The Elf Girl

by Grabo, Markelle

  Our first stop was the library. It was the most impressive collection I had ever laid eyes on. The walls were completely covered with books, with four large round tables and a few couches crowding the room for reading and studying. Candles and a fireplace gave the room a bright glow, and the scent of books filled the room. The atmosphere was comforting, and reminded me of the many times I lost myself in the wonder of books.

  After spending as long as I could in the library, Jacqueline told me we had to keep moving. The ballroom was next. It was a glorious room with a rich hardwood floor. Chairs to sit on between dances lined the walls and instruments sat on a stage at the back, consisting of a grand piano, a harp, and a few fiddles. Imagining the room filled with dancers and music made me wish I had come to the palace for a ball, instead of the real reason I was here.

  Jacqueline also took me through the kitchen for a quick look. It wasn’t fancy at all, a huge change from the rooms I had seen so far. Jacqueline explained that kitchens needn’t be fancy, because only a few elves besides the cooks worked within its walls. I met the head cook, an elf whose power was the ability to move things with his mind. He said that it made retrieving ingredients and cooking multiple dishes incredibly simple. I agreed.

  Afterward, we went to the first floor, where I was introduced to the guards who occupied the palace today. I saw Aditi and Wren, and finally understood why they looked so unusual compared to the other guards. Their ability was to shape-shift into birds. Aditi could be a hawk, and Wren could be a small falcon. Now I knew how Gavin had changed into a bird when I was being taken to the capital.

  I learned that shape-shifters were a valuable part of the war. They could travel fast and attack from the sky as well as the ground. They explained that all shape-shifters were important in the war. However, Aditi, Wren, and Gavin had been chosen out of hundreds of shape-shifters to be part of the Queen’s guard.

  Thane was a shape-shifter as well, but he took the form of a fox, which explained his sly look. The only other shape-shifter was an elf with army-green eyes named Arnold, who we met as well. He took the shape of an eagle. I saw Gabriel again, and asked about his power. I had only seen him for a short amount of time the night before and hadn’t had the chance to ask. Jacqueline told me he could see up to five miles away. He was chosen by the Queen to be her extra set of eyes.

  I hadn’t expected a tour of the palace to be so interesting, but after meeting with the guards and learning more about elfin abilities, I wasn’t as disappointed with being unable to leave the castle. I lunched with Jacqueline in the dining hall around noon. Stellan joined me, and as we ate, I told him about the guards I had met. When I asked him what he had done all morning, he only shook his head. He was simply following Thane around as he did various jobs. I felt bad for his lack of adventure, but he told me not to worry. I didn’t like the fact that all three of us were separated during our stay. With Stellan courting me and Addison practically a sister, they were the closest elves I had to family here.

  After lunch, I reluctantly hugged him goodbye and went with Jacqueline once again, hoping Stellan would be able to do at least one interesting thing today. Together the elfen guard and I toured the entire palace except for the fourth floor. I was even shown the other guest rooms. My favorite, besides my own, was the blue room. It reminded me of the ocean. Jacqueline informed me that the blue and purple rooms were the favorites of the guests.

  “What now?” I asked her once we were done.

  Before she could respond, Gabriel approached us and tapped Jacqueline on the shoulder. He handed her a note and then departed without saying a word. Jacqueline opened the folded piece of parchment and her already large eyes widened.

  “You are to go to the fourth floor to Lady Cora, Queen Taryn’s sister. She wants to meet with you,” Jacqueline whispered. She looked surprised, as if this was an odd request.

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “She never asks for visitors,” she informed me grimly.

  “Why? Doesn’t she like visitors?”

  “I’m afraid the visitors are the elves who don’t enjoy her company very much. Not the other way around.”

  “Because of what she did with Elvina and how she started the war,” I guessed.

  “Yes. She rarely leaves the palace. Most of the elves in Tarlore are forgiving, but some are not so kind,” she explained.

  “It’s terrible that she has to hide away like that.”

