Every normally inconspicuous indent on the road was now proudly displaying itself under the light of day. Gran was singing. Our table was next to the

window, and consequently allowed us to observe all the passersby while enjoying our breakfast. Some of them were advancing with a quickened pace, so I

wondered how they even had time to think. If the tasks of their lives required so much haste, they must have burdened themselves with many obligations. With

so many things to do, how did they have any spare time left? Some of them had adorned themselves with colorful dresses and were proud in stature. I wondered

what could make a person feel so high and mighty. Mayhaps they had something that others didn't? My focus shifted towards the table. I looked at my finished

plate. The small figures painted on it were surprisingly elaborate and charming. My small fork and knife were nothing special. I started listening to

Firdevie's singing. Her musical sense was far from perfect and yet the rough outline of a melody was still there.

"Mén gedtín anna kerón vaenn,

Na bronici de bhróvenn,

İch förchen ménim éşil,

Achcak to sá Mölh.

Thond siöd méaném reach bi méar,

Avu fate."

I couldn't understand what she was saying yet, but I sensed the sorrow that was coursing through the words. After she finished singing I asked her something.

"What is that song about?" my voice was as jubilant as it could be while saying this.

"It is about someone who loses their husband to war" she said solemnly. "This is a folk song. Many think that it was composed ninety years ago, during the

occupation of Bóyolçileákna. Our people were relentlessly captured. The women were forced to serve, and the men were forced into the military." She

wistfully stared out the window. "They pillaged our home. Now they call it Geolurbeorg." As she was talking, I noticed an inn worker approaching our table.

His smile gave off the impression that he felt like he was about to give someone what they deserved.

"You two need to leave."

"Excuse me?" Firdevie said in her confusion.

"The innkeeper doesn't want gypsies to stay in his home for too long."

"Do we look like gypsies to you?" she snapped back.

"You two are Brórur, correct?" he returned with condescension. "That's almost worse than being a gypsy."

"Is that why you're kicking us out? Because we are different? What a spiteful-" the man scoffed before she could finish. That face of his was practically

shrieking with hatred.

"Yeah yeah, stop dithering and get out before I call the guards. Don't worry, they too dislike bandits of your sort." Gran threw an expressionless stare his

way, as was usual for her to do when she was boiling with righteous fury. "We cannot do anything dear, there are innocents nearby" she told me with a somber

cadence. The waiter, ignorant of gran's abilities, scoffed once again. She paid the innkeeper with coins she took out of her pebble-filled pocket, and we left

the dismal place through the front door. I followed her as we walked towards where I assumed the conclave to be. Suddenly she slowed down and then

stopped. Leaning into my ear she whispered among the crowd: "That evil man will pay for this in a few hours. He will be surprised when he realizes that

some of his coins have turned into pebbles." I looked at her merrily.

Before we set out on the road again, she quickly performed a gesture and quietly spoke of a spell. In accordance with her saying "İlmartide Çailte", a

minuscule eruption of pink sparks took place on the palm of her hand. She then spoke into the magic. "I am Firdevie Kayyaiy. I'm approaching your sect. My

grandson is with me, I plan to raise him there. I hope this isn't too sudden, Günnuaç. I took him away from my son and his wretched wife. I have returned.

That is all." She then led her finger from the palm of her hand onto her forearm, and closed her eyes as if she was imagining something. "That was me

sending a message to the ones who will greet us, dear" she explained. "I know you like to ask about these things. You are fascinated with everything, you

little scientist." She took my hand and led me through the dreary streets.

Unlike yesterday, today was not drowning in the effervescent light of the sun. Clouds had reinstated their rule in the sky. A weak wind evocative of autumn

was sweeping the city streets. Folks from all walks of life could be seen. Shopkeepers, soldiers, musicians, medics, magicians, students, they were all

attending their businesses. The busy and strained faces were far more frequent than the talkative and cheerful ones, but some people were still blooming

with mighty happiness. Even in this unwelcoming place, gaiety had taken up residence in the hearts of some. There were plenty of pigeons and other animals

around as well. I especially pitied the dogs. Most of them were injured in some way, and even the ones that didn't look like they were in pain looked filthy

and unkempt. Wanting some sort of closure, I asked Firdevie "What will happen to the poor dogs? They all have homes, right?" She, as was appropriate for

her, replied with only the truth. "They do not have homes. This city has abandoned them, and most citizens do not have the want to help them." The

dispiriting realization hit me like a hammer. "Can we do anything about this?" I asked sorrowfully. "Not now, kindheart. But if you grow into a merciful

man in your life, nothing will be able to stop you from helping the poor things." She looked at me. "You're very considerate, aren't you?"

More frequent than the cruel-fated dogs were the ignorant yet noble pigeons. Their indolence when it came to learning was quite dissimilar to that of a

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

human's in my mind. Generally humans would remain ignorant out of want. The birds, with their constantly aloof eyes, sustained their lack of knowledge

for the sake of regality. Their state of being did not demand the highly intelligent operations normally required of a human, so why should they concern

themselves with knowledge? All of that apparent foolishness was a crown they wore to boast about their ease in life. That was their nobility. That was their

meaning.

"The settlement is very close, son" said gran. "Are you tired?"

