~Nari~
This is necessary. This is necessary. A stepping stone to get what I need. That’s all. I had to keep repeating that sentence to myself in order to stay calm. But my heart ached continuously with worriment for Mycah and Rydan. I hated this waiting period I seemed to be stuck in. All I wanted to do was waltz into that castle and get them the hell out of there.
But instead…I was bathed like a dog. Seriously! A dog! Granted, it was fabulous taking a steaming-hot bubble bath, but the part where ten-plus maids all had their way with me in said steaming-hot bubble bath sort of tended to put a ‘this sucks…I hate this’ spin on the whole ordeal.
Point is, it was extremely uncomfortable and not in the least bit relaxing. I felt like I was being violated the entire time. My grandparents insisted with the kind of stubbornness that I knew could only come from the Woodlinn bloodline, and I had no option of refusing them. “A queen must be seen in all her royal elegance when receiving her crown.” My grandmother’s words still echoed in my head.
I huffed as I stared into my own eyes that were reflected back at me in a framed full-length mirror. It was like I was falling into the depths of outer-space…my eyes were that black. It totally freaked me out. But I couldn’t seem to turn away at the same time.
“Ow!” I yelped, when my hair snagged on the comb one of the servants wielded.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” she cried, bowing down low to the ground.
“Hey, it’s cool! It’s cool…don’t worry. All better now.” I smiled big, afraid that later she’d go beat herself up over this or something with the way she had reacted. My goodness. I didn’t think I could ever possibly understand the servant-master thing. I was equal to this girl in every way. I was no better than she was, and yet she treated me like I was…well…a queen.
When all would finally be said and done and I didn’t have any more wars to start or people to rescue from executions, I’d be adding ‘Do Away With Servants ASAP’ to my to-do list. No one should be made to feel like they were less of a person than anyone else. We were all equal in this kingdom, and frankly, I had been taking my own baths for nineteen years. I was pretty sure I could manage them by myself for the rest of my life.
Oooh, but wait. I turned my head when the girl was done with me, still looking in the mirror. This whole hair fixing thing, though…now that I might be able to live with. She handed me another mirror so that I could see the back.
“Oh, my wow,” I squealed in delight. “I love it so much. Thank you!”
She smiled wide as she curtsied to the ground. I couldn’t stop staring. It was pulled back very loosely in large curls that still hung down to the middle of my back, but what was so beautiful was the intricate braiding together of my hair with silver strands resembling branches. Small but very detailed silver leaves decorated them, and it wrapped around the hair from the middle of my head down to the ends, holding everything together in a very relaxed ponytail-type do. It was stunning. “Thank you, Mîrwen. Really, I love it. It’s very beautiful.”
“It is my pleasure, My Queen,” she responded shyly. Though uncomfortable with my openness, I could tell she was satisfied with her work and the fact that I was happy with it.
“And I know Lady Estel will love it, too,” I added, referring to my grandmother. I had finally learned her name once I had heard the servants using it.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mîrwen said, bowing. I bit my lip and held back a cheesy smile. These titles were way too weird.
“Okay, look…can we maybe…not…do that? Could you please just call me Nari?” As I said the words, she looked at me completely horrified, like I had said the worst curse word known to man. “Or Nariella at least. Please? And who knows, maybe we can even become friends. I’m going to need one in this realm. My best friend who usually does my hair and makes me all done-up and pretty is far, far away from here. I probably won’t ever see her again. And trust me. I’m really going to need a friend who’s a girl,” I said sadly.
She eyed me suspiciously, probably not knowing how to respond, or more likely wondering how she got stuck with such a crazy person as her queen. But I could see a hint of a twinkle in her eye at the possibility of becoming friends, and that was enough for me. I’d take it. It meant there was a promise of hope, and hope was the only thing I had left in my life.
