Author's Note:
Hello, everybody. Sorry for the long wait in between chapters! I'm going to be writing Candar now, and we'll be introduced to Emma! Hope you enjoy!
-Tangent
Candar was certainly unlike the previous cities Ean had seen on his adventure. Where other buildings were square, Candar was round. All of the buildings seemed designed to look as nice as possible, with gracefully trimmed edges and round roofs. The buildings were made of a painted white wood and a red stone, which combined to make a very nice aesthetic. Colored awnings hung over the corners of buildings, providing shade for those walking by. The streets were wide, with benches on every corner, and there were many estates in the distance that had iron fences around them.
After being admitted by the guards, they had been looking around the town for a little while. The pink palace of Ella IV could be seen in the distance, but they knew they had a little bit of time to spare before they had to speak to the princess. To their left, a thoroughfare of shops selling many different items, including weapons and armor, were beginning to close. Many people were out and about, almost all of them with their significant other.
"There's a lot of couple here." Ean remarked. Iya nodded, pointing to a chapel.
"That must be a church, so maybe they get married here?" The other elf shrugged, looking around. Several people had noticed them, but nobody approached.
"Hey, look!" Iya had darted forward to a fence in the city wall, revealing a beautiful park. "It's pretty…" The landscape was quite impressive, with trimmed bushes and a smooth, flowing brook in the middle of it all. A couple was sitting in a gazebo nearby, and Ean realized that the woman was wearing a white dress. They looked extremely happy.
"I guess they just got married." He said quietly, and Rye grinned.
"Probably. More than what'll happen to me, I guess."
"Hm?" Ean looked at him, confused.
"Oh, I just meant…" Rye trailed off, and he looked embarrassed. The elf decided not to pursue the subject, and they returned to the roads.
"There's the inn. I suppose we'll stay there tonight, and possibly tomorrow. Let's talk to Ella first, though." The others agreed, and the trio set off through the town, heading towards the castle on the other side. They were stopped by guards twice, but they showed the official seal given to them by Uthar, and they were admitted without further question.
The castle was as graceful as the town, with pointed towers and beautiful windows everywhere. As they entered the throne room, Ean noticed that the interior layout was similar to the castle at Thais. At the far end of the carpeted hall, Princess Ella the Fourth sat upon a throne. She sat up as they approached, flanked by two guards.
"I hear that somebody bearing Uthar's seal has entered my castle. You must be…" He voice was melodious and smooth, and Iya felt slightly insignificant next to the beautiful woman. Ean and Rye seemed a bit shocked as well, but they shook themselves.
"I am Ean Okho, and these are my friends, Rye Zoyle and Iya Tiki. It is good to be here, princess." The woman nodded, her eyes darting between each of them.
"I am glad to see you. Uthar received my message?" They nodded, and Ella stood from her throne.
"Then there is much we must discuss. But first, how do I know that-" She was cut off by Iya summoning her storm sphere into her hand, where it glowed and shimmered. She chuckled.
"Very well. Come with me." She led them to a more secluded part of the castle, in front of a shimmering blue pond.
"So, you are the elves destined to save us?" She inquired, and Ean's eyebrows rose.
"I suppose so, but we haven't saved anybody yet. We'll do our best, though." Ella smiled at him.
"To business, then. My letter said that I know of a weapon that may be able to defeat the Snow Queen. To be honest, I do not know exactly what it is."
"How did you hear about it, then?" Iya asked politely.
"My scholars are some of the world's best, maybe only beaten by the islands to the south. They found a reference to the prophecy in an older text, including the plans for a weapon. Unfortunately, the weapon itself was not included in the book. However, I know where to look."
"Where?" Rye asked, and the princess frowned.
"The Land of the Lost." Ean and Iya did not recognize the name, but Rye had paled visibly. "You've heard of it, then?"
"Only tales. But they were enough to scare all of us in the village. An entire country, just abandoned?" The elves looked at him in alarm.
"What?" Ella merely nodded.
"Indeed. But that is only part of the truth. There was an entire civilization there, much more advanced than our own. But they went silent hundreds of years ago, and we have no idea what awaits us over there."
