Thread: Skin Deep... To The Bone [-Haru & Candy-]

King Shira did indeed take advantage of the offerings presented to him and he was glad that his daughter had left as the elven females proved to be quite noisy, though he did not mind their enthusiasm. Odilon and Arcturus were gracious hosts and though the human woman drew looks they kept her mind occupied. The griffins themselves erased any hint of the looks she received and as she joyously accepted the invitation to eat with the men, Odilon beamed. It showed she was accepting and then as she asked to participate even, he could only accept. As you wish, Your Highness. he agreed, and said, We practice swordsmanship and archery as our main means of attack and defense. Doing so from horseback is also a skill we hone and you will be welcome to learn our ways. he said, as he observed her twirl her hair, a particularly human hesture and quite endearing and attracting as well. If Amirah paid any sort of attention to the elf she'd see that the way his gaze slipped over her was not entirely chaste. The walk to the grounded barracks did not take long, Odilon showing some of the ingenuity of the elves in the way they'd carved specific paths into the mountain which allowed a quick descent but which were easily defensible by only a few soldiers. In fact, only apair of guards were at the bottom of the descent, a male and a female, who looked over Amirah with interest as she came into view. Then, not far distant, the ranks of the elves snapped to attention in formation, archers protected by sword and shield of the front rank . The curved elven blades shone softly in the light, and Odilon called for them to be at ease. The ranks of the soldiers were comprised of both males and females alike, not ascribing to the older notions some of the humans had that females were not fit to fight. As many of you know, this is Princess Amirah, come to us from the human lands of Erkesh! She is to be married to Prince Xendorian, and in due time will be our Queen, and your Commander. I expect you to give her the respect she is accorded and anyone found to be in violation of our laws will be punished summarily in accordance with their offense. Odilon said, his voice raised and reverberating off the walls of the chasm, the acoustics designed for this very purpose. This will be the first meal that Princess Amirah has eaten with out people and she requested to do so with you! To break bread with the soldiers who keep her, and all of us, safe! Show her the meaning of elven hospitality! Dismissed! As Odilon dismissed the soldiers several came up to pay their respects, already dropping to one knee to swear their fealty to the Queen-to-Be, and others went back to their barracks to get out of the armor they wore and make themselves more presentable. Despite the promise of a meal, the next bit of time, almost an hour, was spent getting to know several of the elves, many of the rank and file coming to greet her and see her. Of course the Royal Family would often visit with the soldiers, but rarely spent time among the rank and file unless they were at war. To have the future Queen among them was quite surprising. When finally they sat to have their meal, a whole roasted boar was brought, with bushels of boiled and roasted potatoes and a variety of vegetables and fruits, elven firewine and water. Odilon and Arcturus sat with her, and in fact, the Griffin Riders that were not on duty also had come to partake, the soldiers of the Holy Griffin Empire acting as one unit, not divided among themselves. They ate together, fought together and trained together, and bunked together. Even as Amirah and the Generals were served she could see how small groups and knots of elves banded together, the small social circles that inevitably distinguished themselves even within the larger group. It was also easy to see that each group consisted of at least one female, sometimes more.