Book 17.5: Chapter 7
Did I just say Duargana was lively? Sorry, but I need to clear one thing up, which is that not every corner of Duargana was lively. At the very least, the residential area in front of me was very quiet. No elves willing to come into the vicinity of the area. The neatly arranged row of homes was also silent. It was as if everybody had left the area or nobody ever resided there. The only sounds were the sounds of domestic animals’ footsteps and bells ringing.
There was a small yard at the front of every house’s entrance. Animals would lie and enjoy the peace belonging to them in the hay in the small yard. The sound of horse hooves on the stone path disturbed them. The surprised animals watched the man in white and his steed make their way across the street.
He stopped by a house and dismounted. He gently knocked on the timber door. The sound was particularly frightening and eerie due to the area being uninhabited. He stood at the door and silently waited for the person inside to open up. He didn’t actually know if there was someone inside or not. Still, he waited. He stood still and straight as a spear stabbed into the ground. Other than his cloak, which the wind buffeted, he didn’t budge. There wasn’t a single sound in the silent area. His knocks only produced echoes. Then, it’d fall into a silence again. The man didn’t panic, though. He continued to wait and knock at set intervals.
After some time, sounds finally came from inside the property. Someone gently pulled open the timber door. The door seemed as if it was a door that hadn’t been opened in a long time. A woman gently placed her hand in a black glove on the door frame. Behind her black veil was her beautiful face, while her pretty body behind the door was covered in a thin, transparent piece of clothing. With a gentle smile, she asked, “I rarely have guests. Did someone refer you to me?”
“Vyvyan.”
The woman was astonished to hear the name that the man softly enunciated. She replied, “Princess Vyvyan introduced you? That would make you an esteemed guest, then. Please come in. Mm, no, she is not the ruler of elves. She is the same as Inard, nevertheless. Regardless, both of them are superb in their roles. Without them, we dark elves would not be blessed with the life that we now have.”
The man followed her inside. He scanned the furniture and set up of the house. With a smile, he commented, “You’re the same as you were in the past. Your house is set up the exact same way.”
“Hmm?” The woman turned around feeling quite surprised. She politely smiled. Confused, she responded, “I am sorry, Mister, though you are a guest that Princess Vyvyan referred, have we met before? I consider my memory to be very good, but I do not think we have met before.”
“We have, but not here.”