Ryan decided to voice a thought he had had for a while.
"If Ayeden is so dangerous, why did you let him live?"
Redylan sat down, and two chairs appeared in front of his desk.
Aeriath took one seat and motioned for Ryan to take the other.
The Clanfather took a deep breath.
"In the past, we Elves saw ourselves as above other races. We have an unbreakable law: we do not kill Elves."
Ryan scoffed.
"Is that what you want from me? To be your enforcer?"
At the accusation, Redylan shot up from his chair.
"No! I want to protect the Clanmaster! I can't do that without the possibility of killing his son."
He sat back down and rubbed his forehead.
"I need your help because you are unique. You have enough power to be here, and you have the judgment to choose his fate."
Ryan didn't move as he listened to the Elf.
"You want me to protect the Clanmaster from his son, any way I see fit? What if I choose to kill him? Would that harm the alliance?"
Redylan was quiet for a moment before he spoke.
"I do not know the heart of the Clanmaster, and he is almost due for the Role."
When he ended his sentence, he had the same small scowl Aeriath had earlier.
Ryan raised his eyebrows at this revelation.
"I assume you do not agree with the Role?"
Both Elves' eyes shot to Ryan; there was a hint of panic in their faces.
Aeriath was the first to regain her composure.
"It is not our place to speak ill of our traditions."
Ryan looked into her empty eyes.
"What was your last Role?"
She matched his gaze.
"I have never taken part in that tradition."
"How often must one take on the Role to protect their sanity?"
She took a deep breath and spoke as she looked at her father.
"It is customary to live one mortal lifetime as each to stave off madness."
Ryan nodded and shifted his attention to her father.
"How about you? When was your last Role?"
He could see the tightening of Redylan's jaw.
"Two-hundred-and-sixty-two years ago."
"How have you protected your mind?"
With a small smile, Redylan spoke.
"Oddly enough, my duties kept me sane. When I prioritised the protection of the Clanmasters, my mind was protected."
Ryan listened and made up his mind.
"I will protect your Clanmaster, on the condition that you help us find the Changelings."
Redylan stood and bowed.
"In exchange for your help, you will have a lifelong alliance with the Springrain clan in any endeavour."
Ryan stood up and held out his hand.
"This is how we seal a deal."
With a half-smile, Redylan took his hand and shook it.
"My daughter shall take you to the Clanmaster. I wish you luck."
When Ryan turned around, Aeriath was already waiting at the door.
She led him through many similar hallways in silence.
Each wall was filled with paintings of epic battles, beggars and artists.
When he looked closer, he realised that all of them had five distinct faces.
As they walked, he wanted to ask about the paintings, but the stern look on Aeriath's face made him stay quiet.
They made their way to a massive red double door with four guards at each side.
Aeriath motioned for Ryan to stand back as she spoke to one of them.
He seemed important because he had a shiny circlet on his head, while the others had regular helmets.
The leader of the group went into the room, and Aeriath took her place next to Ryan.
Their leader was probably on the other side of that door, and the thought of meeting him made Ryan nervous.
What if he were just told to leave, and the alliance falls through?
With a quick shake of his head, he got rid of those thoughts.
Ryan managed to collect his thoughts and realised that Aeriath was looking at his weapon.
She spoke when she caught his gaze.
"You have a magic weapon. What are its abilities?"
Ryan rubbed the hilt with his thumb.
"It returns to my hand when I throw it."
She nodded.
"That is a useful ability."
He didn't know if it was a good idea or not to conceal the fact that his blade could pierce magical barriers.
The thought was quickly buried when the circlet Elf returned.
He made his way to them, and after a quick once-over of Ryan, he spoke.
"The Clanmaster shall see you."
Aeriath led him through the large doors.
There was a massive green carpet that led to the throne, which was three steps higher than four smaller thrones.
On both sides, there were guards flanking the carpet.
The man on the throne had one of the faces that was on the portraits.
The Clanmaster.
Four Elves were sitting on the smaller thrones; he recognised their faces from the portraits as well.
Ryan and Aeriath made their way to the end of the carpet.
Aeriath knelt a few feet away from the lower thrones.
He decided to copy her and knelt beside her.
"Rise."
Ryan didn't hesitate as he rose.
The Clanmaster looked down at them.
After a moment, he spoke to Aeriath.
"What makes this mortal so special?"
Aeriath gave a slight bow and spoke.
"He is of our blood and not bound by our laws. He has promised to protect you."
Ryan felt a chill run down his spine as the Clanmaster looked at him.
"If he is not bound by our laws, what will prevent him from betraying us?"
Before he could stop himself, Ryan spoke.
"Ayeden was bound by your laws, and he still betrayed you."
After he finished, one of the Elves on the lower thrones stood up and teleported to Ryan.
It could have been his training, or his newly discovered Elven power, but he could follow his path.
Just as the Elf would grab him, Ryan jumped forward with a flying knee.
It connected with a crunch, and the Elf was launched backwards.
There was a second of silence before the guards drew their swords.
Just before they could take a step forward, the Clanmaster roared.
"Halt."
As if by magic, they sheathed their weapons and took their places.
The Clanmaster stood up and made his way down to them.
"It seems your qualifications were not exaggerated."
He turned to Aeriath.
"Tell your father that I accept this new guard."
She bowed and turned to the door.
At that moment, the Clanmaster took his leave with most of the Clanfathers and guards.
Ryan was surprised when she glanced back as she exited.
He let out a sigh as he looked at the forgotten Elf on the floor.