The Endless Forest

Felix stepped out into the warm night. Ahead of him was Zira and Haldria, and to his side was Chief Yorlen. The four of them were leaving Haldria’s home and making their way back towards the tavern. It was there, or rather just outside, they would have their little party.

Zira and Haldria had spent the last few hours going over and designing a saddle and harness. All the while, Felix and Chief Yorlen were excluded from the conversation and forced to wait for them to finish. Only now, were they finally leaving…

“She’s a troublemaker… But I’m surprised she took a liking to you so quickly,” the Chief said in a hushed voice.

“If that’s true, I’d hate to see what she’d do if she doesn’t…” Felix responded, also keeping his voice low.

Chief Yorlen shook his head with a frown. “Nothing. She doesn’t like most people and keeps away from the rest of the village. It’s why she became a tanner, the only people who’d bother her would be for requests and that’s it. No one wants to stay there long, as you have, uh, smelled.”

“What do you mean by ‘nothing?’”

The elf slumped his shoulder and stared up into the sky. “She doesn’t do well in most social situations. She tends to go quiet or worse, locks up.”

Wait a second… “Then why did she seem so excited about this party?”

Yorlen lowered his head and cocked an eye at him. “Is that what you think?”

Felix nearly stopped in place as he thought back to their conversation. “Say, how about we skip the party…”

He let out a sigh. “So, she wasn’t kidding when she asked if I wanted to skip the party?”

“She wasn’t, she doesn’t want to go…” The Chief nodded towards Zira and Haldria. “Only reason she is, is because she likes you and Zira…and me.” That last part was barely muttered but Felix managed to catch it.

He didn’t say anything and instead glanced over to Haldria. The elven woman was finally in proper clothing and actually looked quite pleasant–

Felix shook his head. He was already courting Eri, there was no way he was going to screw that up. Especially now, I’m worried about what these other candidates will do. The thought of Calsen’s daughter being one made him shudder, he could only pray she was nothing like her father…

“We’re here,” he heard Chief Yorlen say as they came to the back of the tavern. The Setting Sun had a large open area behind it, mostly to be used for outdoor activities and special occasions…much like this one.

Looking out in the open space, Felix could see several tables set up with a large cooking fire towards the furthest side from him. With the fire providing the majority of the light, it was hard to tell exactly how many people had gathered. He guessed somewhere between twenty and thirty.

“Is this everyone that’ll be going with me tomorrow?” he asked.

“Should be, although…” The Chief narrowed his eyes.

Felix followed his gaze and could just make out several smaller figures in and among the crowd.

Yorlen opened his mouth and looked like he was about to shout, however, one of the smaller elves beat him to it.

“ZIRA!”

Suddenly the small, shadowy figures turned into four elven kids. They came running out of the gathered crowd and made for the dragon.

Felix almost missed it, but he caught Haldria freeze for a moment as they ran past her. Meanwhile the children came to a skidding halt in front of Zira…

“We’ve missed you!” he shouted.

“Humph, you should have come sooner…” Another said, this one was the largest of the four.

Zira lowered her head and studied the four. “What do you mean? I’ve been here since yesterday, where have you been? I expected you all to come find me sooner…”

“Training…” The oldest one muttered before speaking up louder. “But I mean why haven’t you come to visit sooner? It’s been over a month!”

“Well…”

Felix stopped listening as Yorlen shook his head and gestured towards the crowd. “I’ll deal with them later…” He grumbled. “Come, let’s go properly introduce you to everyone.”

“Right…” Felix said, trailing off. He followed the Chief into the open area…

Their first stop was to a group of familiar looking elves. In the shadows casted by the fire it took him a moment to realize that it was the cooks from when Zira and Kyrith had managed to start an eating competition.

“I bet those poor dragons are starving!” One of them shouted out jovially.

“I heard one of them mention a chef, who is it? I bet we could teach them how to properly cook!” The other one added.

Felix forced a smile as he answered the question. “Well… Actually, it’s Chef. Like that’s his name. Oh, and it's a kobold–”

Both broke out into even more laughter.

