Fantasy The Coming of Two Kingdoms

[Eonivar]

Rhonin nodded and listened, his eyes lighting up some at the mention of a large celebration around a fire. He tilted his head slightly when she seemed to stir, remembering her expression for future reference.

Upon her suggestion to go into the city, he held up a hand. "One moment." He focused on the picture, and made some final scratches, and signed his Ruvian Rune to it. It was an R symbol with owl features. (Ruvian script is similar to a mixture of Greek Letters, Chinese Characters, and Egyptian Hieroglyphics) "There" He stood up and picked up his completed picture. "My first gift to you Sevora Ellloris Aserys, my fiance and wife to be. A drawing of the first time we laid eyes on each other and met in the throne room. Our first meeting preserved for posterity so our children and our children's children will know what we looked like when we first met." The detail was extraordinary, it was the two of them gazing at each other in the throne room just as she remembered it. His hair was down in Ruvian fashion and not bound as it was now. The look on his face was wondrous and entrancing.

Rhonin handed her the picture, took her her hand in both of his. "I will go, and get settled into my room, check my gear, check on my parents and the Wedding negotiations, bathe, and change clothes." He paused a moment. "I will meet you in the courtyard, in say, about three hours?" He gazed at her with a radiant smile on his face, he did not want to let her go, but he knew that they would be together again in a few hours. "Until later Sevora." He let her go and proceeded back, he was joined by his Royal Guard Nevri once he reached the bridge, she could see them through a window chatting in Ruvian back toward their quarters as they crossed the bridge.

 

[Silverwings]

Sevora smiled, gazing at the picture. She adored it. The amount of detail he put into it in such a short amount of time. It was wonderous. It was then she decided that she wished to preserve it. Taking to another part of the tower, that was one of the three floors of library. Sevora took out a book that was more of a journal than anything else and gently placed the drawing inside. The book itself was larger than the paper Rhonin had drawn on, meaning that the priceless art piece wouldn't be damaged by the book.

She smiled and made her way to her quarters, thinking of her groom-to-be, and what a wonderous person he was. It had only been a few short hours and already, Sevora felt an incredible attraction to him. As if their bonding was meant to be. With a softly hummed lullaby, the princess dressed into something to go into the town, taking her hair down to brush it out. Her hair alone took a few hours to brush and re-braid, this time taking a silk sash to wrap around it. This was to keep the dirt and dust out of her hair while she was out. By the time she was finished with her hair, putting it in a bright blue sash woven around her hair, ending with a bow and only the top of her hair visible, it was time to meet the prince in the courtyard.

Sevora made her way to the courtyard, wearing, now, a light green dress with an olive trim. She wore on her hip a pouch, having made a habit of donating money to those in need with every visit she made to the city. She was excited to show Rhonin her home in greater detail than a simple passing by. As she waited, Sevora brought one of the many flowers to her face to smell them. Her personal favorite. Lavender.

 

[Eonivar]

About three and a half hours later, Rhonin emerged into the warm sunlight of the late afternoon, clean, changed, and refreshed. He wore brown leather trousers, a white shirt of linen, a green leather vest, a sturdy pair of black leather boots and belt, and a green hooded cloak of light and breathable material. Normally in this warm weather, with their warm blood a Ruvian would wear less than this. Often males and females going shirtless and wearing a skirt or trousers or shorts with scandals. But given the lessons learned recently from Sevora on Artesian culture, Rhonin opted for more coverage with light as possible material for both him and Nevri who walked behind him as they entered the courtyard, her dark green eyes ever watchful. She wore chain mail and brown cloak of the Royal Guard. Belted at their waists were longswords and their Ruvian Long Daggers. It was a dagger that was about a foot long, not quite a short sword, and not quite a dagger. It was a traditional Ruivan weapon used as a tool and weapon either main hand alone or as an off-hand paired with the longsword.

Rhonin had faithfully rearranged his hair to match what Sevora had done earlier. He had an impressive memory for such things.

He looked somewhat upset when he emerged into Sevora's sight, his mouth was a thin line of worry. He seemed to be obvious to what was going on around him like he was thinking something out.

 

[Silverwings]

"Is everything alright, Rhonin?" Sevora asked as she turned her head to greet him. She had been smiling before, but now, her face showed worry more than anything. While she had been excited, she had nothing on her mind but the well-being of her groom-to-be, "What seems to trouble you?"

It wasn't something all Asterians could do. Sevora alone simply picked up on others' feeling and emotions all too easily. It was almost a second nature to her. This allowed her to know how someone may be feeling with a simple glance.

