Vect followed silently behind Kanya down the long, empty hallways of the palace. To ease some of the uncomfortable silence between them, Vect requested Kanya explain the rooms they passed by.
"This is one is the art room," she explained, "and has a wonderful view of the western horizon in the evenings."
"Art room?"
"Yes, my lord. Many residents and guests have created some of the art you see lining the hallways and rooms in this palace. If you so desire I can have some paints prepared afterwards."
"That won't be necessary. I have never had any talent when I comes to painting, unlike..." Vect stopped short of saying "unlike Jarhel".
When he didn't continue his train of thought, Kanya continued with her impromptu tour of the rooms along the way. "...and up ahead is the library, one of our greatest...", She stopped mid sentence as someone emerged from the library.
Dressed in a long, worn, grey robe the elderly elf emerged from the doorway, never paying any attention to the pair next to him until Vect finally spoke up.
"Dukain is that you?"
"Hmm?" The old elf looked up and finally seemed to notice the pair. "Can I help you?"
"Don't you recognize me, Dukain," Vect asked, a little worried the ancient scholar's memory had begun to fail him.
Dukain stared at Vect for a few moments, studying his face until realization finally struck him. "Vectivus?"
Vect bowed respectfully and smiled, mentally breathing a sigh of relief that Dukain still remembered him.
"My! Look at how you've grown," Dukain laughed and, much to Vect's surprise, actually embraced him in a hug. He glanced the younger elf up and down happily. "It's been, what, 5 years since you were sent to the human lands?"
"Six, master," Vect corrected.
"Too long regardless. Tell me of your time in the human lands. No wait, save it for later when we are enjoying our meal so you won't have to repeat yourself."
"Master Dukain? You'll be joining his lordship tonight," Kanya raised her eyebrow, "in the nearly two years you've been here, you have only attended five meals with lord Corellion and have taken all other meals in the library."
"Yes, I am aware of my dining habits, but this is a special occasion! My favorite student has come home."
Dukain Simeril, tutor to the entire Irallion line and the one that gave Vect his sense of adventure. Vect remembered the nights Dukain would entertain his family with tales of adventure, be they from books or simply made up on the spot. Dukain always had a unique way of making even boring subjects sound interesting, and likely would have been responsible for the entirety of Vect's teaching had he not been sent away.
"I must apologize for ignoring you previously, I thought you were another of those detestable nobles. It's incredible how someone can claim to know so much and yet, they know absolutely nothing," Dukain and Vect laughed together while Kanya glared at the old man.
"It is I'll advised to talk poorly of our guests, we have had this discussion on numerous occasions."
"Ah, quit nagging me. I've been a good boy."
"You put a bee hive in a visiting merchant's room."
"He claimed to know everything about insects, or was that peasants? He used the words interchangeably. Either way, he has seen the error of his ways."
"I don't think screaming incoherently, 'ah not the bees', qualifies as a lesson learned."
"A lesson in humility takes many forms. Now then," Dukain turned his attention to his former student, "let us not keep your father and his guests waiting." He then began to lead Vect by the arm down the hallway, a still very annoyed Kanya following behind.
------------------------
Along the way to the dining room, Vect's group met up with Edran, Faral, and Duinir. They exchanged some quick pleasantries and were allowed to enter the dining room. However, only the servants were present.
"Where's my father."
"He is finalizing a land dispute between some local farmers and will be joining us shortly," a regal looking elf explained as he entered the room, walking closely beside him was a stunningly beautiful woman. Her dark hair indicated she was from the southern territories of the High Elf lands and from the ritualistic markings on her arms, Vect guessed she was a spellcaster of high standing.
"It is good to see you Taegan," Vect bowed to his older brother.
"And it is good to see you to you, Vectivus," Taegan adjusted his blue and gold robes and gave Vect a welcoming hug, much to Vect's shock.
'Taegan must've really missed me.'
'Why do you say that,' Erress asked.
'Physical displays of affection aren't a common sight with him,' Vect explained as he bowed to Taegan's companion and introduced himself. "Greetings, I am Vectivus Irallion."
"And I am Jayla Honsun, Taegan's wife." She bowed
"I didn't know you had found someone. Had I been told I would have attended the ceremony."
"The wedding needed to be concluded quickly because of Tallion's rebellion," Taegan waved Vect's concerns away. "The only regret I have is not having you with us during the uprising, you could have earned quite the reputation on the field."
"I didn't even know about Tallion until recently," Vect admitted.
"It doesn't matter, you are back and that is all that matters."
A servant approached and announced that Vect's father was ready for them.
----------------
High Lord Corellion was of course sitting at the head of the long table, however he was not alone. Seated a few places further down the table were the three cloaked individuals from earlier, the girl seated between the other two.
As everyone moved to take their seats, Duinir whispered in Vect's ear, "try to keep an open mind and don't do anything rash."
Before Vect could ask him what he meant, Duinir was taking his place at Corellion's right side and Taegan on the left. Before Vect could move to sit next to Dukain, Edran pulled Vect to sit directly across from the woman from earlier with both Edran and Faral taking position next to him.
There was an uneasy tension in the air as the servants began to bring forth the meal, but why everyone was so tense, Vect couldn't find a reason. He glanced up the table to his father, who was having a hushed and very urgent conversation with Taegan and Duinir.
"Thank you."
Vect realized it was the woman across the table that had spoken.
"You're welcome," he responded politely, "you weren't hurt were you?"
"No, but you understand how escorts can be, worrying about minor incidents."
"All too well. I wasn't aware you would be joining us tonight."
"And I didn't know you were the lord's son. It's embarrassing to think that was how we first met."
"You should have stayed with us," the guard on the left interjected.
"How else can I learn about this world if I don't explore on my own," she countered.
"Exactly. Books and stories can only get you so far, but they don't compare to actually seeing things firsthand."
"What kind of things have you seen in the human lands," the woman leaned forward, her voice full of anticipation.
"I'm Vect by the way."
"I'm Zarra."
As Vect described the sights and creatures he had seen in the six years he'd been away, Corellion watched him intently. With Vect getting into a story about the werewolf attack at the camp, he nodded to the pair of cloaked guards to remove their robes. With Vect invested in telling his story and answering the questions of both Dukain and Zarr, it wasn't until Erress spoke up that he noticed the pair flanking Zarra were removing their concealing cloaks with Zarra following suit.
Beneath the grey robes, Vect saw that they were dressed about how one would expect visiting nobles. The dark material didn't resemble anything Vect was familiar with, but it did look sturdy and comfortable. The clothing clung to the wearer's body for better freedom of movement, better than the sometimes cumbersome robes High Elves insisted were fashionable, but they still had an overall appearance of clothing meant for high class citizens.
This wasn't what made Vect's world freeze around him as he processed the sight before him, it was the trio of Dark Elves sitting across the table.