Alesha was a human, and in Aman'lu that meant being a minority. The elves weren't really all that racist a bunch, although some made sure to tell her how great it was to live so long and have all those amazing talents, which she was bereft of. Not that there was anything wrong with her, no, she was all right, for a human.

But that was a, well, minor concern, and most have been friendly. Especially their closest neighbours. They had two children, a boy named Drevin, and a little girl called Drianjul. Alesha was very friendly with them, because they shared her thirst for adventure. It was Drevin's father that taught her to fight. Drevin was a strong and nimble young man, or rather elf, and his father was quite a swordsman in his day. He was giving his son lessons in melee combat, and agreed to take young Alesha under his wing as well. With practise and lessons, they became worthy fighters indeed.

They knew Finala back then - she was about the same age, and they sometimes went to explore the nearby woods together - but mostly, she spent time with just Drevin, because they were both friends and sparring partners. When Drevin reached right age, he started telling Alesha about the tel'enesse journey. It was kind of a coming-of-age ritual for the Aman'lu elves. When a youth reached a certain age, they parted on a journey to prove their worth, maturity and self-reliance, and to collect money that would enable them to stand on their feet. It was also customary for those who already had a stable relationship to part on the journey together, so that the couple tested their bond in different conditions and amassed wealth they would share. Very often a homecoming feast was, at the same time, a wedding.

So when Drevin asked her to go with him, Alesha was understandably shocked. "Are you sure about that?" she asked him, looking straight into his eyes. They had been training on a meadow by the stream. "I'm not old enough to go myself, yet." "Of course not. But you're a human, so you have to rush" Drevin said, trying to sound flippant. "Anyway, you know anyone can part earlier, if they wish. And I'd... value your company. And your sword."

Alesha tried to control the storm of emotions that raged inside her. It didn't take a clairvoyant to realise she was in love with Drevin. He was a dear friend, but also a very attractive young male, and she spent almost all her life with him. They saved each other's lives many times and could understand each other so well that sometimes words just weren't necessary.

Accept for the love part, in fact. She never dared to touch the subject, but she thought... she hoped that he felt the same. Sometimes he would look at her in a way that made her almost certain of that. But he never brought this up. Well, neither did she. Maybe he too was afraid to tarnish their life-long friendship. But if he wanted her to go on tel'enesse with him, it could mean that he wanted to... make sure about things. And on the journey, away from home, it might be easier for them to talk about their feelings.

"Drevin, I would like to go with you. But you know what will everybody think if we do this" she said, finally. Understanding is all very well, but some things have to be said. "So I'm asking you, are you quite sure about that?"

"Oh, come on! Yes, a lot of people marry when they go together, but not everybody!" he said, smiling. He took her hand. "I don't want you to feel obliged to anything, but I do want you to go with me, and of that I'm sure."

And so she agreed.

As she told Deru later - much, much later - his words could be understood either way, and she realised that even then. But she loved him and wanted to be with him, even if only for the journey. So she agreed, and, being both fighters, they chose the usual way of enlisting as mercenaries for an army recruiter. The army was being organised by a human named Valdis, who they knew not and cared not about, and the conflict appeared to be some squabble on a faraway island. So it all seemed grand.

"We fought for Valdis on the mainland" continued Alesha. "We were then transported to the Greilyn Island. Before we took off, I saw Drevin write some letters and send them home. When I asked him about them, he was elusive." She swallowed a last mouthful of ale and refilled the tankard immediately. "He was distant. Anxious. He told me repeatedly about his medallion, and how he thought it was all going to end badly. Finally, when I couldn't take his gloomy mood anymore, I decided to go for it." She took a furious bite out of the sandwich. "I told him how I felt about him. I told him everything, including my hopes for our future... together."

She breathed hard for a moment, then took the knife and stabbed it viciously into the roasted meat. "He was completely surprised. It was all shocking news to him. He saw us as friends, comrades at arms, a good team of fighters. He never even considered that I might have other feelings for him, and was 'deeply sorry' for the fact that he didn't reciprocate them."

She fell silent, her hand gripping the knife handle. Deru stood up and walked up to her. Gently, delicately, she put her arm around Alesha's shoulders and hugged her.

"He was in love with Finala" she whispered.

"Yes." Alesha raised her head and looked at the dryad, her eyes full of tears. "One of the letters he wrote was to Finala, expressing his deepest love and desire to marry her when he came back. The other was for me, sent to his sister Drianjul. But that one isn't important now. The other is."

"But how come you didn't know, when you spent so much time together?"

"A lot, yes, but not all of it. The rest, he spent with Finala. You can probably imagine how much time it took to make her warm up to him, so when we left, they were in the 'maybe' stage" Alesha ripped out a chunk of meat and bit into it angrily, as if she imagined it was the flesh of her rival. "He was hoping to win her over when we came back, but his 'bad feeling' compelled him to write her a letter, in case he didn't make it."

"And you were stuck with each other, in the middle of Valdis's troops, the unrequited love in between you" said Deru, smiling sadly. "You know, I wish I could say that at least it couldn't get worse, but I know it did."

"Yeah. It did. Drevin was good to me, but somehow, that was even worse. He cared for me enough to fret about my feelings and all, but not enough to be with me... It was horrible. In the end I just pretended to get over it, and he believed. Or pretended to believe. We got to Greilyn and stormed the Temple..."

"And he died, shielding you" Deru whispered.

"Yes. The last thing I remember before I lost consciousness is his voice, whispering 'I'm sorry'." Alesha took another swig of ale. "You know, among the worst things you can hear, the words 'I don't love you' are quite near the top."

"Yes, I can imagine" Alesha was always a no-nonsense, stalwart and strong commander. She was quite cheerful in a sarcastic way and Deru really wasn't expecting a story like that. "That explains your deal with Finala, at least. Though I'm sorry I brought this up, 'cause there's not much I can do for you."

"Hah. You ain't heard nothing yet" Alesha barked.