-“I've been wondering if I have chosen the right path” the old man commented.

-“You mean your path in life?” she asked curiously.

-“No, I mean this trail we are walking on right now, there was another one if I recall” Verkan replied.

-“Oh, sorry” she apologized a bit embarrassed.

-“You always look for the deep philosophical meanings on the simplest things!” he complained in a lighthearted way.

-“I thought you were talking about something else” Nina replied.

-“But now that you mention it, we can talk about all the choices we make in life” he replied with a mischievous smile.

-“For the thousand time, Verkan, I'm sure to be Priestess, really! I wouldn't be here if I wasn't” she replied exasperated.

-“I know, I know, it's just... you are awfully young” Verkan replied.

-“Being a Priestess is just one step; I don't plan to keep doing this all my life you know! I would like to continue my studies at an Imperial University and become a teacher one day, just like you” she explained.

-“I'm no teacher Nina; I need a degree for that” he corrected her.

-“Yet you are the best teacher I’ve ever had” Nina admitted.

-“I just share a little of what I've learned through the years” the old priest replied modestly.

-“I would love to one day teach in an Imperial University, in a class full of students!” she replied excitedly.

-“That's a wonderful career choice Nina but you don't need to be a Priestess for that” he clarified.

-“I know, but you know my family Verkan, they wouldn't have let me otherwise” she replied.

-“I know, but you are one stubborn girl, just like your mother was!” he replied.

-“Sorry” Nina replied, suddenly feeling down.

-“Don't be! I meant that as a compliment” Verkan quickly corrected himself.

-“Verkan... do you mind... if I ask you about my mother?” Nina asked timidly.

-“Of course not, feel free to” was his response.

-“I’ve always heard how she was from other people, but my family refuses to give me a straight answer whenever I ask them about her” she commented, eager to hear his response.

-“I can understand your family, your mother was... controversial, to say the least, even for me” Verkan replied, reminiscing about the time when Nina’s mother was his traveling companion.

-“How is that?” she asked.

-“Elia had some pretty radical beliefs, I didn’t agree with her for the most part but I’ve always respected her for it. She was a strong and passionate woman with a brilliant mind and a giving heart. Incredibly smart, resourceful, talented, and also incredibly beautiful” Verkan continued smiling fondly at the memory, showing no small amount of admiration towards his late friend.

-“No wonder why dad fell in love with her, mom was your student too, wasn't she?” Nina asked again, now feeling excited to hear the rest of the story.

-“Indeed she was, many years ago, until she earned the rank of High Priestess, of course, then I became her apprentice” Verkan replied with enthusiasm.

-“Why did you never earn a higher rank? You could have earned it if you tried,” she asked again.

-“And end my days locked up in a monastery? Ha! No thanks, I do love this job. I love helping these people Nina, I belong to them, and I'll probably keep doing it until the day I die” he replied sincerely.

-“Come on Verkan, you still have a decade or two ahead until you freed us of your stubbornness” Nina replied smiling mischievously, mirroring his own response in the conversation he had with Nana last night.

-“If you say so” Verkan replied with a knowing smile on his face.

-“Anyway, I thought you hailed from the Empire” she commented, changing the subject.

-“Do I look like an Imperial?” he asked pointing at himself.

-“How could I know? Do they look different?” Nina asked in return.

-“I thought you knew. Don’t they describe them in those gallant knights’ books you read?” Verkan asked back with a naughty smile.

  Her heart stopped. How does he know about THAT?! Her eyes widened in absolute horror, her face turning dead white at first then into a darker shade of red after hearing his response. Verkan exploded in a burst of energetic laughter at her reaction. How much exactly did he know?

-“No-not in detail” she managed to reply, awkwardly looking away to avoid his gaze, and using her cap to cover her face.

-“So that you know, I've been everywhere, child, even up north! I'm a Highlander, my heart belongs here. There is something magical about this place, you can't describe it, but you can't also deny its power” he commented, returning to the previous subject but with a more serious tone.

-“No wonder why they respect you so much, you understand these people so well” she replied.

-“Oh, they respect me, but your mother? They adored her” the old priest replied, raising a finger in the air.

-“Really?! I've never heard about that!” Nina replied excitedly, now eager to hear all about it.

-“Well, it's not your fault. You lived in a bottle up until now” her mentor replied.

-“The Clans don't like to admit it, but during the war, your mother was crucial for victory, the Empire would have won if it wasn't for her” Verkan commented, much to her awe.

-“Really?! I always thought it was thanks to my father that the Empire was beaten” she replied surprised.

-“Well, your father did most of the fighting after all, but it was your mother who advised him with crucial tactical advice. Elia recognized the need to have a strong military leader to rally around, so she let your father have all the glory, remaining at his side and quietly counseling him. The Clans like to think that they defeated the Empire with blood and steel alone, but it was your mother’s brilliant mind, and her knowledge of Imperial strategies that actually won the war” he explained.

-“You fought in the war too, Verkan?” Nina asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

-“We all did in one way or another, Lord Nero was just a boy back then, he could barely hold his sword! And even Nana cooked for the warriors! I was badly wounded in one of the early battles, while tending the wounded, ironically. It was your mother who saved my life, you know; she found me in the middle of the battlefield and dragged me to safety. The Imperial armies got the advantage during the early stages and managed to win several decisive victories. The Clans were led by a Warlord named Ingram; you might have heard about him”

-“Yes I did! Ingram the Conqueror! I've read he was a great warrior!” she replied excitedly.

-“Indeed he was, no doubt about that, but he made several fatal misjudgments” Verkan replied.

-“Really?! How is that?” she asked again.

