The soft snow drifted down from the Heavens. Winter had returned to Narnia but it wasn't like it was when the Queen ruled. No, no. It was much more cheerful. Children were outside playing in the snow; parents were inside baking; and families were opening presents and enjoying each other's company. The smell of hot cocoa and tree-shaped cookies with green and red icing was every where in Narnia. All of it was so surreal. It seemed like it came out of a book. All of the families were happy. All of the families but one... the Faeries.
"No, no, no!" Elijah yelled angrily, throwing his arms up in the air, tears swelling behind his eyes. Fleur was sobbing as quietly as she could, for fear of what someone may think or say if they saw her. She held her teddy bear up above her face and hid behind a door, peeking every now and then. Elijah had a man up against a wall and the tears were now staining his clothes. "Yarael can not die, you hear me? Don't you let my love die!"
Elijah let the man out of his grasp. The man nodded, rubbed his neck, then ran into the room in which Yarael was residing for the time being. Elijah slumped down against the wall and buried his face in his hands. Fleur slowly came out from behind the door and dropped her teddy bear to her side, dragging it on the ground slightly. She approached her patri and made a noise to let him know of her presence. Elijah looked up at her and gave her a small, sad, weary smile.
"Patri?" Fleur said quietly as she sat down in front of Elijah. He picked her up and placed her in his lap. "What's happening? Why is mum sick? Is she dying?" Elijah sighed and ran a hand through Fleur's long, wavy hair. He kissed her forehead then turned her around so that their faces were in front of each other. "Fleur," he spoke, his voice shaky. "Mum'll be fine, I assure you."
Fleur threw her arms around her patri and rested her head on his shoulder. The door opened and the same man that Elijah had up against a wall came out, shutting the door behind him. He over lapped his hands and lowered his head slightly, trying to avoid Elijah's gaze. Elijah set Fleur aside and stood up. He stowed his hands into his pockets and stared at the man, never blinking, his eyes wide.
"We..." the man looked up at Elijah sadly. "We lost her." The man entered the room again and shut the door. Fleur felt it. Elijah felt it. It seemed as though everyone on the planet could feel it. The door shut on their faces. They didn't get to say goodbye. They didn't get to see her take her last breath. Elijah's face went pale. He dropped slowly to the floor.
Elijah closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. When his eye lids opened, he screamed. His scream echoed. Birds around the house flew in many different directions, clearly confused and scared. Then, there was no sound. No movement. No nothing. Not even a heart beat. Fleur fell to the floor with a loud thunk and gripped her teddy bear close to her face.
The door was kicked open by Elijah. He walked in, stomping as loud as he could. Elijah sneered at all who were around him and all who were in front of him, crowding the path to his late wife. He pushed past them. A few were knocked onto the floor and were left with scratches. Everyone but Elijah ran out of the room then left the house. Elijah sat down next to Yarael. He watched her, waiting for something, anything to happen.
When nothing did, he broke down in sobs once more. Elijah cradled Yarael's limp body in his arms and began humming a lullaby. Fleur closed her eyes and whispered a spell she had heard a witch do a few months before. The witch had told her that death was upon the Faerie family. She had not said who nor when... but someone would die. Fleur repeated the spell and when she opened her eyes, nothing had happened. Or at least that was how it appeared.
"Patri, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back soon." Fleur said as she tied a scarf loosely around her neck and slipped a basket over her right arm. She left the house and jumped off of the porch. Fleur looked around at her surroundings as she skipped down a pebble path that led from her house into the forest, the place where most of her time was spent ever since her mother died.
Fleur pulled the branches apart with her hands and stepped into the forest. She looked from side to side before continuing on the path straight ahead. The forest looked darker today than usual. Fleur shrugged the thought off and walked past one of the biggest trees in Narnia. She placed her basket down on the ground and dug through it.
A noise, unlike one she had heard before, sounded. Fleur's head shot up at the sound and her wide eyes examined every inch around her. She narrowed her eyes on a figure behind a bush. Fleur stood up, dropped the pieces of parchment she had gotten from her basket back into the basket, then walked towards the bush. She spread it apart and gasped as an elderly woman appeared.
Fleur stepped a few feet back and simply stared at the woman as she got up from the ground. "Hello, m'dear." she said, her voice raspy with age. Fleur furrowed her eye brows but gave the woman a smile nonetheless. "Oh," she said, nodding slowly. "Oh, I see. Age has done bad things to me. Treated me terribly. I know, I know."
The old woman neared Fleur and gave her a toad-like smile when she was close enough to hug her. "Who are you?" Fleur asked, curious as to what the woman was dressed in. "I'm Taliana Fiorella, 'course. Who else would be in the forest? I live here, after all." Fleur looked up to the tree tops as she looked back into her past.
"Taliana... Taliana..." she said quietly to herself, trying to get her memory to start up. "Taliana Fiorella, the witch?" Fleur exclaimed in a somewhat happy, somewhat shocked tone. Taliana nodded and sat down on a large rock. She moved a few bracelets farther up onto her arm, fixed her fly away hair, then smiled at young Fleur.
