Fantasy 🐺 What we call home

[Susi]

Right about on the border of Willowood and Grey Mountains stood a little village. After the war with the human race, it had been hidden from sight for several years until the elven magic had worn off as the elf in question had taken her last breath. The village responded to being exposed with squads that regularly scouted the forests as magic had gone scarce these days and concealing their home again was impossible. Protecting the village with a wall around it had been brought to the suggestion table as well, but with no support as the elven folk were known for their connection to the surrounding wilderness.

The village itself spread wide around the main cottage, which was notably larger than the rest and had beautiful flowers on the front. It belonged to the village elder, an old man with grey hair and wise eyes. Next to his house was the flower shop, inn, bakery, and clothier, each marked with a wooden sign. More houses came after and a small sand path followed the line of cottages all the way to the lake further away. Flower patches were everywhere and tall birch trees gave shade from the sun. To the right of the village elder's house was the newly established building for the scouting party. It didn't even have a proper name yet, but it was busy as elves rushed in and out the door. The war had left its mark on people and the lost cover of magic didn't put an ease on anyone's mind. Quite the opposite.

The scouting house was led by a young elven male with long, platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He was wearing a jacket made of grey fur, boots of the same material, and white linen pants and shirt. He had tied his hair up on a ponytail. At his footsteps followed a younger male, close to a copy of the former one. Brothers, assumably. The two entered the building, followed by a few others and the door was closed.

Aleksios Quinn had been given his own squad a few weeks ago when he turned twenty. He excelled in archery and the village didn't have a soul who could shoot an arrow better than him. It did make him proud of himself, and not always in a good way, but the elves working with him tolerated it so far. Today the squad was going to reach out beyond Willowood, towards the areas taken by humans in the war. it wasn't safe exactly, but Aleksios was ambitious. The younger blonde elf stood beside Aleksios and gave him a worried look. He wasn't as steel-nerved as his brother and wasn't sure if going so far away was a good idea at all. Nooa was sixteen and gifted with healing magic. It was the only reason he was allowed to be in the scout group. This time though Aleksios told him to stay home.

Later that day Aleksios and his squad ventured forth. They would search the Willowood and advance further to the unknown territory.

 

[Scripted Away]

Willowood was somewhat the natural border seperating the elven territory from the human grounds, and so most people avoided to get too close. They had won the war about 23 years ago and, as if to mock the beaten elves, had founded the village Khrais right where they had slain so many of them, but as time had passed and the people had settled into a normal life again, they had figured that entering the forest wasn't worth the trouble it might cause.
'They had been bored', Aspen's adoptive father often said. 'They needed something to get worked up about and so they chose what was the easiest- hating what they don't understand.'
Aspen himself was a changeling, the child of an elf and a human, and although he did share traits with both, he'd mostly grown up like every other regular human being in Khrais, helping his parents in the inn during the evenings.
It was a simple, yet good life, but Aspen recently couldn't help feeling like... Something was missing, somehow...

Just like today.
It was early morning, and although he hadn't even slept for five hours, Aspen was sitting on the roof and watching the sky brighten ever so slowly, his mind everywhere and nowhere.
He had asked his father so many countless questions about his elven mother, about how they lived and what they were like, but the man was clueless, like most humans. It was like he was living the life of a stranger, not quite, but enough to drive him insane the longer he kept sitting there and staring at the treeline of Willowood.
Somewhere out there was a part of what he was he was, a part that was calling for him louder and louder with every passing day.

"I'm sorry, father...", he sighed as he hopped off the roof, landing softly on his toes, barely making a sound. He wondered, was his light-footedness something that came from his elven side? And, from the viewpoint of an elf, were his steps as unberably loud as the ones of humans?
He'd find out.
Even if he had to leave his family and home for it, he would find the elves and hopefully learn about what the half of him he didn't even know himself was craving for so painfully.

"Father?", he called upon opening the entrance door while his gaze was already scanning the room for his father's head of wild, black curls.
"Aspen, is everything okay?"
The sorrow was clear in the older man's voice, it wasn't the first time he had been worrying for the changeling. He knew it all too well.
"You seem so restless lately..."
The half elf sighed silently, he didn't want to hurt his parents, but the call was getting louder and louder, its invisible fingers already wrapped around his heart and dragging it towards the treeline.
"I don't know, I feel like-"
"- you need to go?"
A look of surprise crossed Aspen's face, had it been so obvious?
"I feared this day would come. Even when you were a little boy I had a hard time keeping you away from the forest."

