[Author's note]
Starting next week, the release schedule for my Saturday releases will start to alternate between Sent by the Gods and An Elf on Earth.
One week will have a release for Sent by the Gods on Saturday and the other will have a release for An Elf on Earth.
[Padge's perspective]
We had, three weeks after the Medrus Royals departure, finally received word from Xeahia Montagnon, the Empress of the Agral Empire.
She was on her way; the messenger having made it to our capital in three quarters the time she would need to arrive. And so, I sent word to the Imperial Council to begin preparations for the Empress' arrival.
And with Alyssa already six months pregnant, she was starting to get around with more and more difficulty. She spent most of her time sitting or lying down by now, seeing how fast she currently tired from any form of exercise.
But with two months having gone by since the message from Empress Xeahia Montagnon came to us and her departure soon after, she was by now a mere two weeks travel away from us.
"Alyssa, are you sure you can manage being present to welcome the Empress into our city? You are already stretched thin for energy as it is." I asked her when she remained insisting to join me at the gate to welcome the Empress, and she nodded at me in return, but I could clearly tell she was lying, even to herself.
"Padge, I don't want you to be alone with that woman..." She suddenly muttered at me and I gave her a confused glance. "You really are afraid she's going to steal me away from you. Aren't you?" I replied to her and pulled her closer to me on the sofa where we sat.
I felt her white vulpine ears fold back against her head as I held her as she nodded in the most minor of motions I could imagine.
That entire evening, I spent doing everything in my power to calm Alyssa's worries. But in the end, she simply fell asleep in my arms, crying. It broke my heart, it still does every time I see her like this.
Soon, another two weeks had passed, and I stood with Alina next to me at the northern most gate to Wolven Hollow. Our nobles and Valkyries stood around me as well.
The many nobles we have, gathered in a long line on either side of me, down the road into the city.
In front of me, a double line of Valkyries stood guard between my people and the approaching Empress.
I could just barely tell there was a small caravan coming our way in the far off distance. But actually telling of how many it consisted, that was impossible.
We had all gathered here just after the last bell tolled above the city, Caroll a slight distance behind me and Alina. Gildas directly to my right in front of me as a personal guard.
All we could do now, was wait for the small caravan to approach. But how long do we need to wait, not even I know. Truth be told, I'm not even sure the people in the caravan know how much longer.
But as the caravan became visible as a distinct single, regally made carriage accompanied by about a hundred cavalry soldiers, I reared my head and released a deafening howl.
Awoooooooooh!
Upon my voice, carried a welcome that had become tradition in Yggdrasil, especially in Wolven Hollow. And as my voice carried upon the endless plains that surrounded our city with the occasional hill breaking the smooth surface of grass...
Awoooooooooh!
Awoooooooooh!
Awoooooooooh!
Even more howls from all around the city joined me.
I smiled at Alina who gave me a knowing nod and she too reared her head, but everyone around us responded with utter shock at what she did.
From my daughter's mouth, came the dragon's equivalent of my welcoming howl, a massive torrent of a «Foxfyre Breath»
The blue flames burst into the skies above us and illuminated the entire area in a pale blue light.
Gasps of awe and shock came from the Valkyries in front of us, from the many nobles gathered behind us. Everyone was shocked by the fact that a dragonet of Alina's age, a mere eight year old child, could cast a chantless «Flame Breath» and on top of that, turn it into a «Foxfyre Breath». But my enjoyment came from the fact that no-one around here knew of Alina's ridiculously immense supply of mana.
She could, quite literally, sustain this spell until she grew bored of it. And that showed as the carriage came closer to the point where the cavalry that had accompanied the single carriage took up battle formations.
"Alina, I think that's enough for now." I told my daughter with a calm hand patting her shoulder. "You might have gone a little overboard maintaining that spell for ten minutes straight Sweetie." I told her and gave her a calm pat on the head, which led to her wings instantly flapping happily.
With a few awkward moments of exchanging glances between my Valkyries and the cavalry that had accompanied the carriage before us, the hundred or so soldiers rode their steel and golden armored horses into a formation that spanned four lines of twenty five soldiers each.
On every side of the carriage, both left and ride, stood two lines of cavalrymen and with the blaring of a single war horn near the carriage, a young maid stepped from the coachman's stand and announced loudly.
"Empress Xeahia Montagnon of the Agral Empire has arrived!" With that, the maid opened the door and a young woman stepped down the three steps with her help.
I could hear the slight clack of hooves on wood as she took each step of the carriage deliberately and gracefully. From the rim of her dress' skirt, I could catch the glimpse of her goat-like hooves as she stepped down the final step and onto the paved ground itself.
From between her long silvery-blond hair, two horns curved up and back, only reaching a total length of maybe three inches. Under her hair, the pointed tips of her ears poked through every now and then. And then, she took a few steps to the side of the Carriage, leaving me confused.
While I stood taking in the, surprisingly young, appearance of the Agral Empress, she gave me a pleasant smile and took the hem of her dress between her fingers, making a minor bow for me and then turned her attention to the carriage she had just come from.
Did someone else come along?
As I thought that, another faun woman stepped down from the carriage, with equally regal and charming grace.
Although what confused me, is that this woman, was around twice the age of the Empress who had just descended the steps before her. Did the Empress, in her insecurity, bring her mother along?
