CHAPTER 36
In the time she had been with the elves, she had noticed a change in herself over that time, one she couldn’t really explain in words, but she knew that when the time came to leave the safety of these borders, she wouldn’t be the same women who entered them.
She stood beside the mirror pond at the edge of Vallis, looking down into its reflexive pool. Her hair was short again. She decided to cut it off when it started to become a hindrance in the way of her training. It was easier to fight and move around without it falling in her face. She had tried many times to just pin it up, but because of the heaviness and thickness of it, it kept falling out. She decided shorter was better. But that was only one change in her.
Her body had changed as well. It was still curvy and womanly, but added to that was a suppleness that she didn’t have before. Her arms and legs were still lean, but now they were also muscular and strong, and her face was tan.
She saw herself differently, both physically and mentally. She was getting quite adept in her lessons. She could levitate anything without thinking about it and could light a fire even with the wettest of woods.
She had learned all about the past and wars that had been fought on this land, how all the wizards and magicians had been cast out by the reigning kings of the time. The land had been torn apart by greed and evil, and now, after a millennia of peace, the evil was rising again. This time, however, there were no magicians to stave off the slaughter. Now there was only her and the armies that could be gathered by the reigning kings to fight off the evil that was rising. Sol was the last of his kind. He was old, so very old, and his last task would be to train her, then move on. She had grown quite fond of the quiet man with the friendly steel gray eyes and crinkly smile. She understood why Alek was so taken with him. He was kind and patient, and never once had he admonished her for losing concentration because she was thinking of Dain.
She thought of him often. Thought about their last night together before she left for Vallis. He had wrapped her up into his arms and told her that he would forever be hers. She didn’t need to worry about him finding another. She knew she was the only one, and thoughts of him kept her going, but sometimes she thought too much, and her lesson went awry. She had finally learned how to control those thoughts better and could separate them now, even when she didn’t want to.
She reached under her simple homespun tunic and lifted the necklace out. She looked at it for a few minutes, clutching it in her hand gently, thoughts of him blazing her mind. She swore to herself that when this was done, there would be nothing else to distract her from him and a life together.
Footsteps behind her pulled her out of her musings. She tucked the necklace back in the safety of her tunic and turned to see who was approaching.
An elf was headed her way, one she had only seen a few times watching over the outer gates of the city. He and six others protected the borders of Vallis from stray wanderers who found themselves somehow lost in the forest. It didn’t happen often, but occasionally someone would stumble into Vallis unknowingly, and usually they were escorted out, never knowing they had ever even been there.
He reached her and bowed. “I did not mean to interrupt your thoughts, My Lady, but there is someone at the gate, and they are asking for you.”
She was puzzled. “Why would someone ask for me in Vallis?”
“The visitor at the gate is a friend.”
“A friend?” She was intrigued now. No one but Dain, Kevaan and Alek knew she was here.
“Yes, lady. Will you come?”
“Of course.”
She followed him the way he had come, twisting his way through the thick trees. They bypassed the village and instead went around it, to the gate at the far end of the city’s perimeter. He approached the two other elves who were standing at the border gate waiting for them.
As Melenthia got closer, she saw who it was that was waiting and smiled. When he saw her, he looked to the elves with him, and they nodded approval. He took her hands in his and kissed her on the cheek.
“Melenthia, how are you? You look… different.”
“I feel different. I hope I don’t look different in a bad way.”
“No, of course not. You’re still as ravishing as ever. I can’t explain what it is I see.”
“Why are you here? Is everything okay?”
“I bring a plea to the Elvin Council, but I wanted to see you first.”
“Is Dain alright?”
“He’s fine. Tired. He rarely sleeps as much as he should, and he’s constantly moving troops. And, he misses you.”
“He has said this?”
“He doesn’t have to. His every thought is of you. He hopes you’re okay as well. I know you’re always in his thoughts somewhere. He loves you, and if anything, it has grown in your absence.” She smiled at that. “And your brother sends his love as well. He was with me, and originally, we were going to come together, but things have changed, and he is needed at home.”