Luenor turned to Thalanar with a fierce look in his eyes. "Are there any mineral or mana veins close to here? Anything that we could use to strengthen Eclion?"
Thalanar nodded slowly in contemplation. "There is an old cave," he said. "The bandits claimed it years ago. I would wager that they have been mining it for profit ever since."
Luenor turned to Mira and narrowed his gaze. "Who has been working it?"
Mira pulled a tight line across her lips and hardened her eyes. "Prisoners," she finally said. "Captives. Farmers. Travelers. Forced to dig for us."
At that, Hunter's jaw tightened and his fingers gripped the hilt of his sword more firmly. His aura flared, crackling into the air.
Luenor put his hand on Hunter's arm to steady him. "Arwin," he said calmly, but with purpose, "take Dion and a few trusted villagers. Go to the mines. Free these prisoners. Bring them home."
Arwin's eyes lit with purpose. "We will see it done," he said quietly, yet confidently.
Thalanar gathered the remnants of the band's plunder which was half-consumed since his first encounter-the unformatted scrolls, the broken ledgers, the potions; and stepped out into the morning light, which framed the lines of his face, and his expression was as serene as the silent woods.
Outside, Telmar was working hard through the haze of the afternoon sun, assisting villages and elves as they loaded carts and boxes with last night's riches - coins, weapons, bolts of cloth, and crates of dried food, stocks and crates of iron and glowing mana stones - each load was a step to restoring the created order of dignity.
Luenor had stepped back and watched them work for a moment, before turning to Hunter. "Burn it all," he said, simply.
Mira's face dropped in horror and anger. "You can't—"
Hunter looked at her coldly. "You do not have a say here," he response.
As the final boxes were loaded up onto the carts, Luenor looked to Eamon's son, Harry- though hardly more than a boy, he had grown quiet firm from the fright of nearly losing his home.
"Light the torch," Luenor said.
The boy nodded and trembled as he struck the flint to light the torch. Once a flame was lit, he carried it to the warehouse - the dry wood ignited easily.
The rapidly-moving flames consumed the rotten planks and tar-covered beams. Smoke billowed high as the flames crackled and popped.
Mira watched, her face twisted in hate—but there wasn't a thing she could do.
They turned their backs on the camp and buried it behind the pyre of the past, and returned to Eclion.
There were new sounds in the square—creaking wagon wheels, elven voices, and shared work between the villagers and the elves. Several carriages were parked in the square, and their wheels were heavy with goods: bolts of cloth, grains and flour, arrows by the bundle, barrels of salt and iron nails. Coins even, and little casks that surely contained potions.
At the head of it all stood Hera, and in her eyes were life when she met Luenor's glance. "Albrecht came," she said. "He brought what George said he would. Food, weapons—enough to keep us strong."
Hunter narrowed his eyes. "Albrecht? That name...I know it. One of King's most trusted knights." His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Luenor placed a calming hand on Hunter's arm. "He's a friend Hunter. One who has helped us perhaps more than he knows."
Hunter examined his face and gave a begrudging nod.
Luenor looked across the village to the square, teeming with new life and quiet hope.
"Tonight, we celebrate," he said, just above the thrumming murmuration. "Tomorrow, we welcome our friends who have been freed."
He looked at Hunter with fierce determination in his gaze. "This is just the beginning."
___
That night, the village of Eclion was bathed in a flickering, gentle luminescence. Fires burned in iron braziers with shadows cast long on the newly constructed wooden walls. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meats and fresh loaves of bread, warm broth and sweet forest wine.
Everyone, villagers and elves, mixed around the fires, their mugs clinking as they laughed and shared food on plates. Children dashed and danced through the tables, the fears of yesterday long gone from their bright eyes.
At the edge of the square, carts rumbled in a line from the direction of the mines--freed prisoners, gaunt but cautious, but alive.
As the newcomers stepped into the square, blinking in the light and warmth, their eyes appeared wide with a blend of wonder and fear. They saw elves first--and a few drew back in shock, hanging on to stories of the pointed eared devils. But then they saw humans standing next to elves- Thalanar's calm presence, Telmar's steady hand, Luenor's young face full of quiet purpose.
Gradually, they calmed.
Luenor stood somewhere in the middle of the square, watching it all take place. Thalanar approached, his staff tapping against the earth.
"What do you want to do with the captured bandits?" he said in a low voice. He observed the edge of the square where Mira lay in her bindings with her head low, yet her eyes were sharp.
Luenor breathed in slowly, thinking. "Set them to the mines," he said finally. "Under Telmar's supervision, where they can start to repay what they have taken."
Thalanar nodded slightly, "A harsh punishment... but fair."
As the fires burned low and the mirth turned to songs, Luenor stepped forward onto a small rise of stone. The cacophony of voices around him slowly faded to silence.
He looked over the square—at villagers still covered in dirt from their rebuilding, at elves wearing fresh bandages and cautionary pride, and at newcomers standing with their mouths agape in hope.
"This place..." he started, pitch quiet yet free flowing. "was almost lost to us. Within 1 lifetime, we have witnessed the excesses of the strong preying upon the weak twice. But tonight, tonight is different because it has established proof that we have the ability to stand together. That we can build something better.
His eyes searched the square, locking eyes with every one of them.
"We are not people of a village, elves, or exiles anymore. We are Eclion. And together... we are going to build a home worth fighting for."
A murmur went through the crowd, starting quiet and growing as each person began to join in.
Luenor breathed deeply, his heart pounding. "This is just the beginning," he said, and his voice rose in hope. "A new beginning... for all of us."