It was nearly dark when we stopped for the night. We were in what felt like the middle of nowhere, but Ulric said we were just a few hours' ride to the walls of the capital city of Ithica, which is Himmelsk.
We sat around the fire with the wolves amongst us, and Fenrir took his spot at my side as he frequently did now. I fed him some of my cake as we nibbled on our dinner. My mind was still racing. I was beginning to get nervous thinking about tomorrow and what it would hold. What if they didn't believe I was the princess?
I leaned my head against Fenrir's side and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. I hoped I would get to bathe soon at the palace. I was greasy and grimy, and I needed a fresh change of clothes desperately.
"Amberleigh, what happened to your ears?" Gerard asked, and Ulric's blue gaze snapped to the non-existent tip of my ears.
"Oh." I ran a nervous hand over the rough, raised scar on the top of the helix of my ear. "When my adopted parents found me, my ears were bleeding as if they had been sliced. I think, if I really am Princess Amberleigh, that the points were cut off when I was a baby."
Ulric got up from his spot on a fallen log and walked towards me. He knelt down and inspected the silvery-white scars on my ears under the firelight. His fingers, while rough in texture, were feather-light against my skin and gentle as he tugged on my ears to inspect them.
"How did I not notice this?" I heard him whisper faintly to himself.
Eventually, I reached up and gently pushed his hands away from my ears after tiring of him inspecting them. He moved back to his seat across the fire from me.
"It is quite interesting that your ears were cut. It was likely the doing from the individuals that abducted you from the start. They clearly hoped that no one would find you, and I doubt they will be happy that you are returning. Returning to Erivale may have been more dangerous than you ever imagined." I shivered and wrapped the cloak tightly around myself at Gerard's ominous words.
Fenrir, seeming to sense my distress, wrapped himself around me like a security blanket, and I relished in the feeling of being protected. By tomorrow night, I would no longer have Fenrir or Ulric, and that thought, even with his tumultuous past and history of the Dark Elves, scared me.
"Gerard, are you still willing to be my servant?" I blurted suddenly.
"Y-yes, of course, Amberleigh." He was surprised at my outburst but recovered quickly.
"Thank you, Gerard. I need a friend and someone I can trust as I enter life at the palace. I'll need you, so I'm not alone."
"It will be my honor." He bowed his head once again, and we lapsed into another bout of silence. It seemed everyone was lost in thought of tomorrow.
That night I barely slept a wink. I was sandwiched between two wolves next to the fading embers of the fire. The aurora was bright above me and was somewhat mesmerizing to stare at. My hand absentmindedly stroked Fenrir's fur, which he seemed to like as he quickly dozed off.
My brain was too full to even fathom sleep. Not only was I replaying the information Gerard had supplied regarding the history of Erivale and the Dark Elves, but I was also wondering more intently about my mysterious arrival in the earth realm and my apparent abduction.
It was quite odd to think about the fact that I was apparently abducted. I was scared that those who did it in the first place were still out there, and when they find out I'm back, they will want me dead, not just lost.
Another tiny piece swirled in my head, and that was why the Elven royalty became rulers of all of Erivale. If there was a council composed of each nation, why didn't they just remain sovereign nations but make decisions that impacted the whole as one council? I could hardly imagine a scenario when a bunch of countries readily agreed to suddenly be subjected to the rulers of a different nation, especially when they had lived separately for so long.
Needless to say, I had questions, and I had a lot of them. The one thing I knew for sure was that all my questions would be answered at the palace.
Eventually, dawn came with the chirping of the birds and a fresh layer of frost that numbed the exposed skin on my face and hands. I took an edge of the cloak and wiped down Fenrir and the other wolf, who had kept me warm all night.
Ulric handed me a mix of the orange fruit from yesterday and another group of dark pink-colored berries; I was beginning to tire of the traveler's diet. The pinched feeling of everpresent hunger had been with me since we got off of the mountain.
"It's about a four-hour ride to the city gates. We will face guards at the entrance of Himmelsk. If all goes smoothly, they will escort us to the palace, where I will present you to Queen Luciana and King Heinrich."
"And if it doesn't go smoothly?" I ask, concern lacing my voice. There's no way it could be that easy.
"Then I will find a different way to get you to the palace."
As we mounted our horses, Gerard said: "The palace is magnificent, you won't believe your eyes when you see it."
And with that, we rode off. Our little band of Elves, wolves, and a Faun would be disbanded once we reached the gates. I wasn't entirely sure what Ulric would do with the wolves, but I figured it would likely be similar to his actions at Creighton, where they disappeared around the city, but never entered.
Towns and settlements began popping up more frequently until we were almost to the city wall. We crested a hill that offered a bird's eye look at all of Himmelsk.
