He heard Merilla yawn and stir behind his back, and he saw Dewberry’s eyes flicker from him to the woman behind him.
The sprite accepted the letter from Kestrel’s hand, then stood on the mattress, looking down at him. “So you want me to deliver this letter to the elf woman who is beautiful, but not as beautiful as me, while you are sleeping here with the human woman who is beautiful, but also not as beautiful as me, according to what you’ve told me in the past? Of course I will!” she mischievously said.
“Take care friend Kestrel,” Dewberry said, then vanished from the morning light that filled the bedroom.
“So you prefer small, blue sprites to normal, healthy humans and elves?” Merilla asked from behind his back, as she poked him in his ribs. He rolled over to see her rising from the bed and pulling a robe over her gown.
“I’ll go see if breakfast is available for me; maybe your sprite-lover can bring some back for you?” she grinned down at him.
“If it’s not too inconvenient, I’d appreciate you providing some breakfast, since you’re already up,” Kestrel replied. “And could you hand me my staff so I can hobble to the bathroom?”
Not much later, as they sat eating breakfast at the dining table in Kestrel’s suite, Merilla spoke. “Will you be able to leave as you plan, or should you stay here a few days more, so that the doctor can make sure your leg heals all the way?”
“I feel the need to leave,” Kestrel said. “There’s something out there I need to do,” he replied.
“You’re sure that you just don’t want to escape from the human lover who cannot be your lover?” she asked with a smile. “Are you on your way to some lovely elf?”
“She cannot be my lover either,” Kestrel replied. “And I’m going as far away from her as I am from you on this journey. But in the end, I’ll always know that there’s a good-hearted friend here in Estone I can always come back to and rely on if I need a friend’s help.”
“Yes you can Kestrel, yes you can. You’re a great person, we’re all discovering, and I hope that you find you always have friends available to help you be our champion and fight this battle that you think is coming,” she replied. “And may the gods continue to help you.”