It had been a long time since he had left the city for more than a day. He had to dig his old bag out from the closet, and then realized that it was unable to be used with the giant hole in the bottom. After going and purchasing a new one, Keiren had packed the bag with the essentials, as well as a few commodities that fit on the side, such as a bag of coffee grounds and a pencil and paper. He was not going alone, which was nice, and they were not going on foot either. Trace had gone up to the estate and retrieved a horse and cart Keiren had never seen before, but Trace explained that they purchased the pair in Uian last winter on their return trip.

It was dawn, and the two of them were waiting by the wagons for everyone else to show up. A small convoy of soldiers were going to accompany them to both keep them safe and provide extra security during the meeting, which was King Jade's idea. Barret was the first one to walk over, his makeshift armor having been unceremoniously tossed into the scrap pile he had pulled it from a few days ago. Trace had apologized profusely every day since, and though he did have an plan, he didn't tell Barret what he was doing. There was a drowsy silence between the three of them, and the sounds of the night were fading away with the chorus of chirping morning birds.

King Adelaide was the next to arrive, with Telk following in her wake. Telk looked half asleep still, but Jade was wide awake, a smile on her face. "Well, aren't you a cheerful bunch of morning folks?"

Barret smirked as he leaned on the cart. "There's a distinct lack of coffee right now. Trace doesn't wake up until cup number two at least."

Trace blinked a few times, staring into the distance before his brain actually processed what was said. "Hey… that's… fair." Rubbing the last bits of sleep away from his face, Trace stretched his arms up over his head, glancing over as Richard walked over with Sythe and a few Ishtaer in tow. "Well, I think that's everyone."

Tossing a leather bag up onto the cart, Sythe suppressed a yawn. "Next time we need to go somewhere, we're waiting until the sun is up first."

"Well, settle in. It's a four day trip there on foot, maybe half a day less on horseback." Richard said with a smug look on his face. He tried to look wide awake, but turned away to try and hide a yawn. It did not work. Barret rolled his eyes, before hopping up onto the front of the cart. Agile as ever, he was easily the most graceful when it came to boarding the wagon, as Keiren stumbled trying to get a foothold on one of the wagon wheel spokes. Jade didn't have any issues at all, but she was so large that it was practically a single step up into the cart, which creaked beneath her weight. Richard helped Zen up, who then pulled Trace up. It didn't take long for the rest of the entourage to make ready to go, and Richard took the reigns at the front of the cart next to Sythe.

Scattered among the five other carts were seven other Ishtaer, including Anriea, a few Keidrans and Basitins, including Lynn, as well as a few humans. Most of the people traveling weren't actually necessary, but Trace had convinced them to come along just to show that Edinmire was backed by every race and people, and to simply add to their numbers. Safety was a major concern for everyone these days, and while numbers may not deter attacks, more eyes watching for danger was sure to help. Still, Trace and Keiren were picky about who was actually coming, with those they chose being bureaucrats, scribes, and a few prominent members from the Merchant's Guild. Individually they represented power, knowledge, wealth, and authority, but together they all represented one thing: balance. None would be held in higher regard over the rest, and they all knew the likely danger they were going toward, but it was a risk they were willing to take.

Telk vaulted up onto a nearby horse, his steel armor rattling as he took his place at the front of the column. Glancing back over his shoulder, he looked at the collection of travelers. Six carts, twenty horses, and seventy people, who ranged from guards and soldiers to diplomats and dukes. Gently urging the horse forward, they marched through the still sleepy city with ease, and left just as most people were waking up. Barret glanced back at the city behind them, and smirked. "You know, for my whole life, I've spent my life on the move. I never would have thought that I would see the day when I feel sad to be on the move again. Spending three weeks here has made it feel just a bit like home."

Trace glanced over, groggy, but grinning widely. "We won't be gone long. They'll still be here when we get back. And you know that my home is always open to you, no matter what happens."

"I know, but I've never felt at home before. It just feels strange to have somewhere that I feel like I belong." Barret shook his head with a smile, turning his head back to the road ahead. "I know that I'll be back on the road again someday. It's just my nature to wander. I can't stay still, and I know that Haelith wants to go with me wherever our path leads."

"Well, you'll have to come back sometimes." Sythe said as he leaned back. "People here have come to respect you, and your story has spread like wildfire through the city."

Barret frowned at that. "I'm not looking for recognition or fame. I did what I needed to for the people that trusted me."

"I understand how you feel." Jade said from the back. "You did only what you saw was necessary, what you needed to do to survive. And you did more than just survive, you thrived. And it's made you something of a living legend. You did not want to, but you made a name for yourself. Similarly, I was never given a chance to be anything but a legend. It was thrust upon me by nature of who I am, and I embraced it, made it my own. You could do the same thing, taking the stories that already follow you and embrace them, make them who you are."

