Arjana stares in shock as blood oozes from Izzimar's wounds. Despite a few cuts and scrapes, he seems unharmed. Yet, the question lingers: who could have done this?

"We gotta go!" Izzimar exclaims, offering scant details.

Before Birger has the chance to inquire about the wounds, he notices Izzimar clutching a bundle—a bag filled with food.

"By Baldur's light, you didn't..." Birger mutters, rising swiftly.

Then, another commotion stirs from the bushes; Avvian emerges, hefting an entire hog on his back and another bag in his grasp.

"Hurry! We must leave now!" he insists, hastily heaving the hog into the wagon's rear before climbing onto the driver's seat. Frigg swiftly stows the remaining bags, then reaches out to pull Arjana into the wagon with her.

"Hurry, little one, hurry!" Frigg urges as she gently places Arjana beside her in the wagon. Birger assists Izzimar into the wagon as a large group of angry villagers, wielding weapons like pickaxes and pitchforks, emerges from the forest.

"I knew there had to be a bunch of them here!"

"Kill them, or others will settle near our village!" one of the men shouts.

The sight of the angry mob petrifies Arjana. She nearly freezes at the sight of so many people gathered to hunt just two elves. Many are armed, and some have ropes as they cautiously encircle the wagon.

"Be careful, if one can cast spells... we're dead," one of the men warns as they ready themselves to attack the wagon.

A memory flashes in Arjana's mind of a similar crowd long ago, when outsiders attempted to usurp her father's throne.

They intended to hang him and harm her and Monoko. Arjana recalled the outsiders' shouts and chants in the streets, "Kill the king! Paria is ours!" She remembered walking the streets, witnessing the slaughter of innocents by barbarians after the uprising was quelled. Fortunately, her father managed to suppress them with his military. However, it was not an easy feat; the conflict lasted for months, and the outsiders had demolished many buildings. Despite her father's reassurances, she could never comprehend why people would resort to such lengths to wreak havoc...

Now, before her, the young girl witnessed what seemed like half the town poised to execute two elves for pilfering food. The villagers had stormed the wagon, brandishing their weapons, some even hurling their pitchforks in hopes of striking one of them.

"Kyunda!" Birger yelled, and a blinding light erupted, engulfing everyone in its immediate vicinity in sheer whiteness.

Arjana squeezed her eyes shut, yet the heat from the light was palpable. Overwhelmed by the brightness, she coiled into a ball, attempting to shield herself from the light's intensity.

While hiding, Arjana heard the villagers' screams; some cried out in pain, others dropped their weapons. This chaos lasted about five minutes before the sounds began to fade as the group moved on. Cautiously, Arjana opened her eyes, relieved to find everyone safe in the moving wagon.

"What was that?" Arjana inquired, blinking against the afterglow.

"A light spell. It's so intense that humans can't withstand it, but it's too feeble to affect elves," Birger explained, settling back with a relieved exhale.

"You know spells?"

"Indeed. Most elves learn spellcasting," Birger said, then slumped over, exhausted.

"Mister Birger, are you alright?"

"I'll manage, youngin'. Spellcasting is draining, and I'm not young anymore—I'm 3,000 years past young."

Once again, they settled into silence.

"Did the villagers have a lot of food?" inquired Arjana.

"Yes, indeed, they had an abundance. We specifically visited this village because they host an annual festival where everyone roasts meat," Avvian elaborated.

"This is often our opportunity to secure food while we can. However, it seems they've caught on to our pattern." his wife interjected, soothing their fussing baby.

"Have you ever tried asking politely?" Arjana questioned.

"I did ask when I last visited here, explaining our dire situation," Frigg said, looking downcast as her husband continued.

"Years ago, we approached the village in search of food. Frigg was with child then, expecting our first. I proposed labor in exchange for food and water. Alas, they demanded I teach them magic, which I declined. They rejected us... and we lost our child."

"Why did the humans desire magic?"

"Recall the tale I shared, youngin'," Birger interjected. "The man in that story wielded magic to dominate the other elves. Possessing magic can offer an advantage over other beings. But you're too young to grasp this," Birger expounded.

"... Will....anyone welcome the elves?"

"Not without a cost," Frigg added grimly. "And the price is often... exorbitant. Be it bonded labor or... the brothels."

