King Delsaran's View

"King Delsaran, the healer Adrella is hoping to speak with you about a request made by Princess Faylen. She claims that it concerns you and your health," Lanquar said as I kept looking over an old scroll about Tebury. I nodded and rolled the scroll up, putting it back on the shelf. The door opened and Adrella stepped in while Desmond stayed out in the hallway.

"Good morning, King Delsaran," Adrella said as she gave a low bow.

"Good morning, Adrella. What is this request from Faylen about?"

"She brought it to my attention earlier this morning that your temper and patience have nearly disappeared. Breaking plates and yelling from an elf? That is a sign of severe mental deterioration, King Delsaran. Your daughter is worried for your health and has requested I attempt to make a recipe that I know of, meant to ease one's temper. However, I must ask for your permission to create the recipe as it is not one that has been tested and proven to work."

"How do you know of this recipe, then?" I asked.

"It is located in the far back of one of Meriel's healing books. It is one of the last recipes that she was working on before her untimely death," she said softly. I felt anger and sadness flood my body, but did my best to control it so I wouldn't give away how bad my mental state was. "Since the recipe is only theoretical, there is no certainty that it will work. And the fact that she tripled the more dangerous ingredient is cause for worry. However, I still ask as Princess Faylen is wanting to allow you the most time possible to rule your people wisely. She stated that a shortened temper and decreased patience results in less thought before decisions." I sighed and looked away from Adrella and Lanquar, walking over to my window and leaning on it.

Faylen is correct on that statement. I have had to wait longer and ask the opinions of Lanquar before giving my decision on things lately, I thought.

"King Delsaran, I can already sense your mental deterioration. If it were not for the fact that this recipe came from Meriel's healing books, I would not even be asking your permission and would not be considering on making the recipe, but Meriel was a far better healer than even what I have accomplished. I trust the notes in her books better than my own memory of what she taught me, but if her theories or amounts in this medicine are incorrect it would mean certain death for you. This request must be made by you, and only you. If you refuse it, I will not push further, but Faylen would be pressured to take the ruling earlier than she wants to allow for wise decisions. If you agree to take the medicine, I will make it and bring it to you the moment I have all of the ingredients required for its creation." I sighed again and leaned heavily on the window, looking out into the city. There were a few humans scattered around, one Monitingo chasing a Mauttuci around the food stores as someone watched, and my people were scattered everywhere doing their work.

"King Delsaran, if I may give my opinion?" came Lanquar's voice from behind me. I nodded. "Princess Faylen loves you dearly. Anyone can tell that she does not want to take the ruling without first losing you, and no child wants to lose their parent sooner than absolutely necessary. However, Adrella is correct. Your shortened temper and decreased patience have become a concern for many, though none say anything as you still deliver wise decisions. But the method you take to reach those decisions is not one typical of a king or queen. I fear that if you refuse this medicine, Princess Faylen will become the ruling queen while you are still alive. Our people already look to her for the hope and faith that she instills in them. She is ready to become queen, but her request shows that she does not want that power just yet. The late Queen Meriel was the most skilled healer our people have ever seen. If this recipe is from her notes, I feel that you should at least attempt it. At best, it lengthens your ruling and allows the princess to ease her own worries of ruling before her time truly starts. At worst, your death, but your people are well taken care of by one whom is capable and ready to rule if needed. My advice is to approve the medicine." I stood in silence for a few minutes, thinking of Meriel and Faylen, and trying to make a wise decision on what I should do. Finally coming to my decision, I stood and turned to face Lanquar and Adrella.

"I would prefer not to risk death to take a medicine that has not been tried and tested, but Lanquar is correct. Meriel was the most skilled healer our clan has ever seen. If this medicine comes from her notes, I will take it to test if it works. If it results in my death, then so be it. Faylen will give her Queen's Vows and rule our people wisely. But if this medicine works, it will allow all older elves to enjoy the most time possible with their children, their children's children, and even the children after them. I give my approval for this medicine, Adrella. Take all the precaution and time you need to create it, and I will take it when it is ready." She nodded and bowed her head, heading into the hallway with Desmond following her down the hall. "My time of ruling is coming to an end, Lanquar. We both know that before the return of Cherry season, Faylen will be ruling our people. Do you truly believe that she is ready to handle the pressures of ruling?"

