Telio nodded with satisfaction as urkwia explained the very thin line between the nobility and the commoners of this land. It was more or less the polar opposite of his kingdom. His father was certainly a just ruler and his people were no less taken care of than those of Hy Byseil, but the line between classes in Eldan was virtually opaque. Most people hadn’t seen the king’s face, and even when he did address the people, he did so from such a high balcony and such a dense entourage that the people were still lucky if they even saw him. Only dignitaries and aristocrats were allowed in the castle, and when they traveled from they own manors, they did so in covered carriages so they weren’t bothered by the awestruck gazes of the commoners. It worked, and it kept Eldan stable, but he felt that Urkwia’s way was quite a bit warmer. He could tell by the friendly waves that the people were giving their princess that there was nothing wrong with being close to the commoners.

“What was I doing exactly?” He was pulled out of his musings by Urkwia’s interrogation, only to be plunged back into his thoughts about the sapphires. “Ah, let’s see… I had acquired some new samples from a river. I was in my carriage looking at them, and then something made me hop out.” He thought hard for a moment, trying to recall exactly what had happened, but everything was blurring together. He remembered the blue vortex, but what was before that? “I am afraid my head still is not quite altogether at the moment. I’ll need some time to gather my thoughts before I can give you an accurate account. I certainly would not want to give you false information.”

When they walked into the tavern, it was as lively as any place that Telio had ever been to. The man Gavin seemed to be particularly full of mirth. As Urkwia prepared their order, Telio took a moment to soak in the atmosphere. It was odd stepping into a foreign tavern when he was unfamiliar with the people and their customs – hell if he introduced himself he wasn’t even able to tell them if he lived north or south of here – but it was not at all unpleasant. He found that one of the best ways to bond with a new people was to share a drink; Telio had participated in his fair share of drinking contests in his travels. But, their stay was relatively short as Urkwia packed up their food and began to lead them back to the castle. Perhaps it was for the best; he certainly didn’t want to be come known as the crazy vortex man. 

As the two headed back to the castle, Urkwia decided to ask a simpler question… or at least it would have been simple for any normal nobleman. “I suppose it depends who you ask what I am best known for,” he said after a moment of thought. “Among the knights, I am known for my valor and tactics in the field of battle. Among the commoners, I am known for the very thing that is commonplace in your kingdom: I speak to the people directly and am not above getting my hands dirty to help them. They call me ‘The People’s Prince’ because such things are quite uncommon in my land. Finally, if you ask my father, he will say I am most known for disappearing for long intervals at a time and showing up again at random. But, I suppose I would like to be known for my work as an explorer. I have already visited most of the unexplored regions on the mainland, and have revealed many untapped resources that are within my kingdom’s influence. Why, when I return with news of an entire undiscovered kingdom, I am sure I will knock the crown right off of my father’s head.” He ended with a small chuckle. Anything that would shake up the monotony of the court was a good discovery in his book. 

It wasn’t long before Urkwia directed the conversation back to the vortex that they saw. Perhaps she was as passionate about her work as the prince was about his, if not more so. Fortunately, they arrived at the castle before he had to try to recall the muddled events leading up to his arrival once again. For Telio, castles were never as interesting as… well anywhere. Everything inside of them was just so predictable. You expected the rooms to be huge, you expected the glamour and splendor, and all the servants were perfectly behaved so as not to offend their lords. It was all so artificial that it was impossible to tell who anybody truly was in this environment.

So, when they finally sat down to eat, Telio decided to be perfectly forthright with the princess. She seemed like the kind of person that could handle honesty. “My parents are not terribly happy with anything I have done either.” He said, glad that they had some common ground that wasn’t related to crazy vortexes “Were my father anybody but the king he would have called me a success, but he does not want a soldier, a tactician, an explorer, or a cartographer; he wants a prince.” He took a bite of meat, not realizing how hungry he was until he began eating. He smiled and stifled a small laugh as Urkwia once again apologized for her lack of formality. Now would be as good a time as any to let her know where he stood on the matter.

“If there is one thing I have learned from visiting various cultures, it is not to be offended too easily. Please do not stand on ceremony around me. If you cannot be at ease, then at least do not be ashamed of who you are in front of me. Once again, I will gladly accept your hospitality and I am sure your home will be more than enough to accommodate me. Now, I know what you really want to talk about, so let us not delay the inevitable any longer.”

With food and drink filling his stomach, Telio felt his head finally start to settle, and he could think clearly again. “I think you are absolutely correct in saying that the vortex we saw is some kind of long-distance transportation. When it opened in front of me, I deemed it reasonably safe to enter, and when I did so, I ended up here. As for why it happened…” he paused for a moment, thinking back to exactly what had happened. “The sapphires were flickering. Not all of them, just two of the especially dark ones. You said you were hitting them together? Was the rhythm like this?” He knocked his knuckles on the table, emulating the rhythm of the flickering as well as he could remember. I took them outside to get some better light, and when I put them close to each other – touching rather – the flashes grew brighter until the vortex finally opened.”

He paused again, trying to put all the pieces together. “Do you think we just discovered some kind of transportation magic? It was only certain sapphires that were reacting… the very dark ones. Yes, you said yours were dark as well. Perhaps there is some kind of link. There has to be! It’s the only thing that makes sense. Portals don’t just appear and whisk people away to foreign lands for no reason. But that leaves the question how far?” Once again, Telio paused, thinking how best to ascertain where he was. “If you could, have somebody bring me a map that covers everything your people have discovered. Even if we have not found each other, surely there is a place that we both know about.” Then he let out another chuckle. “I must admit, this talk of sapphires is rather exciting. I can see why you are so absorbed in them.”