 

[Eonivar]

Rhonin looked up at Sevora, his violet eyes meeting hers, then looking down to think, and turning to exchange a glance with Nevri who just nodded at him. Rhonin then stepped up to stand beside Sevora, to speak in a hushed tone so no one else would hear.

"We received a Stormcrow from home..." Stormcrows are super intelligent corvids that were used by the Ruvian as messengers and scouts. "Reena reports that there is a group of dissenters back home in Ruvio who is spreading information regarding our marriage. They are claiming that that there is no need for our union and that our marriage will subjugate the Ruvian and the will of Ruvan to the Asteria. They are not violent yet, but there has been some word that they are threatening to attempt to kill you if you should step into Ruvian territory."

Rhonin looked up to gaze at Sevora, his eyes finding comfort in the shape of her face and hair. "The worst of it was that my father was not going to tell me of this, but was persuaded by Master Pallas to do so. I am twenty-four cycles old, he has involved me in the running of our nation since I was twelve, its been five years since I became an adult and a rare chosen of Revan. I endured pain beyond anyone can know to be given the gifts of Revan, and yet it is as if he does not trust me because I have been gone and 'have changed' per his words."

Rhonin's hands were clenched into fists. Sevora could feel a lot of hurt from him...anger, frustration, intensity. The Ruvian passion and emotion that he had mentioned before coming out. His body and stance were tense. He looked away and down again unsure of what else to say.

 

[Silverwings]

Sevora's usual soft features turned, showing more worry. She could feel the anger and frustration coming from the prince. Her points ears fell back. What was she to say to that? The father of her groom to be was willing to withhold this information that she could be killed. This hurt her deeply.

"It would start a war," She said softly. "Perhaps we could send caravans ahead, that they may become confused which was the real one. We have only known each other one day and already-"

She took a deep shakey breath in an attempt to calm her own nerves. Her once calm demeanor now showed nervousness as she played with her own hands. She wished to continue the marriage, wanting to unite their people and end the savage wars. This would prove to be truly difficult.

"Let's take to the city to clear our minds for the moment," She suggested, "Give ourselves time to think this over more before discussing it further. I do believe my father should know about this, but I do believe telling him may result in the marriage being called off. Personally, I would have this information delayed. "

 

[Eonivar]

Rhonin nodded at the suggestions and words. "He actually was going to tell your parents first about this. The last thing he wants to do is start another war. I believe he and Master Pallas is meeting with your mother and father now on the matter. It's just that I am worried about you, the situation, and his seeming lack of trust in me."

He sighed a moment, looked down at himself, and unbelted his sheathed longsword, and handed it to Nevri. "Nevri, I do not like using swords anymore, I had not had a chance to tell you. I know it is very much a Ruvian tradition but, I do not feel comfortable with this anymore, swords are killing weapons, I am not in a situation that I need to kill. I also do not want to appear threatening. " At Nevri's concerned look. Rhonin spoke more, Nevri was the older sister he never had and he acted with her as such. "Nevri, I can defend myself if have to, Master Pallas has taught me many things including different ways on how to fight and defend myself." Nevri, seemingly convinced, nodded silently, the oddly silent Ruvian seemed intrigued by this by the look on her face, but she saluted and went to give the sword to one of the other Royal guards. Sevora suspected the Royal Guard would bring it up with Rhonin at a later time.

Rhonin looked back up at Sevora. Her presence was very calming to him, even though he could tell she was distressed by his news. There was an awkward quiet moment there. He thought of something that would please Sevora. "My mother liked my hair. She liked that it showed my face more." He gave a light smile. "She was going to talk to your mother about getting her hair styled in Asterian fashion for the wedding. Of all the people in my life, I did not think she would like it, but she did. I do not think my father even noticed it." He seemed to calm even more. "As soon as Nevri returns we can leave."

 

[Silverwings]

"I am glad your mother liked your hair," Sevora said with a soft smile, "I think you look lovely with your hair back."

She seemed pleased to hear that his mother would want her hair styled in an Asterian way for the wedding. She seemed to pause for a moment before taking his hand, "Would you like to know more about me? My favorite flower is this one we have around the courtyard. Lavender. I love the smell, and I think they're very pretty. Do you have a favorite flower, my dear prince?"

"Perhaps we could have our wedding decorated with both of our favorite flowers?" She said hopefully. She loved the idea of having flowers at every table and every seat. If she had the choice, the wedding decor would be lavender and blue orchids. White with light blue and dark blue accents. She found this to be most beautiful.

