by Mike Ezekiel
Kerwyn heard a voice in his head talking to another being much older than the queen. He wasn’t entirely comfortable knowing that there was a conversation going on in his head that didn’t involve him. Just then, the queen focused on Kerwyn and said in his mind, “You are a very special young mortal and I am pleased that you have come into our domain. Your guardian has told me all about you and how important you will be in the coming storm.” Kerwyn was a bit confused by what she was saying but knew that it would be all made clear when the time was right.
Kerwyn also spoke in his mind and said, “Your Majesty, thank you for welcoming me into your home. I have seen things beyond your boarders that are an atrocity to nature. Master Sernett and I have come to find you. We saw the Fairy Queen and she wanted us to come to you.”
“I know all about the Fairy Queen and her wishes; she and I are kindred spirits and although I will not live forever like she will, we both share the long life and neither of us want to see the Dark Master spread his evil across the land. I am in agreement with her that the Dark Master needs to be stopped or it will affect all of our peoples. I will listen to what Master Sernett has to say. Be welcome into my home, Kerwyn, and enjoy all that we have to offer. You and I will talk again and I look forward to it.” With that, her voice melted from his mind and he could hear her talking to each of his party members. Kerwyn wondered if he really had heard her, as it did not appear as though anyone else had heard his or her conversation.
“Welcome to our home. I’m afraid that we do not have lodgings for such tall guests as our new friends, the Cyclopes, but I have a room waiting for you Master Sernett, Kerwyn and Durin. Please follow Alvar; he will bring you to your rooms to freshen up. We will meet for supper later on after you have rested and freshened up,” the queen was happy with how the events had turned out and she left them, walking back the way that she had come.
Kerwyn smiled and walked over to his master. As he was walking he could hear the Cyclopes talking excitedly amongst themselves. He could hear Baldred the Cyclops warrior say in a hushed whisper that the Elf Queen said in his head that he would be taught how to be an Elvin warrior and how to use bow and arrows. Celie was saying that she was promised how to use a sword and that she would become a great warrior. Even Elden the Cyclops tracker was saying that she had told him that he would be taught all the secret knowledge of the Elves in tracking prey and would be able to track so silently that he would be able to pluck a feather from a pheasant’s butt. He laughed at that, “Can you imagine, a big guy like me sneaking up on a little wee bird and plucking a feather from its butt before it knew I was there? That would be something!”Looking over at Baldred Kerwyn saw that even he was smiling.
Turning back to his Master, Kerwyn said, “Master Sernett, I thought I heard her in my head just like when we met the Fairy Queen.”
“You did, Kerwyn, we all did. Look at Durin; he looks like he has seen a ghost or just eaten a big bug.” Kerwyn turned to look at Durin and saw that Master Sernett was right; Durin did not look too happy about the encounter at all.
“Master Durin, are you alright?” Master Sernett called out. Durin shaking his head quickly and clearing his expression looked at Master Sernett and made a sign with his hand. Kerwyn almost missed the hand movement but looking at his Master he knew that it had meant something to him.
Just then the Elvin warrior Alvar stepped out of the ranks of Elves and told them all to follow him. Turning to follow him, Kerwyn really started to look around for the first time. Craning his head back as far as he could and looking up into the most enormous trees he had ever seen in his life, he felt very small and insignificant.
“These trees are sacred to the Forest Elves, Kerwyn, you will be amazed once we enter them and you will see an amazing Elvish feat,” Master Sernett spoke from his right side.
“I hear that they are very much like what us Dwarves do with our kingdom inside our mountains, except that the Elves use magic, where as we Dwarves take pride and carve out our domain the hard way; using sweat and blood,” said Durin from Kerwyn’s other side.
As Alvar walked into one of the tree’s bases, Kerwyn’s eyes opened up so wide that he thought he might loose them onto the floor. Walking inside the tree was like walking into another universe; there were carpets, silks and furniture everywhere. The space was so much bigger and wider inside the tree than outside. Also the trees were huge but the inside of them were easily five times the size as the diameter of the outside of the tree.
