'A half-elf, huh? He's like Merle, then. A halfling as well. Well, I shouldn't tease the kid so much. He'll seriously end up crying at this rate.'
I nod and step closer to him. "Don't worry. My... friend is a half as well. Your secret's safe with me." As a reassurance, I offer him a small smile, which seems to have an effect as he seems slightly calmer compared to just a few seconds ago.
However, my attention keeps getting averted thanks to those delicous-looking vegetables in his fardel. I'm craving some good food. Even one of those carrots would suffice at this point.
"Huh? Really?! Whew... I'm really glad!" A relieved sigh breaks my trance-like state, and I turn to look back at the kid. That's when I can't help but notice just how childlike and innocent he seems at this exact moment.
'Well, I also shouldn't judge a book by its cover, after all. He may not be as innocent as he seems. It's better to stay on guard even around children like this one right here.'
With that warning in mind, I give the kid a reassuring smile and a nod to confirm my own words and ease his worry. With a gentle pat on my horse, I continue talking.
"I'll keep it a secret, don't worry. Let's make this fair and square, shall we? I know your secret now, so I'll tell you one of my own!"
His eyes light up at my words, and I put on a slightly dry smile, masking it behind a somewhat warm expression, which I force myself to put on for the sake of this little boy.
"I'm from Lafiel, but I befriended someone who's just like you, a half-elf, so I ended up in Silvailia with him. That's why I know Elvish and didn't realise my slip-up. Are we even now?"
A small grin stretches across my lips as I put a finger up to them, subtly hinting that he should keep this a secret as well and just accept my words like they're not lies. He doesn't know that, though.
Although the lie isn't completely wrong either.
"Yes, sir!" His words are accompanied by an eager nod of his head and a wide smile that seems to brighten up the tense atmosphere, which was still there just a moment ago.
"Call me Alaire." I sigh slightly, my eyes locking with his sparkling blue ones. "Okay! I'm Ros, s‐Alaire!" He quickly corrects himself and lets out a small giggle.
'What a funny boy.' A slight yet an actually genuine smile forms on my face once I relax slightly. His bright smile and seemingly innocent nature make my heart warm up ever so slightly.
'Perhaps he'll be useful in the future... But he seems kinda young. I'm guessing around 10 years old. That's a bit young to be travelling by yourself around a treacherous path like the one I came from. Is that the norm here in Elarion?'
My eyes drift across his face, taking in every detail before they settle down on his nose. A light blue, wave-shaped marking stretches across his whole nose.
'Huh? The Water attribute. He's quite young, but he already has powers? That makes me wonder how old you actually have to be to awaken and get your powers. Maybe it differs for everyone in Elarion?'
While pondering, the boy's eyes trail up to analyse my own markings with a critical eye.
'That marking looks familiar... What is it, though? I feel like I've seen it before. It's rare to see this, that's for sure.'
Ros thinks and stares at me. With a sigh, my thoughts fall back into place. 'I'm still missing some key parts, but I've basically pieced almost everything together. Excluding Hewie... She's a damn mystery.'
"So, Ros... Would you mind showing me your village? And maybe share a carrot with me? Pretty please?" I give him a slightly pleading look, hoping that he won't mind me visiting the village and eating his vegetables.
"Sure. I'll also make you some food, mis- Alaire." With a nod, he starts leading the way. I take my horse's reins and follow Ros alongside my stallion, who only snorts a bit.
While we walk, I notice the name of the village on a sign nearby. Greenvale village. An interesting name. It's simple, but it seems to hold a deeper meaning than simply some weird characters carved into a piece of wood, stuck in soil to show the way.
Along the whole way, Ros introduces the village briefly, saying something about Grenvake being a province of Alamoria.
Then, Ros leads me to a two-story wooden building and takes my horse, leading it to a manger of water, closing the gate of the horse shelter.
Surprisingly, my horse seems to be calm around strangers. I remember that some horses from my hometown didn't take strangers too well and were rather moody sometimes. But they never caused any accidents... At least none that I know of.
While Ros is tending to my horse, I take a good look at the building. The wood is slightly darker, but not too much. It's made out of walnut wood. There's white paint on the end of each wooden plank. The sign that hangs above the entrance is slightly tilted to the right, but it doesn't seem as though the owner would ever bother to fix it.
'White Molse, huh? So is it a tavern or something? Sounds like it, to be honest.'
I muse to myself, and just then, Ros comes back. "Let's go inside!" He beams and drags me into the building, opening the front door carelessly like this isn't the first time doing such a deed. Barging in like a madman...
