TELVIN

Pa had sent me to deliver some blades today. I knew if I argued with him it would lead to a bad fight. We’ve never had to handle an order this large and it was taking a lot out of both of us. It would be better to just do as he asked. I meandered up the tall hill, heading for the old crumbling windmill. I could see the small tents set up already. There were a few people walking to and from the top of the hill that greeted me as I passed. When I finally entered the camp, I felt overwhelmed. There were so many people here. Dwarves, fairy, and humans alike. Someone from almost every walk of life among them. It was the most diverse group of people I had ever seen. There were more people in this guild that lived in the entire village.

Eventually someone asked me if I was lost. I gave a nervous smile and asked for the guild leader. The man pointed me further up the hill and I nodded. I hurried forward, hoping to get out of there quickly. So many people in one area made my head spin.

I eventually found the large tent that was described. There was a man with tall boots sitting outside of it, sharpening a knife. “Hello,” I greeted, coming near.

He looked up to me. “You Linus’s boy?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah. I’m Telvin. I have more swords for you.” I pulled them off my back and laid them on a nearby crate. Four blades in total, each having a leather sheath that you could fasten to a belt or bag.

The man stood, sheathing the dagger. He waltzed over to the crate and pulled one of the swords out. He inspected the blade and gave a low whistle. “Perfect steel again. You and your pa have quality work, son.”

“Thank you, sir. We work hard.”

“I’m Hark, by the way,” he mentioned as he pulled a leather pouch from his pocket. He slipped out a few silver coins and handed them to me. They made a satisfying jingle falling into my hand. “Would you be interested in traveling with us?”

I was shocked at the offer. My mind raced at the implication. It sounded like a dream come true, but my heart filled with dread. I forced myself to speak. “I’m sorry sir, but I don’t see why you would ask me. I’m just a blacksmith’s boy.”

Hark clapped me on the back. “You look old enough to leave your old pa. And besides, the metal workers we have could learn a thing or two. I’m not joking when I said your work was quality. The best and fastest swords I’ve ever had commissioned.”

I felt my chest swell with pride, but it was short lived. I knew Pa would be sent into a rage if he knew I wanted to leave. The only way out would be to marry and start my own family. It was the best way to escape Pa without a fight. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline. It’s an honor knowing you like our work so much though.”

Hark nodded and gave me another pat on the back. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me. The offer stands for as long as we’ll be here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied. I shook the coins in my hand and gave him a thankful nod.

I made my way back to the village. On my way there though, I ran into Gorgon. He was a thin, lanky man who always seemed to be carrying a dead animal of some sort. He had given us many things he hunted over the years. He was practically a member of the family.

“Hey, Gorgen, I thought you were-”

He cut off my greeting. “I was. I hunted the biggest deer you would’ve ever saw. I even stopped by the town while I was away. And you’d never guess what I seen,” he blurted. He always came home with fantastic stories of beasts bigger than he’d ever seen.

“What was it that you saw?” I asked as we walked down the hill together. I noticed the dead squirrel attached to his belt. I wondered if he was going to offer it to Ma. The rabbit he gave us was almost gone.

“I saw a royal carriage,” he breathed. His eyes widened and he pointed his finger to punctuate ‘royal carriage’.

I shook my head. The castle was about a three day’s journey to the northwest. There was no way he saw a Sherwoods royal carriage this far south, even if they were headed to the neighboring kingdom.

“Not a Sherwoods one,” he added for clarity.

I felt my stomach drop. “It was a Bloodtide one?”

He nodded vigorously. “But that’s not it.”

If a Bloodtide royal carriage was coming this way then they were retrieving a spouse from our kingdom for the heir to marry. They lived in a matriarchy so their system was backwards. They must have been fetching a prince. If they did, I didn’t even know we had a prince for them to fetch. My mind raced at the implication. If what Gorgen even said was true. “What else?” I asked, waiting for an equally ridiculous thing to come out of his mouth.

“Iara was in the carriage.”

“What?” I gasped. My feet almost slipped from under me. I stopped walking. I couldn't muster the strength to move.

“That was my reaction. So I did some diggin’. Turns out she’s marryin’ the Bloodtide prince next month. She was a princess and nobody told anybody. Did you know? She was close with you.”

“She’s marrying the prince?” I asked, my voice trembling. She had lied to me. She didn’t want to marry me to travel. She rejected me to marry another man. I felt betrayal cut through my chest.

Gorgen kept talking but I didn’t even hear him. He didn’t have a reason to lie about this. And it would fit. Iara had left the night he said he saw the carriage. She didn’t tell me where she was going. And usually Rey would go with her but she was still around, harassing villagers like usual. I felt my mouth go dry, my limbs go numb. I didn’t even notice I had made it home. I didn’t even feel myself eat dinner or go up to my tiny room.

Her note said she cared for me though. I felt my ears get hot and my eyes dripped tears. I quickly wiped them away. I wouldn’t let myself cry. All of this had to be a misunderstanding. She would never lie, would she? Iara was the kindest person I knew.

I would write to her. If she was truly at the palace, she could write back to me right away. I pulled out my old notebook. It was a notebook Iara had given me herself. She helped me learn to read and write with it. I pushed the tender memory away and started to scratch my pen against the paper.

Iara, I hope this letter finds you. You said your travels needed to start immediately. I am worried about you. I heard news that you are to marry a vampire. I can’t believe this. If you did ever care for me, please write me back to clear up this misunderstanding. You said you would marry me the day before you left and I’d like to believe you meant it. I still want you to be my future. I love you with all my heart. Yours, Telvin.

The next day I gave a courier all the coins I had and asked him to send my letter. I only hoped things would turn out the way I dreamed. I couldn’t imagine a future without Iara. I couldn’t imagine a future of staying here in this place.