Max silently made his way around the castle. Having been healed, and thanked by the ward staff for his help, he had nothing better to do, resigning himself to wandering the empty halls; his only company being a guard every few minutes, and the pale glow of the moon as it flooded the open passages he traversed. Max stopped at a window to gaze out into the night, entranced by the brilliance of the many stars hanging in the sky. He bundled up in his coat, generously gifted to him by a nurse for the cold, and for a moment, felt a strange sense of peace as he studied the heavens. “What are you doing?” A voice asked, making Max jump. After regaining his composure, he looked over to see a young man staring back at him, amber eyes, illuminated by a torch he carried in his hand. He seemed in a hurry, his cloak wrapped tightly around them, a large sack slung over their shoulder. “Oh,” Henrick sighed, “I was just looking at the stars.” “Why?” The stranger asked bluntly, seemingly disinterested in the answer to his question. “Oh, I'm just trying to find constellations; get a sense of where I am.” The boy looked confused, choosing to go about his business rather than focus on Max. “But, it’s obvious where you are. You're in Fretan.” “Well, I know that,” Henrick huffed. “I mean, where I am in the universe. The problem is that none of these constellations are familiar.” “Then you're not from here.” Max looked over at the mysterious person, still staring at him inquisitively, amber eyes, now not the only feature prominent on their face, as Max noted the boy's ears were moving their sharp point accented by the firelight, and pink from the cold. “Wait a minute,” Max said, as several other features became more noticeable. “You're that boy! The elf boy we all thought was dead!” “Well, as you can see, I am not dead, and I am quite well,” the boy said dryly. “And I am not a boy, I am an elf.” “But you are a... boy, right?” Max asked, slightly confused. The elf simply rolled their eyes, as if the answer was obvious. “I already told you what I am, human. I am an elf. If you are trying to ask me what I have,” They pointed to Max’s waist, prompting him to blush hard. “Down there, I can’t help. We don't have names for it, and we don't use your little system.” “Um… Ok, Max said, feeling slightly bashful in the elf's presence. “Well, what can I call you then.” “Elf works fine.” They said, before quickly pushing past Max. “Well, I’m not going to call you that!” Max said briskly walking after them. “And why is that?” “It seems rude,” Max said, blushing at the silliness of his words. The elf just stared over his shoulder, slightly peeved that the human would not leave him alone. The elf stopped, turning back to Max. For a moment the two stood silent, the crackle of the elf’s torch providing the only break in the stillness. “It is unlikely that we will ever meet again,” the elf said, before begrudgingly continuing. “But if it means so much to you… You may call me Alberic.” They then turned on their heel, and promptly continued on their way, with Max still in tow. “Well then Alberic, may I ask what you’re doing, you know, after spending a few hours inches from death?!” “Trust me, I’ve seen much worse,” Alberic said, jumping on a ledge facing the outside of the castle. “Now, then if you will excuse me…” “Wait!” Max yelled, grabbing Alberic by the leg. “What do you think you're doing!?” “I’m leaving.” They said simply, pulling their leg from Max’s grasp. “I have to get home.” “What are you talking about? Where is home?!” Max shouted, becoming agitated by the Alberic’s vague information. Alberic turned back to face Max, seating themselves on the ledge. “I don’t see how that is any of your concern, human. My life should not be the focus of your attention.” “No, but your safety is,” Max said, growing annoyed. “You came into this castle's hospital badly injured, and I helped to look after you. Now I don't know how many medical textbooks you’ve read, but I’ve read a lot, and each and every one of them says that you don't let a patient leave after they spent several hours near death!” Alberic just stared at the human in front of him, a small smirk playing at their lips, as they watched the young man get worked up about their wellbeing. After the human had said his piece, Alberic hopped down from the ledge, making their way towards the human. “What is your name? I don't think I caught it.” They asked, eyes glowing in rapt fascination. “Max,” the human said, a little unnerved at the sudden change in their demeanor. “Well then, Max,” They said, now incredibly close. “While I am honored by your concern for my well-being, I am more than capable of handling myself.” The young elf extended their free hand, suddenly igniting a bright amber flame in his palm. “Now I get that things like magic are quite hard for humans to grasp, but I assure you, it comes in handy when we magical beings need a leg up… like in battle and whatnot.” Now only a hand's distance away, Alberic removed their cloak and pulled back their tunic, revealing a fit body, littered with scars. “As you can see, I’ve gotten into a few scrapes in my life, but I've always come out of them alright. And that's all thanks to what I have.” Alberic extinguished the flame in their palm leaving the torch to cast a light over the intricate lines of scarring. “Um… yes, I can see that,” Max said, blushing profusely as he observed Alberic’s battle scars. “But be that as it may, could you at least hold off on daring escapes for… a day? Just so your wounds can have time to heal?” Alberic pondered the request for a moment before giving a slight nod. “Very well, Max.” They said, re-donning their clothing-much to Max’s relief. “I will stay. But only because I don’t need you trying to follow me all the way home.” “It's not like it’s that hard of a choice,” Max grumbled, annoyed at Alberic’s obstinance. “Not that hard of a choice” Alberic growled, turning back to look at Max. “Let me tell you something about choice.” In an instant their hand shot out, releasing strands of amber coils that quickly enveloped Max, pulling him towards the Elf. “There is nothing that I do not do in this world without reason. I was leaving tonight because I had a VERY. GOOD. REASON. So how about before you start pulling the high and mighty act, you take into consideration the reason for other actions, got it?” Max, simply nodded as the young elf stared into his eyes, their own flashing bright with power. “Am I interrupting something?” A peeved voice said, breaking Max out of his trance. Aron stood off to the side of the hallway, watching the interaction, the same flirty expression he had used with Henrick and Elsie now in play for the scene folding out in front of him, but no amount of smirking could hide the defensive position he had taken, one hand casually resting on the hilt of his sword. “I gotta say, I never pegged you for that kind of guy Max! Still, it is interesting.” He said, the quip coming out slightly forced. “No, it’s not like that!” Max yelled, trying to pull free of Alberic's bonds, oblivious to the other teens' cautionary tone. “The Max human is right,” Alberic said, releasing their bonds to let Max fall in a blushing heap. “We were simply discussing my medical condition. Considering the state in which I arrived, Max has convinced me to stay in your ward for a while longer.” “Oh yeah! I heard about you! Your that guy-” “Not a guy, and yes, I’m sure you do,” Alberic said, annoyed by the sudden attention. “Ah, right,” Aron said, trying his best to stay amicable. “ Well! I am sorry to pull Max away from you and your… captivating conversation, but I need him to come with me. His sister is currently having a small spat with my queen and we need him to calm her down.” Aron helped to pull Max up, turning him in the direction of the queen’s chambers as Alberic gathered his things to head back to the ward. “This girl... ” Alberic said, turning back to the pair. “Is she the one that everyone is talking about?” Aron hesitated for a moment as if pondering whether to tell the stranger anything. “Yes, that is correct.” He said, finally relenting. “Then may I accompany you?” “And why is that?” Aron asked, growing more suspicious. “Well, as you may have seen, considering your quips. You know that I am quite adept at the magical arts.” Alberic sent a few sparks shooting out from their palm illustrating their point. “And if rumors are to be believed, I would love to see what she can do.” Aron pondered the request, seeing as he had been among the refugees, there didn't seem to be any harm. “Well, it could be useful to have an experienced practitioner in the room,” he pondered. “But I reserve the right to remove you from the chamber at any moment!” “Agreed,” Alberic curtly replied, before gathering their things and following Aron and Max towards the mystery girl.