Edwyr got a short moment of blissful oblivion after waking up before remembering what had happened the night before. And his mood immediately soured. The idea of simply forgetting about this and leaving Feyrith to whatever fate befell him was still a tempting option, but Edwyr knew he wouldn't be able to go about his day with these thoughts constantly annoying him. Besides, he was sure that if he did decide to not go, after all, Lanna and Arbane would convince him otherwise. They had a history of doing that.

Edwyr just hoped they wouldn't end up regretting this trip.

He got up with a sigh, folding his blanket and walking over to the cupboard to retrieve some bread. He stared at his leather armor in the corner as he chewed on his very simple breakfast, barely able to taste it. But no matter how much he didn't want to eat right now, he never liked eating on the go, and he knew he would get hungry if he didn't put something in his stomach now.

Once he was done with the bread he put on a fresh tunic, and picked up the armor, grimacing at it. He wondered if wearing it would make a convincing impression on the Town Elder or not. He could never tell what that woman was thinking, nor could he tell if she liked him or not, but he supposed he only needed her to tolerate him.

Somehow, putting on the armor and dealing with all of the various straps was much more insufferable than usual, but Edwyr was done with it quickly anyway, having years of experience at this point. He automatically reached for his bow before deciding to leave that here for now. If the Town Elder didn't give them her blessing, Edwyr wasn't leaving, so there would be no reason to bring any weapons. And besides, he would have to go pack essentials still, anyway. Might as well do all of that later.

Sighing again he walked out of his house, immediately greeted by Tempest who let out an excited caw and sprung to her feet, trying to get close enough to check Edwyr's pockets. Edwyr shook his head, smiling.

"Good to see you have plenty of energy," he told her, gently pushing her away, which was fairly difficult. Squawkers were very strong animals. Tempest could likely very easily kill a person if she wanted to, though she'd never attacked anyone.

Edwyr, unfortunately, had nothing to give her at the moment, but even if he did, he didn't think he should. He'd already given her a full head of cabbage yesterday after his unsuccessful search for Feyrith, and he didn't want to spoil her too much. She'd deserved it yesterday of course, but he didn't need to overdo it.

Clearly figuring out that he was unwilling to give her anything, Tempest let out a snort and turned around, walking in a circle before laying down again, flicking her ears and fluffing up her feathers. Good, Edwyr could handle her being annoyed with him. He had a harder time not giving in when she got all sad in order to emotionally manipulate him.

He patted her head one last time before heading over to Lanna and Arbane's house. It was on the other side of Sunwood, but Edwyr didn't mind the walk. The fresh, morning air was good for his overworked brain. It helped him calm down a little. He was getting worked up over nothing, anyway. The trip was going to take a week at most, and the people of Sunwood knew how to defend themselves in this harsh, unforgiving land. They had built a wall to protect themselves, after all. And it worked, aside from when a creature that could fly or climb attacked them.

So all that was left was his unwillingness to go and help an elf who was likely not even going to appreciate it. Edwyr remembered the surprise in Feyrith's eyes. The shock that Edwyr had refused to help him, to even listen to him. He had clearly been expecting Edwyr to do his best, despite his lack of magic.

Though it was concerning that Feyrith—that the High Council itself—had been willing to ask someone like Edwyr to help one of their own. They might as well have asked a human to do it, but Edwyr bitterly supposed that that would be going too far.

Oh, how he loathed the Council and everything it represented. But at the very least them thinking humans were useless and unable to defend themselves meant that the Council kept sending elves to help them, so at least there was one good thing that came from this situation, even if there wasn't enough of them to protect everyone.

Once he reached his friends' house, he knocked on the door as he ran his eyes over the entire structure. He hadn't seen it in a while, now that he thought about it. The three of them tended to spend time together outside of their homes or at the tavern, and given how far Edwyr's house was from theirs, he didn't often come here. He felt something akin to regret enter his heart, though he wasn't going to give that much thought. If Lanna and Arbane wanted him to visit them at their house or wanted to visit his, they would say so. Unlike him, they had no problems tackling these things head-on.

