Faylen's View

“He only has one chance to give his life vow, Faylen,” Father said as Desmond was dragged off to the prisons.

“Is there a time frame that he must learn our tongue in?”

“No but the sooner he learns the entire phrase, the better. I do not want to risk being attacked and him getting freed only to babble to the human king everything that he has seen and learned about what we have here.” I nodded. “I want to be present when he gives you his life vow.” I nodded again. “Any further questions about this?”

“No, Father. I will return to my training now.”

“No. We have more to discuss."

"Such as?" I asked, concerned on what else there was to discuss.

"Why would you leave the city alone at night, save a human, and have Tsarra use some of our precious little health stores on him? As punishment for using our health stores on a human, you are charged with keeping up with the overview of them.” I nodded in agreement with his punishment but sighed, having a feeling my response wasn't going to be taken well.

“I did those actions because I am an elf, Father. Someone needed help, so I went to help them. He was unarmed and unable to defend himself so I defended him. He was on the verge of death and had already sworn to help us however he could, so I had Tsarra heal him. Is there a reason you think I would deny the instincts of who I am just because a human is the one who needed aid?”

“I wonder if you have it in you to kill humans then, seeing as you could not kill this one!” he shouted.

“I killed the four that were attacking him and I will not fail to kill humans again when we meet them in battle, Father. Have no worries on that.” I turned and walked away, knowing that my father was still mad at me but not caring. Over the next week, I made an agreement with Desmond about what exactly he would help us with in preparation of the life vow. The following week, I moved between trying to make battle plans, observing our heath store levels, sending troops to gather food and a few supplies in the forest, and teaching Desmond the exact phrase he would need to say. I walked in the prison tonight, too tired to want anything more than my bed, with a bowl of hot soup, a slice of bread, a cup, and a bucket of water. It was later than I normally arrived, but I’d been sidetracked the moment I had started to come here. “Wait outside, please,” I said to the guards that were just inside the door. They stepped out and I headed to Desmond’s cell.

“I thought you had forgotten me, Faylen,” he murmured as I got closer.

“No. Some of my troops were attacked earlier and I was collecting information from them. I am sorry I lost track of time,” I said as I knelt in front of his cell, passing the food and water to him.

“Don’t be sorry. Your people and their safety come first. I understand.” A small smile curled my lips as he drank some of the water.

“Are you ready to review the life vow and our agreement?”

“I’ve been reviewing it all day in my mind. I know you didn’t want me to give my vow without your father here, but will reviewing the phrase in its entirety give my vow?" He ate some of the food as I replied.

“Not until you speak it correctly and in its entirety in Faejesh. You have one chance to say this in front of my father and it must be perfect as your life depends on it, Desmond. However, you may give me your vow in parts in Faejesh or entirely in Inyish as many times as you desire before that. My father says that if you want to live, you must speak this phrase as well as any elf.”

“What will happen when I give the vow correctly? Is there anything I'll feel?”

“You will feel as though your spirit is attached directly to me. If spoken correctly, you will tie a magical knot between us that if ever severed means you have died or will die in the next few minutes. Do you understand, Desmond?” He nodded and swallowed his bite.

“I’m ready, Faylen.”

“Then let us begin with the review in preparation for your life vow. In Inyish for now so that you may know the exact phrase you are saying. You will begin learning the phrase in Faejesh afterward. I, your name, give my life to protect the elves’ cities and lands against the advancements on behalf of the human king. None of the human king’s attacks will kill Faylen of Gewood unless I am already deceased."

“I, Desmond Timms, give my life vow to protect the elves’ cities and lands against the advancements on behalf of the human king. None of the human king’s attacks will kill Faylen of Gewood unless I am already deceased.”

“Very good,” I said, giving a nod. “I vow to give aid to Faylen of Gewood by giving her my knowledge on the armies, defenses, food stores, and health stores controlled by the human king.”

“I vow to give aid to Faylen of Gewood by giving her my knowledge on the armies, defenses, food stores, and health stores controlled by the human king.”

“Final part but the longest,” I said with a nod of approval for his last line. “If I fail to give knowledge that will aid in her success, my life will be forfeit. If I am captured and pass truthful information to the human king about the elves, my life will also be forfeit. I will willingly forfeit my life if I attempt to flee the city of elves without permission or in the company of Faylen of Gewood.” Desmond repeated the last part of the vow and I smiled. “Very good. You know everything you will be saying. Now say it all together so you know about how much speaking you will be doing.” He sat for a minute, but drew in a breath and spoke.