When the sun had passed its highest point around late afternoon, Aspen gave his parents one last, tight hug before he shouldered his light brown linen bag packed with a few simple rolls and a leather flask with water and headed for the Willowood, his heart both light of excitement and heavy from bidding his family goodbye.

 

[Susi]

The scouting party had been searching through the forest for about an hour now finding nothing.
It felt like the whole place was empty, almost like when humans came, someone said and he wasn't too far off. Willowood was a place of peace for elves, but whenever a human treaded the narrow paths, the world would go silent as it had now. Only one little sparrow kept on chirping, as if not understanding why had everyone else left. The woods held a grudge for humankind.

Aleksios gestured for his group to stop, they were nearing the center of the forest. It was marked with a large, ancient tree, or perhaps the rest of the forest had just spread around it. The place was sacred to the elves and with heads down, they now approached the shade of the Tree. Large, heavy leaves hung on low and were needed to be moved aside to enter the room they created. The Tree looked somewhat similar to maple, but then again not, and it had withstood not only the war with humans but many others before it. Alek kneeled down and touched the base of the tree. His group followed his example and for a moment they fell silent.

 

[Scripted Away]

It was an odd silence, almost deafening, that settled over the forest the second Aspen set foot on the narrow path that led deeper into the ocean of trees, lined with brambles, ferns and wild flowers.
He turned, looking around curiously, his steel-blue eyes taking in every bit of his surroundings.
It almost felt like the forest was holding its breath in anticipation, only one lonely little bird kept singing on, on a branch right above his head. A smile crossed his face.
"Hi there", he said softly, "you haven't possibly seen elves around?"
He really hadn't expected anything, but the tiny bird took off its branch and flew off like it wanted him to follow it.
Or maybe he was just interpreting a little too much into it.

Anyway, he took off running after the bird and soon had lost all sense of direction. There was no way in hell he'd ever find his way out of the woods and back to Khrais, even if he wanted.
And so he just walked on, trying to make as little sound as possible but still feeling awfully loud and clumsy here in the silence of the forest.

Soon he found himself at what easily could be the center of the woods - a massive tree somewhere between a maple and a weeping willow.
His heart started to beat faster the closer he got. Something told him this place was special.

Only when he carefully pushed the long, hanging branches out of the way did he notice the group of elves kneeling at its trunk, their heads down like they were praying.
What now, was it okay to speak? To interrupt whatever they were doing there?
In the end, he had to do something if he wanted to talk to them... And so he silently cleared his throat and brushed his long, blonde hair behind his pointy ears so they'd hopefully realize he was one of them... Well, at least partly.
"Uh-...sorry, I-... Could I talk to you for a second?", he finally asked as silently as possible so he hopefully wouldn't startle or anger them.

 

[Susi]

The last two elves closest to the intruder sprang on their feet and raised their weapons, ornate elven swords, the movement spreading to the next two as well.
The one closest to the tree rose and spoke.

"Put your weapons away, this is not the place"

The four obeyed with apologizing looks on their faces and moved aside. Aleksios took a few steps closer and eyed the tall man from head to toe. He was.. really tall and had elven ears but Alek did not know him. The look on his face darkened.

"You carry our features but you're not one of us. Who are you?" he spoke with a cold voice.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen hastily made a small step backwards as four swords were being pointed at him, his heart skipping a beat. It was understandable that the elves had grown weary and distrustful of strangers after the war, but he really meant no harm, on the contrary, he just wanted to learn.
He was just about to lift his hands in the air to show that he was unarmed when the young elf with the platinum hair told them to put their weapons down.

Being eyed from head to toe by the stranger made him feel a little awkward, but it was understandable, probably. He wasn't as lithe as most elves, rather athletic, with broader shoulders, and quite tall.
But the way this elf was staring at him did make him feel quite uneasy.

