A Drunkard, a Bear, a Rider, and a Dragon (Quetzal)

[Galeron Aeda]

 Valenmir sighed. At this point the Snow Elf did not know what to do. What was the point of being here? He was rejected by the elves, and he would not fit in with the humans or the dwarfs. It was a completely different land filled with completely different people. He gave Kers a loving pat on his furry neck, and hopped off. He sat with his back to a tree, and he took his jug filled with wine in hand. He pressed the opening against his lips, and raised the jug up high to empty it of the remaining liquid. He swung his head down and dropped the container in his hand. He sat back and closed his eyes, even though he did not need to. Kers sat next to him warmly, and Valenmir moved away from him. The Kuruk was too warm for this type of climate, both of them were melting under the heat. 

 The light coming throught the canopy dotted over Valenmirs skin, and reflected off brightly. Both of them stood out as a big white splotch on a sea of green. As Valenmir slept, Kers decided to hunt. He stood on two legs and sniffed the air for prey. He quickly caught scent of birds, rodents, and bigger game. Kers himself wasn't hungry, but Valenmir had not eaten in an entire day. "Valenmir is a husk of his former self" he thought. The proud blind knight, was not the elf Kers had met at first. The person he knew was one filled with dreams and goals. The kuruk snapped out of his thoughts, and located a black rabbit. He stalked the small prey on all fours. He hid behind a bush waiting for the moment to strike. As quick as a flash, he caught the rabbit in between his teeth.

After an hour or so of hunting he brought back two rabbits, and some small rodents. He placed them next to Valenmir, and gathered some rocks as well as sticks. He put them in a bundle, and left it there. It took him too much effort to make a fire without magic, he would leave that to Valenmir when he was awake. The Kuruk himself went to sleep, a meter or so away from Valenmir.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia and Arlyn had spent a few days now drifting between different elven towns. There were more than they had ever known about, little hidden villages that each were a gem when discovered. Each one help knew knowledge, people, and ideas. It was so interesting to hear from each of them on the world. They had taken to jotting down all they learned in a notebook, taking firm mental notes not to let it leave their site when they left Du Weldenvarden in case it got into the wrong hands; most hidden towns didn't want to be found though were happy to house a Rider. Outsiders were exciting, but there were some they knew had less happy intentions. They had to figure out how to cast a spell on the book to only allow it to be read by themselves and whoever they or the elves chose. They were learning so much, but with all this undiscovered by other humans they got the distinct feeling they were only seeing tiny fragments too loosely scattered to make any sense of how they connected to a bigger picture.

Up ahead was another anomaly. It would seem their next adventure and discovery was about to happen. Isrydia smiled to Arlyn, who hung back. A dragon was too big to sneak quietly up on a couple of sleepers. Isrydia, however, with a small build and added grace of Riders, could keep quiet enough as she slowly approached. Her eyes were on the bear. "Don't ignore the elf either, he could be just as dangerous as the bear," Arlyn warned upon noticing her focus was too much solely on the one member of the party. She studied both of them with curiosity. Companions perhaps. It reminded her of Farria. Warg, the scholars had dubbed her. No one had found any like her yet, any humans who had become bonded to animals as Riders were to dragons. There was more to it than that, certain powers she was showing. Could such a change happen to elves as well as humans like that child?

There was no way of knowing. She didn't even know if they were friend or foe. A lot in this wood were dangerous. It seemed the forest treated people according to how it judged them. So far it had taught her a lot, and while she had seen dangers she had never felt threatened. At any moment she worried the forest could change its mind and try throwing them out. This bright white couple could be that. Or they might not be, they might be another thing the forest was trying to teach both parties by deciding they should happen upon each other. Only one way to find out. She cleared her throat loudly to try waking them, standing close by now though not too close to lack time enough to react to an attack.

[Galeron Aeda]

Valenmir opened his eyes, he got up clumsily, almost falling in the process. He picked up his double sided pole arm and swung about 4 feet in front of the small human. The poor elf lost his balance and put one end of his pole arm to support him, before he fell down once more. Kers got up slowly from hus slumber and stood up on two legs. He towered above Isrydia and said "Please excuse my friend. I am honor bound to serve him, his name is Valenmir, and I am Kers. We do not intend to be hostile, but my friend here... You see, is under the influence." His deep voice echoed across the forest. He put his big hands together and dipped his head as a bow.

