Redux: Lineage

"Impressive weaponry for a bunch of travellers," I heard a voice mutter as I was roused from my slumber. "Can't be just a bunch of peasants that got lost."

"Teeth, clothing, cleanliness, body weight, and their arsenal proves that," another voice agreed.

"Arsenal indeed," a third said . "That one with the short blue hair's got a sword made from a material I've never seen before that's glowing."

"Then avoid touching it in case it curses you," the first voice said. "We'll hold onto them until the Far Guard comes to collect them, and then they're not our problem anymore."

I opened my eyes, seeing the inner walls of a wooden cabin, stitched rugs, and a table in front of me. I turned my head, looking to find the source of the voices and being quite surprised to see who they belonged to: Dark Elves, if the snow white hair, chocolate skin, and black tattoos were anything to go off of. Three of different shapes and sizes, dressed in basic scouting gear for their kind; simple leather armour, wielding bows and swords.

"Looks like one of them's waking up," the second voice said.

There was the sound of footsteps followed by the dark-skinned Elf crouching down in front of me. She had short, cropped hair, a black-line tattoo on her chin, and cold grey eyes. She snapped her fingers in front of my eyes, getting me to focus before looking at me with scrutiny.

"Mind explaining what you and yours were doing wandering around forbidden territory?" she asked.

"Looking for the High Elven Capital," I answered. "Need their help getting a relic repaired."

"Y'mean this?" the third voice asked, holding up the damaged remains of Voleur de Vis, looking at it with scrutiny. "What's so important about it?"

"Alicorn weapon," I responded, still feeling groggy as all hell and not really seeing straight. "Need it fixed."

"And how the hell did a kid like you get a hold of an Alicorn weapon?" the first voice asked, moving in front of me.

She had much longer hair, flowing down to the middle of her back, with green eyes, and similar black tattoos on her shoulders, seemingly going over onto her back and converging around the top of her spine. Her eyes were green and just as cold as the second's, eyeing me with a look of mistrust and distaste as she spoke.

"Because I am one," I said. "I'm getting it repaired so I can learn from it."

"Right, of course you are," she scoffed. "And I'm the goddess of the sun. You wanna try again, kid?"

"I'm telling you that I'm an Alicorn. My name is Richter, son of Cadance and Shining Armour," I said through gritted teeth.

"I thought Alicorn were supposed to be big?" the third elf asked.

"I thought they were meant to be strong?" the second asked.

"And I don't believe for a second that some whelp like you is one of the strongest beings on this planet," the first smirked. "Not after your whole group got taken down by a basic knock-out spell."

"I... it's complicated," I spat.

"Sure it is, honey," she chuckled. "And you can tell the Far Guard that story as soon as they get here."

That sentence was immediately followed by a knock at the door.

"Perfect timing," she said, grabbing hold of me by the bindings that held my arms behind my back and dragging me to my feet. "Get the weapons and get the others. We're handing them all over."

"That sword might be worth something, though," the second pointed out.

"We're not bandits, Shura," the first growled. "I'm not going to rob these people and leave them dry. The Far Guard is gonna ship their asses to the border and tell them to go home, and I'm not having their death on my conscience because they get murdered by bandits after we stole their weapons for a quick coin."

"Right, right, fair enough," the second nodded.

I was moved to the door, soon being shoved out of it as it was opened and stumbling into another elf, this one having the alabaster skin and lighter blonde hair associated with their kind. They placed a hand on my shoulder to steady me, their white and gold gauntlet giving off a blinding glint in the unnatural light that bathed the forest.

The Elf was a tall man, standing over six feet tall and wearing white and gold plate armour, a sword at his hip and a bow on his back. His eyes were a soft yellow colour and his skin was as smooth and spotless as the High Elf I'd met back home.

"Easy, traveller," he said, steadying me before stepping back, looking over my shoulder at the Dark Elves. "Thank you for informing us, sisters."

"Don't mention it," one of them shrugged. "Just doing our duty and looking out for each other."

"Many thanks," he said with a nod of his head.

"Right then," the second Dark Elf grunted, tossing Zane and Annerose, both of whom were still unconscious down on the floor, while the third dragged Grael out by his tail, something that got me more than furious, before tossing our bundle of weapons, wrapped in string, onto the ground.

"And this," said the elf holding the remains of Voleur de Vis, tossing it to another High Elf behind the one holding onto me. "Dunno if its worth anything to you. But they had it on them."

