EXTRA CHAPTER 3: HOMECOMING

***The village of New Elebor, under the jurisdiction the Duchy of Maverny, Empire of Kersea***

It’s been a long while since the last of the young elvish soldiers—recruited by the Duke of Maverny—was seen in their villages, like in New Elebor. As the noble man never hid his intention to invade the old elvish realm, Cherwoods, many of the close-knit elf families were worried of their sons, nephews, and fathers. The long weeks of no communication, brought forth by the dangerous situation in their native lands, added to their woes, yet everyone was still hopeful they would see their loved ones alive and well once again.

As such, it was with great jubilation and relief when the first batch of elf soldiers finally arrived by train at New Elebor. At first, their relatives couldn’t believe their eyes; they thought they were seeing hallucinations. But when their loved one gave them a warm hug after being separated for so long, it was then that they realized, they could now breathe easy that they had come home.

“…”

Of course, even with the safe return of the elves, there were those who were greeted with sadness and despair, as news bearing the loss of their loved one came to them. The Duke of Maverny’s army encountered a powerful enemy, as most letters explained, yet those who died ‘fought with honor and distinction’. And there was a medal included in those correspondences, along with a note assuring the nobleman’s support for those who lost their family.

Meanwhile, when the news spread about the arrival of the first batch of the elvish soldiers from Cherwoods, the families of Behrien and Glamden immediately rushed to the train station to wait for their loved ones. While Behrien’s parents knew—and approved—his participation in the Duke of Maverny’s expedition, the mother and sister and Glamden were shocked at their youngest child’s disappearance. The fight between the two at the port city of Maverny gained infamy, for the Lord Kuro himself reimbursed the damaged human stores in their fracas. And that made the Glamden’s mother unable to gain her son back to safety; while the duke asked her to take Glamden home, she had to let her youngest go, as her ‘elvish honor’ dictated that she should do it.

However, now that the war has ended, she wants to meet her brave son…

“!!!”

Her heart sank when she heard the train blew its whistle, and slowly sped away from the station. Amidst the celebrating families, she and her daughter could only watch and despair as the reality that Glamden was not on the first train dawned on them. Nevertheless, it was Behrien’s parents who approached them…

“Our kid isn’t in those cars as well,” Behrien’s father quipped, still trying to glimpse in the moving locomotive. “But, I’m confident that those two will come back.”

Glamden’s family smiled back, though it was weak. At that moment, even if their sons gained notoriety for their rivalry in New Elebor, their desire to see those two once again united them together.

----------

By the fifth train that arrived in the village, both of Behrien’s and Glamden’s families were losing their hopes. They had seen other families of their sons’ friends come and go—some reunited to a happy end; others devastated by the realization that they won’t see their children again. The parents of the two elves tried asking their regiment companions for their loved ones, but to no avail…

“I’m sorry, missus, I haven’t seen Behrien and Glamden for too long after the landings. I was injured back then, and was evacuated to safety.”

“Their company fought well in the battles at the beaches. I haven’t heard from them since.”

“Eh? They were sent to patrol last time, before they sent my company back to the Mouth of Calabria. I’m sure they’re fine!”

Nevertheless, even with the positive news that they could still be alive, Behrien and Glamden’s families won’t believe the newcomers’ tales until they saw their sons personally. As for Glamden’s mother, though the hour of the long sleep was fast approaching, she wouldn’t dare leave her spot in front of the station. And with her was Behrien’s father as well.

“We should get going, ma,” Glamden’s sister looked at the public clock. “It’s almost time for the station to close.”

“I need to welcome my child back,” the old lady answered, trying to put her hopes up. “Or if Glamden has lost a limb or two, he needs someone to help him.”

“Don’t say such things! He’s with the Duke of Maverny; he can heal anyone with his magic!”

“I still want to see my boy.”

Though stubborn, Glamden’s sister understood their mother’s insistence to stay. As such, she also resolved to be with her as well; her children were being taken care of by their father, anyway.

