Elves have long lives and long memories, yet even so, there are few, if any, that could tell you of a time where relations were friendly with their neighbouring human kingdom. There are, however, plenty that do remember the increasing hostility and the long war that followed. Many of them born during said conflict, fortunate enough to see its end, unfortunate enough to have to live with only memories of all that was lost.

 

In the end, neither side won, but after so long, weary and demoralized, both mostly seemed relieved to proclaim themselves victorious for the simple fact such a grueling time had come to an end. Still, in the many decades that have followed, relations between the two realms have been chilly at best.

 

Both humans and elves have commited transgressions over the years, but have generally not let it escalate. Alas, a recent incident became more out of control and now war seems impending once again.

 

There are, sadly, many people who wish to see this happen for a multitude of reasons.

 

Your character, a formidable fighter with the utmost respect of even the elven crown, is approached about one such person. One of the royal advisors tells him of a warmongering human that would use recent events to end the fragile peace they were once all so glad to achieve. The advisor has found she is travelling to meet a powerful noble with holdings near the border to garner support. Alas, they can’t just assemble warriors and send them after her, that would truly be an act of war.

 

Given his prowess, the advisor believes that where a group of warriors, skilled as they may be, may leave witnesses or some form of trace, he could go alone, quietly kill this warmonger and return, with minimal bloodshed and without the humans ever knowing an elven blade had did the deed.

 

Not at all eager to live through another war, your character agrees.

 

It’s all fairly straight forward. He finds his target with a small, but rather impressive security, but nothing he can’t get past. In a couple of days he formulates a plan, and the following night finds himself within her host’s palace, undetected, ready to make sure she doesn’t see the morning.

 

It’s not until he’s in the same room as her that he hesitates. Well, hesitation isn’t quite the word for it. Rather, he is seemingly bludgeoned with an overwhelming feeling, something most said couldn’t even happen with a human, and something he most definitely should not be feeling towards his enemy.

 

Confused, vehemently ignoring the thoughts of taking advantage of the young woman’s vulnerable state in a much different way than he planned, he leaves without leaving trace he was there to regroup, make sense of things.

Not that there was much to consider nor sense to make. Like this, he can’t do what he was sent to. After two days of being able to clearly picture and plan for her swift, painless end, the thought now made him sick. He could force himself, but... It was sacrilegious, at best, and it would break him, he knew. It wouldn’t be much better to let someone else do it, either.

 

How could this even happen, with the enemy, someone who wished for war with his people?

 

Well, fortunately for him, the young woman did not, in fact, wish for war. Her reasons for being there were actually quite the opposite.

 

While there were many, who were indeed pining for war and attempting to persuade the King to such a course, subtly or less so, she was among those who were vehemently against it. When she spoke to him, she found that while the King would do what he must, he was clearly not inclined towards it either.

 

Under the tutelage of one of the former High Sorcerers, she had actually met a few elves. After defending that they were not heartless monsters nor the beasts that can’t be reasoned with some others were painting them as, the King asked if, should he be able to arrange it, she would be willing to speak with an envoy of theirs to try and find a way to ease the recent tension and maintain peace.

 

Though surprised, in the end, she agreed.