“That’s Lady Kaede to you! Watch your tongue before you lose it!” Ari growled, her voice low and menag. The air itself seemed to vibrate with her fury as shadowy, mist-like forms materialized around the elves. Ea positios cws mere inches from their throats, a silent, chilling threat.
The elves froze in pce, fear etched into their faces. Eryndor, for all his posure, visibly stilled, the spear in his hand trembling ever so slightly.
“Ari,” Kaede said softly, her toinged with resignation. “Please stop.”
Ari’s fierce expression softened immediately, a smile spreading across her face. “Yes, Mother,” she replied, her earlier monstrous aura vanishing as though it had never existed.
The sudden shift left the elves shaken, their wariness growing by the sed.
Kaede let out a long, steady breath, her gaze sweeping over the frozen elves. Their wide eyes and trembling hands spoke volumes. Despite Ari withdrawing her menag aura, the damage had been done. Fear g to the air like a suffog fog, thid unyielding.
“I apologize,” Kaede begaone measured, though the weight of her words was clear. “Ari’s as were... unnecessary. She’s protective of me and sometimes takes things too far.”
Eryndor’s lips tightened, but he said nothing. His warriors remained rooted iheir grips on their ons uing. The shadowy cws may have vanished, but the memory of them lingered, keeping the elves on edge.
“I assure you,” Kaede tiaking a cautious step forward, “I have no iion of harming you or your people. I came here to talk, nothing more.”
Eryndor’s eyes narrowed, his stance rigid. “Talk? Your as speak louder than words, Kae..." The sudden shift in the air made him resider his words. "Lady Kaede."
Kaede winced again, this time more from frustration than anything else. She gnced back at Ari, who stood calmly at her side, a smile on her face, and then to Acer and the approag Crimara, both of whom had remained silent but watchful.
“I uand your mistrust,” Kaede said after a moment, her voice soft yet unwavering. “Given your history with ants, I expected as much. But please, hear me out. There’s no need for hostility.”
The elves exged uneasy gnces, but no one spoke. Kaede could feel the weight of their judgment, the unspoken accusations hanging in the air.
“Ari, Acer, Crimara,” Kaede said, turning slightly to address her panions. “Step back. Give them some space.”
Ari hesitated, her onyx eyes narrowing, but she obeyed without a word. Acer and Crimara followed suit, retreating several paces into the shadows. The tension eased, if only slightly.
“Is this better?” Kaede asked, turning back to Eryndor.
The elder’s grip on his spear didn’t rex, but he gave a terse nod. “State your purpose, Lady Kaede, or leave. I have no patience fames.” His bravado would have been sidered if not for his trembling on arm.
Kaede sighed. Diplomacy was clearly going to be an uphill battle. “Very well. I’d like to speak with you, alone.”
Eryndor’s eyes flickered with suspi. “And why should I agree to that?”
“Because,” Kaede said, meeting his gaze directly, “what I have to say is for your ears only. It s the future of your settlement, and whether it survives.”
The words hung in the air like a thundercp. A murmur rippled through the elves behind him, their fear repced by fusion and uainty.
Eryndor raised a hand, sileng his warriors. He studied Kaede for a long, tense moment before finally speaking. “Very well. We’ll talk.” he turned back to the two elders behind him. "If anything happens, retreat back to the vilge and evacuate everyone." He turned back to Kaede and nodded.
Kaede nodded, relief flickering across her face. “Thank you. Shall we step aside?”
Eryndestured to a clearing nearby, away from the prying eyes and ears of his warriors. Kaede followed, her steps measured and deliberate. Ohey were out of earshot, she turo face him.
“Let me get straight to the point,” Kaede began. “The Antari, the people under my care, are expanding. Our city is growing, and with that growth es the need for spad resources. Your settlement lies directly withih of that expansion.”
Eryndor’s jaw tightened. “You’re saying we have to move.”
“No,” Kaede said firmly. “I’m saying that your settlement will be annexed. If you choose to remain here, you’ll fall under my prote and authority. Your people will be safe, but the nd will belong to the Antari.”
Eryndor’s expression darkened. “You ’t expect us to simply surrender our home.”
“I don’t expect it to be an easy decision,” Kaede said, her voice steady. “But sider the alternative. If you resist, the Antari will see you as a threat. I will do everything in my power to avoid flict, but I won’t be able to stop them if they see you as enemies.”
Eryndor’s hands ched into fists. “So, this is an ultimatum.”
“It’s a choice,” Kaede corrected. “One I hope you’ll sider carefully. I don’t want to see anyone hurt, not your people, and not mine. But this is the reality of the situation. I’m giving you the ce to avoid bloodshed.”
Unspoken was the harsh truth that if the elves chose violence, Kaede would obliterate the etlement. She had once spared a life, and the sequences had been her and the others almost dying. This time, the sequences might be the lives of those under her care. Her children.
