Her moon-colored robes nearly brushed the ground. Silky silver hair cascaded down her back, and the soft glow she gave off was like moonlight.
The elf was so beautiful that words could scarcely describe her. Even the gods would envy her face.
Wherever she went, elves bowed and greeted her, their eyes lingering on her with longing and admiration.
On a whim, Tadel left the restricted area and wandered through the Emerald Capital.
The damage the invaders had caused had healed, and the elves had returned to their former tranquility.
If anything had changed... it was that elves no longer gathered in small groups on the sunlit grass beneath the giant trees to watch Magic Films.
A breeze stirred. A blurred shadow swept in from the distance, then stopped short before that beautiful, moonlit figure.
"Elder Tadel."
"Iris Breeze?" Tadel searched her still-vivid memories for the face. "It's been almost fifty years since we last met, hasn't it?"
"Yes. I've spent those years traveling."
Seeing her hurry, Tadel asked, "Has something happened?"
Iris Breeze hesitated, but still took out a newspaper clipping. "I found this in Xiumiya Garden. I was about to give it to a High Elf elder..."
Tadel glanced at it, and her bright eyes narrowed.
Annan Reeves...
"Leave this to me."
Iris Breeze had been away from the Emerald Capital for so long that she knew nothing of Elder Tadel's relationship with the human. She handed over the clipping. "All right, Elder Tadel."
"Go see your people first. Windchaser has grown so much."
Tadel held the clipping between her fingers, careful to avoid the article bearing the words "Dark Elf." No longer in the mood for a walk, she hurried back to the restricted area, to a cottage woven from vines and flowers.
She took out the