Emirial awoke much earlier than Evangeline. She did well, considering the long journey and lack of sleep the previous night. The wards surrounding the small makeshift camp were only disturbed once by a young fox, it couldn’t have been more than a year old. Emirial had coaxed it in and allowed it to drink from the stream before it scurried off into the woodland.

The fire had teetered out some point during the night, but with the morning sun looming over the horizon, he didn’t feel the need to reignite it. They would be moving out soon anyway, if only she would wake up.

He didn’t know anyone who would have been able to sleep so soundly beside him. Beside anyone who looked like him, or even someone who acted the way he had. Stupid or brave, he wasn’t entirely sure. But no matter what it was, he would let her sleep a little bit longer.

He stood up and walked over to the stream, both horses were sound asleep, one laying down and the smaller of the two was standing.

The stream was cool to the touch as he cupped his hands down, scooping up some water and splashing it onto his face. He then proceeded to clean his nails the best he could under the circumstances, the muddy ground had managed to get pieces of muck stuck between them.

He heard her wake up way before she knew where he was. She sauntered over to him and knelt next to the stream. Proceeding to do the same as he did only seconds prior. Trying to wash the drowsiness away.

“I’d like to train to be better with a sword,” she said.

He paused for a moment, rising to his feet. “Before I consider, I need to know why.”

She proceeded to pause as she thought, wondering if she should say the real reason upfront. If she told him it was for fun, he wouldn’t accept that. “Honestly, I’ve felt rather helpless against you, against most people. I want to be able to hold my own. I want to be able to protect myself when no one else will.”

“We still have some time before we reach the capital. Afterwards, I need to leave and probably won’t see you again, but we can train now if you’d like.”

She looked physically upset at the prospect of him leaving, “Thank you.” she forced.

Emirial knew she hadn’t travelled with a weapon so would need one of his. He doubted she would manage, but he unsheathed one of his swords. “I made this weapon myself, it’s the strongest metal in existence.” He proceeded to swipe it across a nearby boulder, skimming the top off it. He kicked the loose stone to send flying into the stream. “Be careful with it.”

She took the hilt in her hands, and Emirial had to jump back as the tip of the sword fell and pierced into the ground. “Maybe not,” he said, removing it from her quickly and sheathing it once more.

She watched him walk towards the nearby trees, looking for sticks or branches which he could have easily torn off the trees themselves but didn’t. Maybe he did have a caring nature, after all, at least his heart wasn’t entirely black yet.

He walked back with a large stick, heavy and long enough to simulate an actual sword. He used his own to cut one end into a more comfortable to grip handle.

“Try to strike me,” he ordered.

“What?” she asked, noticing he didn’t have his own sword or branch.

“Attack.” And she did. Her footwork wasn’t all bad, and she had hidden strength underneath it all.

“Widen your stance a little bit more.” She struck again aiming straight for his face, she thought she had struck true, but at the last moment Emirial sidestepped and spun around pushing her back with his arm.

She stumbled, trying to regain her footing.

“You left your flank open that time.”

She charged up a moment later and feigned an attack from above then swooped low aiming for his hip. Emirial jumped back with plenty of time to spare. “That was devious, little one. Your previous training before wasn’t all bad. You lean too heavily on your right side, which we can fix. What about parrying. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

She watched him as he outstretched his hand and a branch came flying towards him from the woodlands, one he selected earlier no doubt. He started slow, even for human standards which she parried with ease.

A couple minutes later he began to speed up. She started to struggle, sweat collecting on her brow but he didn’t land a blow yet. To her credit, she didn’t ask to stop, didn’t quit. He landed his branch on her ribs which had her cursing at him.

“It’s hardly fair! You’ve been training for hundreds of years. You’re too fast.”

“I’m fighting at a skillset an average human soldier should possess. You don’t want to see what I’m capable of.”

He was right, she didn’t want to see that. She could safely bet that most of those who had were now dead.

He feigned his own sweeping attack from below, aimed at her legs and she attempted to jump over it. He switched direction and struck upwards, hitting her hip. “Never jump up, it leaves you too exposed. If you must jump, jump backwards out of reach.”

He must have hit harder than he expected as a tear ran down her cheek.

