Over the course of the next three days, the group spent their time traveling with the minstrels as they speedily made their way down the road.  With the burden of their packs removed and the option for the more easily tired of the group to rest in the wagon as they walked, they made good time.  Intermittently, they did see additional travelers along the road, though oddly, and gratefully enough, they were curiously lacking in any additional patrols.  While glad they did not have to deal with them, it also made the elementalists nervous, though they were careful not to say as much to their traveling companions.

           As they progressed, they learned that the pair had actually come from a performance in Farwell Crossing, which prompted muted reactions from the others.  Able to read what was not said far better than what was, the minstrels did not press the matter, elaborating only that the turnout had not been as good as previous years.  Their usual audience of late had been much reduced and as a result, they were quite glad to share their entertainment with their newest companions.

           In the evenings, Zhou Mi and Henry offered entertainment but the subsequent nights were all considerably more low-key than the first evening they had performed.  Of his own volition, Kyuhyun added his voice to a couple of their songs, prompting compliments from the performers and winning smiles from his own group.  Eunhyuk continued to collaborate with Henry when he was given half the chance and Zhou Mi assisted in instructing the other pairs on partner dancing when the violinist continued to carry the tune.  Gentleman Mimi was polite as always, inserting himself only to properly demonstrate a few of the steps before returning the partner when they did dance.

           During the day, their conversations were light, if sparing, and the group tended to fan out a bit more than usual.  It was not that they lost their cohesive pairings but it felt as if they were more comfortable with each other on the whole.  Maybe it was the extended contact from dancing or perhaps the minstrels just had a way about them of making those nearby more comfortable, but the party as a whole talked with each other more.

           Eunhyuk approached Summer casually enough.  They had recently passed another small homestead off the main road that watched them pass by warily but were otherwise unconcerned.  “Hey Summer.  Didn’t you say that your home was somewhere near the capitol ?”

           Surprised by the unexpected question, she had to think about it.  It had been a long time since she had thought about home in that regard.  After a moment, she nodded.  “Silverberg Manor is on the other side of the Angmer River.  I think I know how to get there,” she mused, mentally trying to retrace the path she had taken so long ago.

           “Maybe we can stop by then.  You know, say hi to your family,” he suggested.

           The way in which he said it made her wonder if perhaps he was thinking about his own family.  Of them all, she was the only to have any real recollection of her parents and her younger sibling…well maybe siblings by now.  They didn’t talk about them much since there wasn’t any memory there.  Now that she thought about it, most of their predecessors had lived solely in the monastery, leaving or staying on when their replacements arrived.  Most opted to leave the veritable prison, but now she wondered if any of the older persons in the monastery were perhaps aunts and uncles of their group.  They had never asked and no one had ever told them, but that might explain the doting behavior that Chin Hwa had always displayed towards Kyuhyun.

           “Summer?” Eunhyuk asked as he waved a hand in front of her face, confused.

           Summer laughed and shook herself, trying to recall the immediate question she had been asked.  “Sorry,” she smiled, slightly embarrassed.  “Maybe,” she answered with a wistful smile.  It could be nice.  She wondered how things had changed since she’d been gone.  “I guess we’ll just have to see how things work out,” she shrugged, acknowledging that at the least, it was still several days away.  Easily, he agreed as much, a quiet smile on his face.

           At least the weather had held after that horrendous storm.  It had gotten warmer steadily but not quite to the point of being hot yet and the nights were quite comfortable.  The carefree air dimmed a bit later in the third day as the party saw the crossing in the distance where they recognized they would all be parting ways.  Despite whatever they had thought initially, the travel had been quite enjoyable and educational as the minstrels had stories and facts about nearly everything really.

           Almost reluctantly, Henry brought Lute to a stop at the fork in the road they would be following.  “Well…here we are.”

           “Denmer Crossing,” Zhou Mi sighed as he looked up the road they would be taking.

           Slowly, the elementalists retrieved their packs from the back of the wagon, setting them on the ground hesitantly and then regarding the two minstrels.  “I’m almost sorry we already made it here,” Leeteuk laughed lightly.  “Thank you for everything,” he bowed, reaching out to shake Zhou Mi’s hand as Henry climbed down to join them.

