Their three new elvin companions were Morelen, Lothlan, and Yulen. While the snow had stopped, it was deep in places, so the order of the day had been to make snowshoes. This was something that Dev had done in his childhood, but had not done for several years.
After the snowshoes had been made, the group left the shelter. They made a last check to be sure everything was put back in its place and the room was clean. One of the elves was always in the lead.
They were about a week from Elvenholme and the elves led the two humans from shelter to shelter. Sometimes they arrived well after dark, since traveling on snowshoes was slow. Still, the shelters were comfortable, and they fed the group easily.
One day as they walked, the snow became easier to walk through. Then it disappeared completely, and they removed their snowshoes.
Dev also noticed the quality of the trees seemed to change. Dev was puzzled about these two changes, and was trying to figure it out.
First, while still chilly, it was not as cold as it had been yesterday. That could explain the snow disappearing, but there was still the matter of why the woods seemed, well, different. The trees seemed older, somehow.
"Rufio? Why do these woods seem strange to me?" Dev asked his grandfather finally.
"We are approaching the Heartwood, Dev. This is a special portion of the forest. If you keep your eyes open, you will see things that have not been seen by humans in thousands of years," Rufio explained quietly.
"What is so special about it? I mean, it's like I can feel something, but I am not sure what," Dev said in confusion.
"You are feeling one of the Powers of The Elves. I am just surprised that you can sense it at all," Lothlan responded to Dev's question.
Dev felt wonder as the trees got bigger and the diameter of some of the trunks reached huge proportions! The elves picked up the pace, and seemed anxious. Rufio told Dev this was because they were close to where the elves maintained their city.
One moment it seemed they were deep in forest, the next, Dev walked around the huge trunk of a tree and found himself out of the woods and staring at a city. Unlike a human city, where houses were built sometimes one against another, these houses were separate and each seemed to have plants surrounding it.
This went on for as far as the eye could see! Dev gawked at what he was seeing, trying to take in everything at once.
Dev felt a nudge.
"Come, human. We have far to go, still, if we are to get you to the palace before nightfall," Lothlan told him.
The elven city was spread out, and there were little parks with carefully maintained trees and plants in many locations. Grass was everywhere as were flowers of all sorts, despite the season. Dev also noticed it was not really that cold any longer.
Dev started noticing something strange about the houses as they marched through the city. They had a strange look to them. He asked Rufio about it.
"Lad, that is because Elvenholme is made up of living trees. Every house you see is a living tree, Dev. Some of these houses have taken generations to grow," Rufio responded.
Dev could not image the time or effort, let alone even figure out how one would go about growing trees into the shape of a house, and there had to be thousands of houses! The affinity of the elves to the trees was an awesome thing to experience.
The road they traveled on was made of a shimmering substance that was not rock or stone, yet seemed to have the durability of stone. Trees were everywhere that Dev looked, though not the huge ones that Dev had experienced in the forest itself.
Dev's little group drew attention, and elves stopped what they were doing to stare at the two humans being led towards the huge palace in the distance. While they traveled through the city, Dev craned his head and neck, trying to look everywhere at once.
Finally, as they got close to the palace, Dev asked if it too was grown from a tree.
"No. The palace is grown from many trees that are encouraged to work together to form the whole," Morelen answered.
Dev could not believe what he was seeing. A palace was made of a number of trees all working together? But... they were trees!
Rufio had been watching the expression on Dev's face and guessed at his thoughts.
"Dev, the elves are very close to nature. They are an elder race, much older than we humans. Is it really surprising that they can do and affect nature, in a way we would not even begin to think of?" Rufio asked gently.
"It's a lot to take in all at once. A little warning would have been nice," Dev responded.
Rufio shook his head negatively.
"Would you have believed any of this unless you had seen it for yourself?" Rufio asked reasonably.
Dev thought about that a moment, as they drew closer to the palace.
"No. You're right, no one could imagine this, unless they had seen it," Dev answered truthfully.
They finally got to the palace. At first Dev thought that the two griffins sitting on the palace were carvings, until they moved! There were two live griffins on the palace roof, and they were watching the party approaching!
Griffins were a thing out of legend. He remembered his favorite inn in Westford was the Griffin Inn, and they had painted the head all wrong. A griffin had a head more like an eagle, a short powerful body with four legs, and wings
One of the griffins launched itself off the roof and glided towards them! The party came to a stop and the griffin landed in the road in front of them. It walked to the group, turning its head this way and that. Finally it came to a stop before Rufio.
The griffin opened its beak, and Dev envisioned that sharp beak tearing his grandfather apart!
"Rufio, I see you," the griffin said in a strangely childlike voice.
"Graywing, I see you! You are still hanging around the palace, I see," Rufio commented, scratching the ear tufts of the griffin.
