It took a long time for us to recover from our meeting. I was thankful that Teyber let us be alone for it. I home told him a little about what happened to me as a child. Being raised by Bryn, Mila teaching me, keeping away from the humans, and the time we tried to take off my seal and I caught fire to a corner of her roof.
I told him my seal was now gone and my body had adapted to it's intended shape. We didn't talk about my time in the Wyldes yet. He had to know, after all I was travelling with Nassir and Schula. Still, he didn't ask about that yet.
He told me which parts of me looked like Lark. There were a lot of them. He even pointed out the freckles across my face that formed in the same general shape over her cheeks as on mine. When we were done, as done as we could be with so many unanswered questions still looming over us, we remembered that we should go back to Schula and Nassir.
We left his private quarters timidly, and he apologized profusely to Nassir and Schula for the delay. Teyber had been keeping them company while I got acquainted with Kalor.
"It is alright, Kalor," Nassir said. "We are more than pleased that you and Wren could meet. We would have given you all night if you needed it."
"Thank you, Nassir." Kalor gave him a tired smile. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all. Oh, you must be hungry. I should get us some food."
Kalor stood, walking toward his front door. "Please, wait here. I'll be back shortly."
"I can get it," Teyber said.
But Kalor shook his head. "I'll do it. I still need a moment to myself to think of what we can do about our visitors."
"I can arrange rooms," Teyber offered.
"Alright, but make sure they are down here please. I don't think it's wise to separate them from us until we can get the word out that they are welcome."
"I have been meaning to ask about that," Nassir said. "We met Teyber here under some... strained circumstances."
Kalor sighed and shifted his eyes to Teyber. "Who were you on patrol with?"
"It was Liana's turn to try leading a patrol." Teyber shrugged. "She took the fae sighting quite seriously."
Kalor winced and turned back to Nassir. "As you can see, Eidelhein is a city of partial elves. After our... disagreements with the courts and the battlefield exile, we sought a new place in the world to try to live how we wanted to live."
"Five elves set off to find a new home with some semblance of magic in the air. The hunger that some fae feel for the presence of magic in the Wyldes is not so strong in the elves, since we rarely have magic. But the full elves still feel it, and even some of the fuller blooded descendants feel it some," Teyber added.
"You might be able to feel it now, but this old forest holds a similar breath of it. More subtle, but enough that it finally allowed us to rest somewhere without that hunger for the presence of magic," Kalor said, raising a hand to the air around us. "Can you feel it?"
"Yes, I did as we drew near Eidelhein," Nassir said. "Though I do rely on it heavier than these two, so noticing it would be second nature for me. Schula, did you sense it?"
"Not until we were within the city," she answered.
I looked down at my hands. I noticed it now that he mentioned it, but I hadn't before. I had been sensing the witch magics around me enough that the different types were starting to bleed together, I wouldn't notice one for the other unless I was trying to do so.
"I feel it," I said, and left it at that.
"Kalor, can you tell me about these partial elves, as you call them?" Nassir asked. "I've not heard of an elf and a human..."
"Breeding? We can. It is quite rare though. A miracle at all that Celestia was born." Kalor smiled, looking into the middle distance of the room at some memory that we couldn't see. "One of us, the five as you'll hear us called around here, fell in love with a human. Fandor was patrolling the forest, as we did quite a bit in the beginning, when he found a human woman gathering herbs. Love blossomed, I won't tell his story for him. But in the end, she conceived a child. We were all shocked, to say the least. Celestia was born, our first half elf."
"From her were born several quarter elves. She lived a long life and had two husbands with many children. From those children descend the city around you as you see it today. Those children each found human partners, and so on, and so on, and the generations blossomed into Eidelhien as we know it now," Teyber said.
"You said Celestia was your first half elf," Schula said. "Does that mean there are more?"
Kalor nodded and smiled at me. "Wren aside, yes, there are others. Celestia lived a thousand years and had several children in that time. Fandor hasn't taken a love since Celestia's mother, but another of us has. And myself, of course, did."
Kalor blushed at that last comment and I nearly giggled. For someone so new in my life, I was quickly getting a grasp of his personality.
A distant bell rang, surprising us. It sounded like it came from outside the keep we were in, though I didn't remember seeing any bell towers as we came into Eidelhein. Then again, there was so much to see that I could have missed it. I could have missed a lot of things, and I looked forward to exploring.
"Kalor," Teyber said. "If you want to get food from the kitchens before they are cleaned out, I suggest you do so now."
