'Don't panic,' she whispered to herself. 'They must be close.'

She headed to a direction she thought to be the correct one. She trod on the freezing snow, trying to hear any sound that would give her a clue about their whereabouts. She felt dizziness overcome her mind, her lungs choking from the magic in the air. I won't give up, even if it takes days to find the right path, she thought.

Ines opened her eyes and looked around her. Her eyes were blindly searching in the fog, her mind overworking. Use your training!, she reminded herself. She started investigating the ground for any footprints, and it was after a while that Ines found something that rekindled her hopes. On a small branch was hanging a dark red cloth that was flattering in the wind.

She left the cloth where it was. If she walked in circles, that would be her sign. She passed by it, her eyes trained to the ground, and she saw footprints in the snow. If she stared at them directly, the marks disappeared, probably another trick of the magic. She followed them, and a few hours later another cloth came in her view. She was afraid it was the same as before, but this time it was of a different colour, the kind of white summer clouds radiated.

With the setting sun came a sky of fire, the battle cry of a gathering night, and still Ines wearily trod on the snow. Her body was aching all over, her head was throbbing from exhaustion. Only the thought of Matthew kept her going. In the darkness she finally reached a river. She walked beside its banks, listening to the dancing water, and noticed a small light in the distance.

Ines regained her strength, and quickened her pace; that might be the end of her torturous journey. She reached the glowing light. It was an old lantern with a candle that was burning without a candle. Next to it was a tiny gold bell with a string. She rang the bell, and a soft melodic sound reached her ears.

The fog suddenly melted away, the magic that had created it having released its bonds on her. She looked around her. The place was truly magical. A roaring waterfall was shedding its waters in the river that nourished the earth of the valley, sheer mountains stood tall all around her, encircling the area and providing safety to the inhabitants. On her left a huge bridge made of dark stone loomed over the trees and seemed to work as a safe passage between the to mountain slopes that were facing each other.

Ines saw on those two slopes a hidden elf settlement, consisting of hundreds of dwellings with pointed roofs and big gardens. That was the city they had been heading towards. She sighed in relief, and a weak smile slipped on her lips. She walked towards the bridge, which had winding stairways around each pillar. Her legs barely managed not to collapse until she had reached the end of the never-ending steps.

With trembling legs she made it to the elf city. The streets were filled with people, young and old, who were probably returning to their homes. People walking, talking, holding hands and in linked arms passed by her. It didn't take long before one of them noticed her. Ines didn't react even when people roughly grabbed her arms. She was too dizzy and tired to resist their hold.

'What are you doing? Release her!' she heard a familiar voice shout from the distance.

'He is a human!' one of her captors snarled, like she was accusing her of a terrible crime.

'He is not just any human. He is the one we have been searching for.'

The old elf came in her field of vision, his expression hard. The guards froze, they couldn't believe their eyes. Ines wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around her, the energy that had kept her moving forward had drained away from her body, and she caved in under the weight of the cold and the fatigue.

'Take him to the infirmary immediately!' the old elf commanded the others.

A flash of remembrance crossed her features, and Ines reached out to him. 'Is he okay? Matthew. Will he make it?' she croaked in a rasping voice.

The old man patted her shoulder to comfort her. 'He is already showing signs of improvement. We expect him to be healed by tomorrow.'

Ines released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. He had made it. That was all she needed to know. Her face relaxed; she felt like she could breathe more freely. The exhaustion hit her like a wave, and she felt her eyes shutting despite her efforts to keep them open. The elf's worried grey eyes were the last thing she saw before darkness overwhelmed her.

. . . . .

Ines gave a moment to allow the visions of the night give way to the day, her eyes slowly greeting the sunshine that entered through the ceiling of the infirmary. It took a few minutes to recall where she was, what had happened the day before. She raised from the bed and looked around her in curiosity.

The infirmary was a bright spacious room filled with beds, all in neat rows. The high ceiling was made of glass, and Ines could see the racing clouds above. She put the blankets aside and raised from the bed to see if Matthew was there. It didn't prove difficult to find him, because almost all the beds were empty.

Matthew was at the opposite side of the room, his bed next to a far-off wall, where vials and potions, powders and herbs were kept. He was still asleep, his face calm like a child's. Ines stood over him and gently ran a hand through his dark curls, her eyes sparkling with affection. She tucked him in under the blankets and went outside.

'Truly beautiful,' she whispered.

During daylight the city was even more breathtaking. The houses were small, but neat, painted with bright colours. Tall trees hung over the cobbled streets, creating an arch of leaves. The elves seemed to live in harmony with nature, planting flowers and trees in their gardens, their city blending in the surrounding landscape.

