“Your parents?” The soldier replied, frowning. “Oh, I’m sorry. Selleron’s the name. Captain of the guard. Pardon my reaction, but I’ve not seen anything like you before. What makes you think they would be in Thymhil?”

“Uh, about that…” I started. “Remember when I told you I got blessed by Elysa?” A nod from Selleron made me continue. “Well, let’s just say, I was an elf, just like you, before I received that blessing.”

“I...” The captain stuttered. “I think I see what you mean.” He was about to say something else but closed his mouth again. Then, he looked at the sun which had steadily descended over the past few minutes and was now low over the horizon.

“I have to admit, I’m a bit lost on what to do now. I’ve vetted you and with the blessing of a goddess, with the fire to back up your story, I consider it safe to let you enter the city, but I think it’s wise I convene with the garrison commander and the mayor first. Especially with evening setting in…”

“I get it,” I replied. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine for the night.”

“Alright then. May I inquire about your parents’ names? I am not the best with names, but I imagine that if they live here, they’ll be on the record somewhere.”

“Keelarin and Lilinia,” I said. “Swiftflare. My mother has the same hair as me if that’s of any help.”

“I’ll look into things. Shall we meet here again tomorrow morning?”

I nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you in the meantime?”

I turned my head to look at Cellestra behind me who shook her head. Our provisions had never run low, and I could conjure water anytime I wanted. The soldier before me seemed to do everything he could do in his power to accommodate us. It was mildly frustrating now that I was this close, but there was no point in rushing things now and possibly ruining what little reputation I had built up in this place.

We’d go over this carefully, tomorrow.

I hoped I would be able to sleep tonight…

I shook my head. “I think that is all for now. Thank you.”

Selleron smiled slightly and nodded before he turned around and led the way back to the city, the other soldiers following him. I was left behind with a smile of my own.

“That went so much better than I’d expected,” I admitted.

“He seems nice,” Cellestra said softly.

“He does,” I replied equally softly before I turned back to the priest who was still awaiting an answer.

“I don’t think there is much left in terms of assistance you could offer us, but thank you anyway.” Then something struck me. “Although… there might be one thing...”

Elysa told me she had placed my parents somewhere near her shrine. She omitted the fact that there were five shrines, but she did say she had the best followers. This priest may know something about them. Alternatively, he could talk to the priests at Elysa’s shrine instead. I wasn’t sure how they would react to me if the flame didn’t change color.

“Do you know anything about my parents coming through here? Elysa said they’d be near Thymhil. If not, could you introduce us to her followers?”

“I do not know about anything like that. Keelarin and Lilinia, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, it is my duty to help those that the goddess favors. I’ll walk with you to Elysa’s shrine and inform them about your situation.”

“Thank you,” I said with a slight smile and a nod as he left the shrine’s premises to walk the dirt path that connected the shrines.

Once we reached the last shrine along the path, the green-robed priest asked us to wait as he went inside. In the meantime, I stared at the braziers which continued to burn with their normal fires. “Odd,” I said. “Wonder if it will change to blue when I visit again some other day.”

“Well, hopefully, you don’t have to talk to her for a bit,” Cellestra said.

“True. I wonder what tomorrow will bring,” I said, crossing my arms and observing the sun starting to disappear below the horizon. “I just want to find out what I can now before going to sleep.” I looked around as I said that. “Think they would mind if we slept here?”

Cellestra smiled. “I doubt they will. You have the favor of a goddess, after all.”

I sighed. “It still sounds so wrong to my mind.” I closed my eyes and spoke softly. “Favor...” I shook my head. “I didn’t ask to be anything special. I just want my life.”

Cellestra smiled warmly. “That’s what we’re here for.”

“I hope the mayor and commander are as understanding as Selleron. He reminded me a bit of Muck.” I chuckled. “Except he was twice as tall.”

“And an elf,” Cellestra said with a smile.

The green-robed priest returned, with a priestess in much of the same garments as the previous two priests we’d met before, following him closely. I started to get the impression that their color schemes were an indication of what god they followed…

“Unbelievable…” I heard the priestess whisper as soon as she laid eyes on me.

I was starting to feel amused at this kind of reaction.

“Elysa’s blessing…?” She let out, her eyes were large with disbelief while running over my legs and spider abdomen.

I nodded. “And I’ve talked to her not too long ago, which is why I think the flames aren’t changing. I have a feeling she’s protecting me from harm.”

The priestess kept staring, prompting the other priest to lightly poke her in the side with a finger.

“Huh?” She reacted. ”Oh, yes. You had a question, right?”

“Yes,” I said. “Elysa told me that my parents were in this area and was wondering if you know about them. Their names are Keelarin and Lilinia. My mother has hair as white as mine, and my father’s is as black as a raven.”

“Yes,” The priestess said, sparking excitement, but also thankfulness. “Yes, I remember them. They came here a while ago, their clothes all tattered and ruined. Something with a carriage accident, I believe?”

I had my eyes closed as I listened to the priestess’s story while relief washed over me.

“We took care of them for a while, but they didn’t seem to remember much of what happened or where they came from. Soranir interviewed them at some point and helped them get a job at one of the farms.”

“Who’s Soranir?” I asked as I heard an unfamiliar name.

“Our mayor. A noble man. Worked his way up all the way from farmboy. I think he took a personal interest in the matter. The farms never truly left him, so to say.”

“Are they still here?” Cellestra asked.

“As far as I know, yes. They come here every few days to give thanks to the goddess for leading them here and keeping them safe.”

My legs gave out as my main body collapsed to the ground, a tear rolling over my cheek.

My parents were here. They were safe. I couldn’t thank Elysa enough for doing all this. There was hope again in my life and I had her, and Cellestra too, to thank for it.

“Are you okay?” The green-robed priest asked while the priestess watched with mild shock.

I still had my eyes closed and merely nodded.

“I think she needs some time,” Cellestra said softly. “Thank you so much.”

I nodded again, as did the two priests who said their farewells as they split up and walked back to each of their buildings. I was left behind with Cellestra who slowly patted my back.

“We’ve found them,” She whispered.

I nodded once more as I wiped away the tears of relief. I took a deep breath and sighed as I opened my eyes and shook my head. I then let a small chuckle escape my lips at what I was about to say. “There is no way I’m going to be able to sleep tonight now.”

Cellestra petted my back again. “Just try. You’ll need your rest. Speaking of night, it’s going to be upon us soon. Let’s eat something quickly and call it a day.”

“Yeah,” I said softly as I lifted my body off the dirt. “Let’s do that.”

I moved away from the dirt road so we wouldn’t block the path, before moving over to Nilene’s shrine. If anything showed up that needed the confirmation of me not being a threat, I figured it would be a good idea to be close to her shrine’s braziers.

Once there, we unpacked our belongings and Cellestra needed a moment of privacy, for which she used the shrine’s facilities. At the same time, I prepared tea with the very last leaves while I thought about what I would say the following day…