Caine spent the next portion of his morning dressing for the formal introductions; he had to present himself in front of elven and magician royalty alike. Once he was properly dressed and mentally ready, he slid out the door and down the hall.
The stairs Caine took led him straight to the outer receiving room to the formal throne room. It was almost never used so he bypassed it and left the palace through a side door.
Outdoor paths and rooms that had magical shielding you could see through had been built to protect those walking but they were surrounded with foliage and functioned as greenhouses in the colder weather. He took the paths out toward the surrounding forest.
Almost every elven settlement, including the castle, was surrounded by dense woods but if you got up high enough in the parapets you could see the openings in the canopy. The castle's supporting town was only a short jaunt through the forest, but the elves seemed to like the separation and secrecy it afforded. He had been walking for several minutes before he came to a party of elves in one of the windowed offshoots of his path.
They stood conversing, singing, and drinking in high spirits. They surrounded a figure who controlled the attention and had a woman on his arm. Caine walked by the party and was surprised he hadn't seen more elves and humans about. He outdistanced the covered paths shortly after as he approached the council chambers.
After a few more twists and turns without the cover, he ended at a stone building that looked like an enormous human chapel. He pulled on his shirt tails and patted down the wrinkles he had acquired from walking in his court costume.
When he was lucky enough to work in the elven courts and wasn't spending all day in the council chambers he wore the more comfortable clothes preferred by the elves, thin artful layers in nature's colors. Today he stood in multiple layers of black that played off his dark hair and blue eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out a hand and knocked gently, knowing the elves hearing had already alerted them to his presence. The doors pushed open as he knocked and he walked forward.
The room was octagonal in shape with the King's throne on the wall opposite the door he entered. The floor was made in levels with a chair or bench for each elfin noble and guest emissaries. Three walls had a centered door and a path that led toward the King's throne which had larger levels than the other sides with only four wide tiers.
The King sat on the third step and had two thrones on the level below him for his two most prominent or favored sons or daughters, though elves moved in and out of grace rather quickly for such a long lived race. Caine entered through the tall arch that supported the elves sitting above him. They had thinner tiers with eight levels spaced so each noble had their own area to fill with their entourage.
As he walked out of the short tunnel, he quickly observed the rows of men and women. The elfin court was the only court to allow women to sit on a council and apply their opinion to any problem. Many courts allowed women magicians input on select matters, but most women didn't go into politics; it was a sport dominated by men.
He was surprised by the number of nobles who had been recalled to the capital. He had tried uselessly to scry the building to know what he was facing, but had known he would find only defeat. Long ago the Goddess had cast a strong protective spell around the building, one that still could not be breached.
"Rise, Caine," the King's quietly strong voice said after a tense silence. His voice was gentle, but steel gave it a backbone one would be stupid to ignore.
The elven King was a powerful man and it was not a request no matter how kindly or softly it may have been said. Caine had talked to the King enough to hear disapproval in the tone of his address.
He kept his head high as he walked toward the dais, occupied only by the King. His gaze straight forward, he tried not to notice the disapproving glances he could feel on his back. As the Third Magician he had responsibilities and honor he had shirked by not coming to court when he had first arrived yesterday afternoon. He knelt and placed both of his fists on the floor.
Caine straightened to face the King and knew he would find a court face carved with little expression. For a race as jovial as elves generally were, they could steel themselves into stony indifference so easily one was never sure which emotion they truly felt.
"I am sorry for my lateness in this court, Your Majesty. The travel near drained me and I had not the energy to make the trip to the Council chambers. I come with humble apology ready to put my life at risk for your kingdom."
"A pretty speech Caine, of course you are welcomed. Pease take a seat and join us in today's business." The King motioned to the back wall above where Caine had entered. It was a slight to his station to be positioned so far back and away from the magicians' section but he knew to accept his punishment gracefully. The more he accepted that his punishment was correct, the faster he would be forgiven. He walked quickly to an open spot near the top of the back wall.
Once seated, he settled in for a long day of elfin politics in which he had little interest. He was not an emissary, he was a soldier and today was about the politics that came with accepting a declaration of war. This day had nothing to do with him, but he used it to gain back the esteem he had lost by retiring yesterday instead of announcing himself to Court. Caine knew how to play this game as well as the next person.
...
Caine had unknowingly chosen very good timing for his appearance and apology as there was something else to divert the courts minds from his rebuff. One of the Princes had returned home today and was due in court that afternoon.
Prince Keenan was a favored son and the only royal child out of many who had never been in disgrace. The reason was quite simple; he was almost never at court to bother his father and was reputed to be one of the best military minds alive.
But the rumor was that he had done something that would be pushing the edge of his father's acceptance; no one quite knew what it was, or if they did, they didn't speak of it. With the rumor mill grinding away at the Prince, Caine had a reprieve of the scorn he should have received.
As usual, the politics took most of the day. Lunch was a brief affair where Caine could already tell he was being forgiven. The court ate in a meadow right inside the tree line barely out of sight of the court chambers and no work was discussed.