Taliana gestured for Fleur's basket and Fleur handed it over to her. Taliana put her hands over the basket and a bouquet of flowers appeared out of thin air, sitting inside the open end of the basket. Fleur's eyes widened and a smile crept across her face. Taliana gave the basket back to Fleur. Fleur, in a bit of a daze, took it then set it aside. The basket tipped over and fell out but Fleur hadn't noticed.
"Taliana," Fleur said, snapping out of her daze. "Why did you tell me that? About someone dying in my family? Why couldn't you have spared me the nervousness I had for nearly a year, always thinking that someone was going to be taken away from me? Or me taken away from my parents." Taliana sighed and pinched Fleur's cheek lightly. "I'm sorry, m'dear. But you needed to hear that. For reasons that I shall tell you."
Fleur smiled slightly. "What reasons?" Taliana returned her smile but only slightly. "You have the gift. The gift I have." Fleur's face lit up and she scooted closer to Taliana, staring up at her, intrigued. Taliana laughed and made a hand gesture for Fleur to back up a bit. "Child, please. Try to focus." Fleur nodded and wiped the smile off of her face.
"You have the gift, Fleur. You always have..." Taliana stood up. "I cannot tell you what 'the gift' is just yet." Taliana laughed when she saw Fleur's jaw drop. "Because the first test to prove yourself worthy of keeping the gift is to find it out for yourself." Taliana walked backwards into the darker parts of the forest as she gazed at Fleur.
"I'll return to you soon. Maybe in person, maybe in a dream. Goodbye, child." And with that, Taliana disappeared into the mist. Fleur raised her eye brows. She sighed and shrugged, bending down to pick up the basket. Fleur walked out of the forest, stopping when she reached the rim of it. She turned back to look at where the mist was. It was now gone and so was every sign of Taliana's appearance.
The clock struck ten and Fleur's head jolted up from her pillow, colliding with the fabric hanging above her. "Huh?" she said hazily, looking up at the cloth. Fleur shook her head and smiled then threw the covers off of herself. She stretched her arms up above her head and yawned widely. Fleur closed her mouth and slid off the left side of her bed, taking a few small strides towards her mirror. The mirror used to reside in her mother's room before she died. It was the most expensive thing that the Faerie's owned. The outer rim of the mirror was covered in gold and the glass was getting a bit dusty since Fleur had started helping her patri with his projects.
Fleur brought her hand up and placed the lower part of her arm against the glass. She wiped her sleeve across the surface and the dust disappeared. Fleur kept her eyes on the mirror as she reached out to her right hand side, grabbing a hair tie and slipping her hand through it. She looked down at the desk beside the mirror where she had taken the hair tie from. Her mother's golden brush was sitting on the desk, waiting for someone to use it. Fleur smiled softly and brought the brush up to her hair. She placed it on the top of her head and slowly brought it down. Fleur continued the same stroke as she neared the last section of long brown hair that she had yet to brush.
She stopped for a moment and dropped the brush to her side. Fleur sighed softly and finished brushing her hair then set the brush back in its place. She wrapped her hand around her wrist and pushed the hair tie up until it was on the end of her finger tips. Fleur caught it before it fell and tied her hair up but let most of it fall down on each side of her shoulders. She turned around and placed her small hands upon her hips. "Now where did I put that ribbon," said Fleur aloud, her eyes narrowing as they scanned the room. "Aha!" she said happily as the blue ribbon she wore every day came into sight.
Fleur walked across her small room, picked it up, then walked back to her mirror. She wrapped it around her hair tie and smiled at her reflection. Fleur nodded slightly and her smile faded. She glanced over at her closet and sighed again, thinking of how she were to wear the same piece of clothing as she did every day. A frown formed on her face and she shook her head, guilt overcoming her. But it would be awful of me to ask patri for new clothes. I know we can't afford it, not right now. Fleur thought to herself as she opened her closet door and ran her fingers across her clothes. She stopped as she felt the familiar fabric rest in her hands. Fleur took it off the hanger, walked back to her mirror, and put it on quickly.
Just as soon as she had placed her hand upon her door knob, she remembered she didn't have shoes on. Fleur turned around and smiled at her old shoes that were on the floor in front of her. She slipped both of her feet in the shoes then opened the door. Fleur could hear her patri, Elijah, humming downstairs in his work room. She hurried as quickly as she could but stayed on her toes, wanting to surprise her patri. Fleur opened the door to the room slowly and shut it behind her. The room was a cluttered room, but very a charming and warm one. Light from the sun poured in through the window and a light breeze wafted in the tiny room, making papers fly all over the place.
Elijah didn't notice though - he was too involved in his new invention. Fleur crept up behind him and smiled. "Patri!" Elijah turned around and gasped, grabbing his heart and shaking terribly. "Oh, patri. I'm so sorry. I didn't... I didn't mean to cause you any trouble... I just wanted to surprise you..." Fleur looked away in shame. Elijah shook his head and spread his arms out wide. "Not to fret, dear." Fleur smiled at her patri's aging face and brought herself into his warm embrace. "Patri," she began as she found herself a seat across from Elijah.
