Unknowingly, Talia is at the monastery where she first took Amerin. The monk that gave Amerin the bow and quiver is helping to hide her. She dresses as a nun, and rarely leaves the monastery. She works, yes, but other than what she has to do, she does nothing. She practices her swords and powers, hoping that Amerin will choose a bride and she can return to the capital. She keeps her hair covered at all times, and does not own a mirror, so she does not see the change that comes over her in the eight weeks that she hides.
Meanwhile, in the palace, the King receives news of other Darklighters, and unsure of friend or foe, he gathers a small force to search for Talia, whom he trusts to help him discern which these newcomers are.
King Amerin employs the help of two of his friends: Darien, Elf of Swiftmins, and Sonja, Seer of Janjarin, and maiden of Damascus. King Amerin sets decides to ask the monk that gave him his bow and quiver, and goes to the Torah Monastery. He is welcomed as usual upon arriving, and led to the room where he first received his bow and quiver.
The monk, without telling Talia or the king, sends another monk to get Talia and say that she was needed for something. So she came, walking in the doors unsuspectingly. King Amerin looks to the doors to see who has come in, and is surprised by Talia.
Talia froze. Turning around and attempting to leave, she found the doors locked. She stood still and took off her hood. King Amerin, Darien, and Sonja gasped. Talia stared blankly at them. What? She thought. Do I look horrible? Amerin crossed the threshold and stood in front of her. He searched her face like she did when Talia and he first met. �I missed you.� He said, lifting her chin and staring into her eyes. �You�ve changed.� he added.
�How?�
�Ahem, I believe that this might help.� Interrupted Talia�s monk friend, producing a large polished mirror and setting it on top of the table. He drew a chair up to the side of it, and Amerin sat her down in it.
Talia gasped. Her eyes were still brown, but with highlights of her stone�s purple in them. In opening her mouth to gasp, she saw that her canines, pointed teeth, were longer than they should be. Fangs, she thought. I have fangs. She removed her veil that she wore constantly and shook out her hair, causing another round of gasping. King Amerin just gaped. Like her eyes, her hair was still brown, but now it had streaks of bright purple throughout. It was the first time in a long while that she saw herself in mirror. She stared, recognizing certain traits from her childhood gazings in her father�s shaving mirror, but seeing the young woman that she is now. The monk interrupted the silence. �I think that Talia got the fangs from the sovereign. She�s sensitive to magic. So it�s possible she absorbed a few of the traits he had. Other than that, I think she�s never ventured far from that stone I gave her, and that�s what gave her the purple you see. Fascinating, isn�t it?� Talia stood up. �I have work to�� she began, but the monk cut her off. �Your work is done here. Go with him. Help him. He misses you, and I trust him to take good care of my surrogate daughter.� The monk smiled. �and don�t even think of escaping, you have an hour to bathe and pack for the quest.�
Talia left the room quickly, and began packing her things into her saddlebags and rolling her bedroll up. She kept the veil out, planning to pack it last in case she would need it. She packed up the repaired partlet and bodice, then her riding vest. She chose to wear gown that laced up in a v-shape in the back, meant for riding horses. She had worn it once before, when she was fitted for it, but other than that, she had not worn it out. Laying it out on her bare bed, she chose an extra-long sleeved blackworked chemise riding breeches, and her black cloth belt to hold her swords. She flattened the sleeves onto the bed. They were odd. Both had long slits to pouf the chemise out that extended from the top of the shoulder to the back of the wrist. Crossing and closing the slit was black cording that matched the black trim on the purple gown and sleeves. There were also black sleeve-ties for the elbows, and a black gauzy underskirt to coordinate with the gown�s trim. The gown itself reached her shins, and had two triangle-shaped skirts attached to the bottom of the gown�s bodice from the middle of her back to her stomach. In the front, it laced normally, with black embroidery on the square neckline, but the back laced up into a v-shaped insert, making it unique. Talia lie out the clothes, locked the door, and undressed. Hot water had already been brought in, and Talia gladly scrubbed the dirt from herself.
She silently scolded herself for staying at the monastery. Here, a convert or helper usually bathed once or twice a day, something that didn�t happen when you traveled.
