Yasenka's bright voice woke us up early in the morning. I rolled onto my back and started to rub my eyes. Despite the perceptibly fresh hour, I felt well rested and pleasantly relaxed. It all went away pretty quickly though, when the memory of yesterday's evening crystallized from my sleepy thoughts. A little angry at Siaril and incredibly so at myself, I snatched my haversack and left the hovel. I wanted to avoid any conversation until my mind settled down.

"Did you get a good sleep?" asked the young illathan. A small fox fled from her side at my appearance.

"Oh yes, it was wonderful..."

My gloomy face seemed to be denying that though. "Are you sure? Is something wrong?"

"No, don't worry... may I freshen up by the brook?"

"Of course... you need it, I have no idea how you managed to convince your hair to do that overnight."

Not very surprised by that comment, I made my way to the spot where I saw the does yesterday, trying to ignore the looks of the other illathan. The sun wasn't very high yet, not enough to fall into the clearing. The golden rays merely touched the tree tops surrounding it. I kneeled down by the bank, scooped some water in my hands and splashed it right into my face. It practically burned with cold, but that at least brought me to my senses.

I felt like an intrusive idiot. I wanted to help Siaril so badly, but he seemed to not even want to know that word. He couldn't stay like this forever, but how could I make that clear to him? Or rather: how could I make clear to him that accepting help is the first step out of it? I could understand his fear, but was a life like that really worth living? Although maybe... maybe I still knew too little about his situation. And about him overall. It was easy for me to talk about fighting the pain, but for Siaril it might have been an unfeasible effort. I sighed, recalling the words of the reticent archery teacher from the royal castle: 'To speak without thinking resembles shooting without aiming'...

I splashed more water into my face and shook my head, trying to stop the thoughts. I took a closer look at myself in the water's surface and, stating that Yasenka was right to be stunned, started to civilize my looks. Even a little sparrow, swinging on a nearby twig, seemed to find my doings amusing.

I glanced towards Yasenka's hovel, where she and Siaril were chatting quietly. For a moment, I felt like I didn't fit among them... She was so graceful and confident, he was so balanced and almost dignified... And both of them already showed some of the Disciple abilities, while all I could do was rely on a crystal and be happy that I'm not freezing at night. I got up and stared at the silvery water miserably...

... until I heard that gentle, mysterious click to my right. I turned to look into Yasenka's beautiful eyes. "Something's troubling you," she stated softly, with concern. A leather bag was already hanging on her shoulder, the strap crossing her shapely chest.

"Must be your imagination," I forced a smile, trying not to blush again. "Are we going?"

"Yeah, after breakfast..."

We had it with all the other illathan, everyone gathering in the middle of the camp. As a huge wooden plate with bread and cheese was passed around the campfire, I couldn't help but notice that there were very few children among the forest people. Most of them looked to be in their prime years... Siaril was asking the leader various questions, but I didn't quite register most of them. That was until a question was thrown at me from another direction:

"You alright?"

I twitched a little and looked at the young, tall illathan sitting between me and Yasenka, just finishing his hunk of bread. His dark eyes watched me in a friendly way, his expression almost sunny. "Um... yeah, why?" I stammered out.

"You don't look like you are, that's why. Gloomy like rainy weather."

My eyes dropped to my lap. "Sorry, I'm... kind of being buried by too much new stuff recently, I suppose..."

"I know how you feel," Yasenka threw in softly. "But don't worry, it will all settle down sooner or later, when we all get used to the situation and to each other."

"I hope so," I managed a small smile.

"You should try some butter cookies when we get to Leeshan. They'll cheer you up," the male illathan patted my back.

"Remember that you promised me some for patching you up after you went after that boar even though I told you not to," Yasenka patted him in return.

"I promised? You sure?"

"Absolutely," her voice hardened, though her eyes remained soft. "Oh, by the way, you haven't been introduced yet, have you? Sigrian, this is Arneth, my brother," I frowned slightly and she perked up a little before following up immediately: "Oh right, sorry, your sirath... We're not actually related, we're adoptive siblings."