"Today's the day I have to..." Fleur stopped to think about Taliana Fiorella the Witch and her patri looked up at her. "You have to what?" he asked. She looked down at her hands then back up at her patri. His smile was crooked and his hair wasn't brushed. Fleur smiled at him and nodded. "That I have to go... erm... pick berries." Elijah's eyes widened and he dropped his tools. "Of course! Of course! For that old lady... hm... I forgot her name. Come along, dear." he hurried Fleur out of the room and to the kitchen.
Elijah disappeared inside of a closet and came back out with a larger basket than the usual one that Fleur carried around. He placed all sorts of items that she wouldn't need but he thought she might want on her trip then handed it to her. Fleur laughed lightly at her patri's cheesy smile and took the basket from him. "Be home before dark, Fleur." he said kindly. Fleur nodded as she turned the knob. "I will, patri, I will." Elijah nodded at his daughter. "I love you," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Fleur closed the door behind her and made her way across the field to the forest. She pushed past the thick branches, managing to get a scrape on her arm from their sharp ends. Fleur looked up at the canopy as she entered the forest then lowered her gaze to where it usually was. Tailana was standing before her, smiling slightly. Fleur gasped and fell backwards, tripping over a rock. Taliana laughed and extended her arm out to Fleur. She took it and stood up.
Taliana sat down on her rock that she was normally seen sitting on and set her cane down onto the ground. Her cane was decorated in jewels. Real jewels. And carvings were marked all around it. As Fleur neared her, she tripped over a large branch and fell flat on her face. She lifted her head from the dirt and stared at Taliana. The old woman was chuckling. Fleur sighed and picked herself up then tried her best to brush all of the dirt off of her body before taking a seat across from the witch.
"I have come here to show you something," Taliana spoke in her wise voice. "Show me what?" Fleur asked, looking at Taliana curiously. "The gift?" Taliana shook her head. "I can't show you the gift. You already have it. I just have to help you make it more define, help you control it." Fleur nodded slowly though she didn't know what the gift was yet so she didn't know what Taliana was talking about. "Wh-" Taliana cut her off by using her cane and tapping Fleur on the head. Fleur grasped her head and winced in pain. "What was that for?"
Taliana stood up. "No questions shall be sounded. I can read your mind already. And if I don't think the question should be answered, then it will not." Fleur rolled her eyes but tried her best not to let Taliana see that she had. "Though you will not see your gift, I will show you something. Come with me," Taliana began walking deeper into the forest. She didn't turn around to see if Fleur was coming for she knew if she was or not. Fleur hesitated but gave into her wants and followed closely behind Taliana, looking at the trees around them as they walked.
The trip took an hour but when they reached it, they were in the heart of the forest. Fleur gasped as she looked around, her eyes shimmering. She had practically lived in the forest all of her life and explored all of it but had never seen anything like this in it before now. Rows of red trees were in perfect lines hiding something white behind them. Fleur narrowed her eyes to get a better look but could still see nothing but a bit of white in between each tree.
It was odd seeing trees be red this time of year. It was, after all, winter. And all of the leaves had already fallen off all of the other trees. Fleur opened her mouth but snapped it shut, knowing that Taliana would probably hit her over the head again. "Smart choice," Taliana said, not facing Fleur. Fleur smiled and shook her head. Taliana began speaking in another language. One that Fleur was not familiar with. One that she had never heard before in her lifetime. She watched as the trees began to part and the white grew larger until a marble palace came into view.
Fleur's mouth dropped. Taliana turned around and smiled at the young girl. "Come along," she spoke softly, gesturing for Fleur to follow her into the palace. After both of them had entered the palace, Taliana said the same spell and the trees closed in around the palace, hiding them from the outside world. Inside, large pillars with gold markings same as the ones on Taliana's cane, were in lines but quite far from each other. Fleur's eyes were wide as she stared at all of the enchantment, all of the wonder.
Taliana kept a motherly eye on Fleur as she examined her surroundings. She wished that Fleur could look at everything longer to get a better feel for the place where she was to live for the rest of her life, though she didn't know that, but Taliana was running out of time for the day and reluctantly, pushed Fleur forward into the next room. Taliana closed the tall, slender, oak doors behind the two of them and walked behind Fleur.
Pictures of magical creatures and beings and far away places were painted on the ceiling. The longer Fleur stared at one particular part of the painting, the more the thing moved. It was as if everything in this palace had a soul, just like humans. Fleur smiled at the paintings, trying to make them feel happy about having someone stare at them. That is, if they knew that she was there. Or perhaps Taliana had bewitched them to do that. Either way, Fleur liked smiling at the pretty paintings.
Taliana hurried Fleur once more into the next room. This room was by far the largest room that Fleur had ever seen. In real life or in a book. It was larger than any room in any castle of any far away land, including Narnia... though it isn't far away. The more they walked straight forward down the room, the longer and wider it seemed to be getting. It was like a never ending room. Fleur's smile and eyes widened as she watched Taliana open the window shades just by moving her hands.