He saw his companion squirming on the ground, he was trying to reach his weapon. Kers walked over to him, and placed his left leg on his back and telepathically said "You're making a fool of yourself." He look back to Isrydia and gave her a nervous smile. He sniffed the air, and caught the wind of a huge reptile. The Kuruk said "So, Rider would you enjoy eating with us?" He gestured to the fireless fire place. Kers picked up Valenmir over his shoulder and placed him back next to the tree. By then the elf was already asleep again.

[Quetzal]

At first Isrydia and Arlyn regarded Valenmir with alarm, tensing when he grabbed a weapon. The strange elf was a threat after all! They relaxed somewhat seeing him sway and topple, then prepared to take action when the bear moved over. Perhaps he was helping the elf? What neither had expected was for him to speak. They exchanged glances. This was still not the strangest thing they had seen, and a lesson that had proved immensely valuable was keeping a sensible head at all times, so the storm of questions was pressed to one side in favour of dealing with the fact that a large talking bear had something to say to them. From the looks of it he and the elf meant them no harm really, so there was likely to be time for questions later.

After a moment she found her voice. "Pleasure to meet you, Kers. We would be delighted to join you," she replied, and she and Arlyn sat next to the empty fireplace where Valenmir had already passed out again. It had taken Arlyn a moment to realised what the elf was under the influence of, thinking for a moment of powerful warlocks capable of arresting an elven mind, then realised the true meaning. Funny how a liquid and poor self control could do a better job than the best magicians in the land. "My name is Isrdia."

"And mine is Arlyn." The dragon paused, unsure of how the strangers would respond. He fidgeted and asked his questions anyway. "Forgive me if this is rude, but is Valenmir OK? And we've never seen a bear or elf like you two, are you from some secret village in the forest or something?" He was excited by the prospect of new knowledge.

[Galeron Aeda]

As Kers set up the prey on the empty fire place he said "I am afraid you must think of a place beyond Alagaisia. Valenmir and I hale from the South. Valenmir is a brother of the elves here in Du Weldenvarden, his folk named themselves the snow elves. I on the other hand am a Kuruk. Valenmir and I share a bond very similar to the one you and Isrydia have. And I might add that Valenmir is not doing well. He is in grief due to all he lost in the north. He sees no purpose in being here in Alagaisia. Yet politics demand us to be here. Maybe you could help my companion, give him a sense of belonging and an objective." He paused, and walked back a few steps from the food. He gestured to it saying "Arlyn will you do the favors? I've always wanted to see a dragon truly breathe fire."

Kers look down to Valenmir on the floor and began to think about when they first met up. Valenmir was a stubborn man, he had been reluctant to accept the supoort Kers was order to give him. But as the both braved throught the cold techerous land, they became attached to one another. The wildlife of the North was fearsome, the Kuruk were a testament to that. They had both faced attacks from massive eagles as well as massive wolves. It was incredible to think that eleven elves were able to survive in that land and populate all of the North with their kin. If it was not for them Kers would not even be here, and to some degree he was thankful for that. He was experiencing a completely different land, where life was meant to prosper, and where he could learn all kinds of things. The thought of it made him giddy.

[Quetzal]

Beyond Alagaesia? Now that caught the pair's attention if the pair's unusual appearance hadn't already. They listened excitedly to what Kers had to say, keen to learn as ever. Few had travelled beyond Alagaesia's borders! Some had travelled north, to rescue Eragon, and had reported nothing but heavy snowfall and ice that grew bleaker and colder the further they went. They had assumed no one could live in such conditions, explaining why no one from the north had ever been found in Alagaesia. Here was something that went against what the world knew. Where some might dislike doubt cast over their understanding of the world, to the Rider and dragon it was what they lived for.

