Bound At Heart

Relations

Fall was coming in its prime and the weather is getting cooler as every week passed during the time of Ilyana's stay. The trees are beginning to turn away from their green color. Unfortunately, she didn't confront Ryu as she planned, but simply decided to observe his behavior for a few more days; a week, to be precise. In that time, she had her stitches removed and received a letter from her parents informing her that Eldrin is going to visit and that alone set off so many alarms within her mind. She knew she couldn't stop them and Elmora held no control over it. The sisters only knew that Eldrin expected Elmora to escort him to Ilyana. When was a different matter entirely.

So, Ilyana kept up her daily workout routine and had Ryu for company. The day she was informed about Eldrin's visit was something she struggled to open up to Ryu about but she knew she had to tell him so they could figure out what to do.

"Ilyana, what is it?" Ryu asked. He must have noticed her slightly panicked expression. "You look... off. Has something happened?"

Ilyana stood up after finishing her round of push-ups. After catching her breath, she started, "Ryu, I have a friend come over to see me... He was my hunting partner on the day I fell... He is an Elf."

Ryu's eyes slightly widened as his ears slightly perked downward. "Oh... When will he be coming?"

"I am not sure, but I'm predicting soon," Ilyana said as she sat down. She attempted sit-ups but there was only so much she could pull off without causing her injured side to throb. She rested then drank water from her canteen.

"Since you got the stitches removed, think you can be able to scale those ledges?" Ryu asked, breaking the silence.

"I think I should... but there's no stopping the pain if it comes," she said, "Why?"

"Since you've been here for a while... I figured you and I should get out of this cave for you to explore the village and see what they have to offer. I don't know... it's a suggestion."

"I think that's a marvelous idea," Ilyana smiled. She got up with a strenuous grunt.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! While you've been asleep I have trained myself in the mornings out on those ledges so I think I should be able to pull it off. Just in case, I'll grab a vial of medicine."

Ilyana turned and walked off at a fast pace, not giving Ryu enough time to reply or make any more comments. She equipped her jacket, her dagger, and her pouch just in case. The moment she leaves her temporary home, she saw Ryu patiently wait for her at the mouth of the cave. When she approaches him, he turns to gracefully leap with the help of his flight ability to softly land on the ledge she had to climb. He walked off then she heard a soft thump on the floor signifying he was waiting; however, she didn't waste any time in doing so. She scaled the ledge as best she could, sometimes taking deep breaths to brace herself for any pain that awaited her. Unfortunately, there was some that came to stab her side but it wasn't as bad back when she trained for the moment. As she was about to take a steep step forward, she felt herself being swept off her feet as she saw orange and gold gems hover around her and levitate her in front of Ryu.

"I didn't need help, I was about to finish," Ilyana huffed, crossing her arms. She didn't like to be helped too often because when it happens, it'll easily frustrate her if it doesn't go her way.

"You seem you could've used the extra help," Ryu said then stood once more, calling his gems back to him. "Besides, don't strain yourself. Now, come. The front entrance is the most beautiful thing here. You'll see why."

And to Ilyana, he was right. Compared to how he or Elmora described it, it was definitely the most beautiful sight she's seen in a while. The entrance itself was a large gateway decorated with dying leaves with dark jade at its bottom with a ring of dirtied up gold with the rest of the pillars being red. The top of the gate itself was covered in multiple green slabs in a like a roof would be like. On the tips, it was carved to curve. Beyond it was the valley with the village not too far off with the large lake of freshwater flying over the edge since they were within the premises of a mountain range. The autumn colors were so rich, one can practically sense the flavor of how magical the land was. Ilyana sighed, soon realizing there was a large smile on her face.