Ash and Derek said their goodbyes to the Elms and left. Ash bowed since he didn't know what would be appropriate. The Elms stared at him for a second then left. He kind of felt bad for that Derek hadn't taken them seriously.
"Every other year, it's the same thing, there are signs, there are omens, we have seen something in the shadows" said Derek annoyed trying to mimic them.
"Frankly I have never seen any other elm ever, It might be just those two going around seeing signs" said Derek.
"Don't look at me like that, I am not kidding, at first even I took their warnings seriously, but now it all just pisses me off, if you keep seeing signs every year, and don't tell me exactly what it is, then sooner than later it's bound to come true isn't it, so there is no use to listen to them" said Derek.
"Then why do you?" Ash began.
"Oh, it's part of the job, the annoying part" said Derek.
"What is it that you do?" asked Ash.
"A lot of things, really, but you don't need to worry about that, you are still very young, I'll have you trained in decent swordsmanship first, and see if you have any talent, then we'll see if you are suited for the job" said Derek.
Ash didn't have a good reaction to this. But he was slightly looking forward to learning swordsmanship, he hoped there was a better teacher wherever they were going than back at the valley.
The human kingdom, Cirkena, stretched towards the north around the Black Fang mountains, the mountains were not under any kingdom particularly but different creatures and races lived on it, around it and in it. Beyond the mountains, higher up north, the elven kingdom would start, although you won't see an elven city for miles. So Ash had judged by now, that they were heading for the border between the two kingdoms.
"Why did you choose me?" asked Ash to Derek, the question that had been in his mind all this time.
"I have trained many boys and girls, the likes who have been trained ever since they were born by the best of the best, most of them turn out good, great even, but they are not suited for all kinds of jobs, some things require other skills, I don't know, I am just experimenting with you like I said, you weren't the worst of the lot in the valley, and I had a place empty" said Derek.
Ash didn't know what to think of this answer, it seemed like he was telling the truth, and it would have been stupid of him to think he had seen some hidden talent in him.
As night fell they set up camp in the forest and lit a fire. Ash had camped in a forest before but this place was definitely different, as night fell the darkness around them increased immediately and very little moonlight penetrated the thick canopy of the forest. Ash patted River for a while, trying to get familiar with the horse as he fed him.
He thought Derek would take turns keeping watch but he just leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. After some time he finally fell asleep. He woke up the next day to the noises the horses made as they woke up. Derek was already up packing his bags.
"Come on get ready, we aren't far now, we'll be going downhill soon, and pick the pace up a bit, I want to reach before afternoon," said Derek.
So a few minutes later, they were riding fast out of the forest. After yesterday's riding, he was much more comfortable with River and the riding was fun rather than scary.
They got out of the forest, the tall trees left behind. Sun shone brightly over their heads, the ground was uneven here, and the temperature was colder. They were riding along a wide river now. After some time Ash saw their destiny. It was a small keep on the other side of the river, at the foot of the mountains, a tall tower was visible at one edge of it towards the north.
"It's the north Tower, there are two more towers like in the South and East, along the borders, that's where you'll be staying from now on," said Derek.
There were other houses and buildings around the tower, but they all had the same architecture of need rather than beauty. Like the old bunkers he had seen in the valley some years ago. He had a feeling of urgency and keeping his guard up, the whole place had a different air for some reason.
They entered the keep on their horses. A young boy came running with a bunch of ropes in his hands. He was younger than Ash, and thinner, which wasn't common, he had red hair and wide eyes.
"Here, Mr. Derek, Welcome back," said the boy.
"Thank you, Ron," said Derek handing him the reins of his horse. Ash did the same when Ron looked at him wondering who he was. Ash followed Derek after giving River a last pat and taking off his bags.
"I'll show you where you'll be staying, come down when the lunch bell rings in some time, that's the mess, I'll send someone to get you or come myself," said Derek. He led him up into the tower. The tower was the most important place in the keep, as there were two guards at the gate, who saluted to Derek, the inside of the tower was much better looking.
A round set of stairs went all the way to the top of the tower. They took the stairs to the fourth floor, where they entered an empty room. Derek looked around.
"This should be fine," said Derek and left.
Ash closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed looking around the room. The stone walls had the same grey-brown color as the outside of the tower. There was a thin rug on the floor and a window. He went to the window and opened it. He looked out and was surprised to see a large ground, the window opened on the other side from where they had come, showing the other side of the keep, towards the mountain. What caught his attention were the people on the ground, that's why the keep seemed pretty empty, and most of the people seemed to be there. He noticed Ron sitting on a wall watching the ground with rapt attention. Where several people were gathered to see a sword fight. Only this wasn't like any sword fight he had ever seen, the two men were striking at each other with such speed and power that every collision let sparks fly. It seemed like they had been doing this for years, even the way they held the sword was so much different. Ash always felt that the swords they had were always a bit too heavy at the expense of speed and control. He could never swing one with full force and speed in fear that if his opponent dodged and swung back he would not be able to block in time, But watching them he felt stupid, if he could even for a second fight like that and look so cool, he was fine with getting slashed back.
He hurried to his bags pulled out his sword, and held it with much more confidence and much less fear than before. He felt like just watching these two men fight seemed to have improved him. Then he noticed someone else in the crowd, standing a little bit away from the crowd on their own, were two people a man and a woman. Under the sun, their shiny blonde hairs glimmered, and their pointy ears glinted an inch above their heads. Elvs.