           “Thank you.  All of you,” Zhou Mi smiled, somehow managing to give them the impression he was looking at them all individually at the same time.  “You have been a most enjoyable audience,” he bowed.

           “And you have both been amazing company.  Mimi.  Henry,” Eleanara smiled warmly as she bowed politely to both of them.

           Zhou Mi grinned at the term as he found it thoroughly amusing the ladies had taken to calling him by his stage name.  He was quite fond of it actually.  “Lady Eleanara,” he reached out and retrieved one of her hands before he very charmingly brushed his lips against the back of her hand.  “It has been a pleasure.”

           To their general amusement, she flushed brightly and smiled harder, giggling as she stepped back towards Leeteuk.  He was equally charming to both Kharin and Summer and offered the men warm handshakes, as he had with Leeteuk.  Siwon shook Zhou Mi’s hand and then pulled him into a friendly embrace, having categorized him as trustworthy days ago.

           In typical Henry fashion, he extracted a farewell hug from the three ladies, grinned as Siwon embraced him as well, and shook hands with the rest.  He paused in front of Eunhyuk and stated, “Perhaps we can work together again in the future.  And maybe next time, I’ll have a thing or two to show you,” he winked.

           “You can count on it,” Eunhyuk assured him, excited by the prospect.

           It was a curious thing for them to watch the minstrels ride away on the wagon.  Before they had gotten too far, the pair called back, “Safe travels on your way to Lornhaldt!”

           “Good fortune in Denmer!” Siwon called back, waving broadly.  The rest of the group echoed his sentiments with various other farewells.  “Good luck!”  “Bye!”  “Take care!” as they stood in the middle of the crossing, waving until the duo was nearly out of sight.

           With the minstrels gone, the light-heartedness they had brought seemed to depart with them, leaving the group resigned to the rest of the journey.  As they turned to regard the small gathering of buildings that constituted Denmer Crossing, Kyuhyun summed it up best.  “Great.  More people…”

           They couldn’t exactly argue his sentiments.  “Let’s just get what we need and get moving,” Leeteuk sighed with a glance at the sun.  They still had plenty of daylight left to put as much distance as they could between them and this place.  At least once they had restocked their reduced supplies.

