When the caravan reaches the gates of Weldyn and rolls through them, the elves get their first look at the interior of the great human city. What they see are yet more walls. Water flows between the sets of walls, and the caravan must cross bridges and pass through more gates to enter the city proper. The moats might be water diverted from the River Weldyn, or the city might be built on islands in the river. From this perspective, it is hard to tell. It is well-fortified, but there are signs that this was not enough in the past. The final battle with Mal-Ravanal was fought around the capital, and clearly some of the walls have been repaired since then. As they snake their way through the streets to the warehouse district, they pass other damaged buildings that have not seen the same level of care. Thirty years later, Mal-Ravanal’s handiwork is still visible.
The caravan disbands for now. Some folks, like Ffion’s family, are at their final destination. Others, like Ffion herself and Tomos, will be continuing further west when the caravan heads out in a few days. When Tric and Heppa collect their payout from Rhodri, the caravan manager tells them they are welcome to sign on for the next leg, if they want. That will be on a proper road through the heart of Weldyn, so it should be faster and safer. However, there are likely to be more prisoners to transport. Henrick’s responsibility was only to get his group to Weldyn, but their ultimate destination is the Ford of Abez. Rhodri suspects their caravan will be tasked with moving the South Tower group plus additional criminals from Weldyn. Although there will certainly be guards from the King’s forces present, Rhodri prefers to staff their own security, especially after what happened on the way to Weldyn.
The caravan seems as good a way to reach Dan’Tonk as any other, and the elves do still need more funds for paying off their debt to Alric. However, Tric is not prepared to commit just yet. He and Heppa each received sixty coins for their ten days of work, but the bags that Knots and the Beard received looked much heftier. As a negotiating tactic, Tric tells Rhodri that they will check in tomorrow morning, though it seems his cousin has already made up her mind. In saying farewell to them, Heppa has learned that Knots and the Beard will be continuing on the next leg, and of course she has more questions for Tomos.
With two or so days in the busy human city before them, the first order of business for the elves is to stable Butterbell. Mate does not need any special attention, though. There are plenty of snacks to be had in all the human rubbish, and he flies off to entertain himself. But Heppa certainly does not want to bring her woodland pony everywhere around town with them. Weldyn is busier than South Tower was at the height of the Full Bloom Festival, and this is just a normal day! There are fewer wagons covered in flowers, it is true, but there are whole stalls dedicated to the sale of wreaths and other floral arrangements. The humans themselves come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, and Heppa enjoys simply watching them as she moves through the streets.
After they leave Butterbell at a livery—where she looks quite small next to the much larger horses popular with humans—Heppa says to her cousin with forced casualness, “We should go meet Alric’s parents. They’re your family!” Although the lines of kinship between Alric and Tric are rather blurry, it is a good excuse for her to meet them.
“I suppose that is true,” Tric allows. “Part of the extended family. But we should find a place to stay first. I wouldn’t want to impose on Alric’s parents.” Tric looks at the signs hanging above the establishments around them. He is not overly particular about where they stay, provided the inn has a stage in its dining area, of course.
“Oh, what about that one?” Heppa says, pointing at a sign decorated with trees that says The Elvish Retreat. “We could stay there.” Tric frowns at first, thinking this is another jibe like those he heard from his mother about elves running away. However, as they get closer to the inn, they see that the door jambs are carved like trunks and the lintel like a branch. There does not seem to be anything of mockery in the design.
“I wonder what the humans of Weldyn think elvish cuisine is. Or décor. Or entertainment,” Tric muses. He wonders, too, how many trees died to make this building constructed entirely of wood. Still, the place is worth checking out. He pushes open the door and chimes tinkle melodiously to announce their arrival.