A whole new world

How long had she been away from home? She barely remembered, it seemed so long ago and so far away, as if it had not even really happened. Silently she recalled the events that had lead to her absence. There were some blank spots in her memory, though she tried to recollect everything that had happened those last dozen years.  
Quickly she moved through the forest. Even though her mind was clouded by fog she knew her way as if she had never left... as if she had never been forced to leave that is. The leaves were as green as when she left, small birds were sitting on top of the branches that seemed so fragile now. After these years, nobody would ever say that this had been a sight of slaughter and fire. Nobody would say that this place had been burned to the ground when they had come to slaughter them all.
Suddenly she felt nauseous. Her hands touched the ground as if it could pull her back from her dark memories, which it unfortunately couldn’t. The saw the riders, trying to escape the massacre, dispatching to sent word to the royal family. They never made it further than the last tree line. She remembered the blood on her hands, her legs, her arms, it was all over her.
Panic took hold of her and she ran away. Back the way she had come from, back to the town she’d left only two days ago.
It seemed like she kept running forever, at least until she reached to edge of a giant lake. It stopped her immediately and slowly she sunk to the ground. Shaking all over she tried to recompose herself. She couldn’t go back again, there was evil around that place, everywhere... she had to reach a safe haven... but where. She had been away for so long, so many things had changed while so many other things had not.
A little unsure of her case she looked at herself in the water, it was so clear, like nothing had ever touched it with impurity. The person looking back at her from her reflection was not the one she remembered. Her skin was paler than before, her hair more white. Eyes like dark pools looked back as if they contained the eternal darkness that came after this life. She pulled back quickly and took a deep breath. She had to go back to the village, they could tell her where to go from there, she had heard rumours about a woman calling herself a seer. From her life back before the big massacre she remembered her mother telling her that if she ever needed help on those rare occasions, she should seek out a seer.  And now she thought herself to be in one of those occasions.
 
It took some time until she reached the village. She had left the main road to move through the forest, she had even robbed a human in order to get a cape, so she could conceal her appearance. She was very much aware of how most of the races would look at her, she should not show herself in daylight, not until she was certain of her destination. After a dozen years away, a person could change... or just changed, for better or for worse.

“Tell me where I can find the seer.” She demanded in a hoarse voice. The man was struggling to get free but her arms possessed more   strength than anyone could ever guess. “Tell me.” She hissed. “A... Around the...Corner... to the left. Last house on the left.” The man stuttered. “thank you.” She said, before she gave him a git with the hilt of her knife against the head.
In utter silence she left the small alley. The village was not that big, quite small really, but it was the only one she still remembered. Quickly she moved to the house and knocked. Once...twice... when she wanted to knock again the door opened, without anyone opening it. “Welcome Enya, daughter of the forest and fire. I have been expecting you.” A voice said.

x
Ignis
Ignis wasn't supposed to be outside. It was a surprisingly warm day, especially considering it was spring. His father never liked it when he went out on days like these. However, Ignis loved the feeling of the sun warming his skin and the fact that all the people alwas seemed cheerier when the sun was out. He had sneaked out of the royal mansion, only leaving a note in his room to let his father know the servants had nothing to do with it. Just in case his dad would find out he was missing.
He walked across the street with bouncing steps, the dark green coat flapping behind him. The coat was adorned with golden stitched swirls and circles, revealing dragons and wolves upon a closer look. It was that, and the traditional markings covering the sides of his head that let people know he was of royal blood. Most of them stepped out of the way when they noticed him, and Ignis enjoyed being able to walk wherever he liked. 
He couldn't blame his father for being overprotective, of course. Sometimes the smell of burned flesh still seemed to be stuck in his nose, and during nights he could hear the screams. Him and his father were very, very alone. That didn't mean Ignis agreed with just staying inside all day, though. He had already spend most of the week inside his room in an attempt to satisfy his father, and it was suffocating. 
That was why he had decided this morning to just sneak out of the house for a while. Of course his father would eventually catch the rumours of Ignis being seen in the city, but it was worth it. He would gladly suffer his dad's anger in exchange for a day in the sun.

