"So now, let me ask you. Do you know someone named Shinara?"
Shinara, a name that meant the world to Aurora. It might seem like a normal name that's just a bit strange; however, to Aurora, this name had a much deeper meaning.
Some time ago, probably about two weeks, Aurora asked Yuki if she knew the name of their mother. It was a completely random question, and she didn't even expect an answer. However, to her surprise, Yuki responded positively.
"Hmmm, mother's name? I'm pretty certain it was Shinara, or something like that at the very least." Those were Yuki's words back then.
While the answer was a bit surprising, Aurora was simply happy to know something more about her mother. She didn't even pay much mind to the question afterwards. But now she heard the very same name from someone else's mouth, causing her to frown a bit.
"I doubt there are many Shinara's out there. So the chances of this woman actually talking about our mother aren't small at all." Yuki chimed in, her tone the same as usual. However, Aurora, who by now knew her sister very well, could easily hear the hidden coldness in Yuki's voice.
Aurora didn't answer the question, remaining silent. Unfortunately, it seemed like it wasn't necessary to say anything for Elaine to get her answer.
"Based on your reaction and the frown on your face, it's not hard to assume that you really do know her. I won't ask anything about her, don't worry. I just want to know one thing. What is she to you?" She asked with a small, friendly smile.
She truly didn't seem to have any bad intentions; at least Aurora couldn't sense any of them from the elven woman in front of her. So, after a bit of consideration, she decided to be honest.
"She's my mother." Aurora's voice rang inside Elaine's head, causing her to softly nod her head.
"As expected, so you truly are..." Elaine muttered under her breath, raising her head back up, her eyes falling on the small white fox.
"With how intelligent you are, I'm sure you already figured this out, but your mother is the spirit that blessed these lands." She spoke, her tone more serious than ever before.
"Back then, when she saved our entire tribe and blessed it with such fortune, she only asked for one thing in return. Sometime in the future, a white kitsune much like me will come to these lands. When that time comes, do all you can to help her. That was the only thing she asked for." Those words caused Aurora to fall silent, looking down at the floor.
Right now, she felt truly complicated. Her mother, even after her passing and without even ever meeting her, she was helping her so much. Be it back then in the dungeon or now with the elves. Despite being gone, she still took care of her.
The silence continued on for minutes. No one spoke at all. Elaine remained silent, giving Auroea time to process everything she just heard. Rejoke didn't say anything for obvious reasons. As for Elijah, the silver-haired elf knew he had no place in this strange conversation.
Only after about ten more minutes did someone finally break the silence. It was Elaine who looked at Aurora with a solemn expression.
"Based on the look on your face, I suppose Lady Shinara is no longer with us." The chief of elves spoke in a soft, understanding tone. This time, she didn't even use Telepathy.
Aurora slowly raised her head back up, looking at the beautiful woman sitting on a throne. However, just as the small fox was about to reply, someone else spoke first.
"L-Lady Shinara is gone!? That is impossible!" Elijah exclaimed, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
He simply couldn't believe that the savior of their kind was no longer with them in the realm of the living. It was simply absurd!
However, when he saw Aurora nod slowly in response to Elaine's question/statement, his eyes trembled. He didn't doubt Aurora; there was no need for her to lie.
The handsome elf fell directly down to his knees, feeling both shock, but above all, overwhelming sorrow. To him, much like to most of the snow elves, Lady Shinara was incredibly important. He knew just how much his tribe owed her, so hearing that she was gone dealt a serious blow to him.
"Unfortunately, Elijah, it is far from impossible. Actually, if I'm not wrong, she should already be gone for a long time. Am I right, little Aurora?" Even Elaine's voice was filled with sadness as she asked another question.
"You are correct. Although I don't know how long exactly, mother has probably died a few million years ago." Aurora's next words confirmed her suspicions; however, the actual number made her eyes go wide in surprise.
"Few million? No, actually, it makes sense." The elven chief muttered underneath her breath once again, voicing her slight disbelief.
"The Lady Shinara we saw was merely a spirit, but kitsunes aren't exactly spirits." She leaned her head down, holding it up with her hand. Then, after letting out a heavy sigh, she raised her head once again.
"Little Aurora, please know that we'll do our best to fulfill your mother's last and only wish for us. So please, stay here for as long as you please. We'll make sure to take care of you." Elaine showed a small, kind-hearted smile.
Seeing that genuine warm smile, Aurora nodded softly in response before using Telepathy again.
"Miss Elaine, I thank you for your kindness in advance. However, there might be a slight problem with communication between me and the other elves." Aurora voiced out both her gratefulness and her slight worries.
Noticing how the small white fox even changed the way she addressed her made Elaine realize that now Aurora trusted her and had some respect for her, even if just a little. However, upon hearing her words, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't worry, little Aurora. I'll delegate someone who'll be able to communicate with you as your speaker. Actually, I already have someone in mind." Saying that, Elaine chuckled further.