“Master Alvar, how is this possible? The room is much bigger than the tree is on the outside?” asked Kerwyn
“Master Wizard, the answer is in the magic. Have you not heard of the Sack of Holding? That item is based on our magic. What you have is a space and time void that allows it to be much bigger inside then outside. Another item that uses the same magic is the Elvin Quivers. We are able to store hundreds of arrows in our quivers compared to normal quivers that can only hold up to fifty arrows or so. That is why we do not run out of arrows on the battlefield very often. We carry more arrows for a lot less weight,” explained Alvar as though he were talking to a small child.
“I have heard of them but I have never seen them before. This is all new to me,” said Kerwyn, still fascinated by his surroundings.
“If you’d like, Master Wizard, I would be more then happy to show you around and answer any of your questions once you have freshened up and had something to eat,” offered Alvar sincerely.
“I would very much like that Alvar. I would really appreciate the opportunity to see your wonderful home,” said Kerwyn smiling.
“Just remember, Kerwyn, that we are here on a mission so don’t get into any trouble and stay out of the Elves’ way. We are guests here so we want to be on our best behaviour and that goes for all of us,” Master Sernett pointedly looked at the four Cyclops with a stern expression on his face.
“What does he mean, Byamee? We are full grown Cyclopes warriors. What kind of trouble does he think we could get into?” asked Baldred with a chuckle and Elden and Celie joined in the merriment, laughing as well.
“No, Baldred, Master Sernett’s correct. We need to be thoughtful of our hosts. They are not used to company and definitely not the way we showed up. We need to ensure we represent the Cyclops nation and prove that just because we are big does not make us slow or stupid. We are Cyclops and we need to show that we are proud and honoured to be here,” said Byamee sternly.
We understand, my husband, and we will be on our best behaviour as well. Besides, they have offered to teach us the way Elves fight and this will give us a much-needed advantage when the time comes,” said Celie with pride for her family and husband. Smiling, all of the Cyclopes agreed to be the best they could be.
“Ok, Master Dwarf, here we are at your room. I’m sure that you will find everything that you require inside. If you need anything further please just ask any Elf and we will get it for you,” said Alvar pointing to a room on the left. Up a little further, they came to another room but this one was on the right hand side. Walking through the door, Kerwyn was amazed again. The room was bigger then Master Sernett’s whole house. Kerwyn’s sleeping chamber here was about the same size as Master Sernett’s house. Kerwyn could hardly believe that this was inside of a tree. It even had indoor plumbing for running water and a chamber pot so they did not have to go outside to use an outhouse.
“Master Sernett! Come look at this; they even have a chamber pot inside of a tree! This place is amazing! How do they get the water to come to these taps and how do they get the waste to go out? Where does it go, anyway, and where are they getting the water in the first place?” Kerwyn was so excited that he was asking too many questions at once and Master Sernett had no way to keep up with the answers because Kerwyn had another question out before he would even wait for the answers to any of his questions.
“Ok, Kerwyn, take a breath my boy. Yes, I agree, this place is amazing. There is no other place like it in the world. Take it all in and
learn as much as you can in the time that we are here. You may never see another place even close to this ever again in your life. You know how old I am and this is the first time I have ever been allowed into their trees. Now go get washed up and look; they even have clean laundry for us. Please get ready as fast as you can. I would very much like to taste some of the Elvin food that I have heard so much about throughout the years,” said Master Sernett with an almost childish step in his movements. Kerwyn giggled to himself and went into the wash area and saw the big tub filled with hot water. He stripped down and climbed into the hot, soapy water with a sigh of contentment.
About a half hour later, Master Sernett was knocking on Kerwyn’s washroom door. “Sorry, Master Sernett, I must have fallen asleep but I’m getting out now,” Kerwyn pulled himself out of the tub and started to dry off and walked towards the window to look out at the beautiful sky and trees. There below on the ground, sun tanning, was the most amazing girl he had ever seen in his life. She was almost as pretty as the Fairy Queen. She had honey coloured hair that looked like it would run down the entire length of her back; she had a petite but very well toned figure. All of her parts were in perfect perportion to the rest of her parts. Looking at her more closely he could tell that she was one of the prettiest Elves he could have imagined them to look like. He could not take his eyes off her. She must have had the feeling that she was being watched because she opened up her eyes and looked around with a start. Catching Kerwyn’s eye, she smiled up at him and gave a shy little wave.
