The time has come

As they were all sitting around the dining table, like any other elf family, Elendorr was still trying to find the strength to speak up about the one thing he needed to get off his chest. It had been there for many days, a few weeks even, but he hadn’t yet found the right moment to make the announcements, mainly because a lot had happened in the meantime. But he knew his time would soon run out, and he still wanted to tell his daughters about what was to be expected of them before any of the arrangements were made. His eyes shortly moved to his wife, who was looking at him with a tender smile, trying to give him the final piece of strength he needed.

But when he stood up from his chair, he did still feel the burden of the news, because he knew his daughters weren’t going to like what he was about to say. And he didn’t want to see their happiness turn to ashes in their mouths. ”Firstly, I want to start by thanking Adelia for protecting both my daughters,” He started, giving them both a long look, to make sure they knew he was most certainly talking about the both of them before continuing. ”And making sure that they are both able to sit here at our table tonight.” His face showed a lot of gratitude, and it was pretty clear to see that he felt blessed to be able to say those words.

However, his face then softly began to change when he knew he had to tell them the news he had known for some time. Lúthrien gave him another soft look, showing him compassion for the position he was in. ”But there is also an announcement I have to make.” He then continued, looking at the both of them again to watch their responses before he would dive into the announcements.

The atmosphere at the table was not like other nights. Elenwë was not surprised when her father stood, assumably to make an announcement. She had felt it brewing ever since they had all sat down together. Yet the tension in her body stayed as he addressed Aelisia and her. Elenwë showed her father a smile when he thanked Adelia for protecting them, but she knew some of the discomfort she felt was displayed in her eyes.

The way their mother and father exchanged looks was as if to give him courage to speak his announcement. The golden-haired sister looked at Aelisia for a moment, to gauge her reaction, before returning her gaze to their parents.

It was about them and from the way Elendorr looked and spoke, Elenwë could see that he did not expect them to be happy about this announcement. Almost as if he rather kept quiet, but felt like it needed to be said. Dread formed in the pit of her stomach. "What is it?" she asked. Better be done with it, because this suspense was only adding to the weight of that uneasy feeling.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

As usual, Aelisia kept herself quiet at the dining table, eating her food while she was waiting for the right moment to sneak away again. But today.. Today she noticed something strange hanging around the air. Her father had been awfully quiet as well, which was certainly not like him, and mother was giving him all kinds of weird looks, almost as if something was about to happen. It made her feel a bit more uneasy, and for a moment she decided to focus her attention more on Elenwë until her father suddenly stood up. Oh boy, here it would come. Now they were finally going to hear what all these weird looks were about.

Her attention, however, quickly drifted away from the moment he started talking about Adelia protecting them, and bladiebla. Stabbing a tomato on her plate with her fork, clearly not feeling the need to listen to anything he had to say. That was at least until he mentioned there was an announcement to make. Her eyes shot back up again, and because of that she didn’t notice that her fork was putting too much pressure on the tomato, making it shoot away across the room. Elendorr immediately gave her a stern look, because he always hated it when she kept messing with her food. ”Sorry, but please, do go on.” She then said, because the impatience was starting to eat her up, putting her hands away underneath the table. Looking back at Elenwë when she almost begged for him to speak his mind.

Elendorr knew it wouldn’t help his daughters if he waited to tell the news, and his wife knew that too, but she also knew about his struggles to tell them. They both were aware of the fact that their daughters weren’t going to like what they had to do, even if he and Lúthrien agreed that it was the best thing for them.. And maybe for Wealdstone as well. Because Elendorr told everything to his wife, and he had shared some of his worries for the situation they were in. But she knew he would only make the decision, when in his heart, it felt like the right one.

His attention shortly shifted to the tomato flying through the air, across the table and against the wall. But then his eyes quickly landed on his youngest, already knowing she would have been the cause. And when he saw her holding that fork, he knew, giving her a stern look to let her know he wasn’t pleased by her horrible table manners. Certainly not when he was already on edge. She quickly apologized for it and then his eyes moved back to Elenwë, because he believed that starting with her would be the best thing, for the sake of everyone in the room. He expected less resistance from her then from her younger sister.