The second High Elf, a shorter woman with tied back hair and narrow eyes looked at the sword in horror, turning to who I presumed was her commanding officer.

"Sir, this is a Sungsteel blade!" she exclaimed, handing it over to the larger Elf.

He took it gently, making sure not to handle the damaged weapon too roughly, before examining it, nodding slowly as he did so.

"I can sense the power of the song still in this sword, despite its age," he nodded, looking down at me. "And it seems to like you, young man."

"It does?" I asked in confusion.

"Whatever, girls, we're out of here," the long-haired Dark Elf responded.

With that, the three of them headed off into the woods and left the rest of us behind. The Elf in armour turned to his fellow guard and made a request that surprised her quite thoroughly.

"Release him, Faela," he said.

"Sir... are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course," he nodded, looking back down at the sword before glancing up to me. "An Alicorn is a welcome guest in our lands. Always has been."

"Finally..." I said with a smile, giving a thankful nod to the female elf as she released me. "So... what gave it away?"

"Sungsteel weapons are loyal only to their masters. They grow affinity for those that are well-liked by their masters... and it seems to like you," he answered. "That tells me you have some kind of ownership over this weapon. I can tell you're an Alicorn because of the energy I sense coming from you."

"But I can't use magic," I pointed out, rubbing my wrists.

"And yet it is still there," he said. "Much in the same way a lake does not stop existing when dammed, an Alicorn's power is ever-present, even if they cannot use it."

"So why couldn't they sense it?" I asked, nodding in the direction of the Dark Elves.

"One must know the taste of something to recognise it. You cannot recall the taste of an apple until you have eaten one, thus you cannot recall the 'taste' of an Alicorn unless you have experienced it before," he explained. "Simply put; they can sense an energy from you, but do not know what name to put to it."

"Can you wake my friends up?" I asked, turning back to them with a worried expression.

"Of course," he nodded, waving his hand, his palm glowing a calm blue, before the others shot straight up, Annerose leaping up with a yelp.

"Peace, friends, there is no need for alarm," he said in a soothing voice.

"What- How- Where-" Annerose began, scrambling to her feet and looking around. "Elves?"

"Elves indeed young lady," the tall Elf said, bowing his head in a respectful manner. "Faela?"

The younger, shorter blonde elf waved at Zane and Grael, only for a more nervous and bashful expression to spread onto her face as she looked at Annerose. She wiggled her fingers awkwardly, the two meeting eyes for a brief moment and then immediately looking away from each other in embarrassment.

Oh boy. Here we go.

"So, I take it you've come to have the weapon restored?" the Elf asked.

"You're sure on the ball with this, aren't you?" I asked.

"Of course," he smiled. "I've gotten quite good at piecing situations together over my life. An Alicorn comes to the forest with a damaged blade that cares for him? Must surely be to repair it."

"You're quite right," Zane said, taking his axe out of the bundle of weapons before tossing Anne's to her and handing me my own. "Sorry, Grael. Nothing for you."

"I'd be worried if there was," the Direwolf commented, getting up properly and sitting on his haunches.

"My, you're big," Faela said in a shocked expression.

"Thank you," the Direwolf nodded, turning to look at the leader of the two. "So, my Elven friend, would you mind giving us the honour of your name?"

"Ah, of course, my apologies," he nodded, standing at attention with his hands behind his back. "I am Rela, commander of the western Far Guard for the outskirts of the Emerald Forest."

"Far Guard?" Annerose asked.

"They guard the borders of the Emerald Forest," I answered. "They keep trouble out and act as a welcoming party for honoured guests."

"Sadly we forgot to bring the wine and bread this time around," Rela said with a smile. "Would you mind introducing yourselves?"

"I am Familiar Grael, sworn protector of the Crown Prince of Equestria," Grael said, bowing his head.

"Knight-in-Training Zane, current Right Hand Retainer of the Crown Prince of Equestria," Zane said, standing in his own attentive stance.

"Annerose, current Left Hand Retainer of the Crown Prince of Equestria," Annerose said, giving a brief two-finger salute with a much more casual delivery.

I noticed a dreamy smile creep onto Faela's face as she stared at Anne, biting her lip slightly as she looked the other woman up and down.

