Akuchi looked up. Above him the branches from the trees connected to all the other trees, creating a maze-like network of branches that shut out all light. The only light was that given off by the moss that clung to all the trees and reflected off the special paint that the dark elves wore.
“The tree in front of us is the Mother Tree,” explained Vel. “It is the tree where we all came from and it is the home of the royal family and the centre of our culture.”
“It looks beautiful,” Akuchi exclaimed.
“That is the source of our shame. We live in opulent beauty, but are ourselves ugly,” Vel said.
“I wish there was a way in which I could help you remove your shame,” Akuchi said.
“Thank you,” Vel said, “it is a nice sentiment, but nothing can be done.”
“At least we can hope for peace.”
“My future and the fate of all my descendants forever rest on you. No pressure.”
Vel strode forward and Akuchi followed him. Vel led him to the Mother Tree across an open field of grass to a large arch in the roots of the Mother Tree.
Chapter 25 The King
7th day of the 7th month 580th year of the 8th era
Akuchi and Vel stepped into an ante room; the walls were roots that had grown around the room. On the left-hand side of the room, a dark elf sat behind a small desk made from a small root that came out of the tree. She was covered in black paint with gentle grey outlines and swirls. Stars across each breast and stripes heading down and around to her back, were set off by the gentle yellow glow of the moss. At the other end of the room, an opening was blocked by hanging vines that had a blue moss clinging to it. Flanking the door stood two male soldiers. Their paint was patterned in the same manner as the woman. They each held spears and in their hands and a sword at their waist.
On the right side of the wall, several short swords and a few spears leaned.
The women rose as they entered with grace from her seated position. Her short-cropped hair clung to her face.
Vel bowed deeply to the women.
The women returned his bow.
“Vel Galerius,” he intoned in a flat tone, “from the House of Maple, with an emissary from the human fort.”
“Please wait,” the woman responded, before hurrying through the vine curtain.
Vel removed his sword and leaned it against the wall. Akuchi followed his lead.
“The King doesn’t like weapons in his presence?” Akuchi asked.
“Do you know a King that does?” asked Vel.
“I have never meant a king.”
“I only met him when I was commissioned into the army.”
The women stuck her head through the vine curtain.
“The King will see you now,” she said and then pulled her head back.
Vel and Akuchi followed her through the curtain.
Going through the curtain, they came to the throne room. The room’s walls were smooth and covered in a mosaic, depicting a great battle between the dark elves and the elves and the dark elves fighting trolls and orcs. The floor was made from a polished stone except for a narrow pathway of the same grass that ran straight the centre of the room. From the blue ceiling that looked like sky, hung a several glass chandeliers that had a ball sitting in them that glowed a bright white light. Arrayed around the room were many elves. The patterns on these dark elves were a vibrant and were complicated combinations of stripes, swirls, stars, and dots, ranging in colour from yellow to deep blue, many having an assortment and a blend of colours. Women in simple red stars and stripes circulated around the room carrying trays of food and refreshments. At the far end of the room on a multi-levelled dais, a huge dark elf sat. His pattern was just as complicated as all the others.
“The King,” muttered Vel, “don’t look at or mention the women in red.”
“Who are they?” asked Akuchi.
“For all intents and purposes, invisible,” replied Vel. “Do as I do.”
Vel moved forward at a confident rate along the grass-covered path Akuchi followed. At the foot of the dais, Akuchi and Vel stopped and bowed from the waist before the King.
He sat up straight in his throne. It was made of tree branches and covered in a deep bronze polish. Draped over it was a crimson cloth edged with a white fur lining.
“Your majesty,” Vel intoned, straightening up. “I, Vel Galerius, would like to introduce to you an emissary of peace.”
“Your majesty,” Akuchi said straightening up, “I am Akuchi Rosethorn; I come to you in peace.”
“Very good,” muttered Vel so that only Akuchi could hear it.
“There never has been an emissary from the humans before,” the King mused.
“I come wanting peace so that I may grow crops on my farm,” Akuchi said.
“Where is your farm?”
“In the north, just south of Fort Northern Wiles.”
“Ah, so you are the invader,” the King commented. “And you come to me with peace on your lips, yet you have killed many of my noble soldiers.”
“To be honest, my lord, I was unaware of why they were attacking me,” Akuchi defended.
“Did you not think to ask any of them?” he said, leaning forward hands on either side of the throne.
“Your Majesty, the only ones that did speak died screaming curses and insults at me,” explained Akuchi, “I only found out that you were dark elves because I had an elf friend with me.”
“A Shining One,” exclaimed the King. “You do have some interesting friends.”
“Yes,” admitted Akuchi. “I am truly blessed.”
“I would say that you are,” the King said. “What do you have to offer me for peace?”
“I have nothing to offer you for peace,” admitted Akuchi. “I am aware of why you attacked me. I hold no grudges. I was hoping to get your word that I would not be attacked.”
“You know about the curse?” demanded the King. “Then you are truly too dangerous to leave alive. Kill him.”
Several soldiers came from behind the dais, spears in hand.
