Amaya was coming to a stand, at ease, next to Helmond, quietly appreciating the fact that both of them had settled into similar postures. Not so different after all.

'Good time making letter?', he signed, giving her a glance.

She shrug-nodded. It had been more awkward than anything she'd ever written before, but she had felt a responsibility.

The general had told her people to grab some sleep and spent some time sprinting in the courtyard to shake some of the tiredness that was creeping to her limbs. It was getting late to the point of early now and the elves inside the Plenum were evidently still busy with their arguments, seeing as the doors were closed.

'Are they making progress?', she asked.

'Stupid', he replied simply.

It was enough to make her smirk, exhaling sharply. This guy was either the funniest elf she'd ever met or the most serious and she couldn't tell which was more hilarious.

'You are an amusing person, Legate'

'I don't agree. I'm very serious.'

'Maybe it's just your rusty figures then?'

'Yes. Speaking well is important. It stops failures... ', He stopped to think then signed, '...to give information'

'You can also just speak.'

'I like this. It makes better an old knowledge and the guards don't know it. It's private.'

He turned away from her to a guard who had walked up to him. After a moment, he turned back to her.

'Letters for you', he signed, handing her two rolls of thick sketching paper.

There was her first clue as to the writer.

'Thank you. I will go read them.'

'Bye-Bye', he signed importantly, making her smirk again.

'I somehow doubt you wanted that one. Goodbye?', she suggested, 'It's a bit different. Touch your face first.'

'Goodbye' he signed, sheepishly.

Back in Helmond's office, Amaya filled herself a cup of water from a magic wall fountain. Running about had dried her out.

She dropped into his simple, but comfortable chair and took a sip. The first letter was written in fine but impatient, untrained script.

"General. My name is Rayla."

Amaya sat back, smirking wryly. Whoops. She had noticed. Clever girl.

"I wanted to start out this letter by saying how much I loved hearing from you. Your approval means a lot to us. Callum respects you but I've not had the chance to get to know you. I admire your skill, but I also think you are a menace. To me you're best known as a killer of people who look like me. Getting past our first impression is going to be hard for me. It's not often you and someone else try to kill each other and then you send them friendly mail, talking about loving their nephew. Here's hoping we'll meet on better terms at some point."

Amaya frowned. She had a point, it was going to be supremely awkward if they ever met. She picked up her cup of water and kept reading.

"I do love Callum. There's no other way to describe it. On that topic, he read your letter to me and I really appreciate your worry. It was the first time I got to hear of these things in a way that didn't make me feel abnormal. Of course I feel the need to let you know that we're not doing anything."

The general was relieved to read these words. At the same time the fact that she had inadvertently given someone she'd never met `the talk` made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"I have a lot of respect for him and the mission. I would never do something to risk either. Where those two priorities can't work at the same time, I will find a third option. Callum was hugging your letter. Safe to say, he misses home. As for my part, I am glad to have this chance to make a second impression on you without being in arm's reach. Hearing you are fighting for peace is such a relief. If anyone can make an impression on the crusty old people in the Senate, it's you. Helmond may be able to make some change, too, being a Legate. But he's very much caught up in traditions, still. If I can give you some advice? Bring your shield. Please be well. Rayla."

Amaya put the letter down, reflecting on it briefly. She seemed like a serious young woman who might one day end up near and dear to her own heart. It felt a little like receiving mail from a younger, less jaded version of herself. She was a soldier, too. That was bound to breed some commonalities, spanning the differences of race and upbringing. Especially the line of finding a third option - that was civvy speak for 'I'll just throw my life at the problem and hope it makes a difference'. There was a twinge of guilt in the back of Amaya's mind, one that she'd felt since she had first learned about Rayla's intentions from Ezran. She had almost killed her. Mostly because she was an elf. At the time, she barely needed another reason. That had changed since.

The general picked up Callum's letter. Taking another sip of her water, she started reading.

"Dear Aunt Amaya. Thank you for the extremely embarrassing letter. The secret is 'butter tarts - mom's birthday - shoe shine'."

Amaya smiled warmly, remembering one of the last big feasts their whole family had enjoyed together. Tiny Callum had made it his mission to distribute the butter filling from his pastry on everyone's shoes, crawling on the floor.