Being shy himself, Kerwyn jumped back into his room, embarrassed at getting caught looking at this girl the way he had. Nevertheless, he thought to himself what a women she was and he found her perfect in every way.
“Kerwyn, come on, we need to get going. I’m hungry,” Master Sernett said impatiently.
“Ok, Master, I’m ready,” said Kerwyn. They wore the new wizard cloaks that the Elves had provided for them and Master Sernett inspected Kerwyn from head to toe. Taking in his new blue cloak he thought that Kerwyn really looked like a wizard and Master Sernett had never been more proud of Kerwyn than right now.
“Kerwyn, you look like a full wizard. You look really good, my boy. The only thing you need now is a wizard’s staff like mine to complete the look. Ha-ha, I’m just kidding, Kerwyn, you look fine so let’s go get some of that delicious food.” Walking down the hall, they passed by Durin’s door just as it was opening and out walked the dwarf wearing the most adorned Dwarven clothing that the Dwarf would ever wear in his life. Dwarf clothing with an Elfish flare to them, chain mail and all. However, the thing that caught Kerwyn’s eyes the most was the massive glowing Silver Hammer that Durin had looped in his belt. It looked excessively big for him but it seemed he was able to lift it with ease.
“Durin, you look great! You look just like one of those Dwarven warrior heroes that are in the bards' books back home,” said Kerwyn and the Dwarf smiled at the compliment.
Durin reached over and touched the Kerwyn’s cloak, “Well, Master Kerwyn, you look just like every wizard that I have ever heard of from bard songs as well.” They walked down the hall and out the door where they saw the Cyclopes. Kerwyn could not believe his eyes. They were all wearing shiny silver chain mail armour. Each had a shiny silver helmet on his or her head as well. They looked like a force that could take on a hundred Goblins all by themselves. Celie had a huge glowing Broadsword across her back that was as broad as Kerwyn was tall. Byamee had a very similar sword except that his had a curve to it like a Giant Scimitar. Baldred had the most impressive looking Bow and Arrows that Kerwyn had ever seen. The bow was made from silver and it glowed as well. Elden had a solid silver Spear with the wickedest looking point Kerwyn could have imagined and it also glowed. But what stood out the most on Elden was his elaborate and ornamental helmet. It had a bright red plume coming right out of the top of it and Kerwyn thought that he looked like a peacock. Elden noticed Kerwyn looking at his helmet and only smiled and wiggled his head to make the plume move like it was alive.
“Wow, you all look fantastic? Just like warriors straight from legends,” Kerwyn called over to them. They all came over to look at each other’s new wears. While they were all admiring one another, a young Elvin woman with long flowing honey coloured hair that ran down to the base of her back, came over to collect them for supper. Turning to face her, Kerwyn stepped back and flushed a bright red. Here was the same girl that was sun tanning below his window not more then a half hour ago. Smiling at Kerwyn with a little I-saw-you-watching-me-and-you-looked-handsome-too smile, she batted her eyes and cleared her throat, saying in the prettiest voice Kerwyn had ever heard. It was just like the most delicate singing bird in the forest.
“If you would all follow me, I will lead you to my mother and for supper.”
“So does that mean that your mom is the Queen of the Elves?”Kerwyn catching himself off guard again asked aloud before he could stop himself. He then blushed as red as his body would allow his face to go.
“Yes, Elysia, the Queen of the Elves is my mother and I am Erlina, Princess of the forest Elves,” she glanced sideways to see Kerwyn’s reaction to this news and Erlina gave another small smile and a small blush when she noticed that Master Sernett was smiling as well.
“Ah yes, but we had better get going. We don’t want to keep my mother waiting. Also the food is much better when it’s hot.” Smiling shyly at Master Sernett once more and taking one last flirtatious glance at Kerwyn she turned and started off in the direction of the biggest tree Kerwyn had ever seen in his life.
