Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 94

       First, the two went to find a bathhouse. It took around an hour for them to find one. As they entered, they rented the most luxurious bath that they could for two hours.

       The two submerged themselves in the aromatic water. Using his magic, Cedric filled the bathtub with lily pads and water lilies. The two had a splash fight in the bathtub where Cedric won. After all, he used magic to manipulate all the water in the tub into a wave to crash into Eris. Then, the two put their clothes back on. As they left, they could tell that the evening was approaching.

       "So uh, Eris, the sunset is coming really fast." Cedric pointed out.

       "Yeah, I noticed. We might have to change our plans a little bit." They responded.

       "What did you have in mind?" Cedric asked.

       "I was thinking we could get some food and take it there, kind of like a picnic." Eris suggested.

       "Alright." Cedric said. Then, the two went shopping for their picnic at the beach. They bought two baskets, loaves of bread, fruit preserves, some pastries, and a bouquet that was made of fruit as opposed to flowers. After that, the sun was quickly starting to set. The two rushed as quickly as they could to exit the city with the food for the picnic. Cedric made sure he was able to find any signs of flora within the city.

       "Why do you need to find that?" Eris asked.

       "It's for a spell we can use to get back in." Cedric said.

       As the two got to the beach they could see the sun creeping closer to the horizon over the sea. After finding some sticks, they were able to light a fire to keep them warm through the dropping temperature.

       Then, they watched the sun slowly go down over the horizon. Reds, Oranges, yellows, and purples were flung across the sky as the sun drew closer to the sea. The colors were visible reflecting off the clouds in a dazzling display of color. The two watched the sun slowly turn more and more crimson before finally setting, letting night seep into the world.

       The two gratefully enjoyed the heat of the fire, as well as the foods they had bought. They sliced bread and spread the preserves over it. They slowly took bites from the food bouquet. Eris used their daggers to neatly slice the pie. It was a feast of various sweets, all accompanied by the constant sound of waves crashing against the shore.

       "That was beautiful, wasn't it." Eris said.

      "Yeah, far better than seeing it from the treetops." Cedric said.

       "Watching it from the treetops?"

       "Me and a few friends from my druidic circle would use magic to climb the trees and watch the sun go over the horizon from there. It's far more beautiful from here, over the ocean." Cedric explained.

       "You had friends in the druidic circle? What were they like?" Eris asked. Cedric pondered while chewing some of the pie. After he was done chewing, he answered the question.

       "They weren't really friends, more people around my age who I had to talk to. There was only one person outside of my family who I really cared about there." Cedric said.

       "And who was that?"

       "She was the one who taught me druidic magic. She was a family friend apparently. We were both elves, and so we had that shared experience."

       "What is that shared experience?"

       "The two main things are aging so much slower, and reliving memories when we sleep. It's not exactly sleeping though."

       "I've noticed, you look more like you're just relaxing than sleeping, and you can fall into it right away."

       "Yes, it's what happens when elves sleep. Then again, it's not exactly sleeping. But when we do it, we relive our memories. It's how we tolerate our long life spans, all of the good memories add up, and you can relive them and remember them for the rest of your days."

       "Can I ask a somewhat awkward question?"

       "Of course Eris."

       "How old are you? You mentioned aging more slowly. So how many years have you been alive for?"

       "I think at this point... around forty five." Eris' eyes widened.

       "Wow, you're older than me, but it doesn't seem like it." Eris said.

       "I know. It's why us elves don't measure age in years but in stages. Things like child, teenager, adult, elder. That can be easily translated for all races."

       "I can't imagine living for so long. My kind seldom live past seventy. I'm sorry that I'll be gone so soon."

       "Don't be. The thing is, I'll always have those memories. I'll be able to relive them every night for the rest of my days. I'll always treasure the time we have together." Cedric said, before kissing Eris on the cheek.