Chapter 12

Good evening

Eyolian held Elowen's hand as the two walked within the castle walls. From time to time, they passed by stone griffin statues, which were the symbol of the Bordroward family, guardians of the northern borders.

Elowen was silent, lost in her thoughts, and Eyolian didn't want to disturb her temporary peace. It took forever to convince her that Noah was okay and just going through an awakening phase, even though that was somewhat of a lie. Eyolian herself had a lot to think about. If the healer's words were true about Noah being innately gifted in a certain type of magic, it would greatly help her case.

'First, he has to wake up.'

Some of Eyolian's words in that room weren't entirely true. She knew she wasn't responsible for Noah's condition, but she had to maintain appearances. She didn't lie about treating Noah's head wound because it was indeed very bad. But what really took her time was searching his body and room, because in case of an inspection, she didn't want to show up in the results. Eyolian even thought about hiding any secrets she might find about Noah, of course after taking a look at them - still, her intentions were somewhat good.

In the end, she didn't find anything noteworthy, just some alarming yet interesting drawings. But that was something easily explainable; Noah probably had a suitable explanation for that.

The pair arrived at the training yard in the northeast corner within the outer castle walls. The square training yard glowed with a faint dark blue under the silver moonlight. Elowen pointed to the yard and asked with childish curiosity, "What is that? Why is it glowing?"

Eyolian smiled at Elowen's wide and amusing expression and answered her curiosity, "This is a ground dedicated to training battle mages like me. It's like that because the square ground is a specific and strong rock capable of withstanding a lot of work by battle mages. It's blue because of the natural color of the rock and also because of our father's work on it to make it stronger and better."

Elowen beamed a bright smile while tightening her small grip on Eyolian's hand and said hopefully, "So Noah will train here when he wakes up?"

Eyolian laughed at the innocence of the little girl in front of her and answered with a smile, "I don't see why not. Even you can learn here when you grow up. I can teach you personally; I'm very strong, just so you know."

From the corner of her eye, Eyolian noticed Lady Elara sitting alone on a wooden bench to the left of the platform on which the girls stood. She was dressed in casual clothes, and her red hair was free in the freezing air breeze. She watched the two with a calm expression devoid of her usual coldness.

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Eyolian was ready to leave and not disturb the woman's peace, but Elowen had a different opinion. As soon as the little girl noticed the woman, she started pulling Eyolian towards the bench. It wasn't surprising - Elowen had always loved Lady Elara for some reason.

Once they reached her, without words, Elowen hugged the seated woman tightly, something that brought a rare small smile to Lady Elara's face. "If you really missed me, you would have greeted me at the start of the day," the woman said teasingly.

Eyolian had always known Lady Elara as that stern, unyielding woman who wouldn't even show a smile without a specific purpose or for the sake of formalities. But somehow, Elowen succeeded where many had failed. But then again, that's the nature and purity of children.

Elowen lifted her head from the woman's lap with guilt and explained in a soft voice, "But I was scared for Noah. And... and..."

The woman patted the girl's head and said with a smile, "I'm teasing you, of course, I won't be mad at you. Who could be mad at you." Lady Elara gestured with her hand to the empty bench beside her. "Take a seat. It's cold as usual, but the sky is clear and beautiful."

Elowen left Lady Elara's lap and sat very close to her. Eyolian politely declined and just leaned on the platform railing opposite the little girl and the beautiful woman.

Lady Elara broke the silence by asking, "I overheard your conversation earlier, but does little Elowen want to become a battle mage like her big sister?"

Elowen looked at the woman and shook her head in refusal. "No. I want to learn to defend people, but I want to build like my father."

Lady Elara nodded in agreement. "Did your father teach you that? Indeed, the ability to build is good and far from... conflict if you choose so."

Elowen was puzzled by the woman's complex words, but she answered the question she understood. "No, Noah told me that to build is a good thing. He said our world is full of people who are only interested in destruction and want to turn a noble craft like runecrafting into tools for conflict. He looked so sad. And he told me he wants to be someone who can build and protect, and I want to be like him. He is very, very nice."

Elowen left both Lady Elara and Eyolian speechless. 'Where does Noah find the time to impart his wisdom to this child?' Eyolian thought to herself in confusion. She would have asked about it in any other situation, but she restrained her curiosity in front of Lady Elara.

Lady Elara, however, had no such restraints in expressing her curiosity. From there, the conversation shifted entirely to Noah and his wise words. Elowen did most of the talking, and Eyolian spoke only when Lady Elara asked her directly, showing she had developed an interest in Noah for some reason.

The conversation did not last long before it was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the castle's back gate leading to the courtyard. Everyone turned in that direction, surprised by the three new arrivals. The two in the back were knights in heavy armor. The intricate and well-coordinated designs of their armor spoke volumes about their high social status. In front of them, to everyone's surprise, was Noah. He looked calm and cold as he always did. He did not seem bothered by the knights accompanying him every step, if anything, he appeared, in a way, even calmer and more confident.

Elowen seemed eager to approach Noah, but also scared of getting close to the knights. She clung to Lady Elara's shirt, who watched with interest but did not rise to assert her position as she should.

Noah stood before the seated trio, with the knights standing at a distance and not coming too close. He looked at the trio, keeping his gaze longer on Lady Elara, and said without any hesitation, "Good evening."