The Guardians: Book One of the Restoration Series by Christopher Williams

hard.
    Flare sat quietly, praying under his breath to the elven goddess Silverti. He had come so far, he would hate to be turned back over to the elves now. The fear and anxiety were making him sick, that would be a way to meet a king, getting sick in his study. He swallowed hard and waited as patiently as he could.
    Finally the king looked back up. “Flare, I knew your mother, and she was a caring and honest woman. For her sake, if not for yours, I will make a pact with you. I will allow you to take the entrance test, and if you are accepted into the guardians, I will allow you to stay.”
    Relief washed over him like a wave; at least he had a chance to join the guardians. A smile started to form on his lips.
    King Darion noticed the smile, and quickly continued, “But If you are not accepted, then you will agree to return to the elves willingly. Do you agree to my terms?”
    Flare had a huge smile, as he accepted the king’s terms. “Sir, will I still get someone to help me?”
    “Yes, but you will have to work very hard if you really want to get in. And once you get in, it will only get harder. Are you sure that you can handle this? If you are accepted, then you will be trained to fight, kill, and possible die for Telur. In battle, people are maimed and die horribly. Are you willing to kill or die for the people of Telur? Remember, most of the humans here in Telur will not accept you any more than the elves did. In fact, the resentment toward the elves is so strong; you could be at risk from the very people you are training to protect.”
    The king’s last comment caught Flare off guard, and dispelled his earlier elation. He had expected some possible resentment from the human nobility and commanders, but he had expected to eventually be accepted by his fellow soldiers. After all, elves joined the guardians from time to time. “Are you saying that I might be in danger during the training?”
    The king leaned back in the chair, and propped his head on his right hand. “Elves have served before, and are currently serving in the guardians, but none of them are elven nobility. I do not believe anything would happen to you, and if I thought there was any real danger, I wouldn't even consider your request to join. I believe that it will be fine, but you will need to remain on guard.”
    Another thought occurred to Flare. “Sir, how will this affect human and elven relations?”
    The king smiled a humorless smile. “Flare, there has not been a human allowed in the eternal forest in thirty years. I believe the only reason the elves keep an ambassador in Telur is so they can spy on us.” The king paused. “Since the fall of the elves, they have not had the power to wage war against the combined might of the humans. If the elves were to march on Telur, it would be their undoing. You see Flare, right now the humans are divided, and we frequently fight amongst ourselves. But if an elven host descends on Telur, it would unite the human cities in a fashion that has not been seen since the demon lord wars, some two millennia ago.”
    Flare didn't like the sound of these words, the thought of elves fighting against Telur had not seriously occurred to him. The elves had not marched outside their forests in millennia. Although the elven troops had been marshaled and ready to go to war thirty years ago, but the human ambassadors had been dispelled, and the troops disbanded. He was intimately aware of this, since his birth had been the driving factor behind the near war. He knew that the elves were weak and that they couldn't wage war outside of their kingdoms, but he also knew that they were plenty capable of defending those very same forests. That thought troubled him, having fled the elven forests; resentment was the last thing that he wanted to feel toward his new home. Troubled, he held his tongue and said nothing.
    The king paused briefly, watching Flare, “Now, what are we going to do with you?” Without waiting for an