”A letter came in.” He started, shortly before looking back at his wife again. ”From Andreas Aerendyl, proposing a marriage between his son, Lysanthir Aerendyl, and Elenwë.” His eyes now moved back to Elenwë, looking to see her reaction. Not yet saying whether he agreed to it, because he was still in doubt about it. ~~He had not forgotten what had happened between the Aerendyl’s and his wife.~~ But Andreas would be coming here, with his son, and he wanted to tell Elenwë before they arrived. He did owe her that.

Elenwë watched the tomato as it got launched from Aelisia's plate, her sister never failing to interrupt an important moment. This time, Elenwë did not mind the slight distraction, as she did not trust what this announcement would entail. There were only a few things she could think of, and none of those made her happy.

When their father's gaze landed on her after quietly scolding Aelisia with only a glare, the feeling of dread in Elenwë's stomach worsened. Both she and her sister asked him to go on. Waiting would not change the message, after all. There was a slight pause after the announcement that a letter had come in—a silence in which she saw her father exchanging another look with her mother.

The colour drained from Elenwë's face when Elendorr said it had been a proposal of marriage from the Aerendyls. She did not even have to hear her name to know that this was about her. After all, they were so keen on moon elves alone. It was what had made her mother leave her real father's side, even though she loved him. What else would be in store for her but pain and torment if she were to end up in that family?

"You're not thinking of agreeing, are you?" she could not keep the tremble from her voice, the fear from her eyes. Because why announce it this way if he was not considering it? Was this her punishment for showing even a hint of affection to Renfred? Why could it not be a wood elf, at the very least? While she had struggled, at times, to fit in, this was her home.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

Luckily for her, this time, all she got from her father was an angry glare. It probably had to do with the fact that he had something important to say, and that he didn’t want her to ruin that moment for him. But oh well, at least she tried.. Not that she had done it on purpose, but she wasn’t even going to admit that to herself right now. And besides, she didn’t have much time to think right now, because there was way too much going.

Father began to talk about a letter, but before he had done so, he had looked at Elenwë. In the meantime, he also briefly glanced at their mother, but then he spoke again. Aelisia could almost not believe her ears, and for a moment her eyes widened because she had not seen this coming. Quickly her gaze moved back to Elenwë, and she could see her sister growing even more pale at the announcement. It took her a moment before the meaning of those words finally got through to her, but then she could not help herself from smiling a bit as she looked back out in front of her. Oooohh boy, the moment for Elenwë had finally arrived.

A few seconds later she began to chuckle softly, not because she meant to do it, but because it had been so unexpected that she found it to be rather funny. Deep down, she did feel for Elenwë, certainly when she heard her response to her father's words, but she was so happy that she was not standing in her shoes right now.

After the short interruption by his other daughter, it was time for him to focus on Elenwë again. Hoping that this time, he would get a chance to actually say what he needed to say, without Aelisia making such a mess of things. Besides, he did not want to keep her waiting for much longer, knowing that the tension was only rising and the waiting probably felt like torture.

The change in her facial expression was to be expected, and he could see the color fading from her cheeks. Elendorr wasn’t doing this because he disliked her, but he did know there was already one scenario in which he would agree with the proposal. She didn’t know what it was, and because of this, he understood why she was concerned, more than he allowed himself to show at this moment. ”I have not yet decided, but..” He started to explain, giving one last look to their mother before finishing his sentence. ”You must know that there might be a possibility in which we could come to some terms.” Elendorr didn’t want to keep this from her, because he wanted her to be prepared. If he had already decided he wasn’t going to agree with them, he probably wouldn’t have even told her this. But she was smart enough to know that, hence why she probably asked him.

His eyes then fell back onto his other daughter, who was snickering in the corner of his field of vision. ”That is not all..” He quickly moved on, so that he could be done with this before the emotions would get too high. Not giving Elenwë much time to respond to him. ”I have also spoken with the Manwë family, and have accepted their terms to marry Aelisia to their son, Arion Manwë.” Elendorr then announced, knowing that now the peace and quiet in the room would not last for much longer..