-“You’ll see, Ingram fought the same way any other Clan warrior would, like fighting in a Trial, of course. He thought they could face the imperials honorably. But the Empire has soldiers not warriors, and that's the problem, they took advantage of Ingram's sense of honor to lure him and his army into a trap. The Clans fought well, they make for excellent warriors, but they alone didn't stand a chance against the might of the Empire. Your father succeeded him after he was killed in battle”

-“I've heard that story many times! He had to endure several Trials!” Nina interrupted.

-“Indeed! And after that, he unified what was left of the Clans and led them against the Empire, with a little help of your mother, of course,” the priest commented.

-“Tell me of your part in the war!” she pleaded, eager to hear more.

-“I didn't do much other than tending the wounded and getting wounded myself! It's a miracle I wasn't killed back then” Verkan explained uncomfortably.

-“Maybe the Gods had other plans for you”

-“Perhaps, like keeping you from tangling with your tongue” he replied jokingly.

-“T-tha-that was just one time!” she replied turning red.

  Verkan couldn’t help but burst into violent laughter, making her feel deeply insulted. What is wrong with him?! Nina clenched her hands into tiny fists, looking away pouting; only making him laugh even harder.

-“VERKAN!!”

-“Sorry! I couldn't help but make a bit of fun out of you! Your face is priceless!” he replied wiping away small tears with his sleeves.

-“I bet you didn't make fun of mom when she was your apprentice” the girl complained.

-“Quite the contrary! We loved to make fun of each other! She was so much fun to be with!” he replied, still laughing wildly.

-“I bet dad loved that too” Nina commented.

-“But seriously, your father never told you he was the Mage Slayer?” Verkan asked incredulously.

-“He told me about the war, he told me about the trials and even about mom but he never told me about that particular duel or the Red Mage for that matter”

-“I can understand why, anyone who wasn't there would probably believe it’s only a legend. Even today is still hard to believe, even for us who witnessed it” he explained.

-“Why?” she asked curiously.

-“You wouldn’t believe it! It was something out of a myth, the Red Mage was an incredibly powerful wizard; he alone decimated entire armies with his magick!”

-“Really?! Such magick exists?” Nina asked awestruck. Impossible!

-“It's real I tell you! I've got a nasty burn from a fireball that still hurts me to this day” Verkan replied with a pained expression.

-“A fireball?! Really?! Where?!” she asked in quick succession.

-“Behind, but I can't show you” Verkan replied smiling playfully.

-“Uhhg!” Nina replied with a disgusted expression, while Verkan was trying hard not to laugh.

-“Anyway... When the Clan’s combined forces faced the Imperial armies at the Plains of Discord, your father challenged the Red Mage to a duel that would decide the fate of both armies. All hope was lost and no one believed that your father could defeat a foe of such power! The Red Mage launched fire and brimstone! Thunder and lightning he cast! But your father remained undeterred!” he paused, motioning his hands in the air as if telling an epic tale.

-“What few people know is that your father wasn't unprepared. He received an enchanted suit of armor just before the battle and wielded a great axe made of Sky Steel, which is said to be able to repel magick. But whether or not that’s true is not important, he accomplished the impossible that day, and after watching their champion slain at your father’s hands, the whole Imperial army routed in terror to never return!”

-“You surely know how to tell tales Verkan” Nina commented, this time with a genuine smile.

-“What can I say? I've had enough time to practice” Verkan replied humbly.

-“It was nice to hear about mom and dad, thank you”

-“Don't mention it”

-“It's strange that my family never told me of that story, yet I've heard of other great warriors. I bet I know more legendary heroes than you”

-“Do you know Onur the Mighty?” she asked.

-“Oh, a great hero of old! I didn’t know him because he died hundreds of years ago but I’ve heard of him” Verkan replied.

-“Right, Um… Krauss the Undying?” Nina asked again.

-“Not so undying though, heh, killed in his sleep by a scorned woman” he replied chuckling.

-“Correct, Fasir the Giant Bane?” she asked yet again.

-“Many people believe he was actually a woman. That would explain his peculiar... interest in men” Verkan replied.

-“Yeah, but I've heard that's not frowned upon in the Empire” she explained.

-“So I’ve heard”

-“You may have heard of him because he was from your time. Rudo the Vanquisher?” Nina asked yet again.

-“He is only a legend, and that’s for certain!” he replied instantly.

-“Really? But he’s so well known! How can you be so sure?” she asked curiously.

-“If he was real, where was he when the Empire invaded?” Verkan asked in return.

-“I don’t know, maybe dead?”

-“Only the Gods know” was his answer.

-“The God Slayer?” Nina dared to ask.

-“That is from the realm of myths, and forbidden literature young lady!” Verkan replied with a slightly more severe tone, raising a finger in the air.

-“Yeah… sorry” she lowered her head and apologized. She wasn’t supposed to even read those books, even though Verkan has been extremely forgiving about it, she felt it was better not to push her luck.

-“Valder the Mage Slayer… Why did you never mention it either?” Nina asked.

-“You never asked” he replied smiling, his response was so sincere and simple that she felt dumb just for asking.

-“I'm going to yell at dad for hiding that one from me when he comes back!”

-“That would be a sight to behold! The greatest hero of this land being reprimanded by a little girl!” Verkan replied laughing.

-“Hey! I'm not so little anymore! I'm thirteen!” she protested, hitting him in the arm.

  The rest of the trip went mostly uneventful; they kept talking about less important subjects while enjoying each other company, and at the same time, the wonderful visuals the highland’s landscape provided. It was odd, to say the least, how such a somber, colorless landscape could be so breathtaking. Even though she could see the sun setting behind the mountains earlier than expected, there was enough daylight left to see their destination a few miles ahead over the hilly horizon, a small village at the edge of the forest near the mountains.

  She could already relax. It’s been a long trip.