Elven Kingdom

Will and Elizabeth rode on horseback between the 500 Elven troops. Nisha walked alongside Will, while Vaal rode his horse in front of his troops.

Will had planned to leave at first light, but a lady never rushes. Or at least that was the excuse Elizabeth gave for the delayed departure.

Therefore, the company left at noon after Vaal answered Elizabeth's questions on attire and manners.

Finally dressed in her riding gear Elizabeth, which Vaal assured her was acceptable, and a mule loaded with clothes the company set out.

Will waved to his people and noticed how none looked surprised to see him surrounded by Elven soldiers.

His citizens had gotten used to seeing Dwarves, Beastmen, and now Elves. Will chuckled to himself seeing how far his citizens had come. Friendship Valley was living up to its name.

Before leaving the city, Bubba rode up with several city guards.

"Milord, is this wise? No one has seen Elves in thousands of years. You and your wife are leaving what if something happens to you all, this is about your children," Bubba said worriedly.

After hearing the word, artificer, Will had an almost conical focus. In truth, Will had not considered his and Elizabeth's safety.

"I'm fine Bubba, thank you for your concern. But we'll be safe. I can feel it. This shall also be my first voyage with my husband. I shall not let anyone or anything get in our way!" Elizabeth said putting to rest Bubba's concern.

"Farewell!" Bubba said.

"Goodbye old friend, I'll return soon. I'll entrust the safety of the city to you," Will said riding out the city gates.

Will, Elizabeth, and Nisha traveled the worn path into the forest. However, the road forked to a hidden path off the man road. It was not long before the sky grew dark, and the elves made camp for the night.

"We are not far. Tomorrow we'll enter the Misty Woods," Vaal said.

"What about the beast tonight?" Elizabeth asked worriedly. They had traveled about 35 kilometers into the forest.

"Do not worry, we're camping on the border of the Forest King, no beast or dire beastly

shall come near," Vaal said.

"Forest King!" Elizabeth said frightened.

"Yes, Yggdrasil a majestic mythical white stag. To see him is a good omen, for most shall never catch sight.

He has amber fur, that shimmers in the sunlight, and his horns are made of crystal. He is a beautiful creature with the visage of a god," Vaal said with reverence.

"He sounds beautiful," Elizabeth said in admiration.

"Nisha, want do you detect? Is Vaal telling the truth?" Will asked telepathically.

"I can feel something powerful. I like an overwhelming authority," Nisha said.

"Can you tell what animal it is?" Will asked.

"No, but to have such an aura on the edge of its territory, it must have a frightening amount of mana," Nisha said both feeling impressed and worried.

"Eat, then get some rest, it's another two-day ride," Vaal said handing Will and Elizabeth a piece of unleavened bread and water.

Will and Elizabeth ate, while Nisha went off to hunt.

"I'm happy I came with you. Hopefully, I won't be a burden to you?" Elizabeth said resting her head on Will's shoulder and her hands over her womb.

"I love you; your company shall never be a burden upon me," Will comforted.

"I remember sitting at Mage Academy, listing to people tell stories about your travels. I always thought they embellished until you told me about the goblins, the undead legion, and the necromancer yourself," Elizabeth said.

"Now, you get to tag along. I'm glad we'll have a story we can share," Will said.

"Me too!" Elizabeth sighed before nodding off to sleep.

For the past two days, they traveled in the Misty Forest. The farther in they traveled, the thicker the fog.

The fog was so bad, Will had trouble seeing the Elven troops next to him. Not only did he barely see, but his sense of direction was also useless.

'Maybe I should have listened to Bubba. I get the feeling I'm being led into a trap. If I were to get separated from the Elves, I could easily wind up traveling in circles,' Will thought to himself.

"We're here!" Vaal said happily.

Will turned around, but the only thing he could see for kilometers was more fog. Will was sure, he and Elizabeth had been fooled.

"I'm confused, where is here?" Elizabeth asked.

Will and Elizabeth watched as Vaal placed his hands on a tree and began casting a spell.

To their surprise, the hidden door opened. Vaal led them inside a short dark passage lined with bright emerald gemstones used to light the tunnel.

On the other end of the tunnel, Will could see sunlight. The sunlight reflected off enormous Elven Oak trees. To Will, the Elven Oak trees looked petrified. The kingdom looked like it was made from a dazzlingly white stone. The kingdom was so ancient, the trees had been fossilized.

