Alorne ✔️

Chapter 4

We keep walking through the dark until we come across a small cottage. We share a look and walk towards the door. The windows emit some light and the cottage feels warm and inviting. I walk up to the door and raise my fist to knock.

"Arwyn, what are you doing?" Beorn asks me angrily and he grabs my wrist, bringing my hand down.

"What does it look like? I'm knocking on the door," I answer him with a raised eyebrow.

Beorn shakes his head, "we can't just knock on the door."

"Then where would you want to sleep tonight? On the rocks?"

"You better get used to sleeping on the ground Arwyn, you'll be doing that more often," he scoffs and I fold my arms over my chest.

"Exactly why we better use this opportunity to sleep inside," I fire back and before I can give him the chance to answer, I knock on the door
and only seconds later an old man with friendly eyes opens the door. He smiles and his almost toothless mouth causes me to crack a smile as well.

"Visitors," he beams and opens the some more, "It's been such a long time since I've had visitors"

His voice sounds delicate and his hand shakes a little when he motions for us to follow him.

"What are such young Valians like you two doing out there at this hour?" He asks us curiously while shuffling around. He balances on his walking cone, which is shaking gently.

"When I was young we weren't allowed to walk outside at this hour," he continues and waves his cone in the air when talks.

He continues to blabber about his time as a young Valian while messing around with what looks like a kettle. A chance to reply is something we don't get until he puts two damping wooden cups in front of us.

"I'm sorry, I don't think," the man starts off and shakes his head, "No, I don't remember hearing your names," he says as he finally sits down. Even though the man appears as old as the mountains the castle is built on, he sure is a man who likes to talk.

Beorn lets out a hearty chuckle, "It's okay, my name is Beorn and-,"

"I'm Aryana," I cut him off. Beorn looks surprised and throws me a questioning look but to my relief, he doesn't ask and lets it slide. I can't throw my name around right now, I will be found within a day if I do that.

The hot beverage in front of me smells delicious and I blow on it to let it cool down faster. Beorn follows my lead and just as I take a sip I hear him cough and spit out the liquid. Though, I don't understand why. The taste is something new but appealing. It's a perfect balance of sweet and sour.

"Beorn, what's wrong?"

"How can you drink that? It's as bitter as those red fruits in the castle and to top that it feels like it burns my mouth away," he tells me with a pained expression on his face. Before I can ask what he meant the old man begins to speak.

"D'ierfa, ce orasa d'ierfa," he mutters and looks at me.

"I've waited so long for this moment. No one has passed the test before," his shaking has stopped and his voice sounds stronger. He looks at me, forest green pits judge me and I feel a little creeped out. Why is this man looking at me like I just murdered his arch enemy for him?

"I'm sorry?" I squeak and glance at Beorn. He's watching the elderly man with confusion.

"It's you, we've finally found you," he rambles on with a smile on his face. Still, he's not making any sense at all.

"What am I? What are you talking about?" I ask slowly, hoping he would notice he wasn't making any sense to me. I literally understand more about the royal etiquette and I never paid any attention to those classes.