Chapter 22 — A Moment of Peace

Well, that is strange, I know I said I would hope to have a pleasant conversation with Irina, but we stood in a disconcerting silence since Alden and The Bane of My Existence... I mean, Lady Rennala left to Castle Morne.

Hm… I preferred it when the tarnished simply accepted my accord and carried on with their missions while I watched their progress. Alden is making me work.

By my mother, he cannot even improve the flasks! He is also extremely uninformed about the history of the Lands Between and asks too many questions because of it! Not to mention, of course, the time he wastes getting into pointless fights and exploring the regions of the Lands.

However, I can complain about the methods but not the results, he acquired two Great Runes, and no one got this far this fast since Vyke… What happened to him and his maiden was a tragedy.

I should have gone for quality instead of quantity and done more to help the previous tarnished.

After all, the Undead has no reason to help the people he sees in front of him and yet he does it and I can respect that. He also tells interesting stories and his silliness and madness on the battlefield amuse me.

"Miss Melina?" Irina called out to me hesitantly, her barely audible voice pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yes?" I asked, turning towards her.

"I'm sorry if this sounds like the worries of a scared girl, but I can't stop thinking about whether my Father will be okay." Irina spoke worriedly, looking away as she rested both her hands in her lap.

"Don't worry, the tarnished is more than capable of handling the problems in his path, and he's not exactly in bad company, I just worry about what foolishness he'll do this time, your father will be fine. And don't let Alden find out I called him tarnished, he doesn't like the name one bit." I replied laughing lightly.

Irina laughed back but looked at me in confusion right after.

"Who is Alden?" Irina asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Alden is the man who stood here with us a few moments ago." I responded in the same tone.

"Oh, you mean Mister Radagon?"

"What?!?" I replied, my eye widening as I jumped slightly in my seat.

"That's what I thought when I heard their name, I admit that for a moment I considered them to be genuine, although my reaction was more restrained. I have nothing against parents naming their children after historical figures, but I believe that a couple named Radagon and Rennala walking around could generate surprise and exaggerated reactions."

Irina continued, maintaining the same friendly smile as if what she said was nothing to worry about.

Alden, in the name of any god that is not dead, insane, or out to destroy the world, what were you thinking?!? If anyone from the capital or even the most fanatical worshipers of the Golden Order finds out that you use that name, there will be an army after you.

"Maybe I should start calling myself the Gloam-Eyed Queen and start a cult." I spoke in a playful tone, trying to hide the anger and frustration I felt inside.

"Hahaha! Who?" Irina asked, cutting off her laughter abruptly.

"Nobody!" I responded quickly, closing the subject.

"Oh, right, sorry for asking." Irina replied disappointedly as she looked at the ground in silence.

Great, I could have been more subtle with your response. Let us see what I can ask about to make her feel better.

"You live here on the peninsula, don't you? Could you tell me what life is like here?"

My question seemed to cheer Irina up, as she quickly adjusted her posture and turned towards me with an excited smile.

"I would love to, but where should I start?"

"Wherever you think is best."

"Right, but I don't have much to say, I was raised at Castle Morne, being looked after by the servants due to my poor eyesight while my father carried out his duties, but he was never negligent in looking after me." Irina spoke nostalgically.

"Seriously? The life of a castle lord must be difficult."

"Oh, you can't imagine! I remember the times when the servants would warn me not to disturb my father, as he felt tired, but he would still find some of his time to take care of me, be it by playing with dolls with me or taking me for walks on the nearby beaches. And you, Miss Melina, do you have any stories to share?"

"No, let's just say I've never been on good terms with my parents and they are currently unreachable." Although there is a lot, I would love to say to them, especially some not-so-nice words.

"I'm sorry about that, I hope you can meet again and solve your differences. Although, I believe that nowadays you live a life full of emotions, don't you? After all, you are a maiden while I am a girl afraid of the storm." Irina spoke with an amused smile on her face.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise at that statement, although I do not hide my position as a maiden, I do not expect people to make the connection so quickly.

"You're more perceptive than you seem."

