It took a week before Gil was informed of the possible location of a wizard. His name was Meslis, and he was famed more for his knowledge than his skills as a mage, but that didn’t matter to Gil.

He rose out of his large and comfortable bed, and took a quick glance out of the window of glass, a lost art for many; only few craftsmen amongst his peers still remembered it.

The view was magnificent: his bedroom was located in one of the thick towers, making him able to see the whole city and more. The grass-plains extended as far as his eyes could see, with a single road extending out from Andrath and then separating in three, one going East, the second South and the last West.

He got in his white cotton pants, then put on the white tunic with golden threads on the front. He was adjusting the sleeves when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Gil was happily surprised when it was Wellan that came in. The two had created a blossoming friendship over the last week, formed over mutual interests.

“I heard you were leaving.” Wellan said. He looked around the room and saw the package next to the chest which occupied the wall in front of the bed.

“I am. A wizard named Meslis has settled down near a small town a week from here on horseback.” Gil smiled. “With a little luck, I will learn a thing or two from him.”

“My father has assigned a company of soldiers to keep you from harm.” Wellan’s smile faded and a concerned expression emerged. “There are those who would do anything to get their hands on an elf, and now that you have gone out of hiding...”

“Thank you. I owe you.” Gil said, and put a hand on Wellan’s shoulder. “I will not forget your guest freeness.”

Wellan smiled back. “Hey, what are friends for?”

“You’re right. Take care of Kayla. She has been through a lot.”

Wellan flashed a grin. “Don’t worry about that.” Gil just raised an eyebrow, with an inquisitive expression.”What?” He said, still with a stupid smile on his face, before turning anxious all of sudden. “ You don’t mind do you? I didn’t think there was anything...”

Gil shook his head with a hopeless smile. “No, I won’t stand in your way.”

“Well, I hope to see you soon then. Your guards are waiting in the courtyard.” Wellan said his goodbyes and left to tend to other matters. He became increasingly busy learning from his father, to prepare himself for the kingship.

Gil finished packing, attached his seax to his waist, and put on the light blue cape which almost reached the soil. He had only packed the most necessary things, like money and food, but it turned out that he wouldn’t it need thanks to the little army King Aëndil had dispatched with him.

He walked out of the room and locked it. The apartment was a gift from the king, a gesture signifying that he was always welcome to Andrath. Of course, the king possessed another key, in case he never came back...

He strolled down the corridor, passing the other rooms in the tower on this floor, and went down the stairs.

When he went out of the tower, he had to find his way through the dining halls, and then walked out into the garden. Few people were present at this early time, though a familiar silhouette was waiting for him at the fountain.

He strolled over to the fountain, and found Kayla sitting on its border with her hand absentmindedly playing with the water. She noticed him in the corner of the eye and jumped on her feet.

“Hello Kayla.” He said.

“You mean goodbye...” She said in a bad mood apparently.

“Whatever best suits you.” He flashed a charming smile. “Are you sad because I’m leaving?”

“Right. You did kidnap me though.” She said. Kayla had tried as much as she could to put her past behind her. But sometimes she still cried in the dark of the night, thinking of what had been lost, what would never be.

“I saved you. You should thank me.” Gil said with a falsely arrogant tone. Unexpectedly, Kayla gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“There you go.” She said with a mischievous expression. “Now we’re fair and square.”

“I feel like I have been deceived.” He wondered. “Or does a kiss for a life seem fair to you?” They shared a quick laugh. “More seriously, I think the crown prince has a crush on you.”

“Really?” She made such a happy and hopeful face while blushing that Gil couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, and I can see that it is mutual. Just be careful, trouble can quickly arise when you mess around with royalty.” She nodded. She had once been a servant, she perfectly knew the possible consequences of an love affair.

“I’ll play by the rules.” She assured him.

They said their goodbyes, and Gil left to the stables, where he received a beautiful mare. The horse had a healthy white colour, with a long mane. Gil swung himself in the saddle in a quick and fluid motion, after having attached his package behind it. He rode over to the third gate, where more than a hundred mounted soldiers were waiting, all prepared to leave. There were also a carriage for the supplies, though each man carried much on his own.

This was going to slow him down quite a bit, but better be safe than sorry he figured.

He spotted the commander, by the two little steel wings on the helmet’s side and the white cape.

“Good morning. I assume that you will be the one to accompany me?” He asked when he rode up and stopped next to him.

“Yes.” The man said. “I am Captain Mendel. We are going to the town of Hesar, in the southern region, correct?”

“Yes. Should we go? We can talk along the way.” Gil said with a friendly smile.

“Very well.” Mendel made a sign and the soldiers assembled in a line, five by five. A group of men preceded Gil and Mendel, and an even larger followed them. A whole company of Tarnorian mounted soldiers. The monstrous gate opened, and they rode at a walking pace through the tunnel, and out on the large streets.

People had more than enough time to move, thanks to the slow speed, many stopping up in their business and staring awestruck at Gil. He was probably the most beautiful being they had ever seen: with his white horse, elegant clothing, angelic face, and long golden hair.