"My name is Aspen", he spoke quietly as the other questioned who he was.
"I grew up in Khrais, but my mother was one of your people. I came to learn. I feel like... This place had been calling me for so long..."
His steel blue gaze left the elf's face and wandered around for a moment, taking in the beauty of this place.
"I want to know the people my mother was part of. My roots. I've been living among humans until now, but it feels incomplete..."

 

[Susi]

Hearing the name made Aleksios turn his head and look at his group, the name wasn't exactly common in the human world. Aspen... it did make him think about now lost family called Aspenvale. Whether the elves wanted it or not, their thoughts went back to the recently passed away elven mage who had kept the shield up around the village for so many years despite the fact she had become weak and gone blind from old age. The old mage had had a daughter who disappeared during the war and was not heard of since. Everyone knew what humans did to any female captives. Alek was familiar with how the war happened even though he wasn't even born at the time. The Aspenvale family had been the only family with magic for over a hundred years until Aleksios's younger brother had come up with his healing skills. It was new to the Silverwind family and since the magic had just died from the village, there was no one to guide Nooa.

With dark eyes, Aleksios looked at the ridiculously tall halfbreed again.

"Humans are not welcome in these woods. Feel what you want, but that's all you are", the blonde elf almost hissed. How he felt about the intruder was obvious.

One of his group, a shorter and honey-haired woman called Meriel stepped forward and touched the squad leader's hand. Meriel was over thirty already, but Alek showed little respect for her age and pulled his arm away.

"If he truly is an Aspenvale, he should come with us, he might have-..."

"He is not an Aspenvale!", Alek cut her short, sounding furious now. How could they even think of such a preposterous thing! And even if he was... he'd most likely be an outcome of a disgusting crime.

"But look at him, he looks exactly like Lennera, don't you see?!", Meriel tried again when another scout, tall with black hair and beard, Tanel, pulled her back soothing her that Aleksios could not know as the war happened before his birth and he had never met the woman. Lennera was the name of the old lady's daughter and now they seemed to ponder if the connection could be real. They all missed the old lady Aspenvale, not only because of her magic but because she had been like a pillar to the elven village even when her daughter was lost. Everyone missed Lennera too, even if her assumed death had happened years and years ago. Tanel tried to comfort Meriel; Alek was known for his pride for elven heritage and hatred for humankind. The family matter could easily be tested though, and so Tanel suggested that they'd take the half-elven boy with them.

Alek fell silent and took a deep breath. It wasn't like him to lose his temper in front of people. He wasn't a child anymore.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen's gaze flicked forth and back between the elves as they started to discuss about some Aspenvale family. He slightly furrowed his eyebrows, but what occupied his mind more was the enormous hostility of the blonde elven boy.
Had he said something wrong?
Sure, them being weary of humans was more than understandable, but his biological father didn't define who he was. Plus, he was only half human - and half elf. Didn't that count anything?

"I think it's obvious I'm not only human", he said after he'd taken a deep breath to calm down. He had a tendency to be ticked off by prejudices.
The forced calmness was obvious in his voice, but he wouldn't let one hateful elf's comments and his annoyance of rudeness ruin his one chance to finally learn more about the people his mother had been a part of.

When the dark-haired scout with the beard suggested to take him to their village to test whether or not he really was an Aspenvale, he nervously scratched his neck.
How were they gonna test him?
And what would they do if he wasn't who they thought he might be?
And who was Lennara? ...was that what his mother's name had been? They had said he looked like her...
"I'd be glad to prove that my mother was one of you", he said hastily, his heart beating faster. "What do I need to do?"

 

[Susi]

Tanel stepped forward and examined the half elf. He was almost as tall as Aspen, also in his late thirties like Meriel but much more gentle-looking than other other elves under the tree. He remembered Lennara very well, they had been friends in their youth.

"Let me apologise in behalf of our little group", Tanel said warmly and took Aspen's hand on his own, feeling it for a moment. "Yes, you most definitely belong with the woods", he smiled then. "Let me talk some sense to our young leader here."

Aleksios respected Tanel and he knew that right now Tanel was counting on it. Somewhat compliantly he faced the older man: "I will listen".

Tanel smiled. He liked the young elven boy, even if he was sometimes short-tempered. The boy knew how to use the long bow he carried on his back and feared nothing. On the outside anyway. Tanel forgave him his outbursts, putting the blame on his short and sheltered life that had suddenly changed. Even if Aleksios didn't show fear on the outside, Tanel knew it could make even experienced veteran act out.

