Hello, Everyone!
Last time, our heroes finally entered Myth Adofhaer and, after speaking with a very unpleasant elven clerk (which Mary decided she was going to hate forever), they got settled in the local barracks, waiting for some kind of a Council to receive them. They told them it could take days. Desperate to see some friendly faces, the trio sent a message to Lord Dwendel and, soon, the Dwendels were at their doorstep.
It was a lovely evening after all. Despite the bleak atmosphere of the barracks and all the unpleasant interactions with the elves earlier, the company of the Dwendels raised everyone’s spirits. William was a joy to be around, always laughing and telling his silly stories.
“How are the elves treating you?” Aurum asked. “Have they been as nasty to you as they were to us today?”
The Dwendel parents met each other’s eyes and shrugged.
“We’re… adjusting,” the lord said. “It’s not easy being in a completely new place, surrounded by such a different culture. I have to admit, they weren’t very warm and welcoming when we arrived, but they’ve shown us some respect. In time, they utilized our capabilities and managed to find some use for us. We’re doing all right now.”
“Are your people with you, still?” Bruno asked.
Mary remembered the servants accompanying them on the journey from Pamagos (although the family didn’t call them ‘servants’, they were more like friends and companions).
“Oh, yes!” lord Dwendel said. “They’re all here. It’s good to have at least some people you know and care about in a foreign place like this.”
He went on talking about the micro community they’d built in Myth Adofhaer and then it was the adventurer's turn to recount all their journeys. Mary’s book hadn’t made its way to Myth Adofhaer and so, the Dwendels were curious to find out what the trio had been up to.
When they explained the reason they had come to Myth Adofhaer, lord Dwendel sighed.
“We were expecting something like that,” he said. “Things have been tense lately, even in my line of work.”
As one of the more prominent merchants from Pamagos, he’d been appointed at Myth Adofhaer’s trading office. He went on talking about his job and how differently the elves managed things.
“What I can do in an hour, they do in a day,” he said. “They’re used to time never being an issue, as if everyone is as long-lasting as they are. But the outside world doesn’t wait. Trade doesn’t wait. I’ve had so many arguments…”
He continued talking, but at one point Mary stopped listening and sank into her thoughts. She had the feeling that they were dancing around a certain subject and was wondering when the lord was going to ask…
“What worries you, Mary?”
She jumped and saw that everyone was looking at her. She felt her ears burn but collected herself enough to speak up.
“I’m sorry we haven’t found your daughter yet,” she said.
He sighed and her chest tightened.
“I don’t blame you,” he said. “After all, nobody’s been able to track her for all these years. I just wish… ” His voice trembled. He paused to collect himself and then spoke again. “When she disappeared, we were heartbroken. But, we thought, at least she had done good in her last mission. She had stopped a bad person from doing more harm to the innocent. But…” he paused again. His eyes were filled with sadness. “It seems that her efforts were in vain. She didn’t catch the right person and the evil we thought she’d stopped has returned.”
“We don’t know that!” Mary protested fiercely. “There are enough differences between the events now and the ones six years ago to question whether they are the same thing. It might have been a completely different affair! And even if it wasn’t, Dorina couldn’t have known that!”
“Thank you, Mary,” lord Dwendel said. “I’m sure you and your friends will finish what she started.”
At that point in the evening William was already starting to nod off and his parents excused themselves to get him to bed. They promised to come again when they had a chance and, holding the boy in their arms, went out in the night.
After the trio had gotten back to their room, Aurum cracked his knuckles and resumed teasing Noanar who was still guarding their door.
Mary, still deep in thought, set out to the end of the corridor where the bathrooms were. She felt the need to wash the day off of herself and have some time to reflect on everything that had happened.
Exiting through the door with her spare clothes in hand, she saw Noanar swatting at his ear with an annoyed expression. He glared at her and she smiled innocently.
When Mary finished bathing, the world suddenly didn’t feel as hostile and awful as before. She put on her clean clothes and exited the bathrooms, as calm and clear-headed as she could be.
She was met with Noanar's exasperated pounding on the door of their room.
“If you do that one more time,” he growled, “I’ll make sure you sleep behind bars!”
She heard Aurum’s muffled laughter and it made her giggle quietly. However, her Eldritch Sight saw the Mage Hand disappear. The bard was too smart to risk really getting on Noanar's bad side.
“Hello,” she said when she came closer to the elf.
“Hello,” he said, still glaring at the door.
“Can I ask you something?
He nodded.
“Did you lose someone in the attacks six years ago?”
Noanar stared at her, unblinking, for what seemed like an eternity.
“Why are you asking me this?” he said.
“When we mentioned the undead from six years ago, you seemed… sad,” Mary said. “And I worried that we might have reminded you of someone you’ve lost. I’m sorry if that’s the case.”
Noanar closed his eyes and sighed.
“I didn’t lose anyone then,” he said. “But I know people who did.”
Mary looked him in the eyes.
“Back in Pritley we couldn’t save someone. A woman. I had the spell to bring her back but I wasn’t able to get to her in time. She had a family – a husband and two children. I saw what her death did to them.” She hugged her clothes tightly and continued, “That’s why we are here. Not to steal your secrets, but to try and prevent people from suffering like that. I hope you understand.”
She didn’t wait for a reply and went inside their room.
Not much to talk about this episode. The Dwendels are a ray of sunshine, and Noanar might not be as bad as the other elves? We’ll see. I hope Mary managed to get to him with her last words.
See you next time!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary for the series. You're welcome!)