Excerpt:

"What pleases you this fine morning, Jeremy?" Delmar asked looking at him with a curious expression.
"I was thinking of how my mother would have loved to see this." Jeremy gestured to the dragons wandering about. "The colors are amazing. She really would have enjoyed this." Pain shot through him unexpectedly. "Maybe she could have if I hadn't killed her." The last sentence was scarcely a whisper.
"I'm sure that she would have. Is your mother waiting for you at your home?" Delmar asked.
"No, she and my father were killed earlier this year." He tried to shut down the emotions rushing through him like waters rushing through an opened dam.
"I am sorry for your loss and suffering. They must have been fine humans. You must miss them very much. You are very brave, coming here to help us while you are still grieving for them."
This made Jeremy feel small. He had caused their deaths and this elf was commending him on being brave. They were fine humans, he agreed but the one they raised had not turned out as they had planned.
"Yes, they were wonderful people. I miss them very much." Tears clogged his voice. Clearing his throat, Jeremy changed the subject. "Do you like living here, or do you miss being around other elves?"
"Sometimes I miss my people but this is my home. I choose to stay behind when others left. I could not bear to leave my home. The villages that were given to the elves were very beautiful. I have visited many of them. But I wanted to stay where I had chosen to live. It is very unfair to force someone to live in a way that they do not choose."
"I agree. I must say that you are very brave, Delmar. For staying, for fighting in what you believe in. I'm sure your family is proud of you also." Tears that Jeremy thought were under control, flooded his eyes.
"Yes, my family has pride in what I am doing but they have great fear also. More than one elf has been captured or killed for being in the company of another race. I know the consequences for my actions but my cause is greater than my comfort should be."
Jeremy watched as tears flowed down the elf's cheeks. Delmar made no move to wipe them away. As if the tears somehow signified the pride and the sacrifices that he would make for his home and all the people he loved in this world. Jeremy wondered what it would be like if he loved and sacrificed that much. Would anyone worry about him, or be proud of him, now that his parents were no longer with him?