The response Tobias received was not what he had expected. He wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting, and had been half-prepared to merely stand there in silence, but this. This was something else. 

“I know, stranger, what tunneled through your lands and sank your nation.” 

What? Something was off. He had heard rumours of the elves being involved in the collapse of the Vicenna, but this was. Different. He felt the blood pound in his head. They had “herded” his people. The very use of the term made his fists clench, and for a half a moment he had a mind to hurl an insult towards the elves. 

He bit it back before it left his lips. When he spoke, his tone was calm, though hard. “You ‘risked yourselves’ by attacking a village of defenseless people? Forgive me for not dropping on my knees to thank you.” Sarcasm fell from his mouth. “I lost my home for the second time, I can’t say it gets any better.” The elf, after a moment, continued.

These elves had information? Tobias rolled his eyes. The elf was grasping at straws, trying to find help. Tobey had hoped that these people would be of some use-

“The king? The king is here?” Tobias’ eyes widened. How could these elves know about the Aretan king? He looked at the leader, battered and bloody, trying to read him. The elf looked him in the eyes for a moment. There was no pretense there. If the elf was speaking the truth, this was what he had been waiting for. The king of Areta would certainly know something of the Ilingards. 

“Why? Why is he here?” Nothing else would come out of his mouth. He was merely trying to digest this new information. Too much had happened in to short a time span for him to process it on the spot. Suddenly the cell yard seemed too small. He began to walk out, only to be stopped by another request from the elf.

“If your good will toward us is true, would you fetch my compatriots and I some water from the trough across the yard?”

He had half a mind to ignore their request, but when he looked upon the state of the prisoners, he couldn’t help but pity them. He nodded, quickly. As he walked, he tried to think. Little came of it. 

The water in the trough was warm, but at least seemed clean. Tobias filled one of his canteens and paused for a moment, looking around. Something was off. He couldn’t tell what, but he felt that inexplicable feeling of fate shifting, though he wasn’t sure if it was in his favor.

He walked back to the imprisoned elves, and stuck his arm through the bars, the canteen in his hand. “Here, drink up.” He wouldn’t probe them any further. “Name’s Tobey, if you care.”