Morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of the guest room Edmund, the butler of Denare's house, had prepared, casting long, pale stripes across the stone floor. Eon lay on his back, one arm draped over his eyes, listening to the faint creak of the mansion waking up around him.
His body felt heavy in that good way, rested, but not quite ready to move. The bed was soft, far softer than anything he'd had in the dungeon or even back at Edger County, yet sleep had been restless. Too many thoughts were spinning in his head about the road ahead, the elves' condition, and the loose threads still dangling from their stay here.
And it certainly hadn't helped that Elora had slipped into his room late last night, looking for a distraction. Sending her back to her own room to actually get some rest by himself had taken more effort than he’d care to admit, leaving him with even fewer hours of sleep than he planned.
Now, even as Eon pushed himself up and dressed in simple traveling clothes- a dark tunic, a pair of sturdy boots, and a cloak-hoodie thrown over one shoulder- he could still feel the ghost of her warmth.
Though it was distracting in a way he didn't hate, there should still be a time for things like that. He can’t just be selfish all the time, especially when there are a handful of elves who are still dependent on him.
He shook it off, buckling his belt and checking the small pouch at his hip where the razor he had made and a few emergency potions sat.
----
Outside the Denares mansion, the courtyard buzzed with quiet activity under the early sun. The air smelled of damp earth, horse shit, and the faint smoke from the kitchens. A line of carriages waited, their wooden frames creaking as servants from the Denare’s household loaded the last of the elves' supplies. Eon stepped out into the open, scanning the scene after getting himself refreshed.
The elves stood clustered together, no longer in rags but in a mismatched riot of colors, tunics of deep green and faded blue, cloaks patched from whatever decent fabric had been scavenged or bought. Some looked almost normal for the first time, shoulders a little straighter, eyes less haunted, but alive.
The sight of so many of them in one place, free and visible, drew stares from the human workers milling around the grounds. Maids paused with baskets on their hips. Stable hands leaned on pitchforks. Whispers rippled through them as nobody in this estate ever saw this many elves out in the open, all at once. Especially in a setup like this, as if they were guests of Denare's house.
"Never seen that many at once..."
"Thought they kept 'em locked down below..."
More and more humans, mostly workers and maids, stopped to stare at them, as if it was the most interesting thing they had ever seen in their lives.
Alaric, already mounted on a sleek black horse, barked at a cluster of gawkers. "Back to work! All of you! This isn't a damn festival." His voice carried that familiar noble snap, but there was an edge to it now, like he was forcing the role. The workers scattered quickly, heads down.
Eon approached the group, nodding to Liam, who was helping a couple of the older elves into one of the larger carriages. "Everything set?"
Liam wiped sweat from his brow. "Yeah, Close enough. Some of the younger ones are still sore, but they'll manage, I guess. Better than walking."
Elsa sat astride a sturdy brown mare nearby, Elora sharing the saddle behind her. Elsa's posture was straight and alert, one hand resting casually on the reins while the other adjusted a strap on her sword belt. Elora leaned against her back, arms looped loosely around her waist, looking far too comfortable for someone who'd been grumbling about sharing a horse just minutes ago.
"Whoa, getting comfy back there, I see!" Eon called, unable to keep the teasing note out of his voice.
Elora shot him a glare that didn't quite hide her smirk. "Shut up. It's practical. And Elsa's warmer than you anyway."
Elsa just rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched. "Focus, both of you. We've got a long way. And you? What took you so long to come out? Didn’t anybody wake you up?"
Eon didn’t say anything, as he swung up onto his own horse, a calm gray gelding that shifted easily under his weight. He settled in the saddle, scanning the line of carriages again.
Most of the elves who could ride were doubling or tripling up to save mounts and keep the group tight. Injured or not, they needed to move as one. Others were inside the carriages, along with the supplies they were taking back to Edger County.
Before Eon was about to ask Liam to ride with him, as he himself can’t ride, a shadow moved at the edge of his vision. Nora approached without a sound, her dark hair tied back, carrying nothing but a worn leather water skin slung over one shoulder.
She looked... steadier than yesterday. Less like a cornered beast, more like someone who'd weighed her options.
Eon raised an eyebrow. "So you decided to ride back with us after all? Thought you might slip away before dawn."
Nora didn't answer right away. She just stepped close to his horse, eyes flicking over the animal like she was sizing up a threat.
Then, in one fluid motion, she grabbed the saddle and vaulted up behind him. The horse snorted and sidestepped, surprised by the sudden weight.
"Whoa…..easy," Eon muttered, steadying the reins with one hand while the other gripped the saddle horn, almost falling from the horse. Nora's arms settled around his waist, not tight, but firm enough that he was barely able to stay on the horse.
The others glanced over, thinking Eon might really fall. Elora's eyes narrowed for a split second, but she said nothing when she saw he adjusted. Elsa just gave a small nod, like she'd expected this.
Nora shifted slightly, her voice low near his ear. "Didn't have much of a choice, did I? Your silver-haired friend was right. Out there alone... I'd be dead or collared again by nightfall." She paused, then added, almost grudgingly, "Besides. You haven't tried to chain me yet."
Eon let out a short breath that might've been a laugh. "Yeah, fair enough." He nudged the horse forward, falling into line with the others, and Nora grabbed onto him to not let him fall down. "Just don't stab me in the back before we reach Edger County. Deal?"
Nora's grip tightened a fraction, but there was no real threat in it. "We'll see."
Alaric rode at the front of the column on his own mount, back straight, expression closed off. Before Eon came, he'd tried to wave Elora over, offering her a spot behind him with what he probably thought was brotherly authority. But as expected, she'd refused flat-out, climbing up with Elsa instead.
Now he sat alone, jaw tight, ignoring the way the elves behind him gave his black horse a wide berth.
Eon didn't comment. Let the man stew. He knew at least that Nobles like him weren't used to sharing space, especially not with the people they'd once owned.
-----
The caravan started moving, wheels rumbling over the cobblestones, hooves clopping in a steady rhythm. The Denares mansion shrank behind them, its walls still carrying the faint scars of recent chaos. Edmund just stayed standing at the mansion’s gate, looking directly at his master, as he got further and further from his vision.
While riding, Eon kept his senses open: every creak of a carriage, every shift of the elves in their seats, the way Nora's breathing evened out as they left the gates. He noticed all of that, knowing this might’ve been just a rescue mission for him.
But for these people, who were imprisoned in this mansion’s deepest dungeon, for god knows how long, enduring unimaginable torture and humiliation, this moment was something else. It was the moment they were finally realising that they were finally being cleansed from this accursed place, finally getting a version of freedom that they were stripped of.
The road stretched ahead, long and uncertain. But for the first time in days, they were moving toward something that felt like home. Or at least, the closest thing they had to one now. The Edger County.