I exit the tower and see a horde of concerned elves arguing among themselves. The torches flicker all around them while I’m still shrouded by the darkness of night. Their voices are loud and I can hear them clearly as I approach.

“Respectfully, you should not have let him enter alone, Princess.”

Luna scowls back at the officer. “He didn’t ask me. Nor does he have. It was his decision.”

“Well, he could have at least told us how to enter,” says another. “No one has been able to get through the door. Unless we want to send for a batting ram.”

“No, says Luna adamantly. “That has already been discussed and dismissed.”

“Well, he could be in danger,” says another.

Luna rolls her eyes and for a moment reminds me more of a California valley girl than a regal elven princess. “I think that if Sir Ethan can defeat the Dryad of the Elder wood he can survive in an abandoned tower.”

I smile to myself and feel a rush of satisfaction at feeling respected.

When I first got here would she have said the same thing? Almost certainly not.

“Thank you, Princess,” I say. The whole crowd turns toward me and the torches illuminate my face. “And thanks to the rest of you as well, for the concern for my welfare.”

“Sir Ethan,” the guard captain says. “It is good to see you again. And unharmed.”

The statement is also a question. “Yes, I’m well enough, Captain. It was a strange experience, but not a dangerous one.”

“What did happen inside, sir?” asks a plucky young elf. The captain looks at him with disappointment but I don’t blame him. They probably all want to know. He just had the guts to ask.

I open my mouth to reply but the princess interjects. “I don’t think this is the appropriate place for that discussion. Perhaps back at the palace.”

“Of course, Princess,” the Captain quickly adds. “We can start immediately if you’re ready.”

So the princess and I return to our wheelhouse and are off again. Traveling the same road as before but in the opposite direction.

“Why didn’t you want me to answer the question?” I ask as we trundle along.

Luna looks around her even though we are all alone in the carriage. “Because of rumors and stories.”

“Rumors and stories?”

Luna sighs. “Yes, I’m afraid they’ve already started, and any tales of the tower would just add to their number.”

"Oh, is this like the threat to the nobles? Like they are afraid people would follow me instead of them?”

“Sort of,” Luna continues. “But it’s also to protect you. I think there is a lot of weight on you right now and if the stories become too extravagant then the expectations can be too crushing. People might start thinking you can defeat the sorceress all by yourself. That you don’t even need any help.”

“Oh,” I say, and sink back into my seat. “I see what you mean.”

Luna smiles sympathetically. “I know a little about expectations. And how crushing they can be.”

“You mean like being a princess?”

Luna nods. “Elven standards for noble behavior are intense. Faults that might be accepted in the general populace are not tolerated in us. We have to set examples for others in not just how we rule but in how we act, who we select as mates, how we treat our parents, in really all aspects that would be considered private or personal.”

My eyes widen. “Wow, that sounds like a lot.”

Luna chuckles. “It is a lot. And in history there have been elves who could not bear the weight – who stepped away from their positions and their ranks, to live less prestigious, if still quite comfortable, lives. But…”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Luna pauses, her eyes sparkling expectantly.

“But what?” I ask, giving her what she wants.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s unjust.”

“It doesn’t?”

Luna ruffles her dress. “My attire is from the finest seamstress in the woods. My personal rooms are the epitome luxury. My meals are prepared exactly as I instructed. Anyone but the Lord bows when I approach them. For all of that deference and honor what prevents me from setting myself up as a god, eh?”

I never thought of that before. “You want to be seen as a god?”

The princess shrugs. “The Dryad did, didn’t she?”

I’m starting to feel nervous. “She’s a spirit. Or was anyway.”

“Some of the ancient ones became like spirits you know. Or that’s what the stories say – before the Maker made himself known, before the temple was established – rulers became gods. Then someone else wished to be a god so they’d tear down that ruler and put themselves in place. And so the cycle repeated – one after another, after another, after another.”

I fidget with my fingers. “But that was bad, right? I mean you aren’t advocating we return to that way right.”

Luna shakes her head. “Of course not.”

I exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“The point” Luna continues, “ is that recognizing our own duties and obligations keeps us from becoming the tyrant, from the Dryad.”

“Even if they can be crushing?” I ask, bringing the conversation full around.

Luna sighs and adjusts one of her rings. “Well, hopefully not too crushing.” She pauses. “Or I guess what I really mean is that hopefully we have developed the strength of character and self-discipline required to bear-up under those responsibilities when they arise. Then we will be able to truly serve our people as well as save ourselves from overweening pride and ambition.”

I strum the wood with my fingers uncomfortably. “And I suppose you think that advice applies to me as well.”

Luna nods earnestly. “Aren’t you growing in power? Don’t you ever feel tempted to use it for your own ends instead of helping others?”

Luna stops and waits for my answer. I consider her questions carefully and try to push through the various possibilities, but find myself too tired to continue. “Luna, are all trips with you like this or do you ever just make fart jokes or something?”

Luna laughs. “I’m just trying to help, Ethan.”

I raise my hands in mock protest. “I know. I know. I just get a little run down sometimes.”

“Just you?” she asks. “I think we all do, Ethan. But I take your point. So let me ask you something.”

“What's that?”

“What do you call the fart of an elven aristocrat?”

I grin. “I dunno. What?”

“A noble gas.”

I groan. “Holy crap, Luna, that’s terrible.”

She laughs. “I know. It’s awful isn’t it?. She points at me. “But you asked for it, Ethan. It’s your fault.”

I waive my hands before me. “I take it back. I take it all back. Let’s get back to the depressing serious stuff. That was pretty sexy in retrospect.”

She throws a pillow at my head but I manage to deflect it away. The second strikes me square on and Luna laughs as I rub my sore nose. A million battle scars and it’s my freaking nose that stings.

“Good thing you didn’t have to fight me in that elder forest,” she says with a wink. “I’m a lot tougher than any stupid old dryad.”

Her face is so warm, so beaming, I feel like I have a chance. It’s just the two of us.

Do I go in for a kiss? Is that crazy?

I scoot over to her and she doesn’t pull away. She’s still smiling and I remember back to the game when we first kissed. It was a lot like this: jokes after a quest completion, just the two of us, a special moment together.

But I hesitate. Just like back on Earth I start to get second-guess myself.

What if she rejects me? What if she tells her father? What if it ruins the whole alliance? What if? What if?

And then the moment passes and she starts talking again.

“When we get back to the palce you will have to give the royal court a full update of course.”

I sigh and slink back against the seat. “Right. The royal court.”

Luna nudges me playfully. “Don’t sound too enthusiastic, Ethan. They’ve all been dying to meet you, and they’ll want to hear about the tower too. You’re a hero now and being a hero comes with certain –”

“Responsibilities,” I say, completing her sentence. “Yes, you’ve made that very clear,” I say grumpily. “I’ll do what must be done.”

She leans back in her seat. “See, you’ve got the martyr complex down already.”

I look over and she is giving me that infectious grin again.

I smile despite myself. “How do you do that?” I ask.

“Do what?”

”Stay so happy and positive all the time?”

Luna scoffs and tosses her hair back. “All the time? Oh, Ethan if only you know. I’m happy now because of what you’ve done.” She smiles at me. “And I’m happy around you because I like you.”

My heart skips a beat.

“I think we can become great friends, Ethan.”

Great. Friends.

Just shoot me now.