7.1 By Any Other Name

General Summary

Day 67

Alder waits for me at the top of the stairs, but I descend alone. I send my small packet of letters, a piece of metal from the mine, and a humble bouquet of wildflowers through the gate, and receive a small packet in return in the same instant.   It is wrapped in a familiar cloak, hooded and grey.   Inside is a letter from Doraal, along with seeds both for ornamental flowers and some practical fruits and vegetables. He calls me “sister” and it doesn’t feel out of place.   There is an update from Alwen, which I expected. He has sent silver and raw gems and a copy of my signet ring, into which he has cast a ward to protect me from the Collective’s eyes. Small protection, but welcome nonetheless. Lastly, he sends copied pages full of his notes and best guesses as to the meanings in the books he has been researching. This will make significant reading on our next journey.   I had not thought of the Imperial Court until his paragraph on how they question my mission and wish for me to return. It’s hard to fight back a laugh. I would also love to return, but some things are bigger than what any of us want. At least this is a safe thing for the bureaucrats to be absorbed in. Even if they come to an agreement that I should return, it is well beyond any of our powers to mandate.   The last letter, even more brief than Doraal’s, is from the Second Hand of Darkness himself: Ikshafael. Or as I last saw him, the Fourth Hand. He has sent six glass jars that I am to return to the sea, that these fallen Osyr can return be laid to rest in their home.   Upstairs in the light, Feniir is happier than I’ve ever seen him. The seeds bring with them the thought of home, and the promise that we can make this town feel the same.  

Day 68

In the morning my family leaves the Keep behind, taking four horses with us. Trael leaves as well, and I expect that her party will return before ours.   It will be another 30 days before the Shadowgate opens again, and despite my disdain for the behaviour of the Imperial Court, I am determined to send something that will prove the value of what I am doing here.   Bran falls in beside me as we ride. In his efforts to fit in with the elves, some of them have begun asking for the meaning of his name, so that they can address him properly in elvish. It hadn’t occurred to me until now that Bran is the name his parents gave him, and not one that he chose for himself. I now have four names, and I know two of them. Not a bad ratio, I think, given the circumstances and who knows me by which names. Titles, I think, can be just as valuable as names right now. Teacher, student, sister, brother...leader...all of these will do just as well as any name I hold. For many, I am synonymous with the role I fill.   But there is always room for both a name and a title. Bran, we dub the “round-eared maker of things”. As always, it feels good to ride away with just our family. In the evening, Alder prepares treats for us over the campfire and we have music, at Hella’s request.  

Day 70

It has taken us a few days to emerge from the forest, following a stream. We cross the open plains, seeing only a few human farms and shepherds in the distance.   As the light is fading, we find ourselves near a small village, no more than 400 people. Bran goes in alone to see if there are any elves we need to collect on our way home, and he does indeed find an elf or two.   Lael, the older man, is middle-aged and is the innkeep in town. He is something of a local hero, apparently, who defends the town from any miscellaneous dangers. He has a young daughter, who he called Cheena. And remarkably, a human wife - Anna.   He tells us that the town has become a reasonably safe place for elves, as they have been grateful to him for his guardianship against the creatures that attack them. On the other side of the Barrier, he was a war dancer, and a spy. His unit was protecting ranchers in the Frontier when they were surrounded by the Collective. The local lord had them flee through the Barrier, and he has been here ever since. Though he remembers those he’s lost, it is clear that he has found a new home.   Alder sketches him a map to the Keep and he assures us that he will direct elves to us but keep the rumours away from human ears. To Anna, we give a token that will let her pass through the forest safely. If ever there is a time when they wish to join us, the doors are open.   And then Lael and I speak privately, for a bit. I make it clear that I am military, and not bureaucrat, and he seems relieved. He tells me that he knows he will outlive Anna, and that when that day comes, he will join us and offer me his sword once again. And he asks that his daughter might swear an oath to me. He was resigned that she would never know the connection to our people that he has, but my presence here makes it possible.   And finally, he tells me that he will run a spy network for me, as long as I need it. He gets news from other cities and towns from travellers and can pass along information to me. In particular, I ask him to keep word out for rumours of the Keep, and to watch Sir Martin’s behaviour.   In particular, he tells me of an elven man named Nidrae, who lives in Brighton. He runs the Thieves’ Guild, and looks out for our people there. If I need to find him, I can go to the Western Gate at night and ask any guard where to find shade on a hot day, and they will take me to the right place.