The sun was glistening down upon a vile that was hovering in mid air above a pedicel by a window. Fleur furrowed her eye brows and her smile faded away as she neared the vile. She reached her hand out for it but was drawn away from the area by Taliana. Fleur couldn't stop staring at the vile. It was filled with a pink liquid and had some sort of writing on it that was in another language. "Fleur," Taliana said loudly, trying to get her attention.
Fleur snapped out of the daze and looked over at Taliana, her eye brows raised as she looked at her closely. "I can't show you what the gift is," she said, her voice very monotone. Fleur sighed and slumped a bit in her chair, disappointment washing over her. "But... I can tell you what it is. Or rather, some of it. Since we do not have much time today." Fleur's posture returned to normal and she nodded. "You have the gift that I have, Fleur." Taliana said quietly. And although they were sitting almost across the room from each other, Fleur could hear her perfectly.
"You are a seer. You are a witch. You are a healer. You are a priestess. You are... everything good about this world. You will be taught by me and you will then teach our way of life." Taliana said eagerly. "Way of life?" Fleur asked, looking worried about what was to come out of Taliana's mouth this time. "Yes..." she nodded slowly. "You see, I serve the goddess. And you will too." Taliana could sense that Fleur was uncomfortable with hearing about the goddess.
Taliana faked a cough and stood up from her chair. "We'll discuss this at a later time," she said sternly. Fleur stood up and nodded. "G'bye," she bowed walking towards the door. As Fleur reached for the knob, she stopped. "Wait," she said; her voice barely above a whisper. Taliana simply raised her eye brows which meant that she was listening. "Can you do me a favour?"
"Of course," Taliana spoke kindly. "Can you put berries in this basket? I was supposed to be 'out in the forest picking berries for a woman and by the time I get back, it'll be close to dark and patri will want me inside by then." Taliana shook her head. "You can do that yourself, Fleur." Fleur gazed at her as if she was insane or didn't know what she was talking about. "Focus, m'dear. Just focus."
Fleur shrugged and looked down at the basket, up at Taliana for reassurance, then down at the basket again. She closed her eyes and focused on the basket. Fleur's eye lids fluttered open and when they were fully open, she saw that she was standing outside of her and her patri's cottage. Fleur quickly opened the basket and smiled. She closed the basket and looked over her shoulder at the forest. "Thank you," she whispered into the wind.
"Patri," Fleur called out as she tied her scarf around her neck and reached for the door knob. "I'm going out for a few hours. I'll return -" Elijah entered the room and propped himself up against the door frame. "Where do you keep going off to, Fleur?" he asked, looking at her curiously. As if he doubted her. Fleur furrowed her eye brows and pursed her lips together in thought. "Just... out." she said simply. Elijah inhaled and silence consumed the room. "Why does it matter?" she asked. Elijah shook his head and left the room, returning to his normal armchair by the small fireplace in the den. "No, patri," she said as she followed him. "Tell me what it is that is bothering you. And don't lie to me. I know something is wrong."
Elijah slowly lowered himself into his chair. He leaned back and watched the flames dance around. "Your mother died-" he began but was cut off by a sigh that escaped Fleur's lips. He turned abruptly around and stared at her as if she was some sort of dangerous bug to be cautious about. "Don't you ever do that again," he stood up and walked over to her. For the first time in her life, Fleur felt fearful of her patri. Her bottom lip quivered as he neared her. Elijah lifted his hand up to the level of his eye and brought it down to her skin, making contact, slapping her across the face. Fleur gasped and stumbled backwards, staring at her father with wide eyes.
He blinked and stepped back slowly, lowering his hand and staring at it all the while. "Fleur..." he said as his gaze met hers. "I'm so sorry." Tears began swelling behind his eyes as he looked upon his daughter sadly. Fleur bit her tongue for fear of saying anything rash to her patri and making him slap her again. Before he could say anything more, she ran out of the room then out of the cottage, slamming the door behind her. Outside, the snow drifted down and fell on her pale skin, melting almost after making contact with it. Her breaths were shaky. A single tear trickled down her face and fell to the ground, melting a certain spot of snow.
"Taliana, save me. I don't know where you are but take me with you. Let me worship the goddess, become a priestess. I am yours. Do what you want with me. I sacrifice everything I am and everything I once was. I am your servant. I am yours, only yours." Fleur said as she fell to her knees and looked up at the sky, snow flakes blinding her vision. "You have made a wise choice, child." said a distant voice. It was Taliana Fiorella. At the sounding of the voice, Fleur looked in front of her. Instead of a wintery forest wonderland covering most of the land, a spring time field of flowers and dark green grass was in front of her and all around her.
"Where am I?" Fleur asked, trusting Taliana with whatever she had planned for her. "Avalon, dear. Your new home." she replied, still not appearing. The corners of Fleur's mouth turned up as she examined all of the bright colours and touched the textures of plants and such. Fleur turned the corner around a building that looked like a chapel and collided with an invisible barrier. She furrowed her brow as she looked straight in front of her. "What is this?" she asked Taliana as she looked at the people on the other side of the barrier. "Why is it snowing there and not here?"
