Hearing O'Fathis' icy interrogation, the commoners were in turmoil and worried for the princess. The nobles cursed themselves for being confused and involved in the struggle at the top and prayed that Her Highness would not overreact. Rameshlei and Villette cold sweat, thinking about the worst case scenario. Hora was unresponsive. The social structure of unicorns is so far removed from that of elves that he did not quite understand the scene before him.
The only one who was not worried was Flamir, the master of the magic-eyed governor had said that he would make Drusilla the main object of his plan, and he watched with interest the princess' response. Whether the princess was scared to tears or rushed up to give the high priest a fat beating, it does not matter, Vlamir has enough backup plans.
Drusillia took a deep breath and slowed her heartbeat. "I ..." all the elves pulled their hearts into their throats.
"... certainly have no intention of disobeying the ruling, most Garland Nord's queen daughter, I return to uphold the sanctity of the elven code with my life."
The nobles breathed a huge sigh of relief, while the commoners looked to the unicorns and magic eyes, should we throw out our new friends who had just sung together?
"But!" Drusillia's turn of phrase was spoken with conviction and without fear of meeting the High Priest's solemn eyes.
"We did not make any deal, the unicorn pack requested to join the Forest of Tyria, which required the judgment of the Clan King. Secular to secular, faith to faith, the temple can use dogma against trading with foreigners, the royal family can also exercise the right of diplomacy and affiliation. This is the law that you and my father wrote with your own hands at the time of the "Kingdom Recall" in the Forest of Tyria, but does the temple intend to go against the teachings of the Lord of Rituals?
The High Priestess of Orpheus was silent as the princess struck at the heart of the temple, which is one of the areas of faith of the Lord of Rituals.
Seeing that the priests had no intention of giving way, Drusillia simply turned and shouted to the elves, "The procession continues!" Ramesile was the first to shout up, so the music continued to soar, the petals still fluttered, and the vast procession proceeded to wriggle forward, leaving behind the exasperated group of priests.
"Imam ..." the priests wondered at the silence of the high priest. Orpheus said in a deep voice: "Go back, since you have lost the initiative of this round, do not be attached to it. Learn your lesson and start the round over. This time, I'm going to tackle that dragon directly ..."
...
"I'm really sorry to upset the two honored guests, the pantheon and the royal family have some ... differences of opinion."
"No no," Vlamir smiled warmly, "your wisdom amazes me." Just as his master had judged.
"Thank you for the compliment, the royal palace is just ahead."
Vlamir sniffed and began to straighten his grooming, brushing away the petals and ribbons stuck to his head. Estimating that the duration of [Eagle's Radiance] should be up, he used another bottle of charm potion. But in the eyes of the elves this behavior incomprehensible: the magic eye with tentacles into the large mouth to find around, pull out a bottle of vivid purple liquid, open the cork and drink it, then swallow the empty bottle ... Why take it out?
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- -----
The elders actually don't look old from a human perspective; the elves only grow a light beard, which is basically meticulously trimmed. Even in their twilight years, there are few wrinkles, and the approximate age of an elf is judged by the luster of his hair color and the clarity of his eyes. The High Priest of Orpheus has maintained his middle-aged appearance at the age of 920, supposedly as a miracle of Nieron's favor to the Ritual Prelate, but tonight, the elders were urgently invited by the Elven King, on the grounds that a holy tribe capable of performing miracles of healing had requested to join the Forest of Tyria.
All the elders stood on the spiral steps at the entrance of the royal court, from where they could overlook the panoramic view of the square. Every now and then they observe the Elven King who is waiting with his eyes closed before exchanging glances, but they get only the same puzzled look. It seemed that whether it was a bad joke or a strange ploy, this was an emergency operation and no one had heard the wind. Even stranger was the refusal of all the priests to attend.
Someone needed to step in and find out what was going on. The eyes finally converged on Elder Annado, the oldest member of the council besides the High Priest, and the leader of the neutral faction, with a gentle disposition, proper handling and a certain reputation.
"Your Majesty, what exactly are we waiting for?" The elders agreed that the unicorn was nothing more than a pretext.
"Patience, as in the case of Yagi Evergreen, is the greatest virtue of life. Anado, this is the ancient saying you often quote to mediate disputes between me and the High Priest." The Elf King replied blandly.
Elder Annado retreated sarcastically. Not long after, the stirring strains of the Arrangian drifted in from the distance, followed by the sound of huge amounts of footsteps and talking, and what sounded like an army charging. As the procession rounded the corner, unicorns and magic-eyed governors caused the elders to gasp backwards. The elders were no more subdued than the commoners when it came to witnessing the fairy tale creatures.
