"Oh, you might have, huh?""Indeed." The Ambassador sounded delighted. "Your perceptiveness does you credit."Thurel rolled his eyes. "And were you planning to give them back?""Of course!" The elf looked piqued. "I am not a thief, and they are still your belongings.""So... where are they?""I took them back to the Keep for you," the Ambassador said innocently."...What." Thurel looked over his shoulder, swiftly realising that, though he could not be seenfrom there now, any of his men on the walls would see him if he made the naked, drippingtrek back. "And how am I supposed to go back without them?""Hm. There is that." The Ambassador looked thoughtful. "You could entice me to fetch themfor you...""Or I could take your..." Thurel's threat tailed off as he realised how it would look if hereturned wearing the elf's clothes, with the elf following along naked behind him. That wasquite possibly worse than walking back naked himself.His shoulders slumped. "What do you want me to do?"The Ambassador beamed. "Dance for me! Like a little sexy dancing-girl!"Thurel stared at him for a long moment. "You're serious.""Perfectly so. We shall keep time for you." With that, the Ambassador and his femalecompanion began to clap out a beat, eyes fixed expectantly upon Captain Thurel.Feeling very foolish and distinctly annoyed, Thurel clambered out of the water, and began tocaper about on the river-bank in clumsy imitation of the dancing-girl he'd seen in a tavernonce. The ground was squishy with mud under his feet, and it was hard to keep his balance.Both elves seemed to be enjoying the sight, but Thurel vowed to himself that if either of themlaughed he'd march back up to the Keep, nakedness be damned. There were some things hewouldn't put up with.The clapping faded slightly, and Thurel saw the elf-woman had left - hopefully to get hisclothes. At the Ambassador's gesture, he danced on, fluttering his fingers, shaking his hips,and generally feeling ridiculous.One too-emphatic hip-shake overbalanced him - he flailed urgently, and then fell, landing onhis back in the mud and grass. Thurel scrambled to his feet, sulkily, and returned to the water to get the mud off."Here, I'll help." The Ambassador, damn him, seemed intent upon helping rinse the mud fromthe curls of Thurel's dark-brown, short hair.
"I'm fine." It wasn't worth pushing him away over, though, so the Captain tolerated it.By the time the elf-woman had returned with the clothes, the Ambassador had moved on to'helping' to wash other areas, and Thurel's efforts in fending him off were growing moreresigned."Thank you," he said hastily to the female elf, scrambling out of the water and grabbing hisclothes. He dressed in a hurry, not bothering to get dry first, and set off back to the Keep.Behind him, he heard giggling, as the two elves switched to entertaining each other instead.Resolutely, he shut it out. Next time, he'd check the elves were in a meeting before he wentfor a swim.***Negotiator Parnes was beaming. Captain Thurel eyed him with mistrust. Usually, the jowleddiplomat only smiled like that at the sight of some new cake."Well?" Thurel asked."Oh, very well indeed, actually." Parnes smoothed his tunic. "The elves have agreed to grantus the right to traverse the wilderness here; we will have an embassy in their city, and theywill have an embassy in our capital."Thurel sighed in relief. "You're going home, then? Or to the capital?" he asked theAmbassador."Oh, home; I'm going to be the liaison to the human embassy.""And I have news for you, Captain," Parnes added. "Your request for another posting hasbeen granted; we'll be settling a border lord here in the Keep instead."Thurel could have cheered. At last, he'd be away from all this nonsense. And if he was lucky,he'd never see another elf again. "Where am I being sent? The conflicts in the south?""No, nothing of the sort. You, our brave Captain, for your skills in dealing with other cultures, are being given a great reward; you will accompany our chosen ambassador to thecity of the elves." Parnes smiled."...What?" Inwardly, he was cursing. He should have known he'd not get any luck out of this."Oh, yes. As a matter of fact, you'll be accompanying Ambassador Celorial there directly, tohelp set up the embassy before the rest of the group is sent.""Splendid news!" the Ambassador exclaimed, with a big grin. "You see? I knew that fatewould not part us!"Captain Thurel took a long, deep breath to avoid saying anything he might regret.
"You'll want to set out immediately," Parnes noted."Yes... my lord." Thurel gave a rough salute, and left the room.Two days later, they set off. The Ambassador was singing to himself. Thurel was notspeaking.The Ambassador smiled at him. "You know, you've been a very good sport about your duties.You'll retire a wealthy man; it's the custom at our celebrations to bestow lavish gifts. I'd bevery surprised if you couldn't fill your pockets with diamonds within five years."He draped an arm around Thurel. "And there are deer-hunts, and armour and swords the likesof which you'll never have carried before. All for you."Thurel didn't bother to shift away. "We'll see," was all he said.-fin-