How did we get ourselves into this situation? Ardwyn wondered, looking at Michael before waking him up. He still had many unanswered questions, and something in the night left a cold hole inside of him. He felt like his adventure had been a series of failures, though each failure was, in some manner, a mini success on its own. The way he had pictured things turning out, had never been exactly the way he wanted in the end.

A cold wind blew by, and a darkness took hold within him. He quickly shrugged off the feelings of negativity, trying not to give in. Last time, when he had been taken hold by the evil green fog, he had lost himself and perspective of what mattered. This feeling was similar. With his barriers down, he could easily get sucked into an endless spiral of negativity.

He had to be strong. It was easy to be cynical and hopeless. It was much harder to be brave in the face of danger and unknown risks still ahead. And perhaps there still was some hope of getting home.

Ardwyn took a moment to reflect before waking Michael from his sleep. It was the first time in a while that he had been left alone to consider his fate in this world. He decided to move on and not let his mind drift aimlessly.

“Michael!” he said gently, shaking Michael’s shoulder. “Michael! Wake up.”

Michael seemed to want to keep sleeping. Moments later, he rubbed his eyes, and then, realizing everything that had happened to him recently, he startled up in shock, sitting on the grass.

“Ardwyn!” he yelled, “You’re alive! I can’t believe it!”

“It’s good to see you, Michael,” Ardwyn said.

They exchanged stories of how they had gotten here – from the creature chasing them in the woods, to the witch, the Academy for the Mages, to Ardwyn explaining how Waraheim had emerged out of the portal and revived them.

They laughed and felt free, sitting on the grass under the moon and the stars in the peace of the clearing. The meadow grass around them blew gently in the night wind.

When their excitement had settled down, Ardwyn asked, “One thing I’m still wondering about – why did you decide to look for me?”

“Everyone else had given up,” Michael said.

“You risked your life.”

“At the time, it didn’t seem like that.”

Ardwyn considered the statement. In the present, things might not seem clear, but with enough time you could reflect and understand the meaning. Life was sometimes strange like that.

Hours later, they had trekked up the clearing, and made their way toward the town. The night was almost over, with the sun coming up on the horizon. The scene of the forest, and fresh meadows around them had a rejuvenating effect. They didn’t seem to mind walking the few miles to the nearby town.

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Finally coming up an intersection of the dirt road that led to the town, Ardwyn said, “I’ve been here before. The townsfolk are welcoming, even to strangers.” He tried reassuring Michael, although he wasn’t sure he believed what he was saying. Somewhere from the edge of the woods, he had a gnawing feeling someone out there was watching them. After everything he had been through, he probably just felt paranoid, so he shrugged off the feeling. He felt safer now anyway, being so close to the town.

Just a little ways ahead stood a town guard near the gates. He seemed sleepy and hardly noticed them until they come up closer.

“Whoa–” he said, breaking out of his waking slumber. “You snuck up on me. State your business!”

“We are in need of lodging,” Ardwyn said, calmly, as if he had lived in this fantastical realm all this time.

“That we can do for ya,” said the guard. He wasn’t suspicious of them, even at this time of hour, since they looked so young and defenseless. And the town could always use another customer or two. “May I recommend a lodge for the night?”

“Please do,” Michael stepped in, also playing along with Ardwyn, not revealing that he was not from this town, or more like not from this world.

“The Sleeping Moon Inn. It’s the best in town.”

“I’ve been there before,” Ardwyn said. “They also have sleeping quarters?”

“Yep, upstairs. Tell them I sent you. They might give you a deal.” The guard rubbed his eyes, the tug of sleep still calling him this early in the morning.

When they arrived at The Sleeping Moon Inn, the restaurant was empty of customers. The barmaid immediately recognized Ardwyn.

They followed her to the front reception area, and explained they were looking for lodging, and they didn’t have a way to pay.

The barmaid said, “Let’s see here.” She shuffled through some parchments on the desk. “Not getting into trouble, are ya?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Ardwyn said, already regaining his spirits.

“Who is your companion?” the barmaid asked, looking at Michael.

“A good friend. He’s not from here,” Ardwyn said.

“Where you from?” The barmaid asked with a pleasant smile.

“Uhhh —” Michael said. “A long way away from here.”

“Elmbrook,” Ardwyn jumped in. “It’s a small village to the north here. No one seems to have heard of it in these parts.”

“Elmbrook,” the barmaid repeated slowly. “Right. Well, here is what I can do for you. Without coin, I can’t give you quarters. However, there is a stable in the back where you can rest your head for the night. The hay is soft, and the horses shouldn’t bother you much. What do you say?”

“Sounds fine,” Ardwyn said.

After the barmaid had shown them the stables, and left them there for the night, Ardwyn found he liked the place more than he expected. The stables were rather small but cozy. There were three horses in the corner, behind a wooden gate. They neighed a few times when they first opened the door but then fell back asleep right away.

Ardwyn and Michael climbed a wooden ladder, taking them to the second floor of the stables, which was filled with hay on one side, and on the other with various tools, and harnesses for the horses. The smell was warm and damp, bringing back memories of when Ardwyn had taken a school field trip to a farm. It was a pleasant memory. He was just a young child back then without a care in the world.

Ardwyn settled himself in the corner, padding a makeshift bed and pillow of hay. Michael made himself comfortable in the opposite corner.

They wanted to keep talking, and exchanging their experiences, but in a few short moments, they both had fallen into a deep sleep, tired and overwhelmed by their adventures.

None of them noticed that someone had followed them all the way out here from the woods.