El'eth

"*You’ve melted the- No, shut up, Melio! I’m asking him! I’m sorry, do you mean to say you’ve melted- Melio! No, Melio!*"
―El'eth[[The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague, Chapter 4: Esgrettio]]

## Physical description

### Hair color

*Unknown*

El'eth was a Seelie laecquetti and temporary Door Guard of the South Gate in Esgrettio along with Melio during *The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague*. They welcomed Gwyn ap Nudd, Augus Each Uisge, Mosk Manytrees, Eran Iliakambar, Ash Glashtyn and Julvia Dubna Vajat to their walled city, and offered information about the state of the city since the ice plague. He is a laecquetti.

## Appearance

El'eth had a 'pink water lily growing from his head'.

## Personality

El'eth has a crass and informal way of speaking, but he was polite when talking to Gwyn, and tried to get Melio to be politer, but failed. He is also a little mischievous, but grew more sober when speaking of the troubles Esgrettio has faced. He often apologized for Melio's ruder behavior. He, along with Melio, seem to be respected citizens of Esgrettio.

## Life

El'eth implied that Augus killed some or all of El'eth's family members with the Blight.

El'eth was the first person to greet Gwyn upon his arrival to Esgrettio, while Melio - his companion - was the second. Melio described El'eth as 'ambassador to the laecquetti', though this, as well their position as temporary South Gate guard, seem like new positions and possibly self-appointed. El'eth grew tired of Melio's questioning of Gwyn and opened the doors to Gwyn's party. Later, it's clearer that they seem to be bodyguards or even guards of some kind, since they never returned to the South Gate, and stayed near Gwyn and the rest of the ensemble while they were in Esgrettio.

El'eth was fascinated by Julvia's wings, and briefly wondered if she was Gulvi Dubna Vajat. When Julvia grasped his hands in greeting and stated she wasn't Gulvi, but was still part of the Dubna family, El'eth noted, in a dark tone, that her family was all killed by Augus. Julvia replied, 'Yes . . . I nearly was too. But he saved me. And now he is paying his life debt to me by protecting me on this journey. I hope you understand that I need that protection, for I’m still quite ill. So I want nothing to happen to him, you see.' El'eth was slightly overcome by Julvia's forthrightness, and didn't bring it up again, particularly after Melio smacked him and said, 'No murdering anyone until all of this is over, dumbass . . . We talked about it.'

He and Melio waved Gwyn and their party off at the gate once they left.

## Relationships

#### Melio

Melio and El'eth seem to have a close and familiar relationship, and bicker with each other more like friends than people who dislike each other. When El'eth expressed open hostility towards Augus, Melio smacked him lightly in the back of the head, and El'eth accepted this and backed down. At another time, they were seen gently bumping shoulders together in a way that suggested that they are close.

## Quotations

* 'You said you could melt the ice?’ El’eth said, tilting his head. ‘Melt the ice? Not just any ice? But the ice that no one has been able to melt for a year?'
* ‘We have many Summervale refugees here,’ El’eth said soberly, abandoning the mischievous attitude of before. ‘It’s part of the problem. Not enough trade, not enough food, and then refugees from all the cities and villages and towns that became iced over. You want to stay here? Don’t expect to eat.’

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 8 October 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/65621236. Chapter 4: Esgrettio.
2. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 November 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/66966274. Chapter 6: Intrusions.