Where It All Began

"I see land," I heard one of the men yell. We had been traveling for 3 months now, and I was beginning to wonder if there was anything else out there. Maybe we sailed all the way around the world and were about to be back in our land. If we were lucky, we would be killed on the spot, but more likely the king wanted us alive, and no one would go against his desires.
 
The men began to excitedly look around trying to see the land ahead. I just waited, unsure what this land would bring. If it was our land, we would all be imprisoned and tortured for the rest of our lives. Some of the men would probably become hosts to the shadows, but the king would want me to know what was happening. He'd want me to suffer for as long as possible. If it was the land that was rumored to exist, we could only hope that we'd receive a warm welcome from the locals. And if it was some unknown land, there's no telling what would be in store for us.
 
"Sir, I estimate that we'll land in about one week's time. How would you like us to prepare?" one of the generals asked me. These people had followed me on this journey with the hope of starting over. There was nothing left for us in our homeland, and they had risked everything for this chance. Now they looked to me to guide us and provide that hope. It wasn't a job I sought out. My whole life, I saw what power did to a man, and I certainly didn't want to follow in his footsteps. But he was also the only example of a leader that I've seen. So while I didn't know what my role looked like, I definitely knew what it didn't look like.
 
"We approach as explorers. We'll take a small boat with only a few men to scout things out. You and two of your best men will be armed, but swords are to remain sheathed unless there's no other choice but to defend ourselves. We want to make friends with any locals we encounter. Things have to be different," I told the general.
 
"I know you want things to be different, but we have to make the best decision for our people. There's no value in us going and getting ourselves killed," the general advised. 
 
"I understand your concern. But we have to show the locals that we are no threat to them or their way of life. We will not be taking land by force. If they don't want us there, we'll leave and hope to find other land." I did not like the idea of establishing our new lives on the bloodshed of others. We would only stay if we were welcomed. If we weren't, we'd just have to hope that we could find refuge somewhere else before our supplies ran out.
 
"You have to at least carry a sword yourself," the general urged.
 
"No," I replied and looked back out at the land we were approaching. The general understood that I wouldn't change my mind and went off to make preparations for the day we landed.
 
I knew I was putting good men in danger, but there weren't any good options. We needed to peacefully establish a land for ourselves or be welcomed into an existing one. No other options would be considered. If we encountered hostility here, we would leave with as little bloodshed as possible. As much as I didn't want people dying, I was responsible for getting these men back to their families.
 
 
 
Three soldiers, an expert in culture, and I were the only people I allowed on the small boat that was currently headed toward the land that would hopefully be our future home. Despite the protests of many people, with the loudest being the general, I was not carrying a sword. I compromised to carry a small knife in case I needed to defend myself, but I had no intention of using it on another person. We needed friends if we were to survive here.
 
As we approached the land, I thought I saw moments in the trees, but it quickly stilled. I looked over at the general and confirmed that he saw it also. We were being watched by something or someone that lived here. I got out and helped ground the boat while the general and one of his men scanned the tree line. As I had requested, they kept their swords sheathed, but I knew that they were ready if we were attacked.
 
Whoever or whatever was watching us was taking their time. Either they didn't want to be seen or they were learning about us first. By now, we had given them several opportunities to "surprise" us. We had hoped that by pretending to drop our guard, that they would reveal themselves, but after two hours of us scouting out the land, we hadn't encountered anything more than wild animals and insects. We hadn't ventured very far inland yet. We didn't want to lose sight of the water and get lost.
 
"It looks like there's a river up ahead that leads inland. That's probably our best chance to see more of the land without getting lost," the general advised.
 
"Let's follow it," I stated. Shortly after we started following the river, the noise from the trees got closer.
 
"Sir, I think we're about to have company," one of the men stated.
 
"Men, be on your guard, but do not attack anyone," the general commanded.
 
We were quickly surrounded by at least five men, all with swords or bows, not pointed at us, but definitely ready. As I looked closer, I realized they were not human, but rather seemed like elves, which I had only heard stories about. They were all at least a foot taller than me and had pointy ears. On top of this, they seemed graceful in a way that engendered instant respect.
 
I stepped forward, towards the man that seemed to be the leader and slightly bowed my head. "We are travelers from another land, looking for a place to settle. We do not wish for conflict, only a new land to call our own and new friends to trade with," I explained peacefully.
 
"Why did you leave your homeland?" the man in front of me inquired.
 
"The current leadership there has been corrupted. There is an evil spreading in that land that we do not wish to be a part of. We seek a land of peace and nothing more. If you do not wish us to stay, we will leave and see what other land we can find," I explained.
 
"If what you say is true," the man was obviously skeptical, "there is plenty of open land in the flatlands. Each of the tribes currently residing in this land prefers land that is more hidden. The matter will have to be discussed with the supreme counsel as it affects all the different races.".
 
"We will gladly meet with supreme counsel and do whatever you require to show that we are peaceful and can contribute to your people," I said. This was going better than I had hoped. As much as I wanted this land to work out, I'd heard the stories of people visiting this land and being met with nothing but hostility. Now I was starting to think those stories were lies made up by adventures looking for glory or the king's servants trying to keep people from leaving. If things continued in this direction, we could start planting crops for the upcoming season.
 
I sent one of the soldiers back to the ship to tell the others what was going on. The rest of us followed the group of elves further inland to begin our new future.