"I suggest that we take Aspen to the village, I can feel the longing for the woods in him and I vouch for him", Tanel spoke and gestured Aleksios to come closer. "Speak to him, you are the leader of this group."

Aleksios looked at Tanel in disbelief; he couldn't believe Tanel drew the leader card here! Now he had no choice but to comply to not to embarrass himself any more in front his squad. He took the few steps needed with poorly hidden reluctance until he stood right in front of the halfbreed. Trying to fade away even a hint of the hostility from his eyes he looked up to him.

"I apologise for my behavior, this was not the place for it, either", the sentence sounded practised and somewhat fake. "I will-..." Aleksios cut himself short as if the words were too difficult for him to let out. "I will allow you to our village. For now. You will stay in the inn until the elder decides what to do with you. Make no mistake, I will put an arrow in you if you happen to try anything funny."

Tanel smiled again and moved next to Aspen, telling Aleksios that he would walk with the boy. The blonded nodded and took the lead. Meriel walked beside her: "You did the right thing, Alek."

"I may be angry, but I'm no fool, Riel", he replied, sounding slightly apologetic. Tanel's ability to read people was no joke.

 

[Scripted Away]

Being allowed into the village made Aspen feel like a massive load had been taken off his shoulders.
Although he did feel more than just a little awkward watching how the older elf was discussing with the angry guy about him like he wasn't there he remained silent, not wanting to risk losing his chance to see the village.

Things weren't getting better, were they?
The angry elf was standing there in front of him to apologize and once again Aspen was left to wonder what he was supposed to say.
Was he being a little paranoid? ...Maybe.
But if it meant he wouldn't end up being chased out of the forest by a mob of angry elves he'd rather be overly careful than careless.

"I swear, I'm not planning anything funny. As I said, I came to learn, that's all. I just want to know my roots."

He watched in silence as the angry elf took the lead and followed, giving the older elf from before a sheepish side-glance. It was weird, when he had taken his hand it felt like... A connection. And what he had said about feeling his longing for the woods... He was pretty sure that elves did have senses beyond what was human, he himself did have extraordinary senses, much better reflexes and softer steps than any human, and he doubted that was just a coincidence.
As far as he knew some of them did possess magical talents, too, so it wasn't too farfetched to think that this man could... Read his thoughts or feel his feelings or something, right?

"Thank you", he finally spoke up silently as he gave the man a small, warm smile... Unbeknownst to him it was exactly his mother's smile.
"- for vouching for me... I won't disappoint you, I promise. ...May I ask your name, by the way...?"

 

[Susi]

"I am Tanel Winterborn, born in, as you might guess, winter!" Tanel laughed. Even his laugh was warm and his dark eyes sparkled. "The lady in front of us, she's Meriel Amber and beside her our lovely, young Aleksios Silverwind", Tanel gestured and it was obvious his voice had gone slightly softer when he spoke about Riel. The rest of the scouting squad was also named, though Tanel realised Aspen might not remember them all. It was understandable.

"And I vouched for you because you are not lying to us. I don't read minds but I know if I'm lied to", Tanel explained. "And Alek knows that."

The story of those two hadn't started in the best possible way, nor had he had a chance to ask Riel out, both things saddened Tanel greatly.

Few times Aleksios glanced back to see everyone was still with him, until the village finally appeared in front of them. He was still uncertain of letting the outsider in, but Tanel had made it clear it was fine and no harm would be done. Aleksios released his group from duty and then approached the halfbreed as the scouts spreaded around the city.

"Come with me", it wasn't really a suggestion.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen gave Tanel a warm smile as the man introduced himself. His eyes lingered on each scout he named for a moment.
So the angry one's name was Aleksios Silverwind...
The affection for Meriel was obvious in Tanel's voice, and would they have known each other for longer he proudly would have offered the man to help him confess his feelings to her, but as they had only just met that over would probably have been quite inappropriate.

"Tanel, Meriel, Aleksios...", he repeated nodding... And then the forest ended and the elven village appeared in front of him.
It was weird, his head knew that all of this was new to him, but he felt... At home. The flowers, the narrow sand paths, the tall birches... A part of him belonged here, and this part seemed to grow stronger with every hour he spent out here.

