The warrior Elf woke up suddenly from her slumber, disturbed by a noise which only her sharp Elven ears could hear.  It was a full moon, and its light streamed through the palace window into her room.  Gavilan Elessedil slept in a room adjacent to hers, while the king and princess both slumbered in separate rooms across hers.  There was that noise again… the Elf could tell that it came from the room opposite of hers.  Whether it was the king’s or princess’s room, she couldn’t tell.  Another person not trained in martial arts would simply dismiss the noises as someone getting up and pacing their room, but the woman knew better.  There was something there, something that did not belong.  Hurriedly strapping on her short sword and dagger, she tied back her long blond hair, and opened the door.  The noise was clearer now, and the Elf could tell that it came from Anloren Elessedil’s room.  Her green Elven eyes found the lock to the king’s door, and silently, painstakingly, she began to pick the lock.  Inching the door open bit by bit, the opening became large enough for her to poke her head through.  To her horror, she saw a figure cloaked in black with pale skin and dark hair, looming over the king’s sleeping body.  Her instincts told her that there was more than the one over Anloren.
  A Shadowen!
    The thought raced through her mind and then was gone, replaced by a sense of urgency.  Hitching up her nightgown, Dilia Noh started off at a sprint towards the Home Guard barracks.
 
 

Triss stirred uneasily in his sleep, then woke up as he heard the sound of footsteps growing louder and louder as it neared the barracks.  The Captain of the Home Guard was awake and alert at once, strapping on his weapons and listening for any other sounds besides the footsteps.
    Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Triss scrambled to answer it.  To his surprise, he saw Dilia standing there, armed but wearing her nightgown.  “Dilia!” he exclaimed.  “Why are you here?”
    The Elf stepped in and hissed, “There’s a Drakul in the palace!”
    Triss stepped away in shock.  “A Drakul?  Where?”
    Dilia pulled him out of the building.  “Anloren’s room!  There’s probably more than one.  We have to get rid of them!”
    “But how?  We’re defenseless against them.”
    “Isn’t it obvious, Captain?  All we have to do is to chase them out!”  With those words, Dilia brought him closer to her.
   Triss froze for a moment.  “All right,” he said finally.  “A pincer movement, though how we’ll be able to do it in the palace I don’t know…”
    “We can do it,” Gavilan’s cousin said at once.  “I know the palace better then you.  The king’s room has a secret entrance; a squad can come through there.  Another door connects to Ellenroh’s room as well.  We attack from both, gaining ground until the Drakuls are forced out the main entrance to his room.  Another force will come from the west side of the palace, chasing the Shadowen eastward, until they are at the palace entry.  From there…” she paused, clearly out of ideas.
    “From there, Anloren will use the Rukh Staff, driving the Drakuls away while strengthening the Keel at the same time.  Remember, the Drakuls would have breached the Keel to get in the palace, and they would have no problems disposing of the few Home Guard stationed there.  That is the plan,” Triss concluded.
    “The king!” Dilia exclaimed suddenly.  “We must start!  By now, Anloren is either already converted or almost there.  Wake up the Home Guard, and I’ll go get the Black Watch.  That is all we can rally in this short period of time.”  Dilia adjusted her nightgown and ran off, barefoot, her weapons clinking against each other like chimes.
    Triss thought that it was a good plan, and he proceeded to wake up the few soldiers that were still sleeping.  Many had already awaken and were armed, their sharp Elven hears hearing the conversation between the two.  Their hearing is too sharp for their own good, the Captain of the Home Guard thought ironically.
    Creeping silently towards the palace, Triss found the remains of the Home Guard that were stationed there, their skin pale and their blank eyes blood red.  They didn’t even have a chance!  Anger flared anew in the Elf, and he inched the door open to proceed to Ellenroh’s room.  Half of the Black Watch would come through the secret entrance, the other half would wait west of the room, and the Home Guard would attack from Ellenroh’s position.  A single Elf would be standing by a window that could be seen by all three parties, and when the time was right, he would shoot an arrow into the sky, and the assault would begin.
    The Home Guard entered Ellenroh’s room.  The princess had already left, not being a fighter, and the key to the door lay on her bed.  Triss picked it up and crawled to the entrance, his eyes fixed on the window the whole time.  His soldiers followed faithfully, their eyes locked on the single piece of glass also.
    All of Morrowindl seemed to come at a stop that very moment.  The few sounds of animals and insects ceased to be; the low, whispery voices of the Drakuls were not in use; everyone was tensed, not daring to move or breathe.
    A bow twanged and an arrow shot out of it, piercing the night sky.
    Triss turned the key already in the lock; having this accomplished, the Home Guard charged in, bringing their shields up in an attempt to ward off the Drakuls and their poison.  The Captain could see Elves—the Black Watch—surging out from under a tapestry, their shields in a defensive position as well.  But as Triss led the way, beating down Drakuls, he realized that he might as well have made a fatal mistake.  These Shadowen, these things, were creatures made of magic.  They were not mortal beings and would not be easily killed.  Lost in the excitement of planning and doing battle, both Triss and Dilia had forgotten this.  Now, as he looked around, he saw the Drakuls, vastly outnumbered but still the more powerful, clinging to the helpless, struggling Elves, lowering their heads and clamping their teeth onto an arm or neck, draining the other’s life force away.  All that remained was a pale, empty shell, now capable only of converting others.  The Elves were fighting a losing battle.
