"Your Majesty, about those Naga..."
Renjiro rose smoothly from the simple wooden bench.
He walked towards the open courtyard gate, gazing down the path the two fox folk had just taken, watching their retreating backs until they were swallowed by the trees.
"I recall reading something," Renjiro mused aloud, tapping a finger against his chin as if searching his memory. "In an old Elven scroll, wasn't it? It suggested the Naga were once a branch of the Elven people. A very, very long time ago. The specifics escape me, though."
Elaria moved closer, gently placing a hand on his arm.
She let out a soft sigh first, a sound heavy with ancient sorrows. Then, her voice filled with a complex mix of sadness and gravity, she confirmed, "Your Majesty remembers correctly. The Naga are indeed a branch of the Elves. They were Elves, once upon a time. But the Naga are not like us, not anymore!"
Elaria began to slowly recount the old, painful history.