"Oh, right." Kalor stood up again. "I'll be back shortly, I'm sure you're all tired and hungry."
"And I'll prepare rooms," Teyber added. "Please, excuse us, and make yourselves comfortable."
"Thank you, Teyber," Nassir said with a warm smile. "We can entertain ourselves until your return."
Teyber gave us a smirk and a nod. "I have no doubt of it. Well, I'll be back."
"And so will I," Kalor added.
The pair of them left, and Schula, Nassir, and I were left alone for the first time since discovering Eidelhein. After the door closed, I let out a long, slow breath.
"Your father, hm?" Schula said. "I knew we might find him, but it was a whole new experience actually meeting him."
"Kalor seems like a male who thinks before he acts," Nassir said. "Not quite like Lark."
I let out a breathy laugh. Well, I couldn't argue with that.
"So, how do we breach the subject of DuVarick finding Wren, and consiquntly the survival of the elves?" Schula asked.
Nassir scratched his chin, thinking and humming to himself. "I think... we should give it a day. Spend tomorrow understanding what all has happened to the elves since they departed the Wyldes, and allow Wren time with Kalor."
"We need to tell them soon," I said. "What if they are in danger? Or... or if another of DuVarick's agents followed us somehow?"
"I doubt they will have been able to with Mila and the witches on the watch. But we will tell them soon. I think we need to gather the facts before running to the leaders of an unknown city, calling danger," Nassir said.
"He's right," Schula added. "We have a day at least. We need to assess the situation we're in, and we need to judge how the rest of the elves would accept the appearance of two fae. I have a feeling we made quite a ripple in Eidelhein."
"That's true," I said. "I wonder why Teyber hid my appearance, but not yours."
"That is a curious question." Nassir crossed his arms over his chest, looking around the room. "I knew a few elves, back in their time in the Wyldes. They are usually keep exclusive company among their own kind. Kalor is a bit of an oddity."
Schula stood and yawned, stretching her arms overhead. "I don't know about you, but I need something to eat and somewhere to sleep. And a bath. Not an oasis in the desert, not a spring in the valley, a real hot bath."
I nearly moaned, biting my lower lip. A hot bath sounded amazing.
"Well, maybe Teyber will be back soon," I suggested. "Hopefully, whatever room he's prepared for us will involve some hot water."
"I hope-" Schula started, but footsteps stopped our conversation as we all turned to the door. A last minute shiver had me pulling up the hood of Teyber's cloak, just as the door burst open.
"Kalor, are you hiding Teyber? What's this I hear about... Oh!" A short, lithe figure stepped into the room, and his eyes bulged as he took in Nassir and Schula. He wore some kind of uniform similar in color to the greens and silvers that I had seen around the fortress as we first came in. My eyes darted to his hands. Few calouses, several ink stains dotting his fingers. Some kind of worker, but no fighter. His short hair revealed a pair of ears, similar to mine but maybe just a bit more human.
"You, report. Where is your captain?" The man turned to ask me.
I was taken by surprise. I opened my mouth, not knowing what to say when I was saved by Teyber.
"The Captain is here." Teyber came through the door, causing me to sigh in relief. "What do you want, Tobias?"
"Teyber, it's true! You brought fae into Eidelhein? After everything? After-"
"Enough, Tobias," Teyber growled out. "These are guests, and they have good cause to be brought here. Give Kalor a day to hand you an official report and all your burning questions will be answered, I'm sure."
"Teyber-"
"Tobias!" he snapped. "Take your leave from our weary guests who haven't been offered so much as a meal and a bed yet, or I'll assist you with your leave myself."
Tobias's mouth opened, then shut indignantly. He huffed, spun on his heel, and left the room.
"Sorry about that," Teyber said, shutting the door behind him. "But he won't be the last one asking after fae in Eidelhein. Come, let me show you to your rooms. I'm sure you would like to freshen up, and Kalor and I will lay your food out while you refresh yourselves."
"Thank you, Teyber," Nassir said. "We're glad to have your assistance."
Teyber nodded with a smile, and waved us to him. We gathered our packs, discarded in the corner when we first arrived. With our things in hand, we followed him out the door.
The same hallway we had come down was mostly deserted. Only half of the oil lanterns hanging on the walls were lit, and we didn't go far. I was given a room next to Teyber's, Schula was the next down, and Nassir the next. The rooms were small but comfortable. I had a bed, a dressing table, and a wash basin. A small door seemed promising for my own washing room. Once our things were deposited on our beds, we each came back into the hallway.