My grandmother walked in once I was ready to be showcased in front of the kingdom like a Ferrari at a car show. I took a deep breath while she looked me over. Her hands slid down the silk ribbons of my dress that hung loosely in the back—a cream and pastel-green gown that was both modest and elegant. She touched her fingertips just slightly to a spot on my hair and let out a small sigh. “You look so much like your mother, my sweet Nariella.”
“Thank you.” I blushed. Bad. I could feel the burn extending from my cheeks down to my neck. Having someone’s full-blown attention on me like this always made me uneasy. My eyes roved the dressing room where we stood in search of a distraction. It was decorated simply—all rustic and earthy, as if we were inside of an incredibly large tree. There was a washing basin and wooden furniture here and there, along with many plants of different kinds.
“Lle desiel?” Estel asked slowly in Elvish. “That means: Are you ready?”
I nodded my head in reply, but I wasn’t really sure if I was. I wanted to be, I really did. The problem was I had no idea what to expect next, and the unknown never failed to be uncomfortable. My mind constantly wandered back to Mycah and Rydan. I just wanted to get this over with so that I could continue to only worrying about enlisting a large enough army to save them. So if that meant I needed to get through this whole coronation thing to do that, then so be it. I was more than ready. “Yes, I’m very much ready.”
My grandparents, father, and several elves from my very own personal guard escorted me. Mmhmm, yep. That’s right—I now had a personal guard to follow me everywhere I went. I leaned in closer to Ender and whispered, “So, we’re like, totally leaving after this, right?”
“That is correct,” he whispered back.
“Are you sure we can do this and still make it to the other neighboring lands in time? Because seriously, Ender, if not, I will ditch this popsicle stand this very second. Mycah, Rydan, Naminé, and Cathar are more important.” I kind of whisper-yelled at the end, so I smoothed out my dress while reining myself in to act calm and natural again.
“Popsicle stand?” he asked like I was crazy while looking around.
“Yes! Popsicle stand. You know,” I waved around, “Oh, just forget it.”
“In that case, yes, my dear. We will make it with the help of Námoman. He should reach the furthest castle in a three-day’s ride. If the king there accepts, combined with the Noldor Elves I visited myself whilst you were taking care of Aglar, that will provide us two armies, plus the army of Lassaira, leaving the last two kingdoms for you and I to travel to. We can reach both within two-days’ journey of each other, and as long as there are no more unforeseen occurrences or extenuating circumstances, that should put us right at the eve of the Hunter’s Moon.”
“And there’s really no other kingdom that could be reached in time? I mean, you said yourself that Ohtar has massive amounts of those ugly creatures just waiting in the wings for him. What if five armies won’t be enough?” Already I started panicking, just at the thought. It had been a constant fear I had in the back of my mind and probably would continue to be until the moment the war was over. Voicing it out loud made it that much worse.
“It will be enough.” Ender grabbed my arm roughly, causing me to stop walking. His eyes burned into mine. “Do you understand? It has to be enough.”
I nodded as my lungs heaved. I was trapped in his determination and unwavering hope. Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms around his waist. I admired his strength. If there were one thing I could inherit from him as my father, I’d hope that it was his strength. God knows I needed it more than anything.
“Everything well?” Estel asked us. I real
ized then that because Ender and I had stopped walking, so did everyone else. Oops.
“Yes, we’re fine. Sorry about that.” I smiled to reassure her.
We continued on until we reached the courtyard. The thousands of beautiful white flowers and white paper lanterns that hung everywhere the eye could see overwhelmed me. The entire kingdom waited for me to walk out and be crowned in front of them. I took my first step onto the bed of flower petals that were scattered in a path that led to the pavilion made of entangled branches. My heart beat like crazy. This all felt like a dream. I couldn’t believe it was happening.
My grandparents, along with their Fëa, stood on either side of me while Ender stayed watching from the sidelines. Lissë was right there next to me also, so I embraced her warmly but quickly, accepting her presence for comfort. Thankfully, I had already met with all of the important elves of Lassaira that were of a higher status than my grandparents, and they gave me their blessing beforehand.