"No, gran. You're too kind" I answered. She caressed my face as she was walking. We were in a less populated part of the capital now. There were still houses

around us (albeit they were less frequent), and the stone road hadn't quite disappeared yet. A most troublesome rain was about to start above us. Foreboding

clouds had gathered above us. Despite Firdeive telling me that the encampment was near, the tents and structures that I was expecting to see were absent. I

wondered if it was underground. Just as I was pondering the possibility however, a figure shrouded in dark green entered our sights. The silhouette was not

distant, and I likened her figure to a woman's from afar. Under the cuffs of her cloak, she was wearing what looked like magical trinkets in the form of

bracelets. She was steadily coming towards us. When she got close enough for gran to take notice, she took off her hood. A middle-aged, stout face was

hiding behind the wool cover.

"Merciful Hísar, I haven't seen you in a while! I thought you had left for good!" she said, surprised. "Well, I am here now" gran responded as the other

woman embraced her. Their hug lasted for longer than I'd anticipated, and so I guessed that they had known each other for quite some time. "I assume that

she is your granddaughter?" the younger woman asked.

"He is my grandson" corrected gran.

"Oh, I apologize. What is your name, young boy?" she inquired.

"Farriz."

"It is so very nice to meet you, Farriz. I am Günnuaç, a friend of your grandmother" she said with a welcoming voice. "We'll do the talking later, it's about to

rain. We should go to the hideout. I must give you permission, son." She gently touched my forehead with her thumb, and I felt a magical warmth in the spot.

"This will allow you to see and enter our domain. Now come, the two of you" she said. Gran and I started to follow her.

Unexpectedly, the vacant land beyond the homes we had just passed was now filled with tents. The illusion had dissipated. As we got closer, I felt an

incredibly sudden change in temperature. It was as if there was invisible border separating the inside from the outside. All of a sudden I could hear

vibrant speech. This place was alive! Getting closer to the center of the village I spotted many unique people. Whereas in the city everyone was dressed in

normal attire, these people had generated an entirely distinct custom when it came to clothing. Another thing that they differed from when it came to

clothing was the lack of delineation between men and women. A majority of the denizens fit those two categories nicely, but a significant portion of them

didn't. They lacked a gendered expression.

Right in the middle of all of this sat a tree. Strangely, the roots of this tree had somehow raised themselves above the ground as if to mock the very laws

of nature that they had to abide by. About four meters tall (from root to top), it looked more like a glyph rather than a real object. Its branches,

wavering in their ascent, would occasionally spawn lightning between themselves. There were leaves, but they only existed as outlines made of glowing

whiteness. Through the cracks and fissures in its body a faint light was gliding out. A thin string made out of some kind of phantasmal material extended

from its very top into the sky. All kind of baubles and ornaments hung from the tree. Most of these were statues or medals of some kind, but others were

more elaborate works. I was able to see a few mechanisms on it. Children had gathered at its roots.

"Have you two eaten anything yet?" asked Günnuaç. "We had breakfast an hour and a half ago in an inn." answered Firdevie. "Good. We should inform Nacian of

your arrival." We followed the woman through the tents.

"Why was that tree weird?" I asked Firdevie curiously.

"It was a special magical tree, dear. Its kind are the gleamtrees. They hide us, protect us and grant us warmth in their embrace." She smiled. Her face

gleamed with abundant beauty. Even the gleamtree couldn't match her in this regard. "That specific tree's name was Cega. Wasn't it gorgeous?"

"Yes!" I giggled.

Soon enough we came across a group of people attending to a cauldron. Working with coordination, they were hard at work preparing some sort of soup. The

was undeniably quite pleasant. Among the cooks was an older man. In spite of his age, his fit physique and defined muscles showed his abundance of

discipline. I could tell that his face was quite wise, even though most of it was covered by a sizable white beard accompanied by long, nicely groomed

hair. A red silk band was wrapped around his forehead. The yellow and red garments on his body accented his tanned skin quite well. As we approached

Günnuaç called his name.

"Nacian! Firdevie has returned with her grandson!" the man lifted his head up to see us. "You came sooner than I expected" he said, with relief. Joy quickly

engulfed his mannerisms as he came to greet us.

"Where have you been? Why did it take so long for you to come back?" he asked while hugging gran tightly.

"I went to look out for the boy" said grandma. "My son and his wife aren't fit to raise a child. They would have made him miserable" she looked at me. "So I

brought him here, so he could be himself."

"That is understandable, but you could have at least visited us once in a while!"

"I am certain that they would hurt him without my presence. I couldn't bear that burden on my conscience."

"I see." He turned his head toward me. "What is your name, young man?" he asked gracefully. I answered timidly "Farriz." He was clearly a friend of

Firdevie, so I was inclined to trust him.

"Farriz! You have a gorgeous name." He took a brief moment to check on the boiling food. "As you can guess, I am Nacian. I am also your grandmother's

brother. It's nice to see you here." His presence was inspiring.

Returning to Firdevie he added "I have kept all of your belongings. I need to finish this food, and then I will join you in setting your tent back up.

Günnuaç will take you to an available area. I will be with you shortly."

"It's not far from here. Follow me" intercepted Günnuaç. We stayed behind her as she led us to the eastern side of the camp. It only took us about half a

minute to reach our destination. Nearby stood a collection of chests and fabrics which I assumed to be Firdevie's possessions. "I haven't the time to

help unfortunately. Nacian will come to aid you."

"Hold on, there's something I must tell you" responded gran. "Farriz is a dryad."

Günnuaç's eyes widened. It was as if she had discovered a pile of gold in her backyard.

"What?"