Siem watched them go, then turned to the male elf.
“Is Fraweyni Meko‘s mother?” she asked him.
The male elf looked at her, “Of course. She is our mother. She is the daughter of the first. She guides us.”
“Come on, you know what I mean.” Siem rolled her eyes.
The elf looked at her, then smiled. He seemed to hesitate for a short time, but he eventually gave her an answer to her question.
“Yes.”
“See? That was not so hard, was it?” Siem asked the elf.
He smiled, and parting the opening to the infirmary’s entrance, ushered them in.
Later, at night, Eldana, Siem, Hermon, Mikko, and D’rmas had been invited for a feast of sorts, which Fraweyni was personally hosting.
“How do I look?” Hermon asked, making an exaggerated twirl.
“Like a human child eager to impress?” Siem said.
“Come on.” Hermon’s face soured.
“I think you look good, Hermon.” Eldana said after a bout of laughter.
“There,” Hermon looked at Siem, “that is how things like this are done. With compliments!”
Eldana laughed again.
Hermon was in brown trousers, black boots, and wore a brown leather jacket with silver studs over an off-white shirt.
Eldana and Siem were in dresses, as Fraweyni had recommended.
“You do know we are just going out to eat with the rest of the elves, right?” Siem asked him.
“Of course,” Hermon replied, a puzzled look on his face.
“Good,” Siem said. “Because trust me, the elven ladies are going to give you about as much time they give a fly.”
Eldana burst into laughter, as did Siem.
Hermon frowned, as he asked, “You think I do not know that?” And then; “We should be going!” He said angrily, heading towards the tent’s exit without waiting to see if both followed, laughing all the more.
The feast was held in a large clearing, with the edges lined with tables and chairs that went full circle. Flowers hung from the tables like hair.
“I have no doubt the elves conjured the tables and chairs from the plants,” Eldana told her friends.
“Their mastery of nature shows such power!” Hermon said. “The elves are surely the most powerful race in Toas.”
“They are also the oldest,” Eldana said.
“That’s if you count out the orcs.” Siem corrected.
“Oh, those,” Hermon said.
Small globes from which light emitted were positioned in strategic places around the clearing, flooding it with so much light that were it not for its too-golden color, it would have been mistaken for sunlight. The tables were already laid with flagons, goblets, and platters of meat and fruits. As Hermon, Siem, and Eldana took their honored place at the head table, Hermon turned to both:
“You know for someone who is not worth more than the time given to a fly, I can be really valuable. What did you two do all day, asides talk with Fraweyni?”
Eldana laughed.
“Come on, Hermon. You know I did not mean that, right?” Siem asked with a broad grin. “But to answer your question, we did nothing. We idled away the whole day, doing absolutely nothing.”
A smile grew on Hermon’s face.
“What did you do?” came from Eldana.
“Every single platter of meat was prepared under the supervision of yours truly,” Hermon said with a bow.
Eldana and Siem jokingly gave him a round of applause.
Just then, Eldana spotted D’rmas and Mikko walking towards them. “And look who finally decided to join us.” She said, gesturing with her head towards the approaching pair.
Siem turned her sight towards their direction, and her heart leaped at the sight of Mikko. She had not seen him since he was taken by the elves. Seeing him now brought back the feelings she had tried to put on hold since their first meeting. His black hair, stylishly curled, accentuated his facial features, and Siem could not find his smile more dashing.
“A good evening to you all.” D’rmas greeted them on getting to the table.
“Evening, D’rmas.” Hermon replied. “I hear you and one of the elven commanders had a tit for tat during training.”
D’rmas guffawed. “I was as sure as chaos itself, that I was not going to let another person that was not a berserker defeat me. He won the fight in the end. He is an elf after all. But I did make it extremely difficult for him. Now he knows enough to turn the other away if he ever has to face any from the Qeltifom clan.”
“Good for you,” Hermon said, shaking his head.
D’rmas, Hermon, and Eldana got into a discussion about the elves and their seemingly haughty attitude, leaving Mikko and Siem to themselves.
“Hello.” Mikko greeted with a smile.
“Hello,” Siem replied with a smile of her own. “How have you been?”
“Hmm”, Mikko said, mashing his lips together, and shaking his head contemplatively. “Well, for someone who lost all awareness of himself while taking a leak, and then waking up to find himself among one of the most revered and feared races in Toas, I would say pretty well.”
“Good,” Siem said and looked away.
Mikko studied her. “Good?” he asked. “Just that?”
Siem looked at him, shifting a bit uncomfortably.
“You are alive. You are safe. What else do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know,” Mikko said, resigned. His eyes remained on her face. She stared back, unblinking before he looked away.
“This is the first time you are seeing me in days, after my, erm, abduction. And this is all you say?”
Siem folded her arms across her chest and affected indifference. “If my sense of observation is still correct, I know this is also the first time you are seeing me in days. And this is all you do? Question me?”
Mikko smiled. “Of course not. Where are my manners? It is nice meeting you. Again.”
The smile on his face vanished. He stared at Siem a moment longer, before turning, and