She entered the building carefully. She had never met this person they called the seer but now she had no choice. All around her there were jars filled with things she had never seen before, not that that was a shocker, she had never left that city until she had to in the end. Even than she had only seen one other place in her life. The memory made her shiver and she pushed it back inside that dark corner, now was not the time to be thinking of the past.
After some time, it seemed years but probably took less than a second or four, she entered a small room. The fire in the fireplace was lit and she could see the silhouette of a woman, sitting in a chair.
“Be welcome child, sit.” The woman said and she gestured to the chair opposite her. A little uncomfortable Enya sat herself in the other chair, the fire was so close to her skin that she could almost feel it burn... it felt better than ever before.
“I know why you have come and I have the answer to your question. But first there are things we have to discus.” The woman said while handing Enya a cup filled with tea. She took it thankfully and took a small sip, the fact that it had only just cooked didn’t bother her at all, she loved that feeling of warmth running though her body, as if it could revive her to an earlier stage of herself.
“What kind of things?” Enya asked the woman, with a tiny bit of suspicion in her voice. “You’ll see.” Was her only answer.

Enya now had the answer to her earlier question but now she had an answer to a couple of more as well. She wasn’t all too sure about how happy she felt knowing what she knew but it was, in a way, welcome information. “You have to avenge your people, or they will never find their rest in the life after this one.” The seer had said to her. So now her path was as clear as day, she had to go to the capitol and then avenge her murdered family. But how could she ever do that on her own?
She was so fixated on her thoughts that she almost bumped up on a centaur, who was talking with some others. They wore swords, bows, harnesses... they had to be from the capitols army. “Watch where you’re going, woman.” One shouted at her, judging her gender only by her figure. Luckily for Enya the seer had provided her with some now clothes, they were more comfortable than the ones she had been wearing up till then. “I am sorry, please excuse me.” She muttered back softly, as if afraid. She backed away and started the other way. Please don’t let them follow me, she asked at no one in particular. They didn’t. But meeting them meant one thing, one very important thing, she was closer to the capitol than she’d thought.

For spring it was quite warm. When she had first escaped that place she had trouble remembering how warmth felt on her skin, now she cherished it with whole her heart. She made a good time. She had been walking all night with only minutes of rest in between so now it was early in the morning and she was almost in the centre of it. After a time she stopped walking and she looked around her, her eyes wide with amazement. She had never seen a place like this so she had nothing to compare the city too but this was beautiful. All around her there were houses, people, colours, animals and when she looked to her right there was even a park. She now understood why people wanted to live in such a place but she, again, took her mother’s words to heart; be careful, when you once find your way to a place so grand that you cannot see everything. Don’t ever let them see you.
And so Enya tried not to be seen... but failed miserably at that.

It was some time after she’d arrived in the city that she made her great mistake. She was walking past a bakery when a small boy ran towards her and hid behind her. “Can you help me miss? I am being followed by..” he started, but he didn’t need to finish his sentence. Around the corner came now two centaurs and some elf men, normal elves they were, nothing to special. “Why are you being followed then?” she asked him softly. “I was trying to get my sister back, she’s been captured by the guards two nights ago and I need her back, my mom needs her back.” The boy said, tears forming in his eyes. Enya turned around and kneeled so that she could look in his eyes. When he realised what she was his eyes grew and she said; “are you lying to me about anything?” her only answer was a denial with a nod. “all right.” She said, standing straight again as she faced the guards.
“Excuse me madam, hand us the boy and there will be no further trouble. “ the leader of the small pack said to her. It caused her to chuckle. “Sorry, can’t do.” She answered.
Some minutes later, after she had kicked the buts of five of them, they finally managed to get hold of her. The boy was gone and she was being led away. The remembered the startled looks on the elves’ faces, she was certain of an audience now.