While I stood silently pondering the reason why she would have brought her mother along, the eldest of the two women stepped forward, approaching me.
Wait, isn't the Empress supposed to greet me here?! I thought in a slight panic and saw the faun woman bow her head to me. She looked like a twenty-five year old human, but that was comparatively, Fauns live up to three hundred years.
"It is my shame that my daughter, Pomae Mosswolf has violated formalities, please excuse her enthusiasm. My name is Xeahia Montagnon, Empress of the Agral Empire. It is an honor to finally meet you, Your Imperial Highness, Padgett Cornelius Baerne." She spoke politely.
Wait what, she's the Empress and the faun to descend first was her...daughter!?
[Alyssa's perspective]
After a long wait, I could see the caravan we had been expecting close in on the city's gate. I sat on one of our magically concealed balconies, overlooking the arrival of the Agral Empress from the calm and relaxing safety of a soft chair in our palace.
"Uwah!?" I exclaimed at the sight of a blue torrent of Foxfyre bursting skyward from the gate, mere moments after Padge's welcoming howl had resounded along with the chorus of the city's wolves joining in.
"Was that Alina?" I muttered, staring in disbelief at the immense torrent of Foxfyre that seared skyward, illuminating the early dusk of today's fall afternoon.
"Your Imperial Highness, I would like to advice you to move inside for the child's sake." One of my handmaids said from just behind me and I raised a hand, signaling for her to wait.
"I want to know for sure if that torrent comes from my daughter." I told her and she calmly replied, "As you wish, Your Highness."
I took out a small pocket watch Padge had me made so I could tell the time more easily, he was actually working hard to make them more affordable for the common people.
I took a look at the torrent of blue fire raging at the distant sky and kept track of the time on the watch.
One minute. Then two. Then four. Eventually, ten minutes had passed when the torrent of raging Foxfyre ceased and I nodded at my handmaid.
"Please help me get to the main parlor, I suspect my husband and daughter will be here shortly." I told her and she rushed to my side, offering a hand to help me rise.
I calmly wobbled over to the parlor, which was actually down three flights of stairs, but I did not mind too much.
In all honesty, I would rather walk with some effort all the way through my remaining three months of pregnancy. It is far better than being bedridden from exhaustion.
I had arrived in the main parlor, where our Palace's 'front' connected to our personal quarters. It was the only room that was connected to both our personal areas and the publicly accessible parts of the palace.
It was our 'business' room for meetings with people of importance. It had easy access for our staff. Security was at the tightest around this room and we could easily block the way into our 'actual home' within the palace.
Even if we used this parlor most of our entire palace, we still needed the security to be strict around it.
I sat in that very parlor, a bowl of Devil's Tears on the table, a few jars of tea leaves and a pot filled with tea along with a few cups, one of which I held at the moment.
All there was to do right now, was wait for Padge, Alina and the Agral Empress to arrive here. But it was the voices that drew my attention the most when they did finally arrive.
I expected to hear only a single unfamiliar voice, not two.
"Alyssa, are you here?" Padge's voice came to me from the other side of the door that separated us.
"Please open the doors." I gave the order to one of our maids who was on standby in the parlor and she immediately did as told.
"Mommy!" Alina's voice instantly filled the room as my daughter saw me through the ever growing space between the doors and ran straight for me.
"I guess that «Foxfyre Breath» I saw was your doing?" I asked the girl as she embraced me and nodded proudly.
"Lady Montagnon, Lady Mosswolf. I would like to introduce you to my wife and our Empress, Alyssa Baerne." Padge said once he stood in the room with not one, but two faun women.
I tried to rise, but before I could, Padge had already joined me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"Please excuse my wife for not being present at the gate, she is currently six months pregnant and we feared the strain it would have placed on her might be too much at the moment." He said and I relaxed my muscles as I saw the two fauns nod in understanding.
"I am pleased to meet you, Empress Baerne. My name is Xeahia Montagnon, Empress of the Agral Empire. I must say you have a fabulous palace here in the city and a beautiful country." The eldest of the two fauns said, addressing me directly, a smile on her face that caught me off-guard as it melted away my hostilities towards her.
"How fares the pregnancy? If I may ask." The younger faun asked me, and I looked up surprised at her, only now truly registering her presence.
"It goes well, although I can barely go a single day without morning sickness, and I tire faster than the nights let me replenish." I replied and she nodded with a remorseful glance in her eyes.
"I wish you the best of fortune with the remainder of your pregnancy and the delivery of the child as well." She said politely and made a slight courtesy to me.
"May I ask who she is?" I asked Padge and he gave me an awkward smile. "This is Pomae Mosswolf, one of Lady Montagnon's many children." He replied awkwardly and the faun 'girl' took a proud pose, her clothing unfit for our climate with how thin and revealing it was. Her breasts were larger than mine, even when nearing the end of my pregnancy.
She had a seductive air around her, even more so than her mother. But that air was accompanied by a grace that belied her faun heritage.
Wait! That ear?
[Padge's perspective]
I had just finished introducing our 'unannounced' guest to Alyssa when she suddenly gave Pomae an odd glance, before looking at the actual Empress.
"Please, have a seat. I would hate to leave our guests standing." She suddenly said, turning formal and leaving me guessing what was going on.