The stranger looked down the street. No one else was in sight.
"Pick up your sword," he ordered Wes. "We need to talk somewhere privately. There is a bar on this street with private booths. We shall go there."
He walked swiftly and Peredhil and Wes hurried after him. After about 50 meters, the stranger knocked twice on a heavy oak door. An answering knock came from within. He muttered something under his breath and the door slid open. The stranger entered, motioning for them to follow.
They entered a dark, small room, with bare wooden walls and simple booths pressed against the corners of the room. Small groups of elves were present, conversing in hushed voices. They looked up when Peredhil entered, their eyes lingering as the stranger's had. Peredhil wondered if they would get out alive. He suddenly wished he was back in the Red Dragon Inn, sipping a delicious ale and enjoying good company.
The stranger motioned for them to sit. They did, but Wes immediately demanded: "Now, tell us who you are. What is going on?"
The stranger pulled back his hood. His face was smooth, although slight wrinkles around his grey eyes indicated that he would be considered an elder among elves.
"My name is Elgin," he said. "I was a good friend of your father's." Noticing Peredhil's shock, he continued. "I apologize for the rough way in which I treated you outside, but certain precautions must be taken."
"I do not understand," Peredhil said, shaking his head in disbelief. "What precautions are you talking about?"
Elgin frowned. "You do not know?"
"I know nothing about my father, other than his name!" Peredhil responded harshly. Silence fell over the bar. Peredhil dropped his voice, his face flushed. "My mother never spoke of him and she died when I was very young. I then lived with an aunt and she would not tell me about either of my parents."
Elgin nodded. "They wished to protect you then. Do you wish to know about your parents?"
Peredhil hesitated, then nodded.
"Very well then. But to fully understand it, I'll need to start from the beginning."
Peredhil listened in disbelief as Elgin recounted everything. He told Peredhil that his father was Crown Prince of Elessar when he left the city to explore Rhydin. He had formed a powerful army to defeat many of the evils tainting Rhydin in his time. He had also met his wife at the Red Dragon Inn, who had also been a princess. She had renounced her claim to the throne and they had returned together to Elessar to rule side by side. However, those were dark times for Elessar as well. It faced invasions from hordes of orcs, dragon-riding Madars (a race of men cursed for eternity who dwelled underground), and Shagrin, a powerful black mage who had gathered these dark forces together in an attempt to rule Elessar and neighboring kingdoms. Jith had returned as the hordes were pounding on Elessar's walls. Although hope had been lost, his arrival restored it. Men flocked to his side, not just from Elessar but from distant lands.
"He saved Elessar," Elgin said, "but he lost his life in the final battle with Shagrin. He killed Shagrin, but Shagrin had cast a spell ensuring that the man who killed him would die as well."
Despite winning an incredible victory, Elessar mourned Jith's death for weeks. His wife had been unable to bear the loss and had left Elessar as soon as it was safe, carrying her unborn child with her.
"Lord Jith was so excited about having his first child," Elgin commented. "What is your name?"
"Peredhil."
Elgin smiled. "So his wish was granted. He had said that if you were a boy, he wanted you to be named Peredhil, after your great-grandfather, another great King who saved Elessar many ages ago."
"How do you know all of this?" Peredhil said. "This is one fine tale you've told, but I'm a simple man. I'm no prince."
"I served your father as one of his top commanders," Elgin replied. "I fought alongside and watched him fall. He was not only my King, but also like a brother to me."
"You said there were precautions that needed to be taken," Wes interrupted. Elgin nodded.
"Sadly, after your father died, there was no one in place to take the throne. The nobles began to bicker among themselves and eventually they resorted to assassinations and in-fighting to gain the throne." He shook his head. "In the end, the most vicious of them all, Celior, gained the throne. He rules with a brutal hand. This used to be a land where laughter and happiness reigned, but residents are now distrustful of each other and will barely speak for fear of having their words turned against them by one of Celior's informants."
Peredhil remembered the busy silence of main avenue, where no one had met his gaze. He felt a deep sadness, although he could not explain why it affected him so much. He looked up and saw Elgin watching him.
"My lord," Elgin said, addressing Peredhil as nobility for the first time. "Although it has been many years, Elessar still remembers your father. His blood runs strongly in you. I can see it. You are the only one who can reunite us."
Peredhil noticed that the other men had left their tables and were gathered around his booth. They nodded their assent as Elgin continued.
"Announce yourself and we will recover your throne for you so that Elessar can once again be in peace."
Peredhil shook his head. "I'm no lord... I'm no king. I cannot."
"My lord..."
"No!" Peredhil startled everyone, even himself, with the vehemence of his words.
Elgin's face filled with disappointment, but soon it became an expressionless mask once again.
"I understand," he said. Peredhil felt ashamed, more ashamed than he ever had in his life, but he would not change his mind.
"Take this," Elgin said, unwrapping a small ivory horn inlaid with platinum from within his cloak. "This was your father's. When he used it, people knew who was calling them. They will know its sound when you are ready to use it as well."
Peredhil felt like telling him that he would never be ready to use it, but he felt something drawing him to it. 'It was my father's,' he told himself, wanting it if only to establish some link between them. He did not feel worthy of it, but he accepted it nonetheless.
"We must get you out of the city," Elgin said. "If Celior's henchmen discover you, they will do all they can to kill you. Celior's greatest fear is that one day Lord Jith's child would come to reclaim the throne. He will stop at nothing to see you dead."
Elgin stood and walked to the back wall. He moved a cabinet and pushed open a small trap door, revealing a narrow passage. "This will take you to the harbor," Elgin said. "They have ships going back to Rhydin later today. I will have someone take your horses through the city and they will be waiting for you at the docks."
Peredhil wanted to say something, but his eyes threatened to tear over, so he nodded and turned away before anyone noticed. Wes exchanged a few words with Elgin - inaudible to Peredhil - and then followed him into the passage.
Within two hours, they were on a ship's deck. Wes tried to engage Peredhil in conversation, but he leaned silently against the railing, his eyes never leaving Elessar until the city disappeared on the horizon.
