...
The journey back from the forest was peaceful, filled with the quiet sounds of leaves whispering overhead and the gentle sigh of the wind through silver branches. Grace walked lightly, as if her feet barely touched the mossy ground. Aurelian lay coiled around her wrist, his pale body resting against her warm skin.
Soon the trees parted. Before them lay their estate though estate hardly did it justice. It rose from the forest itself, a living palace of pale stone and silverwood. Slender towers spiraled upward like the trunks of ancient trees, their surfaces carved with flowing vines that bloomed with real blossoms, changing colors with the hours of the day. Bridges of woven branches linked balconies heavy with hanging gardens. Waterfalls tumbled down from hidden springs, sending fine mists that caught stray beams of light in quiet rainbows.
It was more grown than built, a place that breathed with the forest around it. Even Aurelian, with all his lifetimes of memory, felt a small flicker of wonder.
"Elves truly do live closer to the heartbeat of the world."
It took nearly an hour, yet Aurelian draped lazily around Grace's wrist couldn't shake a strange realization.
"It was so close all along… barely an hour from where I've hunted for days. Yet I never sensed a single breath of it."
He flicked his tongue, tasting the air, studying the subtle weave of scents.
"A concealment of remarkable depth. This entire palace… hidden from eyes like mine.
His admiration was quiet but genuine. Not many realms in his previous lives had achieved such elegant secrecy.
They passed through open archways draped with flowering veils. Grace was greeted by bowing servants tall, slender elves with silver hair like hers, some wearing flowing tunics of forest hues, others simple mantles adorned with living gems that seemed to pulse with faint life.
None paid more than a curious glance to the little white snake coiled around her wrist. Perhaps here, even stranger things than him were common.
Grace hummed lightly, greeting them with airy nods. "Where is Father?" she asked one of the stewards.
The steward inclined his head. "Summoned by Her Majesty, the Queen, my lady. Left at dawn."
Grace's shoulders fell, a soft pout curving her lips. "Ah. Of course. Important matters never wait."
She looked down at Aurelian. "Come along, little cutie. I'll introduce you to Mother instead."
They make their way to the heart of the gardens an open expanse where fountains played in quiet pools and delicate white rabbits nibbled at clover. Butterflies flitted among hanging lantern-flowers that dripped golden nectar.
There, upon a low stone bench, sat Seraphiel El'Monroe, Grace's mother. Her hair was not silver like Grace's but a luminous, almost translucent olive green, cascading down her back like a living willow. Her gown was pale as dew, adorned with tiny jeweled moths that seemed to flutter gently even when she sat still. Her face bore the ageless calm of elven royalty, she was sister to the current Queen, after all yet her eyes sparkled with a motherly love.
Grace approached on light feet, then dipped into a dramatic, playful curtsey. "Dearest Mother! I was hoping to catch Father, but alas, duty stole him away. So I must trouble you with my tales instead."
Her mother laughed, a soft musical sound. "I would always rather hear your mischief than your father's solemn politics. Come here, darling."
Grace dropped the curtsey and skipped forward, leaning down to kiss her mother's cheek. Then she held out her wrist proudly. "Look what I found in the forest!"
Her mother's luminous eyes drifted to Aurelian. For the first time since he'd been lifted from the forest floor, he felt truly exposed. Those eyes seemed to pierce straight through his scales as though she could see every part of his body, and mind.
He tensed without meaning to, coils tightening slightly around Grace's wrist. Lily's eyes softened. She extended a hand, palm hovering just above his head not quite touching, yet he felt warmth, like sunlit spring air.
"This woman... She is strong, at the same level of me in my previous life, and this warmth, it is as if her very presence removes any bloodlust and killing intent from my mind."
"A rare thing indeed," she murmured finally. "Not just for his color, though a white snake is a lucky omen among our kind. But he… is a little strange."
Grace's eyes gleamed. "Strange? Tell me everything."
"He carries an unusual vitality. His body is small, yet it carries a strength easily twice that of a grown human. There's an undercurrent of a venom, not common to his species. I suspect he's some rare mutation, perhaps the sole survivor of some ancient lineage. Or…" Her eyes sparkled faintly, "or perhaps he survived consuming a treasure that twisted him and gifted him a mind akin to a very young child. Yet draped over your wrist as docile as silk."
She finally lowered her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips. "I do not sense a predator's bloodlust. No lurking desire to harm you. Still, dearest, be cautious with his bite."
Grace nodded earnestly. "Of course. He's quite gentle. Smarter than most beasts I've seen. What should I name him?"
Her mother's gaze lingered on Aurelian a moment longer, then she said softly, "Call him something that honors his pale beauty, names that suit something rare and touched by the moon."
Grace's smile blossomed. "I like his eyes that are always curious and Hazy… How about Haze, I rather love that. What do you think, little one? Does it suit you?"
Aurelian blinked, lifted his head slightly, and gave a small, approving flick of his tongue. Inside, he found it almost laughable three lives, countless battles, reborn with memories of empires… and now he was being given a pet name. Although he couldn't understand what they were saying he still has that much intelligence to deduce it.
Grace didn't wait for more. She gave her mother a quick hug and dashed off across the soft lawn, giggling. Aurelian had no choice but to cling to her wrist as she ran.