Dragon Wars Book 2 Pt. 01

The woman looking after him looked at her, "Yes I would if he stepped aside, but he has to make that choice himself."

The Elder sighed, "You are giving me a chance to hold onto my beliefs, respect Rillifane Rallathil's wishes by not standing in your way. Instead, just step aside and live out my remaining days. After saving my life from being cut short earlier than planned and likely being abandoned by Rillifane Rallathil for my actions."

Shirana looked at him as she walked over and kneeled next to him, "Spend your remaining days coming to peace with the clerics and druids of Rillifane Rallathil in the matter of disobeying his will in this matter. I feel certain you can find forgiveness. Find peace within yourself and harmony in nature.

Instead of hatred for wars long since gone and losses that are likely to be found in the afterlife you wish to find. She could have you reborn as a Gold Elf instead and removed from nature. My hope is you have led a good long life with devotion to Rillifane Rallathil, Solonor, and Erevan Ilesere. That you find the peace you seek in the afterlife instead."

Elder Thorn looked to his other Elder, "I have much to consider about the life beyond this one. I will step aside and leave the decision to you, my wife."

Elder Thorn smiled, "My husband, all good decisions in our life were usually mine. This one was a good decision by you as you have led a good life. Throwing it away on things that will be occurring when you, and likely I will be gone, is not our place. Our tribe holds no objections as you are not your Grandfather, but more your Grandmother."

The other Elders quickly agreed to her Hunter Squad.

A woman rose from the back, younger than her Dark green eyes and very dark green hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her brown skin made it easy to blend in with the woods and she was dressed as a druid, "I am Narsna Nightshade, A Druid of Rillifane Rallathil. I will be your druid shield and protector. Being another woman in your group, I can request privacy to tend to any wounds that might reveal who you are to others.

I will be the cloak by which you enter Wild Elf lands to keep the will of Rillifane Rallathil's request that you not be known as a champion even to those who travel with you. Some may put it together with that bow, but I will work to deny and mislead them from that path if I can. I will not be paid by this Gold Elf King, and hold no rank in your unit."

Shirana Elm smiled, "You will hold no rank, but you will be my second in command because of your ability to get us into Wild Elf lands. To further hold the ruse to the others. To direct them to retreat if I am incapacitated and bring me back here to recover if needed.

The other Arcane Archer will learn of this place eventually, my home will do otherwise. Which they will all know how to find. Druid Nightshade is how you will be addressed by them. Nothing more to add to your air of mystery in this."

Narsna Nightshade smiled, "Of course, Captain Elm of General White Oak's command. It is a wise approach and bridges many divides."

They walked out and Shirana used a teleportation circle to take them to the back of the General's tent. Shirana looked to the General as she put her bow into the bag for now, "We put the rest of the team together when you have an activity for us. Until then I will head home and see if more children are on the horizon.

Druid Nightshade, I wanted you to know this location. Wear this ring, it will protect you from poison and paralysis. It also shows you as a member of our group. They all look identical but appear to be made from White Oak. Show the elders and the scouts in the 12 tribes."

General White Oak spoke, "One of my wives made them for me with instructions to be unique for your unit. I can see why, the Gods foresaw this action and I can display an image in all 12 villages to be on the lookout for those rings, as they are allowed to pass."

Shirana smiled, "I know you have spells to travel back, but here is a communication stone to the General and you now have a rendezvous location. When he contacts us, we will work on the issues that need to be addressed."

General White Oak sighed, "We will do it your way. It's your team. I will pull together the other 10 when the time comes."

---

Rillifane Rallathil entered the realm of Corellon and the Lady of Dreams. Solonor and Erevan Ilesere all followed. Rillifane Rallathil glared, "You overreached and interfered with my champion's work!"

Corellon sighed, "Death is her domain, but in this case, you did overreach, Sehanine Moonbow. Your backing off at the request of Shirana only strengthened her support among the wild elves in the end when she called you out like that.