"So… So we have to go? Where is it?" Iya asked, and Ella pointed towards the east.
"Past the eastern edge of our own continent, on another island surrounded by mountains. There is only one pass through, but you'll need a boat." Iya had turned pale as well.
"I'm sorry," said Ean. "But isn't that very far away?"
"Yes. But we have no other choice." Ella said gravely. "The weapon is the only thing that could bring down the barrier."
"Wait a minute… Eredar…" Rye said. "Why does that sound so important? Didn't you tell me something about it, Iya?"
"I… Maybe? I cannot remember, honestly."
"There's something there that we need. Not the weapon, Ean." He added as Ean pointed to Ella. "A person, maybe… No! A nymph!" Rye pointed at Iya's pack. "Doesn't one of the nymphs reside on the island somewhere?" She gasped.
"You're right! I think it's Nuha, the nymph of wisdom." The princess looked confused.
"What do the nymphs have to do with anything?" While Iya was perusing her book, Ean explained the concept of Iya's spirit to her, and the six nymphs they had to visit.
"Ah, I see. So, do you need to visit Ceri, then? She resides here, or she used to." The princess looked down at the floor. "I'm afraid she vanished some 10 years ago."
"What?" Ean said. "She's gone?"
"Not gone, but I think she's gone into hiding. I'm not sure you'll be able to find her." Ella said, and Ean shrugged.
"Well, I guess we'll see. I wouldn't be surprised if the Snow Queen went after the nymphs too." Iya and Rye were listening again, and Ella spoke:
"Will you do it, heroes? Travel to Eredar and find what we need?" They looked at each other, and Ean spoke for the group:
"We will, princess. You may count on us. We will return to Thais soon, but we would like to search the city for Ceri first." Ella waved her hand dismissively.
"You shall have full access to the city, including the palace. I will arrange for you to stay at the inn for as long as you need."
"Thank you, Ella." Iya said sincerely, and Iya smiled warmly at the elf.
"Come and see me tomorrow, Iya, if you wish. Perhaps we can talk." Iya nodded, and Ella bid them goodbye, disappearing up a staircase nearby. The trio exited the castle, where night had begun to fall and the stars were beginning to emerge. The streets were mostly empty, with people either heading to or from the bars. On the way back, Ean noticed a small gate leading to a goddess statue, which he noted for later.
The innkeeper had clearly been expecting them, and he had prepared both bath and bed with record speed. They dropped their belongings off in their room, including the now very large sum of gold that they had inside their pouch, which seemed to hold almost an unlimited amount of money. After they had bathed and eaten dinner, Ean and Rye went downstairs to chat with the innkeeper while Iya dried her hair. She was sitting on her bed when Ean knocked, and she hastened to completely cover herself before answering. When the female elf opened it, Ean had a curious expression on his face, as though he was thinking something quite peculiar.
"Can I help you, Ean?"
"Yeah… Can I come in? We haven't had a proper conversation in a while, and I thought you might like the company?" Iya smiled, but her mind was churning on the inside.
Alone with Ean? Even back then, we were almost never alone, or at least it never mattered. I… Bah, stop it. Just let him in.
Ean entered the room as Iya returned to her bed, sitting upon it and drying her hair with magic.
"Is that safe?" Ean asked cautiously and Iya held her hair between her fingers, steaming coming off of it.
"Perfectly so. I'm not generating any flames." She assured him, and he seemed to relax, going to sit in a chair across from her. The elf fiddled with his hands.
"How… How do you feel about what Ella said? Going to Eredar, I mean."
"I suppose I'm alright with it. We never said this would be easy."
"Yeah, but…" Ean trailed off, and Iya looked at him curiously. She had never seen this side of him.
"Ean, what is it? You're normally the confident one."
"I know, but that's the problem. People look at us like we know what we're doing, and to dissuade them from that would only damage morale. But I... I have no idea what I'm doing. Traveling to a lost city on the other side of the world? That's crazy. I'm not a hero." Iya was quite shocked. She hadn't known that she was not the only one doubting her capabilities. Ean continued.
