Beastsoul

Dappled sunlight trickled in through the window caressing soft skin as warm air carried the smells of life. A bundle of blankets shifted into a long luxurious stretch of one pleasantly and naturally coming to wakefulness.

The attendant stood from her mending with a glad smile to approach the bed, beholding her Champion and friend for the first time in centuries without that cursed cyrstal betwent them.

Willowlark the Beastsouled, Seventh Champion of the Elves relaxed from her stretch and looked around, sleep still fogging her eyes, then smiled at the attendant dreamily "Oh Aspen! I had such a peculiar dream and it was not at all pleasant, come cuddle that I may forget it sooner!" Willow says before a frown crosses her face and she looks Aspen up and down more closely "Aspen… when did you get so… old?"

Aspen laughs heartily and her darling Willow and plops down on the bed wrapping, the lightly clothed and deceptively small, Champion in her arms before replying "A nightmare of mine own that I would also sooner forget dearest heart sister. Alas would thou give me the same kindness you have requested from me?"

Willow rotated and nestled deeper into Aspen's arms "I will heart sister, and when the terror fades we can each speak as we will of what we saw in the visions from the dark between stars."

The two lay that way for hours after, tears of joy and relief glinting quietly down Aspen's face.

Willow broke the silence first and told the tale of a nightmare that felt to have lasted and eternity even by the measure of elves, of the powerless witness over and over of the brutal deaths of ones loved and treasured both beast and elf. The sense that she had born witness to something not quite a dream nor yet quite a prophecy but still holding grave importance hidden away in some as yet insignificant detail.

Aspen listened and then when the one she loved more than life turned her eyes, so innocent seeming yet holding more wisdom than any of the living elders, expectantly upon Aspens face she drew a quivering breath "The horror of my dream runs thus, dear Willow, that us twain were separated for centuries by not more than a thumb span."

At the words of her most dear Willow's face grew cold and serious "Twas no dream for you was it? Twas fact?" she asked. Aspen's reluctance an answer in itself.

With a sigh Willow unwrapped herself from Aspen. Aspen for her part knew the moment was over and fell into the role of helping Willow dress in the full formal regalia of the Champion. Once Willow was properly adorned, Aspen bent her head to her love's forehead and whispered the traditional farewell "My love will wait till it returns as bird to nest."

Willow replied "My love will protect as Wolf to den."

Then with an air of command Willowlark Beastsoul strode forth to discover what had become of the world in her absence.

***

In a moment of silence Willow rubbed the bridge of her nose and wished she were back in bed.

Her people had done remarkably well without her, though of course the first and last centuries of her… incapacitation, had been clearly the worst. Firstly when they had to learn how to get along without a champion for the first time in almost a millennium, and now with the Holy Kingdom pushing against the local power balance like a mad dog on a chain.

What made the whole thing a splitting headache was not the centuries of events to catch up on, it was that the timing of everything did not make sense. What had emboldened the Kingdom to push so hard after all this time? Had they acquired some new power? She did not recall the group of humans that made up the Kingdom before her imprisonment having a disposition that allowed them to reach the harmony with their surroundings that catalyzed the magic arts that the Giants had taught so long ago.

So how the hells had they locked her away?

She and the other Champions had accepted that dinner invitation weeks before they were trapped to see if the rumors about a human mage had any truth and all they had seen was a human with a smidgen more charisma than most claiming to be a godly messenger.

What had they missed back then? Maybe one of the other Champions remembered more or had some clue that would make the whole thing fall into place.

Regardless, an immediate concern pressed upon the council that had ruled in her absence:

What to do with those captured in the Sanctuary?

They had not committed any sacrilege by being there, but at least one of them freely admitted that they were supposedly turn coats from the unit sent to eliminate her. The bard, despite being human, was from a tribe that had been an ally of the Elves and other tribes in the area long before the Kingdom had been established, insisted that it was through the man who admitted to the death plot that she the Champion had been returned to sanity after being released.

The third member of the group had not been questioned as she had been running a fever since being captured.

Willow sighed, there was nothing for it then, on this count at least the only course available was to talk to them herself.

She grabbed a strip of willow-bark to chew then rang the bell for a page and issued her instructions.

Willow settled into her chair at the head of the audience chamber that had been converted for the ruling council, the polished wood darker than she remembered but centuries of use would account for that.

The doors at the end of the room opened and the man was brought forth, only loosely bound, Willow and the prisoner made eye contact on accident and the world fell away.

Willow blinked in surprise, looking around at the familiar room she and the other Champions had created in a shared mind scape. At first she thought nothing had changed as the silhouettes of the other champions stood with their backs turned away from the center of the room as the usually did when their minds were elsewhere. So with the comforting familiarity of the space it took her longer than it should have to see the thin veil of purple locking the phantom images of the other Champions from this space.

Shiro cleared his throat, in this mind-scape there was no need for introductions, Willow looked at him in alarm. "How did you get to this place?" She projected at him.

He shrugged in confusion before clumsily replying "I looked into your eyes and my was here, it was like something clicking into place."

With a force of thought Willow summoned the exit and gestured Shiro to it "methinks we should continue this conversation outside."

The world returned and as Willow had expected not even a few seconds had passed. Shiro's guard opened his mouth to go through the regular formalities of introducing the prisoner's case before the Champion held up a hand to silence him.

With a smile Willow spoke in a strong voice "Welcome Shiro, Champion of the Kingdom."