A lump formed in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he said, jumping forward to grab her hip. She tried to push him back in protest, but he healed the spot with his magic in a few seconds.

“That’s enough for today,” he said, dropping his branch and turning back to the camp to pack up. She wasn’t done though, she hurled the stick towards him, he could have dodged if he wanted too. He had dodged arrows at twenty times the speed, but she needed a win and another lesson, he let it thud against his back.

He paused on the spot, not looking around. “It’s dishonourable to hit someone unarmed and to strike someone when their back is turned. Make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he scolded. “Where to now?”

He smirked as she didn’t apologize. “There is a town around half a day’s ride from here we can stop to replenish before moving on, the city is only a few hours after that. We could reach it tonight if we want.”

“We aren’t in much of a rush if the Queen hasn’t arrived yet, we can stop there and train before moving on.”

~

The town wasn’t as much a town as it was numerous houses and a few shops: an inn, blacksmith, bakery and a few smaller vendors. It had no walls around the perimeter and consisted mostly of farmers and some travelling merchants.

A small stable sat just on the outskirts of the town with far too many horses for what would have been practical to feed and house for such a small area. A few gold pieces to the stablemaster had their horses kept and watered for the night, allowing the pair to spend the evening training.

“We should get a room first, so I can get rid of these bags,” Emirial said. She agreed, the weight of her own bag beginning to dig heavily into her shoulder.

Inside was just as gloomy as the exterior. A poorly painted reception room and few tables and chairs, most of which were stacked, unable to be used. The barkeep was an older gentleman.

Emirial marched up towards the counter. What was it about the light in human establishments, always so dull and dreary. “I’d like a room, well two,” he said, looking at Evangeline.

“No vacancies,” replied the rough voice.

Emirial looked around, there was not one patron inside that he could see, from the exterior the inn must have at least eight rooms and judging by the size of the town and how poorly the inn was kept, there was no way they were full. “It doesn’t look entirely busy.”

“We have no vacancies, move on.” He wouldn’t meet Emirial’s eyes as he took a step back from the counter.

“We are willing to pay…well.”

“Look,” he said. “I just don’t feel comfortable with you in my town.”

Emirial turned to Evangeline, “Do you see what I’m dealing with,” he said exasperated. He was doing well controlling his temper. Evangeline could see it building up within him and decided to act before things turned ugly.

“Sir.” Her soft voice was enough to draw his attention to her, albeit the gaze was a little too exploring. “We have been travelling far and only wish to rest the night. My companion will cause no issues. I beg you.”

“Pay…well, you said?”

“Yes, sir.” She replied.

“Ten gold pieces.”

“Of cour…”

“Each,” the barkeep smirked.

Emirial was biting his tongue. This was extortion even to his poor knowledge of their currency.

“Twelve,” she retorted.

You could see him toying with the idea in the back of his mind. It’s enough money to feed his family for over a month. He should be grateful at the offer.

“Deal.” He winked at her. “If you…”

He didn’t get another word out as Emirial growled at him, baring his teeth. It was almost savage like. Evangeline felt a chill creep down her spine at the raw power of it. He wanted to tear him apart, needed to rip him limb from limb.

The man faked a cough as he took a step back away from the beast in his home. “Deal. Twelve coins.” He managed to stutter as he lost all colouring in his face, turning pale as death.

They proceeded to walk up the two flights of stairs and along to the end rooms. The corridors were dark and dingy and poorly lit, but Emirial could see fine. Evangeline began to lose her footing on the wet floorboards and grabbed onto his arm.

“I’m impressed.”

“Of what,” he grumbled, his anger still fizzing.

“You didn’t react, besides showing your teeth,” she hesitated. “Your teeth!” She abruptly stopped walking without letting go of his arm, forcing him to turn to face her.

“What about my teeth?” he asked, confused.

“I saw your reflection in the mirror behind the bar. They were elongated.”

Emirial burst out laughing, purposely widening his mouth enough for her to see, his too normal teeth. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said.

She watched him for a small moment before letting go and heading towards her room. Emirial did the same and walked to his own room, placing boundary spells as he went. The insides were bare, a single bed, a small table with two chairs and a dressing table. No paintings on the walls, no vases. The carpet was a dull blue, and the walls were the same as the hallways, a dark oak that had seen too many winters.

