The trio spent the remainder of the day marching down the easy slope of the mountain under which they had just passed. Small springs of fresh water followed them on their descent, providing them with much needed water to refresh their stamina and also brought fawns and rabbits in abundance, which made for good hunting. In this glorious, green countryside, many a wanderer would lie in the grass for days on end, enjoying the crisp mountain air and forget about the drudgery of the world at large. However, the company pressed themselves for time as they traveled and spent little time enjoying the surroundings.
At sundown, they worked their way into the town via the eastern road, tired and weary with travel. The gateman recognized the king immediately and signaled the guards to open it forthwith. As they strode in, a galley of city guards surrounded them in an effort to provide escort, bedecked with lanterns to guide their way through the darkening city streets. Edgar, however, quickly instructed the troupe to disband before the escort and to let no word of his arrival pass among the townsfolk, as they planned to leave town before morning�s first light. Coins passed among the troupe and they left the three friends to their devices.
Edgar led the other two along several back alleys through the town, arriving soon at a small hut on the opposite end of the settlement. Here, he slipped inside along with his friends and closed the back door silently. The interior of the hut was quite cozy, a spacious kitchen and living room to their left, a small doorway leading to the bedroom on their right. Straight ahead, there was a little reading nook in which sat an elderly lady who smiled as she recognized the intruders. She rose from her small, wooden stool and strode over to greet the king. Bowing profusely, she took the king�s hands in her own and kissed them ever so slightly.
�My Lord Edgar, how wonderful it is to see you,� she said with a voice that brought to mind the sweet sounds of wind in the barley. �How Duncan would have loved to see you again.� Edgar kissed her hands as well and then surprised her with a deep bow of his own. She laughed lightly at his antics and blushed deep crimson.
�My Lady Essen, how is your dear husband?� Edgar asked in earnest, willing to prolong his visit for the sake of politeness. The elderly lady sighed deeply, her grey bun of hair bouncing upon her head as she did this, and she let her hands drop to her side.
�I wish I knew, dear Edgar� how I wish I knew. He left not but three months ago for his training sessions with our son and�� she nodded knowingly at this and looked suspiciously at Terra and Locke. Edgar nodded at her in return, letting her know that they were friends to be trusted.
�Anyways,� she said, �he has been gone all this time and I�ve had no news from him for over two weeks now. I�m worried, my King, for though he is quite resilient, not for this long would he leave me without word.� Suddenly, her face brightened and a smile drew across her lips. �Enough of such worries, dear friends,� she said, signaling to them all, �come in and relax, get off your feet and allow me to bring you some refreshments. You will be staying the night, my King?�
Edgar shook his head in negation.
�No, Migul," he said, intoning her rightful title as the mistress of the house, "we are off before the sun�s rising. In fact, we leave now for the valley of Mount Kolts and will head towards the Returner hideout. There is much amiss which cannot be discussed.�
�The Empire,� was all the old lady could say, raising her hands to the air in the old maid�s fashion of warding off evil spirits. Edgar nodded and pulled himself close to her.
�Breathe not a word to anyone of our passing. There may be spies among us, even as we speak. I will return to the castle once our work here is done and from there we shall decide what action needs be taken for our people. The world, however, comes first. Come now, milady, I have need of your husband�s horde of weapons and armor.�
She bowed graciously to the king and then disappeared down a flight of stairs to the basement below. The three followed her down into a storage chamber filled from wall to wall with weapons of all kinds, armor for every body part imaginable and items of great value which would aid in battle against most foes. Edgar scooped what he needed, with Locke�s help, into a large backpack and added to it some rations to replenish those used during their trek through the underground pass. Duncan's wife aided them in packaging the necessary equipment and soon the three were well stocked for the journey ahead.
�Be safe,� she said once they were back up the stairs and standing at the door, ready to leave. �The enemy does not sleep while you do, but hasty work is shoddy work, my father always said." She helped them strap their packs about their bodies and gave them a final word of advice as they strode away from the house in single file. "Always watch your back, my Lords and Lady, but let not your senses deceive you.�
As they walked beyond the edge of town with their gear upon their backs, Edgar thought silently about what the old lady had said last. There was much wisdom in her words, yet he could not fully comprehend the extent of that wisdom. One thing was certain, however, for though much had changed since he last saw Duncan, Edgar was certain that an encounter with the old man would eventually lead him to his brother.
My dear brother� where have the happenings of the world led you?
