IGIWS: FIRST DRAFT: Ch.304 Elaine’s Journey to the Palace.

While the Emergency Session was taking place, a carriage from the orphanage with the Royal Family crest on the sides was making its way to the Maldura Royal Palace.

The civilians who saw the carriage going by thought that someone from the Royal Family must be inside, but the two passengers were Nieren and the 14-year-old half-elf Elaine.

The half-elf girl was struggling to comprehend everything that had happened over the last hour. First, she and her friends found out that they had high-level Mana Veins, but the person who discovered it was a Dark Elf. And Elaine was isolated from everyone else because she was a half-elf. She didn't know what they had in store for her, which made her nervous even if everyone else told her that Rya was nice. Elaine had lived her whole life hiding her true identity from her friends and everyone in the orphanage because the Cleric told her that other humans would fear her. So, she had a hard time believing that someone wouldn't hate her for it.

Nieren was leaning back in her seat, enjoying the scenery passing by, when Elaine looked at her.

'Haah... She's still on edge... Was I this bad when I first ran into Rya?... Yeah... I think I was worse. Maybe a little distraction will do her good...'

"You know you can relax, young one. If anything happens, I'll protect you," Nieren said to Elaine, who was sitting across from her.

Elaine was caught off guard by Nieren's sudden declaration.

"But why would you protect a half-elf?"

Nieren glanced at her with a smirk, "We elves have to stick together, and it's not like I've got a problem with half-elves. You might not know it but I'm a unique half-elf."

"Unique? How?" Elaine asked, genuinely interested in Nieren's words.

Nieren's smirk turned into a full-blown grin as she said, "I'm half Wood Elf and half High Elf... So, technically I'm a full elf but my people were fearful of me. So, when my mother's kingdom collapsed we ran to the Fiafyrian Dwarves and human Territory, where we hid for decades."

Elaine's eyes went wide.

"W-wait... You're a Princess?"

"Technically... My uncle was the King. But since my mom's kingdom was destroyed by the Kingdom of Marn's Mercenaries and my uncle died, and I was 16 years old. And none of the surviving hidden villages would allow me to stay. Because they didn't want a Half-Elf like me around."

"B-But you're still a full elf. And a Royal! Why would they..."

"Because my father abandoned the Wood Elf Kingdom when they needed him the most. He took his Army of Wyvern riders and retreated before the final battle. He saved his own skin and left my mother and I behind. The Elder Tree was dying so we couldn't command the forest to do my uncle's bidding to stop or weaken the Mercenary or the Marn armies."

"So, he didn't care that the Kingdom was doomed?"

"No, he didn't. And I don't know what I would do if I ever saw him again. But it's a moot point. Since I have to protect my Sis now."

"Sis?"

"My Sis, Rya... She was in the run from the Divine Three and stumbled across my Crown—I mean, Prince Quinus. And during their journey, I stumbled across her when she had Dwarven ale," Nieren said with a sigh and a smirk. She remembered how petrified with fear she was when she saw a Dark Elf. "My bias got the better of me, and I thought I was a dead elf, but then she helped cover my ears and left me alone. She didn't tell the prince about me either."

Young Elaine felt a spark of excitement within her, her mind racing with questions and possibilities. The intrigue of the unknown beckoned her, igniting a deep and insatiable curiosity. A Dark Elf that wasn't evil?

"Then, what happened after?"

Nieren gave Elaine a small smile. "Well, I found out that she was a kinder person than I realized, and I saved her when she was collared by the same mercenaries who killed my uncle. The Crown Prince had the ability to destroy slave collars, but Rya was beginning to be controlled by the King Slayer. I shot her with a rare sleeping arrow and the Prince removed the collar. Once freed, she killed him and returned my family crown and sword to my mother and me."

Elaine perched on the edge of her seat, every fiber of her being focused on the unfolding story as if each word were a precious gem not to be missed. It brought to mind her dear friend Mary, who had an insatiable passion for fairytales, reveling in their enchanting worlds and whimsical characters.

"Y-You saved her from being enslaved by a human man?"

Nieren nodded. "I did. And my boring life of hiding my mother's and mine's identity has changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my Crown Prince wanted someone to become her bodyguard and Lady-in-Waiting. I couldn't just let her go on her own, could I?"

Young Elaine peered at Nieren, uncertainty clouding her gaze. "I suppose so," she admitted, her voice tinged with hesitance.

