Malark felt the gentle rays of morning sunlight stir him from his sleep and again reached for Meira but grabbed nothing but sheets. He jerked awake but then relaxed, remembering that last time she was standing around looking at her scroll.

But as he blinked sleep from his eyes, the wizard didn't see any sign of her around the small room at the inn. As his heart started to pound faster, Malark noticed that her pack was gone, and a crisp white roll of parchment lay on the table, tied with a violet ribbon. His instincts screamed the truth at him, that she was not going to be coming back.

Instead of grabbing it immediately Malark stared at it for a while, emotions pouring over him. Anger was predictable, but he knew it was pointless, and he wanted to at least read her reasoning for leaving. Hurt followed and this one lingered. The inability to keep anyone important in his life grated on him and despite his lifestyle being one of a traveler's, he still regretted not having a "family" he could count on.

Malark interrupted his emotional spiral with a shake of his head and decided to stop being a coward and read what she had written.

This isn't goodbye.

I know you'll probably be angry that I'm leaving this way,

but I couldn't keep going the way we were, not the way I am now.

I need to think and figure this out,

and I can't do that when you're looking at me

or touching me.

You may tell me that you never want to see me again and I wouldn't blame you

But if this is the same for you that it is for me, let me be sure it will work.

If nothing else, we gave each other one unforgettable night.

But I think it can be more than that.

You've found me once before, next time I'll find you.

But if you need me, I left you a little something.

Thank you…. For everything.

Meira Mondesir

Malark read the letter more than a few times and in a fit of pique almost tore it in two. But instead he rolled it back up and tied it with the ribbon before putting it with the rest of his scrolls. He realized that the present she had left behind was the fur you stole from him as well as the components for another tracking spell, and a Sending spell to get a message to her.

Malark spent the remaining few days in Daggerford meeting with officials and discussing the fall of Hookhand. He stocked up on supplies and got a new outfit to replace the burned one. Though he also had to replace undergarments that were… torn off quickly.

In the end he stayed a full week more in the inn, then departed on Emerald, slowly plodding towards the crossroads outside of town. The crossroads had a well for thirsty travelers and he pulled up beside it. Malark spent some time staring out at the morning sun and weighed down with indecision.

He reached up and pulled off his ring from around his neck, and then pulled out another coin from his pouch.

Looking back into his hands, he thought about his options once again. While he was filled with the same purpose and temptation, nothing seemed to pull him as strongly as it had before. Instead of looking at his hands, he rose his head and stared out into the horizon as the road trailed out of sight. In that moment, the world seemed full of endless possibilities.

Instead of weighed down, he felt free, and none of his choices felt like they would lead him in the wrong direction. So, he dropped his reigns."

"You choose, boy."

Emerald whinnied at the freedom before plodding forward a few steps and starting down the path south at a more rapid pace.

"This way huh?" As he looked back on his journeys, he smiled, and the decision at that moment seemed so easy.

"Greenest it is!"