Lorthrendel slowly opened his eyes. He squinted in the dim light, trying to make sense of his blurred surroundings. He tried to sit up but he promptly gasped in pain and was forced to lay back down. He grimaced, his hand moving to his wound. Somebody had tightly wrapped bandages around his torso.

He rubbed his aching head. The bed he was lying in was very uncomfortable and felt no better than a rock, but he supposed it was better than nothing. He couldn't remember anything at that moment; not where he was, what happened, or why he was there at all. The last thing he remembered was fighting in Tribesmen's Bay....

"Ah, I was wondering if you planned on waking up eventually," came Varenyl's soft, exhausted voice. He heard movement from the room as the elf walked over to him. "Here. They're cracked, but they should still work to some extent." He took Lorthrendel's hand and plopped his glasses down in them.

The fae slowly put them on with a trembling hand. He blinked; they really were cracked. He looked around, still squinting. He recognized this room, with its dusty wooden walls and floors, and its arched ceiling. This had been his room as a child, when he had lived here with his adoptive parents. He gazed up at Varenyl, his brows wrinkled in confusion. The Sylvari's hair was a matted mess of blood and dirt, and he looked tired...so, so tired. Dark smudges lay underneath his eyes, and his blue eyes were even dimmer than usual.

"W-what happened?" Lorthrendel tried to sit up again. "Why are we-"

Varenyl put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "It makes sense that your memory is foggy. It will come back to you in due time," he said. "For now, I would advise you to stay in bed. I stitched up your wound, and I do not need you ripping it back open."

Lorthrendel silently and reluctantly did as he was told. He looked out the window; it was morning, and the sun was just beginning to retake its place in the sky. The dust particles that sifted down were illuminated in its pale light. It was peaceful, yet...melancholic, at the same time.

"My father used to take me swimming out in that pond," he said, almost to himself as he looked outside. "After I created my contacts, anyway.... Khaishriks do not share in felines' hatred for water," he added with a small smile. He looked back at Varenyl, who was sitting down in a chair, his head resting against the wall.

"Where are Ragnus and Isendir?" he asked.

Varenyl was quiet a moment before saying, "Isendir left sometime last night. Ragnus is downstairs sleeping." He crossed his arms over his chest and stretched his legs out.

"What?" Lorthrendel's face contorted in confusion. "What do you mean, 'he left'? Where did he go?"

"Now why in Ione's name would I know the answer to that, Lorthrendel." Varenyl heaved an exasperated sigh. "All Ragnus told me was that he ran off into the woods after burying Aerysdren."

"Burying Aerysdren-" It all came back to him at that moment. The screams, Aerysdren's story, the Amulet, the blood....

He covered his mouth with his hand. Aerysdren was gone. Aerysdren was gone and he was still here.

"Now don't start with that self pity bullshit with me, fae," Varenyl suddenly snapped, glaring at the mage. "I've heard enough of it. The boy is dead, and nothing can change that. What's done is done. You can't stay around feeling sorry for yourself or what has happened. If you plan on doing that, you can forget about me helping your sorry arse."

"What did I tell you about watching your tongue?" Lorthrendel's eyes narrowed. "I am not one for self pity, you little mountain sprite. I blame myself, but I do not plan on letting his death be in vain."

"Then we will have no further conflict then." Varenyl stood up. "If you excuse me, I must go check on the dwarf."

"Have you slept any?" Lorthrendel suddenly asked.

Varenyl halted. He looked over his shoulder at the mage. "I can go for days on end without sleep, Lorthrendel. I was trained on thorns and nails. I am perfectly capable of going on at the moment."

"You're tired, Varenyl," Lorthrendel said in a soft voice with a gentle shake of his head. He sighed. "Don't push yourself too far."

"And since when did you care about my well being?"

"Since you stopped being an asshole." Lorthrendel frowned. "Where is the Amulet?"

"In my pocket."

"May I see it?" He held his hand out. "I would like to know what it is."

Varenyl slowly reached into a pocket on his pants and withdrew it, holding the silver chain in his fingers. He hesitated a moment before tossing it to Lorthrendel. Without another word he left and walked down the stairs.