She knew enough that silencing a loud dissenter with immediate death was not Rillifane Rallathil's reaction to the matter, but yours. She had gotten most of them behind the Arcane Archers after her fire display and that spell she created. Mixing in some glitter dust and cutting the damage down was very clever.

Drake Wood's bow spirit making its will known to them all after his long absence helped with the Half-Dragon issues in Wild Elf lands as we suspected it would. She kept their faith in Solonor, Rillifane Rallathil, and Erevan Ilesere by her statement.

Voicing support for them being isolated in Rillifane Rallathil's case. That will likely have longer-term impacts I did not want. They will not bend into the fold, but they might work to create a united front after this. Like the Neutral Conclave of Dragons, if you will, and that would be a step in the right direction at least."

The Lady of Dreams knew any time he did not call her his wife or his love and instead used Sehanine Moonbow she was in trouble.

Corellon sighed, "Sehanine Moonbow, you will ensure he gets his remaining days. If the others agree between them that he should move on, then he moves on. I have a feeling they will all agree. The champion read you like an open book. You would have had him reborn as a Gold Elf as far from nature as possible.

I am moving the allocation of those who are reborn to Aerdrie Faenya. You can decide still if they should be reborn or discarded. We are not discarding any while this war continues. But those not born yet that you have set aside will all be reviewed by Aerdrie Faenya and placed appropriately.

You are free to make recommendations, as are the others who oversaw them in their previous life. Aerdrie Faenya must work to strike a balance with them across the different elven species and half races. Overall the champion gained more from her move on calling you out than she lost.

Other than pissing you off. Her choice for passing on belongs to Rillifane Rallathil and me when the time comes as she worships me as well. To me, to a limited degree for the magic she has and the spells she has created to make her role far easier. Rillifane Rallathil is the one Shirana has a stronger belief in and she is his Champion.

Now your next champion, when it comes up again as I may delay it, will be another woman. You always seem to have more issues with female champions and you need the practice. My next one will be a woman as well. To keep you double or triple challenged in dealing with female champions."

The Lady of Dreams merely nodded as the others left having felt vindicated enough. She looked up, "I was shocked she called me out like that!"

Corellon smiled, "She still has a few hang-ups with you over all of the dead, especially her daughter. Not that you can control that all of the time. Using it as a negotiation tool went too far.

She was not wrong, she earned more by having you show restraint in that matter. She gained more than she lost us in that match-up and she did not do it in front of Moon Elves. The 'damage' to your reputation is minimal."

The Lady of Dreams nodded, "Your right, I always get more hands-on with female champions than male champions. She gets my point across but chooses her own words. Tells me she does not have a reason to doubt me about the warning for Wild Elves and Champions.

She does not trust me and my reaction to Elder Thorn only reinforced that perception. I am not disagreeing with you. I just don't have a plan to fix it. I will have to talk with her to straighten out what she knows and what she does not know."

---

Shirana got home to the sound of her husband banging away on his first wife, yet again. He had not touched her in years, at least with any affection. She grabbed the cot. The wives were not intimate with each other but respected each other, mostly.

While she wondered about the touch of a woman Dorresna was the first wife and did not wish to do those things. Her husband Rondalius could barely afford 2 wives. He worked to craft bows but did not work to advance his skills. She left them to their privacy and went to sleep.

---

As Shirana suspected she was in the Dream State and it looked like Silent Falls. The Lady of Dreams sat there with her feet in the water and waved her over, "Sit with me, Champion."

Shirana had not looked forward to this but expected it. The Lady of Dreams looked over after she sat down, "You handled yourself and the situation far better than I did. I have already heard from Corellon and the others about overstepping. I did overstep and interfered in your work. For that I am sorry.

I could have taken the time to tell you about your Grandfather, but felt you would not likely have believed me. He did not pass on and will be reborn soon to try and live a better life. Your grandmother did pass on, she was very proud of how you handled things with the Wild Elves today. You were right, it was a silent rebuke of your Grandfather.

He wanted power and to untie the Wood Elves under one King, him. He took a lot of shortcuts and diplomacy was not his strong suit. Your village felt it easier to blame Moon Elves about him because White Oak's father supported trying to keep rhetoric down. He felt too many lives were being lost.