An old cottage caught his attention, the wooden walls weathered and overgrown with ivory, the flowers in the small garden withered and crippled. He slightly tilted his head and was jus tabout to go and have a look when he heard angry Aleksios say that he should follow him.
Could the guy do anything without being angry?
He decided to have a look at the flowers sometime later and followed the elf with a short nod.

"Where are we going?", he asked silently while he looked at the blonde boy from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help being impressed- if he had to guess Aleksios was a couple of years younger than him, and still he seemed to have quite the rank here in the village.
But honestly he didn't dare to say more than a couple of words in his presence, so he remained silent, although he was curious how he had become the leader of the scouts. Maybe sometime... If he'd ever stop looking at him like he'd love to goulash his ass.

 

[Susi]

Aleksios led the way towards the large cottage in the middle of the village. He made sure the halfbreed followed him tightly and did not wander on his own. His anger seemed to subside the closer they got to the door and when they finally reached it, Aleksios turned around, his pale eyes meeting with the halfbreed's.

"You will meet our elder here", he spoke calmly, his features visibly softer than before. "If you're permitted to stay, someone will give you a tour afterwards. Any questions?", he then asked.

He didn't believe the elder would turn the outsider away, especially afther what Tanel had said about him, so Aleksios figured he'd just have to tolerate him being around. He also believed that he had maybe experessed himself rather strongly back in the woods and it bothered him. Such a tantrum might have been okay when he was five years old but after just having turned twenty, not so much. It did embarrass him still and he just wanted to get out fo the whole situation. After the halfbreed stepped in the elder's cottage, he'd be none if his problem anymore. He wouldn't have to look at his long, wavy hair or his silly height.

 

[Scripted Away]

Being too curious for his own good it was hard for Aspen to just follow Aleksios without wandering off to see the village. Everything was so different here, unlike Khrais this village seemed to have been built around the trees, in perfect harmony with nature.
A gust of wind from the right stroked his hair like it was welcoming him here like a long lost son returning.
It all felt so foreign, yet familiar.

He came to aprupt stop when Aleksios turned around to face him and almost automatically made a step back. He'd always been a pacifist, and the hostility oozing from the boy made him more than a little uncomfortable.
But he just shook his head at the question.
"I don't think so, no", he spoke. "Oh wait, one- do I need to keep anything in mind regarding meeting the elder? Do I have to bow or something?"

 

[Susi]

Aleksios looked at the other in disbelief. He actually needed to ask that! A thought of making up a silly custom for the halfbreed to learn crossed his mind but as he figured out before, he was a child no longer, so he shook his head.

"Just be polite.. but for the love of the woods, do not prance around his home like you did out here, it's rude", Aleksios said even if he wasn't exactly the person to be giving a lecture of rude behavior. But at least he was in his home, defending it, not poking his nose into someone else's like it was on open display.

"The elder, Belanor, is a fair man", he added and knocked on the heavy white oaken door. The door itself was actually a kind of a pun, the elder's family went by the name Whiteoak and clearly even Aleksios had great respect fo the man.

A voice of an old man answered the knock and Aleksios pushed the door open. He announced the guest, refraining himself from calling Aspen an outsider, or halfbreed in front of the elder, and notified that he would wait outside while the two talked. With that said, he turned and moved out pulling the door shut as he went.

An old figure rose from a wooden armchair; he had shoulder-length grayish white hair and short beard, also gray, but as he stood up, his posture straightened and he looked at his guest with curious eyes. He placed his cup of camomille tea on the table next to him and stepped forwards to greet the boy.

"Welcome, child. I can tell you are full of questions, but why don't you sit here with me first", the old man, Belanor, spoke slowly and tapped another chair by his own.

 

[Scripted Away]

Prance around?
Aspen barely did as much as blink a couple of times, even though he- once again- was internally fuming.
He would have loved to snap something along the lines of the boy's behavior having been rude while he had done nothing but ask to be allowed to learn their customs, but he kept it in, even though it was getting harder with every snappy comment coming from the guy. If he'd go on like this he'd need something against migraine by the end of the day.
But he wouldn't let one guy with a grudge ruin his mood, not now. He just thought back to his short talk with the scout named Tanel. That man really had been likable.