Elenwë was not paying attention to anything other than her father, waiting for his reaction to her question, even though she already knew it would not do much to lift her spirit. He would not have brought it up if he had outright declined. That pit in her stomach grew when Elendorr said he had not decided, yet ending his sentence with a 'but'.

There was a possibility in which they could come to terms—him and the Aerendyls. It felt as if she had lost her voice, freezing in place as her mind worked to process what her father had just said. It took Elenwë everything to keep her composure, to not break down in front of her family. They meant well. Somewhere there must have been the thought that this would be right for her, but she could not see how it would be. All she could see was how her fear of having to be a part of that family was becoming real.

Stunned by the promise of her own future, she almost missed the news about Aelisia. Elenwë managed to turn her head a little to look at her sister. There was no hint of satisfaction to be found in her that they would share the same fate. She had not wished this for either of them.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

Aelisia truly thought she would be spared this evening, but then their father continued, and that little flicker of hope faded into nothing. He told them he wasn’t done yet, and with that being said, he now looked at her. The smile on her face now quickly faded as well, even before he was able to speak again. And when the words did come out.. She could hardly believe them. Her eyes went back to Elenwë, and then to their mother, all while her mouth was slowly beginning to fall open. ”You can not be serious?” She asked, looking at her mother with a desperate face before letting her eyes go back to her father. This couldn’t be..

For a very short moment she tried to look down in a pathetic attempt not to respond to this, all while trying very hard not to cry about it. Because it felt like her life was just completely over. ”What have I ever done to either one of you to deserve this?!” She then said with a raised voice, sounding both desperate as angry. Standing up from her chair and pushing it back with some noise. ”I will not accept this!” She continued, throwing down the fork on the table before letting the tears stream down her face. They couldn’t do this to her, it was all just so unfair.

It didn’t take her long before she turned herself around and began to storm off, smashing the door behind her as she left the room, crying. Thinking about running away quite a lot that moment as she made her way towards her room to pack her things. There was only one way that she was able to escape this now.

She could only watch as her sister got her part of the announcement. Elenwë saw her expression change, the smile fading quickly. She did not want to believe it either. Where Elenwë had completely fallen silent and still, her sister raised her voice, getting angry while crying at the same time. There was a part of her that wanted to do the same, but she did not have it in her.

After Aelisia had ran off, Elenwë stood from her chair as well. Without saying a word, she followed her sister out of the room, finding that she could not find it in her to argue or talk about what had just been shoved into their faces. More than anything, she felt numb, as if she was too tired for any kind of other reaction.

Elenwë knew where she could find her sister, if she had not gotten away from the house already. She headed to her room immediately, walking in without a knock. Away from their parents and with the person who could—in her own way—understand what she was feeling right now, Elenwë finally allowed the tears to spring to her eyes.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

The young elf had never been particularly good at hiding her feelings from anyone, and this was no expectation. At almost the earliest opportunity, the tears jumped into her eyes as soon as she puzzled all of the pieces together. But she was not going to listen to any more of this, knowing this might very well be the death of her if she ever chose to comply. Ofcourse, she was being a little overdramatic, but she couldn’t help herself from feeling this way. Aelisia did not want to be tied down by anyone, and certainly not that annoying hunter she joined on hunt not long ago.

After she was done shouting at her father, she escaped the room, running down to her bedchamber where she could be alone, and possibly pack her things. Because she didn’t want to stay here and wait for the arrangements to start. They were not going to steal her life away from her, she wouldn’t let them. Her eyes quickly looked up when she saw someone else entering her room, only to find her sister with tears in her eyes. And for a moment she stopped with whatever she was doing. ”How can they do this? I mean with you I understand, but..” She said, before she noticed how selfish and mean her words actually were. Immediately apologizing to her sister with her eyes, knowing she was wrong to say those things.

”I’m sorry I didn’t mean it..” She admitted, lowering her eyes to the ground. Once again, she had said something before thinking, and now she felt guilty about it. ”I.. There were no more words anymore, because now she could only feel sadness as she looked into her sister's eyes. They were both the victims here. "We should run away."