Once clean, she dressed. First the chemise and a set of underwear, then the breeches and the gauzy underskirt, and finally the gown and sleeves. She pulled excess fabric from the long-sleeved chemise out through the slit in each gown sleeve, and tied the black strips around her elbows. Sitting on the bed, she pulled on the familiar boots. They both laced up at her heels, continuing to the back of her calves. Talia tucked the riding breeches into them, stood up, and twirled around. It was odd to wear something so beautiful, she thought, tying on her black cloth belt and tucking in the hooked swords. She picked up her purple cloak, shook it out, fastened it about her neck, and threw it back over her shoulders. She wouldn�t need it until dark. Talia kept the veil on top of her packed saddlebags, lest she need it. She picked up the saddlebags, leather pouch that held her daggers, and bedroll. She left behind her plain brown habit and went to get Karis.
King Amerin, Darien, and Sonja were waiting for her, each of them holding the reins of his/her own horse. A monk handed Talia the reins of Karis. Talia threw the saddlebags over the back of Karis�s saddle, then tied the bedroll to the straps also there. Lastly, she tied the leather pouch to one side and led Karis towards the group.
�You still have Tato?� Talia asked and stated.
�Yeah, I wouldn�t ride anyone else.� He patted the horse�s muzzle. �Nice dress. Oh! This is Darien and Sonja.� Each nodded in turn. �I believe that I�ve told you about them before.�
�Yes, you have. Can we get started?� Talia asked them, �I can be filled in along the way.�
�Of course.�
Talia mounted her horse, planting both feet firmly in the stirrups.
As they rode to the nearest Darklighter sighting, Talia studied Darien and Sonja.
Darien was quiet, and most definitely full-blood Elf. He had very distinctive pointed ears, and pale skin. He sat straight up in his white horse. His long, auburn hair was braided back to keep it off his face. His eyes were a natural hazel. He had smooth, refined features that gave him a sprite-like look. His clothing was a plain, light blue tunic that reached his knees but was slit up to his waist it was decorated very little, but was embroidered on the neck, sleeves, and hem. Under that, he wore riding breeches in an ethereal ivory, with light creme suede for his reinforcing leather. His boots, a felt cloth that mostelves wear, were the color of his tunic and had the same embroidery. He wore a leather bootie over them to keep them dry, and the leather was a matching suede of his breeches. His cloak was a light summer one, made of the elves� legendary flax. It had a soft construction, and could be folded into many times smaller than itself. It was decorated simply with silver tie-cords and small embroidery along the edge of the hood to stiffen it. He wore it similar to Talia, fastened but pushed back over the shoulders to keep the body cool. Over it, he had strapped on a set of fighting knives. These were often used by Elves, and often seen. His were a silver colour, and the handles were a creme color to match his breeches and boots. The scabbard was a v-shaped baldric-strapped case of the same creme suede. It was very plain, but elegant all the same. The Baldric straps passed under both arms, and over the right shoulder, where the knives stuck over. The three straps met at a silver-coloured ring in the middle of his torso. Each strap could be adjusted separately, but once they were adjusted to the user, only the right-underarm strap need be undone and redone to take it off.
Sonja was human, but she carried herself like a goddess. Her hair was pulled back into a snood, and she wore a long, ivory ankle-length Waist-slit tunic with green trim on the neck, elbow-length sleeves, and hem, under which she wore matching breeches of the same green. She wore a drop-point belt of dark brown leather and matching boots that reached her knees. On her back, she wore a cloak of similar style to Darien�s, and wore it similarly. The only difference was the green embroidery on the hood. Over it, she had also strapped weapons, only hers were different. They seemed to be two large guaches. The handles were wrapped with dark brown leather to match her belt and boots, and the handles and guards stuck out of a triangle-shaped scabbard stuck on her back in a similar fashion�s to Darien�s. Also on the strap that crossed over her right shoulder, there were two throwing daggers. On her hands, there were brown leather strips, which had been wound around her middle finger and wrist. Talia was unsure of the purpose of these.