"Crown Prince Richter of the nation of Equestria, and the linchpin that prevents this gaggle of idiots from falling apart," I said, shaking hands with Rela.

"More like the weak link in the chain of better warriors," Annerose scoffed, getting a middle finger from me in response without me turning my head.

"A Crown Prince that allows his subjects to speak to him in such a manner?" Rela asked.

"They're friends first and subjects second," I answered. "Wouldn't want it any other way."

"A more refreshing take than other monarchs I have seen in this world," Rela smiled in a proud manner. "It is good to see a royal lacking a head swollen by his title."

"Don't worry, we make sure the asshole doesn't have any reasons to feel good about himself," Zane said, clapping me on the back forcefully and grinning. "Isn't that right, you useless bastard?"

"More than you could ever want!" I grinned, playfully elbowing him in the stomach before turning back to Rela. "So, if it's not too rude to ask, would you mind escorting us to the Capital?"

"Not at all, Your Majesty," he said with a nod. "Are you all prepared for the ride?"

"Ride?" Annerose asked, fastening her sword to her belt once more. "What ride?"

"Well, we are but a few miles from the entrance to the Emerald Forest," Rela stated. "The Capital itself is several days journey from here... you are aware of that, are you not?"

"Okay..." Annerose said, her eye twitching in an angered manner. "Remind me to kill Celana when we get back... and then you."

I felt her eyes burn hatred beyond hatred into me from behind, noticing Faela giggle quietly to herself, enjoying Anne's unique character. I sighed quietly, turning to Rela and asking an honest question:

"Can you teleport us there?" I questioned in a tired tone. "Because I don't want her to kill me."

"Not myself, no... but I shall see what we can do," he nodded with a smile, Annerose walking past me with a fiery glare in her eyes.

The method of teleportation the Elves had was a strange one, requiring the use of a green sap crystal and any tree with a hollow trunk. You'd proceed to throw the sap in there and call out a destination you wished to travel to, and then the hollow trunk would reshape itself into a doorway that allowed you to walk into another corresponding hollow trunk.

"That's gotta be the most... practically bizarre teleportation requirement I've ever seen," I said, scratching the back of my head.

"But also the only natural one," Rela said as we walked through the trunk.

"Natural?" I asked.

"Indeed. The forest itself has the power to open doorways between places within its boundaries, and is through no power of our own," Rela said.

"That's... insanely impressive," I said, not knowing of any other kind of magic that worked like that.

Then again: I didn't know a lot of magic, so it could be the magic equivalent of a pigeon and I'd still be impressed.

"The forest has a way of looking out for all of us here, and all it asks in return is that we look after it," Rela went on, all of us reappearing at the foot of mossy stone steps that lead up to enormous white-stone buildings. "It nurtures and cares for us, so we do the same."

"An outlook many more should share," Grael commented as we began to walk up the long staircase to the entrance of the city.

"I agree wholeheartedly," Rela said with a sorrowful sigh. "I've seen too many view nature as nothing more than an obstacle to be removed... it saddens me."

There was a moment of silence between us all before Rela shook his head, looking at us with a new smile and a welcoming expression.

"But enough of my petty woes, I must show you to the Queen of our great forest," he said. "You're quite lucky, as she has just returned from her own journey outside of our home."

"Really?" I asked. "Where'd she go?"

"She went on a personal quest to the Far Sands, I believe, something about claiming a prize jewel from a selfish old snake," Rela explained. "She was gone a lot longer than most expected and, between you and me, I imagine she took quite a hefty detour from her original journey."

"Got the wander-lust?" I asked with a smirk.

"Don't we all?" Rela laughed. "I imagine she'd become tired with the day to day routines of the Elven Court and simply desired a break. I cannot blame her, nor can I dislike her for it. I'm planning on doing the same thing once my days of service are up for this month."

"Want me to recommend some travel destinations?" I asked.

"Very much so," Rela grinned. "But first, we shall see you to the Queen."

"Alrighty then," I nodded, turning to the other three. "You guys alright with that?"

"So long as she's not three days' ride from here," Annerose glowered.

"Oh hush, you," Grael sighed. "Your constant whining is beginning to become irksome."

"You're right, I am starting to sound a little too much like Richter," she said, glaring angrily at me once again.

"So what's the Queen like?" I asked Rela.

