The rest of Ed's day was consumed with training and planning. For'Ten and Loran had come over with two crates of supplies. They all broke everything out and put it into large travel packs. There were going to be no animals this time. They had trained on moving and keeping up speed. Even Ed had practiced using mana to make his running faster. As long as he could release a steady amount he could keep up with For'Ten at a full gallop.
Ko'Loss came up from the basement after dinner was served and presented the group with two maps. "I used your map, Ed, I am sorry, it is broken."
Ed sighed, "Well it's okay. It was useless out in the wilderness."
Ko'Loss unrolled one of the two maps out on the table. "I am sure this will replace it." The map was larger and covered a bigger distance, but local detail was now missing. On the map, two inkblots showed up marked one and two.
"These ink stains are tied to each map. As they move, the stain will move also. So you know where to find each other. I tried to take the magic from the disk to create a way to track them. It didn't work. The best I can do is give you this. You can put a stain on the map and move it around with this pen." Ko'Loss held up a wooden stick with a bone ink tip on it. Signs of runes showed on the edges of the bone. "This will move the inkblots on both maps. Feel free to mark things as you get a chance to change them. You can also write small notes on the edges. They will disappear after 24 hours." Ko'Loss used the ink pen to write on the paper. He unfurled the other one and the note was in the margin of its companion.
For'Ten smiled. "Very convenient. I must hide this from the council. They will demand more."
Ko'Loss moved his head to the side. "They have lost this skill? I trained the court on how to make these..."
For'Ten shrugged. "I guess so Ko'Loss." He didn't know what else to say to him.
The plan was to leave from the East and West gates. Loran was tasked with finding the souls in the western forest. Ed and For'Ten were going to head to the eastern side where more souls could be found. When the souls in the south were completed they were going to meet in the town of Northern Gate and Loran, Priya and Ed would travel into the north.
Priya returned home via the carriage about the same time they were just finishing putting everything away. She had a small wooden crate. Inside were small bags of salt, sugar, spices, and dried fruit. They didn't weigh much but each person was required to eat a pinch of each every day to keep their body running at peak performance.
Loran put her bag down and walked over to Priya. "Thank you, I can't wait until we see each other again and I can see your home."
Priya smiled and clasped her friend's hand. "I know, I am excited about it too. Get this done quickly and then come meet my mother. She will be so excited to know I made a friend with a woman for once."
Loran laughed. Her own mother considered her too much of a tomboy. The fay folk were dying out and it was considered a wasted that she hadn't chosen a life of breeding first and foremost. "Maybe I will bring my mother too! They can gossip about us both!" They laughed in unison.
Ed put his bag against the wall, the house goblins picked it up and skirted it away from the room to be stored with his satchel. The house was sad everyone was leaving. The goblins knew change was coming and they had grown used to having people to service. The butlers and goblins smiled at the guests as often as they could and made sure they had everything they needed before they left. The house would go back to being quiet again when.
Ed knew he would see everyone in the morning when they left. It would be dawn when they did though. So he walked to where the two girls were chatting and getting in their last goodbyes.
Priya saw him coming and nodded at him. Ed saw it and took it to mean she understood what he wanted to say. He just smiled. Maybe he wasn't as forgiven as he had thought. He just smiled back and tilted his head. He backed away quietly and retreated to his room.
Loran had seen it all. She saw the slight disappointment in Ed's eyes. She sighed just a little, "You know he is going to miss you right? He was so glad when he got to tell you the truth."
Priya looked over at his silhouette before it disappeared around a corner. "I have mixed emotions about him right now. I know that inside, it was Ed who was doing and saying everything at home. But I keep seeing the other ones face."
Loran understood. She could understand how confusing that would be even under ideal situations. "Just don't let him leave without saying goodbye. I know we are going to come back and get you but he will think you hate him this whole time. Ed may be strong physically, but he's got a soft heart at times and he's had a lot happen to him in a very short time. Lesser men would have broken mentally before now. I think every decision he makes weighs on him."
Priya smiled politely and thanked her friend before saying goodnight. She walked over to Ko'Loss and looked up at his face. "You are staying tomorrow right?" Priya questioned him.
He bent his whole body forward in the equivalent of a nod. "Yes, I am going to stay here. I must speak with The Oracle."
Priya smiled and reached out to his hand. She patted it and then when he leaned down she kissed him on the side of his head. "Thank you Ko'Loss. I appreciate you letting me stay here."
Something inside him stirred. He hadn't been human for a long time. He smiled to himself inside. "You are... welcome. Goodnight Miss Priya." He patted her hand before turning and walking away. She smiled and headed off down the hallway. She was itching to get out of her delivery clothes and into her nightgown. This was the last time the house would be alive like this. She liked it here. She knew it wouldn't stay this way forever though.
When she got to her room one of the lady butlers helped her changed. She folded her clothes for her and offered to wipe her down with a scented sponge. She enjoyed being pampered like this. When it was done she put on a soft linen nightgown and sat on the edge of her bed. The moon was shining outside and the room was lit with the silver light from the full moon.
She flopped down on her back and then curled over onto her side. She was mad, what should she do. She wanted him to apologize. And he had, but she wanted more of an apology. She had chased a dream across the land. She nearly gave up multiple times and went back home. But the thought that he was out there, in danger drove her to find him and bring him back.
Now, here he was, safe and sound, and different. This time he was walking back into danger again. But she didn't want to follow him, no she wanted him to follow her. All her dreams and tears had been about him following her back home.