“I, Desmond Timms, give my life vow to protect the elves’ cities and lands against the advancements on behalf of the human king. None of the human king’s attacks will kill Faylen of Gewood unless I am already deceased. I vow to give aid to Faylen of Gewood by giving her my knowledge on the armies, defenses, food stores, and health stores controlled by the human king. If I fail to give knowledge that will aid in her success, my life will be forfeit. If I am captured and pass truthful information to the human king about the elves, my life will also be forfeit. I will willingly forfeit my life if I attempt to flee the city of elves without permission or in the company of Faylen of Gewood.”

“Very good, Desmond. Now for the vow in Faejesh. We will take this slowly so you may learn to speak everything exactly the way you need to.” He nodded and drank the last of the water in his cup, refilling his cup from the bucket I'd brought for him. Over the next week and a half, I taught him the vow in Faejesh and some of his pronunciations changed as he advanced in speaking the language. One day, I sat and talked with him for a moment after finishing his training for the day. “I am impressed at how quickly you learned our tongue, Desmond. A life vow is one of the hardest to learn, and is second only to our bonding phrases.”

“I’ve always learned quickly, but I’m surprised at how easy that seemed to be for me to learn. I’ve never spoken it before or heard Faejesh before this week, but I learned to give a life vow in ten days.”

“It is quite impressive, and something that you should be very proud of.” The door opened and I turned to see my father standing there with his sword on his hip, instantly making me confused.

“Is he ready to say the vow?”

“He is able to, but I was to retrieve you when I was certain he was ready.”

“Human troops have been spotted marching this way. You will need to attend battle. The life vow will be given now or I will end his life to protect our information.” I looked at Desmond.

“Are you ready for this?” He nodded. “Alright. Open the door please, guards.” They opened the door and forced Desmond to his knees between me and my father, who had his hand on his sword. “Remember, Desmond. You have one try and it must be perfect.” He nodded again.

“Speak the vow,” said my father.

“I, Desmond Timms, give my life vow to protect the elves’ cities and lands against the advancements on behalf of the human king. None of the human king’s attacks will kill Faylen of Gewood unless I am already deceased. I vow to give aid to Faylen of Gewood by giving her my knowledge on the armies, defenses, food stores, and health stores controlled by the human king. If I fail to give knowledge that will aid in her success, my life will be forfeit. If I am captured and pass truthful information to the human king about the elves, my life will also be forfeit. I will willingly forfeit my life if I attempt to flee the city of elves without permission or in the company of Faylen of Gewood."

“I, Faylen of Gewood, accept your life vow, Desmond Timms,” I said when he finished speaking. I felt something settle over my body like a shield, and recognized it as Desmond’s spirit but couldn't understand why it felt so familiar.

“Very good. Well spoken for a human,” my father said.

“A human that learned one of our hardest phrases in both Inyish and Faejesh in just under four weeks, Father. We should all be impressed at his intelligence.”

“Prepare yourself and your soldiers for battle, Faylen. We should meet these troops before they arrive near the city.” I nodded and my father turned to leave.

“You are not joining the battle, Father. Return your sword to its stand.” He spun to face me.

“I am the king and will go to battle with my people, Faylen!”

“And I am your battle strategist and general. There is no place for you on the field this time, but perhaps in the future there will be a place for you. You will remain here in the castle where you are safe, as will Desmond. Ashwryn and Iliphar, will you please escort the king to his room and keep him safe?" They nodded and followed my father as he stormed off. "Desmond, you will stay in my room. Follow me." I walked off and headed to my room, stepping behind my barrier wall to change into my battle attire and sending word for the soldiers to meet me at the south gate. "Stay in here until I return. You will be safe," I said to Desmond as I closed the door and left for the south gate, hearing Flamifoutu screech louder than I'd ever heard them before.

As I made my way out of the castle, I reached out to all the soldiers with my mind and told them to prepare for battle and meet me at the south gate if they had not already been ordered to be resting, but got a response from one. "I am at the training grounds now, Faylen. Would you like me to bring your swords with me?"

