Astra: A Guardian's Journey

Chapter 3: The Realm Calls to You

"I think I'm going to go with him." Astra said in a hushed tone.

Tove was quiet. Her arms were crossed as she stared at the ground between them, dragging her foot across the wooden platform in thought. The nightly rain thundered beyond the protection bubble, and candle jars swayed as errant breezes from the tumult outside snuck past the canopy.

"Tove, please say something." Astra pleaded.

Tove tucked her long dark hair behind her pointed ears, exhaling through her nose. "Astra, what possesses you to leave all of this so much? I know we've talked about destiny and all of that, but Halvor is a man you just met."

"Vatnar from Blackvine Village proposed to Ada the same afternoon they met, and Ada went to live with him the next sunrise." Astra retorted.

"That's different."

"It's really not."

"It is, though," Tove insisted. "Blackvine is only a half day's walk from here, and it's still the same forest; Vatnar's a wood elf like everyone else. You want to wander around the whole world with a random human?"

"But he isn't just some random human, Tove. Halvor has spent more time with our tribe than Vatnar ever did. Gunnar trusts him, Fiske trusts him; hell, even my mom trusts him."

Tove fretted lightly. "I know."

"I want to wander around the whole world with or without him, Tove." Astra said, passion igniting in her eyes. "I've been talking about this for years. Can't you see how perfect of an opportunity this is? He isn't some random human. Halvor has been all around the Realm. This might be my only opportunity to explore with someone who knows what they're doing. I would be going with someone who knows what and where is safe, not wandering blindly into hostile towns and monster dens."

If anyone else had been looking at Tove they would not have noticed the glint in her eyes, yet Astra recognized the look of genuine thought in her friend's face. Tove's gaze drifted up to a candle jar above them, searching the tiny flame as she allowed Astra to speak and allowed herself to listen.

Astra moved closer to her friend, leaning against the tree trunk. "Tove, everything I said up on top of the canopy was true. I don't belong here, and this is my way out."

The pair were quiet for a few moments, the candlelight bathing them in a warm glow. It reflected off of Astra's silver hair, seeming to shine brighter than the candles themselves. Tove looked over to her friend, watching the golden reflection of the huntress's silver hair glimmer.

Astra continued. "It's more than just my desire to explore, too. I have questions; so many questions. I have questions about my father, questions about my purpose, and now I have questions about why my hands almost caught on fire. And if this village can't give me answers..."

"Then you need to go somewhere that can." Tove finished quietly.

Astra nodded, her eyes shimmering. Tove sat down on the wooden platform, Astra sliding down the tree to sit next to her. Tove reached out to squeeze her friend's hand, and the two sat there for a moment. A distant echoing of rainfall high above the village whispered down as the rainfall continued, and the banquet table a few trees away pulsed with a dim roar of conversation, punctuated by clinking glasses and bursts of laughter. Tove looked over towards the village commons, seeing the glow of candlelight and feeling the warmth of her fellow elves feasting and conversing around the evening meal. Weavers laughed with foragers, hunters regaled tales to carpenters, and shopkeepers chatted with craftsmen. And as her eyes moved over to her friend, she felt she could truly empathize, even for a moment, the isolation from that camaraderie that Astra had been feeling all these years.