As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, Lyrien steeled himself for the long haul. He knew that he had a long and difficult journey ahead of him, but he was determined to make the best of it.

Ironwood Prison was a foreboding fortress, its walls constructed from dark stone and reinforced with iron bars. The air reeked of sweat, despair, and the stench of rot. Althaeon's senses were overwhelmed as he was thrust into a world where hope seemed a distant memory.

He refused for the first three nights. He meditated. He recited the Long Elegy of the Sundered Root, which takes 40 hours to complete. But on the fourth night, his eyelids grew heavy. The collar grew warm. And the Somni-V parasite, a microscopic thing shaped like a weeping willow, unspooled its tendrils into his hippocampus.

Upon arrival at the mortal prison, Elric was processed and thrown into a cell with a peculiar inmate, a laid-back fellow named Barry. Barry was known for his ability to sleep anywhere and his laid-back demeanor.

"You're the Elf Prince, aren't you?" Brandon asked, his voice low and soft, as Elric was led to a cell.

The Elf King, upon hearing of his son's actions, was torn. On one hand, he loved Elric dearly and understood that his son's mistakes often stemmed from his adventurous and sometimes naive nature. On the other, as the ruler of Elvendom, he could not let such actions go unpunished, especially since they threatened the fragile peace between their realms.

Next: Part 2 – “The Dryad’s Knitting” – In which Prince Laeron discovers that dreams can be bargained with, and the FUTA guard develops an obsession with lullabies.