  “The war is terrible. Lady Cora has a great life compared to those who have lost theirs fighting for the mistakes she made,” Jacqueline said angrily.

  I could tell what Jacqueline’s view on the war was now. I wasn’t sure what my thoughts on the subject were as of yet, but I would probably have a better opinion after meeting with the Queen’s sister myself.

  I followed Jacqueline up the two flights of stairs and into a nicely furnished Victorian style room. It was all green, with hints of brown here and there. I could see two doors, one that led to a bathroom and another that might be a second bedroom. The main room was not only a bedroom but also a parlor, complete with couches, a table, and chairs. It reminded me of an apartment, a very well off apartment.

  I followed Jacqueline over to a sitting area where Lady Cora herself greeted me. Her black hair was pinned up like Queen Taryn’s, but not as fancy. She wore a simple brown dress with gold lace trim. Her attractive green eyes watched me intently. She stood up and I put my hands out to her. Now that I knew what to do, I didn’t waste any time greeting her. She took my hands and then we parted.

  “Thank you for coming, Ramsey,” she said in a sweet voice. “As you probably have already assumed, I am Lady Cora.”

  “Thank you for asking me to meet with you. I hear you don’t often have visitors,” I said.

  “Jacqueline, you are dismissed,” Lady Cora said, as I sat down in a chair across from her. Once Jacqueline was gone, Lady Cora responded to my earlier statement. “No, I don’t have visitors often. I don’t invite visitors, either. For an elfen in my situation, visitors can be unpleasant.”

  “Then why did you summon me?” I asked her.

  Lady Cora sighed. “Because I know you are different.”

  “How so?” I asked, wondering how she could possibly know anything about me without meeting me until now.

  “You do not see things the way other elves do,” she told me.

  “That’s because I have been here only for a short time,” I reminded her.

  “No, Ramsey, it isn’t just that. You are who you are for other reasons,” she said.

  “Like my secret?” I guessed.

  “Sure. That’s one.”

  “What are the others?” I wondered.

  “Living in the Human Realm has given you the chance to look at things differently. You view fairies as more than just evil; I know that.”

  “How?” I asked.

  “It was merely a guess, because of your previous living situation. Am I correct?”

  I looked down and then back at her. I couldn’t find it in me to avoid the truth. “Yes, you are.”

  “You shouldn’t be ashamed. You have the right to your own beliefs and opinions. Don’t allow a needless war to destroy your images of the Realms.” She paused. “Even so, you must think of me as a terrible elfen.”

  “Actually, I…I don’t,” I admitted.

  Lady Cora smiled. “I’d hoped you would say that.”

  “How do you know so much about me?”

  “The knowledge I have gained is written across your face,” she explained.

  “It is?” I asked, a little skeptical of her explanation.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “I thought your power was making bubble shields,” I remarked.

  “I learned to read faces. It isn’t a gift or a power,” she explained. “It is not a difficult skill to master, once you learn to understand how emotions are displayed.”

  “I see,” I said, wishing I had a cup of tea or a cookie to fill the awkwar
d silence growing between us.

  Before I could find a way to fill the silence, Lady Cora leaned closer to me, her green-eyed gaze locking onto mine. “I wanted you to come here so you could learn the other side of the story. I wanted you to know firsthand why I did what I did. That way, you can decide for yourself what to think. You are a special elfen, and you deserve to know as much as you can about your Realm and the Realms around you, especially because of your past and your secret. I want you to have all the facts. And I know if anyone could understand what I did, it would be you.”

  “Tell me then,” I suggested, both intrigued and wary of what I might learn.

  So she began her story.

