Elvish Princess

"There lived a beautiful princess named Karla. Who was destined to be the queen of her realm..."

"What's a queen Baba?"

"Well in Glacia, which was where Karla lived, a Queen was someone who looked after the land and it's people, made sure all was right, and kept the land healthy, and did her best to keep it's people happy. But, Karla's wicked uncle Hobart," she pronounced it similarly to Boggart, "Wanted to be the king of the land. He wanted to rule, and control..."

As the long retired, former Headmistress, former Exile, former Queen, former Street Punk wove her tale, anyone familiar with the actual events would have soon realized that it bore only a passing resemblance to real history. In the story, Hobart became combined with Leda's own nemesis, Corwyn, and the power-mad father of Cap'n Bill, the one eyed, one legged ninja from Bordertown. Likewise Eli and Bill got amalgamated.

She got so caught up in the story that she failed to notice when the little Elfling who was the sole audience fell asleep. Or when she dropped off herself.

"Leda," a gentle hand shook her awake, startling her a bit. Ember knew it would do her old friend no good at all to sleep for too long in the chair. If she was going to sleep it should be in her bed. "Leda I think you're done here."

Leda looked blearily at the sleeping child, a stuffed replica of Robin clutched in her arms. "Yes, yes I suppose you're right." she smiled, allowing Ember to help her up.

"And you!" she said authoritatively, pointing with her cane at the closet. "I hear you breathing in there, out!" Nothing happened. "Out I said. You're the Valley of the Danan my lad, and we'll have none of your skulking about, scaring children here!" Still nothing.

"My dear if you'd be so kind..." she gestured to Ember. Before the dragon could do anything though, the closet door opened, and something rather horrific emerged.

"You won't be around forever Old One." it hissed. "And when you're gone-"

"Oho! Don't try that with me little...thing." She used to be able to come up with such wonderful insults. "Just be glad it was me who caught you and not my Great Great Granddaughter!" With a last bit of posturing, the monster dissipated for more hospitable climes.

"It is just Great Great isn't it dear?" Leda asked Ember.

"For at least another month."

Leda started down the hall, Ember close at hand. "Pfft. Barely two hundred that girl. Far too young to be having children."

"Says the girl who got married before she'd reached half a century."

"Well I don't recall any of you old wise-ones warning me otherwise!"

"Would you have listened?"

Leda chuckled. "No Polaris, I suppose we wouldn't have would we. Hell, might have only encouraged us eh?" Though Polaris had been the older of the two and presumably wiser.

"Ember." Ember reminded her. It was happening more and more these days, Leda letting her mind wander and forgetting where, and when she was. Since she rarely ventured far from the house it wasn't too much of a problem. Talk of her first marriage had no doubt set her to remembering her late wife and so had made the connection.

"Beg pardon darling?"

"It's Ember, not Polaris."

"Are you sure?"

It could sometimes be hard to tell when Leda was really out of it, and when she was kidding. Ember found that a bit of humor helped in either case. "I can tell by the hair." Ember's hair in her human form was a fiery red, while Polaris' had been as black as it came.

"Oh yes of course. Sorry. Now where were we?"

"On our way to get some food before bed, while ranting about the foolishness of the young."

"Ah yes. Mind you you would look good with dark hair." she teased her old friend as they went along.

"I got him, Mom, Dad." Leda said softly. "It's over."

She stood before the monument to monarchs past. It was a simple obelisk, but those who touched it would be able to see the faces of those commemorated here. Leda had stopped here to let her parents know that the man who had ordered their deaths was gone.

She stood there for a moment, just refreshing her memory of their faces, then went to join the others.

Word had come late last night that the Dragons had driven back the Giants with minimal loss of life. But for the Matriarch and her daughter, it was a Pyrrhic victory at best. Ember and Smoke were children really, in the way Dragons measured age.

Dragon mourning practices were very private and not for the eyes of other races. But because of his friendship with Leda and the others, they were having a memorial for Smoke here as well.

Polaris clutched Leda's hand as she approached the crowd.

Leda had been going over in her head what to say. Almost going far enough to take notes. "I need Corwyn's army to hear me too." Leda told Iranon. "Can you do that?"

"So you want to inspire our side, and demoralize theirs?"

"And maybe foment rebellion, if what I have to say makes sense to them."

Iranon raised a brow. "Yes. We can do that."

( War's End Chapter 5 )

[The Obligatory speech. Once again thanks to Karla for the coding, preplayed with the absolutely fabulous Karla and Blossom.]

The black dragon looked down at the large mug sitting on the table. Of course to him it was about the size of a thimble.

"Really?" he rumbled. "This isn't even a sip."

Leda looked at him blankly for a moment, then turned to his sister, who had assumed human form as a statuesque redhead.

"Is he serious or has he actually grown a sense of humor?"

Ember snickered. "Smoke's been joking around with you since you two met. It's just that his delivery is so dry, you've never noticed."

There was Elven coffee and pastries and other breakfast staples set up on a huge banquet table, as well as a large supply of Leda's Grandmother's favorite human import, hot chocolate.

[For them what knows who they is.]