The second he heard the elder's voice answering Aleksios' knock on the door his heartbeat fastened once again and he entered silently after the elf had announced him.

A wave of relief washed over him when the elder- Belanor it was, right?- turned out to seemingly be nothing like the squad leader.
Thank. Good. God.
He didn't know how but the boy managed to push just the right buttons to drive him up the wall. He really needed to watch out not to explode and just... Be above that und of behavior. He really didn't want to mess this up.

"Hello, thank you for seeing me", he said a little sheepishly while he took a seat on the chair Belanor had offered. "Please excuse if I may seem a little awkward right now... I'm just... Nervous..."
Well he hadn't meant to say that out loud...

 

[Susi]

Belanor laughed, it was hearty and loud. Not what you'd expect from a petite man like him.

"Anyone would be after being escorted by Aleksios!", the man said amused but did make an effort to calm himself down. He explained that it was Aleksios's role in the village, just like everyone had theirs. Elven people were kind at heart but ever since the shield had gone down, fear had found it's way into the hearts of the people and they were just trying to find a way to survive.

"Ahh, but now you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, do you..", Belanor stopped himself and paused. "First, do tell me your name, boy", the old man redirected himself.

*
As soon as Alek closed the door behind him he sighed and leaned towards it, slumping on the ground. The event in the woods and back in the village had drained him and right now he just wanted to close his eyes. He had always been interested in elven history but hearing the stories of humans had quickly built a reserve of anger inside of him. Knowing that, the elder had asked him to take the lead in the scouting party, his anger would give the rest of the village the protection it needed.

A cheerful voice interrupted Aleksios's thoughts.

"There you are, Alek!", Nooa beamed and sat beside him. "Are you keeping the elder one locked up in his own house?"

Alek chuckled and it brightened his mood slightly. His little brother knew him well. He told how they had brought a halfbreed in the village to meet with Belanor after Tanel's suggestion and the outsider was now inside.

"You do need someone to show him around after, don't you?", Nooa was quickly on board and willingly promised to be that one if Alek only let him.

"I suppose he could use someone like you after having to deal with someone like me.. But please do pop him with one of your sparkles", Alek spoke and nodded then. Nooa was smart but above anything he was kind and friendly. Nooa laughed and reminded him his 'sparkles' were for healing, not hurting. Alek stood up and left Nooa to wait for the halfbreed.
*

The elder one eyed the half elf curiously, the boy was a dead ringer for Lennara Aspenvale.

 

[Scripted Away]

The elder's explanation of the elven folk being scared since their magic shield had gone down did make Aspen think and reconsider his annoyance of the younger elf. He still saw him as rude and over the top, but at least he could understand him a little better; fear and protectiveness were emotions he was way familiar with; growing up as a changeling among humans came with many attacks on him and his parents, thank God mostly verbally, though.
But Belanor's laughter was contagious and made Aspen crack a small smirk.

"I'm Aspen", he answered the old man's question, feeling much easier around him by now. He had a sense of humor that actually reminded him of his father.
"Aspen VanDalnacreich, that's the name my foster family gave me. They found me under an aspen tree near a small river in Dalnacreich when I was an infant. I was wrapped in a bloodstained dress with an embroidery-..."
He reached into his leather bag to retrieve a small book and leafed through pages of drawings until he found the drawing he'd made of said embroidery, a delicate, ornate silver tree with golden leaves clearly shaped like those of an aspen, the roots intertwining into the shape of a crescent moon.

"Meriel Amber mentioned a Lennara Aspenvale...", he muttered silently as sadness and confusion mixed into his gaze. "Is that her name? My mother...?"

 

[Susi]

The old man looked at the picture with great interest. The boy was an artist! Another coincidence?

"Who knows.." he muttered and looked at the boy again. There certainly was a woman called Lennara Aspenvale, Belanor spoke aloud, before the war broke out.

The woman called Lennara Aspenvale was determined and loyal elf with long, very light brown hair and blue eyes. She took over the responsibilities of her mother's when she turned seventeen years old; while her magic could've been described as destrutive, she used it for good and praised nature for it. She was a great mage who borrowed the strength of the woods and was able to cast powerful spells with her staff made of aspen tree. It was a family heirloom passed down for generations, from a mage to another. But just like any other heirloom that powerful, it made her depend on it. During the war she was separated from it and was never heard of since. The elven soldiers were able to recover the artifact and it had been returned to the village.