Lively and cheerful music with patrons and guests drinking and singing to the melody greets me. Some patrons are eating but clearly enjoying the friendly and energetic atmosphere.
We sit down at a free table, and a waitress comes over to take our orders. "One mutton stew and two tankards of water. Oh! And a large baked potato!" Ros orders our food, and I just listen in, observing everyone here.
Even though most people here are probably strangers, they get along pretty well. The atmosphere itself makes you want to join in and dance around with the ladies who are performing alongside the singers and the instrument players.
Once our food arrives, Ros digs right in, but I hesitate. 'I'm still suspicious of him, but the stew looks so good... Even the smell makes me salivate!' After contemplating whether or not I should eat, I pick up the wooden spoon and taste the stew.
It's nice, although it's lacking some flavour. I take a piece of bread and dip it in my stew before taking a bite, savouring the flavour, and how the soft and fluffy bread melts on my tongue.
The tastes mash together, creating a rich flavour in my mouth. I heartily eat the warm meal, enjoying how it fills my empty stomach. Even if it's a bit bland, it's better than nothing. A warm meal like this can really lighten up my mood, huh? But it's good.
While we eat, I make sure to ask Ros about Greenvale between bites. And during our meal, I learnt that this village is pretty similar to those in my world, just a few centuries behind...
"So, to put it simply, Greenvale is Alamoria's province. Although we're an autonomous province." Ros sums it up, and I'm slightly taken aback at his vast vocabulary and understanding despite his young age.
'It might be because he's a halfling. I think that Merle mentioned something about elves being very intellectual and that their intelligence gets inherited by their offspring. That's why half-elves are smarter than other, ordinary humans.'
"Alamoria?" I ask, raising an eyebrow as I pit another spoon full of the warm, delicious stew up to my lips, blowing a bit on it to cool it down before I eat some more. 'I've heard that name somewhere,' I think, desperately trying to remember.
'Right. It's one of the biggest cities marked on the map of Eldur. Although I'm curious as to what Alamoria does since it seems like it's very influential in the Eloria Kingdom.'
"Yes? Alamoria is the very capital of the Eloria Kingdom. It's basic knowledge for anyone. Especially us, who live in the Eloria Kingdom ourselves." He says and gives me a puzzled look.
'Yeah, yeah. I know that I'm basically an infant in this world, but he doesn't need to say it like that. It makes me look stupider than I actually am!'
With a short inhale and shallow exhale, I calm myself down and look at Ros, already making up a story to mask the fact that I didn't know that Alamoria is the capital of Eloria Kingdom and not just another big city.
"I know that, Ros. I just didn't know that Greenvale was a province of Alamoria and was simply surprised. After all, we don't learn everything about Eldur in Lafiel as we are a small village ourselves without much knowledge." I make an excuse and nod, resuming my eating, almost done with the food.
"Mhm, sure..." The boy says with clear scepticism in his tone, not really bothering to mask it as he's obviously doubting my words. But, of course, being the smart kid he is, he doesn't comment on it much and just finishes his own meal without pressing on it any further.
"So..." I start another small talk, looking at him as the same waitress from earlier comes to our table and takes the empty wooden bowls away. I then continue speaking. "Why are you hiding that you're a half?"
Ros doesn't answer for a while and takes a sip of his water, swallowing and answering only then. "The human kingdom is on odds with the Elven race. I'm not sure if all places ruled by humans are in the same situation, but Eloria Kingdom is openly letting everyone know that they're not too fond of us."
This information makes me raise an eyebrow, curiosity brewing within me. "Why, though?" Silence takes over our table as Ros considers how to answer my question. Only the cheerful and boisterous laughter of the patrons from all around the tavern can be heard, accompanied by the quick, lively music and sweet, melodious voices from the singers.
"Well, it's... a bit complicated. But as far as I know, the elves made a truce pact with the human kingdom. They exchange materials and resources, but there's obviously still some tension between both of them."
As I listen to the explanation, I doubt some things. 'While I was in Silvailia, they seemed to treat me like one of their own even though I'm clearly a human and a complete stranger. What more is there that I'm missing?'
"The tension could be dangerous," he continues, "I heard from the adults that it possibly preceeds war." This makes me tense up a bit.
'He's just a kid, yet he seems as though he's talking about the weather and not the possibility that a war might break out! Just what kind of life has he lived so far? Or is it simply childish ignorance and innocence that makes him act like this?'
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