Part 3
Taenya couldn’t believe her eyes as she reached the end of the Queen’s Highway. The Royal Elven Rangers lined up saluting a woman in a long white skirt with long flowing silver hair. Exactly as her grandmother and grandfather described, the Avalanche Princess!
Syndra could feel someone staring at the back of her head, and spun around to the sight of Taenya standing in wonder. She didn’t recognize Taenya, but she could recognize even from this distance, a living Valmaris! There was no doubting it, the silver hair said it all. Maybe he hadn't been as thorough as she had always thought? No matter, she had to find out this woman's ancestor immediately.
"You are a Valmaris, I know from the hair. Approach." Syndra called out to Taenya. "I wish to speak with you."
Taenya was stunned. She had always known her silver hair made her stand out compared to other elves, and she always got a strange reception when she returned home, but was this truly the reason? Still, scholarly curiosity overwhelmed any sense of caution, and she approached the living legend.
"You're the Avalanche Princess, aren't you?" Taenya asked. "My grandparents spoke of you."
Syndra smiled inwardly. Jackpot! Her grandparents knew of her. Outwardly however, she remained calm and regal.
"Your grandparents, you say? Who were they?" Syndra asked smoothly, steering the subject.
"My grandmother was no more than 7 years old when it's said you died, but her name was Shandalar Valmaris. My grandfather was not yet even born, but his name was Gormar Valmaris. I suppose those 2 grandparents are the ones you're interested it, at least." Taenya responded.
Syndra was stunned into silence. She was amazed Shandalar survived after all, she had always thought she had died. Her beautiful youngest sister had lived after all. The falling snow started to intensify as her emotions rose inside, and the biting cold of her aura expanded in an instant, like a blast of arctic air.
"My sister!" Syndra cried, overwhelmed. "My beautiful sister, she lived!" She sunk to the ground and began crying, the tears freezing in an instant on her unnaturally pale face. "Shandy, I'm sorry, if I had known!"
By this point a blizzard was forming, and the Rangers recognized the danger. The Captain roughly grabbed Taenya and the rangers started to retreat to the North until Syndra could bring her emotions back under control.
"Wait, what about-" Taenya began as she was carried away, but she was interrupted.
"Princess Valmaris can take care of herself, ma'am! We need to retreat before we're killed by her magic!" The Captain yelled over the howling winds as they ran through Chillwatch straight into Elven Lands, not pausing for an instant.
"What about the townsfolk, Captain?" Another ranger next to him yelled. "We can't just leave them."
"A fair point. Order them all inside, these buildings are designed for elven winters, after all. After you're done, meet us in Ellren Serine!" The Captain yelled, not breaking pace for a moment through the thickening snow. The ranger nodded and changed course in the howling snow.
"Jassin! How far is her area of effect right now?" The Captain yelled toward another ranger, the now knee deep snow starting to seriously slow them down.
"It's already at least a league and hasn't finished expanding yet, Sir!" Jassin yelled back, blasting a path through the snow with flames.
"Double time let's move it! Flamecasters to the front! Don't stop casting!" The Captain yelled, still holding Taenya under his arm like a piece of luggage. "Get ready for barrier prep when we arrive!"
"Barrier prep?" Taenya asked, resigning herself to her fate of being carried. She'd had rougher invitations, she supposed.
"Just how long have you been in human lands, ma'am? Standard whiteout procedure. We cover the town in a multi-layer barrier and wait out the storm. That's what Elduin is doing right now in Chillwatch."
The Rangers immediately moved to cut across the lake once it was realized the lake had already frozen over from Syndra's expanding blizzard. By the time they reached Ellren Serine, the snow in the town was already above the windows, and the Rangers wasted no time in retreating to their fortified barracks after emplacement of the barrier spell around the town. The clamour from the townsfolk was somewhat calmed when they were told an explanation would be coming from the Ranger Captain later, when the blizzard passed.