  ~15~

  Lady Cora’s Story

  “I had been very good friends with Elvina’s parents for almost ten years when she was born. When elves and fairies socialized, I traveled often to the Woodland and Element Fairy Realms. I was treated like family. When Elvina was born, everyone was devastated over her mother’s terrible death. Her father couldn’t manage taking care of Elvina alone, and he was too heartbroken to be around the baby for a long time. When he asked me to live with them and help, I immediately said yes. Elvina’s mother had been my best friend. It was the least I could do after she died. I also cared deeply for Elvina. She was a beautiful Woodland fairy baby, without one trace of her Element fairy father’s nature. Not that I had anything against Element fairies at that time,” Lady Cora assured me. “Caring for her was my life. I never thought of anything else. I even chose her name….My world revolved around her. I felt as if she were my own child and my own flesh and blood. I never loved someone so much.”

  I thought of my own parents, the ones I never knew. Had they loved me in the same way, even though they had abandoned me?

  “We were never apart,” Lady Cora continued. “Her father wasn’t around that much because he was still grieving. When he did come around, we behaved like a family. Everything was perfect. Life was simple and wonderful. Then one day, everything in my life changed.” Lady Cora stopped for a moment, collecting herself. Then she went on. “Elvina’s father came to me and advised that I return to my own Realm. He had met someone new who would be his partner, and who would take care of Elvina. He thanked me for all I did and then told me to leave. I was not only heartbroken, but also confused. I had no idea what I would do with my life without Elvina. Like I said before, she was my life.

  “I left, but I had to come back. Ramsey,” she said, her features expressing nothing but honesty, “believe me, I never wanted to hurt anyone. However, I couldn’t just leave her there. I couldn’t live with myself knowing she was going to be part of a family that would never care for her as well as I had. I used my power to take her back to the Elf Realm. Things seemed fine until a week later. Then King Vortigern contacted my father and told him that the Element Fairy Realm wanted Elvina back. They wouldn’t just allow a fairy child to be stolen. I begged my father to refuse. He knew how much I cared for her, so he agreed. The declaration of war came swiftly. The elfin people begged my father to reconsider, but he wouldn’t. He was a very determined elf, never backing down from a challenge. Then he died….Queen Taryn wanted to end the war. But she was full of pride, and she cared for me and Elvina too greatly.” Lady Cora wiped tears from her eyes.

  I understood Lady Cora now. I could see the love she felt for Elvina in her eyes. She had done what she thought was best, not only for herself, but also for Elvina. She put her love for Elvina before anything else. She had true courage because she followed her convictions and made the only choice she thought possible. And she couldn’t have predicted that a war would start as a result of her decision.

  Hearing this, I knew I could not judge her for her actions.

  “I’m deeply sorry I started this war. I wish I had thought of another way to stay with Elvina,” Lady Cora explained. “It seemed like it was my only option at the time.”

  I nodded. “Where is Elvina’s father now?”

  “The last I heard, he was living a comfortable life with his new partner and their children.”

  “He doesn’t want Elvina back, does he?” I guessed.

  “No, he doesn’t now that he has his own family. It’s all about pride now, just pride. No love is involved,” she said, with an edge of scorn to her voice.

  I nodded slowly, then reached my hand out and placed it over Lady Cora’s.

  “I understand why you took Elvina,” I told her. “And although it is very unfortunate and disturbing that this ridiculous war even started, I’m not angry with you. I…I admire you.”

  “Your support means a lot to me,” she responded quietly.

  We sat together quietly for a while, neither of us knowing what else to say. But Lady Cora’s face brightened as the sound of an opening door broke the silence.

  “Elvina is back from the city. I’m glad you will be able to meet her,” Lady Cora remarked.

  I turned my head, and my eyes widened as I watched the Woodland fairy enter the room. Her feet hovered just above the ground as she flew over to join us. I could see her iridescent wings fluttering as she neared us. Her long, shiny auburn hair was wavy and cascaded over her shoulders. She had pale skin and pointy ears, reminding me of the similarities between Woodland fairies and elves. Her warm brown eyes sparkled when she saw us.

  “A visitor, I see,” she commented, as she sat down beside Lady Cora.

  “Elvina, this is Ramsey, the elfen I was telling you about.”

  “Oh, yes! I’m very sorry about your sister. I have prayed to Fae for her safe return every day since I heard she was taken.”

