The retinue moved on, lanterns swaying gently as the forest deepened into twilight. The last traces of sunlight bled through the branches in thin, fading ribbons, turning the path ahead into a corridor of shifting gold and shadow.
Siegfried walked beside the carriage, the steady rhythm of hooves and wheels grounding him after the strangeness of the day. The forest around them felt different now not hostile, not welcoming, but aware. Every sound seemed sharper, more deliberate.
A distant owl called from somewhere high in the canopy.
Leaves rustled overhead, stirred by a breeze that never touched the ground.
Crickets began their evening chorus, a rising, rhythmic pulse that filled the spaces between footsteps.
The lanterns cast warm halos of light that flickered across the trunks, revealing glimpses of moss‑covered bark, tangled roots, and the occasional glint of eyes from small creatures watching their passage.
Vinrah rode ahead, her silhouette rigid against the dimming sky. She hadn't spoken since Ellina's reveal, but Siegfried could feel her thoughts churning like a storm held behind a dam.
The carriage remained silent.
Ellina had drawn the hood back over her silver hair, but Siegfried could still sense her presence calm, steady, and impossibly composed. Every so often, he caught the faintest shift of the silk veil, as though she were watching the forest with the same quiet intensity as the Ancient One.
The road wound on.
The sky darkened from blue to indigo, then to a deep, star‑studded black. The moon rose between the branches, pale and thin, casting silver light that mingled with the lantern glow.
Finally, Vinrah raised a hand.
"We camp here."
The riders slowed, guiding their horses into a small clearing just off the road. The ground was soft with fallen leaves, and the trees formed a natural barrier against the wind. Lanterns were hung from low branches, their warm light pooling across the forest floor.
Siegfried helped unhitch the horses, his muscles grateful for the pause. The air smelled of pine, damp earth, and the faint sweetness of night‑blooming flowers hidden somewhere in the undergrowth.
The carriage door opened.
Ellina stepped out, her movements quiet, her hood still drawn. The lantern light caught the edges of her silver hair, turning it into a soft halo. She surveyed the clearing with a calm, practiced eye, as though gauging the forest's mood.
Vinrah approached her, bowing her head slightly. "We'll keep watch in shifts."
Ellina nodded. "The forest will be still tonight."
Siegfried wasn't sure if that was reassurance or warning.
A small fire crackled to life at the center of the clearing, its flames casting dancing shadows across the trunks. The warmth seeped into Siegfried's hands as he sat near it, the events of the day settling into a heavy, contemplative quiet.
Across the fire, Ellina sat with her back straight, her face half‑lit by the flames. Her blue eyes reflected the firelight like shards of polished ice. She didn't speak, but she didn't need to. Her presence alone shifted the air.
The forest hummed softly around them insects, distant birds, the whisper of leaves brushing against one another. The Ancient One's echo lingered somewhere in the depths of the woods, faint but unmistakable.
Night settled fully.
The fire crackled.
The forest breathed.
Siegfried volunteered for first watch before anyone else could speak. Vinrah gave a curt nod, accepting without question. The riders settled into their bedrolls, the fire crackling softly as it cast warm, shifting light across the clearing.
The forest around them felt different at night not threatening, but vast. Alive. The kind of alive that made a man feel small.
Siegfried stood at the edge of the clearing, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, the other hanging loose at his side. The lantern beside him flickered in the breeze, its glow pushing back only a small circle of darkness.
The sounds of the forest sharpened in the quiet.
The steady chirr of crickets weaving a rhythmic pulse through the night.
The soft rustle of leaves overhead, stirred by a wind that whispered rather than blew.
The distant hoot of an owl, low and resonant, echoing through the trees.
The occasional snap of a twig as some small creature moved through the underbrush.
Beneath it all, a faint hum the lingering echo of the Ancient One, or perhaps just the forest breathing in its sleep.
Siegfried's eyes drifted toward the carriage.
The silk veil inside was still, but he sensed Ellina's presence as surely as if she stood beside him. Her reveal had shifted something in him not trust exactly, but a new awareness. A recognition he couldn't yet name.
He exhaled slowly, letting the cool night air fill his lungs.
The fire behind him crackled, sending sparks drifting upward like tiny stars. The riders murmured in their sleep, shifting occasionally, but the clearing remained peaceful.