“Your majesty, stop!” shouted Vel.
“How dare you order me,” the king growled, standing up.
“I apologise, my lord,” grovelled Vel. “He is not the only one that knows. The Shining One he mentioned also knows and she is still at the farm with instructions from him.”
The King waved his hand and the guards left quickly the way they had come.
“I could send a whole army of soldiers to your fort and destroy it before word got out.”
“Then you would have to deal with the trolls. The fort protects even you from the trolls,” Akuchi said.
“Well, in that case, we need to secure your silence,” observed the King, sitting down. “I assume you can convince her to remain quiet about us?”
“Yes, I can,” reassured Akuchi, bowing low again. “If I can help you with your curse, there would be no need for secrecy.”
“That is true,” mused the King leaning back into his throne. “There might be a way but you might not like it.”
“Let me hear it,” Akuchi said straightening up.
A man stepped out from the crowded elves, his skin painted black, his complicated pattern of swirls was done in white. He bowed low to the King.
The King waved his hand at him.
The dark elf then turned and bowed to Akuchi and Vel.
“The curse goes back to the dawn of the era,” the dark elf in white began. “During the first and second era, we were at war with the trolls and the orcs that were escaping oppression from the north.”
“Those trolls that assault the fort,” interrupted Akuchi. “They are refugees?”
Vel scowled at Akuchi. “At that time they were. We are not so sure now.”
“We fought them both and drenched the forest in blood, both ours and theirs,” continued the dark elf. “A short peace in the second era gave us hope but it was not to be. After our queen was assassinated by an internal power
struggle, war resumed. The trolls came in waves every year. Many times we beat them, but as many times they pushed us back into the depths of this forest, burning and chopping our beloved forest. However, in the fourth era when the dwarfs, humans, and gnomes arrived, they drove out the trolls and the orcs and established the fort to the north. It was then that we were cursed by the god Mars, the god of war, for not defending our lands. We became horrible to look upon that we didn’t ever join the other races on the world stage. We hid ourselves and gave ourselves over to Solimas and Trath.”
“Both gods of despair,” murmured Akuchi.
“Yes,” the dark elf in white stripes agreed. “We tried everything we could for the whole of the fifth era. The only hint we got was from a priest of the Unholy Flame who gave us a prophecy of a child that escapes flame, the sword, and the death of his parents. This child must be of royal blood.”
That would explain the women in red. The king plants his seed in them and hopes that the child will be the one to save them all.
“What can I do?” asked Akuchi.
“I will offer you my daughter to be your wife,” said the King. “This union will bring peace between your house and mine. Your farm will be protected by the dark elves. It will also secure my son’s uncontested ascension to the throne.”
“What can I offer in return?” asked Akuchi.
“Since the Queen died ten years after my son was born,” the King replied, “look after my daughter. It is the custom of a new king to remove all other claimants from the throne before ascending. Keep her safe.”
“I agree to your request,” Akuchi said, bowing to the King.
“It is customary to hold a feast after the offer of marriage and to allow the intended to think about the marriage before agreeing,” explained the King. “I will hear your answer the day after the feast. If you agree to my terms, you will wed the princess immediately.”
He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. A dark elf woman with red stripes and stars on her body ascended the stairs.
Vel and Akuchi, bowed then turned and walked down the grass path back the way they had come.
A dark elf woman approached them before they passed through the vine curtain.
“Akuchi,” she called to them.
Akuchi and Vel stopped and turned. The dark elf woman was covered in a complicated pattern of green swirls and stars that accentuated her body. Her stomach had a scar running downwards along the left side and her breasts were too small for her large hips. She approached them with a slight limp.
“How may I help you?” Akuchi asked, bowing slightly as she approached.
“I am the governess of the princess,” she smiled, revealing blackened teeth. “The princess instructed for me to bring to her any man that the King offered to marry her.”
“I see,” Akuchi said. He turned to Vel. “Is this ok?”
“I am not a noble,” said Vel. “Normally it is the girls getting the time to think, not the guys. My brother had already met the woman he married before he asked her.”
“If there is no problem,” stated Akuchi, “I would like to meet the Princess.”
“Good.” The governess smiled and ambled out the curtain.
“I guess we are going now,” Vel said eyes widening.
“It would seem so.”
Vel and Akuchi followed the governess through the vine curtain and out of the ante room where they collected their weapons and strapped them to their backs. She then took them along the outside of the Mother Tree and they came to another vine curtain. She waved them in and Akuchi and Vel stepped inside. The room was small and was lit by soft green and blue moss. It was comfortable with a grass floor covering and gentle moss lighting. Several branch seats were arrayed around the room with books piled high on the chairs.
The governess came in after them and breezed through the vine curtain at the other side of the room.
“Your father offered you to a man today.” The governess was heard through the vine curtain.
“Did you bring him to see me?” a soft voice replied.
“Yes, he is with his friend outside.”
“I haven’t painted myself today.”
“It won’t matter, my dear,” the governess replied. “Your intended is not a dark elf.”
