#ayrenn

The throne room in Elden Root is very long, something that Elanniren is acutely aware of as she walks, step by step, towards Queen Ayrenn Arana Aldmeri—or, as she once knew her—Wren.

Elanniren was sixteen or so when she traveled to the Isle of Balfiera to do a few years of study. Another new student arrived not long after she did, an Altmer around her age. It wasn't at all strange for Altmer to study at Balfiera, though they tended to have at least two decades under their belts—Elanniren preferred to stick with the Breton schedule to be safe; it was hard to predict which of her ancestries would dictate her lifespan.

This new Altmer, however, was also an oddity in that she wasn't Direnni. In fact, her accent when speaking Aldmeris was so heavily Alinori that at first there were times when Elanniren couldn't even understand her. Still, they hit it off quickly. The girl called herself "Wren," saying that her real name was too long to bother with. She claimed to be from some old family in Alinor that she wanted no part of, and that was good enough for Elanniren.

They were fairly equally matched at swordplay, though Elanniren relied more on muscle whereas Wren had the agility, and they both favored destruction magic over the more theoretical schools. Elanniren was never one to get in trouble, but Wren sure pushed her close to the limits. The first time Elanniren ever snuck out was with Wren, who had somehow procured wine (Elanniren's first unsupervised drink), and the two of them had a midnight picnic under the stars.

Then, during one holiday break, they absconded to Sentinel to hunt down a Golden Saint for a bounty. They managed, somehow, but Elanniren sustained some nasty wounds. Back at the inn where they were staying, she was fretting over having to explain her injuries to her teachers—and that's how she learned that Wren had more knowledge of restoration magic than she had previously let on. And, well, it turns out that healing can be rather intimate, and one thing led to another and Elanniren had another first in that inn room.

Not long after, Wren asked if she would accompany her on the rest of her adventures—she apparently had plenty planned. Elanniren still isn't sure why she declined, and sometimes she wonders what life would be like if she had agreed. But she wanted to finish her studies, or not disappoint her parents, or something. Wren was gone in the morning. Only years later did Elanniren learn who her friend really was.

Queen Ayrenn waits at the end of this very long runner, hands behind her back, looking quite composed, with the exception of a playful glint in her eyes. Gods, this is awkward.

"Elanniren Macaud," Ayrenn greets her warmly when she's still a few paces away. "You look well."

"As do you," Elanniren says, with a hesitantly added, "Your Majesty."

"Ugh, so formal," Ayrenn complains. "You'll have to forgive the security. My Eyes won't let me out of their sight around my sworn enemies." The last part drips with irony.

"My only sworn enemy is Molag Bal." Elanniren is glad she prepared some things to say.

"Well spoken and point taken," Ayrenn says. "To be perfectly honest, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see you. You've made quite a name for yourself since we last saw each other."

Elanniren can't help but laugh at that. "I could say the same about you."

"Ah, yes, that," Ayrenn says with an awkward chuckle. Her voice is low now, almost intimate, despite the copious number of soldiers in the room. "I would have told you eventually, if you'd come with me. You could be standing beside Razum-dar." She gestures to the Khajiit near her side, who is casually tossing a knife between his hands. "But before I come under fire for making you question your loyalty to your alliance, we should return to the reason you're here."

"Right." Elanniren clears her throat. "I've come to propose a meeting on the island of Stirk, to discuss an assault on Coldharbour."

---

Ayrenn motions Elanniren over while they wait for the meeting to begin. Her delegation was the first of the three to arrive, beating even Elanniren and Vellaise. She chuckles as Elanniren glances over her shoulder before approaching, saying, "Your high king isn't here yet to arrest you for treason; don't worry."

"King Emeric himself isn't the only one I'm worried about," she says quietly as she approaches. It would be very easy for anyone to notice and get word back to her king that she was fraternizing with an enemy leader, but then, Ayrenn seems to find the whole idea amusing, so maybe she doesn't have that much to worry about. At least her allies are unlikely to understand them while they're speaking Aldmeris.

"So who's the boy?" Ayrenn gets right to business, nodding behind Elanniren.

"Oh, that's my friend Darien," she says. At least, she assumes that's who she's talking about. "He's been really helpful in dealing with"—she pauses. It might not be the best idea to be too honest with her old friend—"all of this."

Ayrenn raises an eyebrow. "'Friend?'"

Elanniren exhales, heat creeping into her cheeks. "...In much the same way that you are I were friends."

"That's what I thought," the queen says with a smirk. "You move in sync. And your Imperial friend is jealous."

"Vellaise?" she asks, surprised. She doesn't even need to look; she knows Vellaise is standing just a few paces away, probably watching. "It's not like that. We met in Coldharbour and..." She trails off as Ayrenn's smirk gets wider and wider.

"I don't blame her. I'd have already invited you to my tent if I thought I could get away with it. It has been ages. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get my Eyes to leave me alone for long enough to—oh, you are so easy to fluster."

Elanniren realizes belatedly how hard she must be blushing. "Shut up," she mumbles, but a queen takes no orders.

"Maybe if you bring Darien along, we can claim something about having a neutral third party to abate any dangers." Her smirk has not faltered once.

It is practically a relief when the herald announces the arrival of High King Emeric. She gives the enemy queen a surreptitious half-bow, unsure of the exact level of respect she would be expected to show under more normal circumstances.

"It's been nice catching up," she says quickly before sneaking back to the Covenant's side of the camp.