"What can I say? My vision may not be the best, but it allowed me to sharpen my other senses. No one imagines that the poor blind girl hears everything around her, you wouldn't believe the amount of gossip I know thanks to the castle's inhabitants." Irina whispered, trying to hide her laughter.

"Oh, and what can you tell me?" I asked curiously, bringing my ear closer to Irina's mouth.

Irina "looked" around for a few seconds, before covering the side of her mouth with one hand as she tried to hold back her giggles.

"Did you know that most of the jewelry and adornments that Lord Godrick wears are not made of real gold, but rather painted gold?" Irina quickly whispered in my ear.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise at this revelation, although doing something like that is not beyond Godrick's character to cement his position as lord, however pathetic it may be.

"Well, that's unexpected." I laughed while returning to my previous stance.

"I know! Please keep this secret to yourself; I don't want Lord Godrick to come after us for spreading rumors." Irina spoke nervously but maintained her cheerful tone as before.

"I doubt that will happen, after all, Godrick is dead." I spoke casually, although Irina's reaction was unexpected.

The girl sat rigid in her place, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly as she tapped her fingers rhythmically on her lap.

"Sorry, I don't think I heard you right, could you repeat that? I hope my hearing isn't failing like my vision." Irina asked, cleaning her ear.

"But of course, as I said before, Godrick is dead."

"This… This is wonderful! Although I never met Godrick in person, I heard stories of his cruelty from the castle servants and my father. Now that he is gone, my father will finally be able to put aside his duties and leave that dreadful castle behind!" Irina spoke excitedly, clasping both hands in front of her mouth and muttering a prayer.

"I would not act so quickly, Godrick has been defeated, but Limgrave remains without a clear leader. It's dangerous to walk around while things are in disarray." I spoke without paying much attention, as an approaching noise became my focus.

SNIF!

SNIF!

SNIF!

Irina humor deflated by my response, but coughing politely into her hand, she readjusted her posture and kept a small, expectant smile on her face.

I, on the other hand, slowly brought my hand towards my cloak, holding the hilt of my blade and preparing to act.

The noise approached quickly through the bushes, whoever it was, it tried to remain hidden but failed miserably. I heard sniffing, light growling, and the sound of something metallic dragging against the floor.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

"I understand, but this news still gives me hope that things will change for the better soon. But, changing the subject, are you also hearing this strange noise?"

As if waiting for the right moment to appear, a misbegotten leaped out of the bushes behind us, roaring as he tried to maim us with his large cleaver.

"RRROOOAAAARRR!"

Irina cried out in surprise as she stood up abruptly, but tripped over the skirt of her dress and fell to the ground with a painful scream thanks to her poor eyesight.

Simultaneously, I jumped from my seat while spinning my body, removing my blade from my cloak and preparing to parry the blow.

Our weapons met a few seconds later, shooting sparks as steel met steel with an audible metallic crack.

The misbegotten held his weapon with both hands, preventing me from parrying his blow, and applied more strength behind it, trying to knock me to the ground, but I did not move, he be not even close to what I'd already faced.

With one fluid movement, I advanced toward the misbegotten, sliding my blade along the edge of his cleaver, creating sparks in my path, and pushing the misbegotten's weapon upward until I was close to the weapon's hilt.

Thrusting my arm, I forced the misbegotten's weapon upward again, causing him to raise his cleaver above his head, nearly losing his balance and falling backward under the weight of his weapon.

I took advantage of this opening to close the distance between us with a swift step, the misbegotten roared in anger and confusion as he brought his cleaver down towards me with visible effort, but he was too slow.

Jumping forward, I delivered a quick cut aimed at his neck and immediately retreated to Irina's side afterward, ignoring her surprised exclamations to know what was happening.

The misbegotten widened his eyes in surprise as he dropped his cleaver and held his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, he could do nothing about it.

The misbegotten staggered from side to side, his movements getting slower and slower until he finally fell to the ground in a pool of blood.

Leaving that aside, I stored my blade in my cloak and crouched down beside Irina, helping her to her feet.

"Melina, what… What happened?!?" Irina asked scared, standing on shaky legs.

