Turning of the Tide (Closed for SinisterSpiders)

[SinisterSpiders]

General Kel'aris

"Your question is fair." Kel'aris conceded as she looked into Darion's strange eyes. At first he had seemed exasperated by the conversation, but when he had looked up at her there was something different there. His whole posture had changed, and in the rocking of the cart, he seemed to be more grounded.

"You asked me what we could expect if we reveal your parentage. The truth is that I am not sure- there are so many possible options. The real question you need to consider, however, is what will become of you if they think you are just another enemy soldier."

Kel'aris took gave Darion a wry smile, wondering if his aversion to sharing his parentage would stop him from seeing that the odds were not currently stacked in his favour.

"Telling my people of your parentage is a gamble, there is no doubt about that. If we don't, I can tell you that there are two options that you will have to look forward to. The first is that, when we reach the capital, revenge will be sought for those soldiers that you killed- so in other words, your future will end there. The second option is that your life will be spared, but your freedom will not. The Canopy Cells might have a nice view, but living high up in a tree cell will be worse than this cart ride."

Kel'aris wasn't sure what she hoped to achieve by consulting with Darion. Perhaps she was hoping that he would come up with an alternative plan that would set her mind at ease. Perhaps she just wanted to be able to talk to someone, anyone, about her course of action. She wasn't entirely sure that she could trust his counsel, but without her affirmations anything he said to any of the guards would be disregarded as the desperation of a condemned man.

"Think on it Darion.' Kel'aris said softly. "Like I said, every life is precious. Yes, you fought against my people and killed some very skilled warrior who were also parents, children or friends. But that does not mean you have to die. Continuing on as a faceless prisoner is one way to guarantee that. Perhaps revealing your parentage is another, but at least with that option there is a slim chance that there will be more to your future than confinement."

 

[LucianDevine]

Darion couldn't stop the heavy sigh that slipped from his lips at Kel'aris' words. He knew she was right. Hell, he'd known how bad his situation was the moment he'd gotten captured. His brown gaze lowered as he tried to consider his options, though truthfully, they were rather limited to say the least.

"I suppose it's the same on the gamble isn't it?" Darion joked lightly when his head lifted once more. "Any of these roads could lead to my death. It's simply a question of which one gives me the best odds of survival, even if the conditions of that survival are a little less than I'd prefer."

Darion went silent for another few moments, giving his limited options a little more consideration before he finally conceded the point. "I suppose the best chances of survival are to reveal my parentage and let the chips lay where they fall. I can't exactly control anything or stop you if you choose to reveal it, but I suppose my chances increase a little if I stand beside you when the truth comes out. It's better for me to answer the barrage of questions that follow before doubts have time to form."

Though he still didn't like where all of this was heading, Darion was not stupid. He hadn't begged for his life on the battlefield, and he wouldn't do so now. There was no shame though, in grasping at the last couple of straws that might prolong his life.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

General Kel'aris

Kel'aris gave a slow nod as Darion finished speaking. She was pleased that he was accepting this course of action. He was a strong fighter, and she didn't want him to be wasted because of his lacklustre upbringing. If his parentage was any indication, he would mature to be a great man, and Kel'aris would be damned if she didn't allow him every opportunity to make his father proud.

"Very well. I will call upon you again once we are settled and in the capital. We won't wait long before telling the council." Kel'aris inclined her head by way of farewell and then slipped out of the cart.

~*~

It wasn't long after her meeting with Darion in the cart that her coucilors decided to question her about what was going on. Once again she gave them evasive platitudes that she was asking Darion for more information, and that there was nothing of any use that he had to give.

Lehrik pulled her aside at camp that evening and gave her a look that Kel'aris knew that meant he wasn't fooled. Throughout their discussions his gestures were familiar, and his tone exasperated. Not at all how a Captain should be treating the General. Eventually he had given up and called for some wine. Despite her earlier defensiveness, Kel'aris found the alcohol to be a valuable balm for her stressed out mind, and she finally began to relax a little.

"You take too much on yourself." Lehrik told her. Somewhere during the evening his role in their conversation had stopped being Captain and become old friend. Kel'aris should have pulled him up, but they were alone in her tent, and she needed a chance to debrief.

"I'm the General, it's my job." Kel'aris responded stiffly.

"No, your job is to lead our people. No one said you had to do it alone." Lehrik pushed himself out of his seat and walked to stand behind her. "You have councelors and advisers to help you. You have people that you trust and that trust you in return. Being evasive will only breed discontent and distrust. What is it about this half-breed that has you so spooked?" Lehrik placed his hands on Kel'aris's shoulders gently and she turned to glare at him.

"Darion does not have me spooked. There are just deeper issues afoot here, and they will be revealed in good time." Kel'aris shrugged Lehrik's hands off her and then got to her feet.

Lehrik knew not to push the issue any further, although Kel'aris could see that he was itching to. Instead he poured her another cup of wine, handed it to her, and then made for the tent flap.

"Please watch yourself Kel'aris. The other Captains are getting restless with the half-breed in our camp, and if you are not careful this may come back to harm you. I don't want to see your leadership undermined by something so trivial." Lehrik said as he left the tent.

"Neither do I." Kel'aris sighed as she sunk back into her seat. Although Lehrik was wrong about one thing. This was not trivial. Not trivial at all.

~*~

The rest of the trip back to the Elven City went smoothly, not a single human raid happened in their last week and a half of travel. Now that they were home, the Captains were demanding that Darion be brought to justice for his crimes, and Kel'aris knew that the time was nearing to reveal his parentage.

Darion had been given accommodation in the Bower Prisons. The beautiful Elven capital had no buildings as such, instead their homes and shops were built in the canopy of the forest, accesed by intricately carved wooden staircases that wound about the ancient trees. Likewise, their prisons were unlike the stone cells of man. In a darker part of the forest, far from the river that ran through it, but not too far from the main city, the prisoners of their kind were kept in living prisons. The Bower Trees were ones with enormous trunks made of the toughest wood known to Elven kind. The roots were twisted and gnarled formed a strong support from which the trees thrived.

Inside the hollowed trunk of a Bower Tree, prisoners were housed with a chamber pot and a bed, and barely enough room to pace. Once they were locked into their cells the wardens cast spells of protection on the trees. There had been breakouts throughout the history of their use, but they were few, far between, and always magically aided.

Even though Kel'aris knew the accommodations would not be to Darion's liking, she also knew that they were protecting him. Her people knew how futile an attempt to infiltrate the prison would be, and they were more than happy to let him rot in his cell. Kel'aris, however, was not. As her feet padded through the damp undergrowth of the Bower Grove the Guards saluted her respectfully. When she located Darion's cell it was unlocked for her without a single question and she stepped inside.

"Good morning." Kel'aris said, her eyes raking over Darion and trying to take in his condition.