The elven elder paused and examined the boy.

"You do look like her", he admitted. "And you draw like her. A proper magic needs hands of an artist."

Belanor knew the way to confirm if the boy was of an Aspenvale lineage, but for now he wanted to just answer his questions.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen's eyes flicked between Belanor and his drawing of the embroidery on his mother's dress.
He had hoped the man would recognize it as something she'd liked to wear, but he figured that after all this time, and considering that she most likely wouldn't only wear that one dress, it probably would be a little too much to expect.

A hopeful smile spread across his face when he was told that he looked like Lennara... And apparently even drew like her.
So she had liked to draw, too?
For a moment he imagined her sitting on the roof of her cottage, just like he always did, drawing the forest visible behind the small houses of the village while the sun was setting behind-

He looked up in surprise when Belanor mentioned magic.
Magic?!
So his mother was a mage?! For a moment he had to remind himself that they couldn't even be sure whether or not Lennara really was his mother, despite the fact that he looked like her, according to the elder.

"Magic?", he asked baffled while the candles across the room started to flicker like a gust of wind was passing through the house.
"What do you mean, I-... You think I might be a... Mage? How, I mean-..."
He bit his lip.
Okay, deep breath, he really needed to take a deep breath... He was feeling quite dizzy... So much happening in one day.
"How... Is there any way we can be sure that she's my mother? I... I just want to know where I come from..."

 

[Susi]

"There is", Belanor replied.

The boy seemed overwhelmed and Belanor fell silent for a moment. It was certainly a lot to take in at once. Aspen was an elf, there was no doubt and his human part did not stop him from being one, for that the old elf was happy, but he wanted to proceed slowly.

"I suggest that you get to know the village with someone and then we get you a room from the inn. Tomorrow, if you are still up for it, we will examine your lineage more", the elder one spoke with warm voice, but it was not really a suggestion. With that said, he got on his feet and headed to the door. When he pulled it open a blonde ball with surprised cry rolled inside. Belanor looked at it astonished. The ball crawled on his feet, face red of embarrassment.

"I was not eavesdropping! Only waiting for you to finish!" Nooa exclaimed loudly and dusted his clothes; fox fur and leather. He was shorter than Aleksios but had the same platinum blonde hair. His eyes were brown and he had the bodytype and face that would allow him to pass as a girl if he ever decided to wear a dress.

Belanor laughed again.

"How convenient, did Aleksios leave you here?"

"He did and I promised to take care of Aspen."

Belanor nodded in acceptance and beckoned the half elf closer. He introduced the young elven boy to Aspen, noting that he was actually Aleksios's younger brother.

"But I'm nothing like him, I'm much nicer", Nooa assured with a smile.

 

[Scripted Away]

Aspen looked after the elder with puppy eyes as the man got up, saying they'd examine his bloodline more tomorrow. The suspense was already killing him, how was he supposed to wait until tomorrow without exploding?!
But he was quickly distracted from the curiosity going wild in his mind when suddenly a platinum-haired boy fell into the room.
He blinked surprised.

Suddenly the wind was back, blowing against his back to push him towards the door.
"What? What do you want?", he asked silently, actually only feeling half insane for talking to the wind. After all the wind was acting weird, too, just pushing him around and playing with his hair.
...this officially was the weirdest thing he'd ever thought about.
The wind pushed him once again, closer to where the elder and the other elf stood, before it blew past his left ear and through the door.

Surprise crossed his face upon realizing that the boy already knew his name. Wow, news seemed to spread fast here. On the other hand a changeling coming to the village to learn more about his mother most likely was something that didn't occur too often here.
But the day seemed to have even more surprises in store for him-
So Nooa was Aleksios' brother?

At his comment about how he was much nicer than his brother Aspen really tried to suppress laughing out loud, which ended in an amused snort while he covered his mouth with the back of his hand.
A wide grin spread across his face.
"Well I'm glad about that", he chuckled. "Your brother seems to hate me with a passion. Though I have to admit I'm impressed, too... He must have his qualities to be the leader of a squad at his age."
He flashed a warm smile at Nooa. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Aspen. But eh... Guess you already know that. So you're gonna show me the village? +"

 

[Susi]

Nooa nodded and waved to Belanor as he lead his new friend away from the house by grasping his hand.