Once inside, he forgone his armour and replaced it with a simple, tight-fitting tunic. It was dark green with white stitched edges flowing almost to the ground. The neckline had a simple white trim and opened in a thin column down his chest.

There was a pattern of leafless trees flowing from the bottom in swirls, they were barely noticeable in the black stitching that had been used. Elegant and sophisticated.

A simple brown belt was placed over his hips in a ‘V’ shape. He attached his coin purse to it, alongside one of his daggers he had carried in his bags and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.

The door was locked with the key and then sealed shut with a quick spell in case the barman had wandering tendencies, before he headed downstairs and out of the inn.

He was starving now, after seeing the interior of the inn he had no intention of eating there. The bakery seemed like a good choice, but he would wait on Evangeline getting ready.

The sound of a hammer striking an anvil caught his attention as he walked over to admire the work of the blacksmith. The smoke-infused air was heavy, but he paid no heed to it. There was a collection of swords and shields sitting on a rack just to the side of him, all identical.

“Evening,” the smith said. The man had thick muscles; he had clearly been at this trade for many years, his greyish hair was complemented by his dark eyes. He caught Emirial, staring at the racks. “High demand at the moment.”

“It’s decent work,” Emirial said, “to big for what I’m looking for.”

The man eyed him up at the prospect of a new sale, noticing the shine of his dagger at his side. “What are you looking for?”

“Something larger than a dagger but smaller than a sword, sturdy but elegant.”

The man narrows his eyes. “Come with me.” He said as he pierced his sword into a barrel of water, steam soaring to the heavens.

Emirial followed the man into his shop, he had to fumble for the keys for a few seconds before the door finally swung inwards. A mixture of armour greeted him, mostly what he was constructing for the soldiers. A pile of helmets lay discarded in a box, nothing here struck Emirial’s eye at all, it was all standard junk.

The blacksmith lifted the countertop so he could walk through and into the back of the shop. Emirial followed when beckoned. The back of the shop was dark, too dark for even Emirial to see. A lantern flickered to existence as the man walked to the centre of the room revealing an array of high-quality weapons, from spears and pikes, to swords, war hammers and axes. An entire wall was graced with the finest longbows and short bows Emirial had ever seen.

“This, I like,” Emirial said ecstatically like a child in a sweetshop.

“May I see your weapon?” the man said, not able to control himself any longer.

Emirial knew the question was coming, the smith hadn’t stopped staring from the second he first saw it. “I forged it myself out of star metal, it cuts through anything so be careful.” He said, handing it over.

Emirial began walking around the room, he needed a short sword or dagger. Not any of these brutes, although they were stunningly crafted. He heard the gasps as the blacksmith viewed the dagger in all its glory. Then a sharp intake of breath as he pricked his finger.

“Careful with that.” Emirial shouted.

“I didn’t believe you.”

“Well you should, it cuts through rock like cheese. Do you have any daggers or?”

The man didn’t tear his gaze from the dagger. “Far wall, pull out the shelves.”

Emirial walked over to where he was instructed and opened one of the drawers on the black cabinets, an array of daggers greeted him. Beautiful but mostly too small. The next drawer was opened in an instant, this was more like it. A choice of sabres greeted him. He picked up a scimitar, with a large red ruby in the pommel.

A swipe sounded behind him and then a crash as Emirial turned to see the blacksmith, a grin on his face as he had cut completely through one of the mannequins, armour and all.

Emirial rolled his eyes as he returned his gaze to the blade. Curved, made of steel rather than the more common iron. He liked it. It would suffice.

“I’ll take this.” He said, turning to the man.

“Let’s trade?” he replied. “I’m growing attached to this already.”

Emirial grinned, this man wasn’t all bad. “Nice try.”

“That one is six gold, seventeen silver. Mostly because of the gem.” He said, cautiously handing the dagger back. The man beckoned Emirial out of the backroom and in front of the countertops. Emirial took his own blade off him, sheathing it at his side and gave him seven golden coins.

“Pleasure doing business.”

Emirial whispered, low enough that the man didn’t hear. “Surprisingly, it was.” And left the shop.