"Yes, I do. When the hope and faith of our people begin to falter, they look at her and they are renewed with hope and faith of winning this war. Your soldiers follow her orders out of loyalty; not because she is the princess and not because she is their general, but because they know she will fight for them. That will to fight for any instills a level of loyalty that the human king lacks. I am disheartened to say this, King Delsaran, but you lack that quality as well. Our people follow your daughter out of a love that I rarely see outside of familial relations. She has gotten humans and elves to coexist peacefully in the same city for the first time since the Hybrids were slaughtered. That is an accomplishment that I truly doubted could happen, but I am not surprised that Faylen is the one that accomplished it. She is a truly gifted leader and will rule our people wisely when she takes the throne. Although I know I am speaking for both her and myself at this moment, I hope that rule is not as near as we think." I nodded and let out a sigh, pulling the scroll back out as I thought about Desmond's characteristics and what I was seeing in the scroll.

Faylen's View

"King Delsaran approved for Adrella to make the recipe, Faylen. These are the ingredients she needs," Desmond said as he came back in my room.

"Thank you. I will make sure these are collected soon." I sensed some nervousness from him as I took the list, and looked at him curiously. "What is wrong, Desmond?"

"I heard a little of their conversation in King Delsaran's private library while I was waiting for Adrella. She told him that this medicine could cause his death if the amounts or any ingredients are incorrect." I took a deep breath but nodded.

"King Delsaran was the only one that could approve the medicine, which he did. He thought of his decision and made his choice. If this medicine is what causes his death, I will give my Queen's Vows." Desmond nodded, but didn't take his eyes off me.

"You'll be a great queen, Faylen. And you already have one that will follow any command you give without hesitation," he said with a smile. I felt a small smile curl my lips, but pushed back my fear and worry before looking over the list of ingredients.

"I know all these ingredients. That will make this easier. Are there any humans helping in the healing rooms?"

"Adrella said she would have them at the south gate when you send people out to gather."

"I will not be sending others out to gather these. I will go get them. Did she say if there was anything else she needed for the health stores?"

"No, but I'm sure she'll tell the humans that she sends if she needs anything else." I nodded and set the list to the side, planning to head out when the sun reached the middle of the sky. I went to the wall and checked on all the soldiers, sending some home to rest and calling others to replace them. After that was finished, I met Akkar in the training grounds and did a few minutes of training to keep my movements quick, then sent Desmond to the healing rooms to tell Adrella I was about to leave to collect the ingredients. When I got to the south gate, there were two humans standing there next to Desmond.

"Good to see you, Gisena. How are you doing in the healing rooms?" I asked as I approached.

"I'm doing okay in them, I think. Adrella says there's still room for improvement, but I'm trying my best to get things right even though she won't tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"You may be doing nothing wrong, but she is still correct," I said, seeing a look of confusion cross her face. "In anything we do, there is always room for improvement. Remembering that keeps us trying harder." She nodded and I turned to face the other human that I hadn't met yet.

"Faylen, this is Gabella Tancock. She's also from Tebury," Desmond said before I could ask her name.

"Good to meet you, Gabella. How are you fairing in the healing rooms?"

"I just started going to them yesterday, but there's not much that I haven't been able to remember yet."

"You will get better. Have no fear of that." She nodded but looked a little nervous to be around the elves. "Did Adrella state if there were any ingredients that she needed in the health stores?" I asked as I looked at Gisena.

"She said that everything she needs is on the list she gave you, but will gladly take any extras of anything that you can collect." I nodded.

"Open the gates, please," I said to the guards. The gates opened and Gisena asked what we were collecting.

"May I accompany you as protection for all, Faylen?" came a voice from behind me as I opened my mouth to respond. I turned at the new voice and saw Akkar standing behind me with his sword on his side, and gave a nod.