"I mean, I thought I could rescue you and return us both home, but I never knew this would happen." He gestured around them. "Thais was my first impression, and getting a second beast curse…" The elf shuddered slightly, but continued. "I don't know if I can handle it."
Damn right you can't. The voice sounded without warning in his head, but he ignored it, looking into the other elf's eyes. She looked back at him with compassion.
"Nobody expects you to be a hero, Ean. Besides, we're a team. Where you go, I go." He tried to speak, but she put a finger on his mouth, surprised at her own newfound confidence. "And we will do whatever this is together. Okay?" Ean blushed slightly, and she realized how her words must have sounded. "I meant as friends." He nodded, and she looked out the window, towards the stars. "And we'll find a way to break the curse. I promise." The male elf straightened up.
"You're right, Iya. I shouldn't give up before we've even begun. Besides, think of how much we still have to see! I bet it'll be more beautiful than even the Vale." He poked her shoulder with a smile, and Iya smiled back at him.
"See? That's much better. Now, go get some sleep." He mock saluted her and left the room with a smile, and she flopped down onto her pillows.
What is this feeling in my chest? Little did she know that Ean, lying on his own bed, was thinking the same thing.
Rye awoke the next morning to see that a note had been slid under his door. Picking it up, he read:
Rye,
Ella has invited me to spend time with her today, touring the castle. I thought I could use the opportunity to search for any clues regarding Ceri's location. I think you should come to castle at lunchtime, and we can follow up on any clues. Make sure Ean knows, too.
-Iya
"Why didn't she tell Ean this?" He murmured, and slipped his clothes, freshly cleaned by a valet, onto his shoulders. After getting dressed, he woke Ean, who seemed rather tired.
"You okay, man?" Rye asked as Ean blinked.
"Yeah… I think it's my beast powers. Using them so much yesterday tired me out. I'll be good, though." He rose sleepily and dressed, only fully waking after drinking a cup of coffee served by the innkeeper. He had tried the drink in Thais, and decided that he liked it quite a bit. They headed out into the sunny morning, looking around.
"Um… where to first?" Rye asked.
"Perhaps we should look at the shops and other places of interest. I was thinking of getting a notebook too, just in case we need to remember things to do. You never know if people might need things from other cities, or something like that."
"That's true. It's partly our job to help the citizens of the land too, I suppose." Rye said with a smile. "After you, then." They headed to a small marketplace, where Ean bought a small notebook and a pen, and Rye talked to the armor and weapons merchants. The gear sold in Candar was the same as Thais, so they did not purchase anything new. The only thing they managed to find was a magical staff for Iya, supposedly more powerful than her current one, but they decided to wait for her decision.
"Find anything?" Rye asked as they met up again in the square.
"Nothing about Ceri, no. Just rumors and things like that. I did hear something about a feud between book authors, as well as the jeweler of the town needing help with something, though."
"Huh. We've got an hour or two, want to check it out?"
"Sure." Ean replied, and they set off through the town.
Iya had arrived at the castle in the early morning, summoned by one of the princess's maids. When she had entered the throne room, Ella had been waiting by the door, and her eyes lit up.
"Iya! Come in, we have much to show you. Have you eaten?" Quite overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, Iya managed to stammer that she had indeed eaten, and the princess started dragging her, sometimes literally, around the castle. They visited the guest towers, the arboretum, the pools, the bedrooms… The list went on and on. Iya found herself beginning to smile at the obvious excitement of the princess at having somebody to talk to.
"So, Iya, how do you like it so far?" Ella asked, and the girl smiled slightly.
"It's very nice, princess. I appreciate you showing me around." The two were strolling through the halls, heading for the kitchens. Ella grinned mischievously.
"Think nothing of it. I've been dying to have a friend for ages. There's not a lot of girls my age here that aren't, you know, married."
Her friend? Is that what I am?
"Oh." Iya said. "Why is that?"
"Well, this is the city of love. People come here to find their soul mates, and things like that. But I'm a princess, so I can't marry just anybody."