I nearly protested at us having our own rooms and not sharing as we always had, but Teyber was fast to point out a common gathering space across from us. Double doors were already open, revealing a small library with a table in the middle of it for study or conversation.
"You three clean up, I'll arrange the food with Kalor across the hall. And if you need anything, let me know or have one of the servants fetch me. They don't come down Kalor's hall often at his request, but a step just outside of it should reveal one soon enough."
"Thank you again, Teyber," Nassir said.
"Yes, the bath looks marvelous," Schula added.
I stifled a giggle. Naturally Schula had already taken a peek.
"Very good," Teyber grinned. "I'll be back soon."
"Bath," Schula said simply, and turned to retreat to her room.
"I think I will do the same," Nassir said with an amused grin.
"See you in a little while then, Nassir," I said and was happy to duck into my own room again. No sooner was the door latched than I began pulling everything off. Boots, cloak, tunic, and every other travel worn piece of clothing. I scattered a trail of it all from the door to the bathing room, and opened the door with excitement.
Inside was a wooden bath, not unlike the one in Schula's apartment. The fixtures were similar too. I turned on the water tap and jumped in while the water filled. But I yelped when freezing cold water hit me.
"Wren!" Schula called between the walls. "Can you come here for a moment?"
I jumped out of my bath, taking one of the fluffy towels from a shelf nearby and wrapping myself in it. I glanced again at the puzzling fixture and made my way to the door. I stuck my head into the hallway first, making sure I was truly alone before making a dash for Schula's room. Once inside, I found Schula in a similar state, but without the towel.
"Can you light my fire?" Schula asked. "These dratted baths don't use magic like ours do."
I walked into her bathroom and instantly saw the problem. There was indeed a recessed stone space under the bath above. It held fresh firewood, and there was a small pile nearby in case we needed more. I reached out and lit the flames under her bath.
"Thank you," she said. "You might check on Nassir too."
"I will." I went back out, offering the same service to Nassir, who was thankfully still clothed. Then I returned to my own bath, now knowing how to make it hot.
It took a dreadful amount of time to heat with the fire alone, so I helped it along a little with my magic. But after that first hurdle, the bath was marvelous. The soaps were mild and soothing. Afterward, I felt cleaner than I had in months. I resisted not falling asleep in the bath, but only because my stomach kept reminding me of the promise of food.
Out and dressed in my fresher outfit, I was happy to cross the hall into the welcome sight of Kalor, Teyber, and a small feast before us. Nassir was already there, and Schula was still in her room.
"Wren, come. Have a seat." Kalor smiled at me and pulled out the chair next to him. I was glad to join him, and as I sat down my eyes drifted over the food before us.
"I hope you don't mind, the kitchen here keeps to an elven diet. We aren't meat eaters, but I remember that the fae are," Kalor explained.
"I am simply happy to eat any food I come across. Much better than moss and mushrooms," Nassir said, grabbing a roll of some kind.
"Lark always complained after a few days." Teyber grinned. "She couldn't stay here long before she was in town, tracking down one of the more human taverns and gorging on her cravings."
Kalor made a tired grimace, but turned to me with a smile. "Do you take after your mother's pallet as well?"
"I can eat meat, if that's what you're asking," I answered. "But I don't mind meatless meals either. I had plenty of those in the mountains, especially at the end of winter when our stores were low."
"Here, try this then. It's my favorite dish from the cooks here." Kalor loaded some kind of steaming root vegetable on my plate, and Schula joined us.
We talked for hours. Food, travel, Eidelhein. I was fully at peace in a way that I hadn't been in some time. I kept marveling at my father. Despite the similarities with Lark, I could see myself in him. It wasn't just our eyes, but it was a slight arch in his nose that made me rub my own. It was the particular way he held his fork. It was a small crease by his mouth when he laughed. And the fact that he was able to welcome Nassir and be somewhat comfortable with Schula warmed my heart.
It was late into the night and the food long since cleared away before we dragged ourselves to bed. Kalor stayed in the hallway, hovering nervously until everyone else had disappeared. I stayed at my open door, waiting to see what he wanted.
"Wren." He cleared his throat. "I just wanted to wish you a good night. I know there is a lot to make up for, but I look forward to the chance to try."
I reached out and pulled him into a hug, catching him by surprise. "Me too. Good night... father."
I could feel his face move against my hair, and I had a suspicion he was smiling. "Good night, daughter."
And I slipped into my room, quickly falling into a blissful sleep.