Before prying further, Arlyn raised his head proudly. Like all dragons, he enjoyed the chance to show off. "Of course, easy peasy," he said, making Isrydia roll her eyes. It was only a small fire, so he just gave a little snort, a thin spurt of flames spitting into the logs and creating a merry blaze. When it was done the dragon settled back down. "I've never heard of Kuruks and snow elves. I don't think any have come here before," he told Kers with the thrill of that statement plain in his tone. It was sad that Valenmir had ended up like this, though. Whatever happened must have been bad for an elf to try driving it away with drink. Elves getting drunk was strange to them. It didn't seem right. Kers was asking them for help, and seeing such a sorry sight made it hard for them not to accept. That was their job, wasn't it? To bring peace, and to make the world better in any small way they could. Well, here was their chance to improve this pair's life and who knew where that would lead for the snow elves' relationship with the people of Alagaesia?

"Of course we'll help you," Isrydia said firmly. Not knowing the broken man, she didn't know what would motivate him to get his life back on track. "If he lost so much in the north, he's more than welcome to start fresh here. I'm sure the elves of Ellesmera would be far too curious about snow elves not to give him safe housing. As for the drinking, as you say, perhaps something to occupy him will stop him thinking he needs that. What sort of goals does he tend to? Does he prefer a physical challenge or a mental one?" she asked.

[Galeron Aeda]

"Ahhh, I see both of you have not heard of the tales of the snow elves and how they came to be. You see the ancestors of the snow elves were originally normal elves. Their ancestors were banished for some greivous wrong doing millenia ago. Thats likely why snow elves are not seen here Arlyn, also the reason as to why the elves don't accept the snow elves with open arms. It may have happened long before now, but many elves might still agree with the banishing. Those elves will not take too kindly to Valenmir, but no doubt there must be some snow elf sympathizers here in Du Weldenvarden. As to a challenge he would gladly take on a physical one. The elf was born a fighter, it's what he's best at. What kept him going up north was his lover. With out her he no longer has anything to fight for. Maybe as soon as he wakes up we could go hunting? Something to get the blood flowing. What challenging wildlife is there here in Alagaisia? Small game won't do, as you can see." He placed one claw on top of the huge eagle skull that rested on Valenmirs' shoulder. "I've heard the Beor Mountains are home to the dwarves as well as vicious beasts." The bear took his hand off of Valenmirs' shoulder, and began to gently cook the prey he caught. Once it was cooked well enough he handed it to Isrydia. He set some more prey to cook.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia and Arlyn were surprised to learn there was a whole type of elf they had never even heard of. So many mysteries surrounded the race, and it seemed they weren't going to stop being uncovered any time soon. "I had no idea. I was going to suggest training with the elves to take his mind off things, maybe aim towards helping them in some way, but if that's true it may not be such a good idea. The elves have long memories and hold grudges." She took the offered food and ate a little. She was used to food like this, having travelled much as a storyteller then squire before Arlyn had hatched, and recently spending time exploring the wilderness. It was good of Kers to cook the food, too. Whenever Arlyn caught something she always had to remind him she wouldn't eat it raw.

Valenmir's story seemed a sad one. There was hope of redemption still. "The forest hasn't rejected him, which is a good sign at least," Arlyn noted. "As for prey... you might like the Beors actually, they get pretty cold at the top and you can find other sorts of bear there. Dwarves are a good people. Any of their herds are off-limits. All over the land are prey and vicious animals, fewer near the big cities. Mountains and forests have the best ones. Prey are mostly big deer or boar. Beasts you might want to avoid are the big cats, canines, and bears," he explained, thinking Kers would prey on similar sized animals to himself and likewise be able to handle himself against anything aggressive. Even being able to handle himself, unnecessary fights were annoying and inconvenient.

Isrydia looked over at Valenmir, wondering how long it would take for him to come round. "Elves aren't big drinkers anyway, so you're unlikely to find much to fuel his habit in Du Weldenvarden. It might be good to keep him where he cannot be tempted for a while. Obviously I don't know the full story, but do you think any contact with elves would be good? There are some human towns not far from the forest, and after the war human towns have been seeing more elves as some soldiers stayed."

