“That was the thoughts with the humans before your people took out most of our best. Now its any that can be trained gets it up to a point. Commoner know how to use the tools available to them as weapons, sons of nobles learn the art of war. Humans weren’t always a war like people we just have become so because of the wars.” Roland sighed. “but lets talk of other things. What was your favorite thing to happen to you when you were little?”

He thought about it. The best thing? That was a hard on to think of. "I think the best thing had been being able to go out on my own. Now I'm not allowed out without a guard." He told him. It had been a great thing. While it lasted. It ended sooner than he would have liked.

“When you were free to go where you liked where did you go? This could not be the only place you went, or else they would have found you after a time.” Thinking about it Roland started to wonder how old Calanon truly was. He looked to be in his early to mid twenties but then it could be different with elves. If he was around that age then they were near to the same age but if he was older then… he could not think of what he would do or think if Calanon was.

"This is the only place I came when I was free to go where I liked. Once I had to have a guard with me, I stopped coming. I didn't want them to know about this place. Its special to me." Calanon told him. He hated that he had been forced to stop coming to his favorite place, but he was happy that he could now.

“this was your favorite place and they never found you?” Roland sounded surprised as he flipped over to get a better look at Calanon. In the process of flipping over he splashed him. “sorry.” He said a bit sheepishly. “How long did you come here?”

"Yep. They never found me." Calanon told him. At least, as far as he knew they didn't find him. He didn't mind when Roland accidentally splashed him. The water felt good anyway. "I've been coming here for a few years, years ago. I was just a child then."

Diving under Roland came back up on Calanon’s other side and shook the water out of his hair. “so how old are you really? I have heard that elves live for hundreds of years if not killed.”

"We can. I just haven't lived nearly that long. I am 23 years old. Haven't lived that long yet." Calanon told him. "And how old are you?" he asked, curious now.

“I am 22, which is old for just getting my knights shield but then my father took a long time in accepting me as becoming a page in the first place. So I was a few years older than my year mates when I was a page and squire. Not that being older when you’re a squire matters, your only with your knight master and not really anyone else unless he is at one of the palaces.” Swimming around the prince he splashed him on purpose this time, seeing if he could get him into a splashing contest.

"Looks like we're close to the same age." He said. He started getting annoyed that Roland kept splashing him. It was fine the first time. But now he couldn't stand it. Which made him splash back.

Laughing Roland splashed back.

Calanon couldn't help but smile as he splashed back.

After spending some time splashing each other, Roland laughing stopped. “That was fun, been a long time since I have gotten someone to just splash around with” his stomach growled loudly. “But I think that my body is wanting something to eat.”

Calanon nodded in agreement. That had been fun. He got out of the water and went and got the food before sitting down in the grass. "Let's eat then." he stated.

“Why do your people seem to hate me?” Roland said as he grabbed some meat out of the basket to nibble on before laying down, leaning on his elbow to look at Calanon. “I know the war but I was never a part of it, so why hate me?”

"Its because your a human. Over time, they just stopped liking them. Otherwise we wouldn't have been at war in the first place." Calanon told him, eating some food himself.

“You know no one has ever been able to tell me way your people attacked the kingdom of Olau. Do you happen to know?” Roland lay back in the sun and just let it warm him as he listened to the birds and animals.

"Your people attacked us first. We had to retaliate." Calanon told him. That was one of his first history lessons he had to learn, so he made sure to remember it.

“Interesting, the way I was taught your people attacked first with no provocation… not that I am saying you’re wrong. Far be it for me to know what happened a hundred or so years ago.” He smiled hoping the prince would not get upset about how his people taught the history of the war.

"And the way I was taught was that your people attacked first with no provocation." He stated. He thought for a moment. How could both sides say the same? It didn't make any sense to him.

“you know I remember this one dispute that I had to help settle that was kind of like this. You see we had these two lords that both clamed that the other was a thief and that they had the right of it. The story went that their grandfathers had been friends till one day one of the grandfathers stole the others best horse to breed with his mares. So every few years they would file a dispute on who’s it was with the crown. Now after a while of the courts not finding the answer to this dispute it came before my father, who thought it would be a good case for me to fix. I went back into the records and found that the horse that had started the whole dispute was not even theirs to begin with it had belonged to a traveling merchant and they felt that it should have been their right to breed their mares with it because the merchant stayed at a inn in the middle of their lands then offered the horse up as payment for staying so long.” Roland hoped that Calanon would see what he had been trying to say. The case its self had been so mixed up it had taken him three days to explain it to the two parties and near the end of it he was about ready to call them both the offending parties and have them pay a fine to the crown.

Calanon was silent as Roland was talking. A part of it made sense. But the other part was a bit confusing. Not that he let that show on his face. "I guess that makes sense." he eventually told him.

“I don’t mean to be to confusing but the whole thing was so it’s going to be.” He smiled. “ever kissed some one other then your family?”

He shook his head. "No. I don't really spend much time with other people other than my family or the servants in the castle." he told him.

“Well you could have…” his comment went unfinished as elves dressed in forest colors burst from the bush around them and pointed weapons at them. Roland had his sword drawn only moment after they were pointing weapons. These were the kings secret guard trained in stealth and subterfuge. Even the prince would not have heard them coming.
“Walk away human and leave the elf to us.” Roland moved back so that he could see Calanon as well as see the ones on his side. They had surrounded them as they had been talking. “You need not get hurt. Ride away to your home and be safe.”
“I think not.” Was the only replay Roland gave as he stood guard.