“What?” the second voice demanded, followed by a loud splashing sound. “But the blemishes?”
“If we keep you in the darkness, he won’t be able to see you.”
The governess stuck her head through the vine curtain. “The princess is ready to see you.”
She held the curtain back as Akuchi entered. Once Akuchi passed, she stepped out preventing Vel from entering.
“The Princess wanted a private audience with her intended,” the governess said. “We will be outside, mistress.”
“Akuchi,” Vel called. “Stay with the Princess. I will come collect you once I find a place for us to stay tonight.”
Akuchi looked around the room. The room was cast in a very dim light by a single strand of brown moss that clung to the wall near the door. In the centre of the room, a small table stood piled high with books. Tucked under the table sat two cushions. On one side of the small room was a stone bathtub filled with still steaming water. Water pooled at the bottom of the bathtub. The far wall held a bench made from the root of the Mother Tree and covered on it were pots of paints and assorted objects. On the left, shrouded in darkness, lounging on a bed was the Princess. All that the light revealed was a pair of finely muscled deep brown legs.
“So, you are meant to be my husband,” stated the Princess.
“I am not sure how it happened,” Akuchi said. “One minute I am thinking I am going to die, the next I am being offered your hand in marriage.’
The Princess laughed, a soft chuckle that brought a smile to Akuchi’s lips.
“Please sit down.”
“Thank you,” Akuchi said, grabbing a cushion from under the table and sat in front of the bed. “Princess, I fear in the rush for everything I never got your name.”
“I am Aife,” the Princess chuckled. “Please stop calling me princess, it just reminds me of how naked I am right now. If we are to be married, you can’t call me Princess for the rest of our lives.”
“Don’t worry about, that I am naked myself.” Akuchi chuckled. “I have been since the last harvest.”
“Yes.” Chuckled the Princess, “For my people we wear the paint to hide-”
“The shame,” Akuchi finished. “I am a poor farmer that has nothing to offer you. I am not sure we will be a good match.”
“My father is doing his best to get rid of me,” Aife stated. “He only has one boy, and he thinks only men can rule the dark elves. I have studied history and know it is not the case. Tell me did you see the women that wear the red in court?”
“Yes, I did,” said Akuchi.
“They are his hope to produce another male offspring,” Aife spat. “My younger brother is horribly disfigured by the curse and he wants to replace him with another son, one he hopes won’t be so horrible to look at. That might not be possible because he is still the father.”
“I just wanted peace so that I can grow my crops and live in peace,” Akuchi said. “I don’t want to be involved in this mess.”
“Akuchi,” called Vel. “I have arranged accommodation for you tonight.”
“It would seem, you have a choice,” said Aife. “Either marry me and get peace, but still be wary of an internal plot, or forever suffer attacks from the dark elves.”
Akuchi got up and walked to the vine curtain.
“It was nice meeting you, Princess,” he said. “I will think about what you have said.”
“Goodbye, Akuchi,” called Aife. “I hope the thirty years we have together will be enough for you,” she muttered to herself after he left.
Chapter 26 Deliberations
7th day of the 7th month 580th year of the 8th era
Vel led Akuchi down a street between some wide trees and
roots. The moss glowed blue and violet reflecting off the dark elves that walked the streets. Several men walked past with black base and green and white paint patterned their bodies. Several women strolled passed them with yellow and orange hues making the base of their paint with flecks of green and blue mixed in. Vel and Akuchi turned into a bough of a tree. Inside was a tavern. Blue and red moss cast light over the mingling patrons. The patrons, painted in an assortment of colours, sat around tables that were hewn from rock or moulded from tree roots.They drank from mugs of carved wood. Three musicians played music on a stage in the far left of the tavern. On the right, a bar the length of the tavern stood where a man and a woman served the patrons there and issued drinks to serving girls. The serving girls were painted black except for a pink line that ran down the centre of their chests and stopped at their navels.
Vel walked forward and took a seat near the musicians in a corner near a curtain door.
Akuchi followed and sat next to Vel with his back to the wall. A few eyes watched them before returning to their drinks.
“Tomorrow at dinner you must give your answer to the King,” Vel instructed.
“I already made my decision, and I told the King,” replied Akuchi.
“It is customary that you have some time to contemplate the decision.”
“We don’t have such customs in Rolf, as far as I know.”
“You spoke to the princess. Did she inform you of the real choice you have to make?”
“Yes, she did,” answered Akuchi. “I must either choose to marry her and have the attacks on my farm stop, or to decline and have the attacks continue.”
“Sounds pretty simple, when you put it that way.”
“You could abandon the farm and move to another spot to farm.”
“I could, but I want the farm to supply the fort.”
Vel nodded. “Have you seen the Princess?”
“She was shrouded in darkness.”
“The reason that the King offered her to you could be because no dark elf would take her.”
“Why is that?” asked Akuchi.
“Even to us she is horribly disfigured.”
The Bloodwood Curse: An Epic Fantasy Adventure of Swords, Magic and Romance. (The Rosethorn Chronicles Book 1) Page 20