"Because we're in Avalon. It's always spring in Avalon. It's the goddess' favourite season." Taliana was now standing beside Fleur. She was dressed in a head piece that had a large blue jewel in the middle of it. Her dress was three shades of blue and danced gracefully in the wind. She seemed younger somehow and was not wearing any jewelry on her wrists or arms like she normally was. Fleur smiled at Taliana's familiar face. Taliana returned the smile and put her arm around Fleur's small shoulders. "First thing we must do is get you out of these dreadful clothes," she said with a light laugh as they walked down a hill and towards a light grey stone building.
Taliana did a swift hand gesture and the large, oak doors swung open. Women dressed in the same type of dress that Taliana was wearing walked in every which way as the doors shut. A few women hurried up to Taliana and Fleur. They giggled as they pulled on her arms and dragged her into a near room. Fleur looked back at Taliana, her eyes wide. "What are you doing?" she asked as she watched them begin to undress her. "Hang on!" she said, gesturing for them to get their hands off of her. "We're dressing you. You must be in your clothes for your training to become the next High Priestess, of course."
Fleur furrowed her brow as the women began dressing her again. Then she remembered what Taliana had told her that they had to get her out of her clothes. The women stepped away from Fleur and pushed her forward towards a mirror. "That'll do," the same woman that spoke before spoke again, smiling at the dress. Fleur turned around in circles slowly, examining her dress. It looked exactly like Taliana's dress except instead of three shades of blue; it had three shades of yellow. Fleur ran a hand through her long, curly, brown hair and smiled.
Taliana opened the door and a smile crept across her face as she looked at Fleur. She approached her, her arms spread wide. Fleur laughed and embraced Taliana warmly, resting her head on her chest. "Now we must go," Taliana spoke, letting go of Fleur. They left the room and traveled on down the corridor. Fleur's eyes were caught by a young man who was sitting on a desk inside the room that Taliana had entered. "Fleur?" Taliana said, staring at Fleur who was standing in the threshold of the door, her eyes still glued to the man. Taliana noticed her eye contact with him and her gaze fell upon him. She laughed lightly and gestured for Fleur to join her.
Reluctantly, Fleur did as Taliana had instructed her to do. She sat down but out of the corner of her eye, she stared at him still. "Fleur," Taliana said with a sigh. "If you're going to become the High Priestess of Avalon, you must pay attention to me. Not my son, Lanciloti. Even if he is a tease." she said, trying not to grin at her now smiling son. Fleur smiled softly as his eyes fell on her. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she looked away from him then back up at Taliana. "Now, child, we must speak of your training."
"Training?" Fleur asked curiously, narrowing her eyes on Taliana. She simply nodded before standing. "Excuse me. Someone is here for me." Fleur turned around and cocked an eye brow. "But Taliana, no one-" she stopped when she saw an elderly woman enter. "It's time," the woman said to Taliana before turning and leaving the room in silence. "If you'd show Fleur around, I'd be grateful, Lanciloti." she said as she made her way over to the door. Lanciloti nodded and stood up from his mother's desk.
After Taliana left the room, Lanciloti looked down at Fleur. Slowly, she raised her head and met his gaze. "Here," he said, extending his hand out to her. Fleur smiled as she felt his skin touch hers. She stood up, pushing her chair back a bit. Lanciloti led the way out of his mother's room and down the same corridor that Fleur had been walking in when they entered just a few minutes prior to now. Lanciloti opened the door and stepped back for Fleur to pass through the arch way before him. "Thank you," she said with a small curtsy. Lanciloti nodded and walked under it after her.
The sound of birds chirping and small critters moving about reminded Fleur of her younger days. When her family would go into the forest together during the summer time and pick berries, read to each other, and study the animals. Lanciloti and Fleur walked up a few wooden stairs, past potted flowers and trees. They came onto a terrace overlooking a shimmering lake and mountains rising behind it. Fleur smiled to herself and stared at the scenery before her. "It's absolutely beautiful," she whispered. "You're from Narnia, are you not?" Lanciloti asked, keeping his eyes, too, on the scenery. "Yes." she replied.
"Then why do you think Avalon is so beautiful? Personally, I like Narnia much better." he said, now looking down at her. Fleur looked up at him in return but didn't seem to feel interfere even though he towered over her. "The people in Narnia are not so beautiful. Here... everything is so much better. It seems perfect. It seems surreal. I can't describe what I'm feeling right now. But whatever it is, I like it. And that's why I've agreed to commit to training with your mother to become the next High Priestess of Avalon."
Lanciloti sighed and averted his gaze to the mountains in the distance. "Listen, Fleur," he breathed. "You're going to regret this. You'll give up everything for the Goddess, for Avalon. Things will change. And not for the better. Everything in your life will be taken from you. You'll regret this, I know you will. Every other High Priestess has." Fleur looked at him blankly. "Even your mother?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Lanciloti gazed at the small girl. "Only secretly."
Fleur closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, turning her head to the lake before her. Lanciloti stared down at her and moved beside her, leaning in very close. He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of the fresh air. "When I was little," said Fleur, slowly opening her eyes. "My mother died. Ever since, my patri hasn't been the same. He's never loved anyone else. Nor does he want to. I don't want him to replace my mother but I want him to move on, not dwell in the past. I've moved on. It was hard but I did it. I overcame all of that. But he's stuck in the past. He won't let go. He's so... so... so rough."