  “I heard about Fae back in Birchwood City. Do you pray to her like elves pray to God?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes. If anyone can help you find your sister, it will be Fae.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “She can help because she loves all creatures, even elves. If you let her, she can guide you.”

  “But I’m not a fairy,” I said.

  Elvina smiled. “As long as you trust her, she will lead you.”

  I nodded, taking in her words. “Well, thanks. That’s very thoughtful of you,” I said.

  “No need to thank me. It’s the least I can do. This whole war is my fault anyway…,” Elvina sighed, trailing off.

  “Don’t say such things, Elvina!” Lady Cora said, her voice raising an octave.

  “If I hadn’t been born, none of this would have happened, and you know it,” Elvina pointed out.

  “But Lady Cora is right, Elvina. This war isn’t your fault. The way I see it, the war was a huge mistake from the beginning. The confusion on all sides cannot be solved with fighting, so the war continues only because everyone is too stubborn, proud, or afraid to make the necessary decisions to resolve the conflict. You can’t blame yourself for that.”

  “I have never heard it expressed that way, Ramsey. How does one with limited knowledge of our history have so much insight?” Elvina asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s just how I see it,” I admitted.

  “Thank you,” Elvina said, immense gratitude filling those two little words.

  The brilliance of her clear, sparkling wings took my breath away, sometimes hurting my eyes to look at them. I tried to avert my gaze, but I was drawn to their immense beauty. For a moment, I wished I could have them as well. I wondered how it felt to fly.

  Straying away from touchy subjects like the war, Elvina told me about her life as a Woodland fairy in the Elf Realm. She said that elves accepted her very well; it was Lady Cora they shunned. They believed the war wasn’t Elvina’s fault because she was just a child when it began twenty-nine years ago. Every day she went into the city and worked as a street vender. She sold floral arrangements as well as fairy cakes that she made herself. She called her vender cart A Taste of the Fae, which I thought was a clever name. She was also popular among the elves, despite her differences. I envied Elvina. In the Human Realm, I had not been the least bit popular, and I had been different
as well.

  A wave of nostalgia suddenly washed over me. I remembered my loving human parents and my foolish, hormone-driven sister. I remembered Carmen and my favorite bookstore. No matter how much I loved the Elf Realm, a part of me would always miss parts of my old life. I would just have to try to get over the sadness creeping up inside me. I had more important things to do than feel homesick.

  Before Jacqueline returned to the room to escort me to dinner, I learned more about Elvina. Most important was that she desperately wanted to visit the Woodland Fairy Realm. Since coming to the Elf Realm, she had not set foot out of Tarlore. She wanted to be around her own kind for a change, and to be free to go wherever she desired. I felt sorry for her. I couldn’t imagine what life must be like for her, not ever being able to go home. Kind of like my situation in the Human Realm, only I hadn’t known the Elf Realm was my real home then.

  As if she had read my mind, she told me before I left, “No matter what has happened in my life, I am happy. Would I be happier with my own kind? Who knows? Maybe I would. But I can live with not knowing for now.”

  I admired her ability to accept her situation. Someone else had decided what sort of life she would live, and in turn, she managed it the best she could, without complaints. She reminded me of Blaire. I knew I should probably follow their examples, but it was hard. I had gone from a simpler life to one that was difficult and complicated. Yet I knew that if Elvina could manage her life, I could too. I would just have to try harder. I had met others with difficulties, and they had managed to adjust.

  I would have to do the same.

  ***

  “You have fifteen minutes to freshen up before dinner,” Jacqueline told me when we arrived at my room.

  “Okay, thanks, Jacqueline,” I replied.

  She nodded and stood guard by the door. I shrugged and went inside. Jacqueline still hadn’t warmed up to me yet, and I wondered if she even trusted me.

  I almost cried out with fright when I saw a big hawk sitting perched on one of the end tables. I was too surprised to scream, so instead, my mouth hung open soundlessly, and I shook with fright.