Döron commenced the ceremony by speaking in their native tongue of Elvish while Estel picked up the royal crown of Lassaira from the pillow it sat on, carried by an elegant High Elf of the kingdom. Enchanting melodies were paired with singing as the intricate, leafy, silver crown was lowered to my head. My grandfather ended with, “Our Lady, Queen Nariella Ashwyn Woodlinn.”
The smoothness of the polished metal wrapped around my forehead in a perfect fit, and I lost my breath for a brief second as warm clapping and singing from the crowd filled the air. It was finally done. I was officially no longer an abomination in the eyes of the Tavas’Elda.
The entire army of Lassaira stood in perfectly formed lines and crossed their longbows over their chests in unison, the sound of it echoing throughout the kingdom. They pledged their service to me, their queen, in swift turns of fancy signals and fanfare.
And it was beautiful to watch.
But above all else, a deep pain stabbed my heart. If only I could have shared this moment with Mycah and Rydan. Only then would it have been perfect.
The wonderful smell of open meadows and wildflowers filled my senses. Lissë galloped with all her might, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the wind. The sun that shone high overhead was a bit irritating, which still surprised me. Since the moment I had first stepped into Luïnil and felt the pure sunrays on my skin, it had been as if coming home and nothing could have felt better.
But now? Well, now, the sun almost suffocated me. The light was still nice and precious, but it was just…different. I craved the fall of night and thirsted for the light of the stars and moon to take over.
I guessed this was what Mycah and Rydan must feel like. It was what being a night elf meant—I could finally understand. And that bothered me to no end. I didn’t know the reason for the change, and I wondered if I would ever one day reconnect to the wood elves again like I once had. I really hoped I did. Especially since I was now their queen.
My gaze swept to Ender as his horse ran hard to keep up. We only had five days left before the night of the Hunter’s Moon. We were close to our destination. I could see the mighty mountain that was home to the neighboring dwarf kingdom from here.
I mean, if elves existed, of course dwarves did too, right? No biggie.
“Allow me to do all the talking, Nariella. Dwarves and elves do not take kindly to one another,” Ender shouted. I didn’t even try to hold back my eye-roll. I shook my head, not surprised by this statement at all.
I flicked my attention to the rear, where six of my personal guard followed on their own set of horses. I had flat out refused their presence, but apparently I had no say in the matter, and they would be accompanying me everywhere I went. If I had time to waste I would have argued this point further, but it’d just have to wait for another day when lives weren’t hanging in the balance.
We all slowed in unison upon reaching the gate to the intimidating stone city of Gorrym. Ender dismounted, so I followed suit. He suddenly stopped and turned to me. “Perhaps it might be best if you stayed here, Nariella.”
And I didn’t even argue. “Yes, yes. Whatever. Just go.” I waved him on, knowing he knew best either way. As I said, we didn’t have time for arguments, and if it gave us a better chance of success, then I was all for it. The only thing I cared about was getting this army on our side. Ender could handle it, I was confident. I watched him enter the heavy gate that had opened just for him after he had requested to see the king. The rest of us waited on pins and needles, giving the horses and Lissë a much needed break.
Hours later, I sat up from my lying position once I heard the gate opening. Ender emerged and explained that he had good news. The dwarf lords were in agreement with us—they, too, didn’t want to see Ohtar gaining all that power, and even more than that, not happy with his growing army of Uglies to go along with that new power, should he inherit it. They wanted him dethroned.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. We were invited to dine with the dwarves for the evening and sleep off our weary travels. It had been a two-day ride to get here, so I couldn’t be more grateful. It would be another two days to the next kingdom that we needed to enlist, followed by a three-day’s ride to Aselaira. It was almost time.
After eating, my exhaustion alone put me fast asleep in a feathered bed.