Eryndor stared at her, his pierg green eyes searg for any sign of deceit. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“I’ll o speak with the other elders.”
Kaede ined her head. “Of course. Take the time you need. I’ll await your decision.”
As Eryndor turned and walked back toward his people, Kaede sighed. "Artificia, set up drones around the settlement. I want to know everything."
The air seemed to grow colder as Eryndor disappeared into the trees, his back stiff with unease. Kaede watched him go, her mind heavy with thoughts.
Kaede o herself. “Good. I waime updates. Monitor their movements, their discussions, everything. If there’s any sign of aggressio me know immediately.”
Kaede turo rejoin her group, her steps purposeful but unhurried. Ari stood at the edge of the clearing, her arms crossed and her gaze fixed oreating elves. Her expression was unreadable, but the tension in her posture spoke volumes.
“They won’t accept it,” Ari said ftly as Kaede approached. "Mother we don't have to promise on anything with them. We have the power here."
Kaede exhaled softly, her eyes briefly closing. “Maybe. But I have to try.”
“Why?” Ari’s voice was sharper now, frustration bleeding through.
Kaede stopped in front of her, meeting her gaze with a steady look. “Because strength isn’t just about power, Ari. It’s about restraint. About knowing when to use ford when to hold back.”
Ari frowned, her antenna whipping softly in agitation. “And if they choose violence?”
Kaede’s gaze hardened. “Then we protect our people. Whatever it takes.”
The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Ari held her maze for a moment longer before nodding. “As you and, Mother.”
Crimara approached from the shadows, her pnt-like form swaying gracefully. “The elves are afraid,” she said, her voice soft but thoughtful. “Fear makes people uable. We should prepare for the worst.”
“I am.” Kaede replied, her tone so final that for a moment, the air stilled as if surprised by her words.
Acer tilted her head, her leaf-like hair rustling faintly. (Then what’s the step?)
Kaede hesitated, her gaze drifting back toward the elves’ settlement. “We wait,” she said finally. “They ime to process what I’ve told them. Rushing them will only make things worse.”
The group fell into a tense silence, each member lost in their own thoughts. Kaede’s mind raced with tingens, weighing the risks and bes of every possible oute. 'If they agree to the aion, we ie them peacefully. If they resist...'
She pushed the thought aside. Oep at a time.
Miurned into hours as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The forest grew quieter, the usual hum of wildlife fading as dusk settled in. Kaede’s patience was unwavering, but the weight of the situation pressed heavily on her shoulders.
Finally, movement in the distance caught her attention. Eryndor was returning, apanied by two other elders and a small group of warriors. Their expressions were grim, their steps measured.
Kaede straightened, her panions moving into formation around her. Ari’s cws twitched, her tension palpable, while Acer’s sharp gaze remained fixed on the approag elves. Crimara stood silently, her presence calm but watchful.
Eryndor stopped a few paces away, his pierg eyes log onto Kaede’s. For a moment, her spoke, the sileretg taut between them.
“We’ve discussed your proposal,” Eryndor said finally, his voice steady but cold. “And we have questions.”
Kaede ined her head. “Of course, ask them.”
Eryndaze didn’t waver. “What assurances you offer? If we agree to this... aion, how we trust that your people won’t destroy everything we’ve built?”
Kaede met his gaze evenly. “You’ll retain autonomy within the framework of overnance. Your traditions, your way of life, they won’t be erased. My goal isn’t to subjugate you; it’s to eual survival."
One of the other elders, an older woman with sharp features, stepped forward. “And if we refuse?”
Kaede’s expression didn’t falter, though a flicker of sorrow crossed her eyes. “Then I’ll do what I must to protect my people. I don’t want that oute, but I won’t shy away from it.”
The bluntness of her words sent a ripple of uhrough the elves. Eryndrip on his spear tightened, but he didn’t break eye tact.
“You ask much of us,” he said quietly. “But trust... trust is not so easily given.”
“I know,” Kaede replied. “And I don’t expect it to e quickly. But if you give me a ce, I’ll prove that my iions are genuine.”
The silehat followed was deafening. The elves exged gheir faces etched with uainty. Finally, Eryndor let out a slow breath.
“We will sider your words,” he said. “But this decision will not be made lightly.”
Kaede nodded. “Take the time you need. I’ll wait for your answer.”
As the elves turned and disappeared bato the forest, Kaede felt a faint sense of relief, knowing she wouldn't be destroying anything, not today at least.
"I hope they choose violence,” Crimara said with a grin, flickers of fme around her form.
Kaede didn’t respond. Instead, she stared after the retreating figures, her expression unreadable. 'If they do,' she thought, 'it will be their st mistake.'