Keeping Him Loved

Chapter 31

        Even though she had attempted to stay awake, (y/n) had gone to sleep against Add's shoulder before they reached their destination. While he didn't mind it, Add couldn't put himself at ease enough to rest. Just seeing (y/n) safely at his side snuggled against him was enough to keep him calm about the overall situation. However, he was already preparing for the worst.

        During the six days of travel, Add had spent some time riding in Grandiel's carriage with Sael to discuss the nature of the disease he needed to cure. The symptoms that he had been told about were concerning, and the fact that elven healing couldn't get rid of the mystery disease was a major red flag. High fevers, randomized organ failure, and sudden loss of conciousness were all things that had been happening to infected individuals. The most unexplainable of the symptoms was how random the disease itself was.

        According to Kassias, it was selectively contagious. Some elves with prolonged contact with the sick remained entirely unaffected, while very few others fell ill themselves. An elf that had never even come into contact with someone ill or someone around the sick was just as capable of being afflicted. Obtaining the sample from the ancient phoru gave him a clue as to what was causing the problem, but Add hoped that his speculations were incorrect this time. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him. "But when has that ever happened...?"

        Add turned his attention to the window. They had long since reached the outskirts of Eldemyr, but initially entering the closed off civilization had been Add's first known run-in with elven mystics. A barrier meant to fool the eye covered the entirety of Eldemyr to hide it from outsiders. Along the way into the developing outskirts, the forest thinned out just a little and tent like structures had appeared along the sides of the pathways. The dirt road had began to branch off into other directions at that time.

         Now that Add was paying attention again, the view outside was becoming more complex. He couldn't recall the moment that the roads were replaced with stone. The tents had changed into complex treehouses and marble buildings of intricate designs. Even under the cover of night, Add could make out the well lit structures. He wondered what was powering the floating lamps that were placed in various areas. A majority of them glowed in soft blue shades while others varied from purple to green. Even smaller sources of light appeared every now and then seemingly dancing around elves who were going about their own nightly tasks. Some of the elves waved at the passing carriages while others ignored them entirely.

        Add found himself thinking back to the stories (y/n) had told him in his free time. It got him searching for the El Tree that supposedly sat at the center of Eldemyr and housed one of the six shards of El. The wind shard was the one the elves watched over. Velder had been in charge of the shard of darkness, but Add had never taken any interest in it or its power. Although he couldn't spot the tree from the window angle he had, the presence of a concentrated power was definitely there. He just wished (y/n) had been awake to see it with him, but he didn't want to wake her. "Perhaps it would just be better for me to take her around myself." The thought of her possible reactions brought him a further sense of peace.

        The sights of this new civilization kept Add entertained until he found himself stopped in front of another variation of the many marble buildings he had seen. As usual, Kassias came to greet him at the door.

        "This is where the two of you will be staying during your time here. The elders purchased it for your usage beforehand." Kassias gestured to the large building next to them. "Sael and his family will be going ahead to rest for the night, but I will remain here with you until you've both settled in properly."

        Add gave him a simple nod as acknowledgement before he turned his attention to (y/n). She almost ignored his attempt to wake her. "We're here. You can sleep again soon enough." (Y/n) rubbed her eyes and stepped out of the carriage with him. She didn't pay much attention to what she saw, but she did follow closely behind Add.