Edwinem's Secret Escape from Eviellan

Edwinem's Secret Escape from Eviellan is the moment a diplomatic journey becomes a covert flight. Sent as one of King Unauwen's envoys to seek peace with Eviellan, Edwinem returns to Ristridin's castle in disguise, unwilling to explain what has happened but certain that he must leave quickly. His escape exposes the danger beneath the appearance of reconciliation: Eviellan's forces are growing stronger, and the route south into Unauwen is no longer safe.

Peace Mission and Foreboding

In Ristridin's account, the escape follows a mission that began with public hopes for peace. In spring, envoys from Unauwen arrived at Ristridin's brother's castle on their way to Eviellan. The company included Edwinem, who owned an estate in the Unauwen Realm but, like Ristridin, lived the life of a wandering knight. Other named envoys were Andomar of Ingwel, Argarath of Verredave, Marcian, and Darowin. They travelled at the request of King Unauwen, who had sent his best knights after the Lord of Eviellan had expressed a wish for peace to his father and brother, the Crown Prince of Unauwen.

The party's stay at the castle lasted one day and one night. Its members were hopeful, but Edwinem remained withdrawn. At the top of the castle tower, with the plains of Eviellan visible across the Gray River, he confided in Ristridin that a dark premonition troubled him. Edwinem knew his unease might be suspicion without cause; Ristridin himself argued that there seemed to be no reason for fear. Yet Edwinem could not set the feeling aside. He also feared that he would never see Forèstèrra again, the beloved castle far away by a wood and the sea.

Ristridin asked whether Edwinem feared treachery. Edwinem resisted saying the word aloud. The Lord of Eviellan had long been his enemy, and Edwinem had fought many of his knights, but none had behaved dishonorably toward him. That history, Edwinem felt, gave him no right to assume betrayal. Still, he privately doubted that the Lord of Eviellan truly wanted peace and judged him evil. He hoped that his foreboding would prove wrong, recognizing that the Lord's charm and resemblance to the Crown Prince made him all the more dangerous in Edwinem's eyes.

The Disguised Arrival

When the envoys departed, Edwinem's fear stayed with Ristridin. He postponed a planned journey to the Wilderness Wood, and Bendoe also waited rather than go without him. The two crossed the Gray River into Eviellan and heard no decisive news. Talk of peace and reconciliation continued, but so did reports that Eviellan's fighting men had greatly increased in number and were strictly guarding the border of the Unauwen Realm. As summer approached, Ristridin and Bendoe had to abandon their plan to explore the wood and prepare instead to travel to the City of Dagonaut for the great four-year gathering.

On the day Ristridin would see Edwinem for the last time, rain and sunshine came together. Vokia, Edwinem's old squire, paced uneasily, muttering about a dream and grumbling that he was not with his master. At sunset, an unfamiliar knight arrived at the castle gate and asked to speak with Ristridin without giving his name. The gatekeeper thought he came from Eviellan. His armor, shield, and horse were all black. Ristridin recognized Edwinem despite the closed visor and the visitor's pretence of not knowing him. He admitted the stranger without naming him; only later, when they were alone, did they greet one another warmly.

Edwinem explained to Ristridin that black disguise had been the only way to get out of Eviellan. He hated wearing it, and said that beneath it his white armor remained hidden, to be seen again soon. The disguise makes the danger tangible: the white envoy of a peace mission had to pass as a knight from the land he was leaving. Yet Edwinem would not, or could not, say what had happened. His arrival had to remain secret, and Ristridin understood that he had fled for a reason and was in haste. Edwinem needed a few hours' rest for himself and his horse; otherwise, he would not have stopped at all.

The Northern Detour

Edwinem initially meant to resume his journey after resting, taking the Third Great Road toward his own land. News that Eviellan had placed more troops along the border changed the plan. The southern part of the Unauwen Realm was largely under their control, and the border would be watched. The Vorgóta Forest remained safe, but Eviellan's fighters lay in wait in the Southwind Range, in greater numbers than a few months earlier. Edwinem therefore chose a detour: first north, then along the First Great Road to the Mountains. His decision is practical rather than explained in full; the account gives the threat and the route, while leaving the precise circumstances that forced his flight undisclosed.

Ristridin offered to help, but Edwinem said the matter concerned only his own country and king, at least for the time being. He described the journey as his strangest adventure: he was travelling in deepest secrecy, dressed in black, and fleeing as though death were at his heels. At the same time, he thought it might be his most important mission and hoped to reach his goal. A few hours later he rode away. He did not leave alone: Vokia, his old squire, followed him.

The Flight's Immediate Consequences

Ristridin remained behind in anxiety, fear, and doubt. The next day a company of red-clad riders crossed the river and headed north. When Ristridin and his brother stopped them to ask why they had entered Dagonaut, the riders said their ruler had sent them to pay homage to King Dagonaut for Midzomerdag. Given the recent improvement in relations between their countries, Ristridin and his brother had no grounds to prevent them from continuing. The announced ceremonial purpose, however, did not settle Ristridin's suspicions. Back at the castle, he conferred with Bendoe and his brother: Ristridin wanted to follow the riders and keep them in sight, Bendoe agreed to accompany him, and their brother Arturin stayed behind to guard the border. Ristridin and Bendoe departed that same day.

On the road they heard that an unknown knight had joined the red-clad company, wearing black armor and carrying a red shield. The account does not identify that knight here, but the detail echoes Edwinem's disguise without making the two descriptions interchangeable: Edwinem wore black armor to escape Eviellan, while the later report adds a red shield to the unknown rider. That echo extends the uncertainty of the escape into the pursuit that follows. Edwinem's departure is private and unexplained; its consequences draw Ristridin and Bendoe out after a group whose stated mission of homage sits uneasily beside the growing military pressure and Edwinem's warning that the appearance of peace may be deceptive.