x
Ignis
Finding the less busy streets and alleys, he enjoyed himself for a while by touching the plants snaking along the wall, watching as the flowers flashed a bright orange. He didn't remember much about his mother, but his father had told him that she used to call the plants fire blossoms. It wasn't hard to see why when they rippled from yellow to orange as Ignis ran his fingers along the leaves. He liked them, not just because his mother had or their colours were pretty, but also because they always were the first flowers to blossom during spring. 
He hummed a soft tune under his breath as he continued his walk, something one of the gardeners had taught him. It was a little bit of a cliché, he knew; an elf in love with nature, but he couldn't help it. 
Ignis turned around the corner. He almost bumped face first into a centaur.
"Oh," he breathed, surprised, and took a step back just in time. He clenched his jaw when he recognised the centaur's uniform, hoping he wouldn't ask Ignis what he was doing oustide of the castle. He didn't want to go back home, not yet. Luckily, the guard seemed to distracted to really think about why Ignis was walking through the streets of the city. Ignis frowned when he noticed the two guards behind him were holding a woman.
"What did she do?" he asked, curious. The centaur gave him a sour look, which he understanded better after he answered the question. 
"She attacked the guards," he grumbled. Ignis frowned a little and eyed the woman. She didn't look very dangerous, though he knew better than to say that out loud. "Aren't you normally with more troups?" he asked, noticing the lack of guards. The centaur in front of him looked even more sour at that.
"She also beat a few of the guards," he muttered. Ignis could feel the corners of his mouth pulling, but tried his best to keep the smile away. If she was strong and skilled enough to fight the guards, he shouldn't be laughing about it. He whipped his light hair out of his face by shaking his head and looked at the woman again. 
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked her, trying to sound stern instead of curious.

The remaining party of centaurs, yes those were hard to beat, were two of the stronger ones. They grabbed her by her arms and started to drag her along. “I would walk with you if you ask nicely.” She said with the hint of a smile on her face. “Forget it.” Both answered at once. “Your loss.” she muttered softly.

When she had first defied them they had looked at her with that strange glimmer of cautiousness in their eyes. She had lowered the cape from her head so that her face was now visible. She had done so because here there were less people than before so it probably wouldn’t hurt her, they would find out anyway. Neither species had asked after her nature but both knew the royal family so they knew enough already. Cautiousness made place for puzzlement. That until one of the younger elves attacked her. He was quickly dealt with, one hard blow to his temple and he simply lay still on the ground until the fight was over.
An older, more experienced elf Enya thought, approached her with more surety. He came at her at a calm pace but the moment he brought down his sword, she had already left the place she had been standing on until that time. The hilt of her knife touched him at the base of the skull and he, also, went down. Then two at the time came her way and eventually it was overwhelming power that made her surrender.
The boy had already left.

So while they were dragging her away she fell silent. She had already put her cape back up to cover her head, mostly her ears. They were just about to go around another corner when the centaurs stopped. Curious she looked at the person they had bumped into, or the other way around she didn’t care that much. The one in front of them had blond hair and a typically elven look about him. There was something that bothered her about this person though.
He asked the centaurs what she did and one of them replied.
“Where did you learn to fight like that?” he finally asked her. His voice was a mixture of feelings but not as stern as he probably wanted it to be. Then it hit her, this was one of royal blood. For one like her it was easy to tell and there were subtle hints to recognize one of their blood.
“Who is asking?” she said, looking at him. These was something hostile in her eyes, how could she be blamed for that? It was his blood who had failed hers. One of the centaurs hit her and her cape came from her head again. “That was completely unnecessary.” She growled softly and she spit blood on the ground. “Don’t remember you being so tough a little while ago.” She added.
She felt a strange sensation running through her, she knew it all too well, and knew that if she didn’t do anything about it that she would put herself and probably everyone directly near her into danger. “You should let me go.” She whispered softly, not daring to look at anyone around her because she knew that her eyes were already like fire.

x
Ignis
"Who is asking?" was the woman's reply, and Ignis couldn't fight his grin any longer. When the centaur in front of him gave him a stern look, he managed to tone it down a little though. When one of the other guards hit her to the head, he frowned. "That wasn't necessary, she was just asking," he said, at the same time she did. He watched her spit some blood on the cobblestones, and his eyebrows rose a little.
"Don't remember you being so tough a little while ago," he heard her say, and he frowned a little. "You shouldn't be insulting m-," he started, then stopped. His frown became a little more pronounced, and he looked a little better at her face now. He recognised the pale but shimmering skin and the long, thin ears. It was hard to understand how he hadn't recognised it sooner. Especially when she looked back up and he could see the fire dancing in her eyes. He tried not to gape at her, but it was hard.
"You should let me go," she whispered, her voice suddenly not as harsh as before, looking anywhere but at the guards or Ignis. Ignis, in turn, waved his hand in the air. "Listen to her," he said. "Step back."
When one of the guards opened his mouth to object, he waved his hand again. "She's not going to kill me or anyone else if you let her go. I'll make sure she stays where she is," he said, before the centaur could utter a word. It was probably only because he was a prince that they listened to him, and not because they respected or trusted him, but for the moment Ignis didn't care.
He watched as the guards slowly obeyed him and walked back, only stopping to give one of them his coat. He liked it too much to risk it getting damaged. 
When the guards reached the end of the street, he looked at the woman again. There were too many questions going through his head to voice even one of them, so instead he said, probably more harsh and judging then he mean, "you should get that under control, you know."

