Aelwen had been preparing to be leaving the monastery on her own to continue her quest - she had assumed that Elena would be making her way back to Fourtrees after the visit to the monastery. She gave her farewells to Gavin, and was just about to begin to farewell Elena when her friend surprised her with the decision to accompany Aelwen on her journey.<br/><br/>"Elena, are you sure? What about your family? I know they will miss you terribly if you are gone for long, and I would hate to put a strain on your relationship," she replied worriedly. But Elena was insistent, and Aelwen had to admit that she would dearly love the company on her journey. "Well, dear friend, if you are sure, I will be only too happy to have you accompany me," she conceded with a warm smile. It was so nice to know that Elena was on her side and believed Aelwen's side of the story regarding what had happened in the royal family.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>The journey forward was taxing - they had to ration out their food and water and choose carefully which hours of the day that they would walk, and at what pace they should walk to be able to sustain it throughout the day. They eventually came across a merchant which was a pleasant occurrence - they would be able to buy some more food to help them to last longer on the road. It was still quite a long journey and they didn't know whether they would be able to buy any other food before they reached Nar.<br/><br/>Aelwen decided to sell the majority of what they had - everything except the necklace she had given to Elena, and the Cosmology tome (so 702 gold pieces I believe). They thanked the merchant gratefully, and then continued on their way.<br/><br/>When they reached the giant ruins, they decided to explore them - and while they were in the wine cellar, Aelwen found a secret room (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=66276), which contained the private journal of Lord Estark. It was fascinating to get the insight into the life of the giant, and both she and Elena learned a lot from reading the journal.<br/><br/>As they set up camp for the night, Aelwen smiled gently at Elena's question. "Please... don't call me princess. While we are out here, Elena, I have no status. We are just friends out on a journey together, and I would love for you to treat me in that way, not any differently based on what you found out at the monastery. I hope you understand?" she asked hopefully. She didn't want to be seen as superior to Elena in any way - she already greatly admired her companion and viewed them as being of equal standing in the travelling party.