Aelisia noticed her sister immediately when she entered the room. Elenwë watched her pause her packing for a moment. She did not need more than one look to know that her half-sister was running away. There was anger behind Aelisia's tears, sharpening her words as she spoke. The golden-haired elf knew that she did not mean it like that but could not help but feel the sting of the comment. Yet she remained silent as she saw the apology in her sister's eyes straight after.

She wished she could be angry, anything but this numb feeling. When Aelisia suggested running away, it was the first time Elenwë had ever remotely considered such a proposition. Yet would that not be exactly what she was afraid of anyway? This other family of hers driving her from her home. The result would be the same if she ran.

"I don't know if I can," she muttered softly, finding her voice again even though it felt unlike her own through the tears. It had always been Aelisia's plan to explore the world. Elenwë knew she could not keep her from doing so, yet she had wished it would have been under different circumstances.

"But we can stay somewhere else, at least tonight." She did not want to go back to the dining room. She needed time to clear her head and rid herself of this horrible feeling.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

Aelisia could be rather impulsive when it came to speaking her mind, and most of the time, the words often came out before she was able to think about what they meant. This time, however, she noticed just how cruel she sounded, and stopped herself before she could only make things worse. It had never been her intention, because if anything, she did feel for her sister as well. In a way, Aelisia had always sought some comfort in knowing Elenwë would be first to marry, but now that they were both standing here, crying, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the both of them.

Their reactions were completely the opposite of each other, which was to be expected because they had always been so very different from each other in almost every aspect of their lives. Elenwë had always tried to be as perfect as she could be, which was probably because she was secretly still trying to fit in with the wood elves.. All while Aelisia could possibly write an entire book on how to actually annoy the shit out of people. To a certain point where some of her people might even be relieved if she chose to run away. Which was something she was definitely planning right now.

But Elenwë didn’t know if she could, to which Aelisia gave her a sympathetic frown. Knowing very well how much her sister wanted to stay here, which made it so much more crueler for their father to possibly ship her off to some Aerendyl.. The very family who had cast aside their own mother, and who had put her half-sister in the misery she was in, because she didn’t feel like she belonged here.

”Do you mean to propose we camp out tonight?” Aelisia eventually asked when Elenwë mentioned they could stay somewhere else for tonight, her eyes showing only a little hint of joy through the stream of tears rolling over her cheek. It was something they used to do a lot when they were little kids, and Aelisia had fond memories about all those times where they could just stay inside their father's garden for the entire night, looking up at the stars. And there was nothing like such an idea to lighten up the mood, even if there was so much sorrow left to be felt.

Neither of them wanted this, not for themselves nor the other. Elenwë knew that this could be the last reason for Aelisia to go out into the world, and she wished it would have been long before that happened. She had always known she would, but she was not ready for it yet. Especially not now that she would have to face her fear of having to interact with her moon elf relatives.

Elenwë felt her heart lighten a tiny bit when she recognized the hint of joy in Aelisia's voice. "I do," she answered when her sister asked her if she meant to propose to camp out tonight. She did not have a place in mind but simply wished to be gone from here. As much as her sister did. "I can get some things quickly," she managed to get out.

Only the necessary. She would be back the next day. Elenwë knew that much. She had no idea what her sister would do, what she was planning exactly, but it did not matter right now. They would have time to talk after they left. "I'll be right back."

With that, she turned around to hurry to her room. She threw only some basic supplies into her bag, not needing much after being used to going on guarding duties in Falerien. It did not take her long to return to her sister. "Are you ready to go?" By now, her tears had dried on her cheeks, but she still felt horrible. It would not take much to tip her over the edge again.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

Elenwë probably knew there would be no stopping her if she really wanted to run away, which was now definitely the case. Aelisia only ever needed that final little push to send her over the edge, and this had been it. If their father was planning to marry her off to some kind of stupid little hunter, she had no reason left to stay here. But, for her sister’s sake, she could stay for at least one more night. Because in a way, she knew this was going to feel like goodbye, possibly for a long time.

