Meet the Outcasts
Ari awoke once again with Lettvind cuddling next to her, but this time his arms were wrapped around her. She didn't mind it this time, but instead she cuddled right back into him. Of course, though, his arms were not near as long as they needed to be to stretch fully around her. Being a 7 foot Frost Giant had its advantages.
The snow eagles cawed like usual, a beautiful sound to the ears. Sunlight shined through the balcony door windows and through the curtains. Outside, the wind blew at a soothing pace, blowing magnificently through the waving trees. Snow fluttered down from the sky, glittering with their white, adoring brilliance. The weather was perfect, the sky was gleaming with white specks, and Lettvind was next to her, making her feel like today was a day to utterly enjoy.
"Ari, you let me sleep like this all night?" Lettvind whispered, "Impressive." Ari didn't care, but she laughed. She was in quite a giggly mood, despite Lettvind's horn-touching rudeness. Then, unexpectedly, there was a bird's chirping coming from within her room. "Why's there a bird in here? Isn't the balcony-" she gasped as she noticed that the balcony door was open, and the curtains were messily pushed aside. Light poured in from the gap where the curtains previously were. She nestled deeper into Lettvind's arms, afraid of what could of happened. "Oh, they must be early," he sighed, slightly relieving Ari. "Your two Dark Elf friends? Where in the nine realms are they?" Ari whispered, afraid she might alert something lurking in the early morning shadows. "Do not worry, I'll go see, because usstan che dos," he assured her. She did not question the Drowish in his sentence.
He unwrapped his arms from Ari and slowly slipped out of bed. He stepped around the bed, then the entire room, the frozen tiles nipping at his warm feet. At last he got to the dressing room, and the door was partly open. Don't open it, Ari thought, remembering all the horror movies that her father had introduced her to. Using his finger tips, the door creaked open, sliding across the tiles. To his expectations, the room was pitch black. Then, there was a voice.
"Lettvind, dos tahta l'oloth doeb d'uns'aa!" something yelled from inside. Lettvind jumped, understanding the voice. Then, Lettvind and the mysterious voice conversed. "What is it saying?" she asked desperately. "It's just Solv. He didn't know where to rest, so he ended up in the dressing room because somebody walked in, I think. Or at least, that's what he's saying."
"What?! Who walked in?!" Ari blurted. With each strange answer that Solv gave from within the dressing room, Lettvind translated back. He said, "How should I know? It was pitch black in here."
"Then how would you know somebody walked in?"
"The door opened and footsteps commenced, but it couldn't have been you guys. Besides, I couldn't even see you two!"
She pondered for a second on the thought of someone seeing a Dark Elf crawling throughout her room. She was definitely not optimistic when it came to these kind of things. Then, she signaled Lettvind to bring out Solv with a wave of her large, violet hand. "I'm warning you, he does not speak any bit of English or Jotun, so I will have to translate," he spoke. Lettvind entered the dressing room, his arms extended and feeling around until he was out of her sight. About ten minutes later, he came out, holding a smaller, yet thinner elf.
The elf mumbled something in Drowish, obviously directing it to Ari as he stood up. His voice was a higher, more rigid type than Lettvind's deep voice. He waved his arms in a polite manner as each word was said. The braids that streamed down his back were neat and smooth, each hair aligned with perfect precision. "I am Solv, a 16 year old warrior of the Dark Elves and best friend of Lettvind and Drepe," Lettvind translated, "It is an honor to meet you, your Highness." He was garbed in the same black and pearl armor that Lettvind was when she first met him; not a speck to be found on the perfect outfit and his mask was positioned flawlessly on his black headgear that wrapped around his head and chest. His face wasn't visible, but she could tell he was a fair man. Ari responded with the kindest words she could think of, "Thank you, Solv, but there is no need for such formalities with me. I'm not the queen, so treat me as such. Although, I find your presence welcoming and your friend a fantastic companion. I hope you will prove the same."
Lettvind whispered into Solv's pointed ear, reciting her words in his tongue. Then, Solv reached for his mask, slowly unlatching the alien mechanics that held it together. He pulled it off quickly, showing his dark-skinned face. Holy crap! He looks just like Algrim, she noticed. His face was slimmer than Lettvind's, but his eyes were an olive green that were so bright they practically glowed. Just like all other Svartalfar, jet black replaced the white of his eye. She was shocked at the resemblance of Algrim the Strong. "You look just like a mini Alrgim!" Ari let her offensive comment slide out, laughing. Lettvind translated the words to Solv. His face saddened, as if her words hit him like a brick, shattering his smile into a million pieces of sorrow. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that at all, Solv."
"He's sensitive, Ari. Don't say things like that. He gets tougher as you get to know him," her English-speaking friend explained. They continued to talk; her speaking to Lettvind, him translating it to Solv, and so on. Then, another Dark Elf appeared from the dressing room. "Vel'bol'zhah aluin pholor?" it asked. "It's just Drepe," Lettvind said, "Explain to him what's going on. Once you get to know them both, I can start the Sharwh'li." "What the heck is Sharwh'li?" she asked, narrowing her maroon eyes.
He whispered into Drepe's pointed ear, his nose almost poking his headgear. Drepe nodded, whispering back into Lettvind's ear. "It means Mind Whisper, fair Jotun. It's how we transfer our secrets and memories, assuming that whispering physically could expose who we truly are. Although, once you have access to one's mind, you have access to their thoughts consistently if they do not have defense against spies," he translated. He two removed his mask, but his skin was a dark grey, unlike Lettvind who bear light grey skin. His eyes were brown, nothing exiting or glittering. He was muscular and bully-like, his fierce face set into a devilish grin. He said something directly to her in his clear, kingly voice. As he did, his eyes narrowed and his smile grew evermore handsome. "He called you beautifully entrancing, and hair like streams of violet moonlight." "Dont get too entranced, Drepe. First of all, my hair is black. Death black. My skin is purple, but the light in here makes it look like the normal Jotun blue. I'm only 16 and you look way older than me, so don't even think about liking me anything more than a friend," she snapped into his Dark Elf face.
Lettvind translated it, and Drepe grunted in anger. He said something and Lettvind said it back as, "Never mind, turns out you aren't as pretty as I hoped. By the way, I'm 16. I'd rather date a Muspelheimian Demon than you. At least they have a prettier mind than you." Drepe chuckled meanly as the words slipped harshly out of Lettvind's mouth. Ari saddened her face in spite to make Drepe feel bad. "That doesn't work," Lettvind translated.
She didn't apologize, but instead she grunted back, "I don't like elves anyways, Drepe."
"Alright, can we talk about our plan for tomorrow? Whoever saw you guys sneak in is bound to tell the king," Lettvind said, trying to urgently change the argument to a conversation. "Yeah, I guess we might have to focus in this... It could get you guys killed if we don't fix this. What the Hel can we do to help this?" Ari asked, realizing the problem.
"Sharwh'li might help us with this. Tomorrow we can do it, but it will take precious time."
"Whatever. All you guys can spend the night on the bed, which is much comfier than that old dressing room. Got it?"
They all nodded after Lettvind translated her instructions. They took a moment to soak up the silence and sunlight that engulfed them. Solv said something in his soothing, high pitched voice which his friend gladly translated, "You know, I've never seen morning sunlight before. Svartalfheim is too far from the sun, unlike Jotunheim, which is blessed with day and night. I have a feeling that I might enjoy staying here."