Surviving the Guilt - Chapter 3 and 4

Chapter 3 - The Missing Child

A few days passed. Nobody knew what to do with Milton. If centaurs attacked inside the village, usually a whole family was killed or captured. 

In captivity, a child had to fulfill the same amount of work as an adult. If not —which was usually the case—the centaurs would feed them to their dogs. All in all, orphans were rare at Nebo Terrace. Adding to the confusion, Milton wasn’t an orphan. He did have his father, wherever he was. 

He knew he couldn't stay with Elize. She felt responsible, but she was almost a child herself. There was no way she could take care of him.

Milton sat outside in the sun, while some adults discussed what to do with him. As adults do, they never assume a child could take part in such a discussion. 

The sun was shining right through the southern gates of Nebo Terrace. After the incident the other night, a few more Seraph got stationed there. 

The silhouette of someone was coming through the gates. It looked like a man, but the head was glowing green, like a leaf in the sun. It was a sylvari. Milton knew that they existed and even saw one before, but he wasn't sure what to think of them. 

He heard stories about all kinds of races before. Stories about asura and how they are smart but think they are even smarter. 

He talked to a norn himself one time. People compared norn to drunk Hanson, but this Norn was not drunk and actually quite nice. Also, Milton was impressed with the sheer size of him. He looked like his father, only 3 times bigger and taller. 

Milton also knew from his mother that he shouldn't be afraid of charr, even though Merle told him, "all Charr are evil," but you weren't allowed to say it anymore. He never saw one, but his book of tales pictured them as huge cats that could walk upright and talk—if they didn’t kill you. 

A lot of other races and beasts were described in his tales, but most of them weren't pictured in the most favorable position. 

One race never occurred in any of his stories, the sylvari. Not even a single story told by anyone at Nebo Terrace gave him an idea of what they were like.

This sylvari was coming right up to Milton. He blocked out the sun as he was approaching. Milton could see his face. He looked like a man, just green and leafy. 

He wore a leather jacket a human would wear, brown pants like the ones his father owned, and light but solid boots. 

He even spoke. 

"Boy, do you know where Petra and her boy Milton live? His father sends me."

Milton felt empty. This happened once before. His father must’ve taken another job right after the last one ended and send a messenger. 

Or maybe he was dead? Milton couldn’t ask that question, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

”I am Milton.”

”Well, that’s marvelous. You are much older than your father described you. Would you mind bringing me to your mother?”

Milton stared at the sylvari for a few seconds while guilt rushed through his body.

“Why is my father not here?" Milton asked.

“Your father sent me to bring you his gold. I have an assignment not far from here. Your father, he is in Lion's Arch. He wants to return once his help there is not required anymore.”

The sylvari inspected the boy.

“You swear that you are Milton?”

The boy nodded. 

“Then I can trust you to bring this to your mother.”

He placed a little bag, half-filled with silver coins, into Milton's lap. He stood there for a few seconds before saying, “I need to leave now. I’m sure your father will join you very soon.” He turned around and walked away. 

Milton jumped up and followed him.

“Wait! You have to take me to my father!”

”I can’t, child. I have an assignment. Your mother, she would worry.”

Milton stood still for a second as he gathered courage.

”My mother is dead...You can’t just leave me here!”

The sylvari stopped, still facing forward.

"I am sure the noble people of Nebo Terrace will take good care of you. I only promised your father to deliver the coins, and that I did."

Both began to walk again, exiting through the southern gates. The sylvari increased his pace, trying to get rid of the boy.

"My father wouldn't send somebody for half a bag of silver! You took something out already!” 

Milton had to jog to keep up with him. 

“Bring me to him, and you get the rest!"

The sylvari stopped moving again.

”Enticing offer, but it’s... too dangerous.”

”Just take me on your assignment, and bring me to my father afterward.”

The sylvari turned around and glanced to the bag of silver.

“It's too dangerous, boy.”

They both stared at each other. Tears build up in Milton's eyes. 

“My mother was killed behind those walls!” Milton started to cry. “How dangerous can it be?”

The sylvari seemed to think, closely looking to the bag of silver as if his mouth began to water from a delicious meal. 

Then he said, “Give me the bag now. You won’t get your coins back if you get hurt or die! And always, always, do exactly what I tell you!” He suddenly sounded much more human than before.

The two walked south. 

The newly transferred Seraph didn’t know this sylvari nor Milton, so nobody was alarmed. The only thing they could tell was, that a strange sylvari left, followed by a little boy.

Chapter 4 - First Haven

Milton was silent the whole way to the outpost, south of Nebo Terrace. They arrived just after sunset. The sylvari went inside a tower and signaled Milton to stay out. Shortly after, he came out again.

“I can’t spend my few coins to get you a room and since you don’t have any gold yourself I arranged for you to sleep on this bench inside the night posts office.”

Milton went inside. A woman was sitting on a chair behind a desk. She pointed to the bench. 

There it was, on the right. An old wooden bench with a thin layer of leather pressed onto it on the seat. He laid down on it. The woman stood up and pulled two chairs in front of the bench.

“We don’t want ya to fall down, do we? But why you won’t take the second bed in that sylvari's cabin is beyond me…”

Milton didn’t answer her. What could he answer? His back was pressed to the cold stone walls of the outpost. He thought he could never fall asleep, but luckily he was tired from the walk and a candle would burn until sunrise. He drifted away.

A door opened. It was the sylvari who came into the office. Milton was instantly wide awake. 

Someone had put his leather jacket on him while he was sleeping.

"Very good, you are awake. We are about to leave. Pack your belongings," the sylvari said. Milton stood up with a shrug, and as he walked out, he saw the sylvari putting on the leather jacket.

They were standing in front of two dolyaks. Both carrying a tremendous amount of white rock that looked to be twice the size of the animals itself. 

A muscular male human and a female-looking sylvari were checking the belts, binding the stones to a wooden saddle apparatus which evened out the weight on to the Dolyak’s backs.

“This is Siany, and the miniature norn over there is Peyton.”

“Greetings,” Siany said with a calm voice. Peyton politely nodded with his head.

It took a few more minutes until all belts were checked and adjusted.

“I’m all set. What about you Siany?” the human said.

“Set,” Siany answered.

”Marrek? Whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”