King Amerin wore a silver circlet instead of the usual grand crown, and he had left behind his bow, quiver, and baldric, choosing instead to have a different one made to wear with his King finery. He wore black breeches, knee-length boots, a padded doublet, sleeves, and a summer cloak, all in his now trademark black and silver. It is said now in court, that he dresses as if he is always at a funeral. Yes, he still uses silks and brocades, but everything is either dark blue or black.
They talked on the way, filling Talia in on the mission, and later letting her answer questions Darien and Sonja had.
�So you�re really part Elf?� Darien asked.
�My mother�s father was full-blooded Elf.�
�Wow. I�ve met only a few Half-bloods, and they usually could pass for either Elf or human. You just seem too fair to be a regular human woman, and definitely too strong.�
�Ah, but I�ve had help with the strength part.� Talia pulled out her stone from the pouch tied to her cloth belt. They were going slowly, but she still gripped it tightly. �This, this has given something else.� She put it away quickly.
�Wow. I�ve never seen anything like it before. Does it have writing on it?�
�None that I know of.�
�Well, it may seem smooth to you, but there are ways of hiding writing on a stone. A jeweler in the Elf village we�re supposed to stay at might be able to see what it is.�
�Amerin?!�
�What?� he replied, slowing down to be even with Talia and Darien. Talia batted her eyelashes in mock girliness.
�Why is it. If we are searching for possible Darklighters or impostors, are we stopping in at an Elvin Village!! They HATE Darklighters.�
�No we don�t, we just�� Darien began.
�Elves hate anyone who questions that they might not be gods! Inbreeds! Stone-carriers! Darklighters! They all rival their power! Why do you think my grandfather was in a human village, Eh? Did you think my grandmother was so beautiful that she caught his eye?� Talia turned her horse around to block Tato and Darien�s. She lectured.
�Elves who fall from grace are stripped of their title and immortality. Many become hermits and shun the human race, for ever the lowest Elf is above the vile humans, but no, not grandfather, no, he takes a human wife and the holy and almighty Elves force him to watch his children suffer.� Talia�s voice grew to a yell. �I say, Elves are the vile creatures. Floating around like freakin� idiots, saying: �Oh poor, stupid humans. You are nothing, nobody, you are insects and mean nothing to anyone.� You claim to know so much and yet you use so little of the knowledge. You claim great power over nature and men, but a human king rules you all. You say we have the short lifespan, but you are the dying race. You live long enough to see change in everything but refuse to change yourselves!� And with that, Talia fled up the trail, leaving the King and Darien open-mouthed. King Amerin tries to apologize but Darien stops him.
�She is wise, wise beyond even me. She yells what I fear to think, and she fears it also, for she is part of it. She is a true gem, and if she were full Elf she would be highly respected among my people.�
�I�ll never get why humans hide anything they have about them that is unique.�
�Yeah, but you�re not a human.�
�But elves would never hide their hair or eyes. It is a sign of disrespect not to look into the eyes of the one you are conversing with.�
�So?�
�I really don�t think the village will mind.�
�And if they do?�
�You can blame me.�
�Why?� Talia looked at Darien. He smiled elfishly for a second, then snatched the veil off of Talia, knocking her hood back. Taking off down the trail, Talia gave chase to Darien. She thought of nothing other than reclaiming her veil, and rode directly into town. Once there, she saw Darien had stopped in the middle of the common, a park of ancient trees in the middle of every Elf village. She realized his plan, but too late, and was trapped by dozens of inquisitive elves. She dropped from her horse, walked over to Darien, and took the veil back. Seconds later, Sonja and King Amerin rode up to the common and entered the circle.
Amerin seemed embarrassed, but he knew that he must someway distract from this ordeal.
�My Fair People!� He yelled, raising his hand to salute the elves. Still sitting on his horse, He introduced Talia. �This is one of my close friends, Talia� Talia the...�
��Violet! Fair, beautiful, graceful Talia the Violet! She has helped King Amerin come to power and is wise beyond many humans. Please honor her with your presence!� Darien finished.
Talia curtsied. Elves jostled forward, attempting to catch a glimpse of the person whom was spoken so highly of by both the king and one of their kind. King Amerin dismounted behind her, coming to stand next to Darien who was slightly removed from Talia. Talia was being mobbed by Elves. Touching her hair, looking at her eyes, shaking her hand and introducing themselves. She was so lost; being used to knowing what to do had rottened her.