"Here, everything's soft and smooth." Lanciloti said, reaching out towards Fleur and gently stroking her bare back. Lanciloti moved forward, brushing his lips against hers. And for a moment, she didn't resist. Lanciloti pressed in closer, sliding his lips across hers slowly. But then Fleur pulled back suddenly, as if waking from a dream. "No, I shouldn't have done that." she said quietly, lowering her head. "I'm sorry," he said sadly with a small sigh.
After a few moments had passed, Lanciloti looked over at Fleur. Her head was still hanging. She was playing with her fingers. "I really am sorry..." he said softly. Fleur slowly looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "As am I." Lanciloti furrowed his brow in confusion. "What for?" he asked curiously. "For enjoying it when I know I need to focus on my studies." she said, her smile widening. Lanciloti grinned and wrapped his arms around her. She gasped as she felt his cold skin touch hers.
"This isn't helping, Lanciloti!" she said, pushing him off of her. Lanciloti laughed as she broke free from his grasp. Fleur pushed him playfully. As they neared a bench, Fleur looked down at it then back up at him quickly, trying not to make it obvious. Fleur pushed him one last time and he tripped over it but to her surprise, grabbed her wrist and brought her down with him. Lanciloti broke Fleur's fall but when they stopped laughing, Fleur found herself lying on top of Lanciloti. She opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by Lanciloti. He had placed his finger on her lips.
"There is no need for words," he said, sitting up and propping himself up on the palms of his hands. Fleur grew nervous as he closed his eyes and brought his face closer to hers. She closed her eyes also and leaned into him. At the exact moment that their lips touched, Taliana opened the doors, but they failed to hear it. Instead, they continued to kiss each other gently, Lanciloti pulling her into him more. "Lanciloti, Fleur!" Taliana said loudly as the two of them came into her sight.
Lanciloti and Fleur broke apart and gasped. Fleur was the first to stand up. She straightened her clothes and gulped, trying to hide all emotions that were on the verge of breaking out by means of facial expressions. "Mother," Lanciloti said after he had stood up. "Blame me. Do not punish Fleur for this. We were playing and she fell on me and I kissed her." Taliana's face stayed blank. Fleur did her best to clear her mind of all thought for she knew that Taliana could read minds. "Is this true, Fleur?" she asked the fearful girl who was doing so well hiding her fear.
Fleur opened her mouth but no sound came forth from it. She snapped her jaw shut and nodded. "Lanciloti, you shall not lay a hand on this girl again. She's my successor and I don't want her falling in love. It'll only cloud her mind from what is important. Becoming the next High Priestess of Avalon." Lanciloti nodded. "Now, Fleur," she said, her tone returning to normal. "If you'll come with me," she turned around and walked to the door but continued to talk. "We can begin your training." Fleur followed behind Taliana, longing to return to Lanciloti.
What she now felt was beginning to scare her.
Taliana entered Fleur's chambers and closed the door behind her. She tilted her head up slightly then looked at Fleur who was brushing her hair in front of her mirror. "Taliana," she said with a small smile, looking at her teacher from the mirror. "Fleur, are you all most ready for the test?" she said as she walked down the stair case that led to Fleur's bed and desk. "I.. I think so. Yes." she nodded. Fleur placed the brush down on her desk and placed her hand on top of Taliana's. They walked side by side out of Fleur's chambers and into Taliana's. "I expect you know how important this test is," she said, cocking an eye brow at the young girl.
"Yes," Fleur said simply. "And you know that you must not fail me, correct?" Taliana seemed to be getting younger and younger with each passing day. Her hair was now a dark brown instead of it's regular grey colour. And her face had no wrinkles. Fleur blinked. "Yes," she nodded. "I will prove to you how worthy I am. I will prove to you how much power I hold. I will prove to you how -" Taliana had cut her off before she could continue. "Child," she said, smiling. "You have it all wrong." Fleur furrowed her brow, feeling a tad ignorant. "You must not prove anything to me. You must prove it to the Goddess." she looked at the painting of the Goddess behind her.
Fleur inhaled a deep breath. "Yes, Taliana. Forgive me. I was wrong." Taliana's gaze fell on the young girl once more. "Fleur, you mustn't be so hard on yourself. Another thing I wanted to talk to you about was Lanciloti..." Chills shot up Fleur's spine at the sound of his name. "What about him?" Fleur gulped. "I'm sure you know that I know about your love towards my son. And although I have a soft heart," she said, standing up from her chair and walking around her room. "The Goddess forbids love. For you, at least." Fleur closed her eyes, wishing that all of this would be a dream and that she could go back to her father back in Narnia.
When she opened her eyes, Taliana was still there. Avalon was still there. The painting of the Goddess was still there. Fleur sighed. "And for me too, of course. For all of the High Priestesses of Avalon. I know that may seem harsh or evil of her, but it isn't. And soon, you will come to realize why. All that she does makes sense, I assure you. It just takes time. And if you are patient, everything will soon be set into order." Taliana turned around and smiled at Fleur who was still sitting. "Now," she gestured for her to join her. "If you'll come with me, we can announce to everyone that your test is only hours away."
