Kael returned to the capital two days later.
The necklace was still around his neck, hidden beneath his clothes.
During the journey, he had examined it several times. The pendant was made of dark metal, and a strange symbol was carved into its surface.
A small circle surrounded by three sharp, curved marks.
Kael had never seen anything like it.
When he entered the fortress, Aldric noticed that something was on his mind.
“You're quiet.”
Kael looked at him.
“I met some people on the northern road.”
“What kind of people?”
“They were freeing slaves.”
Aldric's expression became serious.
“How many?”
“More than twenty.”
“And where did they go?”
“I don't know.”
Aldric studied him for a moment.
“Did they hurt anyone?”
“No.”
“Did they attack you?”
“Not exactly.”
Kael reached beneath his shirt and pulled out the necklace.
Aldric looked at it.
“Where did you get that?”
“One of their leaders gave it to me.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me that if I ever needed help, I should show this to someone from their group.”
Aldric took the pendant and examined the symbol carefully.
“I've never seen this before.”
“Neither have I.”
He handed it back to Kael.
“Keep it hidden.”
“Why?”
“Because we don't know who these people are or what they want.”
Kael nodded and tucked the necklace beneath his clothes.
Before the King
That evening, Kael was summoned to the royal hall.
The King had already heard about the incident on the northern road.
“You allowed the prisoners to escape?”
Kael stood before him.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Those people were being transported illegally.”
“I know.”
“And you did not bring them back.”
Kael remained silent.
The King studied him for several seconds.
“Why?”
Kael answered without hesitation.
“Because they were being treated like property.”
The room fell silent.
One of the nobles stepped forward.
“You are a knight of this kingdom. You are supposed to follow orders, not make decisions based on your personal feelings.”
Kael turned toward him.
“I follow the law.”
The noble looked ready to respond, but the King raised his hand.
The room fell silent again.
The King looked at Kael.
“You have served this kingdom well.”
Kael bowed slightly.
“But do not allow your sense of justice to make you careless. You may have helped those people today, but you still have responsibilities as a royal knight.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
The King watched him for another moment.
“You may leave.”
Kael bowed again before turning and walking out of the hall.
The Village
The next morning, Kael rode toward Elara's village.
He hadn't told her when he would return.
But somehow, after everything that had happened, he wanted to see her.
When he reached the shop, Mira was outside.
She spotted him immediately.
“Kael!”
She ran toward him.
Kael smiled as he dismounted.
“Hello, Mira.”
“You came back!”
“I did.”
“You were gone for many days.”
“I know. Did you miss me?”
Mira nodded eagerly.
“Yes!”
Elara stepped outside.
The moment she saw him, her expression softened.
“You're safe.”
Kael nodded.
“I promised.”
She looked at his face.
“You look tired.”
“I am.”
“Then come inside.”
Kael smiled.
“Yes, ma'am.”
Elara shook her head.
“You're impossible.”
Mira laughed as they entered the shop.
The Necklace
Later, while Mira was playing nearby, Elara noticed something beneath Kael's shirt.
“What is that?”
Kael looked down.
“The necklace?”
“Yes. I haven't seen it before.”
He pulled it out and placed it in his palm.
Elara examined the strange symbol.
“Where did you get it?”
Kael told her about the people he had met on the northern road, the prisoners they had freed, and the group that had appeared to help them escape.
Elara listened carefully.
“You don't know who they are?”
“No.”
“Then why did you take it?”
Kael smiled.
“He helped people.”
Elara looked at him.
“And you trusted him?”
“I didn't.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You took his necklace.”
“I said I didn't trust him. I didn't say he was a bad person.”
Elara laughed softly.
Kael smiled.
But her expression soon became serious again.
“Just be careful. You don't know what kind of people you're dealing with.”
Kael nodded.
“I will.”
She touched the pendant gently, studying its unusual markings.
“Maybe one day you'll find out what this means.”
“Maybe.”
Kael tucked the necklace back beneath his shirt.
Neither of them knew that the symbol belonged to a group whose influence reached far beyond the borders of Aurelia.
That Night
Kael prepared to leave as evening approached.
Elara stood beside the doorway while Mira watched from inside.
“You're leaving again?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“When will you come back?”
Kael smiled.
“Soon.”
She looked at him.
“You said that before.”
“And I came back.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“Yes, you did.”
Kael mounted his horse.
Before leaving, he looked at her.
“Elara.”
“Yes?”
“I'll see you soon.”
She nodded.
“I'll be waiting.”
Kael smiled.
Then he rode into the night.
Elara remained at the doorway long after he disappeared.
She didn't know why she had said those words so easily.
But she knew they were true.
She would be waiting.
And somewhere beneath Kael's armor, the mysterious necklace rested against his chest.
A small symbol.
A forgotten promise.
And a connection to a kingdom he had never even seen.