At the outskirt of the city of Fiammel, in the western part of the Kingdom of Safira, is a large and magnificent-looking mansion. And not too far away from the said mansion is a large lake whose water sparkles under the light of the sun. Both the mansion and the lake are quite popular and attract hundreds of visitors each year. And yet despite the popularity of the two local sceneries, they’re not the main attraction in the area. No, that honor belongs to a man in his twilight years: Lord Ernest Rochford.
Lord Ernest Rochford or just Ernest to those close to him is a renowned painter and a viscount whose fame resounds throughout the land. He started his career as a painter in his teens and worked his way to success through hard work and dedication to his craft. Success didn’t come easy for him though. For about two decades, his work remained relatively unrecognized. And it was only through the recognition of his talent by a famous art collector and critic of that time did people took notice of his work.
But this was all the impetus Lord Ernest needed to gain recognition in the field of art. It was said that almost overnight, the once unknown painter became a celebrity adored and praised by countless art lovers, powerful figures, and common people. This was especially true for the commoners as Lord Ernest himself hail from a common background. The only reason he has a title and was called “lord” was because the king of his country of Safira made him the kingdom awarded him the title of viscount after recognizing him as the kingdom’s national artist.
Both the title of viscount and his recognition as a national artist only made Lord Ernest more famous. His fame became so great that emperors, kings, princes, and other powerful figures would often commission him to paint paintings or portraits for them. Moreover, whenever one of his paintings became available for auction, wealthy collectors would flock to the auction house for a chance to get their hands on his work. It was said that every one of his works cost several thousand to tens of thousands of gold coins apiece.
But despite his accomplishments, fame, and wealth, Lord Ernest was far from satisfied. No, he does not desire more fame or gold as he has more than enough of both. What he wished for was to paint his greatest masterpiece – his magnum opus. Indeed. Despite being an accomplished painter, Lord Ernest has yet to paint a painting that could rightly be could his greatest masterpiece and this fact bothers him greatly. This was made worse by the fact that he’s not getting on the years and as days trickle by, he could feel his body getting weaker and weaker.
Feeling the sense of urgency, Lord Ernest could no longer wait so one certain night, after a sumptuous dinner at his mansion, he finally made his intentions clear.
“I want to go on a journey,” announced Lord Ernest.
Hearing Lord Ernest’s words; his three children, their spouses and children, and even the servants could only gape at him.
“W-what did you say, father?”
Arnold, Lord Ernest’s eldest son was the first one to recover from the shock. He then proceed to ask his father to repeat what he had just said as if doubting what he had just heard with his ears.
“I want to go on a journey,” Lord Ernest repeated without missing a beat.
Realizing that they did not mishear Lord Ernest’s words, bedlam broke loose in the dining hall. His three children and their spouses spoke to him almost at the same time – telling him to stop jesting, that his old and a journey at his age is dangerous, and this and that – all in an attempt to change his mind.
“My mind is made up,” Lord Ernest iterated with a deathly serious expression on his face. “So save your breath.”
Seeing that nothing could change Lord Ernest’s mind, his children could only give up. Still, they wanted to know why he suddenly decided to go on a journey.
“Father, why did you suddenly want to go on a journey?” His only daughter asked while looking distraught.
“I want to use my remaining time to pursue my dream,” He answered.
“Pursue your dream? Didn’t you already accomplish it? I mean, there’s no painter more famous than you in all of Safira or even the nearby lands!” His youngest son boasted, showing how proud he was of his father’s accomplishment.
Everyone present in the large dining hall nodded their heads in agreement with the youngest son’s words.
Lord Ernest had accomplished something that very few of those in the same occupation had ever accomplished – building up fame and wealth through his paintings.
“You’re all mistaken. I have never set being famous and wealthy as my primary goal. My success was simply the result of people recognizing my skill as a painter, and a lot of luck.” Lord Ernest explained. He then adds, “of course, that didn't mean that I’m not thankful for those people's support. Without my supporters, I would not be where I am now nor would I be able to give such a lavish life to you all. After all, the only thing I’m good at is painting.”
Silence filled the dining hall. Everyone could feel that Lord Ernest’s words were heartfelt and sincere. Even the once boisterous children became quiet after noticing the atmosphere in the hall.