The rumours of the elven prince had made the tour of the city by now, and everyone knew his identity.

He smiled and winked to many as he passed, clearly enjoying the attention. It took them quite a while to get out of the city and on their way, but they eventually did.

They travelled with the road south, passing forests and wheat fields. He saw a few crows perched on trees along the way, watching the column slowly pass without a care. The pave road greatly facilitated the trip for such a big party.

They thus travelled farther than he had predicted, to his satisfaction.

Along the way, he learned a lot of things from Captain Mendel. The man had fought in multiple battles, and was now on the way to retirement. The old soldiers of Tarnor were offered some money or a piece of land, where they could settle with their family and grow crops, possibly hire a few young men to help.

As a captain, he had a better wage and bigger portion of land. With the small fortune he had gathered through the years, he had more than enough to settle down with his wife and kids, and hire a few helping hands.

The kingdom of Tarnor was very rich in spite of the wars it was constantly involved in. The key was that it never fought wars in its own territory. The pirates of Membar constantly tried to raid the flourishing coasts, but were countered by the Tarnorian ships and navy. In the East, The Sa’aran Empire attacked with the help of allies, but the combat mainly happened in the free cities’ lands. It also happened that northern clans from Skandiva or the aggressive H’ros descended from the North-East, and had to be repelled.

Apparently, news had arrived of an Sa’aran army preparing an attack, but nothing was sure yet.

“And the king sent a whole company to guard me, instead of sending it to fight the Sa’arans? I must say that I am flattered, though I think a dozen men would be enough.” Gil said, while trotting on his horse besides Captain Mendel.

“King Aëndil must have his reasons. Who am I to doubt them?” Mendel said gravely.

“You’re a loyal and good man, Mendel, but you lack vision.”

Mendel threw him an annoyed look. “Listen, you may be a long lived and powerful Elf-Lord, but here is the most important lesson I have learned. Life is in the simple things, the things we do and enjoy with your loved ones every day. ” Gil looked at him, interested. “The rest are but necessary thing to do, to protect those things.”

“That is true. But all the same, you should fight to make those lives better; you should fight for an ideal.”

Mendel sighed. “Sometimes it is the greed for more, far more than anything else that causes the peril of your loved ones.”

They travelled for nine days before arriving at Duren. It was a medium sized town, with about a thousand people judging from the size. It had no walls, only a seven feet tall palisade, and a nine foot large hole as entrance to the town.

Captain Mendel had taken the head of the company and they rode down the main street of the town. The surprised townspeople all gathered to see the soldiers come through.

At a small town like this, a group of soldiers this large was rarely seen, let alone on horseback.

The town hall was not far away, and they soon emerged on the town square, where Gil and Mendel dismounted.

A middle-aged man came out, followed by another group of men. He quickly presented himself as the governor of the town.

“My Lord, what can I do for you?” He said staring at Gil, not unlike all the other townsmen who were approaching as much as they dared to satiate their curiosity.

“I seek a wizard named Meslis. I heard he was around here.” Gil asked them.

“Eh... Yes, he lives a few miles south, I think.” He said, distracted by Gil’s appearance. “Just follow the road, and then you will find a small house at the border of the woods.”

“Thank you. Captain Mendel, I suggest you camp outside the town, while I go see the wizard.” Gil said, and then hopped in saddle.

“Take a dozen men with you.” Mendel said, and appointed the men who were to follow him. Gil reluctantly agreed, and then quickly left with them leaving Mendel to explain the situation to the governor, which he did. He explicitly warned him not to bother Gil by keeping the townsmen in line.

As Gil rod south at full gallop, he came to realise that it was more than a few miles. They had ridden for an hour when they passed a young girl walking the other way. Gil ordered halt to the mounted soldiers behind him, himself stopping right besides her.

She was quite tall for a girl her age, maybe eighteen years old, with light brown wavy hair and sea blue eyes. She was clothed with wool, which hid her thinness a little. On her shoulder there was a hunting bow, and in her hands she carried dead rabbits. She looked intimidated by them which were perfectly understandable.

“Little girl. Do you know the way to Meslis’ home?” Gil asked kindly.

“You mean the old man? Just follow the road and you’ll be there in a couple of miles.” She said. She was desperately trying not to show her anxiousness, and looked him right in the eyes as she talked, trying to look unaffected by him.

Gil smiled. “Thank you. If I may ask, what is your name?” She seemed hypnotised for a moment, then lightly shook her head.

“I’m Ellyn. Now I must be on my way, I... I need to get back before sundown.” She said and hurried on her way.

Gil couldn’t stop himself from lightly laughing. She had seemed so cute and at the same time courageous.

He then went on his way, following the road once more, still smiling. He was probably going to be here a while, so why not pick up a little lost puppy? But he knew that she would be gone in less than a century, while he would still be there, unchanging. That was what many elves had warned him about before he ventured out of the forest.

She left his thoughts when they spotted the forest. And as the governor had said, a little hut was present at the border of the forest, a few hundred feet from the road.