The rain had stopped. For four days there had been nothing but bleak skies and a slow, steady drizzle. In that miserable weather Wilfed had travelled up the Mourn River across the borderlands between Trimbledale and the Kingdom of the Elves. Everything on the river boat had gotten thoroughly soaked, all except for his letter of introduction. He had kept that dry in a sealed ivory scroll case.
As they came into view of the city of Dewa the clouds began to break. The small grey clouds clung to the palaces' upper spires began to vanish. The sun broke through the clouds as they arrived at the docks. As they unloaded the boat the sun began drying the clothes that clung to him. In an hour everything smelled fragrant and delicious, and everything looked clean and bright. He thanked the captain and prepared to go on his way.
"It was quite a journey," said the captain, he was an older half-elf who had plied his trade on this river for well over a century. "Well at least you got the sun here at the city. I reckon that will make your mission more pleasant."
"I'm sure it will," said Wilfed, "Though it does figure."
"What does?"
"That the sun would shine here; elves do everything perfectly, even the weather."
"Ho, ho," the captain chortled. "Now just wait 'til you see, they do more things as an art than you could ever imagine. Aye, it does take some getting used to, even for me."
They parted and Wilfed walked from the docks to the city. Dewa was the main port of the Kingdom of the Elves. All of the noble houses of elves and several great trade houses of the other races had a presence there. The elves conducted diplomacy from Dewa as well. The capital was far away, but the king never received messengers from the outside world at his court. Except on ceremonial occasions, only the circle of advisors ever saw King Azurstal. For an outsider the only way to get the king's approval for a proposal was to go through a lengthy chain of intermediaries. Going through the process could take a decade; a blink of an eye to the elves, but an eternity to humans.
Wilfed didn't have a decade; he barely had a month. His proposal was of utmost urgency and it required the approval of the king. The situation had seemed hopeless until an old family servant had reminded him that his great grandfather had known a noble elf woman, Lady Sindra of the house Mystal. Mystal was a great house and Wilfed made his case in the council of war that they must have had some rapport with the royal family. Lady Mystal had lived in Dewa a century ago, maybe she was still there and if she was maybe she could help. The council had thought the plan was preposterous, but no one had another, so Wilfed was sent.
The Elvish city was different than any other city Wilfed had seen. Elves did not live in trees, as Wilfed had once thought, but in magnificent palaces. The city was filled with palaces with long yards which were set on broad streets paved with white stone. Throughout the city there were plazas with ornately carved fountains and statues of great elves. The buildings did not hug one another as they did in human cities. Instead sunlight shone through even on the streets. There were no slums, no beggars or any sign of poverty. Even the docks were orderly, and the dock workers were burly, by elven standards, but they were not menacing and sullen. There were stately arcades with porticoes which held neat little shops and smart taverns, but no marketplaces ringing with the cacophony of a thousand voices and little but junk for sale and no filthy brothels with madams outside slyly propositioning young men.
He found his way to the palace of house Mystal with the aid of some passers-by. It was a gorgeous chateau of pink marble which rose up to a forest of soaring chimneys on the roof. The large oak door was carved with a scene of unicorns in the woods. The heavy brass knocker was held in the mouth of a unicorn; Wilfed raised then dropped it. The sound was deafening. In a few seconds the door swung open and an older elf emerged. He wore a red velvet coat with an insignia of two unicorns on his chest.
"May I help you?" he asked. His voice creaked from age, but he managed to sound polished and differential.
"I am Baron Wilfed von Esten," he said and bowed stiffly. "I am here to see Lady Mystal on a matter of utmost importance. I have with me my credentials and a letter of introduction," he said. He presented his scroll case and opened it to show the elf two scrolls with the seal of King Kronning III.
"Baron von Esten, you said?" he asked as he cocked his head slightly. A faint smile played on his lips.
"Yes."
"I shall inform her ladyship of your arrival at once," he said and then bowed deeply. "Welcome to the Dewa palace of house Mystal." The elf led him through the foyer into a spacious hall. At the center of the room was a large wooden table. It was intricately carved with a leaf pattern, like a forest floor thought Winfed. Three younger elves rose to attention in front of the table as the men entered. They were dressed in the same livery as the older elf. That elf bade Wilfed sit as he addressed the others, "This is Baron von Esten. See to his needs as I fetch Lady Mystal."
Baron Wilfed took his seat and looked around at the hall. It was magnificent. The walls were paneled with a rich, deep cherry wood. Half pillars were spaced at regular intervals against the paneling, each carved in a likeness of an elvish lord. Wilfed guessed that they represented the forbearers of house Mystal. The ceiling soared above into hammer beam supports made of a lighter colored wood. The floor was made of rich lacquered planks set in a parquet pattern. Wilfed thought that this was the elf's way of bringing the forest to them in the city, despite being so large the room was rich and warm and felt almost alive.
As Wilfed looked about he noticed the footmen had dropped their rigid pose and were all staring at him. One of them spoke after a few moments, "You must be a man of great importance."
"I shouldn't think so; I'm just an ambassador," Wilfed replied. He was a baron as well, but that was hardly an exalted title among elves or men. Many of King Kronning's council had wanted to send a man with at least the rank of count with him. That proved to be impossible. The counts and dukes were needed to muster their knights and to form a strategy. It was decided that the success of this mission would have to rely upon Wilfed's ability rather than on his title.
"How strange," said the same elf. "Normally one of us would have been sent. Aronstad is in charge of all the household servants. He doesn't announce visitors, unless they are of great importance and he never announces anyone to Lady Mystal. Her ladyship's secretary receives ambassadors, not her ladyship."
"Perhaps he's heard of our mission," said Wilfed. "We need to move troops through the elven land for the safety of the world."