“Okay, so now what?” I asked Ender. The last of the armies we had needed refused to join and fight with us. I had learned prior to arriving that they were of the skin-changer tribe—the ability to change from large human form into a beast. They were different from shape-shifters, who could change into almost anything they wanted. But skin-changers could only change into one form and it would always be the same. This particular tribe, I was told, were all giant bears when in their beast form—and to be honest, they scared the living daylights out of me.
“We must ride to the border of Aselaira without them. It matters not. We can win this war regardless, and the night of the Hunter’s Moon is in three days, which is precisely the amount of time it will take for us to journey there. The rest of the armies will be marching there as we speak, and we should all be arriving concurrently.” Ender mounted his horse. “Let’s ride.”
I barely had time to voice any affirmation before he took off in the direction of Aselaira. Thankfully, I already sat on Lissë, so she followed Ender like a flash of lightning. I held on for dear life as the wind rushed my face. I didn’t need to turn around to make sure the Tavas guards were following. I could hear that they were.
The anxiety over what was to come in just a few short days sent my stomach rolling, and I prayed that Ender was right about not needing that last army. I was dying to get to Mycah and Rydan, but I was equally anxious about starting the war. This whole pre-battle thing was killing me. I needed it to begin already. A fierce longing gripped my chest to see Mycah’s face.
Eventually, those three days it took to reach the border of Aselaira passed us by. It felt both faster than the blink of an eye and like it had been the longest three days of my life.
The instant my body entered into Isil territory, I felt it to my core. A strong sense of home slithered through my veins. The sick part was, I could feel the darkness that the land was seeping with. The further we rode toward the castle, the thicker it felt. The land was dying. It was mourning the loss of its true king.
And it made me sad.
Ender led the way to our meeting point with the other armies. My jaw dropped from the sight alone. Thousands and thousands of soldiers covered the grounds for what seemed like forever. The entirety of the armies wasn’t even visible to me where I sat on Lissë’s back. But I knew they were there. Dwarves, wood elves, and iron elves. And the Noldor Elves, who above all, were most famed, powerful, and cunning in war. With them on our side, we just had to win.
“I see that look in your eye,” Ender muttered to me in a deep voice.
“What look?” I asked, surprised, as I absent-mindedly twirled strands of Lissë’s mane between my fingers.
“I believe it is called ‘impatien
ce.’ I have seen it there before. Many times, in fact.”
“What do you mean?” I shot him a look, even more surprised. But he had me. “Okay, well yeah, maybe I am a bit impatient right now. It’s just, what if we don’t make it in time? We should leave immediately, don’t you think?”
“We will—In a few hours at sunrise. Until then, the horses must take rest. We have a long day ahead of us until we reach the castle. Come, you need rest most of all.”
I dismounted and let my father lead us through the secured trees until we reached a place to sit. Tents and campsites were set up in lines across the expanse of the forests we hid in as we waited on the edge of the knife for war to begin.
It was the eve of battle—a vicious period that almost felt worse than actually fighting. My legs were restless and wouldn’t keep still as they bounced up and down. I was a ball of nerves as I sat next to a crackling fire. As Ender informed me, we had a day’s ride ahead of us to reach the castle, and I knew that wait alone would be enough to have me tearing out my own hair.
My grandfather greeted me then. Immediately I worked to distract myself and said to him, “Thank you so much for doing this. For assembling the army and leading them here. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for your help.”
“There is no need for that, my child. This is your army now. You may do whatever it is you find most important, and I will be there to support you, as will your grandmother,” he replied.
I wanted to voice some sort of deeper gratitude, but how could I ever put into words how much that meant to me? Námoman joined us before I could think of anything else to say, taking a seat next to Ender. I gave my grandfather a meaningful look and squeezed his hands before I sat back down on the ground. He took a place at my side, but remained standing.
“So, my father never got the chance to tell me who you are exactly,” I said to the strange elf. Hopefully he knew that was a hint to tell me more about himself.
The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 102