In a short walk, Will, Elizabeth, and Nisha found themselves in a bright give surrounded by tall Elven Oaks with a giant tree in the middle.

"Welcome to Yllamoira. I am Queen Sylvania of Yllamoira. I bid you welcome Viscount William vont Ballard and Lady Elizabeth vont Ballard," said a tall, beautiful woman with copper skin, silvery blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a white dress.

"We are pleased to meet your acquaintance," Will and Elizabeth bowed.

Unconsciously Will gawked at the Elvish woman's beauty. She was the most beautiful woman Will had ever seen. He could not take his eyes off her until Elizabeth elbow him in the ribs snapping him out of his stupor.

Out of his daze, he looked at his incensed wife. Elizabeth eyed Will murderously, but Will felt his emotions were not of his control.

Now that Will's focus wasn't on exploring the queen's body, he examined the kingdom once more.

The city was built high up in the trees, close to the canopy. The buildings and bridges were meticulously carved and flawlessly crafted into trees. Dangling from large branches, a massive chandelier floated above filled with light blue orbs.

Massive houses with balconies, with draped covered windows, created an organic ambiance. An ornate staircase spiraled up tree trunks connecting homes and bridges. The homes were lit with a radiate blue light, that gave a warm welcome.

Looking up, Will saw the tree canopy. The canopy was a dense network of branches that covered the city in shade.

The Elven Kingdom was even more picturesque than Lothlórien's description from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

On the ground, Will saw electric blue mushrooms, neon red, purple, yellow flowers, and vivid green grass.

It was surreal. How could one place look this beautiful? Was life so unfair, that this was their normal?

Four Elven spearmen stood on either side of the queen. Their light green spears had willow leaf steel tips. The spears also radiate with blue light.

"Magic spears?!" Will shouted in amazement.

"I'm impressed you can tell, human," said the captain, at least Will guessed he was the captain.

The guards wore green tunics with dark green trimmings and an amber shoulder guard on their left shoulder, these elven warriors emanated dignity and fear.

While Will was looking around he cast [Radar] to help him see his surroundings using mana.

However, Will felt his spell disintegrate.

"I'm sorry young lord, but you find your conjuring limited in this kingdom. Our array only allows for Elves to cast magic.

You may only cast magic in Training Area. However, casting healing magic is permissible," the queen said.

"Now please follow me, we have a banquet prepared and we have much to discuss," Queen Sylvania said leading the way to the palace.

The entire Elven Kingdom was rather small, less than 5000 square kilometers and the walk to the palace was rather short.

However, that area did not accurately represent the size of the kingdom, because usually the area is measured on a flat surface.

The Elven Kingdom was high up in the trees. It was impossible for an outsider, like Will, to determine how expansive the kingdom might be.

The queen led Will, Elizabeth, and Nisha up 1,000 steps into the dining hall where a white granite table sat filled with food. Surrounding the table were moonstone statues of Elven musicians playing the lyre, harp, flute, lute, and ocarina.

The table was filled with salad and grilled vegetables.

At the head of the table sat the King and Queen. While the queen was very sociable, the king looked sternly at Will and Elizabeth. The king's tall, trimmed body, exuded oppressive mana.

He wore a decorated purple robe. Frustrated was evident on his face, his green eyes were slanted upward, and his thin lips were tense.

The king was not the only unhappy host, several Elven men and women looked at Will like a dog eating from the table. Will had never felt such disgust toward him in two lifetimes.

Yet Will repaid their insincerity with ignorance. Will was here for one reason and one reason alone, the magic spears.

"The grilled asparagus is delicious your majesties," Elizabeth said daintily eating the tips.

"I am happy they are to your satisfaction," the queen said.

Will felt his emotions rise, watching the queen smile politely at Elizabeth.

Will turned his attention to Elizabeth who was thoroughly enjoying the experience.

"I'm sure you have questions feel free to ask?" the queen said breaking the ice.

"I've heard from Vaal that Elves are a long-lived race. If I may ask how old, you are?" Elizabeth asked excitedly.

"I am 2,579 years old," the queen smiled.

"To look so beautiful for so long, I am truly jealous," Elizabeth and the queen laughed to gather.