The sun was creeping over the horizon, it would only be a couple hours until it was dark. Emirial breathed in the fresh air, the new scimitar in hand. He noticed Evangeline loitering around the bakery, obviously just as starving as he was.

Walking up to her, he hid his hands behind his back. “We could always eat in the tavern,” he jested.

She was beautiful in an elegant lilac coloured gown. A simple silver necklace with a small pendant graced her neck. Emirial figured purples must be her favourite colour. “You’re joking, right?” she said.

Emirial ignored the comment, now just a mere few feet away from her. “I got you something.”

She appeared confused by the statement, or downright disbelieved it. “What?”

Emirial removed his hands from behind his back and handed over the scimitar. Her eyes widened as she stretched out to grab it. She pulled the blade half out the sheath to admire it. “It's beautiful.” She looked up at him, their eyes meeting in a long gaze. “Thank you, thank you.” She smiled.

Emirial coughed and looked away. “It was nothing, just be careful with it. It will help with training if you use a real blade…Just don’t throw it at me again.”

Evangeline blushed violently as she turned to enter the bakery, Emirial turning to go to one of the fruit vendors nearby to get some dinner organized.

~

The two of them, elf and human, sat on a small rise, some twenty minutes from town. Emirial had asked the young female fruit vendor for some of the nicer spots in the area, but her explanation didn’t do this place justice.

Below them ran fields of lavender flowers as they sat upon the soft ground of the cliffside. The fields stretched off far into the distance in neat rows, contained in small perimeter hedges to mark each field. Emirial even admitted that there was a beauty to this place not even seen on the Elvish lands.

The sun had begun setting over the horizon, casting shades of orange and purple into the darkening cloudy sky. The trees off in the distance were silhouettes of themselves as their shadows were cast far across the fields.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Evangeline said, her mouth slightly agape as she took in the sheer beauty of the land in front of her.

A small picnic basket lay on top of the blanket they were sitting on, containing an assortment of bread, little cakes and a mixture of apples, pears and grapes.

“I much prefer sights like this to those of your towns,” Emirial said, his voice strong and smooth at the same time.

Evangeline took a small roll with her dainty fingers and began to peel small parts off to eat delicately. Emirial, on the other hand, wasn’t in much of a courtly manner and was quite uncouth as he tore into the rolls, devouring sections at a time. Hunger did always get the better of him.

The two of them ate and ate until they were stuffed as they watched the sun flickering out of existence far on the horizon, it was surreal.

Emirial was perched, resting on his elbows with his back raised. Evangeline, on the other hand, was sitting with her chin resting against her left knee as she did nothing but stare off to the horizon.

“I’ve never watched a sunrise or set since my husband…” she trailed off.

Emirial smiled at her, “I haven’t since my wife, either.”

She lifted her chin as she turned to face him. “You were married?”

He nodded. “Don’t act so surprised. Yes, I was married for over eight hundred years, but it wasn’t enough, my wife sadly passed fifty years ago. She was one of the few that could control me, my rawness, my anger. I miss her.”

They sat reminiscing about lost loves for a moment, the sun had almost completely vanished as it shone its last light into the clouds, the stunning array of colours was nothing short of breath-taking.

“What was his name, your husband?”

“Sam and your wife?”

“Evangeline.” He paused as their eyes met. “You remind me of her. Not just your name, your spirit, your energy. You even look like her to an extent. Its why I bothered speaking to you in the inn. She was an artist too. A painter not a singer but the life she brought with that, the joy.” He forced a weak smile.

Evangeline’s eyes softened as she listened to him. He wasn’t as bad as he first came across, there was a kindness deep within, maybe he preferred people seeing him as a monster, so he didn’t show his weak side, his insecurities.

“I’m cold,” she said. She listened as he uttered a few words in a foreign language, strange yet beautiful and her body began to warm, a warmth like a roaring fire and a large blanket. It was welcoming.

“You could have done that in the forest,” she scoffed.

“Shall we get some practice in while we can?” he grinned.

She was quite content in just sitting here and enjoying the moment but nodded her approval a few moments later. They trained off into the night for as long as possible before both retiring back to their respective rooms ready for the final trek of their journey to the capital.