After 20 minutes of this cruel and unusual punishment for Talia, Darien rescued her, leading Karis�s reins toward her and allowing Talia to mount. Talia gave him cruel look as they left the common.
�What?�
�Oh, you know very well what. Why did you do that?�
�Talia, you are good person, but not all people are distrustworthy or evil.�
�When did I say that?� King Amerin had pulled up slightly, so Darien whispered, �You are so worried that you�ll never be happy that you resign yourself to loneliness.�
�Not true. There�s King Amerin.�
�He�s a king, and no offense, but you would never be happy chained to a throne, in a big, lonely palace. Taking care of court affairs while he goes hunting without you. No, you need someone as powerful as him, but less so in the public eye.�
�What?� Darien just winked.
Talia, who had not paid attention to the houses on either side of her before, started looking about the street and was shocked.
�Darien,�
�Hmm?�
�Just what are those things?� She said, pointing to large trees with bulbous grass spheres hanging from them.
�Houses.� He said, genuinely bored.
�Houses? How do they make them like that?�
�Well, I don�t rightly know, as I�ve never built one, but I think that they are woven bamboo and reeds, attached similarly to a bird�s nest an ancestor saw many years ago. We like the trees. Trees are life.�
�Are we staying in one of those?�
�Yep.�
�What?!?�
�They�re actually quite stable.�
�But where will we put the horses?�
�What else should I know about where I�m to be staying tonight?�
�Expect visitors.�
�What kind of visitors?�
�The Elvin kind. Possibly a mayor or diplomat.� They left the main village and went onto a country road, all the while seeing the Elvin houses.
�I thought that we were staying in the village.�
�We are.� Said Amerin, stopping in front of a particularly large tree. �Here.� Dismounting, he led Tato by the reins into the brush at the foot of the huge tree. Darien and Sonja followed; Talia hesitated, but then followed the others.
She gasped when she saw the trunk of the tree. The tree had been rigged with rope ladders, pulleys, and a living staircase of vines wound around it. The Elves were apparently skilled at growing things to their whims. Looking beyond the tree, to her left, she saw a large raised platform, on which a stable apparently sat. Underneath the platform there was a large root system, and Talia later found out that this was the laundry and storage area. An Elf came up to them and introduced herself as Tatiyana. Tatiyana took the reins of their mounts, allowed them to get saddlebags or anything else they might want, and let the horses away. Talia took her saddlebags, bedroll, and dagger pouch, not trusting the elf. Darien had a large, shapeless bag, and Sonja had a leather messenger.
Another Elf, this one male, led them each to their rooms. All the spheres in which the four were staying in were near the top. As they walked up the spiral staircase made by the winding vine, Talia studied the construction of the reed homes. Many were attached to only one branch, but as she went up, she saw more and more with increasingly complex attachment systems. Near the top of the tree, they stopped, and walked out on one branch, and although it was very small compared with the rest of the tree, hollowed out, Talia surmised it would fit several wagons comfortably. It turned out Sonja and Darien�s rooms were on this�branch? (Talia was never sure how the elves kept the rooms straight in their minds.) King Amerin�s was up next, another few feet up the winding vine, and also the largest. Amerin�s room actually had a balcony grown out from the trunk, and it was entered through the side, instead of from the top, like the other reed homes. Talia was led to her room last. It was dead even with Sonja and Darien�s rooms, but Talia could not see this because she was on the left side of the tree, and they were on the right. King Amerin�s was directly on the trunk. The elf showed Talia her room, and it was unlike any she had ever seen.
The walls, of course, were curved. The floors were flat, though, thank God. To get in, she had to go down a staircase from the side of the walkway and enter through the uppermost floor. This top (or first?) floor was her bedroom, a small but cozy room. She entered from the right side of the branch into the room, and it had windows with awnings on the left side of the branch overlooking a large valley. The roof of the sphere had been waterproofed with some type of elvin tar or resin. Leaving her luggage here, the guide showed her the downstairs. The staircase was made of the same woven reeds, and downstairs there was more windows, recently opened and easily covered with linen canvas for rain or awnings of waterproofed reeds for worse weather. It turned out to be a study or parlor, with a small bookcase woven into the structure, and a squat wooden table with ornate carved chairs. Outside, the staircase that led to upstairs also led to here. In the corner, a ladder led down to a small balcony at the bottom. Opposite that, there was canvas stretched around a sort of screen. The Elf pulled it back to show Talia the basin for washing. Talia nodded her head.