Vinrah approached quietly, her steps soft on the leaf‑strewn ground. She stopped beside him, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the darkened treeline.
"You're thinking too loudly," she said.
Siegfried didn't look at her. "Long day."
"That's one word for it."
They stood in silence for a moment, listening to the forest.
Vinrah's voice lowered. "You handled yourself well. With the spirit. With Ellina."
Siegfried's jaw tightened. "I didn't do anything."
"You didn't panic," she said. "Most would have."
He didn't answer. His thoughts drifted back to the Ancient One's faceless head, the way it had paused before him, the way Ellina had touched it without fear.
Vinrah followed his gaze to the carriage. "She trusts you."
Siegfried shook his head. "She doesn't know me."
"Maybe not," Vinrah said. "But she sees something in you. Elves don't reveal themselves lightly."
Siegfried didn't respond. He wasn't sure he could.
Vinrah clapped a hand on his shoulder brief, firm, grounding. "Wake me when the moon hits its peak."
She returned to the fire, leaving Siegfried alone with the night.
He shifted his stance, scanning the treeline again. The forest was calm, but not empty. He could feel eyes on him not hostile, not curious, just… watching. The way a forest watches a traveler who has stepped somewhere sacred.
The moon climbed higher, its pale light filtering through the branches in thin silver beams. The lantern flickered. The fire crackled. The forest hummed.
Siegfried kept his vigil.
And somewhere behind the silk veil, Ellina Sorell did not sleep.
The night had settled fully, wrapping the clearing in a cool, velvety darkness. The fire crackled behind Siegfried, its warmth brushing his back while the forest breathed softly around him. He stood at the edge of the lantern's glow, eyes fixed on the treeline, listening to the layered sounds of the woods.
Crickets pulsed in steady rhythm.
Leaves whispered overhead.
Somewhere far off, a branch snapped not sharply, but with the soft, natural break of something small moving through underbrush.
Siegfried's hand rested lightly on his sword hilt, though the forest felt calm. Watchful, yes but calm.
A faint shift of fabric behind him made him turn.
Ellina stepped into the lantern light.
Her hood was lowered again, silver hair catching the glow like strands of starlight. She moved with that quiet elven grace not silent, but deliberate, each step placed with intention. The firelight reflected in her blue eyes, turning them into twin shards of moonlit water.
"You should be resting," Siegfried said softly.
Ellina shook her head. "Elves do not sleep as humans do. And tonight…" She glanced toward the darkened trees. "Tonight, the forest is too awake."
She came to stand beside him, close enough that he could feel the faint warmth of her presence. Not intrusive simply there, like a second lantern in the dark.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The forest filled the silence for them.
A soft hoot from an owl.
The distant rustle of wings.
The gentle crackle of the fire behind them.
Ellina's gaze drifted toward the treeline. "You feel it too," she murmured.
Siegfried nodded. "Like the woods are watching."
"They are," she said. "But not with malice. The Ancient One's passing stirred old roots. The forest is… attentive."
Siegfried studied her profile the calm set of her jaw, the way her silver hair shifted in the breeze, the quiet strength she carried like a second skin. "You weren't afraid," he said. "When it appeared."
Ellina's lips curved slightly. "Fear is not always the right response to the unknown."
"And you knew it."
"I recognized it," she corrected gently. "Knowing is something else."
Siegfried considered that. "You said it judged us."
"It judged you," she said, turning to meet his eyes. "And it found you worthy."
He swallowed, unsure how to respond to that. "I didn't do anything."
"You stood your ground," Ellina said. "Not out of pride. Not out of recklessness. But because you believed you should. The Ancient Ones value that."
A breeze stirred the leaves above them, sending a soft cascade of sound through the branches.
Ellina stepped a little closer, her voice lowering. "Siegfried… the road ahead will test us in ways you cannot yet imagine. I need someone beside me who does not falter when faced with the impossible."
He held her gaze. "You have that."
Her expression softened not quite relief, not quite gratitude, but something quieter, deeper. "Good," she whispered. "Because I cannot walk this path alone."
The forest hummed around them, as though acknowledging the moment.
Ellina looked back toward the fire. "I will stay with you for a while. The night is long, and the woods are restless."
Siegfried nodded, settling into his stance again.
Side by side, they kept watch two figures standing against the vast, breathing dark of the ancient forest.