 

[Eonivar]

Her touch once again seemed to set him at ease. He remembered Pallas teaching him to meditate or exercise or do something constructive when he would get his emotions up like this. Usually, it took a bit of time for him to settled down but with Sevora, her touch seemed to put him at ease quicker than anything else.

His hand was warmer than before, but it started to cool with her touch. He was warm in the late summer heat, and it was warmer here in Asteria than it gets in the Obsidian Mountains of Ruvio. He wished he could strip down to just his pants and wear his sandals as he would at home during the summer, but he knew that did not seem acceptable here. With her cool touch, he just wanted to wrap himself around her coolness, but he sensed that they were not quite at that stage of their relationship, it still has only been half a day so far. And despite the little time they had spent together, she seemed like they had known each other for years. And that puzzled him.

"I like Lilies. I have seen many, many types in my travels. They grow everywhere, they smell wonderful, and they come in many colors. I like all the colors."

He reached under his cloak and she realized that he had a worn and sturdy leather bag slung over his shoulder and hanging along his waist. He reached in and pulled out a wide book. "You will like this. I have a special book I made where I have taken single flowers from the places I have found and preserved it in a book. Not just Lilies but there are quite a few in there. Revan's gifts give me a way to keep them from fading. Plants and flowers come from the earth and ground, and Revan's gifts give me influence over plants and flowers." He opened the book with her looking next to him and she saw flowers of many colors and types, flattened and pressed into the book, but their colors had never faded. Next to each flower, she saw a written record in ancient elven which she could read as well as the Ruvian Glyphs. Each had a date, time, and a brief description of the place he picked the flower at. His handwriting was extraordinary. There were also other notes here and there regarding other plants he saw or funny comments or phrases in non-elven languages.

"I was planning on finding a flower native to Asteria and put in my book. You can borrow it and read it if you like. I know we will be together for a long time, so you can also help me find more flowers to put in it. I was just thinking about when I would get mad or emotional Master Pallas would tell me to meditate or exercise or do something creative. This was one of my creative endeavors. Of course, what is really interesting, my Princess and bride to be, is that your touch calms me faster than any of those other methods did."

 

[Silverwings]

"I know the perfect flower for your book," She said with a smile, "It is in the city square. I can pick one for you while we tour the city."

She looked through the book, enjoying every plant he had preserved, "These are beautiful, Rhonin. I would love to further your collection."

She smiled more as he told her how she calmed him, "I am glad I can calm you. I would hope I can help you and care for you for all of our days."

She giggled softly, looking anywhere but his face, a light blush on her cheeks. She meant what she said but still she felt flustered saying it. She of course spoke few words but when she did speak it was always from the heart. Sevora looked up at him once more. It is strange, She thought, It is as If I've known him my whole life. She felt comfortable around him, at ease and happy. Not just content or satisfied. Truly happy.

 

[Eonivar]

Nevri returned, pausing a moment to look at the couple standing and holding hands in the courtyard gazing at each other, a small smile formed on the Ruvian Royal Guard's face. She then walked up and spoke to both of them. Her voice was unique, it sounded quiet, almost a whisper, but could be heard clearly. She bowed and addressed first Sevora, then Rhonin next, because they were in Asteria and Sevora was the ranking noble. "Your Royal Highness, my Prince, I am pleased to report that despite the news from Ruvio, the Wedding is still happening and their Majesties are determined to continue to forge a permanent alliance between our two peoples as Asteria and Rovan wish through your marriage bond. They will discuss more at breakfast tomorrow. They assume that you will be having dinner in the city."

She paused and looked at Rhonin, "Oh, and my Prince, Master Pallas asked me to check if you have your staff with you?"

Rhonin nodded. "Yes Nevri, I do."

Nevri seemed very confused as Rhonin did not have a staff on his body but accepted his answer.

Rhonin turned to Sevora. "We are ready to go."

 

[Silverwings]

Sevora smiled for the information the guard provided. It pleased her to hear that her father would still allow the marriage. She had truly feared that the talk of a group conspiring against her would cause the man to distrust the Ruvian family. That he may blame them for this. Sevora gasped lightly, her gentle hands tightening slightly around Rhonin's, "Oh, Thank you! I am delighted to hear this. I was worried my father would be upset about this. He's always be protective of me. He used to never let me out on my own in the city."

She giggled at the memory of her father's constant worrying. She knew why he would be concerned, but in her own home city there wasn't much to worry about. The people loved her, "Shall we continue then? I thought maybe we could walk since the city is only down the path from the palace, or we could take horses if you prefer."

