Chapter 1: A Morning Like Any Other
Rising early as was the norm for him, Nevyn freshened up, put on his clothes, grabbed his travel-bag and other essentials and finally grasping his staff firmly in a hand headed downstairs. His dark hair was neatly combed back from his forehead to fall towards his shoulders, and the expression on his face was serene as always. Though he looked to be only in his late twenties, Nevyn's face and eyes betrayed a wisdom found in one far older.
There was an urgency to his steps this morning though, for after breaking his fast he intended to head out of the village today for a few days to Willow's Edge; he had never visited the fort before and intended to go there to ask the guardsmen if they had seen any unusual traffic coming in from the west. As the journey would take a couple of days Nevyn intended to make preparations for the trip, such as purchasing travel rations, camping gear and perhaps an old horse that would make the journey easier.
Seated at his favorite table and digging in to his usual breakfast of eggs, bread and cheese he was startled to hear the commotion about Vyria's fiance being missing. At first the mage did not speak, thinking the Tanner had simply been busy with work and lost track of time. But when the lad Glenn was unable to find him and the young lady present at the inn, Yseult, appeared concerned as well Nevyn decided to speak up.
"Let us not be hasty my lady, perhaps Alvar fell asleep in his shop, or had a visit from some relatives and is busy entertaining them," Nevyn said gently to Vyria. Glancing towards Yseult he added, "Yes, perhaps a visit to his shop might be in order before raising any alarms. He could be there snoring away for all we know."