She curled up on her bed in frustration while she thought about it. What should she do? Her golden hair looked platinum in the moonlight. Finally, in frustration, she decided to give him a piece of her mind. Their rooms were opposite wings so that they had privacy. Plus the house was empty otherwise. Ko'Loss still spent his nights in the master bedroom but he mostly sat and meditated or went into the basement to work on his projects.
She stalked through the halls. The soft sounds of her feet padding from hardwood to carpets were the only sound. The butlers peeked around corners to see what she needed but returned to their positions quickly. They could see the look on her face. It was curled up in frustration, the wrinkles on her forehead gave away how she felt.
Finally, she walked all the way across to the room that she believed was Ed's. She knocked once and heard rustling on the other side. "Hold on Ko'Loss, I was nearly asleep."
Before she could correct him the door opened and Ed was in the door. He stood there in only a pair of long linen pants. When Ed started out he had been average. Average build, average looks. Absolutely average. Travelling had hardened his body, and training with the knights gave him a definition of his body. His muscles stood out more. His body was more of a man, and less of a boy. His face even in this moonlight looked different. The shapes of his cheeks and chin were highlighted. She was caught off guard.
"Oh, Priya..." He said surprised. "Can I help you?"
She was frustrated, all of her righteous indignation at him was gone in an instant. She did the best she could and pushed the door open. "Are you going to leave me standing in a draft all night? Let me in would you?"
Ed shook his head as she pushed through the door. "Please come in, I think." He said to her back. "What can I do for you tonight?"
She looked around his room. It was laid out much like hers. The big window let in light from the moon, to play across the floor and walls. A small candle gave the one dark corner a soft warm glow where he had been reading the map.
"You know, how dare you." She started. She walked into the middle of the room and put her hands on her hips.
"I am sorry," Ed said completely unaware of what was going on. "I will not do that again?"
She looked at him and then stamped one foot. "Dummy, you don't even get it, do you? Why tell me all that and then take off again afterward. Don't you know the knight chases the girl and takes her home?"
Ed suddenly had a moment of clarity. He was shocked at first and he blushed for once. He was staring at her frustrated face. She was sticking out her lip and standing bolt upright. The moonlight was backlighting her form through her nightgown. If he wasn't so taken aback he would have been distracted.
"You know I have to do this if I plan on ever having a life of my own..." He said quietly. "I am sorry about that, but if I ever get to apologize correctly it won't be until after I am free."
She stood her ground but took a deep breath. "You are free now right? Why can't you ask for forgiveness now? Why wait till you are free..."
Ed sighed. He was terrified, this woman had walked into his bedroom in the middle of the night and started this with him. He really wasn't good at emotions. He took a deep breath and used one of Ko'Loss techniques to calm the mind. He closed his mind off and focused on himself before he opened his eyes.
"Because I don't want to lose that chance again. All I ever wanted was a family of my own. I am jealous of what you have there at home. And I wanted it so badly. But I need to get free so that for once I can claim something as my own. Even what I had as Erust was taken from me. I am like a ghost, living through everyone else's life but not really there." Ed said with a sigh.
Priya took a step towards him, "Then take what you want Ed. Do you want to wait until it's too late? Why do you think I followed you across the world?"
Ed noticed that he was taller than her for once. Without her shoes, she was just a little shorter. He looked down at her and put out one hand. "What if what I want doesn't want me?"
"Then that's life, but you won't know until you try." She tilted her head up to look at him.
Ed breathed to calm his mind. He looked down at her, she was there. He could reach out and touch her. His hand didn't want to move. She finally reached out and put a hand on his chest. That moment when she touched him his fear of rejection melted away. He reached down and put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
She gasped at first and then sank onto his chest. "Don't make me chase you all over the world again Ed. It's time for you to come home."
Ed held her close and felt her put her head on his shoulder. "I want nothing more. I want to know you better, I want to see your family again. I want to have my own family. I am so tired of not having the things I want. I am tired of being other people's playthings."
She got her arms out from inside her body and then grabbed his neck as she pulled into him. "You know you can have it all Ed. You know where I am, and you know where home is. Just come home, Ed."
Ed felt her wrap her arms around his neck and leaned over and fell sideways onto the bed. They lay there in each other's arms. She softly kept repeating, "Comes home, Ed. Come home." The tears from them both started and didn't end for a while.
When they both had let their emotions out Priya pulled herself from inside his arms. Ed sighed and sat upright. That moment of closeness had been healing to his soul. He was getting ready to stand up and walk her out. He had guessed that was what was coming next.
To his surprise, she took two steps away from the bed. She hadn't even turned around when she wiped her eyes with one of her sleeves. Then she grabbed the edges of her nightgown at the waist and pulled it up over her head. Her bare back stood exposed and her hair spilled down around her neck. She stood there facing away from for a few seconds before she coughed.
Ed jumped up, shock had set in. He stood up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and kissed the top of her head. She turned in his arm and looked up at him. Her body was on his and he was feeling it all. She smiled reached down and slowly tugged off his pajama bottoms. She used her legs to wiggle it down his legs until he got the hint and shook them the rest of the way off. Ed backed up and pulled her to the bed. When he felt the edge he reached behind him and threw off the covers.
She pushed him down onto the bed before shoving him over. He laid down and she crawled in behind him. She then laid across his chest so that her chest was on his and her legs were next to his body. She started to kiss him. They let everything come from them. Ed had only ever been with Ashra, and only that one time. Tonight was about building a connection between them. The young girl and the young man that had met on that road were a grown man and a grown woman now. Tonight they planned to spend time together.