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The light of dawn rose, it shone over the township. Therius awoke and yawned madly.
"Therius? Oh
I had the most wonderful dream, we were back in Grymm and...I saw our child, he was beautiful!"
"Our child? A boy you
say?"
"Yes, I saw him, his eyes were like yours!"
They dressed and they parted the inn.
Ievanol took them
round the place, they enjoyed the local Verilla soup, and the famous Salad rolls. He took them round and round, until they
finally reached the sight, where they had been tossed into.
"Well, I guess it's goodbye!" said Ievanol.
"Yeah, you
know what, you could come along with us if you want" said Élymnas
"I'd love to, but I just can't!"
"Why not?" asked
Therius
"Well, it's not that easy you see...when our ancestors were trapped in this realm, our flesh could not take in
the air on Thyrria. Many were killed by the toxic air!"
"So you're trapped here for life?"
"I'm afraid so Therius
lad!"
"Well, farewell!"
Ievanol showed them the invisible portal and they parted Deluna.
"Thank goodness
that portal is functional, we could have been trapped there for God knows how long" Therius sighed with relief.
"Well
I feel sorry for the Delunians, it's just unfortunate"
"Yeah, if only there was a way!" said Therius.
They hitched
a ride from fellow merchants. After sometime, they finally reached Granun.
"Look! we're finally here! Come on dear, we'll
stop at your aunt's" Therius said as they rushed towards the gate.
On the banks of the Petram river lie Granun, the
merchant town home to nine hundred residents.
As they squeezed their way through the hustle and bustle of the packed marketplace,
a woman's money pouch fell to the ground. Therius reached for it, but amidst so many, he could not get his fingers to it.
"Come on!" he murmured as he bent down to grab it. All of a sudden, a group of young boys rushed through and one of them
kicked the pouch forward.
"Stupid boys!" he again murmured as the crowd seemed to dissipate a little. He managed to
grab the pouch, meanwhile a woman's basket got caught on Élymnas' robes.
The basket fell and as the woman turned around,
Élymnas swiftly replied.
"Forgive my impetuous ways, I will repay you for those"
"Wait a second...is that you Élymnas
dear?" the woman asked.
"Aunt Leisha? What a surprise? Therius and I were about to head to your place"
Old Leisha
then turned to Therius.
"Hello sonny boy! You've grown abit since I last saw you" she said as Élymnas lifted her off the
ground.
"Oh really? Well you've shrunk a little yourself!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"I mean, you've become a rose,
I hardly recognise you, you with that nice frizzy hair of yours" Therius uttered.
"Well what are you two waiting for?
Come, come my dears, I've got something for ya!"
"Busy ii'nt it?"
"Yes dear, we manage!"
"So, what do you
nowadays dears?"
"We merchant, it's good business it is!" said Therius
"Indeed, I'm glad you're following in the footsteps
of your old man"
They silently walked until they reached her place.
When they had reached her place, Élymnas stared
at the tiny rose garden adjacent to the window. She had always loved roses, their fresh scent and the wonderful attraction
they brought to a garden.
"Sit dears, I have something to give to you, something I'd been meaning to give a long while
ago"
Old Leisha reached under her bed and pulled out a strange wooden box. Then, she handed it over to the couple.
"Open
it up young one, go on!"
And so Élymnas dusted off the locks, and opened it.
"Mama's old wedding dress!" she shouted
"My mother's golden pendant!" Therius added.
"Yes my dears, your parents would be proud of you, that I know" Leisha
said in a soft tone.
Two decades had passed since the Gutelans launched a massive assault on the realm of Thyrria.
Many lives were lost, and among the villages targeted was Grymm. Both Therius and Élymnas' fathers were soldier elites in
the Royal Thyrrian army, both too, were victims of the barbarous Gutelans. Their mothers had been told to escape but their
whereabouts remain unknown.
Later that day, they said their goodbyes to old Leisha.
"Come visit me again young
ones!"
"Definitely, and also, is it possible if I pick one of them roses?"
"Be my guest dear, plenty more where that
came from" Leisha smiled.
She then reached into her pockets.
"You need some money to buy yourselves a little snack
along the way? Here I'll just get my pouch"
"No no, it's alright aunt, well - we'd best be off, goodbye!"
"Take care,
oh dear I seem to have lost my pouch"
"What? Here aunt, take this some of money!"
"No it's alright dear, I'll be fine"
"Alright then, goodbye" Élymnas waved.
As they left, Therius pondered, he thought for a second, and then it struck
him. The pouch that he had picked up, might have been that of Élymnas' aunt. All of a sudden, he turned back to the house.
"Oops, I forgot something! I'll be right back dear"
He knocked on the door.
"My, what is it dear?"
"You
said you lost your pouch right?"
"Well yes but.."
"Well, Élymnas and I can't leave until you take this!"
He handed
her five gold óncers, a year's wage it was.
"What? I cannot possibly..."
"That's alright, take it! Plenty more where
that came from!"
"Well I s'pose, alright dear, thank you dear and take care!"
"You too!"
It was sunset, the
two were heading their way up to the port.
"All passengers en route to Faldûr, boarding will commence in 5 minutes!"
"That's
our trip isn't it?" asked Élymnas in anticipation.
"Indeed..."
But at that very second, Therius realised that the
tickets his brother had given him, were not valid for today. Then, he had a cunning idea.
Boarding commenced, and
the two were among the first to board the luxury Granun Express Cruise.
"Tickets please!" the inspector called out.
Then,
Therius bribed him with an óncer.
The inspector coughed.
"Is that your partner?"
"Yes, I'm his wife" Élymnas said.
"Alright then, tickets please?"
"Here we are" Therius give the inspector the óncer.
"You need TWO tickets!"
The
two finally understood each other, Therius reached into his pouch and gave him another óncer.
They boarded the cruiser,
good times!
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