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“Oh? What is it?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“When are you going to show me?”
“Tonight. As soon as we’re done eating.”
“Oh, well, in that case, I’m full!”
Zephiro laughs, gesturing to my uneaten piece of bread. I know what he wants without him even having to say it. I gladly eat my bread so that we can go.
Once I’m done, Zephiro wraps me up in a warm shawl before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the room.
Over the past few days, I’ve noticed him giving me a lot more freedom. Although he still shackles me when he leaves me alone, he always lets me out of my chain as soon as he walks in.
We walk hand in hand as he leads me outside. It’s dark out, and there’s no one around, which makes me feel a little less exposed.
About twenty minutes later, Zephiro stops and turns to me.
“We have to be quiet. No one can spot us.”
I nod in understanding, shuffling closer to him. He smiles, pulling me in for a hug before leading me out of the woods.
“What is this?” I marvel, looking out at all the little cottages and stores surrounding us.
“This is a human village.”
“They live here peacefully?”
“Yes. I’ve visited plenty of times, and they seem to be mostly safe here.”
“Wow…”
As I look around us, I notice all the signs that people actually reside here. Clothes hanging up outside on clothing lines. A market, and what appears to be a school. This is real.
I begin to tear up, wondering what it would have been like to grow up in a place like this. Did my parents live somewhere similar before they were killed? Did I, before I was captured?
This is exactly the kind of place that I’ve always dreamed of and longed for.
I wipe my tears away, not wanting to seem ungrateful for this gift Zephiro has given me by taking me here. We begin to wander along the outskirts of the village.
“Thank you for bringing me here. This is wonderful,” I tell him.
“You’re welcome. I thought it might help you feel better, knowing that your people were so close.”
“It does.”
As we walk, I start to realize something. If I escaped and came here to live, there would be no guarantee that I could survive. There’d be no guarantee that I would be able to find work or a place to live.
At what cost does my freedom come? What if I came here only to end up living on the streets, freezing cold and starving every night? Or worse, recaptured by the dark elves? How long can a human settlement like this even last before something terrible happens?
“Are you okay?” Zephiro asks. “You seem like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
“I’m okay.” I smile up at him.
“You can talk to me about it if you want.”
“It’s nothing really. I was just wondering what it would’ve been like to grow up here.”
