Alex grips the parchment tightly crumpling the edges. An immense effort put forth not to crumple the whole damned thing. "What the hell is he talking about?!" She stomps back and forth through the house looking at all of their things. Things that remind her ever more of him. Slamming the note down on the kitchen table she stalks out heading for the temple. Hopefully there she can find some solace and get those constant watchful eyes out of her mind. "If he isnt gonna even stop in to say hi, then neither will I , I wont even think about him" she grumbles to herself as she walks. "perhaps ill just walk out into the bay and the great dolphin will take me away. then he would be chasing me huh?" she asks to no one. "I swear if I see him sneaking into that house, if i ever catch him, im going to ring his scrawny neck for not coming to me." Finally enters the temple after glaring at the guards as they move out of her way. Falling to her knees she begins to pray attempting to ease her pain, her worries, her doubts, everything that swirls in her mind, her heart aching, lonely, seeming like the desolate road stretched out before him, so is the time between when she sees him. With a heavy sigh the tears begin to fall again as her body is racked by sobs and she covers her face with her hands leaning over towards the floor. There she remains crying for her love, for his safety, for their future, for his happiness, and to have him back soon.

Slipping his key into the door and turning the lock and opening the door he steps inside, holding a note folded up in his hand as he looks around for his beloved. Who now stood and walked to him with a frown on her lips. He held a letter out to her and said simply in a soft voice, "Read it."

She slipped the note open to read the words which it contained.

Dear Alexy,

I once did not understand things, but I started to recall my history as I began to write this letter. I started to recall my travels with Melanne. Who once always traveled alongside me. Melanne had told me one day that she had been neglecting her road, that my side was not her road though she would always be my friend. I realize now that I have been neglecting my road. The road I walk is one of my own making, though now I have a different road laying before me. A road not meant for myself alone, I am not meant to be alone. Like Melanne, her cubs, and her mate, my road now lies with you, my dearest love. My road is meant to be walking along side you, to be at home with you. Now I stand before you, hoping you will forgive me for how long I have neglected my road here with you, and that you'll accept my apology for being away from you for so long and only returning to you for a day to a week at a time before leaving for weeks. I have always felt myself aching for you, but I had denied that I was supposed to be there for you. My passion is for you, and to make sure your road is walked safely, and that is where I will be, next to you.

I have one more story for you. It begins like this.

A woman wrapped a cloak around her neck tightly, as she stepped into the night, the trees towering overhead as she glanced around down to either side. So into the night she walked, and down the unmarked road of the city she went, and coming on a house she rapped the knocker of the door a few times, rousing the inhabitants. And roused they were, when the owner of the house opened the door to the cloaked woman in an angry fit at the hour she came, who asked to come inside for a moment and that it was urgent.

Invited she was though she entered with urgent reason. They sat down, he offered her a drink, being a polite host, despite the hour, though she refused and soon after she stood again, pacing until she finally spoke. She pleaded to the man to lift the exile. She said she would get the exile lifted one way or another but the stubborn man refused. He growled angrily at her and bode her leave immediately. She slammed the door shut and walking down the pathway back to her own home but taking a sudden cut out to the lead road she moved down behind a large tree to where a man stood awaiting her. She reached into her left sleeve and gave a slab with a simply white paint mark to him. He nodded and went off into the night as she had done.

Hours later at her home, she waited nervously, until the knock on her door came, once, twice, stop, then two more. She opened the door and ushered the man in quickly. "Is it done?" She urged him.

He responded quietly, "It is done, your son Valandil will no longer be exiled, that tyrant will no longer have power to refuse your son entry to Qualinost, I will alert my fellow Rangers that he is to be allowed through, finally." She smiled proudly of the man and leaned up to kiss him softly, wrapping her arms around him which he returned the kiss and the hug.

This is the first story my mother had bestowed on me upon my first entry to Qualinost. She had fallen in love with a man, a ranger. She had also grown desperate to see me but was as always, be too afraid to leave the forest, and go beyond her safety. She had found the means to see me once again.

