Following the river up from Whitefords proved to be a wise decision by the twins, as it gave them a constant source of water now they had moved away from human civilisation. Takuya had discovered that when left to find food for himself he was hopeless compared to Kouji and Kouichi, who could both hunt and fish, as well as having an impressive knowledge of which fruits, berries and mushrooms were safe to eat. It was almost a week after leaving Whitefords that the twins announced that they had seen signs of their people over the evening meal.

Takuya nearly choked on his food. "What? Like what?"

Kouichi smiled. "How do you think we found food so quickly? There was an abandoned garden near here. Maybe it had been left seven or eight years, so the time consuming part was catching the rabbit."

Kouji raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you do better. Rabbits don't make much noise, and what else can we use?"

Kouichi shrugged. "I know we have it hard, but we cope."

Takuya blinked. "So what do you mean garden? And why was it abandoned?"

"We do need to eat," explained Kouji. "We plant and maintain and support plants that give us useful foods or items in a same general area, it means we spend less time foraging. After a few years we move to a different spot to let the forest resume its balance."

Kouichi nodded. "We grow fruit, nuts and tubers mostly, but most keep a second smaller garden related to their trade. Healers and herbalists keep gardens of medical herbs, the weavers grow flax, cotton and other fibrous plants, and some even cultivate plants to encourage silkworms."

Takuya tilted his head. "Why not just set up farms? You've now seen how humans do it."

Kouichi laughed, shaking his head, and gestured about them. "Takuya, we live in forests of ancient trees. To destroy nature to make our lives easier… It's not the elven way."

Takuya sighed, then moved to watch the small fire flickering. "When we find them, tomorrow, I guess, what should I expect them to do and feel about me?"

Kouji sighed. "I don't really know. Our mother wasn't allowed to roam the village, and couldn't talk to anyone except our father. She didn't know how."

Takuya held a hand out to the flame. It's okay, you can come out. His magic moved out of him, into the fire, and a flame bent to wrap about Takuya's hand, which he played with gently. "Will they be scared of this?"

Kouichi sighed a little. "Probably. They distrusted our magic because it was corrupted by our human blood, so your magic will seem just as strange. Just don't expect to find many fires around, we distrust them by nature because they cannot be completely controlled."

Takuya sighed, and kept playing with the flame. "Maybe I shouldn't speak your language when we first meet your people. I'll follow your lead on how to act. I can't imagine how different our two worlds must be."

Kouichi stretched slowly. "You'll soon find out."

***************************

It was indeed the following day that they found the twins home. They had been walking along the stream when both Kouichi and Kouji stopped.

"What is it?" asked Takuya, moving his hand to the hilt of his sword as he saw the twins tense.

Kouji grabbed Takuya's hand, moving it away from the sword. "Keep still!" he hissed at Takuya, before turning to watch Kouichi talk silently into the air.

Takuya jumped when moments later a tall figure moved into view holding a bow that was aimed unerringly at Kouichi's chest. "You reek of human, child. And you've led one here, repeating the mistake of your sire."

Kouichi bowed slightly, and extended his arms, palms up, out towards the elf. "Please, we come baring news of great importance for the council."

Another elf swung down from a nearby tree, a bow hung over his shoulder, and pushed Kouichi's sleeves up, revealing the archers guards Kouichi wore, and removed them, before moving to do the same to Kouji.

Kouichi continued to speak. "We know we are no longer welcome here, and we do not expect it, but this is important enough for us to break the order of the council, if only temporarily." He continued to look at the elf in charge, ignoring Takuya's yelp as the second elf started to unfasten his sword belt. "It's important you let us in. I swear by the lords and ladies."

Finally the elf nodded, and stepped back. "You realise that it is Honoured-Satomi that will hear your plea? It is her season for hearing the pleas of the Empty-Ones. You will have a tough time to convince her to present you to the council."

Kouichi nodded, and smiled. "I understand, Kojiro. But if we can convince her, we can convince them just the same."

Kojiro nodded back, then looked to his companion. "I am afraid we must keep your weapons until you are judged to be friends to us once more. You brought a human to El Metriscule, and for that you will not be welcomed, and have little chance of having your status returned."

Kouichi sighed. "We understand. We shall seek out Honoured-Satomi to make our case, and not cause further offence."

"Then please, bathe," said the companion. "I know you are impaired, but even you must smell that you scare prey."

Kouji blinked. "I did wonder why we were finding hunting difficult." He bowed to them, then took Takuya's arm. "Come on, Takuya. It's not much further." He led Takuya off, and it was only once Takuya was sure they were out of the others earshot that he was content to speak.

"I smell?"

Kouji made a face. "We weren't going to mention it, but you humans do smell pretty strongly, and we know that our human side messes with most of our senses except our hearing so…" He paused, then smiled. "They were warning us really, don't worry about it."

Kouichi nodded. "Elves are less open with their feelings, that was a warm welcome. Kojiro was a friend of our honoured-father."

Takuya looked around. "So are we being watched now?"

Kouichi shook his head. "I wouldn't think so. People will hear us when we get closer to the village."

Takuya looked at them, then looked down again. "I'm sorry that your bows got taken. Did you know that they were going to do that?"

The twins both nodded.