Silence envelops the group while Arjana's confusion grows. The others are visibly distressed by their plight. They had barely managed to secure enough food for perhaps a week. Arjana longs to comprehend their struggle more, but her newness to their world hinders her. Childishly, she offers a naive solution:

"When I return home, if anything remains of my kingdom, I promise to welcome the elves. No one will ever go hungry!"

"Young one, even with your desires, I doubt it's as simple as that," Birger sighs.

"I am the princess of my kingdom, and my word is law!" asserts Arjana, trying to lift the spirits.

Her words draw laughter from Birger and Frigg, and even Avvian cracks a smile, though Izzimar remains silent.

"What's so funny?" inquires Arjana.

"Your innocence," he confesses, tousling her hair. "Just promise me one thing: never change," Avvian speaks as they journey on. "So, where to, Mr. Bramblewood?" he questions as Birger consults a map.

"Our destination is the seaport, Port Northwind."

*******

As night approaches, the group, having calmed down from yesterday's events, has yet to stop for camp. Arjana observes Birger whispering to Avvian, who appears upset, but continues on. Meanwhile, Arjana assists Frigg in tending to Izzimar's head scrape.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"You know you don't really have to do this, right?" he responds.

"I know, but I feel bad that you got hurt, so I want to repay you.," Arjana confesses.

The young boy emits a peculiar trilling sound, prompting a chuckle from Frigg. "Are we there yet?" Arjana inquires, noting the encroaching darkness. Frigg, visibly anxious, replies, "We're still looking for a safe place to shelter for the night."

“It's not safe to camp out in the open as elves.”, Frigg adds. Arjana was kind of puzzled but didn't argue. “So what are we doing till then?”, She asked

“Well, I guess we just wait tight.”, Izzimar sighed. 

"Oh..." Arjana murmured.

In the quiet, Izzimar inquired, "So, how did you become a princess? You're very young."

"I was made a princess when my father became king," she explained.

"How did he manage that?", Izzimar asked, tilting his head.

Arjana pondered deeply about her homeland. The kingdom's founding happened when she was only four, so her memories of the events were vague. She was very young then...Still, she wants people to know her father’s feats. She can't do him a disservice and let the story of her proud kingdom fade away. Thinking back, she remembered the days her father would tell her about the birth of their kingdom.  

"I'll attempt to tell you what papa told me. I'm sorry if it gets confusing."

"Alright, we're listening, youngin' ." Birger responds, reclining in the passenger seat of the wagon. Arjana, surrounded by expectant faces, inhales deeply.

"Papa was a builder, and although his old kingdom was poor, the nobles somehow always had gold."

"That's hardly surprising...", Izzimar snorts

"Silence, let her speak. Continue.", Frigg shushes Izzimar before returning her attention to Arjana.

"He tirelessly worked to feed mom and Monoko; I wasn't born yet. Eventually, the king allowed barbarians to enter.", Arjana explained.

"Who are barbarians?", Izzimar interrupts again earning stern glances from the other adults. However, Arjana was unbothered, and didn't mind answering his questions. Afterall, he's a kid like her, so thats to be expected.

"They are outsiders from a ruined kingdom. Papa mentioned that the king allowed them to 'govern' us.", She explained

"But why?"

"I'm getting to that..., may I continue?", Arjana giggles.

"S-sorry...", Izzimar stammers

"Anyway, the barbarians were like monsters. They invaded homes, stealing and destroying everything. What was scary was their lawlessness. The locals were so afraid, they stayed together for safety. However, this enraged the king. Without the locals, there would be no gold for the barbarians. He relied on them for his wars, but... there were none.So, the people lived with the barbarians, until the king passed a scary law.

The law said that barbarians were allowed to take from the locals, including their women and children. This time, the king gave them permission. Frustrated, my papa rallied his neighbors, family, and the remaining citizens of our kingdom, and they quietly left the kingdom at dawn."

"How did your father convince people to follow him?", It was Frigg who interrupted this time.

"Papa believed that family was important, no matter what. At that time, my mother was expecting me. He told me that he refused to let his only daughter be sacrificed to the barbarians. Seeing his determination, others were inspired to join him.", Arjana explained proudly.

"Was he aware of where they were headed?", Avvian asked.

"No, he just wanted to get far away from the old kingdom.", She replied before continuing.

"After leading the people out of the old kingdom, they stopped at a neighboring kingdom. Papa spoke of it as a kingdom surrounded by walls. It was named...", Arjana stopped, trying to remember the name of that kingdom. She had visited only once, and never again joined her father on his diplomatic journeys there. It was something about the smoke...