Edwyr always felt awkward when approaching unspoken tensions, but he fully blamed the culture he originated from for it. For all the Council's talk about how elves were supposed to be beyond emotions and the struggles that came with them, none of it reflected reality. If elves could feel the same way humans did, then they were not above any of it. At least that was Edwyr's hypothesis, which the Council wouldn't care about, of course.

He pushed these thoughts away as the door swung open, revealing Lanna, who was already fully dressed and armed, with a bow and a quiver with arrows on her back, and her usual two daggers hanging from her belt. She smiled when she saw Edwyr, though there was still some kind of worry beneath that smile. Edwyr appreciated that she cared, even though it was hard not to get defensive when he saw it. He was perfectly fine.

"We were just about to swing by your place," she said, walking outside, soon followed by her husband.

"Do we really have to talk to the Elder about this?" Arbane asked as he closed the door, turning to face them with an almost pleading expression. It seemed he wanted to go see her even less than Edwyr himself. But it was the correct, responsible thing to do.

"We really should at least announce we're planning on leaving for a few days, even if Dagma doesn't like it."

If the Elder didn't approve, Edwyr would likely use that as an excuse not to go, but he didn't say that. Not yet, at least.

"Fine," Arbane said, stretching the word out as much as possible in annoyance. "Let's get it done, then."

The Elder's house was in the middle of the town, where the small, cobbled square was. The house was also the biggest one in Sunwood, having two stories. Because of course it was.

But Edwyr had managed to keep his cynicism to himself so far. It seemed those in power always felt a need to flaunt their position over their subjects, but he also realized that most of the reason he was so bitter towards this fact was the High Council and their impossibly tall, golden towers.

At least the Elder didn't act arrogant and superior to everyone around her, so Edwyr would continue holding his tongue.

He could very quickly spot the building from afar as they walked towards it, its roof sticking out among the sea of houses. And if the tall roof wasn't enough, the Elder's house was the only one with a bell on top of it. It was used to warn the inhabitants of Sunwood about incoming dangers, but Edwyr could only remember it being used once.

Not that there wasn't danger often—unfortunately, it was very commonplace—but he, Lanna, and Arbane usually managed to deal with whatever was endangering the town before the threat got serious enough for it to be necessary for that bell to be rung.

Lanna took the lead as they approached the large, ornate door and opened it without bothering to knock. Edwyr knew that there was no reason to do so, as this was a somewhat public place one could enter without announcing themselves, but he couldn't shake off the instinct to knock, anyway.

Humans tended to prefer it, and he'd embarrassed himself a few times already by forgetting about that.

As the door opened, Edwyr's eyes immediately found the Elder, who was sitting in her chair at the long, large table in the middle of the main room. The table had carvings of animals and beasts in it, and it shocked Edwyr how detailed they were every time he laid his eyes upon them. It was definitely because he didn't come by here often, but it was still very impressive. Elves used their magic for everything, so the idea of someone creating this by hand was incredibly impressive. Though Edwyr was getting the feeling it was more impressive to him than to the local humans.

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

Edwyr dragged his eyes back to the Elder, taking in her small frame, her wrinkled face, her short, silver hair, and her simple clothes made of fur, which had always been odd to Edwyr given the hot weather. And yet, the woman's presence was somehow intimidating. Edwyr was assuming that it was the way her face always tended to stay neutral, but not in the way the Councilors did it. Edwyr wasn't sure what exactly made him think that, but he knew that when Dagma looked like that, it didn't make him angry. Instead, he felt unsure and somewhat uncomfortable.

"My dear protectors," the Elder said in her usual raspy voice, no hint of irony in her tone, though Edwyr suspected it was there anyway. "What is the matter?"

"We wanted to ask if it would be a problem if we left for a few days," Arbane replied quickly, his hands clasped behind his back. He didn't look happy about explaining this, but Edwyr was still glad he didn't have to be the one to introduce the issue. He was willing to take over immediately, however, seeing as he was the entire reason they were considering leaving in the first place.

He was already putting together what he might say and how he might say it, trying to make the reasoning as convincing as possible despite his relative unwillingness to help Feyrith. But then the Elder completely shocked him with her response.

"Yes, I don't see why not."

