Amelia Merlin and the Songs of the Elves

Chapter Twenty: The Elf King and the Isle of the Blessed

Imladris was always a very beautiful castle. The structure was much fancier than anything in Stone Garden. The large windows and columns were something Moira Monatheon hadn't even seen before.  The air was getting colder out as winter thickened so she drew her cloak close to her body.

As she handed the box over, Moira's face flushed and she fidgeted awkwardly as the Elf King thanked her profusely for returning the White Gems of Lasgalen to her. His long white hair was perfectly braided behind his pointed ears and she thought he saw his eyes watering slightly. She mumbled something about Isaac helping her before saying,

"You have the Gems now. It's time to hold up your end of the bargain. Tell us about the rivers," she said firmly and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Isaac smirking to himself. "Please."

"Very well, Lady Monatheon," the king bowed his head respectfully and gestured for them to follow. "I cannot tell you exactly what the rivers are doing. That would be breaking a vow of mine to keep them secret and safe. But what I can do, is lead you more or less to the answer."

"More or less?" Isaac murmured. They followed the Elf King through the corridors of Imladris while he whispered to them. The hushed tones of secrecy made Moira and Isaac huddle close together as not to miss a single word. 

"There's an island in the Great Seas of Meredor. They call it the Isle of the Blessed. You must go there with the closest friend the queen has. Only with him will you be able to discover the secrets of the island."

The corridors were growing colder and a distinct chill had set over them. Moira could see, out of the corner of her eye, that Isaac's hand was twitching towards his knife. She listened closely as the King continued.

"You must be careful though. The Isle of the Blessed is a powerful magical place. But there is a darkness there. It is a place where the Queen must never go," the King looked severely at the two of them. "Lady Monatheon, you must go on the journey with the boy. He will not survive without you."

Moira nodded but her eyes were narrowed, "What are we looking for at the Isle of Blessed?"

"I can't tell you that," he shook his head. "But I can tell you that you must hurry. The Queen will need convincing of this quest."

With that, Moira and Isaac left the Elf King and headed to the stables to get their horses. They walked quickly so that Isaac had to jog to keep up with her.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" he said, out of breath.

"Yes. Why wouldn't he be?"

"How do you know he's not setting you up?"

"He's not."

"But how do you know that?" Isaac put a hand on her arm and she spun around. "Look, you've been raised your whole life to believe people like him, royalty. I haven't. I was raised not to trust those people. And I don't. How do you know he isn't sending you to your death?"

"Because I'm not worth it," she looked at him as though it were obvious.

"Shit, Moira. Don't say that," he looked like he'd just been impaled.

"It's true. Blaxton holds the North, not me. I have no ties with anyone important. I'm not even married. Killing me wouldn't start any wars or weaken any sides. I'm a pawn," Moira's ferocity punctuated her words.

"You're more than that-"

"I know," again, it was that look as though everything was so obvious. "Of course I know I'm more than what they see. I'm a brilliant rider, I'm an excellent fighter, and I'm going to go on this quest, no matter how dangerous, and I'm going to change the world."

"Gods, I want to kiss you right now," Isaac sighed.

"Don't," she smirked. "We've got work to do. Although I don't think the Elf King was lying, he definitely wasn't telling us everything. Maybe Alakai will know more." Moira got up on her horse and Isaac did the same. Together, they rode back to Okamila to find out more about the Isle of the Blessed.

...........................

"He's obviously talking about Oliver," Al shrugged.

"Absolutely not!" Amelia paced back and forth. "He's not going on some crazy quest! That is ridiculous and I'm not risking his life for some more information about some creeks that are giving people the heeby jeebies!"

"Heeby jeebies?" Al grinned.

"Shut up," she snapped back at him. Moira and Isaac stood silently on the side after they had delivered the information from the Elf King. "The Isle of the Blessed. What a stupid fucking name."

"We should at least do some research," he said. "Before we make any firm decisions."

"Fine!" She sat down heavily and folded her arms over her chest. "Then I want a report by the end of the week with everything you've found out. Get Shandra to help you."

"Who's Shandra?" Al wrinkled his nose.

"The girl who works in the office here!" Amelia laughed. "She is literally here all the time. Big hair, long legs... How do you not know Shandra!"

"Oh," he shrugged. "I thought her name was Joel or something."

"You're an ass."

"True. But I'm an ass who's going to get that research for you," he laughed. Amelia rolled her eyes at him and turned to look at Moira and Isaac.

"I have to thank both of you for what you did. That was a dangerous quest and you performed admirably. Is there anything I can do for either of you?" She walked up to them and Moira immediately shook her head.

"No, your grace. It was an honor to represent you. Could I help Alakai with the research?" She said in her monotone voice.

"Of course! He needs all the help he can get," she smiled warmly before turning to Isaac. "What about you? Your bravery deserves an award."

"I actually do have something in mind," he shuffled his feet and fidgeted but looked her in the eye. "Could you invite the gypsies for a feast? They love a good party and I know they'd love to come to Canavar."

"Absolutely!" Amelia beamed. "I'll send out the invitations myself."

"One more thing, your grace?"

"Yes?"

"My old boss, the Crow, do you know what happened to him after the Battle of Okamila?"

Amelia turned to Al who said, "He was killed. They found his body in the streets and he was given a proper burial. His network," Al stiffened at the polite term for crime organization, "was dissolved immediately by the crown."

Isaac nodded, "Probably for the best. Thank you for telling me."

And then Isaac went to go deliver the news to his old gypsy friends.