"It's not your fault, Takuya," said Kouichi. "We did consider that they would do this. We're outcast, little better than strangers." They walked into a clearing, where several elves appearing between twenty and thirty human years old were walking about and talking. While a few eyes flicked in their direction most of the elves ignored the twins and Takuya.

Takuya shivered. "Do they even know we're here?"

"Yes, Takuya." Kouichi led them to a dome-like structure built around the base of two trees nearby that was covered in plants that had seemingly overgrown. He brushed some ivy that was hanging over the door to one side, and led them inside. More plants poked through the packed earth floor, and a film of dust lay over the chairs, dressers, and cupboards.

Takuya looked around interestedly. "Is this your house?"

"It was," said Kouji. "It was taken with everything else when we were declared outcast." He ran a hand over a cabinet door. "I remember…"

Kouichi closed his eyes. "I feel like it's still so empty here without him. I can't hear him anywhere."

Takuya walked about the room, looking around and marvelling at the intricate work on the woodwork. "Wow… your father must've been rich to have furniture like this."

Kouji shook his head when it became clear that Kouichi's thoughts were focused somewhere else than the here and now. "Why hurry the work? As a family, we were unusual in that we had a plain table, but we had to because of honoured-father's work." He rested a hand on the table, and traced out a scratch in the finish. "I did that when I was three, trying to cut up ginger-root. I cut my finger open… it's the first time I remember feeling his magic… it smelt of pine needles."

Takuya paused. "When he died… how long was it before you were sent away?"

"A month." Kouji closed his eyes. "We've never had a chance to mourn properly. When we left here, we wandered aimlessly and found the farm. Tony took us in because we were filthy and ragged. We'd just stopped taking care of ourselves and each other. He gave us new clothes, and tried to help us work, I guess. We didn't understand anything that was going on, what that place was for. It was only later that we got to want to understand where it was that she came from."

Takuya moved to Kouji, and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "Kouji, I'm so sorry for what's happened to you both."

Kouji leaned into him, and rested his head on Takuya's shoulder. "We are what we are. Flowers of the snow. We should know where we come from, what our people are like, not just the elves, but the humans as well."

Takuya brushed a hand against Kouji's hair, felt him freeze, and moved his hand away slowly. "And now you know, and you're trying to serve both your parents by creating peace between them."

Kouichi sighed, and sat on one of the chairs. "But we have no idea how to deal with this. They probably won't even listen to us. We have no one to defend us." He rested his arms on the table and hid his face in them. "How can we do this? Even if the lords and ladies may well be on our side, how can we make the deaf hear?"

Kouji closed his eyes. //We'll find a way, brother. Honoured-father would want us to, because he saw no barriers, just like Takuya does. Maybe Takuya's calling is to bring us together, like in the story.//

//He's a warrior for the human gods, not ours,// replied Kouichi. //It will mean nothing to the council that he was chosen by them.//

Takuya hugged Kouji again. "I'll make them listen, Kouji. After all, I'm a noisy nuisance according to Mama, so I'll just keep doing what I've always done." He closed his eyes. "It feels right to try this."

Kouichi looked up at him again. "The lines of destiny are tugging you this way, pulling you onwards. There's no doubt in my mind that you are a warrior for your Goddess, maybe even the Warrior of Flames. The future rests on you, and is safe. I can feel them about you, and we will help however we can, as unimportant as we are."

Takuya looked at them. "You're important to me. Without you I'd never have gotten this far. I'd be hiding at Applefields, scared of who and what I am."

Kouichi sighed. "We should start to clean up. Honoured-Satomi will eventually come to us, and we need to greet her properly so we can at least be declared friends, else we'll be unable to hunt without our weapons." He moved to a cupboard, and removed a collection of water skins. "I'll go to the stream, but I think you better stay inside, Takuya, at least for now."

Takuya nodded. "Guess I can sweep and stuff, if you have a broom?"

Kouji nodded. "Make sure you bring enough to wash, if we do smell of humans we need to change our clothes and do something about our scent." He opened another cupboard, pulling out some cloths and a broom. "I'm guessing that we won't see Honoured-Satomi until tomorrow, after the festivities. We'll need to make a good impression."

Kouichi paused by the door. "Don't worry, I'm sure we will, else how can Takuya fulfil his destiny."

Takuya looked at him. "You're pinning a lot on hope on what I might be, and that it's your people I'm to help unite with mine.  I wish I knew more clearly what I'm to do, and who the others are that I'm looking for. One day I have to do something great and with people I don't know." He looked at Kouichi then Kouji. "Will you stay?"

"We'll go where our gods send us," replied Kouichi. "We are at their command." He left.

Takuya sighed. "You say I'm great, that Kouichi can see that in me, and that the most important people in my life at the moment mean nothing?"

Kouji shrugged, and started pulling out weeds from the floor. "Maybe we do, maybe we don't. My fate and his are intertwined because we're twins, and his magic gives him a window other peoples' destinies, but not his own. He can't see his own destiny, or mine, we're a total void to his future-sense."

Takuya lent on his broom. "When I'm some impressive warrior, you'll still be there for me, right? I think I love you, and I want you to stay with me."

Kouji looked sad. "I think it would be safer if we didn't mention that to anyone here, it won't make our case any easier to present."

Takuya sighed, and then nodded. "Okay, Kouji. These are your people, I'll do as you tell me." He started sweeping.