Taliana and Fleur walked with each other in the vacant corridors, their hands still in the air on top of each other. Taliana made a gesture with her head for Fleur to turn and enter a room. Taliana whispered a single word and the doors swung open. Noise filled the room. The women from before were eating and talking. "Should we interrupt them? I mean, it'd be a bit rude, right?" Fleur said, trying to find anyway to get Taliana to let her do the test with only Taliana watching. "Don't be silly," Taliana said, stepping onto the platform, Fleur still by her side. "It is a rule. You must take your test in front of everyone that is in Avalon at the present time." she said, letting her hand drop to her side. Fleur sighed and looked into the crowd. "Good evening girls," Taliana spoke in a motherly voice.
"It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Fleur Faerie," she gestured to Fleur. "Who, I am sure, you all know very well by now. Or, at least, you should." A few of the girls seemed to grow nervous as Taliana's gaze fell on their young faces. "Her final test is tonight and I expect you all to be there. If you are not," she said, narrowing her eyes on a certain girl in front of her. Fleur pitied the girl and tried her best to make the girl not fear Taliana but that was hard to do when Taliana was standing beside Fleur and Fleur couldn't say anything about her whilst she was there.
"Well..." she smiled a toad-like smile. "You just won't miss it, right?" Thunderous applause was heard. Fleur's cheeks turned a light shade of pink when she was pushed in front of Taliana. She smiled awkwardly at the crowd then retreated to her original spot. "Now," Taliana said, her usual tone returning to her. "Get ready and Fleur and I will meet you by the rock formation in a few hours." The women nodded and hurried out of the room. "Lle ume quel," Taliana said with a smirk as she led Fleur out of the room. "Thank you..." she said quietly, her head lowered slightly as they walked back to her chambers.
"Am I to change?" Fleur asked after they had entered her chambers. Taliana walked over to Fleur's mirror and brushed her own hair. "Yes, my dear." she said with a single nod. "A select few will be in here any moment. Now," she raised her eye brows and turned around to face Fleur. "I will be in my chambers, having a meeting with the council. I will leave you here until then." Fleur bowed and watched as Taliana left the room. Fleur let out a sigh that she had been wanting to let out since she woke up. She was beginning to dread living in Avalon. There was now only one good thing about it... and that person was forbidden. Their love was forbidden. Fleur plopped herself down on her wooden chair and looked at the stone walls.
The room seemed so uninviting, so cold, so in desperate need of someone to take care of it. The door knob turned and a few women entered Fleur's chambers. Fleur stood from her chair and smiled as she saw Amalia, the highest of the servants, approach her. "Oio naa elealla alasse'," Fleur hugged Amalia. Okay... two good things about Avalon. she thought to herself. "Erm... I dunno the language of the Goddess," Amalia said, casting her gaze away for fear of Fleur's reaction. "Oh," she said with a small smile. "That's all right. I didn't either." Amalia furrowed her brow, looking doubtful of what Fleur had said. "Yet you learned it in about two weeks?" Amalia asked, her eyes now locked with Fleur's. "Well... I'm a fast learner." she said with a nod.
"I wish I was," Amalia said as she waited for the girls to finish undressing Fleur so that she could help her put her new dress on. "Finally," Amalia said sarcastically as she looked at all of the girls around her. "Could you have taken any longer?" Fleur laughed and watched the girls talk to each other as Amalia dressed her. "That's why you're my best friend, Amalia." Fleur said happily. "What is why?" she asked, now tying Fleur's corset. "Because you make me laugh. And you're carelessness and your spirit makes me smile. And you're a loyal friend." she said, smiling down at Amalia who was now putting Fleur's shoes on her small feet.
"Well... thank you," Amalia stood up and smiled at Fleur in return. "I think you're quite fantastic as well, milady." she snapped at one of the girls who were giggling. "Hand me that," Amalia said, pointing to the head piece. It looked like the head piece that Taliana wears every day. It was a soft fabric with many tiny clear jewels and one large yellow jewel in the middle of it. Amalia smiled as she set it on top of Fleur's head. "Vanimle sila tiri," she said in awe. "You just spoke the language of the Goddess, Amalia!" she laughed. "I did?" she asked, raising her eye brows. "I... I guess I did." she smiled awkwardly. Amalia's smile faded and she clasped her hands over her heart. "But really... you do look fantastic..." she said, nodding slowly.
"Here, have a look," she turned Fleur around to face the mirror. Fleur simply stared at herself for a while. Slowly but surely, a smile crept across Fleur's pale face. Her eyes sparkled as she reached out and touched the mirror in front of her. "I look like my mother..." Fleur said quietly. The room fell silent. "I remember... I... I remember her..." she furrowed her brow. Fleur faced everyone. "I remember so long ago. It was a winter's night... it was Christmas. My mother was ill. She... she died. I remember, I remember..." she said quietly, her voice sounding distant as she stared at a certain spot on the ground. "Amalia," she looked at her with bright eyes. "I remember! I remember, Amalia, I remember!" Amalia looked at her oddly but went along with it. "She... She remembers, everyone, she remembers!"