"We were attacked by a misbegotten, it's not safe to stay here, and I believe we should leave before more show up."

"But what about my father? What if something happened to him?" Irina asked nervously, trying to calm her erratic breathing.

"You need to think about your safety at the moment, Irina. I'll take you to the Round Table and…" I pushed Irina behind me when I heard galloping approaching.

I drew my blade as I felt Irina hold my shoulders tightly, but I sighed in relief as I saw a steed with a familiar rider approaching. However, I frowned when I saw Rennala coming out of the moon floating next to Alden.

"Melina is good… What happened here?" Alden asked, smiling slightly as he stopped Torrent next to us, but the smile changed to an irritated face upon seeing the misbegotten lying dead on the ground.

Rennala, on the other hand, had a more restrained reaction, keeping a straight face as she clenched the handle of her staff.

Did something happen at the castle to generate this kind of reaction?

"Nothing major, this is just an unforeseen event." I sighed, pulling out of Irina's hold and checking to see if she was well.

"Melina, you don't need to worry, I'm unharmed, still thank you so much for protecting me." Irina reassured me, trying to keep my hands away from her face.

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Irina nodded with a reassuring smile.

"I understand, you don't need to thank me, but the gesture is welcome. So, I believe that with Alden's return, my affairs here are resolved." I returned the wave before walking towards the grace but stopped as soon as I heard Alden calling me.

"Thank you for looking after Irina, and I am sorry for the danger you two went through, but would you mind if we talked for a bit? Not here, I mean, but at Fort Height. Would it be possible for us to meet there later?"

"Of course, there is no problem at all. Honestly, I would like to talk to you too to catch up on matters. I hope we can have a pleasant conversation." I responded with a small smile.

"Likewise, I'll see you at the fort?" Alden responded, lifting the front of his helmet and returning the smile.

"Yes, until we meet again, Alden."

"Goodbye, Melina, thank you for protecting young Irina." Rennala spoke, waving at me with a smile.

I stared at her silently while widening my eye, then, with one last goodbye, I quickly walked towards the grace and transported myself away.

-XXXXXX-

"She seemed nervous, did I do something wrong?" Rennala asked me, tilting her head in confusion.

"I have no idea." I shrugged.

"That aside, Irina, are you okay?" Rennala asked worriedly, approaching the blindfolded girl with hurried steps.

"Yes, Miss Rennala, I am unharmed, but a little shaken." Irina responded, placing a hand above her heart as she breathed heavily.

"I'm glad you're okay. I also have good news; your father is alive and is on his way to meet you. I managed to get through his thick head and convince him to leave the castle." I spoke, sending Torrent away.

"This is wonderful! I… I do not know what to say! Words are not enough to show my gratitude! Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Irina spoke excitedly with a big smile on her face.

Rennala and I exchanged a look and laughed lightly at Irina's reaction.

Irina tilted her head in confusion but maintained her excited stance with both hands clasped expectantly.

I approached Irina and sighed tiredly, then gently stroked her head as I formulated my response.

"Girl, just take your father and go somewhere less dangerous, I suggest Limgrave. Your father gave me a lot of headaches and we are not on the best of terms."

That is the polite way of saying that your father is a bastard and I want to beat him up and throw him from the highest tower of the castle.

The smile on Irina's face disappeared as her shoulders slumped in disappointment and she looked down with her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, I would like to apologize for any offense my father may have committed against you, but…"

"Don't think too much about it, we just share different opinions on a sensitive topic, it's nothing personal." Rennala spoke calmly, placing a comforting hand on Irina's shoulder.

This seemed to cheer her up a bit, so Irina, Rennala, and I sat near the grace and talked, awaiting the arrival of Edgar and his men.

-XXXXXX-

"…And that's how I taught my first class in Raya Lucaria." Rennala spoke, finishing telling a story about her time as a teacher.

"I can't imagine being in that kind of situation, I would be paralyzed with fear with so many people expecting something from me!" Irina spoke impressed, shaking slightly.

"I don't know if I could deal with so many people, I have the feeling I would lose my temper easily." I responded, resting my head on my hand and assuming a thoughtful position.