“My dream is to put the most wondrous sight in the world on canvas. I wasn’t able to do so when I was still a struggling artist. And when I became famous, I was too busy painting for my clients. But now that I’m old and had little time left, I believed that it’s time for me to pursue my lifelong dream…”
“…Where do you plan to go, father?” His eldest son finally asked.
“Up north – to the land of the elves,” answered Lord Ernest.
“The land of the elves? Why there?” His daughter asked.
“I had a dream… or perhaps, a vision? In my dream, I found what I was looking for in the land of the elves.”
A look of dismayed appears on everyone’s faces. A dream? Are they supposed to allow an aging man to journey to a faraway land?
‘I know what you’re all thinking but nothing will change my mind. I will follow through with the journey whether you agree to it or not.”
Lord Ernest’s sons and daughter looked at each other and saw the resignation painted on each of their faces. Now that their father had completely made out their mind, nothing short of physically binding Lord Ernest could stop him from leaving on a journey. Of course, none of them is willing to go through with such a brutish act. After all, they respected and love their father greatly.
“Then who are you taking with you father?” The eldest son asked.
The eldest son would regret asking that question. That’s because their father’s reply is nothing short of a bombshell.
“None,” replied Lord Ernest.
“Besides my old horse, I won’t be taking anyone else with me.”
“That’s insane!”
“You can’t father! It’s too dangerous!”
“I’ll go with you. Please bring me along!”
“Please reconsider, my lord!”
Hearing that Lord Ernest will be going alone and was not willing to bring anyone else besides his old horse, the dining hall broke into a cacophony of noises much worse when he broke the news of his desire to go on a journey. Even the butler, who has stayed silent all this time could not help but beg his lord to reconsider his decision. Alas! Nothing they say was able to change the mind of Lord Ernest. To makes matter worse, it was even decided that he would start his journey the day after tomorrow.
Although unwilling, Lord Ernest’s family could give in to his demands and allow him to travel to the land of the elves on his lonesome. That being said, they did make him compromise on something, and that was to bring another horse with him on his journey – a healthier and younger horse that served as a pack-horse and as a reserve just in case he needed to change horses while traveling. Moreover, to ensure that their aging father would remain safe, they hired a group of the most skilled adventurer they could find to protect Lord Ernest in secret.
There’s just no helping it. Although Lord Ernest wanted to complete the journey without anyone’s help; his children will never allow their father to travel unprotected. After all the land is filled with wild beasts, dangerous monsters, and brigands who will not hesitate to attack a lone traveler.
That being said, the journey from Fiammel to the land of the elves would take several months to half a year which means that the cost of hiring the adventurers is quite substantial. Fortunately, the Rochford are extremely wealthy, and paying for the adventurers’ services is no issue for them.
Lord Ernest’s children watched their aging father walk towards his similarly aging mount and noticed his hunched back which made his not-so-tall stature even shorter. By paying more attention to his appearance, they also noticed how skinny he was. Moreover, looking at his face they saw that his face had become much more wrinkled, and his once clear blue eyes had become cloudy. There’s no denying it, their father had reached his twilight years.
Noticing all of this, Lord Ernest’s three children were greatly saddened. Just like their mother that died more than a decade ago, their father was leaving them too. Certainly, their father was just leaving for a journey to fulfill his dream but no one knew what would happen to him while he was traveling.
Will he reach his destination safely? Will he be able to fulfill his dream? And more importantly, will they see their father alive ever again?
These questions gnaw on their heads, and many times they have the urge to stop their father from leaving – forcefully if they have to. But upon remembering the determination in their father’s eyes when he announced his plan to travel to the land of the elves alone; Lord Ernest’s three children were somehow able to stop themselves.
As if sensing his children’s hesitation to let him leave, Lord Ernest turned around – took one good look at their faces, smiled, and nod at them as goodbye before turning around to mount his horse. And with a slight kick on the side, Lord Ernest urges his old horse to start walking forward.
Seeing Lord Ernest confidently starting his journey, his three children, their spouses and children, and the servants could only watch and weep in silence as they watch him getting farther and farther away before vanishing into the horizon.
Two years later, the Rothford’s mansion would be visited by a group of elves. These elves brought with them a large carefully, packed canvas and a copper urn.
