"Fascinating! So this little red peony is the last of the Mycean royal bloodline?!? How fascinating! Are you not just radiant?" Says an ecstatic Cyrus Sunstriker as he cradles the giggling deva.
Amara and her newborn daughter were in their guest room when they suddenly received an unplanned visit from the most powerful elf in all of Aldenburg, and whose family maintained the purest, untouched fae linked bloodline and carved out a powerful dynasty from it.
But compared to a deva, like Amara, his noble aura was clearly overshadowed in the room, as the blue dragon's blood flows, it gives all of its children the divine aura of a wild god.
Eventually the elderly elf tenderly handed the girl back to her mother. "Here is your child back madam. Such a joy, along with the other girls raised here. Their lives are their own to live however they please, but sometimes love could happen at any moment. One of my nephews the other day caused quite the spectacle when he was caught in the chambers of Thalia."
She is one of the older girls at the abbey nearing her second century. Recently, a young knight started catching her attention, and he is the son of one of Cyrus half-brothers from a bastard bloodline.
She sat calmly as her infant daughter drifted off, and they finally asked, "What do you want from me?"
The duke's expression remained calm and pleasant. "Would you believe the amount of "mistakes" I have had to "correct" in my clan? My father was truly a disgusting individual, and sired so many half-blooded mortal hybrids with human blood, yet, all in all I do still love and provide for them in my magnificent extended family. Liam, despite all of his magnificent accomplishments, is only quartile elf, as his blood could only open the primordial lily so much..."
Amara became guarded again and cautiously asked. "Primordial lily?....What is that?"
The blond, old elf perked up at her curiosity. "Ah! Would you like for me to show you? I have a few buds with me actually!"
He rustled in his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be dried flower buds. They look like they belong in tea rather than for a test of some kind...
"Pitiful they seem, but let me demonstrate..." The elf duke took a bud and then poked his finger with a thin needle, slowly, a red droplet formed and splashed onto the dried bulb.
It took a few seconds, but the flower glowed with life! and gently it unfolded to reveal its breathtaking beauty. Even the deva marveled it.
"Magnificent. Your blood did this?.....Wait, can mine do it too?" She asked cautiously.
The polite duke had already anticipated such curiosity. He is aware, and she eerily knows as well where this visit is leading to.
Cyrus offered Amara one of the lily bulbs, she took one and then a small needle to draw blood, reflecting the elf. The reaction, however, was much different this time, rather the bulb "struggled" a bit to open with the dukes blood, but with her deva heritage it unfolded much more quicker and gracefully. Bits of mana still pulsated throughout the blood!"
"What?!!? Then does this mean....(THE TOMES ARE TRUE??!?! Elves and devas are sister tribes!) then why are our countries..." She started becoming disoriented.
The duke gently raised his hand to calm her. "Please relax yourself my dear. The most knowledgeable in our country are aware of this fact. But unfortunately we cannot account for the masses. So many unchecked bloodlines, its for the best that they don't know the truth of deva woman!"
Amara was still worried, she could decipher the duke's emotions, and she sensed a lot of greed and vanity from this person.
"Madame, why don't test the primordial lily on the last Mycean noble? I promise we won't let her cry from the needle I will numb it with an enchantment!" He insisted.
She gazed down at her daughter, even she too was curious as to what other secrets her country has held from the population about their bloodline and relationship with the elves.
She agreed, and the result bewildered both of them...the moment the infants blood touched the bud it shined so brilliantly that the both of them had to shield their eyes from the forced illumination!
"Remarkable! Do you see how much mana your bloodlines have been blessed with? Neither you or your child were cherished in Mycean! Let me offer you shelter Amara! And you will raise your little one without concern! Who knows? She might come to fancy my little Magnus someday! He just started walking yesterday!" Cyrus Sunstriker glaringly offered.
Amara knew were the topic was leading, the duke is insisting that they "adopt" her and provide all what they need, and given her situation, its almost as if she cannot refuse.
He arched up and excused his self. "I am not gonna pressure the topic, but rather the offer is on the table. Its a cruel world out there young Amara. Our services cannot be provided beyond our reach, and human pirates still harass our boarders with Eurelca. Its not safe, especially for a mother and her daughter to be searching for security..."
The turmoil inside her grew! He was right, she was a new single mother and had no shelter or means to provide a stable environment for her child. She knew that this opportunity could not be refused...
"Wait...Cyrus....I think I would like to take you up on your offer...but on one condition!" The priest declared!