I blinked, partially at how she knew about my crystal, partially at how openly and carefreely she admitted that. Was she an orphan then...? Or was Arneth? It was hard to tell with the cheerful attitudes they both had, but it seemed like it was Yasenka that carried something in her eyes...

When half an hour later a small, covered carriage pulled by two horses was lead into the clearing, Arneth was the first to inspect all the harnesses and look inside the wagon.

"Oh, you're coming with us?" I asked, peeking in. There were only a few crates and empty linen bags inside.

"Yep," he jumped down again. "Faerd and Asaya will be too."

I turned slightly to look where he was nodding towards. There was an older man, probably in his late forties, and a woman looking just slightly older than Yasenka, talking to the leader, likely discussing the last details about the trip. They were both wearing green-brownish capes with hoods, made out of thick, warm-looking fabric.

Then it suddenly hit me. The chances weren't huge, but what if... someone in Leeshan recognized the young prince upon seeing me...? People did travel after all, especially rich people, those who happily attended banquets and such... It would be safer to stay here, but we already offered the illathan our help, I couldn't just back away at the last second, especially since I couldn't exactly tell them the reason. Even worse, none of my clothes had a hood, nor would I have an excuse to put it on...

"Here," I blinked as a folded cape suddenly appeared in front of my face. I looked up to see Yasenka, another one already on her shoulders. "I know you don't need one to stay warm, but it'll make it easier to find each other if we decide to split up for a while in Leeshan or do it by accident."

I accepted it gratefully and with relief. Sometimes, I had more luck than brains...

Faerd soon took the place at the front of the carriage and we set off, the illathan waving to their comrades as we headed east on a path between the trees that was just big enough for the wagon to fit through. Yasenka and Asaya sat in the back of it while I, Siaril and Arneth followed on foot.

It was quite a long walk through the forest, though I didn't really feel the time passing. Drinking in the forest's atmosphere and watching its inhabitants kept me entertained better than any book I read so far, surprisingly. Even the sky above those woods seemed somehow different, a blue more vibrant than in the plains. We got a good look at it after emerging from between the trees for a little while to cross a ford. The Royal River spread wide in this spot, the waters so transparent that it looked like the riverbed was filled with liquid diamond and dew collected from the youngest, most gorgeous leaves. I even noticed what looked like a small island overgrown by trees in the middle of the stream further up.

Around noon, we left the safety of the Silivren Forest and took a break by the wall of trees that stretched as far as I could see in both directions. The air once again changed. It didn't seem as pure anymore, but I started to feel subtle, irregular wafts from the south that brought some scent with them, unknown to me, but interesting... After lunch, Yasenka decided to make it easier for the horses and joined me walking on the side of the wagon.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Is the pace good for you?" she asked, as thoughtful as always.

"Yeah, it's nice, I can keep up."

"Good," she paused for a while, before adding: "You and Siaril aren't exactly friends, are you?"

"Where did that just come from...?"

"Oh, just an observation. You came here together, but you're not exactly acting like you're very close. You barely exchanged a word since we set off."

"Maybe we just don't feel like it today..."

"No need to play dumb with me," even while a little stern, she managed to still sound kind. "When you both offered your help yesterday, there was just two 'I''s, no 'we'. If you felt like you're partners, it would've been enough if one of you declared help for both without the other feeling the need to voice his approval to it."

"So that's why you looked at us like we're some exotic animals..."

Yasenka laughed a little. "Sorry. I'm just used to all of my comrades thinking alike, looking out for each other, so things like that stand out to me... I suppose you two only met recently?"

"Actually, we first met a few months ago, but only spent a few days together..."

"I see... Don't worry, you'll find some common tongue. Like our little Beylia here," she lovingly patted one of the horse's side. "A real loner at the start, but learned to like teamwork very quickly."

I couldn't stop a small smile. "Is that some sort of polite way of saying that we're stubborn like a..." I bent forward a little to glance under the horse's belly, "stallion?"

Beylia snorted quietly and Yasenka just smiled, not bothering to answer.

Somehow though, I felt myself brighten up... I wasn't sure how, but despite touching an unpleasant topic, she managed to pull me out of it in a more cheerful mindset. There was just something about her way of being that made all worries seem lighter...