For a long while, Ellina stood beside Siegfried in silence, her presence steady and grounding. The forest hummed around them, the night alive with layered sounds — crickets pulsing in rhythm, leaves whispering overhead, the distant hoot of an owl echoing through the trees.
But gradually, Siegfried noticed a shift.
Ellina's posture softened.
Her breaths grew slower, deeper.
Her blue eyes, once sharp and alert, began to lose their focus as she gazed into the darkened treeline. The silver strands of her hair drifted gently in the breeze, catching the lantern light like threads of starlight.
"Elves don't sleep," Siegfried murmured, half to himself.
Ellina's voice was barely above a whisper. "Not as humans do… but even we grow weary."
Her eyes fluttered once.
Twice.
Then closed.
She swayed.
Siegfried stepped forward instinctively, catching her before she could fall. She was lighter than he expected not fragile, but graceful even in unconsciousness, as though the forest itself cushioned her descent.
"Ellina," he whispered.
No response.
Her breathing was steady, peaceful. Whatever strength she had shown earlier with the Ancient One, at the pond, during their walk had finally taken its toll.
Siegfried hesitated only a moment before lifting her into his arms.
Her silver hair brushed against his shoulder, soft as silk. She didn't stir.
The forest seemed to quiet around them, as though acknowledging her rest. Even the crickets softened their chorus for a heartbeat before resuming.
Siegfried carried her carefully back toward the firelit clearing.
The riders were asleep, their forms curled near the fire. Vinrah lay with one hand on her blade, but even she didn't wake as Siegfried passed. The lanterns cast warm halos across the ground, illuminating Ellina's peaceful face as he approached the carriage.
He opened the door with his free hand, the hinges creaking softly.
Inside, the carriage was dim, lit only by a small lantern hanging from a hook. Cushions lined the interior, arranged neatly untouched since Ellina had stepped out earlier.
Siegfried lowered her gently onto the seat.
Her silver hair spilled across the cushions like moonlight on snow. For a moment, she looked impossibly young not the ancient, composed figure who had spoken to a forest spirit, but someone carrying a weight too heavy for one person.
He adjusted her cloak so it covered her shoulders.
As he stepped back, Ellina murmured something a single word, too soft to understand. Her hand twitched, then relaxed again.
Siegfried paused at the door, watching her for a moment longer.
Then he closed it quietly.
The latch clicked into place.
The moon had climbed high by the time Siegfried felt the first threads of fatigue tug at him. The forest remained calm a steady hum of crickets, the soft rustle of leaves, the occasional distant hoot of an owl. Nothing stirred beyond the natural rhythm of the woods.
Ellina slept in the carriage.
The riders slept by the fire.
Only Siegfried remained awake, the lantern beside him flickering in the cool night breeze.
He exhaled slowly, letting the tension ease from his shoulders. The Ancient One's presence had faded, but the memory of it lingered like a distant echo. The forest felt watchful still, but no longer heavy. More like a guardian standing at the edge of sight.
It was time.
Siegfried turned from the treeline and walked back toward the fire. Vinrah lay closest to the flames, her cloak pulled tight around her, one hand resting on the hilt of her blade even in sleep. Her breathing was steady, controlled the kind of rest only a seasoned warrior could manage.
He crouched beside her.
"Vinrah," he said quietly.
Her eyes snapped open instantly, sharp and alert. She didn't reach for her weapon she recognized him at once, but her posture shifted, ready.
"My turn?" she murmured.
Siegfried nodded. "All quiet."
Vinrah pushed herself up, brushing leaves from her cloak. She studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable in the firelight. "You look exhausted."
"It's been a long day."
"That's one word for it," she said, echoing her earlier remark with a faint, wry edge.
Siegfried managed a tired breath that wasn't quite a laugh. Vinrah clapped his shoulder once firm, grounding then moved toward the edge of the clearing to take his place.
Siegfried lingered a moment, glancing toward the carriage. The silk veil was still. Ellina hadn't stirred since he carried her inside.
He let out a slow breath.
Then he lay down near the fire, the warmth seeping into his bones. The forest sounds wrapped around him the whisper of leaves, the steady pulse of crickets, the soft crackle of the flames.
His eyes drifted shut.
Sleep took him quickly.
And the ancient woods kept their silent vigil.