The Firelands

87 - Realmlore

                                                                        16th day of the forth Month, Worth's Moon

7:00 pm

Black Fire

Silence filled the room as everyone stared at the young elf who stood in the middle of the room, holding the emerald that symbolised the Earth, brushing his long white hair back from his smooth face and glancing around at everyone with his dark green eyes.

"Who the hell are you?"

Kalen snorted and Incendio instantly started laughing as Theth stared at Zedkiel.

"Seriously?" he said.

"Well who is he?" Zedkiel snapped, pointing at the elf who had one moment been old and shrivelled, half the size of any of the other men in the room, his white hair limp and thin, his papery skin crinkled and scarred, his eyes white and empty.

Zedkiel had certainly known that elf. That elf had been Lord Luna, the profit who had helped raise him, who had supported him when he had left home, who had been so sure of his place as a Knight.

He had recognised the elf as soon as he had walked in and asked to hold the emerald Zedkiel carried. Zedkiel had of course obliged and handed the emerald over. Luna had held the jewel tight and muttered something too low to hear and had started to change.

Zedkiel no longer recognised the elf in front of him, the young man who was taller than him, with smooth skin and white hair with a healthy sheen to it or who looked at the world through eyes that could most certainly see.

"Now, Your Highness," the elf-who-had-been-Luna said, raising a disapproving eyebrow at Zedkiel, "That's not how a member of your royal family speaks." With his newfound height, his old staff was now a cane that he planted in front of him, clasping it with both hands though he clearly didn't need it for balance. Even his clothes had changed, gone were the old dull robes he'd always sported and he now donned garments truly fit for the profits of a royal family.

Zedkiel just stared at him and Luna calmly waited for him to process what had happened.

The mood was broken however when Luther started laughing, getting to his feet and smacking Luna on the back so hard he almost knocked the elf over.

"Luna! About time we saw that pretty face of yours again," he said, laughing until Luna winded him with a prod to the stomach with the head of the cane.

"Who do you think you're slapping?" he snapped, rounding on Former Knight of Water.

"The Former Knight of Earth," Luther wheezed out, still laughing, "I see age didn't improve your temper."

"Didn't improve his face either," Azrael muttered and received a strike to the head.

Luna dismissed the pair of them and spun back to the young Knights, looking at Zedkiel.

"I am glad to see you again," he said, his voice softening, "I will be relieved to pass on a message to your family about your safe arrival."

Zedkiel's face paled in an instant at the mention of his family. "Luna," he muttered, reaching forwards, his hand pausing in the air between them as he stared up at the profit, "Eldor—"

Luna's hand came up and caught Zedkiel's arm, squeezing gently. "We shall discuss that later, when it is just us," he said softly, "I know what happened, you are not to blame."

"Where's Fire?"

Incendio's question drew everyone attention as he looked between the Former Knights.