He'd not expected this to be so easy, let alone so quick.

Lanna took a step forward, her index finger raised. "When my husband says a few days, he actually means around a week," she added, a grimace on her face, though there was still surprise in her eyes.

The Elder gave a nod, her expression unchanged. "I'll make sure to tell our best fighters to be ready, just in case."

Edwyr still had trouble accepting that this had been so easy. Even as they thanked her and left the house, he still felt dazed. He'd been so prepared to argue his point, and now that there had been no reason for it, he felt very odd about the entire situation.

"Glad that's over with," Arbane said, looking much more at ease now that they were outside and walking away from the Elder's house. "Let's go, then."

Edwyr wanted to argue, but he had nothing to say. Now that nothing stood in his way, he felt like he'd been defeated somehow, as ridiculous as that seemed.

Edwyr shook his head. None of this mattered. He should be focusing on what was important right now, which was packing supplies, so he would be able to avoid spending his hard-earned coin as much as possible.

"We'll get our squawkers and meet you at your house, all right?" asked Lanna, to which Edwyr nodded. She must have figured out he had yet to do a few things before leaving, but that wasn't difficult since he didn't even have his bow with him.

He walked back to his house, completely immersed in his thoughts, but at least now he was managing to think about something useful. Namely, what to bring with him. He didn't have too much food on hand since he had been planning to buy some more meat and bread before Feyrith had walked into Sunwood and ruined Edwyr's routine.

Edwyr supposed he still had some dried meat and a few vegetables somewhere, so that would have to do for now. At least he didn't have to bring anything for Tempest, as long as he gave her enough time to graze. She would still be annoyed with him for dragging her so far and for so long without bringing her treats, though.

He settled on giving her another carrot before leaving, which was gone in an instant, but Tempest looked pleased, at least. Edwyr sighed as he slung his bow over his shoulder along with his quiver and satchel before locking the door. It was such an odd habit now, but he couldn't help but do it. He doubted anyone would steal from him—at least not anyone who wouldn't desperately need it—and yet he locked the door every time, despite locks not being a normal, common thing he'd grown up with.

He wasn't sure why he did it, but he wasn't interested in thinking about it.

Edwyr spent a moment simply stroking Tempest's forehead as he waited for his friends to arrive. They showed up very quickly, though, riding to him on their squawkers, named Stomper and Aggra. Stomper was self-explanatory, as Lanna's squawker tended to stomp his hind feet at seemingly random times. However, Edwyr wasn't sure why Arbane had chosen the name Aggra. And now that he thought about it, he didn't think he'd ever asked.

"Ready?"

Edwyr shrugged. He was ready to leave in the sense that he'd packed everything, but he wasn't sure he was ready mentally or emotionally. Neither of that mattered, though. They needed to catch up with Feyrith somehow, and that would be no easy task. But Edwyr would be happy if they managed to do so before the elf got himself into some kind of trouble he wouldn't know how to get out of.

And so they set out, climbing onto the backs of their squawkers and trotting out of town, using the well-worn path that connected all of the houses on the edge of Sunwood. As they left through the tall gate in the middle of the stone-and-wood wall protecting the city, Edwyr couldn't help but feel strange about leaving.

Sure, he'd left plenty of times to hunt for beasts threatening Sunwood, but this felt different. Not since his exile had he ever gone so far before, and unlike then, now there was worry in his heart. As if some part of him was expecting never to return. But he pushed that feeling away.

"So, which way are we going to choose?" Arbane asked once they reached the main road and directed their squawkers so they were all running next to each other. They took up most of the road like this, but there were so few travelers using these roads that no one was likely to mind.

"What do you mean?" Edwyr asked before thinking the question through, his eyes widening as he immediately realized what Arbane was implying. He scowled at Arbane, who was on his left, shaking his head at the human. "We are not going through the jungle."

Arbane shrugged, grimacing. "It would save time, though."

"Or it could ensure our deaths."

Despite saying that, Edwyr couldn't help but begrudgingly and silently admit to himself that Arbane wasn't wrong. But it was still a terrible idea. Perhaps if Edwyr was here alone he might have attempted to cross the jungle, but not with Arbane and Lanna. He would never forgive himself if they got hurt on this quest.