[Galeron Aeda]

"Or..."Mumbled Kers. He picked up the meat of roaster rabit with one, and with the other he flipped Valenmir over and punched him lightly in the ribs. Even though the punch was not full strength, it still made Valenmir choke. He sat up coughing, and laughing at the same time "Kers, you know theres nicer ways to wake me up!" His breath stunk of alcohol, his skin was covered in sweat, and his pure white eyes were dilated. Valenmir had never looked worse. Kers annoyed, handed the snow elf the meat, without saying a word. Valenmir, took a bite, and after gulping that piece down, he heard someone else chewing that was not Kers, the bite was not strong enough. Even though Valenmir prefered to be drunk, he wanted to seem at least a bit more presentable.

He quickly cast a spell to sober up, making sure he didn't mess up any words while he was still being under the effects of the alcohol. Once he finished, he listened to the forest around him. The sounds of countless birds, the winds moving trees, even the ants made a faint sound. Then among those sounds were the heartbeats and the breathing of Kers, as well as a human, and a much bigger creature... A dragon most likely. Besides being an elf, Valenmir had been enhanced to have even greater senses. He noticed that he did not have the ribbon around his eyes, he reached into one of the pockets in Kers' saddle and pulled out a thin long strip of cloth. He pulled it around his fave and tied it. Once he was done he fixed it into place and said "Greetings Dragon and Rider. I am Valenmir Kingslayer." Kers shared his memories of the conversation the group had and with that Valenmir said

"Well, first I would like to thank both of you... But I won't be needing help. I'm fine as it-"

"You are not!" interrupted Kers "We both know you've lost your senses since we got to Alagaisia! Look, I have a better idea... Why don't we travel with both of them? I know this is a lot to ask of Isrydia and Arlyn but trust me Valenmir."The Kuruk looked to the Rider and the Dragon and continued "Theres no clear solution to this problem, and I think that the best way to find a place would be to explore, and see Alagaisia for ourselves." After a brief period of silence Kers said "What do you think?"

Valenmir was looking at a completely different direction than the group and stayed silent. He kept on eating his food while contemplating the idea.

P.S. sorry I'm posting a lot on this thread and not the other one I'm just liking Valenmir and Kers much more as my characters.

[Quetzal]

((No problem!))

At last they got to meet Valenmir properly. He certainly was a character. At first he was still drunk, as to be expected after only a short nap, but after a spell Isrydia saw he had sobered himself up. She would have to learn that one; it might prove handy against some of the idiots who liked to bite off more than they could chew after downing a few tankards. The dragon and Rider were both surprised when he tied a ribbon around his eyes. His mind was too far returned to him to excuse such behaviour. Something else was the cause. Their curiosity was piqued but they were too unsure how to act around the snow elf to ask questions. In the only moments they'd seen him awake he'd lashed out. That was a strong message to stay out of his business. They supposed they were in it now anyway, Kers having told them much.

Arlyn smiled slightly at Kers's outburst. That reminded him of many a dragon and Rider looking after each other. "It isn't too much to ask, don't worry. The job of a dragon and Rider is to help people," he reassured the bear. The thought of travelling with someone so unpredictable was a little daunting, but they'd never have any adventures if they turned them down when opportunity knocked.

Isrydia was in agreement. "We don't have any specific purpose currently, we'd be glad of some company." It did get a little lonely exploring even with her dragon there. It would be good to have someone with her for a little while. Then perhaps she might settle in a more permanent location, perhaps just for a few months, perhaps for a few years. She had never had a place of her own to live since moving out of her parents' house. It was about time that was remedied. After a little more adventure. "One thing I have to ask though... Kingslayer?" The name was enough. This sounded like a good enough reason for Valenmir to find himself outlawed.