“A kobold? Named Chef?! Oh, Gods! Those poor, poor dragons!” The second cook said.

He felt offended for Chef. “He’s pretty good. Apparently taught by some dwarven chef–”

“Ohoho! A kobold named Chef, taught by a dwarven chef! Now that’s rich.” The first one responded with and then put his hand on Felix’s shoulder.

“Listen, Felix. We’ll help you out. We’re coming down to help make sure everyone stays fed. We could probably teach you and…Chef a few things. How’s that sound? At least that way, you won’t be eating raw hide for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

Oh, Chef is going to have fun with these two… “Sure, I don’t see why not. Chef is eager to learn and I wouldn’t mind learning a few tricks as well.”

With that, Felix realized that both Chief Yorlen and Haldria had moved on. He chose to follow suit, and parted ways with the two cooks…

***

A little while later, Felix sat down at one of the tables. He let out a tired sigh as he took a sip from his mug. In it was ale– Elven ale, he wasn’t about to test his luck a second time with the dwarven stuff. Not for a long, long while… And only if Eri joins me.

He blushed at that thought but quickly shook it away…

He had met most of the partygoers by now and, thankfully, all seemed rather receptive to him and his grand project. Though, he probably had Chief Yorlen to thank for that. The elf had likely weeded out any who would cause problems.

“Oh, what’s this? The young buck is tired already?” an old, gruff voice asked.

Lifting his head up, Felix found a truly ancient elven man sitting across from him. Studying the elf, Felix noted that he had on a very simple tunic and his frail skin had a haggard look to it. Much like one who had spent their entire life toiling in the sun would.

That wasn’t all, however. Aside from the frail skin, the elf’s hair was thin and white. He definitely looked old, much older than Aluin…

“Are ya deaf, boy? Can ya hear what I’m saying?” The elf waved his hand in front of Felix’s face.

“W-what… Yes, I can hear you.” He answered, moving his head back. “Who…are you?” He had no recollection of meeting this elf…

“Humph, so ya are just slow then… Well, I suppose I can work with that. It’d be hard to work with someone who can’t hear. Though, it’d be worse if ya were blind– You ain’t blind are ya?”

“No… And wait a minute! I am not slow!”

“Oh? Could’ve fooled me.” The elf shrugged. “Anyway, names Gillador– But friends call me Gil.”

“Nice to meet you…Gil?” Felix really didn’t know what to make of this man…

The old elf smiled. “I think I see why Haldria likes ya. Innocence.”

Innocence? And wait a minute, how does he know about what Haldria thinks of me? He wanted to ask, but he got the distinct feeling that it was probably best not too. “Felix,” he said instead, offering a handshake.

The elf studied him for a moment before taking the offered hand. “I know who ya are, but I suppose formal greetings are important and all… Nice to meet ya, Felix.”

“Nice to meet you as well…” he returned with a forced smile.

Before more could be said a new figure appeared. “Ah, Felix, I see you have met Gillador.”

Felix instantly realized it was Aluin. Thank the Gods… “I have.”

“That’s good, I was going to introduce you two but… Well, it appears there’s plenty of people who still require my attention. However, I did hear that you met Haldria already. How did that go?”

He shuddered, “She’s…interesting. But It sounds like she has a complicated past. I won’t pry but according to Chief Yorlen, she instantly took a liking to me.”

The Sage nodded. “That’s…actually good. She was someone I was worried about. You’ll need her, but if she doesn’t trust you she won’t say anything.”

Gillador looked between the two of them before suddenly standing up with a speed that surprised Felix. “Well, this has been a good chat but I could do with some wine or ale– Oh, and I suppose we will have to get together and design ya… Whatcha calling it? A Dormitory? I have some ideas for ya, but it can wait. See ya…”

The old elf was gone before Felix could respond, instead he turned his attention solely on Aluin. “What did he mean by that?” he asked.

The Sage let out a sigh, “He is the architect. He’ll be the one doing the actual planning for your project.” Aluin took the now open seat and sat down. “Where’s Zira? I thought she would be here.”