"Believe me, many students think they know more than their teachers, but just show them some extremely powerful spells and they will be left silent." Rennala spoke, dangling her feet innocently.

"So should I show my power to intimidate my bold students and make them understand that it's not a good idea to provoke me?" I asked the queen.

"I believe you didn't hear me well. I'm sure my words were different." Rennala replied, closing her eyes as she smiled from ear to ear.

Fortunately, the sound of approaching metallic footsteps caught our attention before the situation got out of control.

I frowned as I felt a mixture of irritation and relief at seeing Edgar and his men approaching.

I waved slightly to the group, getting her attention, and Edgar ran towards his daughter without wasting time.

"Irina!" Edgar shouted in joy as he approached Irina with his arms open, ready to hug her.

"Father?" Irina exclaimed in a similar tone as she awkwardly stood up with Rennala's help.

Then, father and daughter hugged each other with tears in an emotional meeting, exchanging words of concern, relief, and joy with a few insults here and there.

I smiled slightly as I put on my helmet, stood up, brushed the dirt off my armor and I signaled Rennala to accompany me to the grace.

It is best to let the two of them enjoy the moment, and I do not want to antagonize Edgar further. Fortunately, Irina agreed to remain silent about the incident with the misbegotten and it was not difficult to hide the body.

Then, Rennala and I transported ourselves to Fort Height.

-XXXXXX-

We left the grace outside the fort, surprising some guards and refugees.

Rennala and I entered the fort, ignoring the whispers and admiring glances from the people and soldiers along the way as we searched for Kenneth.

Fortunately, we spotted the noble in question talking to some of his men near the stairs leading to the walls.

"Hey Kenneth, we're back!" I shouted as we approached.

Kenneth turned towards us with a questioning look that soon turned into a smug smile when he saw us.

"Oh, Alden and Lady Rennala, the sight of you two is a relief to my weary eyes. What good news do you bring from the peninsula? I hope everything went well." Kenneth exclaimed in a loud and pompous voice, approaching us with exaggerated steps.

Rennala and I exchanged a nod and approached Kenneth with hurried steps, holding each of his arms and dragging him away.

"What… What are you two doing?!?"

"Not now, Kenneth, we need to talk about certain events." I spoke out of the corner of my mouth.

"And you'll probably get some peculiar visitors soon." Rennala completed.

We walked to a secluded corner of the fort, away from unwanted eyes, and released Kenneth who grumbled irritably, adjusting his clothes and brushing the dust off his body.

"Do you mind explaining the reason behind this rude behavior?" Kenneth demanded, crossing his arms and raising his nose.

"Kenneth, it wasn't the Demihumans who revolted on the peninsula, but the misbegottens." I responded seriously.

"Specifically the misbegottens enslaved at Castle Morne." Rennala continued in a similar tone.

Kenneth stood rigid as a statue as he audibly sucked in air through clenched teeth.

"Yes, I believe that is an appropriate reaction." Rennala spoke emotionlessly.

"Fortunately, I managed to diffuse the situation and convince the Lord of Castle Morne to abandon his post and leave the fortification to the misbegottens, but I also promised the misbegottens that you would be willing to negotiate with them."

My final words snapped Kenneth out of his stupor and he smoothed his hair while licking his lips nervously.

"Well, if your words are true, then you handled the situation masterfully. I have nothing against misbegottens, but there is the language barrier and... Wait, can you understand misbegottens?"

"I have a magic ring that allows me to understand them."

"But of course you have… Going to the point, what can we expect?"

"We can expect a delegation of misbegottens arriving at any moment."

"And I assume you will be my interpreter during the negotiations?"

"If it is necessary for me to do it, I will." I shrugged.

"I hope you don't mind me participating too." Rennala spoke, taking a step forward.

Kenneth and I turned to Rennala, signaling her to continue.

"I believe this is a great opportunity to acquire more allies, and if that is not possible, at least we will have one less enemy to worry about." Rennala spoke proudly with her hands on her hips.

"Hm… A possible alliance between three regions of the Lands Between, the misbegottens would be powerful allies if we can get them on our side." Kenneth spoke thoughtfully.