"Yes, Thydune. Thank you." I headed over to the healing rooms since I didn't have to get to the training grounds first, and found Adrella and Tsarra going over something. "We are going to battle. I do not know if any will be injured, but I will send them to you the moment we come back if there are any."

"Thank you, Faylen. We will remain here until you return." I nodded and went to the south gate, collecting my swords from Thydune.

"Human soldiers have been spotted appoaching Gulonde. I do not know how many there are, but I am certain we will have to fight with all our strength. The human king would not send just a few soldiers to attack our city. Who spotted these soldiers?" I asked as I looked around to see who I had with me.

"I sensed their presence, Faylen," said Vinali. "They were between us and Giwic Keep, near the edge of Dragon's Veil. We could arrive by the time the moon reaches the middle of the sky if we run." I thought for a moment as the gates opened, taking a glance at the sky to see the sun was at the wall.

"We run to meet them, but we do not attack until we have discovered their numbers. Any supplies they have will return with us." We ran out of the gate and toward Giwic Keep, not stopping when the sun fell or when the moon rose. I slowed the soldiers when I started hearing human voices ahead, and we moved off the trail. "Maintain our silence. A surprise attack would be best," I said with my mind. I felt everyone's consent and we crept closer to the voices. I saw the light of a camp fire and motioned for everyone to stop. "Akkar and Falinor, move your groups to the other side of the trail. Learn their numbers and supplies for those tents and report back to me when you have." I felt their consent, but could barely hear the movements of my soldiers. "Thydune, take your group to visit the far tent. Learn their numbers and supplies there, and report back to me." He and the soldiers under his lead crept past the tent closest to me and disappeared into the forest, not making a sound. "Vinali, see if you can count how many are asleep inside this tent." I watched as she silently crept closer and moved a small piece of the tent.

"There are a total of twenty-five soldiers asleep in the tents on this side of the trail, Faylen," came Akkar's stern voice in my mind. "The ones that are awake all seem to be by the fire, but the tents have thirty beds each."

"And the supplies?"

"It appears to be food, but we cannot be certain without moving into the camp."

"Understood. Remain where you are and stay hidden."

"There are fifteen asleep in this tent, Faylen," came Thydune's clear voice. "The beds that are not filled increase the number of occupants to thirty."

"Supplies?"

"There are none in this tent."

"Remain where you are and stay hidden. Vinali, how many in the tent?"

"There are thirty beds here, but only ten are occupied. The supplies appear to be food, but unless I enter the tent I cannot be certain," she said as she came back to our group. I thought about the number of soldiers that we were fighting and the number we had, and even though I knew that many of us would end up injured in this battle, I connected with Falinor, Akkar, and Thydune's minds.

"120 human soldiers against our forty. This will be a hard battle for us to win alone, but if we want to attack tonight, I cannot send for anyone else. We will wait until more are asleep before we attack, to minimize the injuries we sustain. When the beds in the tent in front of you are full, attack the soldiers as silently as you can." I felt their consent and sent Vinali back to the tent to be able to alert us as to when the beds were full, but by the time the moon had started to fall, no tent had been able to be attacked yet and I was starting to get nervous that we may have to face the soldiers in a true battle.

"None are going to their beds, Faylen. What are your orders?" came Thydune's clear voice in my mind. I waited for a few minutes to see if any were going to leave the fire and go to their tents, but they still hadn't gone to bed by the time the sky had begun to lighten. "Faylen, if we are to attack, it must be now," Thydune said, eagerly.

"Silently take out the soldiers that are sleeping in the tents, then come toward the campfire. We will surround the ones that have been awake all night. Perhaps their lack of sleep will make them battle weary." I cut the connection with them and sneaked closer to the tent in front of me, silently slipping in the corner with a couple others following me. Just as I slit the throat of the last sleeping human in the tent I heard someone outside yell about being under an attack. Well, there goes our advantage. I wonder what tipped them off. The soldiers that'd followed me in the tent charged out right behind me and we were instantly thrown into battle around the campfire. I saw Akkar come from the far tent on the left as Thydune emerged from the tent just past mine. Falinor and his group were the last to emerge from a tent, but they were quickly thrown into battle next to us. As I killed the soldier in front of me, I saw Akkar making his way closer but getting surrounded. A sword landing in front of me brought my attention with it, and I saw Thydune fling a human's sword away from me with his own blade. Giving him a nod in appreciation, I quickly ended that soldier's life and turned to find another coming at me with his sword raised. He was screaming like it might do something, but stopped in his tracks when three swords pierced through his chest, and fell to the ground as the swords were removed.

