III

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Arc III Chapter 5

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“Here, my notes, I doubt you can read them anyway.” Nelaeryn presented her with his notes. Not that they were of any use to the doll-loving country bumpkin. They were written in Alfreikian. As if the plebeian peasant could read them. Education was a rare good among humans, a privilege of the few and rich.

Aurora stared at his writing. The letters were ... cryptic, to say the least. Unrecognisable in shape and form, alien. Nevertheless, they appeared ... familiar, as if once known. Yet she was equally lost and at a loss, unable to decipher the incomprehensible text before her eyes. The letters didn't trust her with their content. Beaten by a piece of writing. Such a dishonour.

Relishing in her inevitable defeat, Nelaeryn celebrated his moment of victory with a petty grin. He was a terrible loser, and a terrible winner. He knew perfectly well that the girl wouldn't be able to read Alfreikian.

Nelaeryn poked her nose. He had scored a victory, restoring his wounded manly pride. “Told you so, country bumpkin.”

“You are such a meanie. You knew, didn't you?” The girl puffed up her cheeks. Such a predictable reaction.

His lips grinned. Having the upper hand warmed his heart. Victory made him magnanimous, not to say arrogant. “Doesn't matter, victory is victory.”

The girl grumbled. “But I must say your handwriting is pretty. Your letters are beautiful. Elegant, yet simple. No wasted movement, requiring the smooth guidance of a firm hand.”

“How flattering.” Nelaeryn cleared his throat. Finally, someone acknowledged his calligraphy.

Aurora merely smiled. A healthy dose of tactical flattery never hurt. Nelaeryn thought highly of himself. Despite his numerous years, youthful naivety and vanity still guided him. He should know better. Holding his head high, her simple words flattered him, visibly improving his mood.

“You are a smart girl for being a human, and smart girls deserve a reward. Didn't you asked me what we are doing?”

Aurora nodded.

“Have you ever heard about archeology?”

“Not that I know.” Aurora tilted her head.

“Archeology is the study and documentation of the past. Arwing and I are both archaeologists. We try to preserve the past.

We are preserving the past through our efforts for future generations. Sadly, much knowledge was lost.” Nelaeryn soliloquised again. He liked his own voice a bit too much. Not that Aurora cared. A talkative fool was a useful fool to extract information from. Better not to interrupt him.

Nelaeryn elaborated,“The beginning of the past millennium was a time of chaos and lawlessness that plunged the world into centuries of darkness and illiteracy. The Weltenbrand was a dark age of destruction and peril that pushed civilisation to the brink of extinction.

Scholars still disagree about the causes of the events. It's an era now mostly confined to the realm of myths and legends. We only know that the War in Heaven brought untold devastation to the land. Entire cities were razed from the map, vast stretches of land depopulated. Even our forefathers took part in the war, long before the foundation of Alfreik. We elves fought at the side of our ancient ma... at the side of humans of Valyria, the pearl of the north.

Unfortunately, we know little. Few sources survived these troubling times, and those that did are unreadable. Valyrian and Valentian are both dead languages at this point. Old Arcadian and High Alfreikian still carries some elements, but beyond that, traces are sparse. We speculate ...”

A sharp pain befell her, like a knife driven into her skull, as her headache returned. Nelaeryn's tale sounded familiar, yet differed from what her tutors taught her. From one moment to the next, she saw things much clearer.

Nelaeryn noticed her absence. “Hey, are you listening?”

“Uncle Nelaeryn, ... there is something I don't understand.”

“ Such as?” Nelaeryn raised an eyebrow.

“Unless I am mistaken, Valyria was a ... human city state, wasn't it?”

“Yes.”

“Don't you realise, you are contradicting yourself, my friend.”

Nelaeryn dismissed her observation, the words of a mere child. “Tsss, what would a human like you understand? The intricacies of history are beyond your feeble spirit.”

Aurora smirked. A dark, calculating glee filled her eyes. Old habits died hard, as a glimmer of her true self resurfaced. “If you think so. In your arrogance, you think you are privy to the ultimate truth, but history is a delicate art indeed. Looking beyond bias and narratives is not always an easy task to accomplish.”

His eyes narrowed. “Stop obfuscating, what are you talking about, girl?”

“You elves take considerably pride in your lineage. Some more. Some less."

“You are right, we are a proud and noble race, proud of our origins, proud of our superior intellect and magic talent. “

A giggle accompanied Aurora. “That might be true, but if the elven race is the crown of creation, blessed by spirits themselves, tell me, what are you doing here in Valentia? Why are you here? Why are you studying the ruins of an ancient human civilisation? Don't you have any ruins of your own glorious and splendid past?”

Nelaeryn stiffened like petrified. His widened eyes betrayed his shock.

Aurora grinned. She got him where she wanted. Her lips moved on their own, privy to knowledge no simple girl should possess. “Am I not right? I noticed your slip of the tongue. It was masters what you wanted to say, wasn't it? Considering your more than unglamorous past, for a race of uplifted slaves, you elves sit on quite a high horse.”

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