"The misbegottens are persecuted and discriminated against, treated like monsters and slaves, but in the end, they just want to be left alone. I suggest we leave the peninsula to the misbegottens as a sign of good faith." I told Kenneth and Rennala, but they both looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Let me finish, please. The humans living on the peninsula are leaving their homes behind in search of safety and they may find that here in Limgrave, but I am no fool, they will want to return to their homes when the war is over. Therefore, I suggest we get closer to the misbegottens in the meantime, carrying out small collaborations here and there to show that misbegottens are not monsters and not all humans are the same, thus creating good relations over time."

Kenneth and Rennala looked at me with wide eyes as they exchanged a silent message with each other.

"That… That's not a bad idea." Kenneth muttered.

"The peninsula has the smallest population of humans, so we won't have to deal with half a city wanting to kill the misbegottens." Rennala completed.

"So, do we have a plan?"

"We have the draft of a plan, my friend! Diplomatic relations is like a dance, you need to learn to dance to the music!" Kenneth exclaimed with unnecessary gestures.

I tilted my head in confusion.

"What Kenneth means is that diplomacy is not that easy, you cannot act so hastily without a detailed plan or you will end up with a mountain of problems on your back." Rennala spoke.

"Oh, I see, when will we start planning?"

"Right now! I will order my servants to bring food, drink, ink and paper, especially ink and paper! We have a long day ahead!" Kenneth exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the heavens as he marched away towards the fort's main entrance.

Strangely, I had a bad feeling as soon as those words left his mouth.

-XXXXXX-

By the gods, this has to be some kind of torture! I mentally screamed as I left Kenneth's office. Fortunately, it was over after so long.

Speaking of time. What time is it? I looked outside through one of the windows and realized it was night, the moon was shining in the sky, illuminating the fort's corridors with its light.

I rubbed my tired eyes in disbelief; this has to be some kind of joke! I could not continue that line of thought as I cringed as my head hurt as if a blacksmith hammered it; it was as if I had spent the entire day casting spells.

"Ouch, my back!" Rennala exclaimed, ducking to avoid hitting the doorframe and cracking her back audibly.

"I understand your pain." I muttered as I walked through the halls of the fort, hunched over and using my staff as a cane.

"Look on the bright side; at least we have a plan and a treaty ready for when the misbegottens arrive." Rennala spoke with a shaky smile.

"That's if they agree to our demands and don't ask for anything absurd in return."

"You're being too pessimistic, darling."

"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist, whenever everything seems to be going right, and something goes wrong soon after."

We leave the fort without bothering to fix our appearance or posture for the guards and refugees outside, we are tired and sleepy, and dignity be damned.

Sleep… Sleep? Sleep! Since when have I been sleepy? I know I fell asleep somehow that time, but it was not pleasant. I do not need to sleep, I do not want to sleep, and sleeping brings back bad memories.

I shook my head, leaving these thoughts behind, and approached the grace outside the fort.

"Will you call Melina?" Rennala asked, staring at the grace.

"Yes, I would like to speak to her." I responded, extending my hand towards the golden light.

"About what exactly?" Rennala asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing in particular."

"Nothing?"

"Yes, nothing. Melina just looks…" I trailed off, stopping my hand inches from the grace.

"She looks…" Rennala continued.

"Lonely, she looks lonely." I finished, moving away from grace.

"Oh, sorry about that, darling." Rennala muttered, looking away with a red tinge on her face.

"What did you think I was going to say?"

"Nothing, just continue what you were going to say."

"Yes, of course… As I was saying, Melina seems lonely, I know I'm not the most sociable person, but thanks to a friend of mine, I've become more noticeable towards the inhabitants of the Lands Between and I've noticed how many good people I've met on my way, and looking back, I should have asked if they needed help or something. However, getting straight to the point, Melina was one of the first people to help me in the middle of this war. Even though our first date was not the best, I have come to appreciate her presence and realized that she seems to be alone. I never saw her talking to anyone other than someone I asked her to protect or me. Melina also only appears when I call her or when she needs something, but never willingly, we just exchange brief words and go our respective ways. I believe she is just watching the war alone and waiting for something to catch her attention until the completion of her goal, whatever that may be, and honestly, I would like to change that."