"Um... Yasenka?" I interrupted my own string of thoughts upon looking ahead.

"Yes?" her eyes followed in the direction my finger was pointing, confused.

"What is that?"

Slightly to our right, a silvery glistening caught my attention, as if something really big was reflecting the sun's rays and was visible even from a fair distance...

"Oh," Yasenka smiled. "You've never been to the sea?"

I shook my head, not tearing my eyes away from it. The illathan gently patted the horse's side again, asking Faerd to change the route slightly.

We didn't manage to reach it that day, the night concealing the shore with soft shadows a few hours before we decided to rest. What reached our camp instead was the whisper of waves, teasing me about what I would see in the morning.

Once I did, it took my breath away.

The sea spread towards the farthest verges of the horizon, its surface a crystalline turquoise, glimmering in the light-golden rays of early-spring sun... Its calm, fine waves ran onto the bright sand of a slim band of beach that the grassy lowland gradually turned into, before eluding like frightened fish back into the depths, where they belonged...

I've never before seen the sea... except for that one weird dream, but did that count? I heard and read about it a lot of times during my captivity in the royal castle though, thanks to boring topography lessons or the far more interesting adventure books. The largest body of water I've seen until now was the lake in the Elladar Plains, which now seemed like a puddle in comparison. The clangor of some bigger birds mixed with the mysterious whisper of the waves, the scent of the grass with the salty breath of water... It was this whiff that I picked up right after emerging from the forest.

We stopped at the edge of the beach, the illathan allowing me to feast my eyes to my heart's content.

"How do you like it?" I didn't really register who said it, only that their voice was quiet, as if they didn't want to disturb the melody of the waves.

"It's unbelievable," I finally managed. "It's..."

"Beautiful..." Siaril finished for me. I cast him a surprised glance. He sounded even more mesmerized than I was, which was unusual. He probably never saw the sea either. "I grew up in the mountains and always thought they were magnificent, but this..."

I tipped my head a little. It was interesting how a breathtaking landscape was able to make my very reserved companion suddenly talk about himself. I made a mental note of that.

Before we resumed our march, Arneth looked towards Leeshan that was visible further east. "We're close now," he simply said. Why he felt the need to when it was obvious to everyone, I didn't know.

The illathan answered the question for me though. Or maybe not quite. They all suddenly put their hoods on, confusing me even more.

"What's going on?" I simply put on mine as well, hiding the joy from not having to explain that I'd be the only one who does it.

Arneth sighed a little, sounding displeased. "There's been a little quarrel going on between us and the people of Leeshan. Some of them believe we're hiding a certain... criminal in the Silivren Forest."

I gave him a surprised look. "Are you?"

"Of course not," he grumbled. "But every time we come to town, they try to look for that 'criminal' among us, even peeking into our wagons. So we one day decided we'd all cover our faces when visiting. They're not as bold as to rip the hoods of our heads, especially since they don't even have hard evidence against that person. And they know that we'd stop bringing them valuable medicine if they did. It's become a weird, silent agreement."

"Our world is so crazy sometimes..."

"It is..."

For a while, we followed the line of water, me and Yasenka wandering the sand dunes decorated with sparse tufts of grass while the rest of our group followed on the more solid ground a bit further inland. Then we turned to circle the city so we could enter from the north, where a road made of crushed stone made it easier for the carriage to get through. Surely enough, the very first man we encountered, sitting on the stone stairs in front of a house, already gave us a weird look. It wasn't exactly a hostile one though... I wasn't sure how to describe it. And he soon returned to repairing a horse collar anyway. No doubt the people were preparing for when the soil on the fields north of town would become soft enough again.

Leeshan wasn't as big as Ioreth, but it sure was lively. I guess it made sense, it being the port closest to the capital and providing it with various goods. The buildings made up a curious pattern. They were mostly made of wood in the outskirts and were replaced bit by bit by stone the closer we got to the sea. Noise of all kind was coming from all around us, but mostly from the direction of the harbor.

"It's even more crowded than usual..." muttered Arneth who stayed at the end of our little procession, making sure no one got lost in the crowd that was flowing around us like water around stones in a riverbed.