Aelisia quickly nodded when her sister told her she would get some things, and then they would be able to get out of here. The young wood elf didn’t even care to think how their parents would feel if they didn’t come home for tonight, because their feelings didn’t matter as much now. When her sister left the room, she continued packing, but instead of packing for only one night, she packed for a much longer period of time..

It didn’t take long before Elenwë returned, mainly because she had probably only taken the necessary things. Meanwhile, Aelisia had her sword and bow with her, and a large backpack on her back, which already showed that she planned to leave in the morning, after their little camp out. She gave Elenwë a smile when she asked her if she was ready to go, but honestly, she did not have to ask that question twice since Aelisia was more than ready to get away from here. ”Yes, let’s go.” She said, before leaving the room and pulling Elenwë with her, like she always used to do. Carefully making her way down the hall, in her hopes of not running into either one of the parents. Because it would only take one look at her to know she was planning to leave, for good.

When they managed to get out of the house, without being seen, Aelisia turned herself back to Elenwë. ”The river?” She asked, before thinking about a few other options that she could think of. ”Or the old ruin?” She then added, because that was surely a good option as well, and it was rather close but not too far away from the village. In case something would happen.

A look at Aelisia's backpack and her weapons told Elenwë all she needed to know. Her sister would not return the next day. Today would be the day she left Wealdstone. While she had already known, it still managed to add more weight to the pit in her stomach. There would be one less person to turn to when things got tough.

But right now would not be the time for their goodbyes. Elenwë followed as her sister took the lead, taking her hand to pull her along. The golden-haired elf set a quick stride, not wanting someone to hold them back now. She needed this night away from their family home, this moment of just her and her sister.

No one stopped them from getting outside, even though their father probably knew they were leaving. She knew he did not mean the worst for them, even if this decision felt like it was. Her attention snapped back to Aelisia when she spoke, asking where they should go. "The old ruin," Elenwë answered. "Should it rain tonight, it will keep us dry enough." It had been too recently that she had spent her night miserable and wet outside.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

No matter how desperate Aelisia had always been for running away someday, to make her own adventures and decisions while she was on the road to freedom. There were only a few reasons that had held her back from actually going. Her sister was one of those, and now that she saw Elenwë's face, looking at all the things she packed, she did feel a slight pang of guilt for leaving her. Knowing she would leave her sister behind in desperate times, even though they both knew Aelisia wasn’t made for marriage, and this seemed like the only option to escape her fate.

The way they made through the house said enough about them not wanting to be caught leaving, even when their parents could expect them to try. But Aelisia did not feel for them. She could only think about how much she wanted to get away from here, because she would die here if she wouldn’t be able to make her own decisions. And yes, maybe she was being a little dramatic, but she had been dramatic all her life. When they eventually ended up outside the house, Aelisia asked her sister a couple of choices.

She gave Elenwë a slightly surprised frown when she gave a very logical answer, because she had not thought of that yet. ”Good idea.” The young elf responded, before taking her sister's hand again and taking off towards the old little ruin right outside the village. There, no one would be able to find them. Or well, that’s what she thought. Basically the whole tribe knew about that place, but she doubted any of them would visit it at night, certainly not with the possible threat of giant spiders.

During the journey, Aelisia stayed silent, still trying to process everything that had happened. And that was also when she began to feel more of the sadness, whereas first, she had only felt anger towards her parents, mostly her father. Because now she realized she needed to actually say goodbye to everything she had even known, and that did hurt. Her breath was going a bit faster again, feeling like she would be on the edge of crying again, and in between some steps, she actually did wipe a few tears out of her eyes. Tears she was so desperately trying to keep from showing. It was so stupid, because they always knew this day would come, but she did not feel ready for it at all.

It was a little satisfying to notice that she could still think and make somewhat logical decisions even though she felt overwhelmed by waves of grief and fear. Aelisia agreed with her line of thought before taking her hand to pull her along again. Elenwë did not mind being dragged around as it allowed her to zone out a little while they were walking.

They were both quiet as they made their way to the old ruin. The golden-haired elf could guess what her sister was thinking about as they hurried along the paths winding through the city. The journey ahead of her, how this would be the moment they had chased her off.