"I want to make sure you know that we're being safe, in all regards. Dad's been pretty good about explaining things. About our mission. Rayla knows a lot about - well, everything, really. She's amazing and I think you will get on really well once you meet her again in a few months. I don't know what she is putting in her letter, so I want to make sure that you know how much we both enjoyed hearing from you."

The general couldn't help but agree. The elf very obviously knew a lot, he certainly couldn't have stayed alive out there alone.

"As you said, Helmond is a good egg. He has some hangups, but so do we all. I think you'll like him, if not as a person, as a soldier. He seems to have that effect on people. I don't know how safe it is to mention where we are in this letter so I won't - but I wanted to give you an idea of the crazy landscapes we've been traveling through."

A drawing followed. Odd leathery trees with umbrella-like leaves, a picture of a creature that looked like a dog with giant fangs.

"I'm glad Ez is doing well. I was worried he was going to have problems, like Aanya."

"He has the opposite issue", Amaya thought, misinterpreting the line about Duren's civil war, "He's not quick-witted, she fails to see the long term."

"Rayla has her doubts about elves being responsible for the Assassination in Evenere. She says it makes little sense and she never heard any talk of it as a mission. That's maybe something you should investigate."

The general's eyebrows furrowed. Interesting. She had had her own doubts but pushed them aside, believing the Queen's guards probably knew what a Moonshadow elf looked like. This reopened that file for her.

"I'm sad about Pip. Hopefully he's found a good place to settle down. Speaking of animal companions, you should let Helmond and the other elves know that their prince is a lazy bum, doing nothing much other than be adorable and ride on Rayla's shoulders."

Amaya readjusted her position for comfort. It would likely be amusing to see the elves lose their minds over having their prince insulted thusly, but she would refrain.

"About Viren - He wouldn't let me see dad the night the elves came. We had found Zym's Egg and were going to go talk to him. I think he is very scared of what the Elves might do to Katolis. I'm sure he comes from a good place. He's a gruff old man, but dad liked him a lot. Depended on him. Obviously that doesn't excuse anything he's done. About his kids - I'm glad to hear Soren is alright. Last time we saw him, he got smacked by a dragon's tail. Claudia… let's just say I'm over her. Thoroughly."

The general harrumphed. What a surprise! Ezran had been full of stories about those two misguided souls. Plus, going through a lot with Rayla, he likely had closed Claudia's much less involved chapter in his love life.

"Fight has a way of putting together what goes together", Amaya repeated, then continued reading.

"Finally, I'd like to ask you to give Ez a hug from me if you get the chance. I miss you guys so badly and can't wait to come back home. Please stay safe. Callum. P.S. We don't have a lot of arrows so don't expect us to answer another message. Sorry."

Amaya was glad. Whether or not this would be the last she would hear of them for the moment, she felt more at rest with the situation. She even appreciated the post scriptum because it told her that they were being resource conscious.

She stretched and got up to rejoin her elven friend.

He seemingly had not moved from his spot, but was now leaning against the wall rather than standing free. When he saw her approach, he nodded at her.

'Good letters?'

'I would say so. Thank you for giving me the chance to give them a message.'

'You see nothing wrong with them? I do not…", he thought for a moment, '...like them. Together.'

'Why not?'

'Elf. Human. Somehow it is wrong in my head.'

Amaya frowned.

'If you cannot justify it to me, why do you believe it?'

He shrugged.

'I don't know. I am old. I do not have to care about young things. My approval is not important.'

'Then why are you here? If new things make you uncomfortable, why do you want peace?'

'Rayla didn't make me go away after I attacked them. It made me understand my fault. Also, this is a secret, but I will give it. You know I have a son. He is a soldier. I do not want him to go away. We only spoke two days before. Last time I saw him, he was tiny. I want to see him again, more.'

She nodded.

'I can appreciate that.'

Suddenly, there was commotion. The doors swung open and four guards stepped out of the Plenum.

Amaya saw still faces.

Helmond likewise heard nothing save for a call for his rank and name.

'I will be back. Goodbye.'