[Galeron Aeda]

Valenmir used the story he had made up before coming to Alagaisia. He did not want anyone knowing the truth to his story. He believed what he did was right, but to many he seemed guilty. If it were not for him the queen would be dead, and all of the snow elf kingdom would be left to the tyrant that was the king. Clearing his throat Valenmir said "The name came from my father. He managed to taint our entire family with the name "Kingslayer". You see, snow elves are usually born without last names, the names are given to them by the people after a great feat or... A shameful act. Then other times if a last name is glorious, or shameful to a great extent, the last name is passed off to ones offspring. As you cna see my father was a traitor to the monarchy, and killed the King many loved. He never explained why he did so". The cloth covering his eyes only made the lie that much more convincing. His eyes could not be seen shifting underneath the thick linen.

Kers did not react to the lie, he simply kept his mouth shut and kept cooking one of the meats. He hated having to hide a secret. He prefered to be among friends that were easy to speak to, plus... Kers was a terrible liar. "Well let me answer yet another question I bet puzzles you. Why do I wear a ribbon across my eyes? Well, I was born blind, as you probably assumed. But how could I sense both of you without sight, or by the extension of my mind? It is because I was modified with magic at a young age. It is custom for the elder of our people to designate the profession a babe will have when they reach adulthood. Ironically, I was chosen to be a guard. It is also custom that a snow elf keeps the traits they are born with. So to circumvent the that rule, the elder herself preformed various spells to augument my body, yet not alter it physically. Basically all my senses were hightened. I can hear all your heartbeats, I can smell a deer not too far off, I can feel the creases ink makes on a paper once it dries. Now you can imagine the negatives of these effects as well. For there are loud noises as well as smells that make one sick. The worst is the pain... Tastes as well." He chuckled trying to make light of how he finished his sentence. The snow elf seemed lost in thought, but after a few seconds of silence he said "I see one problem with your plan Kers, how will we travel with them if you cannot ride on a dragon? Are we to arrive late to every place Arlyn and Isridia travel? What if they traveled to Surda right now? It'd take us several fortnights to cover the distance they traveled."

Kers shook his head " I was hoping Arlyn would let you take a ride with her." The Kuruk looked to the pair and said "I fully understand if you do not wish to take Valenmir with you, in any case, Valenmir and I will travel behind. Yes it may take a while, but Kuruks don't tire easily."

[Quetzal]

Without anything to go by, Isrydia and Arlyn had to take it on trust that Valemnir was telling the truth. There wasn't an obvious sign of lying they picked up on. It was odd to them that Valemnir should carry his father's shame. Those with names gained by honour tended not to pass them on to their families, as the family had not done the great deed to earn it. Under recent events, having played a part in the killing of a human king, they know there must have been some reason. It wasn't exactly an easy thing; Isrydia had lost a leg in that battle, only to have it regrown by the magical expertise of Camarat. "There must have been corruption or something you didn't see. Either way, you are not your father. You didn't kill any kings," she emphasised in case he felt guilty. That was a good enough explanation for banishment. Regardless of his involvement, elves had a strong sense of honour. If they hadn't banished him entirely on suspicion of his involvement, the disrespect must have been hard to bear.

"There was a blind elven Rider among the Varden. I barely met her. I don't think she was capable of all that, she kept it hidden, mostly," Isrydia said. That wasn't helpful. It was a kind of pointless thing to say really, now she'd said it. He knew he wasn't the only blind elf around anyway. How he managed to work as a guard with his heightened senses was interesting. She knew the blind obviously had to rely on other senses to get by, but most of the very few she had met needed to rely on others as theirs were not good enough to compensate. "Do you get by as if you weren't blind at all, or is there anything I should watch out for?" she asked, not wanting to make a mistake and upset him or cause harm.

Arlyn was the only one who could answer the next question. He didn't like to be used as a taxi service, but if it were for some adventure with his Rider along too, that was different. After pausing, he replied. "I suppose that would be all right, so long as you're sure you won't be too far behind, Kers. Did you know where you want to go? And as long as your intentions really are good. I'd hate to unknowingly aid a plot to hurt someone," he agreed warily.