Ines decided to stretch her legs by walking through the streets. She passed by a bustling square with magnificent buildings all around it, one that looked like a great hall, another that was like a storehouse, and a third that was like a training camp. All of them were made of glass and an unusual type of metal that Ines had never seen before.

She walked for a while, admiring the city. The people in the streets gave her pointed looks but didn't dare to come near her. Ines exited the city and went on exploring the outskirts. She spotted a small temple facing the big waterfall, where she noticed the old elf sitting cross-legged on the grass with his eyes shut. He looked like he was practicing meditation.

Her legs moved of their own accord towards him. She thought he hadn't heard her coming until the old man suddenly spoke. 'I welcome you to the first of the elf settlements,' he told her with pride.

Ines rolled her eyes. He loved surprising people. She sat down next to him and gazed at the stunning scenery that stretched before her, the city, the snow-lit mountains, the bridge that broke the laws of gravity, the river.

'Quite a nice place you place here. It feels...different.'

'Yes. We have been cut off for many centuries. How did you manage to find your way through the magic barrier?'

'I'm not sure,' she shrugged her shoulders. 'I followed my instinct.'

'Did you find the signs we left behind?'

'Were they for me? To help me navigate?'

'Well, yes. We did everything in our power.'

Ines chuckled. In all fairness, she wouldn't have succeeded without their help. 'Thank you,' she told him earnestly. 'It was helpful. Old man.'

The uneasiness in her voice made the elf open his eyes and look at her. 

'I still have many questions.'

'And I will try to answer them as best as I can.'

'Tell me what you know about my past.'

The old man scrunched up his face. He looked unwilling to touch on that topic. 'I do not think you are ready yet,' he said with a gloomy sigh.

'I have waited too long. Now the time has come.'

'As you wish.' It took him a few moments to finally begin his narrative, while Ines patiently waited without saying anything. '25 years ago, there lived an elf girl. She was smart and kind, and always sought adventure. As she grew older, this small city felt too small for her, so she decided to explore other parts of our realm. 

'For a time that was enough, but...it did not last for long. When there was nothing new to discover here, she turned to getting past the wall and exploring the human realm. We tried to prevent her from going outside because we feared for her life. She did not listen. She went to the human realm, and after years of traveling she met a human man. Despite all the hostility between us, they could not help but fall in love. 

'They lived hidden from humans and had a child, a girl. They thought that they were safe, but when the girl was still a child, they were found by thieves,' the elf paused, touching his medallion with shaking hands. He took a deep breath and went on speaking. 'They killed the parents out of hatred and took the child away,' he said, his eyes downcast. He turned to Ines and touched her arm. 'Peter, that woman was your mother, and that man your father. Do you see now why you are so important to us?'

Ines had listened to him carefully, taking in what he had revealed to her. When he finished talking, she looked at him, her brows knitted in confusion. 'It can't be true,' she shook her head.

'It is true.'

The colour drained out of her face as realisation hit her. It was too much for her to stomach, she wasn't prepared for something so unnerving. She had never imagined that her whole life had been a lie, that she was tricked into believing she was someone else altogether. She didn't know who she was anymore. 'This is too much for me to take on. I...I...' she stuttered quietly.

The old elf grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly, but she was too lost in her trance. 'Listen to me, Peter! Listen to me! Your past does not define you. You will be the person you choose to be.'

'I don't know how to...'

'We all carry a shadow within us, things we do not bring to the light. You are not alone.'

She glanced up at him, her eyes welled up. 'Thank you. Thank you for telling me everything.'

'I carried the truth all these years, alone,' he nodded at her. 'Now it is time for you to find your place in all this.' The old elf stood up. With a last squeeze on her shoulder, he walked away. He knew she needed to be alone and clear up her mind.

Ines stared at the view alone. The sadness drained through her, traveling through every cell of her body, leaving her empty inside. The secrets of her past had caught up with her, and they were darker than she had expected. They destroyed any hope of finding a family where she could belong to. She was completely alone in that unbalanced world.

All the years of loneliness and isolation she had cooped up resurfaced. Is this my fate? Being constantly cut off from the others?, she wondered. The first tears came silently to crush any pretense of self-defense, to make her feel the full hurricane of the pain she felt. Her overwhelming sobs built a rebonding with her vulnerable side that she had buried deep down; they brought her closer to accepting parts of herself she didn't want to acknowledge.

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A/N:  Namaste to all  my lovely readers. This chapter was by far the biggest (pats her shoulder in pride). Thank you for reading! With every star that's won, Ines feels a little better. I'll see you in the next chapter. Lots of love. Alex  ❤

Phrase of chapter: ἡ δ' ἠθική ἠξ ἔθους περιγίνεται / virtue is not an act, it is a habit  - Aristotle