Elenwë noticed when Aelisia wiped away the tears from her face. She felt her own prickle in her eyes, threatening to run down her cheeks again. "Just a bit further," she commented softly. They could let go as they were there, knowing there would be no prying eyes there. Especially now that she had alerted the Tribe about the spiders, it would be very unusual to meet anyone near the ruin tonight.

A few moments later, they had left the barrier behind. Elenwë felt as if at least a little weight was lifted from her shoulders when the ruin came into sight. She could understand how running away would feel like the best path to walk. "Where will you go?" she wondered out loud as they arrived at their destination.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

Aelisia had always been quick to drag anyone along with her into those little adventures of hers, and Elenwë was probably quite used to this. Even if this didn’t feel like much of an adventure, at least not like one she particularly liked or wanted to have. It felt more like she had no other choice, and this did make her feel a bit sad as they were walking towards the ruin. It was probably one of the reasons why they chose to travel in silence, because Aelisia was almost certain that Elenwë felt it too. The dread of what was coming, with both their choices being ripped away from them.

And she knew Elenwë would choose to stay, even if she herself could never make that choice. She was not going to allow her parents to marry her off to that pathetic little hunter, because she would rather die. Her life would be over if she allowed that to happen. When the blonde elf spoke again, Aelisia turned her head back to her, catching the little hint of watery eyes in her sister as well. For a moment, she tried to give a reassuring smile, but instead, more tears began to fill her eyes again.

But she was right, the ruin was not far away anymore, and when it came into their sight, she heard a question coming in her direction. ”I don’t know yet.” Aelisia responded with raised shoulders, giving an honest answer. It wasn’t like she really planned to leave, at least not right now. ”Maybe north.” She eventually concluded, even if going south was tempting as well. But the rainforest temperature was still rather warm, so instead, she would love to see some of the colder climates one day. ”I’ve always wanted to see the snow.” The young elf then added, which was something she had mentioned before. It was able to bring a bit of a smile back to her face at the thought.

”And who knows, maybe humans aren’t such bad company?” Aelisia then continued to joke, knowing there was only one way to find that out. But actually, she was trying very hard to come up with all kinds of reasons to motivate her, since right now she still didn’t feel like going. Feeling a pit in her stomach at the thought of leaving everything behind.

This was hard on them both for different reasons, but it all boiled down to them loving their freedom and wanting to keep it. Elenwë did not think anyone could manage to tie down her sister, meaning if she ever found love, he would have to be of the same adventurous type, or else not mind her spending days from home.

Aelisia did not know where she would go yet. North, perhaps. At the small smile that appeared on her lips when she mentioned the snow, Elenwë could feel her heart warm a little again. "Then you should go and see it," she encouraged her. No, she did not want to see her sister go, but she knew it to be inevitable. Best make sure she was living her best life even if they were not going to be living it near each other.

She would have no choice where to go next if she indeed ended up marrying the Aerendyl. How long before they would take her off to Silvercrest in Lemuria? No thrill of excitement hummed through her veins at the thought, not a smile spared for the rolling hills, the undoubted beauty of the beaches and the underwater city of the other region.

As they entered the ruin, Aelisia continued about the humans that inhabited Ravaryn, no doubt. At this, Elenwë found herself cracking a small smile. "They're not," she replied. As she noticed her words could be interpreted positively or negatively, she added, "Bad company." At those words, she set her bag to the floor, looking around to see where they should start their fire.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

There were a few things on her mind that she had been wanting to see for many years now, and one of those things was; snow. She had heard so many stories about it, mostly from travelers coming from the north, but she had never been able to actually see it. And well, they both probably knew that Aelisia was quite curious about seeing all the possible landscapes this world had to offer, so this would be the perfect opportunity for her to go out and see them. Yet, she still hoped her leaving would have been due to different circumstances, and not that quickly, because it saddened her to leave her sister behind like this.

Aelisia had not expected the soft encouragement from her sister, but it did her good to know she was on her side, so she smiled softly. Deep down, Elenwë must have known that this could potentially happen one day, because the brown-haired elf had a heart for adventure, and it had always been calling her away from home. She had talked about her dreams of leaving the rainforest ever since she had been able to talk, and he had never been able to shut up about it.