    In the midst of it all, Anloren Elessedil stood up, apparently unconscious, supported by Drakuls.  Suddenly bloodshot eyes snapped open and his mouth widened, baring sharp fangs.  There was a sudden intake of breath from the Home Guard and Black Watch, as they slowly realized what had happened to their king.  The Elves froze, abruptly unsure as of what to do.
    The door crashed open, and Ellenroh Elessedil ran into the crowded room, bearing the Rukh Staff.  The blue gem—the Loden—topping the staff flared with magic.  Home Guard and Black Watch alike backed away, seeing what was about to happen.  The princess pointed the Loden at the Drakul who was once her father, and the whole world seemed to explode in a blinding flash of radiance.  Lightning shot out of the staff, aiming directly at the Shadowen, who turned away in rage and fear, and burned them into ash instantly.  Ellenroh’s eyes remained hard and steady as her outstretched hand held the weapon killing the being that looked like the king.  Finally the last scream died away, and the Rukh Staff’s magic flashed one last time then died away.  The Elf collapsed in exhaustion, slumping to the floor, but abruptly began to thrash wildly.  Whether it was the strain of using the Rukh Staff or the fact that she had just destroyed her father, or maybe even both, Triss couldn’t tell.  Home Guard ran to restrain her, picking her up to carry her to the infirmary.
    Dilia slowly reached for Triss’ hand.  “The Keel still needs to be fixed,” she whispered harshly, “and only the Rukh Staff can achieve that.  But for the Rukh Staff to work, we need Ellenroh.”
    Triss sighed heavily.  He sent a soldier to find a doctor, and motioned for the Home Guard to put Ellenroh in her own room.  Dilia sent the part of the Black Watch that had not fought to find the opening in the Keel, and to guard it carefully.
    Midnight came and went; yet Ellenroh was still unstable.  The thrashing had subsided, but she had begun to shout things at random intervals.  The physician believed that she was hallucinating.  Everyone knew what the princess was hallucinating about; it was the same image fixed into their own minds, of Anloren Elessedil standing up, no longer an Elf or something human, but a monstrous being that people called a Drakul.  They still recalled the Loden’s fire tearing it to pieces; burning it to ash.  It was an impression that none of them would ever forget.
    Finally, at dawn, the doctor affirmed Ellenroh stable, and well enough to walk as long as she had assistance.  Triss and Dilia exchanged glances at this last bit of information, wondering whether or not she had enough strength to use the Loden once more.  When Ellenroh woke up and stated that she needed to walk around a bit, the two Elves assisted her, and in low tones, asked if she might be able to use the Loden on the Keel.
    “If I am to be queen, then I must be strong,” Ellenroh Elessedil declared.  “I will fix the Keel.  Right now.”
    “Now?” the Captain of the Home Guard asked dubiously.
    “Yes.  Now.”
    Shouts rose from outside, yelling about sightings of black, monkey-like beings.
    Dilia grabbed both Ellenroh’s and Triss’ arm and said, “We must hurry, if we are to prevent another assault.”  She let go of Triss, who automatically took Ellenroh’s other arm.  The three marched outside discreetly, Dilia carrying the Rukh Staff.  They headed in the direction of the shouts and arrived a few minutes later.
    “Step back,” Ellenroh ordered.  The Black Watch backed away, watching in awe as the staff began to glow.
    At that moment the crouched Shadowen chose to attack, not seeing the danger presented by the Loden.
    White fire burst out of the staff, first aiming at the Shadowen charging in, incinerating them instantaneously, before moving on to the Keel.  The magic already there flickered slightly, weakened from the Shadowen.  The Loden’s power fixed on it, strengthening it, giving it new life.  One last creature tried to breach it, but it was burned.
    At last, the Keel was whole again, the magic strong as it flowed through the walls, and the Loden flared before going out again.  Ellenroh sagged against Dilia, weakened to the point of unconsciousness.  Black Watch came to assist the princess, picking her up and carrying her to the infirmary.  The remainder of the guard departed to watch over the Gardens of Life again.
    Triss picked up the Rukh Staff, feeling the magic course through it.  It was a strange feeling, and the Captain of the Home Guard decided that the magic must feed off the bearer’s strength, which explained why Ellenroh was so worn out.
    Dilia Noh appeared suddenly at Triss’ side, examining the renovated Keel.  “We beat them,” she said, smiling slightly.  “I can’t believe it.”
    Triss wrapped an arm around her slim body, staring at her.  Even battered and bloodied, and still in her nightgown, she looked beautiful.  “The Elves can do anything,” he replied, repeating her words from only a few days ago.
    The two stood alone, both arms wrapped around each other, eyes locked.  Then Dilia’s arm reached up towards Triss’ head, pulling him closer to her.  Before Triss knew what was going on, he was kissing Dilia, hidden in the shelter of the trees, pressed close to each other.  How long they stayed like that the Captain of the Home Guard didn’t know, but it was a moment that he would always remember.
    Finally Triss and Dilia broke apart, Dilia smiling, Triss looking perplexed but happy.  “What was that?” he asked.
    Dilia tweaked his nose.  “A kiss, silly,” she replied.
    The Captain of the Home Guard paused, then looked at the sky.  “We should get going now.  We’ve spent the whole night fighting Shadowen.”
    “I won’t leave you,” Gavilan’s cousin whispered suddenly, fiercely.  “Not now, not ever.”
    Triss hesitated, unsure as of what to do or say.  “I won’t leave you either,” he replied finally.  “I—I love you.”  And with those words the two kissed again, later leaving the Captain of the Home Guard to puzzle over the meaning of life.