Chapter 51 Chapter 51
To the Esteemed Council of the Collegiate Alliance of Vyhelm,
I write this letter with a heavy sense of responsibility, and not a small measure of regret, regarding the fate of Assistant Professor Patrina Warden, recently on sabbatical for fieldwork among the elves.
Despite all reasonable precautions, Miss Warden encountered grave difficulties shortly after leaving the Sylvanae Archive. During her intended passage to the Greenways, she tricked by unscrupulous dwarven merchants and was forcibly kidnapped. She was then transported to the City of Limdrion, known as the port of dark elven power, where she was prepared for transfer to a dark elven noble house.
It is a testament to Miss Warden’s resourcefulness and resolve that she escaped her initial captors and survived in disguise within Limdrion for a time. However, she fell into the canal during an attempted flight, and was subsequently claimed (in accordance with local custom) by Nyxios Dolos Keltos, Scion of House Keltos. Though at first it appeared she had been victim to elaborate schemes of subjugation, subsequent evidence suggest that she formed a genuine bond with Nyxios—culminating in what dark elves refer to as a “companion-pairing,” publicly marked in the traditional manner.
Throughout these events, every possible effort was made by representatives of both Solasa and the Greenways Council to recover Miss Warden and restore her to her original course of research. In each instance, she declined to return, expressing instead a desire to remain with her new companion and pursue local scholarship at the Melanthor Library of Limdrion.
While I cannot disguise my disappointment at the loss of such a promising mind to our academic community, I must also acknowledge her unique adaptability and fortitude. Perhaps there is some small comfort in knowing she is now secure, and has chosen her path freely—however unconventional it may appear in our own context.
Please accept my regrets that the Collegiate Alliance could not provide a safer outcome. I remain, as always, at your service for any further inquiry.
With respect,
Aldergon Graniel
Grand Librarian
Sylvanae Archive, Solasa
The letters arrived in the capital by courier, official seal unbroken. Within hours, their contents spilled out into the city. There was first a trickle of rumor, then a full-throated outcry.
At the Collegiate Alliance, the headmaster read Aldergon’s letter once, twice, before passing it to the Board of Trustees. The news spread like spilled ink: Assistant Professor Patrina Warden, presumed brilliant and steady, now bound forever to a dark elf. Students gathered in tight knots across the campus green, voices hushed with disbelief.
Some wept, some scoffed. Others whispered that such a fate was inevitable for anyone who dared cross into the shadowed continent. Professors debated whether to mourn the loss or cast it as a cautionary tale. Even the kitchen staff shook their heads, muttering about ancient magic and the doom that awaited those who strayed too far from Vyhelm.
No plans were made for a rescue. No one suggested a diplomatic mission, or a call to arms. The story was older than their oldest books: once a human surrendered to a dark elf, they never wanted to return.
In the city’s bathhouses, the news trickled through the steam, drawing sighs and speculation. In crowded marketplaces, children repeated the legend, embellishing each retelling until the tale had swollen to mythic proportions. In the homes where Patrina’s students once visited for supper and debate, her parents sat quietly, hands folded, refusing to speak of the loss. Her brother Marcus heard only fragments, but recognized the despair beneath the silence.
Higher up, in the vaulted halls of the royal court, the story arrived trimmed and polished. The assembled nobles gathered in the sunlit receiving room, eyes flickering to the throne where Prince Caspian Veldier and his twin, Prince Renald, sat together.
Lady Calantha Roetan swept into the room with perfect poise, her hand resting lightly on Renald’s arm. The eyes of the court followed: some with open admiration, others whispering behind carefully fanned hands.
When the herald finished reading the news aloud that Patrina Warden’s irrevocable acceptance by House Keltos occurred, a heavy silence followed.
Caspian’s jaw worked as he watched Lady Calantha lean in, exchanging a quiet word with Renald. The First Prince’s gaze darted from his brother’s face to the half-smile flickering at Lady Calantha’s lips.
Jealousy soured the moment.
Caspian waited until the chamber thinned of all but his closest advisor. Then, with a glance over his shoulder, he leaned in and spoke softly, every word ranked and ordered.
“So it’s true. They never come back. Not even the best and brightest.”
The advisor, an older man with features lined by years of intrigue nodded, “It is so, Highness. As our histories have always told.”
Caspian’s mouth twisted. “If the world will not rescue them, then surely there are ways to ensure others do not follow? Or perhaps—,” His gaze flicked to the doors, where Renald and Lady Calantha had exited together, “Perhaps it means I have an answer for certain problems of succession.”
The advisor caught the implication, a slow and careful smile blooming over his face.
“Very wise, Highness.”
Caspian let himself relax, satisfaction settling into his bones. Across the city, the little ripples of scandal would swell until no one remembered the girl at all. That was the true lesson. And for a future king, that lesson was worth its weight in gold.
…to be continued in the second half of the duology, Midnight Crown