“Oh, let me check. Last I saw, she was talking with some kids…” Felix quickly peeked through the bond and– He burst out laughing. “She’s being used as a slide!”

The elf began laughing as well… “I see she has made some improvements from the last time she was here!”

“She has,” he agreed. “I’m honestly happy for her, during the celebration she was depressed no one wanted to come see her. They all went to Kyrith…”

“Not jealous?” Aluin asked with a hint of humor.

Felix shook his head, no. “Not like how she gets with Eri, at least,” he added with his own humorous tone.

The Sage’s face suddenly turned serious. “You don’t think that will be a problem? I don’t mean to sound rude, but there is a lot riding on this. In fact, the fate of us elves will be decided by this.”

With gulp, he gave a slow nod to Aluin. “It wont, she knows how important this is and she knows how important Eri is to me. She might not like me and Eri… Uh, seeing each other, but she wont let that affect her judgment.”

Aluin visibly relaxed. “That’s good to know, I wasn’t aware that was causing a rift between the two of you.”

Felix felt a little self-conscious at that. “I wouldn’t call it a rift, more of just seeing things differently. We don’t agree on everything, you know? And, deep down, I know she just wants to keep me safe. She doesn’t like the idea of outside influences…”

“She’s wise. The two of you will always be under threat from the meddling of others. Still, Eri isn’t that kind of person. She trusts the two of you, just as much as you trust her. I can say that with confidence.”

“Tell that to Zira,” Felix said with a chuckle. “She and Eri get along well, but there is a bit of hesitation on Zira’s side. She doesn’t like me becoming more than friends with Eri.”

“If you want, I can talk with Zira,” Aluin offered. “She is still young, don’t forget that. Perhaps she needs someone to explain things to her that isn’t you.”

“Maybe…” He muttered. “But not right now, she’s enjoying herself and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“As you wish.” Aluin shrugged before getting up. “Anyway, I still have much to do before tomorrow morning. I’ll see you then.”

Felix gave the elf a wave before pulling his mug close. He took one look at his drink before suddenly downing it. Maybe he is right? Maybe she needs someone like a mentor? If only there wasn’t an icy rift between her and Ithea…

Things were improving between mother and daughter, but it was slow and prone to backsliding. He could not rely on Ithea for help. He would need to find someone else. But is Aluin the right choice?

That was the question he pondered for the rest of the night…

Eri blinked, letting out a frustrated sigh and sat up in her bed.

It was late, very late and she hadn’t slept at all. Something was bothering her, something was keeping her from resting, and that agitated her. The question was, what? What was bothering her? What was keeping her awake?

She didn’t know. Worse still, the manor was empty. It was…lonely. The other elves had decided to sleep in the hatchery with their partners. She thought having the home to herself would be refreshing…

Now it only made her feel alone. It was a strange notion, she knew, considering her bond with Kyrith, but one that was still true.

I wish Felix was back–

Her eyes widened in understanding. She knew why she was feeling so lonely. She knew what was bothering her and kept her from sleeping.

We really haven’t been apart… We’ve been– She blushed. –Living together…

Her heartbeat quickened and she reached instinctively for the pouch containing Aluin’s letter and key.

‘The key. Give it to Felix when you believe that both you and him are ready for the next phase of your lives.’

She read that line multiple times, wondering exactly what Master Aluin had meant. The only locked door was the one that led to the third floor. What’s up there? Why would he want me to keep it from Felix?

Honestly, she had a good guess. It has to do with his past, doesn’t it? She swallowed, knowing that Felix’s past was complicated and he was better off not knowing.

If I learned about it, would that change my opinion…my feelings towards him? It was a question she occasionally thought about, but for now it seemed deadly serious. It took her several minutes before she finally admitted her answer.

No. No, it will not. That Felix, no matter who he was, is gone. This Felix is kind and friendly. There are no lengths that this Felix wouldn't go through for his friends, for…me.

This Felix, is the Felix I love.