Everything the General told you was true. Including getting shot himself. He was one of 2 Wood Elves to shoot your Grandfather after he killed his father King White Oak and tried to pull back. General White Oak was the youngest son and just grazed him. He got shot in the leg for his efforts by your Grandfather.

There were 41 Moon Elves on the ground and 1 managed to hit him as he retreated. The Wild Elves who he encroached on put over 12 arrows into him for 23,243 Wild Elves he killed in moving through their territory. Cut his forces in half. 12,419 Wood Elves and 41 Moon Elves were in White Oak's Village.

Your Grandfather went off with 50,000 plus Wood Elves and 4,781 managed to make it home. They exaggerated the Moon Elf presence to account for their losses. With 41, turning into over 40,000 Moon Elves.

No mention of the Wild Elves they killed as they rode through and killed men, women, and children in the outer villages. The ones who made it back did not return through Wood Elf lands.

They took logs and floated down the river to avoid Wood Elves and the Wild Elves as they bypassed them by taking 'that shortcut'. There was no honor in the retaliation strikes that occurred on your Grandfather's people either.

We had stepped back to try and let the people resolve their differences themselves. Once the Dragons attacked and it was Avatars who were attacking all of the Elves, we stepped forward again and brought it to a halt before the cease-fire ended.

Now to answer your unasked question. When someone is born they are destined for so many years of life and it varies. Some are days, children not healthy enough to live much beyond being born. Others it is centuries, but most do not make those marks because of the choices they make in life.

Dragons enter the field and all of our predictions for longevity go out the window. Most are shorter, some significantly shorter. Only rarely does someone find a means to live longer than we expected; usually through magical or artificial means. Very rarely, they did something to surprise us and escaped death in the process.

You were not happy about the marriage laws. At least not in joining your husband. His wife's rebuke of your affection toward her still hurts you. She was younger as you were in the Academy late getting training. She works at crafting arrows in the village.

You have 1 to 2 fertility cycles left, depending on timing and your mission. I will tell you, you will cycle in 8 months. If you are not home then another year and you will cycle again. You have choices if you can get Rondalius in your bed. Your mission and Dragons might dictate differently, but not me telling you what to do in this matter."

Shirana had not expected this conversation. She asked, "Why do children have to die so early in life? My daughter?"

The Lady of Dreams sighed, "Through no fault of your own, we do not choose which of his seed gets planted into your egg. It is random, there are exceptions but those are very rare and involve champions, the champion's children, or the parents of champions to be who are not on the field.

Occasionally we get surprised. That seed was just not very compatible with your egg on that occasion. That seed was flawed. It happens and they are the hardest lives for me to see reclaim and see they are reborn again, to live a full and bright life. Tallion being another example.

We helped to create him, but again it was at random. He was not chosen as a champion as we had no idea that Avatars were coming from Dragons. He had an exceptional seed. Yet he could see the battlefield and War Room like no other Elf.

He absorbed information like a sponge and came up with these ideas and concerns that saved hundreds of thousands of our people, millions of humans and dwarves, and killed over 220 million in the Underdark, including all of the Duergar on this world.

Now we did ensure he got good mates who would have creative children for his own house and many others. We wanted those strong seeds and eggs to propagate in his offspring and their descendants.

Most were girls to be married into other houses. Like Goldeagle, the champion you met is a distant descendant of him. There is one other Champion you do not know about who is also a descendant in a different house. A grandson of his.

The one you met is currently the only champion who knows them all, not even the King this time. He annoyed us about doing his duty and trying to find fault in others for not knowing trouble was coming.

When he would have known if he read journals from his mother, or attended his status briefings in the War Room regularly. Instead of fucking away with his infertile wives most of the day every day. He got more than an earful from me.

He is working now to get his heir trained as he will have to be ready when this truce ends. We do not have any information on Loth, other than the loss of 186+ million of her people in the Underdark. That was on day 1 of the Cataclysm.