I stand before you now with love,
Valandil Ancalime

After reading through all of what he said she slowly folded the parchment, walked past him to the table and set it down pausing a moment with head bowed. Taking a deep breath she turned, her features grim. She raises her eyes to him letting them travel over his boots, and legs, bare torso, and finally up to his face. The elven features noticable as well as the dust from a few days travel. As a tear falls from her eyes to trickle down her cheeks she steps forward and opens her arms wide waiting for him to embrace her. Finally she will feel his strong arms there to make everything alright, to keep her safe, and make her feel loved. No longer will she ache to hear him moving about in the house and dream of him beside her only to wake and find an empty pillow. Hopefully she looks to him, her eyes pleading, pouring forth all of the love and emotions she is unable to speak.

Sitting at the kitchen table he took out the sheets of paper and the quill pen he had used many times before to write his letters, and so he began one more. His love, still in bed as he wrote in the early morning light.


Dearest Alexy,

Do not think because I am home, I am just yet done writing you these letters, no you will continue to receive them and likely read them while I am out around the town.

So my mother had lifted my exile. She had fallen in love with a man who gave her his heart, and gave her his blade. He made it happen that in the end I was able to see her again. For years upon years she had been searching for a way to see me, she had hoped that I would continue to try and come back to see her. My mother, as I had said before, was in such horrible fear of the outside world that she would dare not step outside Qualinost. She feared humanity for what they had done, and how they had helped her in the end.

And so, my dearest Alexy, this is a more recent story, one you should likely know. I had arrived in Zaradene that one rainy day. Was waiting for the ship to depart to Palanthas as Sophia, the plainswoman you knew, came up to me and introduced herself. She was a guard of Zaradene at the time, and a friend to me. Yes, my love, I still see her as a friend, wherever she is now, as she allowed me to see you. She gave me the push I needed to find you. Of course, yes, in the fire of danger we once held each other in one another's arms, but that time had passed.

At the time as you know, you were a little flirt. Oh, here comes the glare. You know you were, trying to bat your eyes to win me over. You did promise me that you would in time, but it wasn't your beauty that lured me. It was your absolute persistence. I loved that about you, how determine you were, and are. You had a goal, and you grabbed it and held it to you, and still do. I saw you take a drastic change from what I fear was a villain to a hero within a day. I saw the change in you and I embraced you. I fell for you, and for you alone.

I'll continue to tell you stories of myself, my travels again sometime else, some you do not know, and some you know just because I recalled them and smiled. I'm going out to buy us something for breakfast, that I will make you.

Always yours,
Valandil Ancalime

He placed the note onto his pillow and left their home.

During the night, while Alexy slept.

Dear Alexy,

I tell you now of a story, of a day that I started to help people once more, but out of compassion and not for the steel or because Davion wanted me to.

It was few days after my arrival in Zaradene, I stood alone against the inn I had once upon a time help kept in place. As you have so graciously teased me about. Though during that day a boy approached me, asking me to go find his little sister out on the trail, I believed her a little fool to have gone out onto the trail alone. Then I felt sorry that the little girl was going to die by the hand of goblins or whatever might be lurking the roads at the time.

I set out then, bow drawn and arrow knocked as I searched for the little girl, I saw no signs of blood or anything, but then soon found a trail and heard the crying of a little girl near a camp of bugbears. I entered and slew the fiends and rescued the little girl, though the fight wasn't over. The camp was roused and nearby goblins were on my trail as the girl and I took flight to Zaradene. I had arrows and bolts whizzing past me as I fired back. Hot on our trail with blades drawn and suddenly a figure jumped from the trees and slew many foes. I looked back and fired an arrow, ending a goblin as I looked and saw Sophia now battling the enemies. I daresay she saved my life that day, and all for this little kid.

In the end, the girl was saved, and we beat back the goblins and bugbears, leaving a good few of them dead, more wounded, rest afraid to come to us. The mother of the child was nowhere around, she was working. The little girl's brother was there to take care of her, and we sent them on their way to their mother with a good deal of steel so she could spend more time with her kids and not let them wonder about aimlessly into danger.

This was the first thing I had done for the people of Zaradene.

With eternal love,
Valandil Ancalime

He placed the note on his pillow, undoubtedly she'll see it when she wakes and read it. He then left to again acquire breakfast for the two of them as he shut the door rather loudly to rouse the sleeping beauty.