"It's not normally like this?" I asked.

"Well, it's usually busy here anyway, but this many people in town, including sailors, probably means it's a calm on the sea today."

"'A' calm?"

"That's just how they call it when there's no wind to sail on. Some are probably out there rowing anyway, but most stay on land. Which is bad for them, but good for us."

"Because they can't catch much and you have more people to trade with?"

Arneth smiled and ruffled my hair, making me yelp in surprise. "Smart one, aren't you?"

"I try..."

We stopped our wagon in the corner of a small marketplace, under a branchy plum tree. Judging by the numerous buds, it was eager to bloom despite the earliness. Arneth then grabbed one of the crates resting in the wagon and together with Asaya headed into one of the buildings that wreathed the plaza. It looked like a pharmacy.

"This is where we sell most of our herbs," explained Yasenka who stayed outside with us. "The people working here are always those that greet our arrival with the widest smiles."

"I hope the ones who buy medicine from them are at least a little grateful to the source, despite the rumors."

"Some are, some aren't. I think the most grateful are the sailors who buy herbs that counter the effects of alcohol."

I raised an eyebrow, amused. "You make stuff like that?"

"We make a small fortune from it, honestly. But enough about herbs, let's have a look around the market so we don't waste time."

Me, Yasenka and Siaril started to wander without hurry. The marketplace was as standard as it could get. Food, clothing, some pottery, more food, tools... and one tiny stall with all kinds of weird trinkets, from candle holders to toys.

"Looking for something to decorate the hovel?" I asked when Yasenka stopped by it, a small smile lighting up her eyes.

"Not quite. I'm looking for a present for a family member. I always struggle with coming up with something unique."

"Oh," I began to inspect the stall more carefully. "I guess I could help if it's for a male around my age?"

"Oh no," Yasenka giggled. "It's for a sweet little girl a few years younger than you."

"I'm afraid I might be useless then." So they have a little sister too...?

"How about a doll?" Siaril spoke up from behind my back, suddenly reminding me of his presence. "Oh wait, this is more like a figure..."

Me and Yasenka turned our attention to the small silhouette he was holding. It sure looked rather unique for a simple doll, and was made of clay or something similar instead of fabric. Most of the character was hidden underneath a pale blue cloak, the hems decorated with the most delicate of silver embroideries. Even the face was hidden by a hood, which was definitely not normal for regular dolls. The amount of detail and the shading were incredible...

"It's so beautiful..." breathed Yasenka. "What even is that?"

"Oh, it's a rarity, miss," chirped in the merchant, a rather short guy with sticks for limbs. "The place those were handcrafted in doesn't exist anymore."

"How can that be?"

"Ever heard on the village Sariarin the Black Dragon burned down long ago? That's where they made them."

"Oh... so this is actually ancient."

"Yep. And it's the only one I have. I'm not even sure how they made these."

"Tiny chisels?"

"Molds?"

"Magic?"

Me, Siaril and Yasenka said it almost at the same time. We looked at each other, the spark of laughter lighting up the illathan's eyes first, before we both laughed a little. Even Siaril smiled at us. The air around suddenly felt a lot warmer.

"I think I'll pass on it though," Yasenka said eventually, picking up something else. It was a beautiful hairpin, decorated with some sea shells, a few bluish stones and one pearl held together by a silvery metal.

"It looks expensive though..."

"Don't worry, lad," the merchant spoke up again. "These are not any rare gemstones, and it's not silver either."

"It isn't? It looks like it, it's just a bit darker..."

"It's steel with just an admixture of silver. Much cheaper, and the ladies love it all the same."

"I bet my little lady will too," Yasenka smiled warmly. "We just need to..."

"There," a cheerful voice came from behind our backs. I looked over my shoulder to see Arneth, the older illathan placing a few coins in his little sister's palm. "Now we've got plenty."

She happily paid the merchant and placed the present safely in her bag. She then headed further down the market, starting to count out a shopping list: "Now then... First some fabrics and thread, then some spices, cookies..." she shot Arneth an amused glance. "Two new knives, candles..."