A Tale of Honor

A TALE OF HONOR
By: Elfin Dragon; aka Lisa

         "If you really are an elfish princess; why are you here, drinking Irish whiskey, in a bar, after hours?"
         I looked at the man sitting across from me who was the owner and bartender of the place.  He was seventy-five with silver hair and I had met him fifty years ago.
         Myself?  I hadn't changed at all.  Except for the fact I was a foot taller, I still looked like the young girl he had first met.  What was interesting to me was the fact he had known I was that same person.  But he had known; and he had come right up to me and began asking me questions I was too tired to dodge around.  This last question was a direct result of that and I debated upon whether I should tell him my story.
         I quickly made my decision and held my glass up for a refill of the old Irish whiskey.  After he had filled the glass to the rim, I took a sip and began my tale.

         I was like any other person among my people.  I practiced the art of weaponry, went to school, and had friends to keep me company.  It was those friends, however, who eventually caused my downfall.  My friends were humans.
         I enjoyed their company and conversation.  They were full of fresh ideas and eager to learn from me how to live with nature and each other.  What intrigued me most about them was that they were always changing.  Elves never changed.  It was because of this I knew my family would never accept my friends.
         In elfish society relations with other races, other than natures, are forbidden; with few exceptions.  Humans have always been thought of as the worst and least understanding of all the separate races.  But I knew that if we were to live without fear, some sort of understanding had to be made between the races of elves and men.  We needed to learn how to cooperate, if not be friends, with each other.  Little did I know, that was not to be.
         The treachery began on one of my journeys to visit my human friends.  An elfish companion of mine followed me without my knowledge.  When he saw who I was with, talking and enjoying myself, he quickly high-tailed it back to the city and to my parents.  He told them he had followed me because he was concerned about my "strange and unpredictable" behavior, and he had found out why.  He found I had been consorting with humans.
         When I returned home, my parents quickly reprimanded me for my "foolish" behavior.  They quoted me elfish laws and regulations concerning humans, all of which I considered old and out of date.  I tried to argue the fact those laws had been written when humans were frightened of everything and anyone they did not understand.  Now was the time to begin changing those laws.  Humans were now interested in learning and wanted to understand everything around them.  We needed to build trade relations so we would not stay mere myths and legends.  But my parents didn't agree with me and I was given an order never to see humans again.  In my eagerness to show my people something new, I had forgotten elves never change.
         I was a princess, next in succession to the throne.  I was taught to be concerned about the people I would be ruling and I did not want them to be living in fear of the future.  My concern was for my people and so I disobeyed the order I had been given.  I continued to see my human friends.
         I was able to be with my human friends for almost two years without notice from my family.  I avoided elfish friends who would try to follow me out of the city.  I never talked about humans and what I had learned from them, or what they were learning from me.  But eventually, the very same companion who had followed me before once more escaped my notice as I went out of the city.  He, once again, went to my parents and told them I had disobeyed their direct order.
         This time, when I returned home, it was not to a reprimand.  It was to a trial.  I had been charged with treason and consorting with the undesirable race of humans.  It was a public trial and the judges were to be my parents and the council of elders.
         The trial did not last long.  When it was over, it was decided I was no longer a member of the elfish race.  The last two fingers of my right hand were taken to mark me as a traitor for life.  Finally, I was told to leave and never return.  I gathered my belongings, said good-bye to those who would care, then left without a backward glance.  I have never returned.
         
         I drank the rest of the Irish whiskey in my glass then slowly rose from my chair.  I left money for the drinks and a tip for the man's kindness before walking towards the door.
         As I slowly walked out of the bar; I knew I would never again see the kind-hearted old man who had listened to an old story told by an even older elf.