“I hate to see you leave so soon,” Daniella said, handing him his satchel and his staff, “but I know you’ll do wonderful, sweetheart.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Era said with a smile, throwing the satchel strap over one shoulder. “Is Dad still here? I’d like to say goodbye.”
“He’s probably upstairs,” she said. “Want me to send a servant up to fetch him?”
“No, it’s fine,” he replied, already heading for the stairs.
He climbed to the top, walking leisurely down to his father’s chambers. “Father?” he called to the other side of the door. “May I come in?”
“You may,” he said.
Opening the door, he peered in to find his father standing at the window. Era approached him, a little surprised that his father was even taller than he was. That’s hard to do, he thought, even if we are related. “I’m going to be off soon, sir.”
“So I’ve heard,” he said. “Daniella made quite the fuss about it.”
“She’s… not mad, is she?”
“No, nothing of the sort. She just doesn’t want to see you go.”
“I’d stay, if I could,” he said quietly. “But I am needed at the castle.”
“The castle has always been your first home,” he said bitterly.
“And the road was always yours!” Era snapped back, shocked at his own tone.
Owen glared at him. “What was that!?”
“Even… the day I entered the Academy, you were away on ambassador duties of some sort. I don’t even remember saying goodbye to Mother, but I remember apologizing because you weren’t there.” He sighed. “I’m not criticizing you for your work. But it’s awfully hypocritical of you to chastise me for never being there when you couldn’t even do the same.”
Slightly shocked, Owen turned back to the window. “What a strange thing for you to remember.”
“It is,” he agreed.
They stood in silence for a while, awkwardly trying to scrounge up a conversation. At last, Owen broke the silence.
“Lucien,” he said, unsure of his own words, “Don’t ever… ever give up. Stick through to the end of whatever it is you decide to do.”
Era smiled. “I will, Dad.”
Uncertainly at first, Owen put an arm around his son. Era finished for him, pulling him close and patting him on the back. When they pulled apart, Owen wore the beginning of what could, with some coddling, develop into a smile. Era beamed back at him.
“Best of luck,” he said gruffly, turning and leaving the room quickly. Era watched him go in silence, eventually leaving himself to head down to the carriage awaiting them.
“You’re seeing me off, right?” Era asked Gabriel.
“Hell yeah,” he replied heartily. “I’ll help you get settled in as much as you need to. Then… I guess I’ll be off.”
“Yep,” he said, trying not to think too far ahead.
The carriage ride was, of course, far too short for Era’s liking. As they exited, a servant hurried up to guide them to the Mage Tower.
“That’s alright,” he said, “I remember the way.”
“Very well, sire,” he said, dismissing himself.
Era and Gabriel made their way down the long stone hallways of the castle to the very back, where a spiraling staircase led to the Archmage’s quarters.
“You have to float to the top to get there in any sort of hurry,” he explained to Gabriel.
“Then let’s walk.”
They did, walking up the many flights of stairs in the circular tower to get to the top. Era looked over the edge near the top, surprised at how little the height scared him. I suppose it’s ingrained by now, he thought.
“So you’re going to go home after this?” he asked Gabriel.
“Yeah. Guess I’ll go back to tending my land and selling potions.” He chuckled. “All my plants are probably dead by now.”
“Oh no!”
“Don’t worry, harvest season’s long past,” he said dismissively. “Plus I probably need to weed it anyway. I’ll just till it all and start over.”
“Just start all over?”
“Yep. I’m sure you’re already aware of this, but fresh starts are… well, refreshing. No unnecessary burdens. You can try it all again. Know what I mean?”
Era nodded, grabbing the doorknob to his chambers. “I think I do.”
Opening the door, they found that Dashito was already inside, waiting patiently for them to arrive. “Do you have any bags with you, sir?”
Era looked down to his satchel, chuckling as he handed it to him. “Just the one,” he said, setting his staff against a wall. “And that one doesn’t even need to be unpacked.”
Several hours later, after the three of them had had a long conversation over tea, Gabriel finally stood up.
“I suppose it’s time for me to go, kid,” he said.
Era stood up as well. “I’ll see you out,” he said quickly.
“Nah, Era, you stay here,” he said. “I won’t plummet to my death on the stairs or anything, I promise you.” And the sooner we say goodbye, the better, he thought, not relishing the thought.
“I… alright then,” he said quietly, walking over to Gabriel as the older man grabbed the doorknob. “You… take care of yourself, alright?”
“I will,” he nodded, “and you do the same.”
“Promise,” he agreed, wrapping Gabriel into a hug. Gabriel clapped his back in the embrace, breaking it to muss Era’s hair, earning a chuckle out of them both.
“Good luck, Era,” he said with his half-smile.
“You too, Gabriel.”
The door open and shut; Era felt profoundly alone as he heard the click of the knob. Gabriel was gone.
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