The King<br/><br/>The King smiled at Hammer, "Very well spoken, you have the heart of a noble young Hammer", he looked at the men in his counsel and towards his Queen, "I'm done with this now, I'm tired, once they have my daughter, bring me word, you may all retire until dinner, we have another feast for our guests", he stood, "Hammer, we must talk more this evening, I find you...interesting", he turned and walked from the room moving towards his own quarters, two guards walking closely behind until he had closed the door behind him.<br/><br/>The Queen turned to the counsel, "You bring shame, the way you bicker, stop this", the counsel men obeyed and stood retiring themselves. She turned to Hammer, "You have my husbands ear, please do not abuse it", and with that she left, leaving Hammer alone in the counsel room.<br/><br/>Eva<br/><br/>Eva was regaining her breath as Brandon spoke to her, and she thought for the first time, she saw the hint of a smile on his lips, she smiled, "If I'd known the way to your heart was by saving your life, I would have saved it sooner", she told him laughing, perhaps the Adrenalin was affecting her, as she stood looking towards their path back to her home, she heard horses and men, she saw them before they appeared, "My fathers men, I will take two to escort me home, you take the rest to find what is left of the dwarves", she told him.<br/><br/>The soldiers were soon upon them, bows at the ready, she looked to Brandon, "Do not die today", she told him, before she climbed onto the back of a horse with one of her fathers men. She looked back towards Brandon as the horse galloped quickly into the woods and away towards the castle. By the time they reached the elven castle Eva was exhausted, the stone structure seemed to swallow her as she entered, guards came to her to usher her to her father's quarters but she declined. "Please tell my father I will present myself in time, I need some solace", she declared to the annoyance of the guards who knew they would suffer the Kings wrath but they also knew not to question Eva.<br/><br/>Eva felt a rush of emotion from the day, she ran from the stone walls of the castle, into the gardens and out towards a small stream that met the Royal grounds, it was a peaceful place of beauty, she sat below a blossom tree and began to cry, letting the past few days ease out of her system.