Nieren crossed her arms and nodded. "I am glad you understand," she stated, her tone laced with authority. "I can't imagine what would have happened to her if I wasn't there to watch out for my younger sister."

"But how did she become your sister? That's so strange. Aren't Dark Elves evil creatures?"

Nieren let out a sigh. "Was I as stubborn as you when I first met, Rya?"

"I'm not stubborn!" Elaine insisted.

Nieren gave a small chuckle. "I think you are, young lady. I was a lot like you when I was your age. I heard all the stories about how Dark Elves want to enslave us all or curse the land. But I don't know if that's true anymore."

"Why's that?"

"Well, who are the ones who have spread these stories in the first place?"

"Um... The church?"

"Nope."

Elaine was confused. "Well, who was it, then?"

Nieren sighed, "The High Elves, young Elaine."

Elaine was dumbfounded. "B-but why?"

Nieren chuckled, "I have no idea... But if they could abandon the Wood Elves to die, then they would have no problem using the rest of the species to target the Dark Elves. You know that Rya is the first Dark Elf my mother has ever seen. And she's over 400 years old."

Elaine became silent for a few moments. 'Her people feared Miss Nieren for being part High Elf, while Lady Rya was feared by everyone for being a Dark Elf, and I was despised for being a Half-Elf. Are we all similar?'

"So, we are all outcasts?" Elaine asked.

Nieren laughed, "Well, that's one way to look at it. But I would say that what drove us to be outcasts was different..."

Elaine sighed. "I'm glad that I met you, Miss Nieren. But you didn't tell me how she became your sister."

"Oh, right! Long story short, my mother adopted her as her daughter."

Elaine did a double-take, 'Lady Rya was an orphan like me?'

"She not too different from you, right?"

"I suppose," Elaine replied, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.

Nieren chuckled. "So, what's your story, little Elaine? How did you become an orphan?"

Elaine sighed, "Well... There isn't much to say... A traveling merchant found me floating in a basket in the river by the northern territories of Fiafyr. Then, I moved from orphanage to orphanage until I came to the capital when I was seven years old. They told me to hide my ears, or else I would get targeted by the people and have to move again."

"So, you were forced to live a life of hiding and pretending that you weren't who you were."

"Yes," Elaine admitted.

Nieren nodded her head, "Well, that's about to change, little Elaine."

Elaine's eyes looked uncertain, "Are you sure, Miss Nieren?"

Before Nieren could utter a word, the steady thud of hoofbeats against the cobblestone road gradually diminished, creating an almost anticipatory hush. The carriage lurched to a halt, its wheels creaking as the echoes of the hooves faded, leaving only the whisper of the wind in the stillness.

"Looks like we're here," Nieren stated, opening the door to reveal the majestic gates to the Royal Palace.

Elaine looked at the imposing building in awe and fear, her heartbeat increasing at the thought of living in such a place that all the children back at the orphanage could only dream of entering.

"You ready, little Elaine?" Nieren asked.

Elaine looked at Nieren, her heart pounding loudly in her chest, and swallowed hard, "Yes, Miss Nieren."

Nieren was the first to step out of the carriage. Elaine followed suit, her feet feeling heavy as she took her first steps toward the gate. The carriage left and headed back towards the Mage's Guild to take Rya and Quinus whenever they were finished going through the Library.

Elaine kept her head low as they approached the gates. The guards saw that it was Lady Nieren who was entering the Royal Palace and immediately opened the gates. Nieren nodded her head in thanks as she walked past the two guards.

Elaine kept her head down, not wanting to look at the guards, afraid that she would be punished if she did so. Nieren noticed this and tapped her back, making her straighten up.

"Have some elven pride, Elaine," Nieren said as she looked into Elaine's eyes.

Elaine looked at her, surprised by the statement, but nodded and kept her chin up as she entered the gates. She wasn't used to this amount of attention and had to fight her instincts to shrink away from it.

As they walked down the pathway, Elaine couldn't help but notice the many beautiful and exotic flowers that lined the path. Their sweet scent filled the air and calmed her nerves. She was still nervous, but her fear had lessened slightly.

Elaine looked around at the palace, its large, ornate, white marble columns supporting the domed ceilings, its polished, red brick walls, its intricately carved wooden doors. The servants were busy doing their daily routes, and they all greeted the two as they walked past.

Nieren nodded her head and led the way toward the guest wing. Elaine kept her eyes forward and didn't pay much attention to the other servants because she was too nervous about meeting the king or someone important.