A few moments later, the station employee finally left his position, and began closing the place. Much to his surprise, there were still people waiting for any trains arriving. “Pardon me,” he told them, “…but as you can see, I have to close the station now. There will be no more trips for today; the first train will arrive tomorrow.”

“Sir,” Behrien’s father pleaded, “I know it’s your job to keep this station safe, but if you can please make an exception this time? We want to know any news about our children first thing tomorrow, after the hour of long sleep. If you want, we can watch the place for you; I’ve been a mercenary before, so I know how to fight thieves, at least.”

“And I’m a former mercenary as well,” Glamden’s sister added.

The station employee, listening to the other families begging him to let them stay, took a deep breath, and handed the keys to Behrien’s father. “Hey, it’s not like I don’t have any relatives at war, too,” he revealed. “My favorite nephew’s dead; they say he fought well, and that’s what I’d like to believe. Any case, I’ll let you in. Just be careful not to stand at the tracks and add to my woes.”

The families who heard his story could only give the employee a pat on the back, and warm embrace to thank and console him. Then, they watch the elf, as he slowly disappeared from their sight…a sad warning that they could become like him, when the first train tomorrow from the port city of Maverny arrives.

----------

It was the longest ‘long sleep’ for the Glamden’s mother.

Her worries never left her, and just like Behrien’s father, she couldn’t sleep. So, they—as well as the other families with them—waited in dead silence as the hours of long sleep faded away. An hour after, and the long sleep passed with nothing else happening. Then, two. By three hours into the waking time, some of the relatives of the missing soldiers were already standing at the train tracks, trying to feel any vibrations on the metal guides.

Yet there is none…

“…”

Some of the older relatives of the soldiers were calling out to those who were at the train tracks, for the station employee trusted them not to go down. However, as they go back on the waiting platforms…

Someone asked, “Hey, you felt that?”

“!!!”

At once, those who were about to climb dashed to the tracks once again to feel any vibrations. Much to their excitement, there was movement. First, it was faint. However, the longer they stayed, the stronger it became. That moment, the station employee had finally arrived, and hurried to call them back to the waiting platform, to which, they complied.

“!!!”

And then, it finally appeared. A plume of white steam rose from the distance, coming from the train’s smokestack, as the whistle of its steam engine echoed. The station employee had difficulty keeping the excited families back from a safe distance; fortunately, he was helped by the older elves who waited there for the past day. As it turned out, they were not the only ones who were happy. Even from afar, the elf soldiers waved at their families, showing to everyone waiting that they were all fine.

----------

The train stopped a few minutes later, and everyone couldn’t stop their emotions anymore. Just as the carriage doors opened, the elves rushed to their loved ones. Wives welcoming back their husbands. Daughters embracing their missed fathers. Mothers kissing their brave sons back home. All was too caught up in the moment, that soon, there was a bottleneck at the train doors. The employee and some of the elves had to forcibly shove people off the platform to make way for the other passengers and baggage coming out of the carriages.

Like the scene yesterday, there were happy families, and there were devastated ones. Laughter and wailing cries filled the small station, as the fates of the soldier who went to the Duke of Maverny’s expedition became known. Yet, there were still those who remained ambiguous on what to feel, for they still held that little possibility they would learn something about their loved ones. Behrien and Glamden’s parents were among those who were keeping their hopes up.

“…”

As the last soldier alighted the train, so was the sad and disappointed realization that they would still have to wait for another train to come.

“…”

But then…

“Hey ma!”

“!!!” At that moment, Glamden’s mother uttered a small prayer in her heart that the familiar voice she was hearing wasn’t a hallucination. But though she was still in the middle of her disbelief, someone already put arms around her.

“Ma!” her daughter’s eyes welled up.

“We’re home!” was the greeting Glamden gave to her. The old lady then turned to her son; he was noticeably thinner and his face ‘older’ than the last time she saw him. Still, those were trivial things; the important thing was, Glamden—her youngest son—came back alive and well…