She felt stared at. He was looking at her, she knew that because she could almost feel his eyes burning a hole into her skin. He knew, how could he not? He knew like no other the characteristics of their blood and she had all of them.
"Listen to her," he said. "Step back."
For a moment the guards said nothing. Not that she really noticed that, she was far too busy trying not to get into a frenzy.
"She's not going to kill me or anyone else if you let her go. I'll make sure she stays where she is," he added. For another terrible moment both guards held her tight but then both let go of her arms. Both backed up, it was the sound of their hoofs that betrayed their position to her, and then they turned, walking away.

For a moment there was relief flowing through her body, until she realized that she was not at all alone. He was still there, watching her.
"You should get that under control, you know." he said with a judging tone in his voice.
“And you should know when not to speak.” She replied.
She straightened her back and looked at him now. They were still alone, which should seem odd but since both guards were probably guarding the ally she didn’t give the matter much thought.
“You have no right to judge me. You and your family betrayed your blood when it most mattered.” She said, her voice strangely cold. “Only when you’ve been through what I have then you have the right to judge me.”
Enya looked him in the eyes, her eyes were slowly turning back into those black endless pools again. “Don’t mention our encounter to anyone.” She said to him, looking back now to find a way to escape this place. “It is best for everyone to think that I simply do not exist.”
With that she left, jumping upon a roof, running swiftly away. The only thing she left was the cape she had worn, she had no need of it anymore.
Still, you need his help. Even when you think not. the woman had said to her and the woman was probably right about that. But even though Enya would probably need his help in the near future, now was not the time to ask. He needed some time to think, as did she.
Without real knowledge of where she was going, she ran. It felt like she was followed everywhere she went. Once every few hundred metres she changed her course, in the hope that if anyone was following her it would lose her trail. You can run but you cannot hide! she could still hear him screaming at her from across the cliff. A shiver made her stop and only now she noticed she was back at the place where it all began. Only this time there was no feeling of evil in this place, there was only sorrow and sadness. Enya let herself fall to ground and there she wept.

The next morning it was the familiar sound of birds that woke her from her slumber. Enya knew what she had to do. She had no time to spare. The enemy was coming her way and if she wanted to fight it she needed soldiers, fighters... anyone. Slowly she rose, stretched her arms and legs and started to walk again. The warmth of the sun warmed her chilled body as she made her way back to the capitol. The sooner she asked the better.

It was not hard to get into the palace for one with her knowledge of things. it wasn’t hard to see when the guards were not on their posts and even when they were, they wouldn’t see her if they wanted to. That was how she entered, that was how she found His room. There was the sound of voices on the other side of the door when she stood in front of it. She opened it, stepped in and closed the door again.
“We need to talk.”

