Part 19/20
Late Summer 347 SR

A confession in Silverleaf Tavern

It was a while before Smaed could meet his father again, for he had left a message with Riva to let his son know that he had gone on one of his frequent scouting forays. The rangers of Silverleaf were often away, Riva had explained.

It was a life of much journeying and danger, keeping track of those that might threaten their peace and security, exchanging news and rumour with other elven settlements and less frequently with elvish rangers living in mixed-race settlements like Underhill in the more far-flung corners of the Deep Forest, even to the very skirts of the Serpentspine Mountains far to the south. News of orc-raids, the movement of undead armies, monster-sightings or their spore, the campaigns and patrols of the Yew Militia, the activities of bandits, and much more were gathered and shared in the far-flung network of the elven diaspora.

Much of this Smaed recognised from what little he knew of the Militia’s own ranger division; the Waywatchers that Smaed once had aspired to join. But his limited military training also told him there were significant differences. Silverleaf’s ranger resources were far more limited and stretched and seemed to rely more heavily on a network of elvish ranger co-operation and intelligence-gathering and sharing. Smaed began to understand how difficult it was for Thalandor to find the time from his duties to make long journeys of a private nature.

The short northern summer was waning and the nights turning cool, with a hint of autumn in the air, when news of Thalandor’s return reached the Silverleaf Tavern. He would first have to make his personal report to Sir Phoenix, the village leader and perhaps also consult with other leaders before he could spare the time to see his son.

But at last the day came when Thalandor came to the tavern and greeted Smaed warmly, calling for two bottles of wine and taking them to a table where they sat down opposite each other in comfortable chairs with armrests. Thalandor offered no news of his wanderings and Smaed did not wish to pry, so he began to tell Thalandor about the happenings after Thalandor had left Agnes and the two boys in Trinsic.

He told of their years of waiting with fading hope of news from Leafsta as they struggled to adapt to life in a simple croft in the city’s foretown, of the death of old Digs Delver that left Jern, his apprentice miner, but half-trained and Agnes as owner of the croft. And finally Smaed told of Jern’s long journey as a 15 year-old back to the Norse Forest, his finding of the ruins of Leafsta, his learning of the existence of the Yew Militia in their Crossroads stronghold of Stonekeep, and the happenstance of his being there just as a big open day event was being held there.

Smaed then told of how Jern returned to the croft and recounted his adventures and how Smaed was siezed by an anger and sorrow of the loss of Leafsta and determined to travel to Stonekeep and, as a raw 15-year old to take service with the militia to help defend the small scattered communities of the Deep Forest.

Thalandor listened closely and though he paled when Smaed revealed he had been in the Yew Guardsmen Militia, he hid well his dismay and merely sighed.

Smaed then told of his life in the militia as a raw recruit barely knowing one end of a sword from the other, or how to hold – let alone use - a bow – in contrast to most recruits who came to the militia with average fighting skills in one weapon, often the bow. He told of his clumsy awkwardness as on patrols to the orc fort or to to dungeons he struggled to be more than just a piece of baggage that needed more help than he could himself contribute and his feeling of inadequacy and slowly eroding self-confidence.

Thalandor seemed to expect to hear that the Militia had conducted raids against other elven settlements and looked relieved when Smaed could say that no such abominations happened during his time. On the contrary, many militia mixed openly with settlements in which elves lived despite this being discouraged by some of the Militia officers. He told of one event, a performance competition at Underhill, that he had also been to, and that was well-attended by militiamen, some of whom took part with obvious enthusiasm. But also of another time that he was loath to remember when he was ordered to accompany a stern and harsh priest-knight of the Stonekeep Church to flush out a shirefolk man who was wanted for questioning and whom he took back as a prisoner to Stonekeep for inquisition.

Smaed also told of the sunday services he attended in Stonekeep Church in which a soldier-priest invariably haranged the congregation on the dangers of trusting elves who were described as inherently evil. Smaed had twisted uncomfortably in his pew listening to this hatred of elves that spewed forth and thought that it rhymed ill with the church’s teaching of love and compassion. Despite this, Smaed was drawn to the beautiful church and often went there alone to pray and seek comfort in its silence and peace.

Finally, Smaed told of his love for the Deep Forest and how his thoughts turned often to how the swamp round the ghost town of Yew might be banished and the forest healed and returned one day to its former glory,enabling Yew Town to enjoy a rennaisance. He told how he studied the swamp and tried with some of the guards various ways of dealing with it, all to no avail. He told also of how one day he sought out the Guardians of the Forest to beg for their aid, but they mistrusted the militia, cursing them for chopping down trees to build their toll-collection barricades, and Smaed being in footman uniform, though with his sword sheathed and his shield on his back, was turned away.

Thalandor listened to all this sorrowfully, with little comment, and sighed often. And recounting all this lifted the cloud of anxiety Smaed had felt for this meeting and healed his heart in a way that he could not describe.