think my days as a warrior are over; I will move to the Lost Cityand live out my life with my family after this.” Sarchise proclaimed.
Fordin gave him a dubious look, “I doubt that.”
Sarchise just shook his head and then asked, “Have you explored the land yet?”
“I didn’t know I was allowed to.”
“The Chancellor of the land his given the Dwarves the mountain and all of the approaches to It for our part in this war. If you stop at the Capital city and help with the restoration, then they are less likely to question your movements when you head to the mountain. The Capital is straight north of here and has an Elf garrison there.”
Fordin was happy at the thought of being able to see the mountain. “We will march out first thing in the morning.”
Mauric’s Visit
Mauric and several of his appointed leaders along with an escort of half a dozen of Aron’s men had come out of the swampland to survey the damage. It was the great tour of the new Chancellor. Mauric wanted to see where he could settle his people and where the land was uninhabitable. He had been appalled when he visited Vil Falcress. It had been so completely destroyed that except for a large area of ash, you could hardly tell there had been a village there at all. He had seen the new grave sites where the Humans had buried the male Elves of the village that had been killed.
It was one thing to be in charge of a large powerful land; it was quite another to be over a destroyed land. Mauric was second guessing his jump at seizing power. They came across the town of Morgus Tier next. He saw the large hole in the wall where the Trolls had pushed through. He visited the fresh graves on top of the hill and noticed that Bellios had been laid to rest there.
Mauric was overheard saying to one of his advisors, “There is nothing left here either. Where am I going to be able to set up the government if all is destroyed?”
Two days later he rode into the Capital and again was dismayed at the level of destruction. It was then he noticed that the Dwarves of Fordin’s command were helping with the cleanup of the city. “What are they doing here? They should not be in the Capital.”
Kolis overheard him say that and came up to the group. “I invited them to help and they accepted my offer.”
Mauric was indignant. “You are not the Chancellor anymore.”
“I am the Mayor of Fernar Darus, and the one in charge of rebuilding. I need all the help I can get, and the Dwarves are excellent workers.”
Mauric just looked down at him and then rode off in a huff.
The group them proceeded to Vil Mawe, Mauric was delighted that the village was still intact and was getting back to normal. The moat had been filled in and all of the refugees were building permanent homes where their camp had been.
When Mauric rode into the center of the military camp, His counselors and he went to see Verian. “I will make my temporary Capital here in Vil Mawe until the city of Fernar Darus is rebuilt. I will take over this tent as my quarters until larger ones are built.” Mauric looked around at Verian’s command building.
That was the last straw for Verian. He could not tolerate Mauric, and was not going to let the Chancellor be in the same town as he was bossing him around. “No, you will not take over my command center,” Verian said bluntly.
Verian turned beat red, “How dare you defy me? I am the Chancellor!”
“You are the Chancellor of the swampland; your authority does not extend this far. Nobody around here voted you in. We are still under martial law in this region, and that puts me in charge,” Verian replied. He could feel his shoulders knotting up.
Mauric stomped his foot and pointed at Verian and said to the troops nearby, “Arrest this man.”
Nobody came forward to arrest Verian. The commander just smiled and said to his men, “Have the remnants of the Calvary escort Chancellor Mauric back to the swampland where he belongs. We will maintain martial law until we can have a proper election.”
“Yes, Sir,” the two nearest men said and walked Mauric out of the tent.
Mauric shouted on his way out, “You have not heard the end of this!”
One of Verian’s Captains asked, “Do you think you should have done that?”
“I could not have him in the same village as me,” was Verian’s reply.
Sarchise had heard all of the yelling and came over to see what was going on. “It sounds like the war has started up again.”
Verian laughed, “Only the one between the Elves.”
Sarchise just shook his head and made his way back to his quarters.
Waiting was the hardest thing that Sarchise had to contend with. It was two weeks before the ships came back. At that, only two ships returned, not the five that everyone had been expecting.
No Dwarves disembarked either, so Verian and Sarchise meet with the Captains of the ship to find out what was going on.
“The five
ships got caught in a storm and were damaged, so they are in South Fort for repairs. There are not a lot of shipwrights in the city. The repairs are going slow. Our two ships headed out full of seasick Dwarves, but we came across the seven ships and the message that the war was over and no more Dwarves were needed, so we went back and unloaded them. We then came back here to see if there was anyone needing transporting.”