As she spoke she began to lead the prince, hand in his, down the marble path. About half way between the castle and the palace wall, she stopped by a small path that veered off to the right. It was well hidden by the cherry blooms, "The stable is this way, if you would prefer a ride into the city."

Looking down the path, the stable was easy to see, though in passing no one would ever notice the seemingly small structure. It was easily over shadowed by the massive castle, making it unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. Still, from where they stood, several horses of varying sizes and colors filled a pasture that branched off from it, as well as the reindeer that the Ruvian caravan had come in on. The horses would seem either curiously sniffing at the larger creatures, or completely disinterested in them, "I could show you my horse. His name is Eclipse. He's a big horse but he's a sweetheart."

 

[Eonivar]

Rhonin inclined his head in agreement and they proceeded to walk down the path hand in hand, Nevri trailed behind them.

"Traditionally the Ruvian do not approve of horses. They associate them with your people and as of recently unfortunately that association is negative. Particularly after the last war. I, myself, in my journey with Pallas, have ridden horses." He glanced back in concern, noting his Royal Guards apprehension as they came closer to the horses. "Sevora, I suspect Nevri will not be comfortable. She did fight in the last war, and many of her friends and family were killed by Artesian knights on horseback, and to be fair she killed a fair number of Artesians herself. Thus is the horrible nature of war, if it does not break people physically, it breaks their minds and emotions, many times it does both. And healing takes time, it has not been long enough for Nevri and many others. How far is it from here to the City? Is walking viable? I think walking would be preferable than riding into town, but if it is not, we can make do."

Rhonin was quiet a moment, listening to the buzzing insects of the late summer. " I still would like to meet Eclipse, and I can show you Niemi, my reindeer, he's young and recently trained, I have just started to get to know him. I did not take a mount when Pallas and I journeyed, we started our journey by boat via the river, and then on a ship on the big salt waters. Later on, we acquired horses, although sometimes we walked or rode in caravans."

 

[Silverwings]

"It is walking distance," Sevora nodded, "It is only a few minutes to walk to the city. Why dont I introduce you to Eclipse? We don't have reindeer here. All we have are horses, unfortunately. Your reindeer are incredible. We do have very very small horses. "

She giggled a bit, "We call them Shetland ponies. They're no bigger than a direwolf really. About hip height. But then we have very large horses. Technically they're meant for labor. Pulling work carts or plowing fields. Midnight is a work horse. Or he was suppose to be."

She took the prince into the stable, where several horses relaxed in their stable. She had spoken the truth on their sizes. The was a small horse of a golden color which bore a white blaze on its face and mane the color of sand. The horse seemed to be completely uninterested in the people coming into the stables as it turned to eat, "That is Vagas. He's a moody old horse. I was first taught to ride on him. He is actually gentle and wouldn't hurt a fly. That is Jyra. She's a race horse, she belongs to the royal messenger."

Sevora pointed to a tall, long legged horse of thin stature. It was a reverse dapple Bay colored horse. Her interest seemed to be solely on the prince as she reached from the gate to him, "She's a curious one. I think she wants your attention."

As the prince approached the horse, Sevora turned to another stable, leading a large black and white horse out. It was thick and towered over her. His mane was a grayish white and was long enough to cover a good portion of its massive neck, "This is Eclipse. Isn't he gorgeous? I begged my father to buy him. He was lame and so the stable owner just outside the city was going to put him down. I've since nursed him to health."

 

[Eonivar]

Nevri stopped at the entrance to the stable and went over to the pasture where the reindeer were grazing, several of the reindeer recognized her and went over to her. Rhonin noted Nevri's actions and walked in with Sevora. Rhonin smiled at the introductions and went over and patted Eclipse on the nose. He clearly had worked with horses before. "He is beautiful. It is very nice of you to have saved him. He seems good to me, and his disability appears that it could be rehabilitated with some work. He is lucky to be here. We have a few like him at home that we are partial to and saved even though they are unable to do normal work. Usually, they are placed back in the herd, and the herds are always watched over."

"Do you ride often? I do not ride as much as I used to before I went on my journey. I used to ride every day, but I found that I liked it more to walk these days and really take in my surroundings."

 

[Silverwings]

Sevora smiled as she listened to Rhonin speak. Eclipse, on the other hand, sniffed at the prince, nipping at his hair in some form of approval of him before nodding his head playfully. Sevora giggled, "I think he likes you."

