((Finally stuck in The Pharoah's Tomb: Part III. Look on the second page to read it.))
Princess Tameliel: Part I
Houses stood to either side of her, looming over her. The faint smell of decaying, muddy material wafted towards her on a sudden breeze. Trees whispered faintly to one another as she walked through the town. She had a bad feeling. She couldn’t help but have a bad feeling. Her heart skipped and pounded as she clenched and unclenched her hands, trying not to run. She eventually came to a clearing at the edge of town. A gate led onto a small track which wound its way through cypress trees and dips in the swampy ground, filled with fetid water. She could hear the unmistakable buzz of mosquitoes in the humid air. She closed her eyes for a moment, noticing how a bead of sweat trickled from her brow, down her face, and to her neck. When she opened her eyes, everything had changed. People ringed her. Most of the faces she didn’t recognize, but some she did. She scanned the crowd as heat rose to her face. They were all pointing towards her with grins on their faces. No, they weren’t pointing at her. They were pointing at… She turned her head to look over her shoulder and saw a massive orc. Muscles bulged under green skin and the foul smell of his breath washed over her. In one large hand, he held a bloody spine, still dripping with gore. On the ground before him was… Tammy stared up at the creature. She felt like screaming, but she couldn’t. She felt like running, but she couldn’t. The pit of her stomach seemed to have disappeared entirely, her heart pounding and her vision darkening. Laughter began to sound from all around her as the orc gave her a vicious grin. “You’re next.”
Tammy woke with a start, stifling a scream. After a few heart-pounding moments where she gasped for breath, she finally calmed herself. It was only a dream. Nothing to get upset about. She turned over in her bed but soon deemed it too hot to sleep. She kicked off the royal blue coverlet, pulling the sheets over herself as she turned first one way, then another. She turned and pounded her ultra-soft pillow a few times before lying down again. It was no use. She couldn’t sleep. With a groan, Tammy rolled out of bed and onto richly carpeted floor. Her eyes followed the intricate, silver designs which wound their ways across the rug towards the impressive walls. They were probably her favorite part of the room. They wound and twisted like branches of a tree in artful designs, meeting towards the top where a small chandelier hung downwards. Tammy had been very particular about her room. She wanted something plain and serviceable. After all, she didn’t plan to stay there very often. Unfortunately, her sister had stuck her in what her advisors called “the blue room.” Not only did it have a four poster bed with a feather mattress, but it also had a full writing desk, lavish sofa and chairs, a vanity, and a wardrobe that probably could fit a whole herd of cows inside. True to its name, the furnishings were all in shades of blue with rich wood as its base. The walls were the true masterpiece of the room, however. On calm nights or days, the twisting branches would uncurl and part slightly, opening the room up to the elements outside. Stars or blue sky would peak in from between the branches that made up the room. A few rays of pinkish gold filtered through the branches, signaling the coming of dawn. Tammy padded over to the massive wardrobe and opened its doors before grabbing her usual outfit. She yanked off the large night shirt and pulled on her shirt, vest, pants, socks, and boots. She walked over to the vanity and grabbed a brush from the table. Looking blearily into the mirror, she carefully ran it through her hair. She looked like crap. Oh well. Her sister had asked her to stay a few days in order to sort out a few things. Unfortunately, Tammy still wasn’t sure what these “things” might be. She had a feeling it was going to involve babysitting Galadhan a fair bit. That was fine, really. Her nephew was cute, even if he was a bit fussy sometimes. She stretched a bit and then glanced to the door of her room. She hoped that there wasn’t someone waiting outside to attend to her every need. Grabbing the silver handle of the door, she eased it open and poked her head outside. The hallway was empty. Good. She shut the door quietly behind herself and strolled down the hall, admiring the way the Tree Singers had sculpted the railings along the tree’s edges. They looped and twirled in regular but still artistic designs. She was just thinking about grabbing some breakfast from somewhere when she heard footsteps coming towards her. She ducked to the side, feeling the familiar tug in her gut as she used the shadows to cloak her form. It wasn’t really necessary, but she felt like being alone for the moment. The sound of voices accompanied the footsteps, speaking in the lyrical elven language, “I don’t see why the child seer chose her to be queen. After all…” “Quiet. It’s treason to question her authority. She’s our ruler now and...” “And she’s still not even a full elf. They say she’s descended from Eneil, but I see no indication of such. Her mother had far more potential, though even she wouldn’t have made a truly great ruler.” The other elf chucked, “And you would, I assume?” “Better than our current one.” The two elves came into view and then walked past Tammy without once glancing her way. They had the typical, elven politician look to them. One wore a white tunic, embroidered with silver while the other wore a simple green one with accents of gold on the sleeves. Both had the pale blonde hair which was braided and styled in the height of elven fashion, and both had the high cheekbones and pointed ears typical of their race. Tammy scrutinized them closely. The one in white was certainly a former elven prince. The one in green, if she remembered correctly, was his brother. She made a mental note of both as they turned the corner and continued their conversation. She stretched and stepped from the wall to continue her stroll. It was a pity that she didn’t expect someone else to come up behind her. “There you are.” Tammy spun around to come face-to-face with her mirror image. Well, almost her mirror image. Cam had taken to growing her hair a bit longer to fit the style of Elmensfaar. She also had a simple gold band around her forehead, shaped to look like connected laurel leaves. There was also the fact that while Tammy now had violet eyes, her sister still had the piercing blue ones they had both been born with. “Give me a heart attack, why dontcha. Sheesh.” Cam smirked, “I wouldn’t have to if you had been in your room. What are you doing sneaking around, hm?” “Old habits die hard.” “Apparently.” Cam looked at Tammy critically, “You look like crap.” Tammy rolled her eyes, “Thanks.” “You’re welcome. You’re just the person I wanted to see, anyway.” She folded her arms, apparently trying to think of a decent way to phrase what she was about to say. Tammy sighed, “Look, I know ya want me ta babysit Galadhan. That’s fine. Ya don’ need ta…” Cam stared at Tammy for a moment before grinning widely, “No, I wasn’t going to ask you to do that. In fact, I called you here for something completely different.”
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