“You did well,” Verian said. “You can take Sarchise here and as many of the Dwarves as you can fit in your vessels. Send the rest of the ships back, because we will have other Dwarves back from the mountain by then depending on how many stay.”
“Yes, Sir,” nodded the Captain.
Sarchise was delighted to be going back and he packed his gear right away. The ships left the next morning. They were able to fit all of the Dwarves at Vil Mawe on the ships. Between the losses in battle and those that stayed in the Mount Ealdwine, there were not a lot left.
Fordin’s warriors had not returned to Vil Mawe yet and Sarchise did not know how many, if any, of those would return to Elvenshore and would need transporting back to Elvenshore.
Sarchise’s Return
Elvenshore
When the ships bearing the news that the war was over came to Elvenshore, there was much rejoicing amongst the Dwarves. It meant that there loved ones would be coming home. Some of the wounded had been sent home earlier and through them Fawn had learned that Sarchise was still commanding the troops. She had sent out four Valkyrie with extra horses to bring Sarchise to the Lost City with all haste when his ship arrived.
The Valkyrie had sat idly by waiting weeks for the return of the two ships. In the meanwhile, five ships had departed bearing Hemlot’s family and the other families of those Dwarves that were staying on the Far Shore. A week later, after the last of the repairs, the seven ships headed out. The ships were taking wine and ale to the Elves and Dwarves, along with a few Dwarf families. It was looking like the ship Captains were going to benefit the most by the current state of affairs of having both Dwarves and Elves in the two lands. Trade was already blossoming. One of the Captains was going to bring some horses back from the Far Shore as there was a shortage of them in Elvenshore.
When the Valkyrie that had been staying in South Fort and waiting for the ships saw the sails on the horizon, they were overjoyed. They went down to the dock to watch the docking and the unloading of the ships.
The Valkyrie watched as the Dwarf warriors marched out of the ship. Their tunics were dirty and worn but they Dwarves were a proud race and marched out of the ships like an army on a parade ground. Even thought most of them looked a little pale from the sea journey. Sarchise followed. He saw the Valkyrie and wondered if they were bringing him bad news.
“My Prince, I am Fladia, I have been sent by Fawn to bring you to back to the Lost City.”
The Dwarves had always called Sarchise, ‘my Prince,’ but this was the first time that a Valkyrie ever had. It puzzled Sarchise, but he let it go, thinking that they had just adopted the title that the Dwarves had given him. “Thank you, I would like to head out without delay.”
“As you wish, my Prince.”
Distances were so much greater on Elvenshore. The entire Far Shore could be taken up in only one of the four kingdoms of Elvenshore. Sarchise knew he had a long ride ahead of him, but since the ships docked in the morning, it allowed the group to start out before noon.
He said goodbye to the Dwarves and gave command of the warriors over to Oswin, one of the few commanders to come back to Elvenshore. The group gave him three cheers as he rode off.
Sarchise and the Valkyrie mounted up and headed out. The group took the King’s Road and stayed at the Inns that had sprung up along the way. Sarchise was enjoying the familiarity of the food and the taste of the wine. He did not want to insult the Elves of the Far Shore, but the wine over there, was not all that good.
The road King's was once again patrolled by the army of King Mortimur and had been made safe. It took several days of hard riding before they were in front of the gates of the Lost City.
As soon as the gates opened, Fawn was there to greet him. He climbed off his horse and ran over to hug her. It didn’t take him long to realize that she was with child. After the hug he reached down and touched her stomach.“You have something to tell me?”
“It is very easy to get a Valkyrie pregnant,” she said with a huge smile.
“Why are you wearing a crown?” he asked.
“I have something else to tell you also, but not in the gateway. Come to the Inn with me and we will have a feast in your honor. “ She reached up and kissed him. “It is so good to see you safe.”
They entered the city and were making their way to the Inn when one of the Valkyrie came up to Fawn and asked her a question, addressing her as Queen Fawn.
"Queen Fawn? Are there any other secrets you neglected to tell me?" Sarchise asked.