Under Aurora's confused eyes, the elven chief turned to Elijah, and with a small sigh, she called out to him.
"Elijah, I know you are sad; we all are. However, instead of grieving, how about you help fulfill the lady's wish, hmm?" Even if they were harsh, Elaine's words did a wonderful job.
Hearing her words, Elijah's eyes regained their glow as he slowly got to his feet. Then, he slowly made his way in front of Aurora, and right after, he did something the little fox didn't expect at all.
"Lady Aurora, please, allow me to be your guard, as well as your guide during this stay here." The elf actually knelt down to one knee and lowered his head.
Aurora stood stunned for a second or two, and just as she was about to reply, someone else had already beaten her to it.
"You idiot, what do you think you are saying?" Elaine suddenly appeared behind the kneeling Elijah, giving him a swift chop on his head.
"Ouch! Village chief, what the-!" Elijah clutched his head and shot up to his feet, turning around.
"Hmph, you think I would let an idiot like you take care of little Aurora over here. She's a lady, and so she needs a guide who'll understand." Elaine snorted and shook her head, calmly returning to her throne.
"What I wanted you to do was to go call your sister." She said upon sitting back down. Those words made Elijah realize that he jumped to conclusions too fast.
Since that was the case, the silver-haired elf merely bowed and soon left the throne room. Now, there were only three beings in the room.
"You seem quite close with Elijah, Miss Elaine." Aurora broke the silence immediately after Elijah left.
"Well, that's given. He's my son; of course we're close." Elaine replied calmly; however, her words came off as a big surprise to Aurora.
"Huh? You are his mother?" Aurora asked incredulously, finding it rather strange.
"Yes, wasn't that obvious? I mean, it's not like we don't look alike. Besides, you think I would let just any elf be present during our conversation?" Elaine's words truly did make sense, so all Aurora could do was nod.
But right after doing so, she realized something else wrong with the previous conversation. Well, it was several things, actually.
"Wait, why does he call you 'village chief' then? I mean, I can understand why he would do it in public, but there was no need to do so here." Aurora asked what was on her mind, feeling quite curious.
"Oh, well, that was his own decision. He hardly calls me anything close and mostly just calls me by my title. Only occasionally when we are truly alone does he call me 'mother'." Elaine answered honestly, as there was no need to hide anything.
Finding her explanation plausible and finding no faults in it, Aurora nodded in understanding. She could understand Elijah's way of thinking a bit, but she still found it strange.
"Well, I have one more question. Just now, you told Elijah to go call his sister here. Does that mean she is your...?" Aurora waited for Elaine to finish her question on her own, not wanting to assume things.
"Of course she's my daughter. She'll also be the one taking care of you during your stay here, as I'm sure you'll prefer a woman taking care of you over a man." Elaine gave Aurora a small, knowing smile.
To her statement, Aurora merely nodded and thanked her for her consideration. She really did prefer a woman taking care of her rather than a man.
And no, it's not that she doesn't like men or males. It was just that she preferred a woman. After all, she dearly loved her mother even if she never met her. Because of that, she just felt closer and more comfortable around women. As for whether or not Elaine truly understood her way of thinking, she didn't know or care.
Soon enough, Elijah came back, and he wasn't the only one. Together with him also came a beautiful elf. The woman was truly pretty. She had silver hair basically identical to her mother's. However, unlike Elaine, this elf had more of a young charm rather than the mature charm of the elven chief.
However, the most striking of the woman's features were her eyes. Unlike her brother's deeper shade of blue eyes or her mother's lighter shade, the young elf had completely silver-gray eyes, something Aurora hadn't seen with any elf yet.
"This-" Suddenly, the young woman spoke up as she walked past her brother, stopping about half a meter away from the small fox. The woman crouched down, her eyes shining when they fell on the body of the cute, furry creature.
"Are you Lady Aurora?" The young elven woman asked, slowly reaching out to pick up the small fox.
Aurora slowly nodded, not struggling at all and letting herself get picked up. Seeing the elf girl's shining eyes, she couldn't help but think that she looked incredibly cute.
The elven woman smiled, her eyes sparkling even more as she reached out with one hand to pet the head of the fluffy animal in her arms.
"Mother, so I will be taking care of Lady Aurora?" As she continued to caress the fox's head, she raised her head towards Elaine and asked.
"Indeed you will, but don't you think it's pretty rude to just touch someone without introducing yourself?" Elaine smiled slightly and used a phrase very similar to the one Aurora said to her when she asked the fox's name.
"R-right!" The girl panicked lightly when she realized her mistake. She quickly placed Aurora back down on the ground, stood in front of her, and bowed deeply.
"I-I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Elise Frös, and I will be taking care of you during your stay here."