�All set, then?� He asked.
�Yes. I should be fine.�
�If you want anything, just ask.�
�Good then. When�s dinner?�
�In four hours. Do you want an activity or something to hold you over until then?�
�What do you recommend?�
�For one such as yourself? I�d have to recommend the market.�
At the market, Talia had a pouch of coins tied to the sash at her waist. She kept her swords, as she was still distrustful of the Elves. She wove throughout the market, looking at fine jewelry, cloth, gowns, weapons, armor, and housewares. Wandering through the armor and weapons area, she lusted after the leather spauldrans, greaves, gauntlets, and chrises. She stopped on a leather outfit. A salesman approached her.
�Ah, you do know armor well, young lady. That there is a dragon leather full outfit. Good for human or Elven ladies. Would you like to try it on?�
�Yes you could. I�ll give it to you cheap. Not many women want to fight nowadays.� He unlaced the front and held it up to Talia.
�Let�s say� Thirty gold pieces?� Talia held the black-and-purple fighter�s jacket up to her chest. It was gorgeous. The supple leather, the dark purple that matched her stone and powers. She had the money, she thought, reaching down to feel the heavy bag of coins on her sash. I want it, but I couldn�t.
�I�m sorry,� She said, putting the top back on the dress form, �but I can�t�
�Oh, well, it was worth a try.� The salesman said and disappeared.
Talia continued to look around the market, settling on a bodice dagger and new set of boots.
Talia returned to her nest in the tree after eating dinner. That night she slept in the strange swinging reed contraption, and was glad to be leaving that morning.
When she woke up, she was surprised to see Amerin at the foot of her bed, patiently waiting for her to awaken. When she saw him, she jumped up, covering herself with the sheets.
�What are you doing here?� She demanded. Calmly moving closer to her, still dressed in his doublet and cape, he spoke softly. �I need you to know. I love you. You�re unlike any girl I�ve ever met and unlike any in legend and myth. You are a hero, but live the life of a human peasant. You are beautiful, and yesterday when I saw your eyes I realized that you should be my queen.� He stared deep into her eyes for a moment, then lunged at her, aiming his lips for hers. His hand on the back of her head, he kissed her for less than a second until she kicked him with both legs across the room. The nest swayed dangerously.
�What is your problem? You need to know that I could never be queen. I could never run a country. I� I don�t love you either, I care for you, yes, but because you are a good fighter and just King of Domorin. I�m sorry, but you need to find another queen.�
Talia stayed on her side of the room as he left. She cried, then dressed herself in a different chemise, scrubbed her body clean, then dressed in her partlet, bodice, and breeches. Before she left, she noticed that Amerin had brought her a gift: the black and purple leather outfit. She packed into her saddlebags without a word.
At ground level, Darien gives her a gift to hold her stone with. The black belt has a small pouch to hold it, and she can tuck her swords into an extra strap on the side.
King Amerin, Talia, Darien, and Sonja leave for the darklighter�s village.
They arrived at the village, a small one with very little activity, so the arrival of the king was a large event. Nearly every person in the village came. Talia sensed another Darklighter nearby, and in warning the King, he spotted him, a young person in a dark short-sleeved tunic with a sword tied to his waist. King Amerin approached the young man, talking to him but not accusing him to find out where the man got his sword from.
King Amerin returned to the group, excited.
�He found it in a stone!� Amerin whispered, �he is a Darklighter! I want them to be knights.� He said, looking at me gravely. �They will be powerful allies.�
With the king�s orders, soldiers sought out the other men, and found several others, including Connor, who had found swords and were knighted by the King himself. He used the knights to protect his people and ruled justly for the next two months, during which he restructured the government to help the people be better understood.