Departure

Zentha huffed at her daughter as she continued to pack, much to her annoyance. Leaving, she said. Leaving!

"I'm leaving, mother. It's safer for both of us." Taenya said, paying her anxious mother no mind.

"Fine then! Abandon your poor mother in her old age!" Zentha shouted.

"You're always so dramatic, mother. You're not even 200. I heard of The University down south, I'm going to go there. Even if I can't get a job teaching they aren't going to turn away an elven gardener."

"Fine, leave your poor mother to be kidnapped by King [I don't think so. I seized his name from history, remember? -Vordea]'s wicked rangers." Zentha said, with a dramatic sigh.

"Mother I swear if you don't cut it out maybe I should!" Taenya said, admonishing her mother for her melodrama. "You'll be fine here in Gilnas City."

"You wouldn't!" Zentha said, shocked, causing Taenya to smirk for a second, before bursting out laughing, causing a small smile to briefly form on Zentha's lips, before disappearing as quickly as it came.

"Mother, you worry too much." Taenya said, stopping to address her mother directly. "Frankly, the further away from the North I am, the safer I'll be. Maybe it's time for you to think of leaving as well?"

"Absolutely not! The North is my home!" Zentha shouted, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"A home you've never even lived in!" Taenya yelled back, exasperated. "You're hanging on to someone else's memories!"

"Maybe you're right." Zentha said, seemingly losing her anger in an instant, and looking downcast. "It was our family's home for thousands of years, and with mum gone, being nearby was the only connection we had left."

"Come on mum." Taenya said, hugging Zentha. "Even if we got that back right now, neither of us are nobility material, much less royalty."

The room they were standing in was modest, even by elven standards. Just a few possessions, and nothing to indicate that they were once the most powerful royal family on the planet. The only items of note were Shandalar's necklace and bracelet, bearing the coat of arms of House Valmaris, a symbol outright forbidden to display by the Usurper King.

"You should join me down south, mother." Taenya said, gesturing at her bag.

"Taenya sweetie, my heart belongs to the North. I could never abandon my homeland."

"Even though you've never once set foot in it?"

"Yes, even then. I'll stay here, at least for the time being."

---

Taenya bid her mother farewell on a cool winter day, and left Gilnas City and the North for what she thought would be for the last time, as there was nothing for her there, and never was besides the bitter pain of the past, told through her grandmother's eyes.

As she walked down the Queen's Highway, she noticed a Ranger following her. Deciding to check if they were truly following her or simply walking the same direction, she spun to face them, and making a motion to reach for a weapon. The Ranger responded by jumping on her in an instant.

"Go on then, kill me!" Taenya shouted. "End the Valmaris bloodline for good!"

"That's what he would want, isn't it?" The Ranger asked, noticing Taenya lacked a weapon. He got off her, and helped her to her feet. "The Royal Rangers do not serve the Usurper King, may his name remain forever unremembered. We serve the throne."

"So what do you want?" Taenya asked, eyeing the cloaked ranger dubiously.

"The Rangers deeply regret that they could not protect your family all those years ago. We'll protect your mother with our lives." The Ranger answered, bowing.

"Why should I trust you? Something I learned first hand from my grandmother is don't trust any elf who knows your last name. I witnessed first hand many times the consequences."

"You're right, you don't have any reason to trust me. But the further south you go, the less reason I have to pursue you."

"Fine, I just have one question. What really happened at the palace when Syndra Valmaris escaped?" Taenya asked.

"Who can say?" The Ranger said with a knowing smile. "Some say she blew up the palace to cover her escape in the chaos. All I know is, she escaped. Go on then, there's nothing left for you here."

"Indeed there is not, just memories." Taenya said, looking to the north for one last time. "Good-bye, Sir Ranger. Good-bye as well to the Far Frozen North."

Taenya didn't look back again when she resumed walking, and the Ranger stood for a long time, until she was out of sight.

"Is that good enough for you?" He asked out loud. "She's clearly renounced any claim she ever could have held."

"Fine." A voice from his robe said, clearly annoyed. "She can live."

"A wise decision, [No. -Vordea]." The Ranger said, turning around and walking back to the North.