The Seventh Day

On to Westbourne: Dorian

"Are you all ready to go, Your Majesty?" Elwin asked King Haldir as he sat down inside the carriage.

"Yes. We are all set to go. Are you girls ready?" the king replied. Carwen and the two princesses nodded their heads in agreement. Atarah looked anxious again. Although we had a great time yesterday in the city, her worry remained. I couldn't blame her, since the Bloodline Ceremonies were some of the most critical parts of an Elf's life.

The Elven Bloodline Ceremonies have been a crucial part of the Elven culture since the beginning. It all traces back to the legend of the first Elf, who was said to be a fairy that had no wings. According to legend, since this fairy was born without wings or power, Ilha took pity on him and gave him four sons. The first son, Umlingo, had the power to use magic, the second son, Isilwane, had the power to turn into an animal, and the third son, Imvelo, could control plants. The fourth son, Evamile, didn't receive power because he represented the humble origin of the Elves. From these four sons, the powers of the Elves were born and the ceremonies started. Since the bloodlines weren't kept pure, Elves had to rely on the magic from the Amakrist to determine what blood ran strongest in them. It's possible to trace back and find out what blood an Elf might have, but most leave it a surprise. The Umlingo and Imvelo ceremonies are performed after birth and the Isilwane is performed after an Elf turns 16. If an Elf doesn't pass any of these tests, then they have Evamile blood. A more modern term for Evamile Elves is No-mage, which is what I am.

"We're all set to go!" came the coachman's voice from the front of the carriage. I waved to Atarah and Carwen before the coachman came back and shut the carriage door. I walked over to where Elwin was standing holding the reins of two horses. He handed me the reins to mine.

"Let's not take the princess on any dangerous...outings while we're on this trip," he said as he mounted his horse.

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of putting the princess's life in danger," I answered calmly as I slipped my foot into the stirrup and gracefully swung myself up onto my horse.

"Well just remember that you're only here to act as protection for the royal family so I suggest you refrain from getting too friendly with Her Highness."

Elwin always had this very snobby attitude toward me. It could get annoying, but I understood where he was coming from. I was a nobody from Westbourne, a small, insignificant town. I had no formal knight training and I hadn't earned my place as all the other palace guards had. I got in upon request of the king and was able to be closer to the princess than most of his more highly-ranked guards. Most of them were kind to me and accepting of the situation, but some had the same mindset as Elwin. I didn't work to get to my position and oftentimes it can seem like I don't take my job seriously. Elwin was by far the kindest to me out of those who resented my presence. He understood to some extent that I had trained hard and worked to gain the abilities that I had, which was why the king asked for me to move to the capital. The most that Elwin ever did was boss me around and say passive-aggressive things. Other guards, however, treated me like I was a traitor to the crown or something. Some of them refused to speak to me and others even pretended I didn't exist. Thankfully, King Haldir realized this and always made sure to send me with people who would work with me when I was assigned a task.

"This is a very rare occasion, you know," Elwin continued as we began to move alongside the carriage.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed with annoyance.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. The royal family rarely travels outside the limits of Amamel so it's rare for all of them to be leaving the country altogether like this," he explained.

"Oh, I see. So that's why he brought his best knights as protection."

"Well, not just because of that. The Dragon rogue that the King has been after for years now has been sighted closer to the border of Dragon territory. Even though fighting and violence are forbidden in the Holy Land, the King isn't too sure that the Dragon will honor it. If news of this trip has leaked to their country, then the rogue may attempt to kill his majesty."