The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 90

ARTHUR LEYWIN’S POV:

Supposedly, Grandma Rinia’s cottage wasn’t too much farther from where we were. After our brief greetings and a firm hug from the aged elf that I had come to appreciate, we made our way to her dwelling place.

"You’ve grown into quite the handsome young lad, Arthur. If I was just a hundred years younger, I might’ve snatched you up for myself," Rinia teased.

It was disturbing to say the least to hear this from a woman who was several decades older than me, but since it came from her, I just grinned back.

"Well, I’d have to see how you looked when you were a hundred years younger."

"Hmph! Ask Virion how stunning I was! Men would swarm over me as soon as I was in their sights!" Rinia placed one hand on her hip and used her other to flip her braided hair.

"It’s true, Arthur. My mother would tell me how all of the girls her age would be jealous of Aunt Rinia," Tess’ mother giggled.

"Bah! She was above average at best!" Virion waved off.

"Well, of course there was only one girl to have ever caught Virion’s eye..." Rinia’s voice trailed off and by the look on her face, she seemed to have regretted bringing it up.

I looked around, completely lost. The gloomy forest we were treading through seemed all the more dismal by the sudden change in the air. I glanced at Tess and she seemed uncomfortable, but more so confused than depressed like everyone else.

"...I’m sorry, Virion. I was a bit insensitive." Rinia placed a hand on Virion’s sunken shoulder.

"It’s... It’s fine. I should be the one who’s sorry. I know how you felt as well," he dismissed.

We continued on with only the crunching of fallen leaves and the snapping of twigs filling the silence. My gaze was focused on Sylvie, who was having a blast looking for lifeforms underneath the moss-covered rocks and logs.

As her tail wagged furiously in excitement, I couldn’t help but let out a small smile in content, despite the sullen atmosphere.

Sneaking a quick peek at Gramps, my mind started itching with questions that I knew I shouldn’t ask. Rinia, who apparently saw this, gently placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a strained smile.

As we stepped into a small clearing, the roaring sound of running water filled our ears. It was as if the trees surrounding this area had acted as a barrier, blocking off all the sound. In view, we could now see a wide waterfall cascading down a marble white cliff into a small pool of water about six meters in diameter.

"Wow, I didn’t know a place like this existed," Tess gaped in awe.

"Father, wasn’t this the place you used to take me to when I was a child?" Alduin asked while he looked around.

"I see you still remember. Yes, you used to love coming to this place." Virion let out a small smile as he reminisced.

"It’s beautiful..." Merial breathed.

It was beautiful, indeed.

There wasn’t much sunlight that was able to reach this small clearing, making the area seem more surreal. The thin rays of light that were able to peek through the thick tree tops created spotlights that made the moss, grass, and all of the plant life glimmer. The waterfall streamed down the white cliff without any intrusion, making it a clear curtain of water.

"We’re here." Rinia stated as she stepped up.

Wordlessly, we all followed her as I half-expected her to conjure a cottage from the ground.

It wasn’t as fancy as that, though. Instead Rinia let out a few inaudible chants with her hands raised, lifting roots from underneath the pond into a makeshift bridge leading into the waterfall.

Carefully stepping onto the grimy roots, Rinia took the lead with us following close behind. With a wave of her arm, she swept the waterfall to the side. However, before doing anything else, she looked around, as if to make sure no one was spying on us.

After letting out a sharp breath, Rinia placed her hand on the cliff behind the waterfall,which now started to glow with unrecognizable runes.

Just like that, the white marble cliff opened up like a sliding door to reveal a passage deeper inside.

"Don’t conjure up any light. We’ll make our way through the dark," instructed Rinia, as if directly referring to me.

I lost track of how many turns we made, relying only on Rinia’s voice as our guide.

"Left."

"Right."

"Right."

"Left."

Finally we could see a flickering light at the end of the umpteenth leg of the tunnel.

"Welcome to my little cottage."

With the sparse amount of light, I could barely make out the faint smile Rinia had.

By this time, I had no idea where we were, but the homey little hut that couldn’t be any bigger than a single room in the Eralith Family’s castle was welcoming to my eyes.

"Whew." Tessia squatted down as she was able to finally release her tension.

"This...this is quite the place, Aunt Rinia." Alduin slid his hand against the wall of the cave the hut was in.

"Where are we?" I couldn’t help but ask as I inspected our surroundings as well.

"Somewhere in the elf kingdom," was all she said as she made her way into her hut.

Lighted by a few dim shining orbs in the corners of the cave, the place Rinia called home reminded me of some sort of dungeon used to hold the worst criminals, not a place where a close friend of the royal family would reside.

"I’m sure you have your reasons, Aunt Rinia, but was it really necessary to shut yourself in a place like this?" Merial frowned as her eyes focused on the hut Rinia just went inside.

"Just an old lady being overly cautious. Don’t mind me! It’s actually quite cozy once you get used to it." Rinia’s head popped out of the hut’s sheet door.