"No." was his simple, quick response. "I have no inclination or aspiration to be anything more than I am now. Haelith did not fall in love with a legend but with a ranger. She does not love me because of what I have become but because of who I am." No one could think of a response, so they fell to silence as the city shrunk behind them. North they went along the road, slowly passing through the forest. The day was warm, quiet, and peaceful, with gentle white clouds rolling overhead as they traveled. Smooth was their path, which was a welcome reprieve from the chaos they had grown so used to.

They did not stop until evening, when they made camp just off the road in the forest, with a complete night watch schedule. Fires were made, tents pitched, and food enjoyed by all. Trace watched as the man he once knew seemed to melt away, his friend still looked uncomfortable, but was talking with several people about himself, and asking about them in return. He nudged Richard with his elbow and nodded at Barret. "He wasn't like this a few months ago. He's really changed."

Richard simply rolled his eyes. "We all have. That's life. It just took you until now to notice. Everything is different now, and we have to adapt to it."

"I know that, but I just never expected him to change this much. He leaves for a few months and comes back as someone entirely new. He's engaged now, he has people, he's a leader, he's a warrior. Change is inevitable, I know that, but of all the people in the world, I would have expected him to change the least."

"Oh, really?" Richard rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "I would have said the same thing about you last year. I knew you before you lost your memories, and I know the atrocities the former Trace did. If you can change, why can't he? If you can turn your life around entirely, why can't he change too? Why can't all?"

Trace was quiet. "When did you become wise?"

"It took a lot of time and a lot of patience." Richard stared into the depths of the fire, the light casting shadows that danced across his face, but while he looked ahead, his mind was clearly elsewhere. "It took me finding someone that was worth growing wise for."

"Speaking of, why didn't Raine come with us? She always seems to know more than she lets on about what's going on in the world."

Richard didn't answer right away, still watching the flames dance in the small pit. "She's been working through some things recently. The Sentinels really shook her, more than she cares to admit. It's taken a lot for her to not panic constantly. Remember that she grew up secluded. Her mind works very differently than ours, and when things go wrong, she has a tendency to let her mind spiral out of control. It didn't help that she saw Aru-" He stopped very suddenly, turning away. "Forget about it. She just had to stay back."

Trace didn't like that he was hiding something. "Hey, I thought we were friends. What's going on with Raine?"

"Forget about it. That's her secret to share, not mine." An awkward silence came between them until Barret wandered his way over after the sun had fully set. "Nice to see you opening up a bit. What were you talking about?"

"Oh, not much." he said as he sat down across from Trace. "Mostly they asked about my journey and about Haelith. It's no secret we're engaged, but I wish people would stop asking all the same questions. I don't know how many of them asked what our plans were. Even I don't know that. We haven't really talked about it."

"Ideally, what do you want it to look like?" Trace asked, leaning back.

Barret was quick to answer. "I want to find somewhere we can settle down, far away from the worries of the world. She deserves a life of happiness, not the life of a wanderer."

"Have you considered that she would be happy to go with you?" Richard kicked his feet up to the side, laying down on his back to stare at the stars. "She seemed quite happy to just be near you, and she went willingly with you when you left in the spring."

Frowning, Barret shook his head. "Sure, but the life I have led up until last fall was that of isolation and hardships. I had never slept in a bed until Lyn'Knoll. I had not known what it was like to sleep indoors until then. Even still, I'm used to being on the move. I would much rather have had us keep going today than stopping so early. As a wanderer, my life is not one of luxury or safety. I find food, I find water, I find shelter, and if I don't, I die. That's not the life for her. She deserves better than that."

A pause filled the conversation, but then Trace smiled. "What if she's happy to go with you, wherever that may be? I know that I would go anywhere with Flora, and she would do the same for me. We are happy in our home, but if she needed to go anywhere, I would be right by her side. I don't know Haelith all that well, but she seems very happy to spend as much time as possible with you. She would go to the ends of the world if you went with her."

"I know, and I know that she would be happy with me wherever we are, but I feel like it's my duty to make her as happy as possible. I swore that I wanted to see her smile every day. It's hard to keep smiling when there's a thunderstorm overhead and you have nowhere to take shelter. It's hard to stay happy when you're caught in a blizzard with no food or heat. It's hard to see the good in the world when you have to keep moving every day, when you can't slow down and enjoy it. I never had the time to really think about it. I just want what's best for her, no matter where or what it may be."

Richard grinned as he reach around behind the log he was laying on, pulling up a thin blanket. "She was willing to go with you into the unknown, ready to leave everyone she had known just because she felt a connection with you. That should tell you everything you need to know about her. She'll be happy wherever you two are."