x
Ignis
He regretted his words as soon as he said them, but he didn't take them back. "And you should know when not to speak," she replied, and he could almost laugh at the irony of that, because he had heard those words being directed to him so often he sometimes even dreamt them. Learn when to shut up, Ignis. It wasn't hard to imagine the stern words coming out of his father's mouth, or the way his eyebrows would pull down a little. His father didn't get mad at him very often, almost never even, but he did get disappointed quite... regularly.
The woman straightened her back while Ignis let the words roll from his shoulders, imagining them as waves. They could push him a little, surprise him maybe, but they couldn't do him any serious harm as long as he didn't get too deep in the water.
"You have no right to judge me," she said, her voice suddenly cold. Ignis could feel something twisting in his chest as his confusement grew. He felt a lot of things as he looked at the woman's face, but none of them were cold. He didn't understand why she didn't look as relieved, happy as he felt upon discovering he wasn't alone.
"You and your family betrayed your blood when it mattered most," she said, and there was no way, absolutely no way he could turn those words into harmless waves. It smacked him in the face and pulled him down, underwater. He didn't say anything, because he had no idea what words to speak. He wondered how on earth she could believe he had betrayed his own race as his mother's screams still sounded in his dreams every night. He couldn't understand how she could think that.
"Only what you've been through what I have then you have the right to judge me," she told him, and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do more: laugh or cry. Therefore, the only thing that left his mouth was a sound akin to a sob and a laugh both. 
"Don't mention our encounter to anyone," she said, already looking around instead of at Ignis. He wanted to scream at her, but instead he kept silent. "It is best for everyone to think I simply do not exist," she said, and then just... left.
Ignis stared at the empty spot in front of him, and it took so long for him before he made a sound that all three guards rounded the corner in concern again. They might have asked him where the woman had went or if he was hurt in any way, but Ignis couldn't be sure. He just kept staring at the empty cobblestones, his confusion slowly mixing with anger. Why did she think he hadn't sacrificed a thing? Because that was how her words had sounded. As if he and his father had just left. As if they hadn't-
He took in a deep, albeit a little shaky breath and looked up. "Forget about the woman, I don't think you'll find her. Make sure the wounded guards are taken care of, I'm going back to the castle," he told the centaurs. There was no way he wouldn't tell his father about this encounter.

His father, of course, had freaked out. Ignis had only just started the story of how he had recognised her as one of their own when his father had choked on his drink. He hadn't told him about the things she had said to him, too afraid his father would beat himself up over it. He already had it hard enough - Ignis knew he tried but sometimes he heard his father crying in his bedroom anyway. After the dinner, however, he couldn't just not tell anyone about it- he felt too angry, too fucking helpless to keep it all in. So after a night spend lying awake in his bed, he had ordered one of the servants to fetch one of his best (and, sadly, one of his only) friends. It hadn't taken long for Sela to arrive, an hour at the upmost. 
She was seated on the windowsill as she listened to Ignis fuming, watched him pacing back and forth through his room. He did feel calmer, though, something about her presence always centering him. It was possible it had something to do with the way she seemed to carry the fresh air and scent of pines with her whenever she came here. 
"It's possible she doesn't know, right?" Sela said in her typical soft voice. Ignis didn't know if it was something typical for mountain nymphs (as that was what Sela was) or if it was uniquely Sela. He didn't know any other oreads; they tended to keep to themselves.
"Yes, well, she didn't exactly try to find out then, did she?" he growled, running a hand through his hair. When his fingers got stuck on one of the feathers again, he tore them out of his hair in another fit of anger. His father would probably kill him if he saw how he was dressed in front of his company, but Ignis couldn't possibly care at the moment. Besides, Sela knew him. He didn't need all the royal ornaments.
"Ignis," Sela said, jumping down from the windowsill. "Please stop pacing, you're making me feel dizzy," she complained, though the trace of a smile on her face let him know it wasn't that serious. He came to a halt nevertheless. Sela picked up the feathers he had thrown on the ground and placed them on his desk. 
"You should remember there is always more than one side to every story," she told him sternly. Ignis rolled his eyes, having heard the words way too often. "Yes, right, I know, but-,"
It was at that moment the door of his room opened, and both he and Sela turned around immediately. They both stayed silent as the woman entered and closed the door behind her, but for completely different reasons. Sela watched the woman with a hint of curiousity in her eyes, while Ignis just shut down in his sudden rush of anger.
"We need to talk," the woman said. Ignis stared at her, feeling the seconds pass as he let her words sink in. He could see from the corner of his eye that Sela wanted to ask what was going on, if the woman was who she thought she was, but Ignis spoke before she could.
"Get out," he breathed, a tranquility in his voice he didn't actually feel. "Get out of my room," he spat at her. It was Sela who stopped him from stomping his way towards the woman, holding out a slender arm and giving him a soft push against his shoulder.
"Ignis, breathe. Think for a moment," she said in a hushed tone. "Sit down," she added, and she sounded so strict that Ignis obeyed her and sat down at the end of his bed.
"You're the woman he met yesterday," Sela said, turning to the woman. Ignis went back to staring in silence, a million thoughts fighting to get to the surface of his mind.

