The door slammed echoed through the inn room through the narrow hallways of the tavern. "Why in the bloody hell would he do-" Aether overheard the dancing of steps coming towards him as he felt a pat on his head while he stilled his body on the floor.
"Are you no going to get up?" The little girl backed up after gently patting his head again. Kel didn't make a move, "What are you doing, boy?" Aether snapped.
"Playing dead. Shush!" Kel grunted.
"You have funny ears," the little girl pulled on them from the side of Kel's head.
"OUCH! HEY YOU RUNT. WHY I SHOULD-"
"And what will that be, son of Darian? And what would do to this child?" A voice pierced the ears of the men.
"Mother Willow!" The little girl's eye lit up with such life running to embrace both of Lady Willow's legs. Willow lifted the child into her arms,
"I can only assume why you're both here?" The burnt orange hair flowed like a stream in a wave down her back. Her eyes were the color of sapphire, and she had a giggle you couldn't ever forget. But, the woman holding this child was unlike any other woman Aether and Kel has seen before. Her flowing ashen hair hugged her shoulders with her olive flaxen eyes peering through her bangs that sectioned her face. She was taller than a dwarf and a human but merely a few inches below the height of elves. She stares down at them both, waiting on a response to her question of them.
Stumbling to get up, Aether staggered to his feet, dusting himself off and grabbing Kel by his cloak, picking him up to place him on his feet. "We're here to see Lady Willow due to the boy-"
"This is she, but I won't speak with you." She motioned Aether to step away from Kel. "Ah, yes, the elven boy. Let me see your eyes, young man." She guided Kel closer to her, and he stared back into her golden hazel-tinted eyes. Her eyes slowly begin to glow into intense bright golden yellow, "What are you doing to him?!" Aether interrupted.
"Silence!" She snapped and held her hand to him. "You come any closer, and this lad will be a lot more pain than you could ever imagine."
"Why is that you, hag!" Aether in much rage, gripping the handle of his sword. "You're hexing him! You know what the late king would do?!"
"Darian? Please, squire. Don't plead me with such a lie, a rumor, disbelief. Your king is dead, and you know it." She glared in his direction, and Kel collapsed within in arm.
"SQUIRE? I am the Knight-"
"Can't you ever contain yourself, silence you!" She began to tend to the young elf. "Morgana, can you fetch me some water, dear?" Glancing behind her to the little girl, Morgana looked up and nodded at Willow. "Now, Aether, listen to me-"
"How do you know my name?" Aether in disbelief, "I never tell anyone my name due to keeping the king's image alive."
"You think I am not aware of that? Listen to me. Kelsh doesn't have much time. For what I foresaw in his eyes is only expiry. Such a demise shouldn't plague a child like this." Morgana returned with a pale of water, "Here you go, Momma Willow." She smiled and skipped back to the desk where she was writing in a journal. "Thank you, Morgana." Willow dipped her fingers into the water and ran them down Kel's face. Both ring and index finger draped down from his forehead, covering his eyes and ending at his chin. Her middle finger caressed the center part of his forehead, going down onto the bridge of his nose, softly touching his lips and ending at his chin as well. "Pay attention, Aether." She nodded at him as the moist crissen areas of Kel's face began to glow.
Kel's face projected an image of a vision of his inner being; images were blanketed over his face, visible to Aether and Willow. The concept shows an unknown passage from the kingdom of Bethel going into the old ruins of an empire by the name of Kal'author. It was once said that Kal'author was home to the elves before the great war between Magi and the Knight's of Bethel.
"Willow, is this not the past?" Aether, in much confusion, remembers the horrors of this war from Darian how he would fetch an alchemist to him with the late king's night terrors.
"Lady- Lady Willow to you, lad." She cut her eyes towards him, "But, no. I am afraid this is still yet to come." She sighed and continued with Aether to watch the vision exposing itself from within Kel.
Armies of other kingdoms, along with Bethel's, marched into the Ruin of Kal'author. "Must be over five thousand men there?! Are they insane? Why would they need all that manpower? Oh, dear God of Mynthal, Willow are those, children?"
"I'm afraid so, Aether. They don't look past the age of thirteen pasting annual moons." Tears begin to fill her eyes. Aether looked towards her and cleared his throat, "What is that?"
The massive creature's eyes peered from the cave entrance as the armies surrounded the home of the beast. The horrific cries echoed throughout the wind and striking fear into men that opposed it. "Don't allow that creature to threaten into the hearts of Mynthal's chosen. You're the elite from all kingdoms across this land. This is the last creature of magic, and it is too; to be damned." As the gentleman commanding those made his way in front of the masses, the man had the color of aquamarine eyes and golden hair.
"Wait, no. That can't be." Aether shook in horror.
"Just wait," Willow shushed him and motioned him to continue to watch.
"This creature is the last of the Elvish culture. Without dragons, magic can't live, but my father had slain all of those of dragonkin kind. How I wish he could see me now, proud he would forevermore be. But, this creature is as foul as the pointy tips. Magic killed my mother, and elvish kind killed my father. To hell with this beast, send it to oblivion!" Jiyrin raised his sword into the air, and the masses roared behind him, "ALL HAIL KING JIYRIN!"
The vision cloud vanished as Kel's woke to gasp for air, "Here, sit up lad," Aether pulling him up quickly. Aether grabbed the ragged cloth from his side and drenched it into the pale of water and began to pat the sweat from Kel's head. "So, Willow, just how long do we have?" Aether with concerning eyes locked with hers.
"Two annual moon passings. Not a day more, I would say." She gulped and looked at Kel. "Son, there is so much to you. You have yet to learn." She gently patted him, "I advised to take shelter here for the first passing. He must learn the ways of his people."
"Just how safe are we here? How can we trust you? No one even knows your real name." Aether glared hugged tightly to Kel against his chest.
"I believe you can because my name is Ana. I am the owner of this inn." She smiled.