“Yeah! I think she has a crush on the dragonslayer!” The tall elf with blue eyes chimed in. She was grinning as she teased Avalara. The other girls all began to giggle too.

“No, I do not!” Avlara said as her cheeks got even redder. Evan could tell that she was not speaking the truth as she was not looking at anyone in the eye. It made him smile to know that this gorgeous elf had a crush on him. He liked her a lot as well. “Stop this nonsense and go inside. The sun will be setting soon.”

“Whatever, Avlara! We know you want the dragonslayer all to yourself!” The elf with the silver rings on her fingers said with a giggle. The girls all laughed and walked away toward the wooden houses.

Evan turned and looked at Avlara who was still blushing. She glanced at him and her cheeks turned even redder. “Those girls are so silly. They were talking nothing but nonsense,” Avlara said quickly. It was the first time that Evan had seen her flustered or talking so fast. She was always composed and spoke with confidence.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Evan said and smiled at her. Avlara caught his eye and quickly looked away. Her cheeks got even redder.

“So, did you rest, dragonslayer?” Avlara quickly changed the conversation. She even coughed to regain her composure.

“No. I wanted to go for a walk,” Evan said.

“But, you must have been walking for days to get here, dragonslayer!” Avlara said in surprise. “Our village is so far from everything. The nearest village is over ten miles away. Did you have a horse for part of your journey? Surely, you haven’t been walking this entire time! Where did you come from?!”

Evan didn’t know what to say to all of these questions and fumbled around with his words for a bit. “Eh…well…eh…”

Avlara suddenly laughed. “How foolish of me! I am sorry, dragonslayer. My grandfather always said that I ask too many questions but said that my inquisitive mind would make me a great leader in this village. But, I don’t want that role.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Oh, what is it that you do want?” Evan asked her. They were walking slowly through the village. People stared at Evan and others waved at him. He would wave back and smile as he walked. Everyone was slowly making their way inside of the night on Evan’s orders. It amazed him to see that everyone was following what he had said.

“I want to leave here and see the world!” Avlara said with a strong conviction in her voice. Evan looked at her and saw the want for more as well as determination on her face. She was staring off into the distance as if dwelling on a memory.

“Have you always been here? Have you ever left?”

Avlara shook her head. “Nope. I have stayed to help my grandfather run the village but I feel like it is time for me to go. There are days when I long to see all of Yenway!”

Evan completely understood what she was saying because he had felt that longing in Sedona Ridge.

“I have never seen the ocean! Or even a city!” Avlara said. She turned and looked at Evan with awe. “You have seen so many wonderful things, haven’t you, dragonslayer?! I mean you saved all of Yenway from Howanjan! A dragon! I can only imagine what one looks like!”

You and me both! Evan thought. He nodded as if he knew what a real dragon looked like. “Tell me. How long ago did I slay the dragon? I get my dates mixed up.” Evan gave a hearty laugh that he hoped would hide the seriousness behind the question.

Avlara giggled. “How can you forget such a date, dragonslayer?! It has been celebrated every year since you defeated Howanjan. Eternally etched into the calendar!”

Evan nervously chuckled. “Oh!”

Avlara smiled at him. “It was two years ago that you fought Howanjan when he first appeared! Many warriors, knights, and mages went to battle with the dragon but none were successful. Only you! A human male of the age of 17! Absolutely incredible!”

Evan’s jaw dropped as he let what she told him to sink in. Avlara saw it and a curious expression came to her face. “Is everything okay, dragonslayer? You look as if this is all new information to you?!”

Evan looked at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He did not know what to say and quickly tried to think. Avlara continued to look at him with curiosity. He gave another hearty chuckle. “Oh, of course, I know that but I wanted to learn about what you have heard, Avlara. All of my questions are to gather what you and this village know since you are so isolated.”

Avlara nodded as she now understood why Evan was asking her these questions. He felt like a jerk for not simply telling her the truth but he needed to know more about himself and Yenway before he did so.