Astonished I looked back at the horse. Seeming to read my mind Eliak laughed, "Yes, he is old! Older than he looks like me, but like me he still has what it takes."
At Eliak's words the slack muscles in Ervallion's body tensed, as he swelled up his posture in response to his master's praise. Eliak continued on answering my unspoken question, "Your father was my commander. We were on a mission patrolling our interests in the Litian Plains. We were about to be ambushed, when I spotted some Zoarinian sanctioned bandits in hiding up ahead of us. We turned their near ambush of us into a rout on their part. We killed most of them and captured the rest. It was a great campaign victory. As the unit's commander, your father, was summoned to the high council to be specially honored for the success of the mission. He, among other things was given Ervallion as a gift for his service, but he refused telling all present that the success of the mission was due to me and insisted that they give me the gifts and honor of victory instead. Your father was not the kind of man that cared about achievements or glory. He was a good man. I……all his men, would have done anything he asked us to do."
Eliak gripped the fence post with one large hand as he spoke in remembrance of the past. I almost expected to hear the wood squeeze flat under the grip of this bear of a man.
"Your father had the true gifts of a leader. He didn't have to raise his voice to be instantly heeded by his men or offer them any other inducement than his word for them to believe him. His men knew that he would die for anyone of them, if need be and that he always had their best interests at heart. It was not right for him to die the way he did. Not having a chance to face his enemies with a sword in his hand. You remind me of him a lot in some ways."
I spoke softly into the evening shadows, "I wasn't very close to him. I felt like he disapproved of me in some way. I think now it was really just that he lacked the ability to communicate to me how I needed him to. I would have liked to have known him better." I replied.
"That was how it was with my father too. I made sure to not let that distance happen between my children and me." Eliak said.
"You have been very kind to me Eliak. I wouldn't have made it without your help. Thank you Eliak."