The princess walked up the steps surrounded by her compatriots, and the elf king gently took his daughter's arm. Druhiria felt the warmth of her father's hand and, knowing it was checking for injuries, gave the Elven King a reassuring smile.
The Elf King motioned for his daughter to stand to his side, raised his arms palms downward, and the elves stopped their clamor.
"Tonight! Because of the arrival of two guests, joy and peace have re-enveloped the green capital!" The voice of the Elven King was extraordinarily loud because of the architectural form of the square, and the artisans of Tyria knew early on how to gather the voices.
"Welcome! Servant of the dragon, the magic-eyed governor Vladimir. Welcome! The Holy Spirit who comes by moonlight, Hora White Mane." The rushing cheers and applause woke up the elders, who somewhat reluctantly averted their eyes from Hora's crystal-clear purple pupils. Most of the elders showed a welcoming salute, not the least of which was enthusiastic, of course, to the unicorn.
"I am not honored, Your Majesty." Vlamir flexed his lei, and Hora bent his right forehoof. "My master, the golden dragon Lysatos Torchflame, commands me to come with goodwill and sincerity to seek shelter for the Unicorn clan and to make a racial alliance with the Elven royal family!"
There was a clamor, many elves were still just learning the news that a group of unicorns were coming into the forest! The elders looked at each other, unable to hide their surprise.
Hora decided to speak up, even though language is not the unicorns' strong point, but this is about the survival of the community. "King of the elves, the unicorns are a symbiotic community with the forest. Having been displaced by the destruction of our original home and relying on Torchmage, I hereby request, on behalf of the 734 adult unicorns and 210 foals, to join the Forest of Tia."
"The Forest of Tia is not a purely happy place, we are also facing human aggression."
"Unicorns are not creatures that can only be admired." Hora raised his front hoof and slammed it down.
"Boom!" All the stone slabs in the two-sa-meter radius of Hora cracked, and the shock wave spread across the square, even the elf kings and elders on the steps could feel the vibration.
"Our fur is not something that ordinary swords can tear, our hooves can shatter steel armor and shields, and our horns can heal injuries. Even a newborn foal can run free in the forest, and the spells of an adult unicorn can make the wicked hide nothing. Swear in the name of nature that elves give land and unicorns give loyalty and friendship. Your home is our home, and your enemies are our enemies. Neither war nor age will fade the covenant!"
Drusillia looked nervously at her father, as did the other elves, eagerly hoping that the clan king's next move would be for them to cheer.
The elders, on the other hand, were somewhat disgruntled. In fact, from the unicorn alone has long agreed that such beautiful and powerful beings are identified with the Great Elfism. But one, the unicorn and the dragon has a relationship, and the dragon and the temple has a relationship. Secondly, they are annoyed with the Elven King bypassing the council to receive directly, according to tradition, should take their time to gather information and then open a meeting for three or five months, agree to receive and then open a meeting for three or five months to discuss the covenant ...
One of the elders came forward and said, "Your Majesty, this matter should be carefully considered."
Drusillia glared angrily, tens of thousands of elves turned to this elder at the same time, countless discontented eyes smashed on him. The elders were instantly silenced; they had never confronted the elves' joys and sorrows in front of so many of their fellow citizens.
The Elven King stepped down from the dais and stood in front of Hora. "In the name of the Crown of Garland Nord, I hereby exercise diplomatic power. Hora White Mane, I promise to grant unicorns and elves equal rights to live and dignity, and as long as the unicorns do not turn their backs on the elves, you will be free to come and go with the Forest of Tyria as your home."
Hora was ecstatic and said in a loud voice: "I will defend the forest of Tia and the oath with my life!"
"Who is willing to be a witness?"
Vlamir crossed the crowd: "On behalf of the great dimensional merchant, Torch Mage, I am here to bear witness."
...
The elves found a cold scene, the magic-eyed governor merchant spoke and then no one made a sound, usually such sacred vows are completed by the priests of the Lord of Rituals, but everyone selectively forget the temple. Other elves are not enough to look around, and the eyes are focused on the elders.
Elder Anado's forehead seeped with cold sweat, it was the Elven King's displeasure, the Clan King used this way to show the royal authority and influence, directly forcing the elders to death. He said in a dry voice, "I bear witness."
"I bear witness."
"I bear witness."
...
The Elf King shouted, "The vow is made! Rejoice for Tia's new friends!"
"I propose that this day, every ten years, be celebrated as the Festival of Midsummer Night with a grand procession!"
The applause and cheers went straight up, and Drusilla could finally crack a smile as she felt that she had finally taken a solid step for the elves' counterattack.