"I can feel your mana, you're a light mage like me?" Elizabeth said.

"Yes. Most Elves are born able to use earth and plant magic, but I was only born able to use light magic. In our race, light mages are trained as oracles and Gaia's priestess. It was Gaia who asked I send Vaal to bring you here," Queen Sylvania.

"Vaal said he watches my husband clear out the Goblin Fortress and Grotto from the Elder Lich. Why didn't you help him?" Elizabeth asked the question she had held in this whole time.

"Why should we help a human?" asked the king angrily. He looked fed up with the charade of Q&A.

"Because he did you a favor! He got rid of the monsters that invaded your territory!" Elizabeth said passionately crossing her arms over his chest.

"Monsters war among themselves. How were we supposed to know his intentions until you left!" the king stood up and release his frightening grandmaster aura.

"Do you plan to put on airs for much longer? asked an old man. His face matched king but was much older, and sharper.

The old man's eye pierced through Will. Never before had Will felt so helpless. The old man had the gaze of a dragon staring at an insect of grass. The difference between the old man and Will was the difference between Heaven and Earth.

"Father, I am not putting on airs. These people are beneath us. Had the priestess not pleaded, I would never have let them entire our kingdom," the king said.

"Hmm, human you are special. Your mana pool resembles an old friend of mine. He long since passed, how did your mana pool become like that?" the white-haired clean-shaven old man asked.

"My master, my master did this to me," Will said shocked that the elder could see into his mana pool.

"Who is your master?" the old man asked.

"Grandmaster Thaddeus Ming," Will shared.

"I know of him. So, he used the diary I gave him," the old man said.

"Wait, you gave him Sage Yang's diary? Is Sage a real rank?" Will asked hurriedly.

"I should think so, I'm Sage Aldrin former King of Yllamoira. Funny enough, your master asked the same question," laughed Sage Aldrin.

Will sat in disbelief. He couldn't believe the rank of sage was real he always thought it was mythical.

"I listened to my grandson's report about you. From what he said, it seems you and your Shadow Leopard have not trained as a team before. If you desire, I can help you both. What do you say become my disciple?" the old man said with his arms outstretched.

"Father, is this wise? This outsider, this human, is privileged already. Why must we help him further?" he yelled outraged.

"Nisha, what do you think, should we accept his offer?" Will asked.

"Yes, his spirit is calm and warm. I can feel him calling out to me, like a mother to her cub," Nisha agreed.

"How many elven warriors did we send to clear the catacombs? Yet a child succeeds and even managed to consecrate the altar. This child is a Champion of Gaia and…can this be true?" Sage Aldrin closed his eyes and smiled.

"True, he is a brave warrior. But what did you realize?" the king asked.

"The answer to a secret, that I'm not allowed to tell," Sage Aldrin smiled to the king's disappointment.

"Elizabeth, let me also off to train you in the ways of the priestesses," the queen smiled warmly.

"Shall we tell these humans all our secrets?" the king complained unable to swat his wife or father.

"Then it's settled the training shall commence tomorrow," said the queen.

After dinner, Will, Elizabeth, and Nisha were escorted to their guestroom. It was a large two-story treehouse.

The first floor had a cozy sitting room with armchairs, a couch, and a tea table that look out into the forest. The soaring walls of windows let in plenty of soft, natural light. Tall drapes hung from the ceilings to provide privacy.

A tall wooden ladder led to the second-floor loft bed and bathroom. Inside the bedroom was a large bed big enough for two people, and a daybed for Nisha. The loft provided an even higher view into the forest canopy, and the Eleven Kingdom.

Across was the large bed was a teardrop freestanding ebony stone tub. A simple faucet allowed water to flow from nature and drain back out through the floor. Will looked outside the window and up the house and saw a 6,000-liter rainwater container. Looking outside, Will saw all the houses had containers the same size as their houses.

"The Elves recycle rainwater? How curious," Elizabeth after Will told her what he saw.

"Yes, harvesting rainwater from a roof and collecting water in the basin is more efficient than pipes," Will said.

"Care to try it out?" Elizabeth said biting her lip cutely and starting to undress.

"I'm going out to hunt," Nisha said strolling out of the house.

"Of course, how could I say no" Will said playfully back to Elizabeth.