Rennala's expression softened after hearing my words and she smiled slightly.

"Oh, you are worried about her!" Rennala laughed lightly, hiding her smile with her hand.

I opened my mouth, ready to retort Rennala's statement, but I stopped to think more about what she said. I think Rennala is right, and worrying about other people is something new for me.

I wonder how the people I met in Drangleic are doing. I know most of them know their way around in a fight, but some confirmation that they are alive and human would be welcome.

Hm... When I return to Drangleic, I will try to learn more about them, and maybe try to become real friends.

"I think you're right, I'm worried about Melina."

"So what are you waiting for? Let's make her feel welcome!"

With that decided, I tapped grace and called Melina, the maiden in question appeared a few seconds later in a cloud of glowing particles.

"Yes, how can I…" Melina spoke, removing her hood, but she went silent as soon as she saw Rennala staring at her.

Melina's lips closed into a thin line as she widened her eye in surprise, suddenly, Melina began to disappear into glowing particles, similar to the way she arrived.

Unfortunately, Rennala moved faster and held Melina's hand, preventing her from disappearing.

"Greetings, welcome to Fort Height!" Rennala spoke politely, shaking Melina's hand so hard that it took her feet off the ground.

"What?" Melina asked confused as her hood fell and her hair became a mess.

I grabbed Rennala's arm before she threw Melina away by accident and lightly taped the shaken maiden's shoulder, snapping her out of her stupor.

"Welcome to Fort Height Melina, it's not much, but it's a comfortable place."

Melina opened and closed her mouth repeatedly while staring into nothingness, and then she took a deep breath and quickly fixed her hair before looking at me irritably.

"Was that some attempt of a joke?" Melina asked, frowning.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you and invite you to meet the inhabitants of the fort, they are good people and I believe you will like them." I responded embarrassed.

"I appreciate your consideration Alden, but this isn't…"

"Little Lady, you don't need to be so serious, it will ruin your beauty." Rennala interrupted Melina, holding her by the arm and leading her towards the refugee camp.

"Wait!" Melina screamed, but her screams fell on deaf ears as Rennala explained the entire situation that led the refugees here.

I could not hold back my laughter at this sight and quickly ran after the two before they disappeared.

-XXXXXX-

"Would you like some stew?" I asked while holding the wooden bowl in front of Melina's face.

The maiden stared at the bowl of steaming food for a few seconds before accepting it with a nod.

I sat on the floor next to Melina as I watched her blow on the stew before bringing the bowl to her mouth and tasting the food. I noticed her eye widen in surprise before she went back to eating like a starving person.

"So, what did you think?" I asked amused.

"It's delicious, can I have more?" Melina asked, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt.

"You should ask Miss Micha." I replied while pointing to a woman stirring the contents of a cauldron over a fire in the center of the camp.

"Do you know these people's names?" Melina asked again in curiosity.

"Yes, but I admit that it was difficult to learn so many people's names. We have Jonathan, the carpenter, Artus, the blacksmith, Guivera, the tailor, not to mention, of course, the different families with their sons and daughters. Oh, I almost forgot about Alden." I spoke while pointing to a specific child in the group of children who were watching Rennala casting spells.

"Alden?" Melina raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Long story." I responded quickly, keeping my focus on the camp.

"So this is what you've been doing all this time? Helping those afflicted by war?"

"Not exactly. Kenneth started the process by allowing the refugees to stay in his fort; I just helped by bringing food, healing the wounded, and dealing with some monsters."

"I believe that your actions cannot be defined as 'just'. You didn't need to go to the trouble and you still helped these people, most of the tarnished just advance towards the Great Runes."

"Honestly, if it were me a few days ago then I would have done the same; I would probably have listened to what Kenneth had to say and wished everyone good luck before going on my journey, but things have changed. A certain person made me reevaluate the way I have been acting up until now."

"He must be a good friend of yours, then." Melina smiled.

"You can bet he is." I replied, returning the smile.

"Could I meet him?"