[Galeron Aeda]

Valenmir liked her response, she seemed kind "Thank you for that. Not many people acknowledge the fact that I'm not who my father was." Valenmir listened intently. Sometimes it was hard to focus on one voice with the commotion of the forest around him. He did not respond when she commented on a blind Rider. He began to think what a terrible fate it must have been, to be blind and see nothing when you were high above the clouds. Then he wondered how he might 'see' if he was above the clouds on Arlyn. "I don't get by as a normal person would. Sound travels much shorter distances than light. I may be able to make out some things, but for example if I am on Arlyn's back, I could not sense the environment so accutely, since there is no surface for sounds to bounce off from.

When he felt Arlyn touch his mind with his he responded "I do not know where I would like to go next. Ellesmera perhaps? Where would you two want to go? Do you have some sort of mission, or task?" The very mention of a mission got Valenmir just a bit happier. A mission always had an objective, something that Valenmir desperately needed. The snow elf placed his back on Kers side, to rest his muscles. Valenmirs white hair got lost in Kers fur and as he laid down he began to dose of just a bit in seconds. He began to think of his Queen, and her black hair. Hair that color was strange among the snow elves. Her yellow eyes, and he sweet smile. Then he opened his eyes once more, casting off his sleep. Dispair and regret gripped at his heart, and he sat back up. He grabbed the cloth on his chest harshly, clumping the fabric into his fist.

[Quetzal]

How interesting, to see the world through sound. All it seemed they had to look out for were distant things. Valenmir would only be able to see what was in a smaller radius around him, though also what was behind them or behind objects blocking what she could detect. Navigation must be very difficult when unable to see far away to get reference points, or to see the sun or stars to find where north was. Should he take the lift on Arlyn's back, he would have to be secured in tightly and most likely calmed a lot more as being high up had to be even scarier when it felt like a void on either side. With more time spent with the blind elf, they would learn more about what he could and could not do, exactly how to treat him. So far she got the impression he was to be treated as anyone else, with a little more description of the appearance of things, perhaps with colours and finer textures that were impossible to hear.

It was clear Valenmir had little inkling of what lay next in his path. They did not have much purpose either, at least not anything they could be helped with. "Currently we are just learning more about the world, in particular furthering my research into the stars. They are way too far for you to hear, so it's not something you can really help with," she said apologetically. Recently her telescopes had been growing stronger as she had found what she thought to be a reliable equation describing how far they could see. Using that she had been optimising them, but the lenses were difficult to make. She needed magic. A complex spell would do the trick. In the meantime she had been mapping the new ones she was seeing further away, and trying to track any pattern she could find regarding brightness, trying to see if she could figure out a way to tell how far away they were specifically.

"If you say your kind are not welcomed by the other elves, perhaps you can make it your mission to rectify that. Your travelling to Ellesmera may be questioned but perhaps you can reforge an old friendship. You are bound to be welcome in human cities however well contact with other elves goes. No one knows much about the far north; we though no race of humanoids could survive there." Arlyn suggested.

[Galeron Aeda]

Valenmir sighed, to him the stars were not too interesting. They were merely small lights on an empty black ocean. Sure, they must bee pretty to look at, and might tell direction, but theyr weren't much else besides that. It wasn't a subject he could see himself finding much interest in. But he had been able to 'see' the moon by touching an ink drawing apon an old tome. He found planets and moons much more interesting. To think that all of the people in their world were nothing but tiny granules of sand in yet another larger world. Valenmir pondered her interest and said "Well, if it is your personal objective to know more about this world, then you must have been greatly surprised to see me, a new race, in Alagaisia. You should visit sometime. Just know that the way to my peoples kingdom is perilous. You should only travel when you are ready."

Valenmir then replied to Arlyn "I could try. But it is hard to change the mind of elves. The damage they did to my people is done, they severed the bond of friendship we had. If they are too ignorant to see that I am not like my ancestors that were banished, then the fault is theirs. I do not wish to squander my time trying to convince them otherwise." Valenmir was a stubborn elf, and with his youth, his mentality seemed more human than elf-like. Kers on the other hand had contrasting ideas, but he did not want to provoke a fight, which Valenmir seemed so keen on doing in his current state.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia nodded. It was indeed a huge surprise to see Valenmir - she had yet to decide whether he was a new race entirely or simply a new variety of elf. She didn't know where the boundary lay. Regardless, it was interesting to see how much they didn't know about what lay outside the borders. "Indeed I think Alagaesians as a whole ought to press further outside the borders. There is time for questioning the world we live in now, not just what lies to the cold north. I doubt Arlyn and I will be able to go there any time soon, though, keeping up spells to stay warm for that long is beyond us, and I'm not sure how much we can rely on clothing alone to stay warm," she said. As much as she would like to explore where few had gone before, it was not sensible at this time. She had a potentially very long life ahead of her, there was plenty of time and training to do to reach that point.

