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 Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:08 pm
Once everyone had finished, Alena took them back outside and started them back towards the castle.
"Well?" she asked the others with a smile as she led them down the street again. "What is your first impressions of our small city?"
Celeb looked up at her, his eyes wide. "Are kids really allowed to run shops by themselves?" he asked, his voice filled with awe.
Alena smiled softly at the boy. "Artemis, do you mean?" She reached down and put one hand on his head. "His mother spends the mornings in the shop with him, but in the afternoon she goes upstairs to work on the merchandise. His father is a member of the Wing Riders, so he doesn't get to see his family often."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:17 pm
That made sense it sounded more something out of necessity than anything else. Lin looked thoughtful, this place was like any other city only of course there were hints and aspects that suggested a culture of it's own.
"It's a wonderful place, it's familiar and different all at the same time," Lin replied after a while, "Everything here is so interesting."
"To you," Senka muttered.
"You napped through most of it."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:29 pm
Earendil chuckled and reached over to stroke Senka's head and back affectionately. "It sounds like someone is picking up the language without realizing it," he grinned. "Though to be honest, I would have expected that with the Ancient Tongue first."
He turned back to Alena. "I think it's amazing that your people can thrive and have such a developed economy while living in constant war. Truly, I am in awe. Our own people had a war a little over a century ago, and we could not rebuild our economy for at least a decade. We could do nothing while the war continued."
"To be fair," Arwen pointed out, having learned the same history as he had, "there was no ruler during that time, and the city was entirely dessicated. They had to rebuild the city before anything else could happen."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:35 pm
That was true Lin thought, she had only heard of the old city, but had never been there. She had been interested in that place, considering that, that was the old city and it was where her grandfather was found.
Senka purred happily at the petting not caring that she somehow caught onto the language at all.
"Still, this place if you didn't know about the gnomes or seen the walls it seems like there is no conflict whatsoever," Lin murmured.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:44 pm
Earendil kept petting Senka. "I agree," he nodded. "It's almost deceptive ... in the best possible way."
Alena smiled. "Well, I must be honest and say that I am quite glad to hear that," she murmured. "Not about the war in your land, but of your views of our land. And you are right, it is amazing that we can have such an economy while we are at war ... though at the same time, I look at our people and I see a cage. Yes, it is a fair sized city, but ... it is full, and so expansion is going to be required soon. Our options are limited, and every option takes away from our guarantee of safety."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:13 pm
That made sense after all they depending no less than two walls to keep the city itself said, and then there was the third wall for the castle. If they were to expand it would be dangerous to create a new wall, and it would be impossible to expand until that new wall was created... not to mention it took two walls to keep this place safe for as long as it been safe.
Expanding could create holes in the security, Lin could see the problem.
"That would be difficult," Lin murmured, "What will you do when you need to expand?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:18 pm
"That, I do not yet know," Alena admitted quietly. "It is a problem that has been weighing on my mind. But it is one that will have to be solved soon. We have perhaps another decade, but then the city will be far too small. And of course with His Majesty gone so much, it is difficult to come to a decision with him."
She shook her head. "If this keeps up, I will have to work with Aethos-sola to come to a solution ... and though I know his heart is in the right place, I have little confidence in his judgment. His father would never have thrown Earendil-sola or Haldia in prison."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:37 pm
Lin had to admit it was in really poor judgement but that couldnt' be the only reason why Alena didn't fully trust in Aethos' judgement. Though she had a feeling by nature people were suspicious here, or at least the guards were.
"Surely one incident wouldn't make you judge his judgement," Lin replied, "I mean, I admit to nearly butting heads with Aethos-sola."
Okay she thought he was a jackass at the time, but she wasn't going to say that.
"But, considering that has been the first contact with other elves since you all left the Four Lands, it could have been much worse."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:41 pm
"That is true," Alena agreed, "but as I said, he thinks with his heart, and not with his head. He would simply say that the city needs to be expanded, and that would be the end of it. No thought for the safety of the people, no thought for the materials or labour required, no thought as to the economic or military loss of manpower ... he is a good man, but I fear the day he becomes ruler."
She looked towards the sky, which was beginning to darken slightly as the sun began to set.
"If only Aerin-sol were here," she murmured wishfully. "She always had a good head on her shoulders ..."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:55 pm
Lin blinked surely she thought Aethos couldn't be that naive. She looked off in the distance thinking about Aerin. Aerin was serious, but she also has a good heart, just very serious at times.
It made her wonder if Aerin could ever return here.
Actually now that Lin thought about it, ti was odd Alena could talk so candidly about this.
"Things had been really different after Aerin left?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:01 pm
Alena nodded. "She was with us such a short time, but she really made a difference to our people." They reached the gate of the city, and she led them out to the path that led them back to the castle.
"Though Aethos-sola was the one who made decisions in his father's absence," she explained, "even at that young age, it was Aerin-sol who guided his decisions. Everything that he chose was well thought through, and was always the best decision ... but it was a result of Aerin-sol's reasoning, and not his. She was indisposed one day, and he made a decision of his own, and that was when the dragon appeared. She saved him from that, but that was when she was almost killed, and ended up being taken away from us ... our hearts were broken. Not only myself and the family, but the entire nation."
She sighed softly. "Since then, I know Aethos-sola has been trying to change, but he just does not have the capacity to make the right decisions. He wishes to be like his father and his sister, but he does not have the patience to think things through as they do, and so he does what seems best for the moment, and not for the future. As advisor, I can help him with that, but only to a point. While I can give him advice, I cannot enforce him following it. He has improved also, to be sure, but still, there is no knowing what may happen next."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:18 pm
Lin felt sorry for Aethos it must have been very difficult to not be able to do this like the way his father and sister could.
"I didn't know...." Lin murmured, "It must be hard on everyone..."
Though it made her wonder more why Aerin stayed where she was, and what was her personal quest now was all about.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:22 pm
Alena nodded. It was indeed difficult for everyone, but now, knowing that Aerin was alive, new hope was kindled within her.
"Rhea," she said, turning towards her, "you said that you live with her ... when you leave here, can I give you a message to take to her?"
Rhea nodded. "Of course. If I can be of any assistance, I will do what I can."
Alena smiled warmly. "Thank you. I will write a letter for you to take with you when you leave, but if you could ask her in addition ... simply this ... why, if she is alive and well, and has been so for hundreds of years, why does she not return to her people, who need her so desperately?" She put one hand on Rhea's shoulder. "That is all that I ask. All that I wish to know."
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:26 pm
That was probably a good question, though Lin had a feeling there was something deeper but she didn't know what it was. She wondered though if this meant that Aerin might leave Haven.
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:09 am
Rhea nodded and smiled softly at Alena. "I will tell her," she murmured. "As much as I know that she would be missed at the ranch, I hope that she is able to return here someday."
The ranch would not be the same if Aerin had to leave ... but Rhea understood that she was needed here, where her people relied on her to keep them safe and bring them into the future.
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