Once in the room she had expected allot, but not this.
There was a woman in the room, well a nymph but that’s quite the same thing, who was looking at her with curiosity. Enya just stood there in front of the door. There was a painful silence then, if there would have been a cricket she could have heard it shirp.
Then He started to shout at her, not that that was the part that surprised her, she would have done the same if it was the other way around… well maybe… probably..
"Get out," he breathed. "Get out of my room," he spat at her. He started to come her way but the nymph stopped him. He looked quite angry, though she couldn’t care any less than she already did about his anger. How immature, she thought, he acted like he was a spoiled five year old.
"Ignis, breathe. Think for a moment," the woman said in a hushed tone. "Sit down," she added, and to Enya’s surprise the prince sat down. Well that was what you called good training, she thought. "You're the woman he met yesterday," the woman said after she turned back to her. For a moment Enya looked at the prince, but he seemed miles away, and so she answered the stranger in front of her.
“Can you think anyone else who he met the day before?” she answered with another question, clearly answering with a yes.
There was silence for another moment while Enya eyed the woman in front of her. She was a nymph, that much she had already found out, but where from? She took a deep breath and took in the scent. Then a thin smile appeared around her lips. “You’re a mountain nymph, are you not?” she asked, though the answer was already there. The nymph nodded and Enya returned the nod, out of respect for her kind. “Aren’t you a little far from home then?” she asked.
But that was not the point, she was here to talk to him, to get his help now... for the second time.

So Enya turned towards the prince and started to speak again.
“I call upon your help once again, prince.” She started, looking him straight in the eyes. “I am well aware of my behaviour yesterday but I would lie if I were to apologise about my words.” She added.
“However this is no time to quarrel about the things that already happened, though what I am about to tell you has something to do with the event that occurred before.”
For a moment Enya waited, as if she expected hostility from him, then she continued.
“Some days ago I returned to the sight of the great massacre that took place about a dozen years ago. But before I tell you about that you need to know what happened right after that massacre.”
A shiver ran up her spine and she could feel herself slightly trembling now, only with her will she managed not to show it to the both of them, now was not the time to do that.
“Right after the dark soldiers slaughtered most of our people they put the survivors together unto carts. We rode across the land for days on end. There were no points were we stopped to rest, no points were our captors stopped to give us food or water. Many other died on that journey, to a place no one could even imagine it existed.”
“We reached that dark place after a rough to weeks on the road. Half of the survivors from the massacre had died on the way, the remaining survivors were now driven into the huge fort. There we were placed in different cells for a long time, though this time we received food in order to get back our strength. It was after that time that we finally found out why it had all happened. There was one man behind it all, carrying a name I will not speak out loud, who told us what he needed us for.” She told them. For another moment she fell silent and took a deep breath, she could not let herself feel all she had felt again.
“The details don’t matter at that point. All that does matter is that most of us had to work underground, me included. I didn’t see the light of day for about a decade and when I finally did I had escaped that hell place. Now this is why I call on your help. He is coming this way now, for what purpose I don’t know, but we have to stop him for the sake of the living and the ones of our blood that have died. If we don’t defeat this evil there will be nowhere to live, nowhere to hide, there will be nothing but death and suffering.” Enya said, her story for now come to an end.
“So, Prince, will you and your father come to our aid now?”