I turned back around into the camp, to find that Akkar and his group were surrounded and went to help. I fought my way through the soldiers that were surrounding them, and reached Akkar just as the last human managed to stab his sword into Akkar's arm. All in his group had more blood on them than they should've had, telling me that they'd all been injured badly in this battle. I knocked the human's sword from Akkar's arm and quickly pushed my other blade into his chest and heart, watching him fall as I pulled my sword back to my side. "The battle is won," I said as the sun fully rose into the sky. Grabbing a water pouch, I took it to Akkar and his group, and gave it to them first. "Drink a little to strengthen yourselves for our journey home. Any that are not injured, grab all the supplies. We will sort them back at Gulonde." I smothered the campfire and tore the walls of the tents as my soldiers grabbed the supplies, and we started on our way home. We walked that first day to let more strength return to the injured, but ran that night and returned to Gulonde when the sun reached the middle of the sky the third day after leaving. "Deliver these supplies to the food stores, please," I said to Iliphar as we walked into the gate. He pulled a few others over and took all the supply bags from us, and I went to the healing rooms with the rest of the soldiers. Adrella and Tsarra were already bustling around with Tsarra putting Quixidomide on the wounds while Adrella made some broths.

"Have a seat, Faylen. Broths will be ready soon and Tsarra with be there to put Quixidomide on your wounds in a moment," Adrella said after glancing at me.

"I am not wounded. I came to check if there was any help you needed." She didn't answer me, but pointed at a seat near her and went back to her broths. I sighed and took a damp towel that Tsarra brought me.

"Wash up. If there are wounds, we will heal them, Faylen." I wiped the cloth over my arms, legs, and face, but felt a dampness on my stomach. Looking down, I saw a dark spot just below my chest and touched it, looking at my hand to see red.

"We will heal you, Faylen. Step behind this wall and check to see how bad it is," came Adrella's calm voice in my mind. I did as she said and stepped behind the barrier wall, removing my top and looking at the wound. I wiped it with the cloth that Tsarra had given me and saw a dark red line quickly appear that was only about an inch in length, but it didn't look deep.

"Just a bandage of Quixidomide should heal it. Save the broth for the soldiers."

"I will do no such thing. You need to heal quickly, as well. How bad is the wound?"

"Small. Maybe one inch. I did not even realize I was injured." She appeared behind the wall after a moment with a bandage that had green salve on it and a bowl of broth.

"When you reach my skills in healing, you can see wounds that are not known," she said softly with a smile. She placed the bandage on me and had me drink the broth before letting me pull my top on again. "Leave the bandage for the night. Should I give you Aldovice?"

"No. I need to return to the castle and let my father know we have returned. If I do not arrive for dinner but he is informed that we have returned, he will be riddled with worry and order me not to join any more battles. I cannot do that to my people and will not put that stress on my soldiers. Our numbers are low enough as it is." She nodded.

"Come see me tomorrow if you need Aldovice, Faylen." I nodded and stepped back around the barrier wall. "Some will be healed and ready for guard duty when the sun rises. Akkar and some others will be healed the sunrise after." I nodded and headed out of the healing rooms, going to the castle.

“I am curious, Desmond. Why were you so willing to help the elves if you served the human king? You gave Faylen a life vow before she asked for it as payment for saving your life and you understand our culture and ways quite well for a human,” my father said over dinner.

“My father believed that humans and elves could coexist easily if King Betyn weren’t on the throne. That belief almost cost him his life nineteen years ago. That’s how King Betyn got me. I ran to defend my father and plead for his life, and he told me to go back to my room. Before I could move, the king had someone grab me and had someone else hit my father, knocking him unconscious. Many in my hometown actually had the same belief as my father, but he’s the only one that stood up to the king about it,” Desmond said.

“What city was this?” I asked, now fully interested in finding out if we had allies that we hadn’t known about.

“Tebury.”

“Do you know if these humans still believe this?”