As boring as court always was, Caine managed to stay awake and alert in the afternoon, as had most of the court, by anticipating the arrival of the prince. It was rumored that he had been romantically involved with the elven Goddess the last time she had manifested. Caine was curious to see this elf that could tempt someone sent by the Stars and pick his brain for strategy.
Finally, the doors closed to the forest and the one on the right of the King opened. Silence had fallen on the elves as their hearing alerted them to the familiar footsteps of their Prince. Caine followed their gaze and was surprised to see the elf from the party he had passed on the way to court that morning.
Keenan walked to face his father and bowed his head, hand on his sword, a comfort no one else had been allowed in the Council chamber.
"Father, I have returned as you requested. It is an honor to serve you."
"Son, it is a pleasure to see you home at last. We know you will lead us to victory, please stay by my side so we may confer." The king's voice softened slightly, making it obvious who the favorite son was.
Caine wasn't sure but he thought he caught a hint of disapproval at first in the King's voice. His son had been gone for a long time, but why should it bother him that he hadn't returned lately? Elves had long lives so years flowed by like months, or so he had heard.
Caine had no interest in the policies being discussed that afternoon as they focused on the money associated with fighting a war, so he spent his time analyzing the King and prince.
Keenan was tall like many elves but he had a quality to him that made people want to listen, and though he was young by elven standards some said he was as wise as the oldest of elves. His hair was dark and long, but not as long as the human kingdoms kept theirs, no doubt this shoulder length hair style would spread quickly. It was presently tied back in many braids, something else Caine anticipated would also spread but he himself would never implement.
The King, like his son, had dark hair that fell past his shoulders and eyes that were unnaturally green. If you lived around elves long enough, you could begin to guess their age by their eyes, the older they were the more feline they became. Eventually their eyes would lose the round shape and become slanted, but the true indicator was their irises, which deepened to colors humans would never achieve.
The brightness of their eyes drew humans in and some felt like they were drowning or could never look away. It was said the only things attractive about an elf was their eyes, but they were so beautiful, they made everything else attractive as well. Caine didn't believe that theory true.
Both elves that sat before him now had sharp plains for cheeks and eyebrows that were expressive in motion, labeling them as father and son to all who cared to look. Their skin was almond because of the time they spent in the sun working. Not only did they look similar, they sat similarly.
The King's throne had been coaxed from the ground by a master of earth magic. Vines and trees made the back and side while a stump had grooved itself to be the seat. The trees reached towards the ceiling where they canopied above making a miniature forest that revolved around the King.
Keenan sat in another work of art made of trees. Only the trunks of the trees had grown to make the smaller throne, but the image was that of power and controlled grace, perfect for this prince who was wary as a cat. He sat one tier below his father, but the King's hand often rested on his shoulder.
The tiers the King and Prince sat upon stood out starkly against the room as dirt had been poured to keep their thrones alive beneath them. The levels they sat upon were made of black obsidian and the risers were etched with carvings, the elves could never resist a flair for the beautiful and dramatic. The rest of the room was mostly made of dark marble with white and grey marble pathways to the thrones and seats. Every attendant of the court sat in a carved rock chair that had a back that came to the shoulders of most who attended and arms made of a similar stone while their attendants sat on stone benches.
The elfin kings, said to have an unusual connection to the earth for non-magicians, were able to help the plants grow and even control the ground. Caine wasn't sure he believed all of the stories; the last time an elven King was said to use his power Caine's grandfather had been a mere child, but he didn't discount the stories for their outlandishness. He knew of stranger things than non-magician mortals using magic.
Just as he began to wander down a philosophical memory lane of dry facts that would have done his teachers proud, the King stood and declared the day over. It could not have ended at a better time, unless it had been earlier in the day. Any more time in that room and Caine would have fallen asleep on his bench which was remarkably comfortable even without the back that court officials had. Even relentlessly watching the King and his son had tired him after a while; elves were good at hiding their feelings and so both looked impassive most of the day which didn't give him much to do.
As he filled out last due to his seat high in the tiers, he heard the King call to his son.
"Keenan, we should talk before you go." Unable to resist, Caine stopped outside the main door and slid behind a pillar so he could hear the two talking.
"What is it, Father?"
"I hear you brought that girl home." The King's voice was bland.
"I did. Is there a problem?" Keenan answered in the same tone.
"No, I just wish you would have let us know to prepare her a room that is all." Something didn't ring true in the king's voice and both Keenan and Caine could tell.
"I didn't tell you because I knew there would be those who would play hurtful tricks on her and I wish to avoid that for her sake as well as mine. If you will excuse me, Father." His voice had cooled perceptibly.
As Keenan began to leave Caine heard the King yell once more.
"I expect you both at dinner tonight and you are to bring her to court tomorrow. I will have a chair brought so she may stay safe and close to you."
"Of course, excuse me." Keenan gave a small bow before whipping around and stalking off. The King had something going on and everyone listening knew it. Caine peeled away from the wall and walked back to the palace, unaware he was not the only one listening and that a pair of eyes had seen him.