           “Good idea,” Kharin agreed as the party headed for the general supply store.

~~~~~~

           As he had been doing a great deal more of late, Enrhyll continued to watch the party as the minstrels left their company.  He would have liked very much if he could hear what they were saying but scrying only allowed him to see the present party.  The more he watched them though, the more excited he became that they were still coming.  They were coming to see him.  That was the only reason they were heading for Lornhaldt.  It was a heady realization.  Impatiently, he waved the image away.  They were still so far away though…

           “Hana,” he called softly as he stood up, flinging his silken locks behind his shoulder in a familiar gesture.

           “My Lord?” she asked quietly, never far from his side.

           He regarded her closely, watching the emotions play across her face as he looked at her.  She had been by his side for a long time now.  Even since before he became a god she was nearby.  Lately, he was beginning to tire of her as she always reacted the same way, but he had this persistent need to keep her at hand as well…  Yes, he was a god, but even he was not going to dismiss the necessity of having a Neutralizer nearby.  Easily, he sauntered over to where she stood, attentive and patient.  “Do you fear me, Hana?” he asked softly, no trace of what he might have been thinking on his face.

           Confusion flickered across hers, easy to read.  “I worship you,” she answered instead, stepping around the question.

           “That’s not what I asked, Hana,” he persisted, reaching out to grasp her chin lightly in his right hand.  In his left hand, he conjured a small flame and brought it near both their faces so that the heat was easy enough to feel.  “Do you fear me?” he asked again, slowly, taunting.

           At the utter lack of emotion on his face, Hana nodded nervously as she felt herself shake inside.  “Yes, my Lord,” she whispered fearfully.

           Enrhyll smiled as he watched the fear take precedence in her eyes, feeling a familiar rush from the change in emotions.  “Good.  Now put it out,” he commanded her, looking at the flame in his hand still inches from their faces.

           Confusion warred with the fear but she responded, unquestioning.  “Of course, my Lord.”  Easily, she reached out and neutralized the flame in his hand with little more than a thought and a gesture.

           “Good girl,” he murmured, patting her head with the same hand that had held the flame but a moment ago.  “Let’s go.  I feel like taking a stroll,” he mused, already on his way out of the room.

           Hana hesitated a moment before following him.  He was changing again…  Why was he changing again?!  Was it because of the image he saw in the water?  Why?!  He had to know she loved him.  Was that not enough?  Obediently, she followed after him, a puppy in his wake.  It was clear he wanted to walk among his people and when he did so, she had to accompany him.

           Calmly, Enrhyll walked outside the palace, the doors held open for him long before he got close.  He was followed by a small contingent of guards at his back, mostly for show as he did not need their protection.  While he walked, he made sure that a beam of light illuminated his person and he maintained a crown of fire, easily visible and floating several inches above him so as not to risk actually harming him.

           The combined appearance of elements never failed to elicit awe and fear in his people.  Eagerly, he drank in their emotions, fulfilled by their expressions.   Some fell to their hands and knees, bowing deeply as he passed by while others stared in open awe.  All eyes were on him and he smiled magnanimously.  Graciously, he approached one adoring woman who held a baby in her arms and he carefully caressed the tiny head.

           At the gesture, the woman started to cry and thank him profusely for his blessing, backing away respectfully as he nodded once and continued on, oblivious of her after that.  He had nearly made a full circuit before a non-believer finally made an appearance.  A brazen young man burst through the crowd in front of Enrhyll.  “You are no god!” he snarled as he heaved a throwing dagger at the illuminated person in the street, before fleeing.

           Carelessly, Enrhyll deflected the projectile with a barrier and then easily caught the attacker by manipulating the very ground beneath his feet.  Unable to stop himself, his momentum carried his body forward while his feet remained planted in the ground.  He screamed as those nearby heard the audible snap when at least one of his ankles broke.  The other leg was bent at an odd angle but seemed whole for the most part.

           “Now look what you’ve done,” Enrhyll sighed as he shook his head and knelt next to the pained man.  He felt more than saw the general crowd in the area as his most devout followers turned angry gazes on the man for attacking their god.  Others seemed more fearful of what was to come.  “I have not harmed you in any way and yet you wish me to die.”

           “You’re nothing but a fraud!” the young man spat, curled over in obvious pain as he clenched the broken leg.

           “Oh, you poor misguided child,” he murmured as he released the broken limb and reached down to grab it firmly, eliciting another cry of anguish.

           “Bastard!” he snarled, held prisoner by his anguish.

           Enrhyll simply sighed and in the next moment, the broken limb knit back together again.  Gasps of amazement came from the crowd all around him as they witnessed his healing ability.  “It’s a miracle!”  “Bless him!”  “Praise be to Lord Enryhll!”  Even the man on the ground seemed, if not grateful, then thoroughly confused.

           “Bring him,” Enryhll gestured to the guards behind him, taking note of the venom in Hana’s gaze as she glared at the attacker.  It disappeared as soon as she noticed him watching her.  With an offhand wave, he released the other trapped foot and the guards quickly retrieved him, detaining him effectively as he continued back to the palace.  “That was fun now wasn’t it?” he asked with a superior smirk as he paused in front of her.

           For just a moment, Hana was able to feel the warmth of the light that he stood in as he looked down at her and she felt herself melt all over again.  “Yes, my Lord,” she agreed as she dropped her head and bowed low.

           With another condescending smile she did not see, he lightly touched the back of her head and stated simply, “Come now, Hana.  The day grows late.”

           “Of course, my Lord,” she responded automatically, standing up and following along in his shadow.

(a/n: Alas!  I am sad that Henry and Zhou Mi had to depart but I deeply enjoyed writing them.  I am hoping to be able to pull them in again later, but for now, thank you for continuing to follow along with me.  I appreciate the time you take to share my adventure.  Thank you!  <3 )