The cream brush parted the red mane with ease, the smell of coconut and roses clinging to it. Each pass of the brush smoothing out the mess of curls for only a few moments. Since she was a child, Elena had thought these brushing sessions were a lost cause. No matter what brushes she brought or what lotions she applied, Maritza's mane never retained any shape but it's curly forest. Yet she still jumped up at any chance to help her half-orc friend. Some times it was just an honest opinion on her looks, at others it meant to try to tame the wild mane and others still it meant--

“Elena, can I ask you a question?" Maritza said with a melodious voice, her shoulders growing tense.

“You already did but you may ask another one." Elena replied with a deeper voice, like a distant thunder. A trait befitting her orcish heritage.

“Have you ever thought of leaving? Going away to places beyond our hills? Seeing the world?"

Elena's came to a stop, a bundle of red hair trapped in her thin green fingers. Her brows creased in worry, her friend's words ringing in her ears.

“I have." was all Elena could say, her mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions.

“Don't you think it would be exciting? Meeting heroes and villains, traveling through far away lands, living the legends that we were told so often when we were children." There was a wishful tone to her voice, a fragile beauty that left a sour taste in Elena's mouth.

“Maybe. It always sounded exciting in Granny Lucy's stories," she admitted, “but they were also dangerous. “

“But that's what makes them exciting in the first place. Just imagine, the two of us going through the crystal Laberinths of Arcadia, or visiting the sea of Caves of Terragia. Maybe we could enjoy the Festival of Fire of La Florencia, or go to the Night of Tears in Castleon."

“There are many roads between us and any of those place Maritza, how do you expect us to get there?"

“The same way Solangel and Marielis did of course, we'll buy a pair of strong horses to take us there and--"

Elena set down the brush harshly on the table, the thud silencing Maritza. “And then what? A sea separates of from La Florencia, Castleon is at war with Damasco, Terragia has closed their borders since the fiasco of the King's wedding and, as you yourself told me, Arcadia is lost to all but their friends. I don't know about you but I have never met a Taurus in my life."

“Come on, don't be such a killjoy. Sure, La Florencia is far, but there are tons of cities for us to see along the way. It would take us years to reach Castleon, their war will be over by the time we get there." Elena turned on her seat, taking her friend's hands in hers. Her soulful brown eyes begged Elena to understand her.

“Maritza, please--"

“No, you know we can do it. We have done it already. Remember our trip to Karesh, how much we laughed when we finally reached the city. The beauty of Lake Radia in the afternoon."

“I do remember. I remember how we were lost in the desert. I remember the merchants who saved us out of kindness, because we had nothing to give them. I remember how angry our parents were when we came back, how worried they had been the months after that."

“We made a few mistakes--"

“We could have lost our lives." Elena shouted, freeing her hands from Maritza's hold while tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

“And what lives are they?" Martiza stood up, marching up and down one side of the room as she listed her grivances. “We spend half our days making inventories, replying to letters and begging for aid. And the other half is spend dancing to our parents' every whim. We barely have time to ourselves, to learn who we are, what we want."

“And you think you will get the time to do so on the road? Where the safety of a roof and the warmth of a fire is never assured? Or maybe you will think of that the next time you're crossing through the desert and your water-skin turns empty?"

The two friends stared at each other, baring their souls in the sanctity of their room. Silence reigned supreme for several seconds, their hands trembling.

“I don't want this to be everything I am Elena. I know what you think, that I'm still a kid, that I don't think things through."

“Maritza I--"

“I know, you always give me the same worried looks but I'm not a kid anymore. I have thought about this long and hard. I have spent nights without a wink of sleep thinking of this."

“And you still wish to do it. Where will you even go? What will you do there? How are you going to keep yourself fed?" Elena crossed the room, taking Maritza's trembling hands into her own.

Maritza's voice was soft but full of passion as she said, “I am going to the city of Aquerintos first. I have a friend there who says I can stay with him for a season, while I sort myself out."

“You're not talking about Patroklos, are you? Maritza, you know he's barely got himself put together."

“He's been doing better, he has started working as a potter and it's been going well for him."

Elena paled when her suspicions were confirmed, a wave of nausea raising from her stomach. She bit her lips and focused on the soft touch of her friend's hands.

“There is nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?" Elena said after a few seconds, her voice filled with resignation.

“No, I will do this. I need to do this, for my own sake."

Elena couldn't hold back her tears, the knowledge splitting her hard in pride and sadness. “You were always so willful. I never could get you to change your mind."

“That's not true, you changed me a lot. I'm better because of you. More careful, more aware of my flaws."

“I obviously didn't do enough."

“Come with me." Martiza said with passion, grasping the orc's hand tightly in hers.

“What?" Elena couldn't believe her ears, for the second time that day her friend had taken the rug from under her feet.

“Come with me to Aquerintos. We can start a new life over there. We can discover ourselves and then, we could travel the world. You know there's nothing we can't do when we work together."

Elena stepped away from her red haired friend, her hands seeking support in the nearest wall. “I can't. I can't do that."

“Of course you can, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

“I can't do that Martiza. I can't leave my family behind. They need me."

“Elena." whispered Maritza with shock in her voice.

“Dad has started to forget things, mom's back is acting up and none of my brothers have a good head for business. I can't leave them like that."

“We won't be together then."

“No, we won't."

The two friends shared a look and at once, they pulled each other into a tight hug. Warm rivers of tears slid down their faces, their sobs echoing in the small room. A single though running through both of their mind: We may never meet again.

“I hope you'll be happy." Maritza said between sobs, clutching the fabric of her friend's dress.

“I hope you'll be happy too."