The young people from Glynlon who were heading to Selvin began walking around to say their goodbyes to parents, siblings and friends. Once they had said their goodbyes, they went over to wagon 2 and 3 and tossed their luggage inside. Evian started walking towards his parents to say goodbye but was stopped as Tafte hurled himself into his stomach knocking the air out of him.
"I'm going to miss you, Evian," he said, with so much snot running out of his nose that it was threateningly close to run down over his mouth.
Evian felt a bit moved by his little brother's words, even though it was something he had heard repeatedly over the past few weeks. However, today was different. Today, it was a reality that he was leaving. He softly patted Tafte on the head but couldn't find any words of comfort or reassurance for his little brother. He untangled himself from Tafte and asked him to go find Rina and Ryamus so he could bid them goodbye as well. Tafte looked a Evian and then darted through the crowds in search of his older siblings.
Evian continued towards his parents but was stopped again when Taliana stepped in front of him. She looked at him seriously and said, "I hope things will go well for you, Evian."
She looked a little embarrassed and then added, "I'm going to miss you all, but I'll especially miss you. You were always the funny one."
Evian was very surprised by her statement, as he had always thought Taliana considered him a bit ridiculous. His surprise reached new heights when Taliana hugged him and stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. It was a loving gesture that he had never expected from his youngest sister, but one he greatly appreciated. He would never forget her. Taliana left him to find Rina and Ryamus, and Evian could finally reach his parents. He was, however, surprised to find Darwen standing there talking with them as he approached. He stopped in his tracks, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, and overheard something he probably wasn't meant to.
"His Majesty misses you in the capital, Master Torin," Darwen said softly.
"Mind your tongue when you're here, Darwen," Evian's father snapped, nervously glancing around to see if anyone else had overheard.
"I thought His Majesty no longer wanted anything to do with us," Renalia said with disbelief in her voice.
"Can we please drop this conversation in public?" Torin asked irritably.
"Of course, Master Torin. Let's meet tonight to discuss further, as I have a message for you from His Majesty," Darwen responded immediately, clearly confident that he would be able to speak with Torin and Renalia later.
"Tonight? But you're leaving with the caravan in just a few minutes," Renalia said, puzzled.
"That's true, but we're stopping only 20 kilometers from the village, as the young ones need to be briefed on how the journey will proceed," Darwen explained.
"Besides, it always takes a long time to set up camp on the first night after new people join the group," he added with a glint in his eye that Evian didn't like.
"We'd better go find the children and say goodbye," Torin said in a final tone, then took Renalia's hand and turned away from Darwen to leave.
On his way over to his parents, Evian decided not to mention the conversation he had just overheard. He came to this decision because he didn't yet know what to make of what he had just heard and wanted some time to consider how it all made sense.
Evian caught up with his parents, who were heading towards Rina and Ryamus.
"I'm going to miss you," he said as he gave them both a hug. His parents looked at him seriously, as if they wanted to tell him something, but both remained silent.
"You don't need to worry so much about me. I'll be fine," Evian said, trying to lift their spirits. It seemed to work, at least for his mother, Renalia, who smiled and gave him an extra hug. As she did, she whispered in his ear, "Never stop believing in yourself, my dear! You are far more than you think."
Evian thought it was a cryptic thing to say and didn't entirely understand what his mother meant, but he took it to heart and decided he would always live by those words. His father's parting words were no less cryptic.
"Never look back, my boy, and be strong in situations where others grow weak—that is the mark of a strong person and a true leader."
Suddenly, the conversation between Darwen and his parents seemed much more important. Why had his father used the word "leader" to describe him, and why did he say it was important to be a good leader? Evian didn't have time to ask his parents anything, though, because at that moment, Rina and Ryamus came over to say goodbye to their parents.
"Take care of yourselves at the academy!" Renalia said.
"And never let them doubt your abilities, Rina, for that would be doubting mine."
"Show them how a blacksmith works, Ryamus," Torin said, clapping Evian's broad-shouldered twin on the back with such force that it would have knocked Evian into the dust, but it didn't faze Ryamus at all.
Evian felt a little jealous of the parting words his siblings received, as they seemed more heartfelt, and it was as if his parents had no doubt that Rina and Ryamus would do well at the academy and make them proud.