It did not count her many breaches or the destruction released under Xantria. I know she still exists here, greatly weakened by Tallion's action, but nothing beyond that."

Shirana nodded, "If I have more children will you guide them to become champions in the future?"

The Lady of Dreams smiled, "Fertility is the domain of Aerdrie Faenya. Hanali Celanil deals with love and you never sought her out before. I can ask them to see they are good, strong, and the children of a champion. They could marry into one of the lines, there are 3 Wood Elf lines currently, that have Tallion's children in Wood Elves.

They are impure Moon-Wood Elf mixes. Their children will become Wood Elves in time. Others in the future. Before you ask, we want those traits that occurred at random in Tallion to be propagated into future champions.

As they may end up the Grand Field Marshal in the future and we need those options, multiple options, with those kinds of insights. All champions being selected are or have Dragonblood in them to strengthen our arcane knowledge. Along with the stamina increases. That is why you are unsatisfied with your husband.

He cannot go long enough for you, not that he has joined you in bed for 10 years. Rillifane Rallathil chose you because you respected the Wood Elf ways and having Dragonblood in your line. He is not big on magic but Corellon agreed your choices to do spell research at the Academy to create wilderness-friendly spells made you ideal for his champion. Corellon enjoys your creativity.

That creativity is not ignored either. You should look to try and have at least one more set of children when the time comes. Children after you have become a champion as that process alters you some. I have been directed to be more hands-off with you because of today.

Rillifane Rallathil and the others are being sent your inquiries and your dreams in those matters. All of them. I am holding nothing back from them. I am even sending the dreams and aspirations of those around you now. Hard choices are coming, but they are not mine to interfere with."

Shirana nodded and was gone.

Rillifane Rallathil, Aerdrie Faenya, and Hanali Celanil arrived. Hanali Celanil sighed, "She is most unhappy in her marriage. As is her husband Rondalius Elm. He is extremely jealous of his wife being named a Champion and of her having arcane talent.

The first wife Dorresna does not want the attention it would bring when she is found out. Rondalius is wanting to petition to end his marriage to her on the grounds of abandoning the marital bed.

While keeping the existing children as she won't be able to raise them. They are his only sons. Her being pulled into the military being cited and her age for no longer being fertile coming up."

Aerdrie Faenya sighed, "She has two more cycles at most without assistance from me, but if they do this to her would she marry again given her mission? Her parents are gone and there is nobody to allow her to claim her old name left."

Rillifane Rallathil sighed, "I did not foresee them wishing to abandon her like this. She is not likely to fight it when they tell her. Likely in the morning. I don't want her known and I don't want her to be unhappy. That is when mistakes happen."

The Lady of Dreams stayed silent until Rillifane Rallathil looked at her, "Alright. Your thoughts."

The Lady of Dreams turned to Hanali Celanil, "Find her another and true lover. One with a wife or two who are open to a female's touch and more. Someone from the Silvertree line to ensure she knows that mating with them would curl her toes and give her what she wants in having future champions from her line.

Aerdrie Faenya ensures she is fertile at least 2-3 times. With other wives at home willing to look after the children. Likely impure children with the Silvertree name. If you want her happy Rillifane Rallathil, she might find it in a Moon Elf's arms.

I am sure there is a Silvertree ranger or Arcane Archer who could travel in her group that is not set yet. Get her in the field searching for a location to bring her group together sooner."

Rillifane Rallathil glared at her, "You want her making impure children because I did not choose an impure champion!"

The Lady of Dreams looked at him, "Find her a Wood Elf husband who would support her being a disowned divorced woman. Who would marry her in less than 8 months? Knowing she has only a couple of more cycles left to produce children given her age.

She has not had children in 10 years because of her husband's anger over the lost daughter! Also, find her one that will support her going off into battle given your sexist views instilled into your followers in that regard. How many Wood Elves are that noble? Without knowing she is a champion?"

Corellon arrived, "No. Not a Silvertree. We cannot afford another Silvertree champion to draw attention to the family. A descendant of his fine, but to another house. Silver Thread perhaps or Silver Cloud might be better.