Elaine was soon brought before a massive set of double doors that opened up into a large room filled with plants and trees. The air was warm and humid, and it smelled of earth and flowers. Elaine gasped at the beauty of the place.

She had never seen anything like it before. This was the most beautiful place she had ever been.

"Ah, geez... Mom has done it this time," Nieren muttered under her breath as she entered her mother's conservatory, where she trained both Rya and Nieren in the ways of the Green Word.

There was no other room like it. Every plant was lovingly tended to and cared for. There were flowers and fruit trees of every shape and color. The room was a riot of color and sound of insects that were constantly buzzing around, feeding off the flowers and fruit.

This was where Nieren and Rya spent part of their day learning and training under the watchful eye of their mother, Yuliana. Nieren channeled her mana into the air and whispered to the overgrown plants to shrink back and make room for the two young elves.

That's when Nieren saw her mother at her desk with her face down in a stack of paper.

'Is mom asleep?' Nieren wondered as she walked toward her.

Yuliana was a tall, elegant-looking woman. Her skin was a rich olive, and her hair was an emerald green. She had a regal look about her when she was awake, but right now, her face was covered by a pile of papers.

She was snoring softly, her breathing gentle and slow. She looked very peaceful, and Nieren smiled at the ridiculous sight of her mother drooling onto her desk.

"Mother, I'm home!" Nieren exclaimed.

Nieren waited for her mother's reaction, but the only thing that happened was her head bobbing a little as she continued sleeping.

"Mother? Mom! Hey, wake up!"

"GAH!? WHAT!? WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Yuliana screamed as she bolted upright as a piece of paper was stuck on her cheek.

She blinked rapidly, her eyes darting around the room. When her eyes focused, she noticed Nieren standing in front of her desk.

"NIER!?" she yelled, her cheeks flushed red.

Nieren was giggling uncontrollably at her mother's comical reaction.

"How long was I out?" Yuliana asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't know. I just got back to the palace... But what have you been doing, Mom? It looks like you've been working all night!"

Yuliana took a big breath and sighed with a bewildered and defeated expression on her face.

"I don't know how our ancestors did it! I have no idea how they found where to plant the Elder Seeds to grow a new Elder Tree! Our ancestors were able to do it, but the information is gone!" Yuliana complained.

"Well, what is the worst that would happen if the Elder Seed is planted anywhere?" Nieren asked.

Yuliana sighed again, "It will become a normal tree. When your grandfather was still alive, he made it his goal to grow a second Elder Tree for our people, but after five hundred years, he couldn't get any of the Elder Seeds to grow into another Elder Tree. And his father before him had the same result, and it's the same for the previous five hundred generations! No Wood Elf King has ever been able to grow another tree, and we've lost all the knowledge and information of how to do it!"

Yuliana was at her wit's end and felt like her head was going to explode. Nieren just sighed, "Mother?... If you are hitting a wall on this then why not ask Rya to help? I mean, she found out that my mana vein was cursed, and she was able to fix it. If anyone can help you figure this out, it's her. She has a knack for finding the answers."

Yuliana frowned, "I hear you, Nier, and I do love Ry like my own flesh and blood, but she's a Dark Elf, and we shouldn't bother her with Wood Elf problems."

"Mother, really?"

Yuliana nodded her head and waved her pointer finger in the air.

"Ry has her own problem right now, and the last thing she needs to communicate with the surrounding forests just to see if the plants would accept an Elder Tree. I mean, what type of Wood Elf would I be if I had to run to my Dark Elf daughter to solve our problems?"

Nieren crossed her arms and huffed. "Mom! We should ask Sis to be aware, and maybe she might find something. It's not like she can't use the Green Word. By the Spirits, she's better at communicating with the plants than you are!"

Yuliana continued, wagging her pointer finger, "W-Well, her mana vein is far stronger than mine. So, it is only natural that she can use the Green Word better than I can. But that doesn't mean I can't ask... her?"

In the middle of Yuliana's sentence, she saw the teenage girl slightly off to the side, watching the conversation unfold. The thing that gave Yuliana pause was this girl's emerald green eyes. They were the same eyes as a Wood Elf's, but her hair was brown. She was wearing commoner's clothes, and she seemed a bit curious about what they were talking about.

Nieren followed her mother's eyes, and the young elf noticed that her mother was staring at Elaine.