“Hmmm...”
“Well, D’rmas finally gets something that is not boring.”
They walked between the trees again and left the training ground behind. Bits of sunlight fell in tiny shafts, giving the forest a little taste of the daylight, it was missing. Siem saw a few squirrels jump from tree to tree, and birds flit through branches while chirping non-stop at themselves. A gentle breeze cruised through, ruffling leaves from the lowest branches. Everything was serene. Safe. Natural.
“I can see why the elves would want to leave Kleas and retire here,” Siem observed.
“It’s unsullied by the chaos that’s unravelling outside.” Eldana supplied.
They got to a place where the trees formed an arched entranceway.
“Wow,” Siem said with awe written clearly on her face. “I had forgotten what excellent manipulators of nature the elves are.”
“Welcome,” a voice said.
Eldana and Siem looked up abruptly and spotted another elf.
This one looked young, but so did most of the elves. Siem knew the elf had probably seen more millennia worth of time than most things in the world. The only indication of age the elves had were their eyes. Their eyes glowed with the amount of knowledge and experience they garnered through their immortal lifetimes. The eyes of the oldest among them radiated with fullness, meaning, and age.
Eldana and Siem came to a halt as the elf approached.
“Hi.” They greeted.
The elf nodded and introduced herself. “I am Meko. One of Fraweyni’s lieutenants.”
Siem was about to speak, but Meko cut her off.
“There is no need for that. Fraweyni demanded that she see you as soon as you were awake.”
Siem was annoyed at being interrupted.
“What did you think I was going to say?” Siem asked.
“Introduce yourself. Am I wrong?” Meko asked cocking her brow inquisitively.
Siem quietened. She was boiling inside, but she hid it well.
“Now, if you are ready,” Meko said, cocking her brow, and gesturing for the both of them to follow her.
“Lead the way,” Siem said.
Meko turned and went into the arched pathway.
As they walked into the pathway, a little behind Meko, they were hit by the soft fragrance of fresh flowers. Their hearts beat slower, their countenances grew lighter. The pathway broke into a small glade, with a grove in the middle. The grove was hollow in between walls of vegetation. Flowers budded and bloomed everywhere.
“In there,” Meko said, pointing into the entrance to the grove.
Eldana and Siem began to go in when Meko stopped them.
“She will see you first.” She said, starting at Siem. “You, Eldana will wait out here with me.”
Siem looked at Eldana in a questioning manner, but Eldana nodded.
Siem nodded and sighed. “Here goes.” She said, walking into the grove.
Fraweyni lounged on a hammock made from vines. Her eyes flicked towards the entrance when she noticed some movement. With her mind, Fraweyni unwove the vines and controlled them to let her down slowly.
“Welcome, Siem,” Fraweyni said, a slight smile on her face.
Under Fraweyni’s gaze, Siem felt a compelling urge to prostrate. The elf was beautiful. More beautiful than anything she had ever seen. Her eyes were like little radiant balls of gold, her features slim and perfect. Her hair was woven into a ponytail, which she let curve out to the front of her shoulder. Her smile was scintillating.
And then Siem knew. This was the elf’s true form. The elves hid their true forms from the rest of the world, choosing to morph themselves into other shapes instead. And it was for good reason. With this level of beauty in the constant display, men, the humans especially would run mad with lust and desire. And though, an attack on the elves was often considered nothing but foolhardy, the Toas had seen enough to know that nothing stopped the humans – besides an impressive display of determination and strength – when they set their minds to covet something.
Siem’s words had been snuffed out, together with her breath.
Fraweyni gave a knowing smile. She was pleased whenever her beauty was able to produce reactions like Siem’s before her.
“I trust you are feeling yourself?” the Elf Queen asked Siem.
She shook her head, bringing herself together.
“Yes, I am.” She replied. “There is only the problem of a missing time I cannot account for.”
Fraweyni smiled. “Why don’t you take a seat.”
With the flick of her fingers, branches grew rapidly from the surrounding trees, and petals from the flowers above fell – a lot of them in a flurry until they formed a cushion on the seat.
Siem smiled. “You all seem perfectly comfortable here, in the Ciroc,” she observed.
“Well, the elves are creatures of nature after all. And though we have had to put up with the rest of the world, since the reign of Camin and Lowus, the recent outbursts of chaos have led us to seek better homes, ones we can easily defend for ourselves. We believe things will only get worse.”
Siem nodded.
“But you can change that, can’t you?” Fraweyni asked. “You, Eldana, Hermon, and the rest of your group.”
Siem looked at Fraweyni, trying to discern if she could trust her. Fraweyni stared back. Siem decided that she would have to trust, their love for privacy, their tendency of non-involvement, and their pride as a race.
“We are trying to,” she replied slowly.
“It is nice to see a group of people trying to create a path for themselves other than that which the gods have selected for them. It is a wonderful attempt, but one that is often fraught with tragedy.”
“We entertain the possibility of that in our hearts. However, nothing can ever be done if there is no hope or optimism.”
“Hmmm” Fraweyni mused. “Optimism.”
“Tell me about your childhood, Siem,” Fraweyni said suddenly.
Siem was a bit taken aback by the sudden change of events. She did not know what the elf was aiming at, but she did know that she was supposed to display a level of courtesy. She was their guest after all. Siem started small, from the first memories of her childhood, in a small town in Tonar, and her father, whose face she could scarcely remember.
“What
