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Fiel quickly ducked into the other room and changed. The clothes were very comfortable, if a bit too lightweight for high-altitude flying. He returned to Lukas with a smile. "I'd be happy to let them keep the recipe after this if they want it. It's not just nutricious, it's very tasty. All right, I'm ready to head down and eat."
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Lukas smiled, "that makes it even better" and then led the way to the kitchen, sitting down at the table.
Fiel took a moment to speak to the head cook and explain his recipe to her. emphasizing which ingredients were most important so the food didn't spoil. Then he told them to just ask if they needed anything and went to join Lukas at the table. "By the way," he said. "I assume you have warm winter clothes and traveling gear? You will need them in my home in the mountains as well as during the flight over."
“I do…somewhere, I can get help to find them though” He smiles at Feil, “how long did you say the flight?”
"Two days, at the longest," Fiel answered. "Provided everything goes smoothly of course. At the halfway point is. We will not be stopping at any point in this journey, nor is there anywhere to stop. I can make an emergency landing in the water if I have to, but I'd rather not. The water will be rough and cold, and taking off again would be extremely difficult. So, long story short, I suggest you wear your thickest, warmest clothing, and pack a nicer outfit for when we arrive. We must travel very light so I can save my strength, so ask me before you pack anything else please."
Lukas nodded, "The only other thing I would bring would be my book that I write in," He said, trying to mentally plan what he would bring, so that he could do it easier.
"One book is fine. It's that one I've seen you use lately, right? That's not too big or heavy. I keep a diary myself, actually." Fiel politely asked a passing cook if he could take an apple from the nearby basket, then bit into it thoughtfully. "Another thing to consider is whether to make our departure public or not. I know–" He lowered his voice apologetically. "–I know your parents may not be interested in seeing you off, but what about the people of your kingdom? Do you think they should be told where you're going so they don't assume you've been kidnapped by a foreign power?"
Lukas shrugged, "the only people who would care are the workers in the castle, and I am sure they will know, but if it makes you feel better, we can make it public" He said and picked at a spot on the table.
"No no, it's completely up to you. Your father knows where we are if anyone asks questions. Personally, I'd rather keep this quiet—it means we can leave all the more quickly. Besides, we have to consider the risks as well. A lot of fanfare and publicity will draw the attention of anyone who does not like us so much. There could be negative talk or even aggressive action." Fiel was used to thinking of things like this. In his own kingdom, the royal family was popular and rarely had to fear any attack from their own people. But earlier that spring, on a diplomatic journey to a different kingdom, Fiel had witnessed an assassination attempt on the ruler he'd been discussing an alliance with. The man had survived and the alliance was forged without difficulty, but it was clear that not everyone liked the idea and were willing to go to extreme measures to stop them.
He said none of this to Lukas though, not wanting him to worry. "Lukas, do you want to complete your swimming lessons before we go, or are you…..satisfied with what you learned so far? I can also continue lessons once we reach Tarilon, if you prefer. The water is beautiful there."
Lukas nodded, "I agree, and I would like to wait till we get to Tarilon, I mean…here it is just the same place that…it happened..but somewhere else it would probably be easier for me to learn, and not panic about it" He smiled slightly.
Fiel brightened. "That's a good point! I hope that's true. My mother says you cannot heal in the same space where you were hurt. Maybe she can have other insights for you—if you want to talk to her about it, of course," he corrected himself. "We can keep this between you and me if you prefer. But my mother is very good at helping with all kinds of injuries whether they affect the body or the mind. She's one of the best healers in Tarilon. So if this is a problem we can't solve by ourselves, I suggest we speak to her."
"I would not mind talking to her, I mean…I could use the insight. " He smiled. "she does seem like a great person…a great mother" He said sadly, obviously because his own mother practically hated him, but he was happy that Fiel had a better relationship with his mother, than Lukas did his own. "I can't wait to meet her. She sounds very wise"
"She is," Fiel said proudly. "You'll love her. She's already told me she can't wait to meet you as well." He could easily guess that Lukas wished for a more loving mother, and hoped that his own mother would be able to fill that empty space in Lukas's life at least a little. There could be no doubt she'd be eager to do so. "Well then, in that case, the only thing left is to actually pack everything and decide exactly when we are leaving." He glanced out the window. "It may be prudent to wait until tomorrow morning, if that works for you. I'd rather not fly in darkness more than I have to."
"tomorrow morning works great" He smiled. It gave him plenty of time to pack and say goodbye to the servants.
"All right then." Fiel returned the smile. "I'll help the cooks finish preparing our rations. After that, I was wondering if I could collect a few small things to bring back as gifts to my family? I already have some seeds from your wonderful garden, but I was hoping for a few other local items as well. Is there perhaps a market or a trading port close to here?"
Lukas nodded, "I can show you to the market afterwards, there are plenty of nice things there."
Fiel stood, rolling up his sleeves. "Thank-you, I'd like that very much. I will meet you back here in an hour or so, then, and we can go together. Fair enough?"
Lukas nodded, "all right, I can go pack then, so that I will have my things ready" he said standing up.
"Good idea." Fiel approached the cooks and courteously asked if he could be of assistance. He'd followed this recipe many times and knew it by heart.
Lukas went to his room and started packing, he packed light, as Fiel had suggested and picked out a nice outfit for when they arrived.
Fiel enjoyed himself in the kitchen. Pleasant small-talk was something he was good at, and the cooks were very nice company. He explained to them that this nut-bread recipe had been carefully designed to give Tarilonans like him as much energy and strength as possible without needing to eat more than a small portion. It was full of natural sugars and proteins, as well as certain flavors that quickly satisfied the appetite. Finally, after baking them over the hearth, cooling them, and carefully wrapping each serving in waterproof cloth, Fiel declared them finished and thanked the cooks for their help. He stacked them and carried them to his room to pack them away, then had just enough time to hurry back down and wait for Lukas to arrive.
Lukas finished packing and then walked down to the kitchen slowly, forgetting that Fiel was probably waiting for him.
It was a little while before Lukas arrived, but Fiel waved cheerfully to him all the same. "There you are. I got the food done. Think you have everything you need for tomorrow?"
Lukas nodded, "yeah I have some warm clothes picked out and everything" He smiled sitting at the table.
"Excellent. I'm glad you could find something that worked. In that case, do you still want to accompany me down to the market? I'd very much enjoy your company there."