“It’s what I was raised on, Faylen. In Tebury, we were taught to believe in that with everything we are, but they may have had to hide that belief since the king took me and made an example of my father.”

“Is Tebury still standing?”

“As far as I know, yes. The bandits you saved me from had attacked me on my way to Giwic Keep. That’s the closest I would have been to the city since I was seven.” I turned to face my father and saw him slightly glaring at me.

"I know what you are about to say, Faylen. The answer is no," he said before I could open my mouth. I ignored the urge to roll my eyes and spoke anyway.

“Father, we must learn if these humans still have that faith. If they do, we may have allies that will increase our chances of winning this war.”

“No. We need no help from them.”

“You do not see how hard our soldiers are fighting to ensure they can return home to their families and bonded mates. I do. I see their struggles on the battlefield, their sorrow when they leave their homes, their joy when they return home. I see it all. If these humans can give us aid in battle, food, or health stores, then we may yet win. At the very least, our soldiers strains and sorrows will ease.”

“I will not send a human that was a servant of the human king to a city so he may continue to pass along the king’s plans.”

“Then I will go with him and ensure he does not pass any information.”

“I need you here, Faylen. You command our forces, you are the best swordsman we have, and you are my heir. You must stay.”

“And if those humans can give us aid in any form and we choose to ignore them because they are human, then we are positioning ourselves to lose and we might as well leave these shores now for lands yet discovered. The human king has no plans for battles for at least five weeks, Father. He would not have sent any troops from the city without having Desmond by his side and his last troops returned. Desmond would not have even returned from his trip for another five weeks from now. It is only four weeks to Tebury from here.”

“And you would travel through Giwic Keep where the humans fully support Betyn. My answer is no, Faylen,” he said. I could hear his anger piling up, but refused to back down since I knew we needed the help.

“I can find a way for us to travel around the keep without being seen.”

“Where you would be discovered as an elf in Tebury.”

“I can disguise my features until I know for certain if their loyalty can be swayed.”

“King Delsaran,” Desmond said. “I didn’t serve King Betyn out of loyalty, faith, or love. This belief of coexistence was ingrained in me before I could speak. It was the same with all children of Tebury when I was there. We were taught to love the elves and believe in coexistence between our races,” Desmond said gently.

“My answer is no! Neither of you will go!” my father shouted as he slammed a hand on the table before storming off. I took a few deep breaths and set my mind to sneak out with Desmond to Tebury as I stood from the table as well. Desmond followed me to my room, but stopped outside.

“It is alright, Desmond. You may come in,” I said, glancing back at the door as I leaned over my map. He stepped in and came to my side.

“Your father has no faith in humans, does he?” he asked quietly.

“He did at one time, but that was a long time ago. This war has thinned the trust of all my people.”

“So what can we do? Do we send another to Tebury to see if the people there still believe in coexistence?”

“No. We will go. You know the people and the layout of the city, and I need to know how many are on our side in this war.”

“But your father doesn’t want us to go,” he said after a moment.

“And my father does not want to lose this war any more than I do,” I said, feeling my anger grow a bit. I sat in my chair, looking out my window and ignoring the map in front of me as I let out a sigh. “He is aging, Desmond. In his age, he is becoming blinded to hope and jaded to trust. I am having to make more of his decisions and correct more of his answers to give my people hope of winning this war. Only 100 years ago, he was still able to hope and trust.”

“He’s dying isn’t he?” Desmond asked quietly after a moment. I nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“It is a natural part of life. We are born and we die. It is what we do with our time between those points that matters most.” Trying to take my mind off my father, I looked at my map again and followed the road to Tebury to see if there was a way that we could get around Giwic Keep or if I would have to disguise myself as we got closer. A hand landed on mine and I looked up to see Desmond looking at me tenderly.

“It may be a part of life, but that doesn’t make it any easier, Faylen. If you need or want to talk about anything, I’ll listen. I may not be able to do anything about the issue, but I can at least be a shoulder to lean on,” he said softly. A smile curled my lips.

“Thank you.” He nodded and took his hand off mine, staying quiet as I looked back at my map. I searched my map until the moon was rising, but found no solution to how we could get around Giwic Keep. "Nothing," I sighed.