She patted his neck before leading him to the pasture, letting him graze. Sevora looked around at the reindeer, "Which one is yours? I dont ride as often as I should. But when I do, im running outside of the city in the forest. It is relaxing. I go to this meadow out there. Perhaps we can go together some time."

 

[Eonivar]

"Revan's influence gives me some affinity with beasts. I never understood it much myself." He grinned. "I am the person if you walk into a room with a cat, the cat will go to me first. Do you have cats here too?" He looked around the pasture and pointed to a reindeer whose antlers were not quite as impressive as some of the others. "That's Niemi."

Niemi looked up at his name, saw him, and sauntered over to him. It was tall up close. He patted the massive beast's nose and scratched behind its ears, speaking in Ruvian sweetly to it, before switching back to ancient elven. "Say 'Hi' Niemi, this is Sevora." The reindeer looked at Sevora and nuzzled her arm with his massive nose. "Yeah, he is a good kid. Likes to splash in the water when we are crossing it, and then wave his antlers about to spray everyone. I swear my parents need to learn to laugh again. Doesn't he Niemi?"

Niemi stepped into him and nuzzled him, nearly bowling Rhonin over.

 

[Silverwings]

Sevora giggled, watching the beast nearly plow through the prince. There was something about seeing the man be so good with animals that made the princess feel closer to him. She adored the interaction between the two, "We have cats. We have all sorts of animals here. In fact we keep cats in the castle to chase off pests. They do a good job of it."

Sevora cautiously reached to pat the reindeer, finding it to simply be a gentle giant, like her own horse, "Shall we tour the city then? I can take you to see the farming district. They have all sorts of animals there."

As she spoke, Sevora continued to pet the reindeer. It wasn't far from the gently giant that was running around playing with the other horses now. She smiled, watching the horse have his fun, "Do you keep dogs in Ruvio? There are some that roam the city but I've never been close to one."

 

[Eonivar]

He nodded at her response to go. "We have dogs. In the northern reaches of the Obsidian Mountain where the Danu clan resides, Nevri's clan, they breed and raise dogs to pull sleds around in the snow. 'Danu dogs' as we call them, are a domesticated wolf, large and furry. Very loyal and work well in packs and teams. They are also excellent trackers and scent dogs. On the lake, moors and hills of the lands of the Jorash, where I am from, we work with a lot of cattle and herds of various sorts, reindeer, sheep, all sorts of cattle, and we have a variety of dogs that help our shepherds tend their herds, like the diminutive Pemmy dog or the Ruvian Sheep dog. The other regions and clans have various dogs of their own they work with."

Rhonin's stomach growled. "Why don't we move on into the city, I am getting hungry." He patted Niemi one more time and then waved over to Nevri to follow along and waiting for Sevora to lead the way.

 

[Silverwings]

Sevora smiled, "Oh of course. There's a bakery in the city. He makes the most delicious bread and its always fresh. There's also a butcher in town who sells cured meats. I like to visit both to make delicious sandwiches. And they're so friendly too."

As she spoke, she led the way out of the stable and out of the palace. As they passed through the gate, the whole city could be seen down a marble path that curved and twisted. On the right, closer to them was a much larger platform than the lower one that the Ruvian caravan had to pass through to get to the palace. This area was off the path a little bit, meaning you wouldn't have to pass through the busy streets to get to and from the palace itself. The view from the path was that of a black stone brick church of sorts with a large statue of Asteria, watching over an equally large cemetery, and a bunch of houses with a tower peeking out in the very back.

"Welcome to Asteria's main plaza," Sevora said as they walked down the street. People stopped and bowed or curtsied to the princess, while others glared at the prince.

 

[Eonivar]

Rhonin walked along with Sevora, taking in the scenery learning the paths in case he needed to go down them himself one day. When they reached the main plaza, he looked over the fair-haired and fair-skinned Asterian people, going about their business in the plaza.

Nevri watching carefully had silently stepped up to stand beside Rhonin. Her hand unconsciously resting on the pommel of her sheathed sword under her cloak so no one would see it.

Rhonin resisted the urge to raise his hood over his head as he has done when traveling in foreign lands and he knew he would stand out. Two dark-haired, darker-skinned souls in a tide of light colors. He placed his hand on Nevri's shoulder as a comfort to relax her some. There was an unspoken word between them, an understanding. She relaxed some and nodded that she would be ok. Rhonin removed his hand from her shoulder and stepped next to Sevora. He watched them as they gazed at their Princess with love in their eyes, but he also saw the disdain, and in some utter contempt for him. It saddened him greatly but deep down inside he understood how they felt.