Dev watched open mouthed, as did the rest of the party. To the elves, the griffins were powerful protectors and partners. To see this one allow a human such familiarity, could only mean that what the human had said was true! He was who he said, and also, he knew the griffin by name.
"The palace is where the fun happens," the griffin responded with an amused chuckle that was nearly a giggle.
Dev listened as Rufio and the large griffin talked a few moments more, then Rufio excused himself, saying they still had to get into the palace and see prince Strelia.
"Of course. You and the prince were ever together. Come to the eerie, later, and tell me what you have been doing. I will introduce you to my mate," the griffin said, moving off.
The elves hissed in amazement at this. Going to the griffins eerie was an honor that only a very few of the elves had been privileged to enjoy. Yet here was a human being invited to visit, right away; and the griffin seemed to know the human, as well!
Dev watched as the griffin turned around, took a few running steps forward, and launched himself into the air. He flew up to the roof and resumed his place. Dev glanced at his grandfather, and saw him stroking his beard, thoughtfully.
They quickly closed the distance to the palace, and were stopped by guards who wanted to know who the humans were.
"I am Rufio Strelia, blood brother of Aoral Strelia and this is my grandson, Devlin Cantor. These good elves escorted us here, and we thank them for their service. Please notify Aoral that I am here," Rufio stated in formal Elvish.
The guards gaped at a human speaking their language, and even more so that he claimed to be blood brother to the prince. However, the claim had been made, and a runner was sent into the palace.
The runner returned shortly and informed the guards that his highness would see the humans. The three elves who had escorted the two humans, left them in the care of the palace guards, and quickly were gone.
The runner was now tasked with the job of escorting the two humans to the presence of his highness, prince Aoral Strelia. Dev followed along behind his grandfather, trying to see everything inside this palace of living trees.
There were rooms and corridors leading off in other directions, yet the guard was taking them straight to the western side of the palace. Vases with flowers stood in niches apparently grown for just such objects.
They soon arrived at a door. The guard knocked and entered. The room that Dev found himself in after following the runner and his grandfather in was spacious. Several elves were standing within.
Aside from being a largish room, it did not seem special in any obvious way to Dev. An elf moved away from the group standing in the middle of the room and approached the two humans.
Dev glanced at his grandfather and saw a smile which seemed to light his face as never before.
"Rufio! My friend, it is you! I had hoped, but humans were ever a short lived lot," the elf said.
"Aoral! I had thought I would never see you again, but fate has decided otherwise," Rufio said, then grasped the elf in a hug.
There was much laughing and mutual pounding of the other on the back. Finally, Rufio let go.
"Aoral, this is my grandson, Devlin Cantor. He comes bearing a letter from King Sero Kaslen, King of Darlonther," Rufio told the elf prince.
The look on the elf's face changed from delighted pleasure, to one of distaste.
"You know my thoughts on Darlonther and the weaklings who rule it. I lost my sister. You lost you friend to that duke's son, and the weak king who was to marry my sister, did nothing," the elf said as if the memory was yet fresh in his mind.
"That king is no more, Aoral. He was replaced by his brother, shortly after your sister's murder. Better men now rule, because that king was replaced," Rufio stated.
"Enough! I will not dredge this up at this time. Right now should be a time of rejoicing that a good friend and my blood brother has returned, and with a grandson," the Elf paused to look at Dev.
"Your highness. It is a pleasure to meet you," Dev said firmly, and bowed to the elf.
"Well, your grandson is polite at any rate," prince Aoral told Rufio.
"I wish I could take credit, but he has managed to become civilized, despite my absence from his life. We only met for the first time some months ago, and he only knows he is my grandson, since I informed him of the relationship a few weeks ago," Rufio explained.
"Ah, more of this living in the shadows you were so fond of. I have told you in the past that it is a mistake to live this way. When one lives, one should live to fullness, and take pride in your actions," Aoral told Rufio.
About that time, the door banged open and two guards in green came in and took up positions on either side of the door. Another elf strode forward.
"Her majesty, Queen Strelia," the man announced in a loud voice.
An incredibly beautiful woman entered the room at a measured pace. To Dev's eyes, she seemed to shimmer with power. People were dropping to a knee all around Dev, who stood frozen in place.
The queen moved directly to Dev.
"Do you not show honor to those above you in your country?" she asked gently.
Flushing with embarrassment, Dev stammered an apology and dropped to one knee. He heard the sound of laughter and looked up into the face of the queen of the elves.
"So young one, what brings you to my land, with this long time Friend of the Elves?"
Dev still tongue tied, reached into his cloak, and produced the letter from his king.
"I bear a message from my king, your majesty," he replied, holding out the letter.
Edited by TeNderLoin
Volentrin