x
Ignis (& Sela)
"Can you think of anyone else he met the day before?" the woman answered. Sela just smiled in response. "You're a mountain nymph, are you not?" the woman asked then. Sela threw a quick, slightly concerned look over her shoulder to look at Ignis. He was still silent, sat down on the bed. 
Wasn't it ironic, he thought, how he had only told the other woman to keep her magic under control just a day ago, and now he could feel the fire crackling in his fingertips? He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes and pushing the air out through his nose. He focused on Sela's soft voice without listening to the words.
"I am," she answered the woman. "Aren't you a little far from home then?" Ignis didn't need to open his eyes to imagine the wistful smile on her face. "Aren't we all?" she responded, deflecting the question- it was something Sela was quite good at, Ignis knew.
He opened his eyes when he could feel the woman's gaze turning back to him, looking back at her with a plain expression on his face. It was one of the first thing his mother had learned him - never let the enemy know what you're thinking. 
"I call upon your help once again, prince," she started, and Ignis barely contained his scoff. Again?, he thought, but then he realised she must be talking about the fire. It was obvious something had happened that he wasn't aware of, just as it seemed the woman didn't have any idea of what had happened in the castle that day.
"I am well aware of my behaviour yesterday, but I would lie if I were to apologise about my words," she added, and Ignis wasn't sure if he felt annoyance or admiration. Possibly both, he reckoned. 
"However, this is no time to quarrel about things that already happened, though what I am about tell you has something to do with the event that occured before," she told him. She was silent for a few moments, and Ignis wished she would just continue her story as he could feel his blood turn to ice. 
"Some days ago I returned to the sight of the great massacre that took place about a dozen years ago," she started, and Ignis bit back a harsh why?. He couldn't possibly understand why someone would willingly go back there. He eyed her for a moment longer before he looked away.
"But before I tell you about that, you need to know what happened right after that massacre," she continued, and then began telling him how the enemy's soldiers had taken the survivors hostage, only to keep them as slaves at their fortress. Ignis could feel his hands shaking slightly, and stuffed them under his legs to stop it. How had he never known about all of this?
"Now this is why I call on your help. He is coming this way, now, for what purpose I don't know, but we have to stop him for the sake of the living and the ones of our blood that have died. If we don't defeat this evil there will be nowhere to live, nowhere to hide, there will be nothing but death and suffering," she finished, and Ignis found himself nodding along to her words.
"So, Prince, will you and your father come to our aid now?" she asked him. Ignis breathed in the air, forcing himself to notice the scent of pines. He closed his eyes for one, two, three seconds before he looked at the woman. "We didn't know," he told her, his voice no longer cold or angry, wanting the woman to at least understand. "We didn't-," he cut himself off before he would only repeat himself and rose back to his feet. "If we had, we would have done something earlier."
He stalked to his desk and grabbed the feathers, willing his hands to stop shaking. "Sela, help me with these," he muttered, and she immediately appeared  next to him, taking the feathers from his fingers and clipping them into his hair. When she was finished, he turned back to the woman again. "You need to tell us everything you remember from that place," he said. "How you left, how we can get in."
He flurried through his room, grabbing his robe and his shoes. "But first, you need to tell my fath- I mean, the King, everything you just told me." He flicked his robe on, pushing the sleeves up onto his arms. "I don't care what you think about me or my father, but we won't just willingly abandon our race," he muttered, the last part more to himself than anyone else. "Follow me," he said, throwing open his door (and immediately after muttering a hasty apology when a passing servant almost had a heart attack) and walking down the hallway to his father's office.

Ignis might have thrown open the doors a little too enthusiastic, he realised, especially when he stepped inside the room and saw his father almost drop an entire stack of books. "Ignis!" he exclaimed, frowning when he noticed the two women standing behind his son. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you I didn't want to be disturb-," he started, and then seemed to realise that one of the women wasn't an oread, like he was used to.
"Is she-," he started, but didn't finish his sentence, instead raising a questioning eyebrow at Ignis. Ignis scraped his throat, fiddling with the fabric of his rope, not sure how to bring this news to his father. "Father," he started, because at least he knew his dad preferred a more formal way of talking when they were with company. "This woman has something important to tell."

"We didn't know," the prince said. For a moment longer she eyed him, as if she could see if he was telling her the truth about his unawareness. "We didn't-," he started again, but then he rose back to his feet and looked at her. "If we had, we would have done something earlier." He finished.
For a moment there was confusion mixed with anger, sorrow, uncertainty all battling inside her, certainty however won the battle. “Then it would seem that our messengers never reached you after all.” She spoke softly.
She saw him walking to his desk, where the ornaments of status lay, and he asked the nymph for help. For some reason both seemed to trust each other immensely, though Enya couldn’t understand why. But the woman was undeniably smart, that was certain.
"You need to tell us everything you remember from that place," he said. "How you left, how we can get in." He flurried through his room, grabbing his robe and his shoes. "But first, you need to tell my fath- I mean, the King, everything you just told me." He flicked his robe on, pushing the sleeves up onto his arms. "I don't care what you think about me or my father, but we won't just willingly abandon our race," he muttered.
He was very busy all of a sudden. She knew she had done the right thing by coming to him, telling him what she had. But now she had to tell the king? She felt a stab inside her as anger fought to come to the surface. No, she would do this, she had to do this.
“Is it wise to just stalk to your father and tell him all this?” she wondered out loud, but the prince never heard her because he had already opened the door and was now going to his father’s chambers. Enya sighed and followed at a quick, silent, pace.