"Are there any other maps in the castle? Older ones, newer ones, different versions, anything?" Desmond asked. I leaned back in my chair a bit and thought. A loud squeak echoed from the direction of the food stores and I saw Desmond jump.

"Nothing to worry of, Desmond. Only a Mattuci getting caught by a Flamifoutu or Kukawk." He nodded but kept looking at my window. "There may be an older version, but it would be in my father's possession. Getting it would present a problem for me."

"Could I get it for you?"

"You would have to sneak into his room and sneak out with it, and you would not have much time to do so because soldiers check his room every five minutes whether he is in there or not. Are you capable of that speed?"

"If you can get him and his aide away from the area, I can get it. What exactly am I looking for?"

"It would be a map like the one I have, but it would be rolled up and look more aged. It should be placed on his table." Desmond gave me a curt nod.

"I'll find it and get it for you if you draw your father and his aide away from the area. I'll only need a few minutes."

"Good because a few minutes is all you will have. Before you take it, make sure it is not the same version I have here." He nodded. "Let us go to bed for the evening. I will try to draw them away in the next few days so you can retrieve the map for me."

A few days later, as I was planning to raid a campsite of soldiers that had been spotted not too far from Gulonde, I sent a guard to bring the commanders to me. "May I speak freely, Faylen?" Desmond asked when the guard left my room to gather the commanders. I nodded but didn't look away from the plans in front of me. "Human men have an affinity for the female body. Race doesn't matter, especially to the soldiers."

"Your point, Desmond?" I asked as I looked over the battle plans I'd made for tonight's raid.

"You can capture more soldiers easier if you change your battle attire." I looked up, immediately knowing Desmond could see the tired patience in my eyes.

"To what? We only have one garb each for battle. There is nothing to change it to."

"Forgive me if this is too personal a question, but do you wear undergarments?"

"Undergarments? I am not sure I understand what you mean."

"Clothes to cover your more private parts like your chest and your crotch."

"My what?" I asked, entirely confused on what he meant by crotch.

"The front part of where your legs meet your body."

"Oh, there. Those are called undergarments?"

"In Inyish yes. Do you wear any clothes like that?"

"Not often. They tend to be for formal attire, but I believe I can fashion some I might use for battle."

"If you do, wear them for your next raid to capture human soldiers."

"I cannot craft them that fast. We're raiding tonight." Desmond chuckled and I gave him a small smile, enjoying the sound of his laughter in these hard times.

"When you get them crafted, wear them for the following raid. May I see the attire you're talking about so I can let you know if you will need to change anything before you make them?" I nodded, walked to my wardrobe and gently pulled out a hanger, turning to show him the clothes.

"This is our formal attire. I would wear this if attending a bonding, either mine or another's, or when I become queen." Desmond took the hanger from me and held it against my body. His breathing sped up a bit and I touched his mind to learn what he was thinking, sensing his desire to see me wear my formal attire.

"This exact style will work perfectly against all of the soldiers. If it fits the way I believe it does, that is," he said as he handed the hanger back to me. I hung up the formal attire and went back to my table with the battle plans, motioning for Desmond to take a seat across from me while ignoring my curiosity on why he desired seeing me in my formal attire. "May I ask you something else, Faylen?"

"Of course."

"Why did you save me? As your father pointed out, any other elf would have let me be killed yet you killed the bandits and brought me here, nursed me back to health, and are keeping me close by your side. Why?"

"I am an elf, Desmond. It goes against my nature to deny aid to a person in need. I was simply following my nature. However, I keep you close to my side because of your life vow. Giving a life vow means that you will give your life to spare mine. If I die and you are not killed, your life vow will take your life and give it to my body. For me to truly die, you must be killed first."

"Why did you hesitate to give your father a life vow, then?"

"If my father dies, I am next in line to lead my people. If I die and my father is later killed, who is left to lead my people?" Desmond nodded in understanding.

"Following your nature can't be the only reason you saved me, Faylen. Elves and humans have been at war since 486 End of World Peace, 300 years ago. Why would an elf save a human - the enemy of her entire race?" Desmond asked gently. I shook my head, refusing to answer his question since I wasn't fully certain myself. "Please tell me a reason. Any reason. If it must stay secret, I will keep it as such."

"It must remain my secret, Desmond. I am sorry, but I cannot give you the answer you seek," I said just before my commanders appeared in my doorway.