"No, that was it. The old Queen was my mother. A Queen does not have to name one of their own children to the throne, they are allowed to name anyone. I did not think she would choose me as I have not always followed the way of the Valkyrie. I was surprised that she named me."
Sarchise nodded his head that he understood.
They entered the Inn and there was a feast to great them. It was not a feast like the Dwarves have which consists mostly of different types of meat, but a feast of stews and soups and breads and cheeses. There was wine to drink. Sarchise enjoyed the meal but he would have been happier if he would have had some pork to eat and a large ale to wash it down
That night he slept in the new palace with his sons near him for the first time in months. They were walking very well now and it made him sad to think of all the time he had missed. Then there were all the stages in their lives that he would never get back. He vowed that he would not miss any more of their life and would be a father they could depend on.
Counsel at Fernar Darus
The Far Shore
Istuin walked into Verian's command tent bearing a message. Verian was surprised to see him. "I thought you were going to Elvenshore."
"Getting on a transport is not easy these days; the ship Captains have realized that taking horses to Elvenshore and bringing back wine and ale is much more profitable than taking passengers."
Verian shook his head, "It was only a matter of time. What have you got for me?"
"Mauric has challenged your authority to the Grand Counsel of Elves."
Verian looked at Istuin."Do we have any counselors?"
Istuin smiled, "No, they were the first ones evacuated and I don't think they are coming back."
"What is he going to do then?"
"They are going to hold a Counsel of Sticks. They want us to set up a command tent in the middle of the Capital. Mayer Kolis is going to clear a spot for it," Istuin replied.
"The Humans are going to arbitrate a dispute of the Elves?" Verian was very curious.
"Mauric lived with the Humans. I guess he thinks he has the advantage."
Verian couldn't suppress a small laugh, "If Mauric lived with the Humans then they already hate him. I have the advantage."
Istuin laughed, "I think you are correct."
"Do we have any other command tents? He still can't have this one," Verian said firmly.
"Yes, there are two more. When we retreated we brought our supplies with us to Vil Mawe."
Verian stood up, "Very well, I guess we have a tent to set up."
"Yes, Sir, I will organize the men."
"what is happening in the swampland?" Verian asked as they headed out the door.
"The Humans are leaving, except for those who live there in the swampland. There is a massive line of wagons and carts heading back to the various villages. The Elves are staying. They now occupy a clearing north of Bon Lathan and have named their village Vil Darnic, in honor of Darnic Tewl. The Elves have adapted to their new life very well and are getting along nicely with the Humans of the swampland," Istuin replied.
"The thing that bothers me is that they voted Mauric in."
Istuin smiled, "I have been told by one of Aron's riders that the vote was so close that if Mauric had not voted for himself he would not have won."
Verian laughed long and load.
In the next few days the army managed to set up the tent in an area of the Capital that had been cleared of debris. The Human elders came into the tent, leaving their walking sticks outside as tradition dictated. When everyone was seated on the ground, Mauric stated his case about his election. He felt that he should be Chancellor and Kolis should not be Mayor. When he was done, he sat back down. Then it was Kolis' turn to talk. He told about his election and how all the inhabitants of the city, at that time, had voted for him.
Verian was last to testify, pointing out how the nation as a whole had not voted for Mauric and that a proper election should be held. Meanwhile they should go back and refer to the laws of the land in choosing a temporary Chancellor until that election.
Everyone was escorted out of the tent except the elders as they deliberated the fate of the Elves.After two and a half hours, the Elves were asked to come back in to hear the verdict.
When all were seated again, Fritred Tewl stood up, "It is up to me to announce our decision about the leadership dispute of the Elves. We have searched the laws of the Elves and in it we have found no reference to a government in exile. We have also found no instance where only portions of the people were able to elect a Chancellor. It has always been a vote of the all the people.
"We do hereby set the election of Mauric aside. In this we refer to your laws in guiding us to appoint a temporary Chancellor. Since the Chancellor you have had is now the Mayor of Fernar Darus, he cannot preside in both of those positions. So according to the laws of the Elves, the Commander of the army will step up to the Chancellor position.
"We do hereby appoint Commander Varian as Grand Chancellor of the Elves." Fritred sat down.