Once there the prince opened the door with a little too much force, the sound of falling books echoed through the last bit of the hallway. Within a few second she and the other woman were behind the prince.
The king had grown older, that much was certain. She remembered him vaguely from before but she had not known him as someone you could scare quickly.
"Ignis!" he exclaimed, frowning when he noticed the two women.
"What are you doing here? I thought I told you I didn't want to be disturb-," he started and then is fell silent, starting yet another sentence. "Is she-," he started, but didn't finish his sentence, instead raising a questioning eyebrow at the prince. The prince cleared his throat and spoke, a little to formal for the occasion to her taste.
With that she was somewhat introduced to the king. He looked at her with big eyes filled with unbelief. Not that it was something she had not thought about, he had thought his race gone completely for the last dozen years, so this had to be a surprise to him.
And so Enya repeated the story she had told the prince just a little while before. During the talk she kept a keen eye on the king, watching his every move, his every reaction to her words. He seemed as shocked as his son had been and so she could safely assume that their messengers had never reached the royal capitol. Only when the damage had been done, the crown had learned the annihilation of their blood.
“So that is how it is possible for me to be here. Now I can show your general the route I have taken when I escape that place. But I am afraid that that is all that I know. I didn’t really take the time to investigate, which I hope you understand.” She said casually. “You need to make a decision soon. He’s on his way and he is not that happy. But now he not only threatens our remaining blood but you whole country.”

x
Ignis
The woman didn't take her time, instead started repeating her story the moment Ignis had introduced her. For once, Ignis appreciated the brashness. It didn't seem like they had much time as well. Ignis watched his father with alert eyes, noticing the smallest signs of distress only because they had spent so many years so close together. His father didn't turn white exactly, but he did grow a little paler than usual, and Ignis noticed the way his eyes slightly widened. 'Sela,' he whispered as the woman reached the end of her story. 'Could you fetch Cador? Tell him the King asks for him,' he told her, because he knew his father would as soon as the news dawned on him. Cador was the head of the guards, and also the one his father turned to whenever he needed the mind of a strategist. Sela nodded and left the room without a sound, the scent of pines and mountain air leaving with her. Ignis could feel his hands shaking a little and hid them in the sleeves of his robe.
"So that is how it is possible for me to be here. Now I can show your general the route I have taken when I escape that place. But I am afraid that that is all that I know. I didn't really take the time to investigate, which I hope you understand," she said. His father nodded, still seeming a little distracted by the sudden news. "You need to make a decision soon. He's on his way and he is not happy. But now he not only threatens our remaining blood but your whole country," she added. His father nodded a second time, and then his eyes shot up to Ignis, turning back to his surroundings. "I already sent Sela to ask for Cador," he said, before his father could ask anything, and got a quick smile in return. His father turned back to the woman. "I suppose you must be hungry," he said to her, before asking one of the servants waiting outside of the office to fetch a tray with some food and water. When the servant had left again, he hesitated only for a moment. "The others- Are you the only survivor or are there still more?" he asked. 
It was at that moment the heavy sound of hooves on a marble floor could be heard, and the doors of the office opened again. Sela entered first, but the man behind her was hard not to notice before the oread. He was broad shouldered, even for a centaur, and the leather harness only accentuated the defined muscles of his upper body. He wore his hair in a long braid, the same sleek black as his coat. The feathering around his lower legs only showed the slightest traces of mud, the white hair clean and shining. "Cador," his father breathed, obvious relief in his voice. Sela closed the doors behind the centaur and turned back to Ignis' side. 
"The nymph told me what is going on," Cador said in a low, booming voice. His eyes slowly turned to the woman. "I see she spoke the truth as well," he muttered, his eyebrows rising a little. "Can you read maps? It would be a lot easier if you could point to me where you came from," he added, immediately going back to business.