Kooriime (Koh-Oh-Ree-May)

SAYTEN LALEIWELIHWYN
A few days before the American New Year, everyone had finally received some reason to rejoice. Adriaan had been discovered alive in Imperiallyss and was brought back to Rikku’s Place. I didn’t get to see him when he was brought in, but I took the return of our savior to be a sign of hope from the Ammiyallyss. No one seemed to know the details of Adriaan’s alleged death and rebirth, but there were a lot of rumors circulating.
Everyone gathered in the mellornyaa tree hall at Rikku’s Place, three weeks into the new year, for a conference that would be held by Adriaan. No one I knew had seen Adriaan since his return to New York. Everyone sat cross-legged on the floor with baited breath, awaiting the arrival of our savior. When he finally arrived, the entire hall was overcome with emotion. We all leapt to our feet and screamed and cheered. Some people cried, others ran up to him and embraced him. He didn’t enter the hall alone. Walking closely behind Adriaan were the other militants who had been on the scene during my rescue from Antarctica; but alongside Adriaan was a young man I had never seen before. He has mahogany hair that fell past his shoulders in layers and big, sharp, grey eyes with thick black lashes. I found him to be quite handsome. What was unusual was that his fingers were interlaced with Adriaan’s and they never parted; not even when other Elves had approached Adriaan to embrace him. I shook the arm of Fiero, who was standing next to me.
“Do you see that?” I hissed.
“Yes…who is that man?” he asked me.
“I have no idea…but do you see their rings?” I was in awe.
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean that they’re together. It only means that they’re both married to someone,” Fiero said.
A hush fell over the hall as Adriaan and his party reached the front of the room. We all knelt before him.
“Please don’t,” Adriaan said in his kind voice. “Do not kneel before me. Please, just have a seat. I wish to speak to you all today about the crimes that took place while I was in Kooriime last. But first I would like to introduce my husband, Ris Evangalarya, to you all…”
Murmurs erupted all over the place over Adriaan’s last statement. I could see my mother shaking her head with contempt.
“…I wish to do so only to better explain my story to you all,” Adriaan called out over the murmuring.
Adriaan launched into his story about Callehndrina agreeing to marry him and Ris. He then launched into the story about her propaganda campaign against him and the Traveling Army, and then he went on to tell us about how Callehndrina had poisoned him in an attempt to kill him, which failed. Callehndrina had attempted to prise his powerful beryls from his arms in an attempt to increase her own powers and destroy Adriaan for good. Adriaan then thanked his crew members for coming back to Imperiallyss in search of him, and for rescuing him.
He continued by saying:
“I have seen many of the people that we have returned to Kooriime ostracized for being imprisoned by the scientists, just because they bear the scars from experimentation. Some men have been imprisoned as if they had committed crimes. The Elder Elves fear all of you. They think that any of you could be spies for your ex-captors. That you may even have been brain-washed or carry tracking devices deep within the cores of your bodies that may lead more trouble to Kooriime. The air is thick with paranoia. Callehndrina and Alexdor inspect all who return. They will inspect your minds and your bodies. If you have something to hide, then I ask you to apply caution when making the decision to return to Kooriime. You are all innocent and have suffered deeply, but that hardly seems to matter. You should be welcomed home with open arms, not treated like contaminated bearers of ill will. I can no longer promise that you will be safe in your own homes. That being said, the Traveling Army will only make one last voyage back to Kooriime and with us we will take any and all of you who wish to return there. Any of you who wish to remain here in New York City will receive schooling and life-training to help you adapt to your new lives…”
“Who the hell would ever stay here?” I heard my mother say loudly.
“…I for one will remain here where I can live in peace with my husband. My comrades have also agreed to remain behind. I will do my best to negotiate terms and secure treaties with the world leaders to protect our rights as humans living in this world. Rikku and Maru have agreed to assist you all in finding sources of income and housing. We can build a community here in Elf Village beyond the reach of Callehndrina, and work together to live in harmony and practice our culture, as well as embrace new ideas as we see fit. That is all that I have to say to you all. The ship will leave for its final voyage to Kooriime at midnight on the first day of Calainis (May).”