"I see." Iya said. "Do you have any suitors in mind?" Ella's smile seemed to grow even more, if that was possible.
"Hmmmm." She said slyly. "I've heard that Prince Uthar is around my age. And he's quite handsome to boot." The smiled faded slightly, turning to a serious look. "I always had a little crush on him, but I've got to set that aside for now. The world needs saving, and he and I must work together."
"I suppose that's true. It could hardly hurt though, could it?" Iya suggested, and the princess shrugged.
"I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just scared? Or maybe I'm not worth his time?"
"Don't say that, Ella." Iya said seriously, surprising both of them. "From what I've seen, you're a fantastic leader of your people. Everybody looks up to you and respects you, especially for trying to save your parents." The princess seemed touched, and the elven lady thought she sw her eyes grow moist. Shaking herself, she smiled again.
"But what about you?"
"Me?"
"Got your eye on any… handsome men? You're traveling with two, I suppose."
"Ean? And Rye?" Iya's voice came out higher than she anticipated, and she ignored the lash of emotion that hearing his name brought her.
"Yes, of course." Ella said seriously. "I think Ean would be the better choice for you, but you never know. Rye could…"
"We're not talking about this." Iya said while blushing, and Ella laughed.
"Fine, fine. Anyways, here's the kitchen." She showed Iya around, greeting the workers like friends, not servants. With a shudder, Iya was reminded of the Snow Queen and her tyrannical approach to everybody below her. They continued on, and they soon arrived at a beautiful garden, nestled in the back of the palace. Flowers of every color grew among the green bushes and tall trees. Ella sat down on a bench near a small pond, sighing with relief.
"I love it here, you know."
"It's gorgeous." Iya said sincerely. Ella smiled at her.
"Is it like this back home?" She asked, and Iya felt a stab of pain.
Home… The princess must have noticed, because she placed a hand on the elf's shoulder.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. You must miss them."
"Who?"
"Your family, of course. I know I miss mine." Another, more painful wound was struck, and Iya felt her eyes grow moist.
"I… I don't know." Ella was quite perceptive, because she sat there for a minute.
"What happened?"
"They disowned me because I didn't have magic like the rest of them. I only got it from the Oracle a week or two ago."
"I see. What do you miss, then?"
"The most important thing came after me." The words slipped out, and she froze. Ella paused for a moment, a smile growing on her face.
"That is… the cutest thing I've ever heard." Iya blushed furiously.
"I… I didn't mean… He's my only friend, you know. Or he was." Ella's smile faded, only to replaced by a pained look.
"I didn't know."
"It's okay. I have friends now, in Ean and Rye. And now I have you as a friend, I think." Ella nodded.
"Of course you do. A girl like you deserves much more than that, too."
"Thank you." Iya said sincerely, a lump growing in her throat. Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her, and she turned to see an elderly man enter the garden.
"Oh, that's our gardener, Wallace. He's been tending the garden his whole life." Ella whispered. "Good morning, Wallace."
"Morning, Princess. And-"
"This is Iya, she's my new best friend. She has full run of the castle, okay?" The man bowed to her and shuffled off to water the flowers.
"He seems nice enough."
"Yeah, he is. Been tending to the garden like its his own child for years. He loves it." Iya smiled at the image of the old man planting the seeds for the garden.
"Does he live alone?" Ella nodded.
"Never been married, either. I've asked him why, but he won't answer me." The princess stood from the bench. "Well, the boys will be here soon, for lunch. Shall we?" And together, the two women descended the stairs into the castle.
Back in town, Rye and Ean had split up once again to pursue separate objectives. At the moment, Ean was talking to an elderly jeweler who lived in a small house near the edge of town.
"And so, boy, I've plied my craft here ever since. Almost every piece of quality jewelry in the city, made by me! Crowns for the queens and kings, necklaces for the nobles…" The main trailed off, a distant look in his eyes. "But that's all over now…"
"What do you mean, sir?" Ean asked.
"I no longer have a jewelry kit, for making tools. If only I could find one like the one I used to have…"
"Where did you get it?" The elf inquired, and the man looked at him.
