Legend of the Elves In a time long ago lived many beings including elves and men; then there were the dark forces. The dark forces sought to take the elven magic but the problem was elves and men had a union, a friendship that was almost too strong. The dark forces knew of no way to defeat that type of union. Then they discovered a weakness on the human's side. That's when the dark forces began to take over, to enslave the men. The enslaved men were sent into the Elven City of Sabel to search and take the key to elven magic. The key could be anything and no one but the king knew where the key was located. Soon the elves no longer knew whom to trust so they shut themselves almost completely from the rest of the world. All elves were allowed to come and go freely but no one other than elves could enter. It was for the safety of everyone, the king believed. The elven warriors searched constantly for free men, never finding anything. The only elf not allowed to leave was the daughter of the king. She was forbidden to leave the castle walls and wasn't even known to the outside world.

So the immortal elves hid while their friends, the men were being enslaved. To many, this seemed wrong but they understood it was for the safety of elven-kind. For 10 centuries it was like this. For 10 centuries, the elves stood by, hoping for this time to be over. The king began to think that it would never end and that they would never find any free men left. Then word came of a few free men, captured and hidden from the elves. The elven king ordered his warriors to find them. Days later three warriors returned with news of the free men. The men were hidden deep in a forest, three days from Sabel. The warriors were attacked; many of them were captured, some killed. Only these three had escaped. Among the captured elven warriors was a man named Tao, blessed by the king and given immortality. They king knew of his daughter's close friendship with this warrior and he worried about what they could be planning to do so he did not inform her of his capture. He knew she would go after him if she knew and he had to protect her.

Not known to the king, the princess Zuraya had been training herself in sword fighting, and shooting a bow and arrow. When she found out about her friend's capture she asked begged her father to let her find him. He refused not wanting his daughter to endanger herself. She was still young and the king did not want her to waste her life on a man, especially a man that he had never trusted. That's when the princess, now one thousand twenty-five years old decided to sneak out of the city in search of her friend.

Capture

Zuraya grabs her bow and puts it over her shoulder. She decides not to take her sword. Then she goes down to the kitchens and packs many days worth of elven bread. Silently she begins to sneak out of the castle. Her father would understand. Luckily not many knew her so she was able to leave without being noticed. Zuraya crept into the woods then ran as fast as she could. She had to find Tao before it was too late. Her father, the king, never understood how close they were. For years they had wanted to tell the king of their plans.

They were in love and wished to marry. But, their beliefs that the king would refuse kept them from saying anything. King Zairian, even though he had friendships with men, refused to allow any of his people to marry the men. Half elves were rare in his kingdom; they all were old, from his father's rule. Zuraya feared what Zairian would say if she and Tao came forward. But now that Tao had been captured Zuraya knows that after she finds him and they return, it would be time to tell her father. "That time will be soon," Zuraya thinks.

That's when Zuraya stops running. She turns looking for the danger she had heard. Her sharp green eyes pierces through the forest. Seeing no one, Zuraya continues. Further in the forest and off to the east Zuraya hears a battle going on. As she gets closer she sees some elf warriors fighting men. Zuraya pulls out her bow and places an arrow on the bowstring. She pulls the string back and releases hitting a man. She watches as he falls. Then the captain of the elf army turns and begins to walk over towards Zuraya. Zuraya watches as a man pulls his bow up, preparing to shoot. "Look out!" Zuraya cries and shoots her bow. She hits the arrow right before it hits the captain.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" he asks.

"I'm looking for someone and who I am is no concern of yours. Now will you allow me to pass or do we have to do this the hard way?" Zuraya answers.

"Listen we are in the middle of battle here. We cannot allow you to pass unless you give us your name and where you are from," the captain replies.

"Captain, I'm afraid I cannot tell you anything except that this is urgent business. I have been sent on a secret mission," Zuraya says. Then Zuraya is grabbed from behind.

"Take her in to the boss. I believe she is an escaped human," the captain orders.

"Sir, we're in the middle of a battle here. We can't risk losing just to bring this girl in. Throw her in the holding cell with the other hostages," a soldier answers.

"Fine, but take her bow. I can't risk her shooting any of us," the captain replies. Zuraya is thrown into a cell with other prisoners; all of them injured and chained down. As Zuraya looks around she realizes she is trapped. Zuraya sits down in a corner amongst these strange men, not knowing what will happen.

Back in Sabel, Zairian goes to Zuraya's room just to find her gone. He looks in the kitchens and the sitting room. She is nowhere to be found. Then he realizes where she went. He should have realized that she would have gone after her friend no matter what he said. He calls for the captain of the elf army.

"Yes milord," the captain says.

"Gather your men. You must find my daughter. She has run off again. This time I fear she has gone after her friend Tao, one of the captured warriors," Zairian answers.

"Right away," the captain replies before turning and walking off.

In the cage, all Zuraya could think about was how she was going to escape and find Tao. "Why did he have to become a warrior anyway?" Zuraya thinks, "That's right, to be closer to me. But he didn't have to go out to look for the men; he just chose to go. If only he would have stayed in Sabel with me."

In the Blue Forest, where the last free men are being help, the dark lord Seiren has also put the elf warriors he has captured. Unknown to them is one of Seiren's spies. One of the elf warriors, Tao, silently creeps away from the crowd and slips past the guards. "All that matters is that I find Zuraya. I know she will come to look for me," Tao thinks. He runs towards Sabel, hoping, praying that Zuraya hadn't left.

Hours later the battle begins to slow. Zuraya looks up to see a familiar face. "Tao, what are you doing here? I thought you had been captured."

"I escaped. We don't have much time. They're already looking for me," he replies opening the door. "Come on let's go." They slowly creep away from the battle then they run. After several minutes Tao stops.

"I think we'll be safe for a little while. Zuraya, you need to go home now," Tao says.

"Not unless you come with me," Zuraya answers.

"Zuraya, please, just listen to me. I don't want you to get hurt. I care too much to see you harmed," Tao replies. Then men enslaved by dark forces ambush them. Tao and Zuraya are torn apart. Seeing there is no way to escape, Zuraya rips off her butterfly charm necklace and drops it onto the ground. They are taken to a land where dark forces rule, a land of suffering and darkness, a land once known as Riverden.

They are taken into what once was the castle and dropped at the feet of the dark lord Seiren. "Good work. You may leave," he says. After they leave, he turns to Zuraya. "Tell me where the key to the elven magic is and I may spare your life."

"The key? That is just a child's tale," Zuraya answers.

"If not your own life, maybe his," Seiren replies, grabbing Tao and holding a knife to his throat.

"Release him. Please, I know nothing of the Key. I don't even know if it exists. Just let go," Zuraya pleads.

"But you are an Elf. Well if you don't know where the key is then you still at least have a little elven magic. That will have to do," Seiren answers. He reaches for Zuraya, ready to take her elven magic and make her his slave.

"Wait," Tao says, "leave her alone. I myself have been blessed by the King and have a little elven magic. Take mine and leave her be."

"How brave of you," Seiren replies. He turns to Tao and plunges his hand into Tao's chest. When he pulls it out Tao falls to the floor. In Seiren's hand is a glowing shadow. He places it inside the ring on his hand. Zuraya crawls over to Tao to see that he is still breathing.