064 – Welcome To Elf Country

The road turned south and followed a north flowing river through the highlands between a pair of tall mountain ranges, favoring the eastern range. They soon came to a village beside a small body of water held by a dam across the river, with a garrison of the local kings military. They were elves. In a few of the previous town and villages there had been a few elf families, and half-breeds living among the local humans. Now the elves were the dominant species.

These elves physically compared to Steven the way Rox did to an average woman on Terra: As broad around on average but stretched taller; they were broader than Caspian as a general rule. The shorter adults stood only head and shoulders taller than Steven. The taller ones were twice as tall as Caspian. The females were generally half a head shorter than their compatriot males, with the appropriate difference in build.

Their facial features matched Roxanne’s with almond shaped eyes that pointed to the side, with a noticeable variation to pointing slightly up. Their color range seamed to be an almost disconcerting orange through amber to green. Their average hair color was dirty-platinum blond, and ran from titanium white to medium blond. Most of the males wore only the mohawk that stood up between one and two hand spans and went from the forehead all the way around back to the neck, and they shaved the softer hair on the sides: the few that did not shave wore their side hair pulled into a tail under the mohawk. The females also wore their mohawks, usually with the sides in varying numbers of braids. Their ears, like Roxanne’s, all had a nearly flat front rising to a point, then curved back: Steven had early on remarked that they looked like Vulcan ears, as opposed to the usual back swept point portrayals in Terran fiction.

The local elves had the same general skin color as Rox, a blue tone under the Caucasian normal range. The local humans they had been among had all exhibited a general tone at the darker end of the Caucasian range, with occasional individuals or small groups going into the darker red and blacks. Caspian had passed in Carson City as unremarkable, despite having what some would call a Mediterranean tone, darker than average.

Their clothes were virtually indistinguishable in general material from anything the other natives had been seen to wear.

As far as things went, these elves were generally as interested in the travelers as the animal herds on the hills that surrounded the village were; just another unremarkable group passing though. The Garrison guards only asked for the usual boarder toll, and directed which forks on the road to take.

As they left the last of the farms that surrounded the village, Caspian unexpectedly turned on his lecture mode.

“I believe we have finally passed the northern boarder of our destination,” Caspian started. “It is now time that I tell you more. I have been looking for the right time to tell you, and now is as good as any. The elves probably don’t want me to tell you this and I expect won’t themselves. I did some checking in the time between when they first contacted me and I left this world to go to yours. Once I get a free moment, I will go check on a few inquiries I left hanging.”

Steven could hear a note of underlying irritation in Caspian’s tone. But he let it go, as this was a rare time for Caspian to freely give information. Rox‘s interest in her progenitors had been growing as she had gotten closer. Also to finally see others like herself was enlightening and relieving.

Caspian continued. “I was not the first person they contacted to try to hire. Several others turned them down. I am not certain of some of the reasoning, but I gather that these elves did not want to risk themselves going to a low-magic world. I guess it is for some similar reasons that they did not move to try to intercept the wagon train that is the current home to your children. Whatever their reasoning, they are keeping themselves out of this directly. I was tasked with getting you to this world, reunited with your kids, and then bring all to this city, and the elves.

“I would not trust them to tell you the whole truth. Most elves are like anybody. Decent enough individuals, particularly once you learn their individual moors and values. But as the locals we have been passing through have said, these people have a cultural superiorist attitude and stick to themselves to prove it. Most likely they will treat you as less than their dogs, but not as an enemy.

“I haven’t got the full satisfactory reason of why the excitement over your kids, but some of it has to do with some of their prophecies about a real nasty character called the ‘Chaos Bringer.’ The short version is that your son and daughter are this person’s harbingers. Lots of people argue over this, wondering whether they are good or bad. The few outside mentions of them say they are only the signs of the coming, with nothing more about them.”

Steven and Rox looked at each other as Caspian talked. That there should be some kind of scripture and prophecy about their family? Neither wanted to understand and accept this, yet.