"We will be collecting the ingredients for a new medicine that Adrella has received permission to make," I said as we all headed down the road, following it like we were going to Giwic Keep. "They are all located in and near the edge of the forest."

"Adrella had to get permission to make a medicine?" Gabella asked. "I thought she was the oldest healer in the clan and could do anything when it came to medicines."

"She is the oldest healer in the clan, and for the most part, she can do anything for medicines. However, this medicine is one that has not be tested and proven, and those require the approval of the king or queen before they can be made. Especially when the king or queen will be the one taking them." I felt caution from Akkar and turned my attention to him for a moment. "We will speak more of this medicine when we stop for them to rest." Turning my attention back to Gisena and Gabella, I asked them a question. "What ingredients have you both learned?"

"I don't know where the Ashwagandha or Bael leaves are collected as I've never seen those plants, but everything else is familiar to me or easy for me to remember," Gisena said.

"You will see the Ashwagandha plant soon. That is one of the ingredients we must collect. And you, Gabella?"

"The Ashwagandha and Bael leaves as well, but also the Bay Tickleweed spores and the Prairie Lavendar leaves are unfamiliar to me." I nodded.

"Prairie Lavendar leaves are unfamiliar to you?" Gisena asked, sounding surprised. Gabella nodded but I spoke up.

"Not all have the same knowledge, Gisena."

"I know that, Faylen, but the Prairie Lavendar was the easiest to spot when we'd run our goods to Giwic Keep." Gabella looked at Gisena. "Remember those tall purple flowers that looked like purple cones when you'd get closer?" Gabella nodded. "That's Prairie Lavendar. As for the Bay Tickleweed spores, they're on the leaves of Bay trees."

"We will be collecting some of them as well, however, the Bay Tickleweed only grows on the underside of Bay leaves that are in full shade. Sunlight kills that ingredient," I said, trying to help Gabella and correct Gisena. They both nodded.

"What else do we need to collect, Faylen?" Desmond asked.

"Rosemary sprigs, pepper leaves, and Orchid Tree flowers are needed for the recipe, but we will collect all the ingredients we can." They all nodded and we went as far as we could until Gisena and Gabella were saying they were tired. I was surprised that we'd made it one-third of the way to the edge of the forest, but said nothing. As Akkar and I wandered the borders of our campsite while the others slept, Akkar spoke to me in my mind.

"May I know what medicine the king will be taking?"

"Adrella did not give me the name, but the recipe is meant to calm one's temper and increase their patience."

"Why was this medicine requested?"

"To allow him his entire time to rule. I do not want to rule our people if my father is still alive, but he must be able to rule us wisely."

"Is there something I should know of his condition, Faylen?"

"It has gotten worse since Desmond's arrival."

"That should be expected. He is human and was brought into the city."

"Demond's arrival was not the cause of his temper. His temper has gotten worse by the day since Desmond arrived, but Desmond did not cause my father to break a plate while he yelled at me."

"Were you injured?" came his rough voice, although it was laced with concern.

"No, I was not injured, but it is why I asked Adrella to find a medicine for temper and patience. She told me that there was one in my mother's notes, but it needed my father's approval before she could make it."

"Why do I sense that you are not telling me everything, Faylen?" he asked after a few minutes of silence between us.

"If the ingredients or amounts are incorrect, it will mean his death," I said softly.

"The recipe was in your mother's notes?"

"Yes, but it is comprised of only suggestions and theories."

"Then he should live. Your mother was the best healer our race has ever known. If this recipe is truly from her notes, there should be no worries for the king's safety." We went back to our silence as we patroled our campsite, waking the humans when the sun began to rise. Two days later, we reached the edge of the forest and I pointed out the Ashwagandha and Bael plants.

"We will collect them on our way back. We should go collect some Prairie Lavendar leaves first. There is no sense in us being this close and not getting any. Even if they are not needed at the moment, it would be better to have extra." We walked until the sun was in the middle of the sky before we reached the first plant, and I knelt, pulling leaves off the plant.