Entering the grand hall was like nothing that Kerwyn could have ever imagined and Kerwyn believed that they could have put every human from his village and every Elf into this one room. Kerwyn bet that this room could have easily held three hundred people. The grand table was so long that Kerwyn did not think a table could be so big or wondrous. The hall was so tall that the highest tower of his village would not even come half way up as high as this ceiling. There were carvings all over the walls and ceiling, depicting various Elvin battles. There were even sculptures of Elvin heroes. The artwork was amazing and the paintings seemed almost to come alive. Everything was made as if it had grown straight out of the tree that now was their permanent home. Even the windows had stained glass reflecting the sun’s light, scattering colors over the table and the large, sculpted chair at the end of the hall. The chair was the most intricately designed thing Kerwyn had ever seen in his life. It was designed to resemble a stag’s head, topped with the biggest set of antlers that he had ever seen. In fact, upon closer inspection, there were multiple sets of antlers. “What a magnificent creature this would be to see in real life,” Kerwyn thought to himself.
“Master, this chair; what deer would this have been made to look like? I have never heard of such a magnificent creature. I would have remembered seeing anything in the books of magic about this,” said Kerwyn
“Kerwyn, Cernunnos is the Elvish God of the forest. This creature does in fact exist. My master told me a long time ago that he was at an Elvish ceremony and the God of the forest appeared before them. It is only the very lucky ones, who are destiny marked by the gods, who have ever seen him. For this God is the most peaceful of all the Gods. It rules the forest with Mother Nature’s help to keep his domain free from evil. His law is of nature and the circle of life; the strong will survive and the weak will become food to keep the healthy alive,” explained Master Sernett.
“Master, how is Cernunnos peaceful if he lets his creatures be killed and eaten by stronger creatures?” asked Kerwyn
“Kerwyn, that is the way of nature’s rule. You eat pork; beef and chicken plus you eat all kinds of plants that are also alive that you may survive. You would not stay alive unless you ate them, right?” Master Sernett asked Kerwyn.
“Yes Master, but I don’t kill them, “said Kerwyn.
“True, but you still eat them none the less and dead is dead, no matter who does the killing. Also I have never seen yo
u turn down a big plate of pork dripping with gravy,” finished Master Sernett.
“You are right Master I guess I never thought of it that way before. So all living things must follow Nature’s rules to survive and if so, then why do we have creatures like the Dark Master and his minions?” asked Kerwyn.
Just then, a musical voice said from behind, “That is a very fair question Kerwyn, but one that poses no simple answers. The Dark Master is a creature of pure evil. His desire to rule and kill the entire world has damaged his mind and his normal nature. His minions are creatures spawned from his insanity and they no longer have souls. Maybe that is the simplest answer, after all, a creature with no soul does not follow Nature’s rule. That would be why Mother Nature despises them so much. They kill just for the joy of killing. Some do not need to kill to survive; ghouls and zombies are like this and they do not need to eat to survive. All evil creatures enjoy the hunt as much as the final kill. Then there are even types of creatures that feed on fear and on the souls of the creatures they kill like lynches and wraiths. It empowers them and gives them some sick enjoyment to torture the innocent and helpless. Some creatures must eat the living to survive like trolls, orcs and ogres and yes, even the very undead vampires,” said the Queen of the Elves.
“But your Majesty, why doesn’t Mother Nature and the other gods kill all the evil creatures and then all that would be left would be good?” asked Kerwyn.
“Ah Kerwyn, we cannot have one without the other. That is just the way of the universe. You cannot have good without evil to show you what is good, and you cannot have evil without good, otherwise all life would cease to exist. The Dark Master does not realize what would happen if he ever was to win. All Life would cease to exist and everything would have to start over,” the Elf Queen was about to continue when a gong sounded indicating that the supper was about to start and for everyone to take their seats.
“Speaking of having to start over, my friends, let’s have a supper together and talk of better tidings.” As with all royalty, the queen turned and expected that her wishes would be carried out without having to repeat herself. She made her way to the head of the table where her rightful place was. Kerwyn looked at his Master, smiled and followed Master Sernett to their places close to the queen where honoured guests were to sit, along with the royal family. To Kerwyn’s surprise, he was seated next to Erlina and blushed every time she looked over and tried to talk to him. Kerwyn hardly noticed how wonderfully seasoned and tender the meat was. Nor did he notice the potatoes and all the other food that he was popping into his mouth, as the only thing on his mind was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen: Erlina.