<div style="text-align: center"><i>Castle Bleu Gates, King's Castle</i><br/>
<i>Main Entrance<br/>
Morning</i><br/>​</div>Smoke.<br/><br/>That was the first thing Aedus smelt when he first returned home. Aedus and Hammond rode side by side with two elven guards,<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fimg01.deviantart.net%2F3eaf%2Fi%2F2012%2F226%2F0%2F6%2Felven_warrior_by_morgoth87-d55pqoc.jpg&amp;hash=5dbddfc5a9bc3938e827fee3758f3bcd" href="https://img01.deviantart.net/3eaf/i/2012/226/0/6/elven_warrior_by_morgoth87-d55pqoc.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Seron</a>of the Tribe of Duvainil, known for their beauty and constantly begot by slavers, and<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2Fc8%2F01%2Fff%2Fc801ffa69b39a9da0b680b65fcddf0a7--fantasy-house-glorfindel.jpg&amp;hash=f9214e89a879a622995bcd21fc77021f" href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c8/01/ff/c801ffa69b39a9da0b680b65fcddf0a7--fantasy-house-glorfindel.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Badhron</a>of the Tribe of Erthor, known to be descended of the Royal Army of the Elven Kings. Aedus chose this moment to wear his symbol proudly- The Symbol of the Aradhelon (See the Leather Armor), the Royal Family of the Elves. The Great Tree was the Symbol of Power to the Elven people, as it was once the sign that their gods favored them and blessed them with great bounty. When the Elven Kingdom was sacked, and they were betrayed after the unification wars, the Family was presumed killed and the tree burned, to crush their will. Aedus was unsure if he carried the blood of the Aradhelon, he honestly doubted it, but it was not why he wore the symbol- It was one of power, to symbolize that the Elves had a leader, and it was that symbol they rallied behind. It was a challenge to the Authority of King Steven, to say that he did not rule the elves.<br/><br/>They needed a King, and to them, Aedus was their King.<br/><br/>Aedus was not surprised that, when he awoke, he was to be escorted to the Kings Castle. Two days on the move, and Aedus saw more than a few sights that made his blood boil, but he had to ensure that he kept his wits about him. The soldiers escorting him were weary of the Elven Lord, as he refused to remove his hood the entire time they had been travelling, but they had orders to bring him before the King. Hammond, Seron, and Badhron kept Aedus out of harms way, as they did not trust the individuals they came with, and Seron had to hold herself back as two of them had made inappropriate and derogatory comments towards her. Badhron had to be stopped multiple times from gutting them in their sleep, but they knew that killing them would not help, so they kept their tongues and stayed as far away from the soldiers as possible. The soldiers were shocked that a Knight of the King would serve and elf, but Hammond answered that question aptly.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4dffff"><b>"The Young Lord saved my life. I owe him my loyalty. I follow his will."</b></span><br/><br/>Aedus had finally begun arriving to Castle Bleu, as the smell of smoke and burning flesh filled the air, likely them burning their dead to prevent the spread of plague, in case one broke out. Aedus was silent, before he saw the young woman before him. It took him mere moments to recognize her- Dia. He knew he'd have to meet her again, he just didn't expect that it would be so soon, and couldn't keep the look of rage out of his eyes. When her bow was drawn, unsurprisingly, Both the elves in his retinue drew their weapons as well as Hammond, but a hand raised to stop them. However, this was not out of kindness, as Blue orbs burned with cold fury as they looked at the princess. When she spoke about courtesy and pleasantries, he would let out a huff. "<b>Hmph, Spare me the act. You all are the same, every last member of the Fellan Family are little more than thieves and cowards. Why should I believe you're any different?" </b>He said, venom laced in his voice, though it would seem more like a personal vendetta than inborn racism.<br/><br/>Then again, if he was descended of the Aradhelon Family, it was little idea why- They had suffered cruelly under the hands of the Human Kings for centuries, and they were a long-lived race, they knew how to hold a grudge. Though he was unsure if Dia herself would know of the Elves History and symbolism, he had no doubt that the Race Traitor, Emily, would.<br/><br/>When she spoke of warning him, he let out a humorless chuckle, before turning to face her. His eyes held no sympathy. "<b>Believe me, I am more than anticipating it. Your family have a reputation for being little better than common bandits, fighting for coin and scraps, and I fully believe you'll end up trying to kill me once you all have what you want from me. I'd like to see what reason the King could give me to actually care about helping him- Try to conquer Lishenga? With what army and money, the war killed most of them and drained the economy. Kill me? Rebellion and war with the elven tribes. Enslave me? I'll slit my own throat before I bow before that King again." </b>He said, unknowingly letting it slip that he had prior history with the crown, and cursing himself for that. He had to be more careful with his words.<br/><br/>When she spoke of her appreciation for what he had done, he would just glare at her, before turning away. "<b>That means less then what you know- You don't care about your people, none of you do, the state of your Kingdom and how you treat those who serve you is proof of that." </b>He said, though underlying the hate in his voice was.....pain. He had suffered, that much Dia would be able to infer from his tone. He kept silent the rest of the way, and said nothing as they arrived to the castle. His eyes kept to the large stone wall in front of him. The Elves present kept Dia and Emily a fair distance away from their Lord. Though Hammond didn't say anything, The Elves looked at Emily with a mixture between shock and disgust. Badhron openly said what they were thinking to her. "<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff9999"><b>Do you have no shame?"</b></span>It was a common opinion that serving a human of your own free will was betraying the elven race, who the humans had subjugated for years.<br/><br/>Now, it was time for the waiting game, as they arrived to the Palace. Aedus looked towards Hammond, who nodded, and instructed for Seron and Badhron to get into positions. Seron and Badhron stood at his sides, and Hammond stood in front, as he was the most armored, as they waited to be greeted by the King and Prince. His reveal was coming soon.<br/><br/><a class="username" data-user-id="83" data-username="@MintyMinx" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/83/">@MintyMinx</a>