It was just about daylight when we began moving on. As we traveled on, we did not see very much until we came upon an old fortress gateway leading into the hills. We were able to look far off in the distance of the green, rolling hills behind the moss-covered stone barrier and find an old stone fortress, standing tall and proud like a soldier that just came home from serving his country. The fortress, though at least a mile or so away, looked massive. Aetos insisted we go through, as he knew someone who could help us find our way quickly through the seemingly endless plains. Dabble and I linked arms in fright and glanced at each other and then at Aetos, and finally at the towering, beast of a castle further down the withered rock driveway. The land inside the castle gates was much more joyful and lively than the lands outside them. In the distance, children could be heard playing in an elven village off to the right side of the fortress. I was surprised to realize that nothing except the road and the castle were visible from outside the gates, but as soon as I stepped inside, the world came alive. An elven town was off to the left of the castle, and there were numerous salesmen in wagons trying to sell items such as food and clothing along with various trinkets and toys. It was as if the entire elven kingdom, save for the fortress and the gates, had a cloak around it that made it nonexistent from the outside world. When we finally made it to the fortress, we found that many people were gathered together around the gates. Aetos shook the wrought iron gates that prevented anyone from entering and crossing the moat. Passage to the inside required someone to unlock the gates and manually open them from the inside. Out of the castle doorway door marched an elf knight bearing a long, curved sword in an intricately designed sheath worn near the elf’s right hip. The guard unlocked the gates and led the way to the castle foyer. As we stepped inside, we saw that it was gorgeous, nothing like the outside. Then, out of nowhere came an elf princess clothed in a long, flowing, white, silk dress with gold embroidery. “Oh, Aetos, I am so glad you are here! It’s Father! He has fallen ill! Not a soul in this land has been able to cure him! Can you help him? Please,” cried the girl as she fell into Aetos’s open arms. “I shall try my best, my dear, Gwynn,” answered Aetos, stroking the elf’s golden hair. Next thing I knew, we were racing to the king’s bedroom. “I will try my best,” said Aetos to the queen as he walked into the room. After a moment of examining the king, whose name was King Corrin, Aetos spoke, “I will need goldenrod flowers and grapevine from the old vineyards. Boil them together in a pot with this enchanted sugar. I will also require a thick paste made from fresh ground ginger root, chamomile, and flax seed. Amelia and Dabble, you go help!”