The city was nestled into a small valley of mountains that leaked with azure waterfalls filling the entire base of the valley with water. Was Himmelsk a lake? I was unsure of what I was seeing and how it all worked together, but it was easy to see how Himmelsk and Ithica were able to maintain such power. They were mainly the trading capital and hub of Erivale. Located geographically somewhat in the center, and at the confluence of the major rivers, it was the perfect location.
The entire city was made almost entirely out of white stone. A wall stretched as an extension of the mountains around the city, completing a large circular shape. The wall also cut over the rivers with large underwater gates and levies that controlled the entrances.
The housing, shops, markets, etc. were located just inside the wall and stretched across solid land until it reached a large bridge that crossed the lake water towards a mountain outcropping in the center of the lake where the palace was built. It seemed to shimmer in the sun, and I felt my jaw drop at the sight. It was nearly indescribable the way it appeared to be both formed out of nature and also floating like a heavenly oasis in the middle of the lake.
The closer we got, the more I was able to pick out the detail of the palace. Stained glass windows depicting nature scenes accented almost every window. When I was a child, I read a book that Elves were connected to nature magic, and I wondered if the palace's location and natural elements were attributed to that. I would have to ask Ulric about that later. My mental monologue paused as I remembered that I only had an hour or so left with Ulric.
As the massive wall loomed ahead of us--it was probably over 30 feet high--I took my chance to talk to Ulric before it was too late. "Ulric, I want to thank you for getting me here safely. Technically all you had to do was get me here to receive your reward, so I appreciate the extra care and help you provided along the way. I hope that today isn't the last time we see each other."
"You're welcome, Princess Amberleigh." I was slightly disappointed at his formal reply. He rarely showed much emotion unless it was annoyance or anger, and I guess I had just hoped for the tiniest shred of sadness that we would be parting ways.
The main gate to Himmelsk, the capital of Ithica, was now before us. Ulric sent the wolves, except for Fenrir, to hide in the woods for the time being. It would appear he felt that he would need Fenrir's support as he entered the city.
"Hey, who goes there?" A loud voice called, and a few Elven soldiers in silver metal armor approached us, hands on the hilts of their swords. Garuda was stationed atop the wall. The silver of their armor shone in the sun, and the tips of their wings were just barely visible around their body.
"Dark Elf!" A voice shouted, and there was a whistle of something before a few arrows embedded themselves into the ground around Roach's hooves. My cloak was once again up and over my head and ears to shield my face.
"Hold your fire," Ulric snapped. "I come bearing something valuable to the king and queen. I request their audience immediately; I think they will find it of the utmost importance."
"Oh, yeah, darkie? And what could you possibly have that the king and queen would want? Surely not that scrawny satyr." Gerard looked somewhat annoyed that the guard had confused him with a Satyr.
"No, I have Crown Princess Amberleigh."
Silence rang through the crowd of soldiers, merchants, and citizens.
"Impossible," someone whispered.
"It is possible, she rides here on my horse. Now let us have an audience with the king and queen so I can take the Princess home and receive my reward."
Okay, that stung. I guess Ulric really did only want the price associated with my head.
There was a long, tense moment as one of the guards contacted the king and queen. At least that's what I assumed they did for a few minutes later we were allowed admittance into the city with a guard of soldiers on horses. Whether it was to protect us or to keep us in line, I wasn't sure.
Walking through the city was much different than seeing it from a distance. Up close, the life of the town was very apparent. Elves lined the streets shopping, talking, and now staring as our procession moved by.
The white stone with grey and green accents was common, but there were other splashes of color throughout the city. I also saw a few large grassy parks that were filled with a multitude of races playing and interacting.
It took about forty-five minutes with the escort to make it to the palace bridge where we crossed and dismounted at the front doors of the palace.
The doors to the palace were guarded by two absolutely massive Ursa, and my mouth felt dry as I looked at their sharp canines and claws. Ursa were some of the least humanoid of all creatures. They were extraordinarily tall and muscled – usually over 8 ft tall and very wide. Their hands still resembled large paws just with opposable thumbs, and their heads were that of polar bears. Fenrir didn't seem fond of the Ursa and gave them warning growls immediately.
A group of Ithican soldiers escorted us inside the palace, and I felt wrong inside such a beautiful place. I was much too dirty, especially after traveling for so long, I was afraid I would soil something. On top of that, the palace was absolutely massive. It took a fair amount of walking to reach the main throne room.
I didn't even have a chance to collect my thoughts before the large doors were pulled open, and I heard someone announce, "A Dark Elf has arrived claiming to be returning Crown Princess Amberleigh for the prize."
A soft gasp was heard and then a rumbling of voices. I felt myself gulp; I hadn't thought that there would be others here as well. Whispers of the term Dark Elf filtered through the room, and then they soon shifted to "Princess" as I entered.
At the end of the large rectangular room, the king and queen sat atop their thrones along with a girl around my own age standing to the side. A luxurious red carpet with golden accents softened the sound of our footsteps as the four of us – Ulric, Gerard, Fenrir, and I – made our way to the end.