"Wha-" Din's eyes widened, "Where did this come from!?"
"For a human to hold a royal commendation… but, that could only mean…"
When Din pulled her eyes away from the blinding badge, she was surprised to see both of the guards kneeling, heads downturned and with the tips of their spears facing the sky.
"Forgive our impudence!" The two of them shouted simultaneously.
"It's alright--come on, stand up." Barion had an awkward expression on his face, "It's been a while since I was last here, so you were doing your jobs correctly. May we enter?"
"Of course! It is an honour to finally meet you!"
One of the guards bolted towards the gates and quickly demanded them open. After a pause, there was a great sound of hidden mechanisms moving within the walls, and the portcullis leading through the marble archway into the city proper began to rise.
"Let it be known that her highness shall hear of your presence today, my lord! Please wander our fair city to your heart's content!"
"Much appreciated." Barion smiled, "Din! Let's move!"
"Uh- alright…" She replied, not certain of how to feel.
How was it that a human could hold a royal commendation--the most coveted of all Elven treasures and the highest award the queen could bestow upon a commoner? Din asked herself that question as the two of them passed into Aelf'ahlnohma.
The city, circular in shape, was split into a commercial district closer to the outside, and a residential district which hugged the inner stratum. Elves of all sorts wandered its pathways, which were not especially easy to navigate on a horse-drawn wagon. For Din, it was a comforting sight seeing so many of her own people walking freely.
After riding for a short while, they came to a stop and met to discuss their next plans.
"Where are we dropping these Elves off, exactly?" Barion asked.
"No doubt they've got homes of their own here. It would take too long to visit every one, and they're probably dying to stretch their legs a little, so I say we let them off here."
"You're the boss." He replied, "Oi, all of you can come out!"
One by one, the Elves ushered themselves out from the wagons, each of their faces a picture of happiness at having been returned to where they belonged. Though thankful, they still stood clothed only by the lecherous, eye-catching outfits forced upon them by the governor, and so they were eager to get going quickly. One of the Elves, who stayed behind as the others departed, tugged on Barion's sleeve awkwardly, "Lord Barion…"
"There's really no need to be calling me that" He smiled, "You should head home and rest after all you've been through."
"Of course. I just wanted to say…"
Grabbing his hand, she guided it down to her bare stomach, where her crest was still faintly visible, "Please come and visit your child someday~"
Without another word, she quickly scampered away. When Barion looked over to Din, she was shooting him a glance that was equal parts pitying and bemused.
"Don't give me that look. What was I supposed to say?"
"You should be grateful that Elves see children as blessings, rather than burdens." She exhaled through her nose, "-And that she didn't ask you to marry her."
"I would have said yes."
"I don't care what your answer would have been! Don't just go around impregnating women like it's something you can do without any commitment!"
"I don't plan on making it a pastime." He waved her off, "Anyway--the Elves are safe here in the city, so we'd better start discussing what our next plans are."
"We can get to that after you've finished explaining yourself."
"How do you mean?"
"The amulet! The guards!" Din threw her arms off to the side, "The enforcers of the queen's will, kneeling to a human! Treating you like a hero!"
"It's true that I did some work for Aelf'ahlnohma a while ago. They were just showing their appreciation for that, I'm sure."
"You aren't awarded a royal commendation for 'some work', Barion." She contradicted, her tone growing more serious, "The holders of those emblems are treated as saints by the Elven people. You're keeping something from me."
"That's true." He confessed, "But all of these titles and trinkets don't matter to me anymore. Maybe once I was a man of some renown, but today, I'm just a trader."
"Were you an adventurer?"
"Something like that." He answered half-heartedly, "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to leave this place as soon as possible. It seems I'm causing a bit of a commotion already."
"Don't you enjoy being treated with such reverence?"
"Once upon a time, certainly. But not so much nowadays. I just want to live quietly."
Din couldn't quite place the tone in his voice, which sounded fatigued in a manner that was reminiscent of someone many years older than he appeared to be. She was self-aware enough to notice the soft spot she'd managed to strike, and though she desired to know more, it was obvious that even those few questions had saddened Barion somewhat.
"I didn't know it was that important to you." She apologised, "But, this city--it's also important to me. Asking to leave so soon is just…"
"I get that." He replied, "It seems to me like it's been a while since you were last here. I wouldn't want to leave if I was in your shoes, either. But I have to get going."
Din paused, "...So, we're going to part ways for now?"
He chuckled, "Does that mean we'll be meeting again someday?"
"D-Don't make it sound so strange…" She pouted, "Even if you're a handful, you helped me after I tried to rob you. Saving all those Elves, and helping to launch an investigation into Shulm…"
Breathing out, a tiny smile appeared on her face, "So, I wouldn't mind it. Meeting again, that is."
"Hah… I was looking forward to gaining a new business partner, too…"
"I would like to see the rest of the world, but just as you've said before, today was only the start of something much bigger." Din replied, "Once I've turned myself around, and really helped to make a difference here in Branda--then, we can meet again."
"You sound a little like someone I used to know."
"That woman you mentioned before?"
"Hm." He nodded, "Now that I think about it, maybe it's time to pay her a visit…"
"Where is she?"
"Gria."
"The human capital? Is that where you're headed next?"
"I'll take some Elven silver back with me. The blacksmiths will pay a premium for it."
"Would you like me to hand over the hairclip?" She asked, "So you can return it."
"Oh, no. Keep it." Barion smiled, "She'd probably call me strange for holding onto it after all this time."
"You are strange."
"Well, that's just how humans are, I'm afraid."
"At least we can agree on one thing."
It seemed like a waste to leave the silver city behind after barely a quarter-hour, but Barion wasn't the sort to stay in one place for long. That had been his way for a very long time. Reaching for his pouch, he rummaged around until he felt his fingers rubbing against fabric, and pulled out another pouch which was completely identical.
"Here." He tossed it towards Din, "Can't forget about your payment, can I?"
"You had a second bag of holding!?"
"What? They're useful to have." He pointed at the pouch, "1,000 gold, as promised."
"To me, that's more money than I've ever seen in one place. But to you, it's barely pocket change."
"You worked hard for it, so spend it carefully." He said, and then turned around, "I'll be seeing you--if we ever meet again, that is."
"Somehow, I get the impression that we will."
It wasn't a particularly tear-jerking farewell, but it was remarkable how, having known one-another for just a few days, they each cared about it as much as they did. Indeed, it was much like the years of Barion's youth, when he felt such emotions almost every day. A bittersweet, nostalgic memory.
He was only able to take a single wagon, naturally. The city would most likely put the other one to good use in due time. Within the commercial district, Elven silver, which was one of the rarest and most valuable workable metals in the world, was nonetheless available in near-endless quantities thanks to the location, and not terribly expensive, either.
Four crates of the silver ended up in Barion's wagon--enough to secure the futures of entire generations if sold in the capital. Having access to such esteemed goods was just another part of developing his reputation as a member of the Merchant's Guild.
The guards asked after him as he departed from the city, but did not pry into his business when he announced his sudden journey. They would have preferred it if he had taken the time to have an audience with the Elven queen, but relented to his insistence. Speaking the Elvish incantation on his way towards the perimeter of the Weald, Barion spent the remainder of the day working his way through the timeless maze, eventually emerging onto the open grasslands near the centre of the country after resting for the night.
From there, it was a straight road towards the tapered exit of the peninsula, where the verdant fields of the human mainland, Tor, stretched to the very ends of the horizon.