"Bronzaria kingdom! It had steam-powered metal towers and even had... metal objects known as muskets."

"They must've been quite advanced. Muskets are firearms that launch projectiles.", Birger turned to face her from his seat as he explained. Seeing Birger get invested, fills her with joy, so she continues.

"Yes, and... oddly, father didn't wish for us to take refuge in Bronzaria. Instead, he wanted their muskets... lots and lots of them... Papa and our people agreed to strengthen Bronzaria's walls in return for these muskets. It was a long task, but eventually, papa and our people helped the Bronzaria kingdom and got the muskets. In return, he made an agreement with the kingdom for supplies. Things... appeared okay, but everyone was tired.

Still, they continued on their journey...moving... in search of a new homeland until at last, they found it. Surrounded by plateaus was a lush, dense jungle. Lots of fresh water, wildlife for hunting, a waterfall, and trees. Papa and the rest wasted no time and quickly set up there. I was two years old at that time. My memories are faint, but... at some point in time... mama vanished..."

"Do you... suspect something dire befell her?", Avvian asked

"Papa said she passed away, but he didn't explain how... Monoko knew how she died, but when I asked him...he refused to tell me...". Arjana explained as she looked down in sadness. She doesn't recall having any memories of her mother. It had been so long since she last saw her, she can't even remember what she looked like. What's more, is that her brother and father kept quiet about her passing, ever since... "When...did mama vanish?"

Sensing her distress, Izzimar tries to change the subject.

"Can we hear more about your papa?"

"Oh, sorry!.", snapping out of her sad spell, she continues.

"For a year, we lived on our own, many children were born, and life was good... until the barbarians appeared. It seems that when our people left the kingdom, the king had no funds from taxes to pay the barbarians. In their anger, they killed the king along with the nobles, and moved on. They attempted to enter the Bronzaria Kingdom but failed to penetrate its' walls, so they turned toward our home."

"They intended to invade?", Birger inquired, clearly invested in the story.

"Oddly, no... it turns out, the land we settled on was once the homeland of the barbarians."

"How could it be theirs? If it was thriving, why did the barbarians leave to torment your people?"

"I was getting to the best part, Mister Birger!" Arjana whined.

"....My..apologies..please...proceed.", he submitted. With an excited air about her, Arjana continues,

"Papa explained that the barbarians had exhausted the resources of their homeland years ago and, rather than doing something about it, they left it. However, when we found the land, it was thriving because it had time to recover while the barbarians were gone.

The barbarians wanted it back, but Papa refused to let them destroy the home he created for us. He waged war and led a massive battle against the barbarians. They swarmed to take over our home, intent on pillaging it. But Papa was prepared; with muskets from the Bronzaria kingdom, he and his new army almost completely eradicated the barbarians. They were exiled to unknown parts, and Papa raised his banner, proclaiming the new land as the Paria kingdom. The people adored him; he was a beacon of hope in dark times, and they crowned him king. He was called, the King of Light, and under his rule, Paria flourished..."

It was Avvian who spoke up upon hearing her father's title. "Did you say... your father was... The King of Light?" Avvian inquired.

"That's what people called him," Arjana replied."Or maybe it was..King of the Sun..?"

"What happened to your kingdom?", Frigg asked as she cradled her baby.

"The barbarians came back, with muskets, and soldiers unlike any we had seen before.", Arjana explained sadly.

"Do you think your father is still alive? Is your kingdom still standing?", Birger asked, a bit insistently. "Do you...think you have a home to return to?"

"If the barbarians have taken over, then no... I remember my father sending me away. He and Monoko stayed behind to fight. The Brymshire Kingdom wanted to send help, but they also were attacked by the barbarians...I...I don't know what's happening there now..."

The wagon is filled with silence and the only sound is the horses' hooves trotting along. Izzimar cranes his neck, listening for any reaction, but there is none.It appears that the adults are attempting to process the story within the privacy of their own thoughts. Eager to break the silence, he applauds Arjana as she recounts her father's journey.

"Your father is a very brave man.", Izzimar praises

"...My head hurts... I need to lie down.", Arjana whimpers. She moves to the edge of the wagon to cover herself with a fur blanket. Izzimar joins her, laying next to her.

"Arjana, I wish I had a father like yours... I would love to meet him someday.", he admits before nestling his head against hers as he dozes off.

"I'm sure he would like that too.", she whispers before drifting off to sleep.