"I don't think that's possible, he's like a ghost, appearing and disappearing as he pleases."

"I understand." Melina replied disappointed.

Melina and I continued our conversation, talking about the history of the Lands Between and what we did when we went our separate ways, Melina answered some of my questions while I told her some stories from my journey in Drangleic.

"Well, it's a surprise to see you here, my friend." A familiar voice spoke, catching our attention.

I stood up quickly and a big smile formed on my face upon seeing Kalé waving to me as he pulled his mule through the camp.

"Kalé, I'm glad you're okay! What are you doing here?" I asked approaching the merchant.

"Haha! Same to you my friend, what can I say? All the customers are here, if they won't come to me then I will come to them." Kalé responded with a laugh.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met." Melina spoke to Kalé.

"Oh, what a beautiful lady, you are lucky my friend! My name is Kalé, a humble wandering merchant." Kalé replied, bowing politely.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kalé, my name is Melina." Melina spoke, returning the gesture.

"So, would the lovely couple be interested in some of my products?" Kalé asked.

"Couple?!?" Melina and I spoke simultaneously, looking away from each other.

"I'm just kidding unless it's true." Kalé asked seriously.

Melina and I fell silent again, at a loss of words thanks to Kalé's statement.

"Again, I'm just kidding, but I see you two aren't interested in buying anything, so I'll leave the couple here alone." Kalé spoke before walking past us and stopping in an open area of the camp where he announced his wares to everyone, and soon there was a small line in front of him.

"Well…" I murmured.

"That happened..." Melina added, disconcerted.

We stared at each other again in silence before the corners of our mouths rose and our composure disappeared.

"HAHAHA!" We both laughed at the top of our lungs.

"Come on; let me introduce you to the rest of the camp." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her through the camp.

"Of course, I would love it." Melina replied before following me.

-XXXXXX-

Slowly, silence took over the camp, and the refugees went to their respective tents, preparing to sleep while other individuals remained awake, talking and watching the stars.

The fire in the center of the camp burned dimly as Kalé played a soft melody on a strange instrument.

Rennala watched the stars with a spyglass as she made notes on parchment.

"Hey, Kalé, what instrument is that?" I asked curiously, sitting down next to the merchant.

"It is a ravanahatha, why the question?"

"Could you teach me how to play?"

"Well, this will be interesting." Melina said amusedly as she sat down next to me.

"But of course, I have another ravanahatha here with me and you can use it, for the right price." Kalé added.

Rolling my eyes, I handed some runes to Kalé and he took the instrument from one of his mule's bags.

I held the instrument awkwardly with both hands, not knowing how to start.

"Be careful, the ravanahatha is a delicate instrument, try to imitate me." Kalé responded as he showed me how to hold the instrument properly.

When I reached a position considered acceptable, Kalé showed me how to slide the stick with string into the ravanahatha, while the melody Kalé played was pleasant to the ears, mine sounded more like the squeals of a dying bird.

"Well, you have a long way to go, but since I won't be leaving anytime soon, we can start your classes now." Kalé sighed as he trembled slightly.

"So you mean you can defeat a dragon easily, but you can't play a simple instrument? A bizarre contradiction, isn't it?" Melina asked me with a teasing smile.

"At least I'm trying to learn something new; I'd like to see you try."

Melina squinted her eye before taking the ravanahatha from my hands and holding it in her lap just like Kalé. Then she played the instrument perfectly, causing melancholic music to echo throughout the camp.

I planned to take the instrument back but stopped once I realized how focused she was. Melina did not take her eyes off the ravanahatha as she slid her hands along the instrument's string.

"Heh! Look at that, she made you eat your words!" Kalé provoked me.

Yes, and I will not let this pass, I will recover my instrument and learn to play it masterfully. By the gods, I have mastered the most complex and destructible spells, a simple instrument should not be so difficult!

However, I will not do that now. With her hair covering part of her face and the moonlight illuminating her melancholic face, I watched as Melina poured her heart into the music with a distant look.

I brought a hand to my chest at this sight when I felt something strange. Maybe... Maybe it was a good idea to bring her here.

END OF CHAPTER