A Neighborly Encounter

After speaking with the Empress and promising to steer clear of Oblivion, Mairwen and the others plodded into the small town of Abeyance. While Oblivion was northeast of Valiant, the small village from which Dania hailed was further east still.

The place could barely be qualified as a town. It had one main thoroughfare with about six or seven offshoots of sparsely spaced dwellings. It did not have a market or even an inn.

"How did Taran find Dania in a place like this?" Renat wondered aloud. "He goes around with such a wealthy crowd."

"When we find Dania, we can ask her," Mairwen figured there was certainly some sort of story, but she did not want to speculate just now.

"Where do we start?" Alaron wondered. "I would have suggested the inn, but there isn't one. I almost wonder if we are even in the right place."

"Only one way to find out." The princess dismounted, followed closely by her guard. Passing the reins to Eira, Mairwen approached the first man she saw.

The man had sculpted cheekbones and a friendly smile. His strong arms carried a load of firewood as he neared a home on the lane while humming softly. He was so immersed in his happy thoughts about a warm home and a good meal, that he did not pay any mind to the others on the road.

Though she had never met him before, Mairwen felt that she had found just the person to help her on her journey.

"Excuse me?" Mairwen walked up to him with her friendliest smile. The man's dark brown eyes turned on her and lit up with genuine mirth.

"Hullo! I do not remember seeing you around here. I would remember such a lovely face as yours," he answered jovially. His eyes traced to the other three visitors. "Ah, four weary travelers have come to our humble town. I am afraid you will find no inn here."

He glanced toward the setting sun and shielded his eyes. His brow furrowed as he did some calculations in his head.

"You will not make it to a Oblivion before dark even if you turn back to the northwest. Quite a predicament you have gotten yourselves into."

The two men hopped down from their horses, and came to stand beside Eira. As the man looked at them, he gave a warm greeting smile and a wave. The soldier dutifully tilted her head, while Renat gave a proper wave in return. He had, up until recently, been a commoner himself.

The man's eyes lingered on the final figure the longest, as he tried to discern what was beneath the inscrutable hood. He shuddered as a flash of silver came from the void and disappeared. Looking away, the villager's smile turned pained.

Mairwen could sense his shift and tried to pull his attention back to her. "Hello, good sir, I am Mair...Mair. We are sorry for disturbing you on your way home."

The woman's lilting voice dismissed the man's apprehension instantly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mair-mair. You can call me Kiz. No need to apologize. I like the odd distraction now and then. Not that I think you are odd."

The princess laughed quietly. "Don't be too sure on that. Could you tell me, is the Abeyance?"

"You mean you meant to come here? You are more lost than I realized!" Kiz rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Yes, this quiet little piece of wilderness is Abeyance. It doesn't have the thrills of Oblivion or Valiant, but it's home." Furrowing his brow, the man became suddenly suspicious, "Why exactly are you here?" He cast his gaze warily at the scientist and the soldier, but did not look at the Guardian for fear of seeing another ominous flash.

Holding up her hands, Mairwen was quick to defend herself. "My friend, Dania, is from here. Do you know her?"

Kiz relaxed. "Ah yes, Dania's sweet girl. Her brain is too big to be stuck in such a small place. I am sorry to tell you that she has gone off to the University. You have wasted your trip." There was a genuine sadness that touched the princess's heart.

"We haven't come in search of her...exactly." Tripping on her own words, the princess debated how to continue. "I am looking for Dania's sister."

Kiz slapped his knee. "Her sister! Well, that is another matter entirely. She is the only one of the family you might actually find in these parts. Their brother, you may know, was sent off to school because he is just as bright as Dania. Not to say Eliana is not as smart as both of them. She is, just in a...different sort of way. "

"Why is he giving her so much information?" Renat whispered to Alaron as the man continued.

"Haven't you noticed? Everyone around Mair gives their life story and the story of everyone they've ever known. Somehow, they just know she will listen." Alaron's voice was filled with a small sense of wonder.

The twins had never been competitive as some siblings could be. Unlike the pressure Renat usually felt when around his older brother, Alaron and Mairwen could appreciate the other's strengths because in the end it made them both better. However, this particular skill was not one the Guardian would ever have wanted anyway.

Alaron's lips turned upward. "It was especially fun when one of the more flamboyant nobles got a hold of Mair. She would listen nicely while I made faces behind their back. I don't know how she handles it with such poise."

Renat smiled. "My guess? She just loves people."

Kiz was finishing his tale about his neighbor who had recently invited both himself and four other friends over for a late night meal when his voice finally trailed off.

"Why am I telling you all this?" the friendly man asked. "You wanted to know where Eliana is? She's a little ways out of town. Go up the lane beyond the house with the double chimney, turn north and you will find her home near the bottom of the valley. It's a cozy home, I think you'll find." Kiz smiled, his face beaming with pleasure.

"Thank you, Kiz. You have been most helpful." Mairwen's face was filled with hope which radiated from her entire being.

"You are welcome, Your Highness," Kiz gave a slight bow.

The four froze and stared at the man for a moment in stunned silence.

Tapping his forehead lightly, Kiz quickly apologized. "Forgive me. You see," the man pulled an Imperial coin from a pouch at his side. "You remind me of the Empress." Kiz held out the coin with Aurora's overly dramatized regal face. "Well, except you are younger, so I took to calling you princess in my head. I hope you do not mind."

Relaxing, the four tried not to show the relief on their faces. Versions of "interesting," "that makes sense," and "I don't see it," escaped the lips of the soldier, scientist and Guardian respectively.

"You are too kind, Kiz." Mairwen tucked her hair back into her hood nervously. "Thank you for your help and all the wonderful information. We should be going."

"Safe journey. If you need me, you know where to find me." the man said motioning to the house he had nearly entered. Then he gave his best impression of a courtly bow. "I've always wanted to do that. Since I will never see the princess, I hope you do not mind."

"You never know," Alaron said. "Stranger things have happened!"

Kiz quirked an eyebrow, "You think so?"

The Guardian shrugged. "Yes, of course! If I can come back to life..twice..."

"And I can wield a magical fairy necklace," Mairwen added.

"And I can take down a flying beast with a single giant arrow," Renat continued.

"And I can keep these three from dying," Eira sighed.

"…Then it is entirely possible for you to meet royalty." Alaron concluded.

Kiz's mouth hung slightly open for a long time. "You people are very odd, you know that? Quite the storytellers, you are! Now I have no doubt that you know Dania." Fixing his expression, the man gave one last winsome smile. "Safe journey. I do hope you pass through again. I want to hear more of these strange tales."

The princess chuckled softly, "If there's one thing we are good for, Kiz. It's an adventure."

——-

The house was indeed nestled near the base of the valley on small mound of fertile soil to keep it from flooding when the spring rains came.

Slightly below, a river carved a serpentine path southward, eventually splitting off and meeting up with other streams throughout the mountains and hills.

"Do you have what you are going to say?" Renat asked as they neared.

"Yes, though I think I should enter alone. We don't want to scare her, you know."

"You are not going without me!" Eira objected.

"Fine, come on. We will be right back," the princess told the men. The ladies dismounted.

"We'll be watching," Alaron answered briefly.

The two ladies approached the home carefully.

"Friends incoming!" Mairwen announced. "We seek Eliana."

No answer came. Mairwen tiptoed up and knocked on the door. The hinges creaked as the door opened on its own.

The house was empty.