Elves were indeed stubborn, and Arlyn could see that same nature in Valenmir with how unwilling he seemed to be messed around by any closed minded members of his cousin race in the forest. "They are not an ignorant people, but they do hold grudges. If they still hold one against you, surely it would be better for everyone if you showed them they are wrong and that you can be trusted? It would be such a shame if two races so close were enemies and the snow elves remained cut off from the rest of Alagaesia. We could help, perhaps, provided you are completely honest with us," he offered. After all, it was their job to keep the peace, and this was a great opportunity to mend broken bonds.

[Galeron Aeda]

Valenmir was about to reply, but Kers cut him off before he could say anything. The Kuruk knew Valenmir was going to turn down the opportunity so instead he decided to say something before his companion could. "Valenmir, look. I know you don't want to speak with the elves, but think about it. Destroying the banishment placed on your people could allow for snow elves to live here... Maybe even the queen could come." The very mentioning of the queen could have been the only thing to change Valenmirs' mind, and Kers knew that. Valenmir thought about it for a while, "But she'd have to..." he mummbled to himself before standing up and exclaiming "Damn it! You know exactly how I think and feel!... Very well, I'll help form a bond between the snow elves and the elves." Valenmir felt mad at Kers, but he knew he was right, it might be the only way to get his loved one back. The thing Valenmir hated was mostly all the explaining he'd have to do, as well as having to speak to the elves he detested, simply for their neverending distrust and hate towards the snow elves.

Kers felt quite different. He felt very smug and pleased with himself, and it showed on his face, however a bear might show it. There was a lot of explaining to do, he felt. Possibly revealing Valenmirs' true origins, as well as denying him the Right to Privacy that had been established by the snow elves. He also had to tell the story about the Dauthdaert, and the whole reason for the banishing of the Eleven. And there was another reason entirely for which Valenmir did not want to form a pact, and that was because there was one obstacle that seemed almost impossible to get through, the snow elves very culture and religion.

Ooc: ooooo I thought of some juicy content for the snow elves and their whole society

[Quetzal]

((Cool! PM Emi and/or Brenton so we can maybe start something bigger with them and the forest elves!))

Isrydia and Arlyn waited for the elf and bear to sort out the disagreement themselves, thinking Kers more persuasive as someone close to Valenmir rather than the two virtual strangers. They smiled upon hearing his agreement to repair the broken bond. Obviously there was a great deal of politics there they knew nothing about. It could all be worked through, they were sure, and it was more something for the two groups of elves to figure out amongst themselves rather than for a Rider to meddle with. Better they reached a conclusion of their own than have to be forced towards it. That way they would be more welcoming of the change, confident they had made the decision for themselves off what they thought best with their personal experience. The Rider and dragon didn't know enough of the situation to make a good argument anyway; they hadn't even known snow elves existed an hour ago.

"Excellent! Clearly there's a lot more going on here than Arlyn and I know about, but you two can be a huge help to your race in restoring some peace. I'm excited to see you healing old upset," Isrydia said happily. It was so good to see positive things on the horizon. "It may be tricky at first, but we'll be there to support you. Of course, it's best you and the elves resolve things for yourself rather than being forced into it by a Rider and dragon."

Arlyn nodded. "Not to mention the fact that we don't know much about the situation anyway so our words will have little weight to the elves besides that given to them by my being a dragon. We can't debate what we don't know, after all." How much Valenmir told them was completely up to him. The dragon was curious, as was his nature, but didn't want to pressure the new friend into giving information he didn't want to give without any good reason to do so. "And hey, how about that for a new purpose to drive you to greater things?"