The group of girls laughed and stood up from their chairs. They danced around and chanted 'she remembers, she remembers'. Shortly after, the door burst open and Taliana walked in. All fell silent as they did before. "It is time," was all that she said. The group of girls left, Amalia at the end of them. "Good luck," Amalia mouthed before she departed and disappeared behind the door. "Fleur," Taliana raised her hand. Fleur set her hand on top of Taliana's, and then exited with her, walking down the long corridor. They exited the building and walked over to the rock formation where every test for every past High Priestess had been taken. Taliana removed her hand from Fleur's and walked to the center of the formation.
"Today is the day that we join together, here on the same rock formation that the Goddess herself was born on." Taliana said, slowly turning around to see every face. "She created all that is good. She created you and me. She created Avalon. She is in everything that is beautiful. She is ever lasting!" Fleur looked around at the crowd. She began to feel nervous. Not because everyone was watching her. But because now that she doubted the Goddess, it might effect what the outcome of her test is. "Here, on this day, there will be a new High Priestess. Fleur Faerie!" Smoke engulfed the young girl. It was obviously a magic trick that Taliana had pulled off so Fleur went along with it and although she was allergic to smoke, tried her best not to cough. "I shall perform the test then you, Fleur, will copy me."
Fleur watched closely as Taliana summoned the Goddess. She was nigh close to averting her gaze to Lanciloti but resisted the urge. Since their love affair a few days prior, Fleur couldn't get Lanciloti off of her mind. He was in her every dream. He haunted her every thought. Yet, she adored it. She longed for his soft hands to touch her bare skin once more. She longed for his lips to press against hers once more, to let their bodies be one. "Fleur!" Taliana spoke sharply, looking over her shoulder at her. "Sorry," she said nervously. "It is your turn." she said, taking a few steps back, standing by her son. Fleur nodded and stood where Taliana had. She closed her eyes then raised her hands. "Aa' i'sul nora lanne'lle," she whispered.
The crowd of women, Taliana, and Lanciloti watched as the wind spun around in a tornado directly in front of Fleur. Fleur opened her eyes and waited for anything to appear to give her a sign, to tell her that the Goddess existed. Instead, the tornado stopped and everything returned to normal. Fleur felt as if she had failed. And at the same time, she felt doubtful of Avalon and its people. To her surprise, Taliana and the crowd of women were happy. Ecstatic, even. They made a circle around her and congratulated her. "You are worthy of being the next High Priestess, young Fleur Faerie." Taliana said with a bright smile. She pulled her into an embrace and kissed both of her cheeks. "I must leave for a meeting and the women will be busy making your room comfortable."
Fleur nodded and Taliana walked away, the crowd following behind her. Fleur could feel Lanciloti's hard gaze on her. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead. She began to tremble as he neared her. "I have sinned with you in my thoughts," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thoughts are not needs." Lanciloti spoke, his voice soothing. "But the Goddess says to think is to do." she said, tears swelling behind her eyes. "My thoughts don't answer to the Goddess. If they did, I would burn in Hell a thousand years every time I see you walk past." Fleur broke down at the sound of his words. She rested her head on his chest and sobbed. Lanciloti wrapped his arms around her small figure.
"There is nothing to confess, Lanciloti." she said sharply. Fleur tried her best to look stern, to look serious, to look as if she wanted nothing to do with Lanciloti. And she did a good job because he bought her lies. A part of Fleur wanted him to think that she was lying so that nothing in their lives would change. But another part, the part which she yearned to take over the other part, wanted him to see past her lies, to embrace her, to love her. "I... I must leave," she turned from him and walked away, still desperately wishing for him to rescue her from herself; to call out for her, to take her hand in his, and tell her that everything was going to be okay. And that Taliana wouldn't interfere with their love.
Fleur began walking at a slower pace to heighten the chances she had at getting Lanciloti to take her back. "Fleur," he said finally. She turned around, her pale skin looking even paler because the moon was above them. Lanciloti walked over to her slowly, savouring every moment that he could to simply look upon her without any complicated words having to be said. "I love you. Do not lie to me. Do not tell me that you do not feel the same way because I know you do. I see it in your eyes. I see a certain sparkle and I know that is not because of the Goddess," he ran a hand through her dark, curly hair and wiped the tears from her face.
Lanciloti leaned into her and brushed his lips against hers then put his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. "Say it," he whispered. "I need to know that you feel the same way." Fleur closed her eyes. "Fleur, I beg you. Please, just say it..." Fleur opened her eyes and looked at him. Lanciloti was now kneeling in front of her, literally begging. Suddenly, anger consumed Fleur. "Pick yourself up, Lanciloti. What would Taliana say if she saw you like this?" she said sternly. Lanciloti furrowed his brow but he did as she told him to. "Besides, even if I did love you, I would not say it. The High Priestess is not supposed to be in love." And with that, she left him in the darkness.