Everyone looked up, and from the shadows at the back of the rows where the entire priesthood sat, a tall figure rose. The face was well hidden under the hood. With calm steps, the stranger advanced and stopped before the king and the council.
«Even though Arnor is just a little child, he is the chosen one of the gods. The magical blood in his veins and the power from the godstone have accomplished what the gods could not. The godstone's call has reached the part of the dragon kingdom where the blue ones reside. And they have begun to mobilize their forces.»
«How can you, a stranger, know this?» asked Xantaus, astonished.
«Because I am their messenger.»
Delar frowned. He wasn't entirely sure, but the voice sounded familiar.
«Who are you?» he asked brusquely.
The stranger hesitated a bit, then pulled back the hood. When Delar saw the stranger's face, he sprang up.
«Darami!» he shouted. «Dear friend!»
Delar hurried over to the stranger and embraced him. Darami, a young man about Delar's age, smiled kindly.
«Greetings, my prince.»
«How is this possible? You disappeared from us ten years ago without a trace,» said Delar excitedly. «Why?»
«Because he had to,» answered a soft voice.
Everyone turned, and from where the king's foremost knights sat, the elf Silvanus stood up.
«He received a calling, and because of it, he had to leave you.»
Darami and Delar had been friends since they were children. Darami's father was one of the king's oldest knights, and as a noble son, Darami received the same upbringing as the king's children.
Like most young boys, Darami and Delar dreamed of great heroic deeds, and in a bout of recklessness, the two boys ventured into the territories of the wild mahgirs ( wild monster-like creatures).
Delar could still remember the dramatic encounter with the wild mahgir. Both he and Darami were severely wounded, and the murderous beasts were about to deliver the death blow when a miracle occurred.
To this day, Delar could not fully understand what had happened back then. But one thing was certain: they were saved by a creature Delar had never seen before.
He couldn't remember what the creature looked like. The only thing he knew was that the creature had been a being of light.
Delar had been blinded by a bright light, and the only thing he could perceive before losing consciousness due to blood loss was the sound of powerful wingbeats.
Delar and Darami loved each other like brothers, and when they grew up and became knights, their affection for each other remained strong.
They had both saved each other's lives in battles, and these incidents strengthened their deep friendship. From the time the war between the light elves and the wild creatures: mahgir and rolk started, Delar and Darami became blood brothers.
But then, ten years ago, Darami disappeared. Delar was beside himself with worry and immediately set out to search for his blood brother, but without success. Darami was gone. Until now.
There was complete silence as Silvanus stepped forward. He stopped in front of Delar and Darami. The knight's eyes met Darami's gaze. The young man bowed his head and said in a low voice:
«Greetings, father.»
Silvanus stood for a moment, then threw his arms around Darami and pressed him to his chest.