His violet eyes gazed around. He spoke to Sevora. "It takes time for wounds to heal, with our people's history it may take centuries if we are lucky to not war amongst each other anymore. There is no instant relief. Everyone is different, everyone deals with loss in their own way, in their own time. As much I as I would love to somehow bring my brother back, I would love to bring every single loved one lost to the people here and in Ruvio. But such magic does not exist. All we have left is their memories. The best thing we can do is stop it all, end the bloodshed, mourn our dead, and learn to live our lives with only their memories."

 

[Silverwings]

"I believe they will come to love you. It may take time. They have distrust in you now, but I am sure they will one day look at you with the same kindness they give me," Sevora said softly as she stopped in what seemed to be a small gazebo style plaza. Above it was a waterfall that began nowhere and ended several feet about the ground. Small crystals hovered around the water, giving it a mystical light, "Would you like to see the farming district, or the market district?"

 

[Eonivar]

"The market sounds great, I am starving! Let's go there and then Then we can look at the farming district. I would like to visit the church. As of the last five years, Asteria has interested me, and I think I got that from spending many years with Master Pallas. After being in the presence of, chosen by, and even having a conversation with Rovan, I have gotten the impression that he and Asteria are related in some way, it could be that that is just the way we feel the gods, that they are all related just because of our perception of them. But I always thought there was something more to Asteria and Rovan in particular. Before I was chosen and given these tattoos and powers, I wanted nothing to do with Asteria. Who would want to have anything to do with the Goddess of whose people killed your own? But now, I have been given these gifts and been able to see things from outside the Elven realms, I changed and now want to know more of her. Did you know that aspects of Asteria and Rovan are worshiped by the other races? They may have different names but through my gifts, I was able to sense and realize that they are the same gods, with a different appearance. And they are often worshipped together. For example, the Dwarves revere Asteria's aspect as the Goddess of the moon and stars, just as much as Rovun's aspect of the earth and their forges." He continued walking alongside Sevora.

"Also knowing more of her will give me more knowledge of you and your people, perhaps I can even address it as "our people" eventually, but I think if I said that here now it would not be well received."

 

[Silverwings]

Sevora smiled and looked to the prince. She grew up with a similar feeling, that their gods were related in some way. Reading all the books she could, Sevora had noticed that not a single one was of just one of the two gods. They were always recognized together, "I think you will like the church. It is beautiful inside."

She began to lead the way to the market district, which was far busier than the rest of the city. People were everywhere. Children ran and played in the street. Women carried baskets of clothes, fruit, and other odds and ends. Men who were hired as laborers carried sacks and crates. The massive amount of people made it apparent thst this part of the city was not meant for travel by horse or wagon. There were several stalls in the street with men and women selling trinkets and jewelry as well as fabric and more. Buildings that lined the streets were shops selling all sorts of goods. On one side, the inventor lived near the center plaza that the princess and prince had just stood in, followed by the butcher, who displayed fresh cured meats in his shop window, and then the baker, who displayed cakes, pies, and cookies in his window as well as his freshest loaves of bread. One the other side of the street was an armored, displaying a lovely, intricately carved steel armor set, the laborer housing which was simply a very large house where men would stay at if they had no home so they would be sheltered while they work. There was also a blacksmith and an enchantress on the street as well.

"Try not to get lost," Sevora laughed, having to talk louder over the roar of people, "Nevri, you may want to stay closer. The people here might accidentally separate us if you don't."

 

[Eonivar]

Rhonin looked around, recognizing the usual parts of a market place. It reminded him a lot of many other marketplaces he had visited in other lands. Same but different. It was alive, it was like everywhere else, people trying to live and survive and raise their families in peace. Rhonin like the movement, liked the chatter, the play, the work, the laughter. And yet...

Nevri tapped him on the shoulder and pointed and whispered in Ruvian. "Look over there" A group of Asterians, maybe laborers, started holes at Rhonin and Nevri. Dark stares, they had perhaps been veteran of the war. Rhonin also noticed Asterian soldiers watching them carefully from several positions. He spoke to Nevri. "City Watch. Four corners." Nevri's green eyes glanced around and she nodded.

Rhonin and Nevri continued to follow a single file through the streets. Switching back the Ancient Elven tongue, "We are behind you, your Royal Highness."

The others continued to watch and stare. Despite Sevora's optimism Rhonin still had concerns. He did not say anything though and continued to move through the Market.