Caspian continued. “That brings me to the next part. My instructions were to allow your children to be kidnapped. The elves were aware of the group that was going after your kids. I gather the elves know why they are, but neglected to tell me that reason. Their instructions were that I was to bring at least Rox here and come to Shalaia. They did not have much interest in Steven. Since I could not affect that situation without causing a lot of trouble, I magically tracked three of you and watched and waited. Steven I could not directly track, without getting close. I did not attempt that in the time that was available.”

The Caplan’s felt a bit of anger stir. It was not directed at Caspian. They had already learned his disposition and dislike of the situation he was in. These elves, on the other hand . . .

“On my own, I found out some of what the people of Krogg wanted, I believe. Their version somehow involves your kids and the leaders of that kingdom, and it says that both of you are along somehow. I have not yet figured out more. Perhaps once I get a chance to talk to one of my sources, I will be able to.

“I expect the elves will have a thing or two to say about my waiting around for you, Steven, to return here; but I don’t care. I am not going to let them damage your family any more than I can. At any rate, you know the rest of the events. Now you know more of the reasoning.

“I took this job, knowing that I was getting involved with a worlds-class conceited elf. But since this group in general has a reputation as that, I figured that I might be able to proverbially poke a few eyes, and run interference between them and you. As such, while I have not been as forth coming and useful as you have would have liked, the elves we are going to see, are magnitudes worse.”

Steven was quite angry, as he processed this. A few other memories and dreams that he had had since arriving on Tywacomb hung around on the sides, telling him that they fit in somehow, but not yet. Rox was livid, and was able to find her voice first.

“So, these elves, from whom I am supposed to be descended, wanted for me to be forced into some situation where I would have to come to them.” Rox scoffed. “Sounds like The Family. Manipulate people to do what you want, rather than ask them.”

It took Caspian a while to remember The Godfather movie he had been shown when in college on Terra, and what ‘The Family’ meant. Once he remembered it, he thought it an apt comparison.

Steven finally spoke. “So let me see if I have this right. There is a kingdom to the south somewhere that has a version of a prophecy that involves my children and the leaders of this kingdom somehow interacting, with a side detail that Rox and I are somehow involved. Then these elves, from whom Rox is descended, have another prophecy about our kids being the signposts that say some big bad guy is coming.

“The elves somehow learn that the kingdom is moving in response to their own prophecy and put it together with theirs and send you to help. You do your part and get us here. Now these elves want to interfere and contribute in some indirect way to getting the kids back.

“You have not bothered to tell us this in whole until now for whatever reason you have, and there is no reason to get mad at you over it now. Fine. Now I gather you are telling us this at least in part to warn us and prepare us for dealing with some jerks that make the mafia a good comparison.”

Caspian answered Steven. “Essentially correct. I expect these elves will try to dismiss me. But if they do so that will only set me free to help you of my own accord. I also expect that at least some of them will try exercise authority over you and give you orders telling you how and what you will do.”

Caspian steered the subject away some. “You have noticed that I have occasionally sent Cyrril on errands. He has been taking my requests to some of my contacts. Unfortunately this has not yet produced anything. This is partly as these elves keep to themselves and so past records that might give a hint of future behavior are not easy to come by. I am not certain yet, but I have a suspicion that they will try to have your children raised here among them.”

Rox looked at Steven. His expression was set. Someone was going to try to do him wrong? Steven would see about that. Rox felt her own feelings echo that sentiment. Then she had a mild doubt.

“And what if you are wrong about the motivations of these elves? In their real goals,” Rox asked.

Caspian shook his head. “I can’t say that I am, or not. Just that I was not given all the information at first by them, and what I have found, and their reputation, leads me to not trusting them. Or like them. I know that I like you, and will help you in what ever I can. I am sorry that it has taken this long for me to explain this, and accept whatever anger you have toward me for it. I apologize for holding back.”

Caspian paused as he thought “I might have still held something back, but I am not certain. I’ve told you about my first contact, generally about my last time here, and the instructions. I have filed in a little about the intervening time and getting with contacts and collecting information. I have told you the generals about my time on Terra. Yeah, that is about it.”

Rox was still in the conversation, as Steven was lost in though but probably still listening.

“That seams to cover most of it,” Rox answered.