"Alek is amazing", the younger Silverwind said with admiring voice. "And not only because he's is my brother but because his skill with that longbow is mad."

He told Aspen how he had tried to embrace the art as well but with no proper progress. Sure he was able to fire an arrow to.. well, a direction. He just didn't have much of a control which one. Nooa was a bubbly one, a kind-hearted soul who never seemed to worry. Despite his mere sixteen years, he too had had his share of elven history and traditions. He just didn't take it as personally as Alek did. To be honest, Nooa didn't quite understand why Aleksios took the war personally at all. It was not like he lived it, so why would he care so much.

Nooa led the way from the elder's house towards the flower shop. The name explained itself. The small cottage had colorful flowers in front of it, on the roof, in the doorway and most definitely inside, too. The young elf loved flowers, his favorite being the bluebells. Next up was the inn where Nooa would bring Aspen later, so just skipped it and moved on to the next building. The large wooden sign had a picture of bread and cake on it.

"This must be my favorite place right after the flower shop!", Nooa revealed and admitted he had a serious sweet tooth. Right after the bakery was the clothing shop with a dress-shaped wooden piece as a sign.

"Sorry if I'm going too fast!", Nooa suddenly stopped and apologised. "It's just so nice to have someone who has no heavy expectations of me for a change."

 

[Scripted Away]

"Longbow, wow", Aspen mumbled after he'd said bye to the elder, genuinely impressed. He himself had always found archery to be quite intriguing, but it was considered elvish among humans, so there had been no way in hell he'd ever gotten his hands on a bow back in Khrais, and building one himself... Would have probably ended in a lot of wasted wood and frustration. He was simply lacking the know how to build one.
He was decent in handling a fighting staff, though, an art a man from a faraway country had taught him while he had stayed at his family's inn for a couple of weeks, and Aspen had turned out to be a quick learner.

As Nooa showed him the flower shop, his gaze lingered on the white lilies for a moment. Maybe, if Belanor would like it, he'd clean up the withered garden of the overgrown cottage and plant some lilies some day...

Nooa's explanation of how the bakery was his second favorite place brought Aspen back into the here and now and made him grin widely.
"Well then you got yourself an accomplice- I'm just like that", he chuckled, already hoping they'd have cinnamon rolls. God how he loved them.
"Tell me, my friend-", he mumbled with a grin, acting all conspiratorial like they were on a secret mission to take over the world or something, "-do they have cinnamon rolls in there? I'm a hopeless addict."

And then he was suddenly apologizing as they arrived in front of the clothes shop.
"Oh don't worry!", he said quickly, the smile Nooa's presence was putting on his face never fading. He felt welcome and accepted around the younger elf and really found himself enjoying his company.
But had it just been him or had there been a hint of sorrow in his newfound friend's voice?
"Heavy expectations?", he asked carefully with a slight tilt of his head. "If you want to talk about it... Feel free, I'll listen."

 

[Susi]

Nooa realised he might have slipped too much by accident, Alek had told him to keep his magic secret, at least for the time being. Then again, Aspen really seemed nice and genuine and it really was nice to just talk to someone without the weight of the world hanging above.

"Let's go get those cinnamon rolls and a room for you, then I'll speak, because I like you", Nooa announced and headed back to the bakery.

The small cottage was filled with flavors and sugary treats. The shelves on the wall on the other side of the shop were full of breads and savory pastries. The shops's counter was made of a single tree trunk that was carved into shape. The baker was a thick man and he was discussing with his daughter when the bell above the door rang as a sign someone entered. Nooa greeted them both and introduced Aspen, too, eyeing for the cinnamon rolls. The baker knew the young elf well, and handed over the treats. Nooa promised to pay on the next day, explaining to Aspen that elven world was based on trade. That way no one could rise above another and everyone had something they could trade for something else, skill or items. Nooa paid by gathering herbs for the bakery.

The baker looked at Aspen as if he knew him but then shook his head. The baker's daughter eyed Aspen too, but for very different reasons.