"I see another up ahead, Faylen. It's not too far off. Would you like me to go get some of the leaves?" Gisena asked as I was pulling the third leaf off.

"Yes, please. Thank you." I finished pulling all the leaves off the plant that I could, then called Gisena back before heading back to the forest's edge. We collected a bunch of pepper leaves, Ashwagandha leaves, and Bael leaves, then headed further into the forest.

"What's next, Faylen?" Gabella asked.

"We need some Orchid tree flowers and leaves." They nodded and started looking up in the trees for the flowers, making me try not to laugh since they were only found further into the forest. After a moment, I turned left off the pathway, and went to a large cluster of trees that had dark brown trunks. "These are the Orchid trees." Akkar started to walk in a circle around the trees to keep us safe as I grabbed a trunk to climb up to the flowers, but saw Gabella, Gisena, and Desmond grab a trunk as well. We all scurried up the trees, scaring the Mattuci off the branches and hearing a flock of Flamifoutu screech.

"How many flowers do you want us to collect, Faylen?" came Desmond's voice when the volume of their screeches lowered.

"Grab four each. That should be plenty for the health stores for a while." I grabbed my four and dropped down to the ground from my branch. We dropped all the flowers in a bag and I looked up at the sky, seeing tall clouds and some flashes of light as a strong breeze blew the scent of pine around us. "We will stay here for the night. We are shielded from the approaching storm and trying to collect our next ingredient in this weather would be risking death."

"What approaching storm?" asked Gisena. A low rumble reached our ears on the next breeze and she looked up at the sky. "Wow. Where'd this one come from? There's usually no storms like this in Pine season."

"Along the Sea of Ikos, they appear all year long. Most only come ashore during Bay season, but it would still be wiser to remain in a sheltered location in case this one does come ashore." They all nodded and we sat as close to the Orchid trees as we could. A few large drops pelted the ground in front of us and I looked over at Akkar. "Join us. There should be no one in this storm." The sky opened just as he got under the trees, and large drops smacked the ground, continuing all through the night. At one point, I'd seen some of the drops bounce back toward the sky, and pointed it out to Akkar while the others slept.

"This storm had very high clouds. I have not seen drops like that in over 150 years."

"Why are they doing that?"

"If the clouds are high enough, the rain freezes before it falls to the ground. That is the frozen rain. You can tell how high the clouds are from the size of the frozen rain. High clouds that are still small provide drops that size. The larger the frozen rain, the higher the clouds go." I nodded but wanted to go see the frozen rain up close. "Do not go into those drops, Faylen. They hurt when they hit you." I sighed but nodded. As the sky began to lighten from the rising of the sun, the rain and wind slowed enough to make it safe for us to walk to our next ingredient. Desmond began to wake on his own and I woke Gisena and Gabella. "We can leave to collect the rest of the ingredients." They nodded and slowly got to their feet, stretching their arms above their head. We headed off to the Bay trees that typically had the Bay Tickleweed on them, getting there as the sun fully rose into the sky and the rain stopped. The wind was still higher than I would have liked, but I put it out of my mind and grabbed a tree to climb the trunk, seeing Gisena do the same at the tree next to me.

"Gisena, if you and Gabella would like to join me on this tree, I can show you the Bay Tickleweed spores so you know what you are looking for if you ever come out to collect ingredients on your own." They came to the tree and scurried up right behind me. We stopped on the last large branch and I stood, reaching up and pulling the small branch above us down. "This is Bay Tickleweed," I said as I pointed at the little black specs all over the underside of a leaf. "It is hard to collect, easy to kill, and can be used to make a poison, but if used correctly and in the appropriate amounts, it will heal the one who ingests it. Go ahead and grab five leaves each. There are plenty on each of them so that should be more than enough for the health stores." They quickly grabbed some leaves and dropped them in the bag, and I let go of the branch, hastily wrapping my arms around the trunk as a strong breeze began to shake tree. Gisena and Gabella grabbed the branch under them and we stayed still until the tree stopped moving. "Both of you climb down, but be safe and quick," I said as I handed the bag to Gisena. "Desmond and Akkar will help you steady yourselves as you get to the bottom of the tree. I will be down momentarily." They started to climb down and disappeared after a moment. "Akkar and Desmond, Gisena and Gabella are coming down for safety. Help them off the tree. I will be down when the wind slows again." I ended up waiting another five minutes for the wind to slow enough for me to safely let go of the tree trunk, and began to climb to the ground. Halfway down, a strong breeze blew the tree again and I lost my footing, but caught the branch I'd been standing on as I felt a sharp pain in my left arm.

