Technically, the letter was addressed to the owner of an inn that the trio of men had once stopped at while passing through Rodan. Despite what the envelope read, however, the letter inside was clearly written for Elliot, along with some instruction to have it dictated to him, should he ever come along.
Elliot,
I'm afraid I don't even know where to begin. I have so much to tell you, but so few words to tell it with. Let me start by saying, Lord Caras has been very kind to me, and respectful. My time here has been enjoyable, but I miss traveling with you every day. I write to say something more important, however, something that would drive me to find you, if I could.
I'm pregnant.
I wasn't certain at first, but it's been over a fortnight now and there's no mistaking the fact. I'm with child - your child.
When next you come to Kelyea, please come visit. I miss you terribly.
~Skaiyu
Intelligently, and thanks to her gifted memory, Skaiyu had had the letter sent to a favorite old haunt Elliot had stayed at on their jouirney to Kelyea. He'd become accustomed to this place, and this place to him, and there was almost no way that any trust could be betrayed here between these men - Elliot and his companions, and the innkeeper and his employes. There was always a place for Elliot to stow his cart and a paddock for his mangy nag, and a special box reserved for anything that came bearing Elliot's name. Typically this was a package, delayed for his picking-up and re-sale. Today, it was a letter. Caling Elliot to the bar, the innkeeper gestured with the parchment and Elliot frowned. While most peasants were illiterate, a few innkeepers across the kingdom such as this one had learned, either through years of exposure or even sometimes in their youth (it took money to make money, after all), to read. He sat, his attention stolen as soon as he heard from whom it was.
The innkeep gave a dramatic pause after the first paragraph, whistled, eyeing Elliot until the boy pounded his fist on the bar, demanding that he read on. Elliot smiled a sly smile that curled the corner of his mouth, and cocking his head slightly to the side he let the barkeep know that he had caught-on to the joke. "Yeah, yeah, you're shittin' me, old man. Ha, ha, ha...had me for a minute there, you know?" laughing, Elliot shook his head and raised his brows. "Now seriously, come on...what'd she have to say?"
With a straight face the barkeep repeated the lines.
Elliot still waited for the joke to be over, but the knowing silence pervaded. Suddenly there was an empty feeling at the bottom of Elliot's gut. A hand reached up, uncertainly, grabbing for the letter and, when the barkeep willingly let go, turning the foreign scrawl to his eyes. "What?" he frowned, his eyes scanning and scanning and scanning again, recognizing nothing but his name and a few simple letters. His eyes knew so little he was at a loss where to even begin to try. "Where? Show me!" The innkeeper pointed to the short sentence suspended in the middle of the page. Two patterns of letters. that was it? That was the news? RIght there? Oh, he couldn't confirm, who was he kidding? But...this man had never given him reason not to trust.
"I think you're in trouble, mate." the innkeeper said humorously, giving the kid a knowing smile before patting his arm once, firmly, and disappearing with his rag down the bar. He returned shortly with a stout ale. "On me."
This trip had seemed long when Elliot had set out from Kelyea, the memory of Skaiyu's embrace fresh on his mind. But now it seemed endless.
Surreal. He had heard that word before, but had never had use for it. It had seemed superfluous.
Now he understood.
Surreal.