"From the dwarves, son. They used to populate these parts, but they're all gone now. And they took their precious jewels with them." Ean stood from his chair, pulling his pack on.
"Well, I happen to be traveling quite a bit, so I'll look for one, okay?"
"Really? You would do that?" The man smiled toothily in his chair. "Thank you, son. Now be on your way!" Ean left with a smile, noting it down in his book.
Really? You're going to waste time on that old geezer?
I happen to like him.
That's your loss, then.
Ean gritted his teeth as he strode towards the castle, where he was supposed to meet Rye. The voices were quite annoying, constantly grating on his nerves in the back of his head. Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground as he bumped into somebody in front of him, causing them to stumble.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" He said, getting to his feet. He had knocked over a man wearing white and gold robe, and he offered him a hand. The man smiled at him when he was upright again, saying:
"It's no problem, young man. None at all. Are you a traveler in the city?"
"I am, yes."
"Oh, that's nice. Welcome, then. I am the priest of Candar, and I oversee the weddings and the like. Are you here to get married?" Suddenly, Ean was struck by a thought. The priest, being a holy man and the like, might know something about the patron nymph of the city.
"Er, no I'm not, but can I ask you something, sir?"
"Of course!"
"What happened to Ceri, sir? The nymph of love? I've heard she vanished ten years ago." The priest's face fell, and he looked sad.
"Alas, I have sought the same answer myself. She has vanished from our sight, and we do not know where she is. I have heard rumors, but…"
"Are you sure, sir?"
"Quite so, yes. The only rumor I've heard is that she hides somewhere within the castle, waiting for somebody with true love to find her." Ean grimaced. It was better than nothing, he supposed.
"I understand. Thank you, sir." The man departed, and Ean resumed his trip towards the castle. He met Rye in the square, who seemed to be in a good mood.
"Find anything?"
"No, I just had to deal with two squabbling writers who thought the other stole their newest idea for a book. It turns out that one of them actually stole the other's book, so I snuck in and took it back." Ean gaped at him.
"You what?" The man laughed.
"It's not important. Anyways, I got paid for it, and I heard some rumors about Ceri."
"Oh, good. Which ones?"
"I heard the same one you did, about her hiding in the castle. But the romance author said that there is a prophecy, I guess, that love is only found when its reciprocated? I don't really know what it means."
"Huh. I have no idea either." The two set off through the town and entered the castle with a nod to the guards. Inside, they found Iya and Ella talking and laughing at a table. They looked up as they approached, and Ean was stunned to see Iya smiling so widely.
I guess having a female companion is good for her. Ella had stood.
"Please, join me for a meal." They were served several courses of delicious food, including soups, salads, and venison. Ean and Rye ate quite a bit between them, causing Ella to chuckle.
"That's quite an appetite." As they ate, Iya told them her findings, and the others did the same.
"The castle, huh? I guess we can check again." After the meal, Ella rose, thanked them for dining with her, and left with two of her guards.
"She's going to write a letter to Uthar again." Iya explained. They rose as well, and Iya pointed towards a staircase.
"Would you like to see the garden?" Both did, so Iya once again ascended the stairs to the garden, where she showed them the beautiful scenery.
"Wow. This is…" Ean was at a loss for words. Rye was in a similar state, and Iya turned to see Wallace approaching.
"Hello again, ma'am." She greeted him as he shuffled off into the garden.
"I just thought of something. If Ceri is supposed to be in the castle, do you think she could be in the garden somewhere?" Ean shrugged.
"I'm not sure. I suppose we could look." The three of them rose and began inspecting the edge of the garden, looking for anything that might give them a clue. Suddenly, Ean raised his voice slightly.
"There's a door here." The others rushed over, and Ean pulled a wall of ivy aside to reveal a smooth metal door placed into the wall. He tried the handle, but it was locked.
"Hm. Now what?"
"Get away from there!" Wallace came limping over quickly, waving a hand. They stepped back in alarm, and he glared at them.
"You cannot trespass there. That is my private garden."