"Faylen, are you alright?" came Akkar's voice.

"Yes," I groaned out in response, trying to ignore the pain I was in.

"Faylen, please be honest with me. What happened?" came Desmond's voice.

"I lost my footing is all. I am fine."

"Then why do I feel a sharp pain in my left arm?" I stayed quiet for a minute, trying to think of an answer as I finally got back up on the branch. "Faylen, answer me or I'll send Akkar up to carry you down."

"I lost my footing on that last breeze and my arm got pulled as I caught myself. I am fine and will be down soon. None are to come up this tree. It is not as safe as it should be," I said angrily as I held my arm to my chest and looked at where I needed to climb. This is going to be hard with just one arm, but I should be alright if I go down the trunk. When the wind died down again, I wrapped my legs and right arm around the tree trunk and slowly scooted myself down the trunk, trying not to move my left arm. I felt hands grip my waist as I reached the forest floor, and accepted the help on getting off the tree.

"What is wrong with your arm, Faylen?" Akkar asked as I turned around, still holding my arm to my chest.

"It got pulled when that last breeze made me slip. My shoulder still hurts, but I am fine and will be fine until we return to the city. I will have Adrella or Tsarra heal it the moment we return." I felt frustration come from Akkar and knew Desmond was glaring at me, but I didn't care. I pointed out the last couple of ingredients, letting Gisena and Gabella collect them, opening the bag for them as we headed back to Gulonde. The moment we walked in the city, Adrella came rushing to the gate with a bag over her shoulder.

"Let me see, Faylen." I sighed but let her take my arm from my chest, wincing as my shoulder moved when she lifted it. "Ah. I see what happened. It is an easy fix, and does not require any time in the healing rooms, nor any ingredients. It will be quite painful, but if left like this you will not be able to use your left arm." I nodded.

"Go ahead and fix the problem. I would rather have full use of both my arms for any battles." She nodded and pulled some fabric from her bag before rolling it up as I clutched my arm to my chest again.

"Bite this." I opened my mouth and bit down on the fabric when she put it in my mouth. "Desmond, if you would please hold her for me. Do not let her body come towards me." He nodded and wrapped his arms around my waist as Adrella lifted my arm and straightened it, making me groan in pain as I bit the fabric harder. "Brace yourself, Desmond. I need to pull her arm to put the shoulder back where it should be." He adjusted his footing and Adrella yanked on my arm, making me clench my teeth onto the fabric as I tried not to cry out in pain. "I am sorry for the pain, Faylen, but that is the only way to fix a shoulder that has been dislodged." I nodded and slowly opened my mouth to let her take the fabric. She unrolled it and wrapped it around my arm, going over my other shoulder. "Make sure to leave that on for the night, but it can come off in the morning. In three days, you may begin using your shoulder again but make sure to go slow when it comes to heavier items, including your swords. You will not have the same strength or agility with your left arm for at least two weeks." I nodded and thanked her, handed her the bag of ingredients, then turned to head to the training grounds. I went to grab my sword, but winced when my shoulder jostled again.

"Let me help, Faylen," Desmond said as he stepped in front of me. He pulled my sword from its sheath and set it in place on the rack, then took the sheath off my hip as I sighed, already frustrated at not being able to do the simpliest of tasks. We walked up to the castle and he opened the door to my room for me, watching as I walked to my bed and plopped down, wincing as my shoulder moved again.