But when they entered the ruin, she could not help herself from catching the smile Elenwë showed her when she told her that humans were, in fact, not bad company. Making it seem like there was something behind her words, which immediately caught her interest. And it showed, because her eyes widened for a moment, her eyebrows raised before she gave her a little smirk. ”And what makes you say that?” She asked, still rather friendly, even if Elenwë knew that when she wouldn’t say something, she would try to pull it out of her with more force. Because Aelisia didn’t like secrets, she wanted to know everything, and certainly whatever this was.

In a way, her fears were already becoming a reality. No Aerendyl in sight yet, but their family was falling apart. Aelisia would go, and Elenwë did not doubt it would take her a while to speak with her parents again in the same easygoing way as before. The news would need to settle first.

As she made her comment about the company of humans when they entered the ruins, the golden-haired elf was not surprised her sister caught onto that statement. What seemed like a day ago she had been disapproving of Aelisia kissing that druid, and now she was speaking fondly of humans, a change indeed.

What made her say that? Elenwë knew her sister would be relentless in her pursuit of knowing all about the meaning behind those words. She would not be secretive about it. If Aelisia stayed in Wealdstone, she would have soon heard about the human her sister had brought to the village anyway.

"I was accompanied by one while on my way back from a failed journey to Falerien," Elenwë explained. "It was an experience, but I'd say I could call him a friend now." The thought brought back Elendorr's words about friendship being all she could seek in the human. Shaking off the memory, she resumed, "You haven't heard about the human Caerwyn shot upon arrival?" At least this conversation was a distraction from their future.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time

Elenwë could have expected the response she got from her comment, because Aelisia had a curious nature - a bit too curious sometimes, and she wanted to know what made her say that. Her sister didn’t often say anything without meaning, so she knew there had to be more to this, or else she wouldn’t have said it. But here she was, telling her that humans were not bad company, all while she had judged her not too long ago about kissing a druid. Now, she didn’t know what this human meant to her sister, though, she would do everything to find that out.

Her sister had been accompanied back with one of them on her way back from her failed journey to Falerien, which then did ring some bells because she had heard something about this. The frown on her face showed that she needed to dig a little deeper into her memory. Something about a giant spider and... Right, the human Caerwyn shot in the leg. Her mouth opened slightly when she heard her sister ask her if she didn’t know. ”No, no, I do know! I can remember hearing something about that.” She honestly admitted with a smile, until it started to fade. ”But I had no idea he was a friend of yours?” Aelisia continued, showing possibly a bit of remorse, before even that quickly turned into something else entirely. Because her curiosity started growing again. And now, she could not hold back all the questions inside her mind.

”You fought a giant spider together right?” She decided to ask the first question running through her mind, the excitement and anticipation of hearing this story were noticeable as she leaned a bit forward while sitting down. Waiting for her sister to make the fire, because she had always been better at it.

Rumours and news usually spread through Wealdstone like wildfire. Elenwë knew that her sister must have picked up on something before, but it seemed like it was taking her a moment to recall the words. When she mentioned the story about Caerwyn shooting a human upon arrival, it seemed to click, her sister quickly confirming she remembered something about that but admitting she had not known he had been a friend of Elenwë's.

"He is a friend of mine," the golden-haired elf confirmed. A friend she had nearly gotten killed simply by taking him here. She still wished they had gotten a better welcome, but there was nothing to do about it anymore, and luckily he was getting better by the day, although his leg would need a while longer to heal fully.

Elenwë knew she would probably get buried under questions now, but it was a good distraction from what awaited them, so she would answer what she could. "We did," she responded when Aelisia started about the spider. "While we were on our way to Wealdstone, we were ambushed by one. We had no weapons between the two of us save for my dagger, but we managed to take it down." Days later it had almost managed to take down Renfred with it. Elenwë still felt her throat tighten at the memory of him screaming as her father cleaned the wound on his chest.

Oh who decides from where up high, I couldn't say I need more time