"Oh, I didn't know." Ean said in surprise. "I hate to ask, but is there any way we can-" But Wallace was already shaking his head.
"I can't sorry. It's personal to me."
"Ella did say we had the run of the castle." Rye pointed out, but Wallace was adamant.
"She has no say over that part, and she won't force me to show you."
"He's right. Wallace, is there anything we could do for you that would persuade you?" Iya asked, and the gardener thought.
"Bring me something that has as much love in it as this garden does, and maybe I will." He shuffled off, leaving them standing there.
"What could that mean?" Ean asked, but nobody had an answer. Rye sighed.
"I guess we're coming back, then. We don't have time to search the whole city."
"You think we should move on?" Iya asked, and he nodded.
"I think so too, Iya. But we will come back, okay?" Ean said firmly, and the elf nodded.
"Alright then." They exited the garden with one final look at the door.
The rest of the afternoon passed relatively quickly. A merchant had asked them to find a bolt of silk for her, and they had tentatively agreed.
"Where will we find something like that?" Iya wondered, and Ean shrugged.
"If we can do it, we will. If not, we'll tell her." They were walking back towards the inn when the door of a house opened, and a girl came stumbling out. She was of average height, with light green hair and eyes. She was wearing a tattered dress. With a "humph!", she sat down outside the door, frowning. Ean looked at the others.
"Excuse me, miss, but are you okay?" He asked politely, and she looked at him.
"No, I'm not. I hate this stupid city!"
"What's wrong?"
"My mistress is being rude again. She always treats me like that, since I'm just a servant." Ean frowned.
"Why would she do that?"
"Well, she knows my parents are dead, so there's nobody to help me. If only I could…" She trailed off, and Ean prompted her.
"If what?"
"If only I could get to Thais. Then I could be a knight!"
"You want to train at the School of War and Magic?" Ean asked, and the girl nodded.
"It's my only dream. But I could never afford the tuition, and how would I even get there?"
"How much is the tuition?" She named the sum, and Ean paled.
"Give me a moment, alright?" He walked a few paces away from the others, and Rye spoke first.
"I think we should pay it for her."
"Rye, 7,000 gold?! That's a lot!" Ean was still struggling with the price.
"Yeah, but we do have that much. And honestly, she deserves a better shot at life, don't you think?" Ean turned to Iya.
"I'm fine with paying for it, but only if you want to." The elf thought for a minute.
"I think we should, Ean." The elf nodded, and the three strode back to the green-haired girl.
"Hm? You want something?"
"We'll pay your tuition, and we'll take you to Thais." She froze at his words, and he saw her eyes widen.
"W-Wha… What?"
"We'll pay for it." Ean repeated with a smile. She looked at them for a moment, and a tear began to roll down her cheek.
"Really?"
"Really." She got up and hugged all of them tightly, now crying openly.
"Nobody has ever…" Iya patted her shoulder comfortingly.
"I know. What's your name?"
"E-Emma."
"Well, Emma, you can stay with us tonight, and we will return to Thais tomorrow morning. Sound good?" The girl nodded, a slow smile creeping across her face.
"That sounds great. Let's get out of here." Emma followed them back to the inn, where Iya offered to share her room with the girl for the night. The inn keeper provided a second mattress, and Iya slept on it near the door. After everyone had cleaned up, they ate dinner at the bar. Emma seemed unable to believe all the food she was given, and Iya thought she saw a tear once or twice.
Poor girl. At least I wasn't alone in Elfwood. When they had returned to their rooms for the night, Emma lay upon the bed.
"How old are you guys?" She asked, and Iya smiled.
"Ean and I are 19, Rye is 20." Emma frowned.
"Hmmm. I'm only 18." She turned on her side, facing Iya with her green eyes.
"Emma, how did you end up here?"
"I… I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay. I'm really grateful, but-"
"You don't know who to trust." Iya finished for her. "That's okay. I shouldn't have asked." Emma smiled.
"I am happy, though. Can you believe it?" With those words, she fell asleep, breathing quietly. Iya fell asleep soon after, wondering about was to come.