Chapter 2

I had just thrown the last thing into my backpack when a knock on the door prompted Velagh to take his eyes off of me. In a smooth movement, he turned to open the door. First, he peeked outside to see who was trying to speak to me, and then he stepped to the side and let my older brother enter. Well, the oldest of my brothers.

"Ivran?" I was surprised to see him of all people when I shouldn't have been. It was just like him to be the one who cared. He, the oldest, wisest, best of us all. The prodigy, the one with the magic — the one and only true heir. And despite all my inner, snarky remarks, he was always the one looking out for us. I loved him as everyone loves their older brother, but I resented his perfectness.

"You really did it this time," he chuckled, glancing me once over before he nodded towards Velagh in a thankful manner.

Velagh, on the other hand, was ready to leave, just to be held back by my brother's words, "don't. You can stay." He did not stay. He left the room regardless to leave me and my brother alone for whatever talk would arise.

"Another hour and he'll tell me he was wrong," I shrugged.

"I wouldn't bet on it."

"You know how he is. Always getting mighty and then suddenly remembering I'm this family's baby girl."

"Except, you're not a woman."

"I should have been according to all the signs. And they sure treated me like one for the longest time."

"You know that isn't true. You're just the youngest."

"And will always be, I know," I sighed and sat down on my bed. Ivran followed suit and sat down right next to me, butting his arm around my shoulders to pull me into a side-ways hug. I just tipped over to lean against him.

"You think he's really serious this time?" I asked, looking at him through the mirror.

"I fear he is. You're not the first one to go on an any-short-of-365-days-journey," he chuckled again and I raised my head to look at him.

"For real now?"

"For real. However, I had official reasons to travel to the far west. Political reason. I didn't really want to be an heir, you know."

"But… you're perfect." I couldn't help but sound bitter. He was always perfect, and now he was about to tell me that he just wasn't? That didn't make sense.

"Far from it!" he laughed and squeezed my shoulder before he let go and leaned back, his hands finding a good hold on my bed.

"I wanted to be a mage. I wanted to study my magic, not politics and trading, strategies and war tactics. So Father sent me to the far west, making sure I would cross lands that lay in despair and ruin. He made sure I would see what was truly important."

I kept silent for a moment. It made me… sad? To hear him say this, with such a calm voice. Right at this moment he sounded like a person who had grown out of a childish dream. But I couldn't agree to it. Magic wasn't childish, wanting to become a mage wasn't. It was a rare gift that was almost lost to our people.

"It had made you just as perfect. Just different perfect," I finally said, and it came from my heart.

He snickered silently, looking at the mirror reflecting the both of us, "maybe, but different perfect wasn't good enough. And I am not mad about it. I promise you, you won't be either."

I grumbled in disagreement. "I don't want to leave. My life is here."

"And out there is another life. You just have to accept it and not fight it."

"Pfff…" I couldn't help the sound escaping my lips, my eyebrows knitted together as if I had just witnessed something disgusting.

"You wanted change, Lyron. Make this count."

"I'll try," I gave in. I didn't feel like trying, but if it put him at ease I was willing to partially compromise.

"I know you will. And look at the bright side, Velagh will be with you. Maybe that's all you need to make it finally happen," he mused, sitting back up so he could nudge my side with his elbow making me lean away from him.

"Hey, we're doing totally fine," I chuckled.

"With an arm's length between the both of you at all times."

"That's him, not me!"

"Two arm lengths then," he laughed and I pouted. Yes, Velagh was a mountain of a man and just bigger. All of him. Including his arms. If I was to try to hold his upper arm, I would need my whole arm to get around and it probably still wouldn't be enough. Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a little. But his arms were also longer, naturally.

"Or a whole leg," I added to his words, still trying to pout but I couldn't hold it with the laugh that wanted to escape.

"Seriously, Lyron," he tried to calm himself from the playful banter that had just erupted between us, to find his way back to the matter at hand, "you'll be fine. With him, without him, it doesn't matter. You'll be fine."

And with that, he also erased that laughter that wanted to escape so desperately and replaced it with a deep sigh, "I hope you're right." I really did. After all, he was perfect, wasn't he? He couldn't be wrong. Maybe… maybe this whole thing wouldn't be as bad as I had thought.

"Believe me, I am. I'll see you at your departure, Lyron," he smiled at me as he got up, and I nodded in return.

"Could you tell Velagh to wait 5 minutes outside? I want to change and I don't need 3 maids pulling and pushing me around for 10 minutes just to get into another set of clothes," I smirked at him and he snorted.

"Of course. See you later." He left, and just as I had asked, Velagh didn't enter right away.

My eyes lingered on the door, and I felt this sudden knot grow in my throat until it reached a size I couldn't ignore anymore. I would be gone for a whole year, and while Velagh would be with me, the person I would miss the most was Ivran. This thought alone brought tears to my eyes. An awful sight I couldn't subject Velagh to. So instead, I turned my head to look at the mirror again, forcing a smile while the salty liquid finally broke loose.

I didn't want to leave. But this time, I feared our father wouldn't change his mind. So I would try to make this whole ordeal as comfortable for myself as possible. I finally got up to undress and change into something more practical than an elven silk gown.