"A fantastic woman, with all the qualities you could desire in a ruler: intelligent, caring, charismatic, brave, tactical, and so many other great qualities that it'd take me days to describe. Though I'm sure you're used to growing up around great rulers, no?"

"Indeed I am," I nodded, unable to fathom how many times I'd been asked that question at this point in my life.

I kept my eyes on the city as we all walked, getting kind smiles and waves from the residents, all of whom fit that bright and light appearance the other High Elves did, marvelling at how integrated the forest was into the construction of the city. While stone was used plenty, there were numerous streets and businesses made solely from trees that appeared to have grown into the perfect shape to do business inside or to live in. There were entire tree trunks that appeared to be hollowed out into multi-floor buildings.

"How are they like that?" I asked Rela, pointing over to the tree buildings.

"We sing to the trees and ask them to help us," he answered. "They're often more than willing to grow themselves into homes and workplaces rather than be chopped down for them. I've told this to many humans and other races I've come across, but they never seem to take the time to ask the trees for help."

Maybe he had a point. I'd never tried to speak to trees before.

"Did you make the palace with that process?" I asked.

"No, that was made by stonemasons. The trees are great and numerous, but we required something more defensive than wood at the time it was built," he explained. "War was feared at the time, tensions were high, and the people demanded safety."

"I'm guessing as time went on, you started fearing war less and less?" Grael asked. "If the more tree-focused construction is any indicator?"

"You guess correct, my friend," Rela answered. "Peace reigned and calmness became our eternal mood, so we began to expand out into this beautiful forest and enjoy ourselves once again."

"That's good to hear," Annerose nodded. "I've seen places where everyone's shitting it about war, and they're always full to the brim of arseholes and murderers."

"That sounds terrible," Faela said, seemingly gathering up the confidence to speak to Anne.

"It's terrible if you're not prepared for it," she shrugged. "But once you learn to take a punch and carry a knife with you everywhere you go, it becomes less of a constant, over-bearing threat and more of a minor annoyance."

"That does indeed sound like a terrible place to exist in," Faela said, shivering at the thought of it.

We soon arrived at the foot of the castle, Rela gesturing for us to head into the enormous, sharp-spired white building. I began to notice more in the architecture than just stone and wood, but also a large focus on what looked like light green glass, a similar colour to a watery green lake, that shined and reflected the light in beautiful rays of the false sunshine.

"Wow," I said in an impressed manner, the guards letting us pass as we entered the castle.

The inside was just as beautiful, being made up of a white and green colour scheme with wooden furniture and decorations everywhere, statues of a perfect likeness to the Elves they were meant to depict, and the entire place carrying that sweet scent the outside did. Once we came to the enormous set of double doors, marked with a large pattern of a leaf on either side, Rela stepped forward, nodding to the guards by the doors who then opened them.

The hinges appeared to be nothing more than large tree roots that had merged with the door, creaking loudly as they opened the entrance, allowing a great look at the enormous hall. The throne room was bustling with activity, from Elves delivering letters, to cleaning, to singing with one another, and all the way up to the tree-sung throne itself.

It was made of strong, gnarled roots that were interwoven into a tight, strong pattern, with large arm rests and what looked like a rack made to hold weapons. I followed the root carpet that lead up to the throne, bringing my eyes up to the figure sat on the throne... and having them nearly drop out of my head in surprise.

Despite being in a different set of clothes and being in a much different circumstance, the figure was familiar. More familiar than most strangers, in fact, I recognised her immediately due to it having been less than a few hours since I'd laid eyes on her beautiful form.

"Sellaweyr?" I asked in a shocked manner, staring up at the Elven Queen.

"Richter?" she asked in a surprised tone, her eyes widened in shock. "Well, I was hoping to see you drop by soon, but I was hardly expecting it to be within a day and a half."

Oh yeah. I'd been unconscious for a while, hadn't I?

I looked her up and down, seeing her tatty clothing replaced with expensive white robes, mapping and curving her beautiful hourglass figure, with golden stitching around a hole in the abdomen of the dress that exposed her soft stomach and navel, as well as the sleeves and low-fitting shoulders of the dress. On her head she wore a golden grown, set with a large emerald that was carved and polished to perfection.

"And I was... well, I was expecting you to be a noble Elf... but this was not what I had in mind," I said with a slow nod.

"Richter?" Grael asked. "You know her?"

"Yeah... this is..." I said, thinking of how to say it. "This is my friend who can talk to trees."