After he was gone, Lorthrendel put the Amulet on the stand beside the bed, careful not to look at it for too long.

He would study it when his mind was more prepared.

~-~-~-~

Lorthrendel's childhood home was a very peaceful and tranquil place, and even Ragnus thought so. Staying there made it seem like all of their problems were behind them. Dalyntarthic birds flew to Yoshinda for winter, and they sang their familiar songs from the tall aspen and birch trees that surrounded the house. It was warm here, and a cool breeze blew.

Ragnus sat out in a chair that he had put just outside, smoking from his pipe and blissfully blowing smoke rings into the morning air. He had combed and plaited his beard, and had pulled his curly, iron grey hair into a holder. It had been a week since they had first gotten there; a week since Aerysdren had passed and a week since Isendir had left.

The three men never said much to each other. They usually just stayed out of each other's way. Ever since Lorthrendel recovered, Varenyl had spent most of his time falling asleep in a chair when he thought nobody was around. They didn't say anything to him about it; he needed it. They all needed it.

Lorthrendel had evidently used this place to study and to keep the place from falling apart. They found his things laying around the house, many of which included his old necromancy spellbooks that he had supposedly 'destroyed', notes written in Eastern Fae, and even jewelry.

When the old dwarf was finished, he put his pipe back in his pocket and slowly got to his feet. He walked back inside to see Varenyl leaning against the doorway in the backroom where Lorthrendel was. He made his way back there to see what was going on.

"Any idea of what this thing is?" Varenyl asked as Ragnus entered the room.

Lorthrendel sat at a small desk, the Amulet in front of him. His head rested on his fist as he gazed at it, his brows knitted together. "I have been dealing with magical artifacts for nearly two hundred and fifty years, and I have never encountered something like this before. It is definitely not man made...."

"So is what he told us true?" Varenyl prompted. "That it was given to him by the gods?"

"Are you calling the lad a liar?" Ragnus growled.

Varenyl glanced down at him. "You misunderstand my motives, dwarf. I-"

"As I said before-" Lorthrendel smoothly interrupted, "-it is not man made. And...I happen to know for a fact that this was given to him by the gods. I also know that Vadrioth is searching for it. Please do not ask me how I know. This artifact, whatever it is, is very dangerous." He picked it up in his hands by the chain. "There's a reason why the gods chose Aerysdren to be the one who carried it first."

"It saved your life, Lorthrendel," Varenyl said after a while. "You should have died of your wounds shortly after you received them. Something partially healed you so that you could live long enough for me to treat you. Same goes for Aerysdren. Something kept him alive long enough for him to tell his story, and I have a good reason to believe that-that thing is what caused it."

Lorthrendel nodded. "I was thinking the same," he said, rubbing his chin.

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, we cannot stay here forever," Ragnus grumbled. "We have a job to finish, and that blasted thing is going to have to come with us."

"I know, I know." Lorthrendel nodded and stood up. "There's a village not far from here- or at least, it was a village when I lived here, two centuries ago. It may not even be there anymore, but going there would be our best bet."

"We leave today then." Varenyl gave a sharp nod of his head and turned to go. "Oh." He stopped. "Who will be the one carrying the Amulet?"

"We will take turns," Lorthrendel returned. "I will hold on to it first, then Ragnus, then you, Varenyl. Is that alright?"

Varenyl nodded in agreement.

"What about Isendir?" Ragnus asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We cannot worry about him at the moment, Ragnus." Lorthrendel gently walked past the dwarf and Varenyl. "Get your things together. We leave as soon as I get back."

"Where are you going?" called Varenyl.

"To visit some people."

***🐉***

this chapter is dedicated tooooo tippygulltheshadowwo

he's extremely sweet and makes me feel so much better about my writing, and also helps me out a lot mentally. I'm extremely grateful for him, and just want to repay him somehow for everything ❤ please go give him a follow from me♡

thank you so much for reading as always. please give me any criticism you have, and how I can improve

alsoooo my update schedule is hopefully going to start becoming more like it used to be c: hopefully, anyway

until next time~