"Hey, we managed to kill a scalewing yesterday," Arbane argued back, though it sounded halfhearted at this point. That was the only reason Edwyr simply sighed and didn't bother pointing out that Arbane would have spent the next few days with an injured leg if not for Feyrith healing him.

Edwyr immediately felt a hint of jealousy and anger fill him and promptly forced himself to calm down.

"Well, I suppose we'll see how far behind Feyrith we are when we get to Everward and ask the locals," Lanna added, looking at the map she had, held over her saddle. Then she looked at Edwyr, curiosity on her face. "You know, I never really thought about it, but I think he introduced himself to us with three names. You said you don't have family names. Or anything."

In general, Edwyr had not bothered sharing anything about his people unless his friends asked directly, but this detail had been one he'd specifically avoided. Still, he supposed there would be no harm in explaining it. They were hardly going to mock him for it, anyway, so what was there to lose, even if it would be uncomfortable for him?

"We don't. He has three names because he belongs to the Third Circle of Magic. I only have one because I...never could progress further than the First."

It felt embarrassing to admit that, even though he had no reason for it. No one stayed in the First Circle, as that was simply a term for the uninitiated. In other words, it was for children who had yet to have their magic fully manifest. Either an elf would progress to the Second Circle, or they would turn out to be Cursed and removed from elven society, thus not belonging to any Circle anymore. But that was hardly his fault.

His single name solidified his horribly unfair reality, and though he wore it without shame, it was upsetting to think about the reason why he only had one.

"Well, that's...strange," Lanna said, giving Edwyr another one of her sympathetic glances. "How many Circles are there, again?"

"Six. The Sixth are the Councilors."

Arbane scoffed. "So they all have six names? How does anyone remember that? I can barely remember two."

Edwyr chuckled to himself at that. He was sure that the Council members would be very offended to hear a human disregard their traditions so easily. Not that Arbane didn't have a point. The names were mostly symbolic of an elf's stature and rank rather than a personal thing. Edwyr had never spoken with a Councilor, but he was certain they all referred to each other by their birth name only. The members of the other Circles certainly did it that way.

"And to become a Councilor you have to...what?"

Edwyr looked Lanna in the eye for a moment, trying to read the look in her eyes. She almost seemed irritated. Or perhaps even angry, but in a very subtle way he would miss if he hadn't known her for so long. "The Councilors are the most powerful magic users."

Lanna and Arbane exchanged a look again. Edwyr scowled. He didn't like it when they did that. It made him feel like they were talking about him and leaving him out of the conversation. Since when had the two of them gotten so good at nonverbal communication, anyway? Had they been doing that all along, and he'd just never noticed?

"So you're led by the most powerful people?" Arbane shook his head as Edwyr frowned. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting Arbane to say, but this was not it. "That sounds problematic."

"Humans don't even have a true leader." Edwyr immediately felt guilty and stupid for saying that. It had been an automatic reaction, and he wasn't even sure where it had come from. What did he care about what Lanna and Arbane thought about his former people and nation? They had thrown him out—if anything he should be joining his friends and pointing out every single shortcoming of the elven society.

And he did, quite often in fact. But when he heard someone else—a human at that—say the same, it seemed to trigger some kind of instinct in him.

"And everything works fine, anyway," Arbane shot back, looking a little offended. As he should. Edwyr lowered his gaze, staring down at Tempest's saddle. The last thing he wanted was to upset him or Lanna, and especially now since they were coming with him only to support him on this endeavor.

Edwyr looked up, taking in the road ahead in the distance, which curved around the thick wall of trees forming the edges of the jungle. Without even thinking about it he made Tempest speed up, bringing her to a gallop, with Lanna and Arbane following suit. The sounds of their squawkers' feet beating against the ground drowned out some of the noise in Edwyr's mind, but not the tense atmosphere that was now surrounding them.

Edwyr sighed quietly. This trip was already off to a rather bad start. He hoped it wouldn't get worse. But one look at his friends reassured him. They didn't seem annoyed with him—if anything they looked determined to see their mission through. And so was he.