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CHAPTER TWO: Something Wicked
Aedhel pondered her dilemma as she and Puck ate their midday meal. She could not enter Lothlorien, and yet in order to bring Puck back home she might have to. Perhaps the elves would come looking for him and solve her problem for her? She shook her head. The chances of finding him this far away were slim. She couldn't count on that. She played with the idea of simply ignoring the ban, but that would be a gamble. If it went wrong it would cost her her life.
She didn't know what her great grandfather had done to upset the elves. In his time, great grandfather Alfwyn had been a tracker and a trader. He traveled everywhere and had made friends in Lothlorien. Somehow he had fallen out of favor there and, as a result, he and his entire line had been banished on pain of death. Aedhel occasionally had wondered what sort of crime could possibly warrant such a punishment but she never got the chance to find out. Her parents had intended to tell her the full story when she turned 16 and reached her majority, but they never got the chance. All she knew was that he had been banished and that the elves would know who she was if she ever tried to cross into their borders.
Aedhel turned her eyes back to Puck who was watching her carefully. She supposed she was being unusually quiet. She smiled softly, hoping to reassure him. She wasn't sure how she was going to manage, but she knew that she needed to return this child home. She would figure something out. But first, they needed to finish this meal.
After lunch, Aedhel made some quick mental plans. If nothing else, she could at least bring him closer to Lothlorien where he they might run into search parties. If worst came to worst, they could walk up to the border and part ways there. She would have liked to leave straight away, but she was expected to do a mail delivery that afternoon and would not get back until evening, so they would have to wait for first light to set out.
Thinking of the mail delivery made Aedhel pause. She couldn't bring Puck along. It would raise too many questions and people would be suspicious of a non human in their midst. He would have to stay here, but she didn't know how to communicate this plan to him. She settled on mime, motioning herself walking, the movement of the sun, and him staying put. Eventually, he nodded, and so Aedhel left for the nearest village to bring their mail to the village several miles away. As she left she glanced back to see Puck sitting on her bed fingering some her old toys she had dug up for him to play with while he was gone.
She made good time to the village, setting off at a quick run. She wasn't burdened by any load, so it was easy going. Once she picked up the large bag of packages she set off for her next destination at a much slower pace. Halfway through the seven mile journey, the wind picked up and clouds rolled in over the plains. Her hope that it wouldn't rain before she reached the village was quickly squashed. By the time she dropped off the packages, she was drenched from head to foot, and chilled to the bone.
Free of her burden and with none to take back to the other village, she made straight for the nearest tavern.
Aedhel sighed as she lowered the hood of her cloak, finally stepping out of the rain and into the dim light of the warm tavern. People milled about, warming themselves with homebrewed ale and a hot meal as the rain continued to pour outside.
"What can I get you?" The bartender, a burly man with long blonde hair asked her. His name was Thrymma. He was a good sort of fellow who ran a respectable business and often helped out around the village when harvest season came around or something needed fixing.
"Just a bowl of soup please," she said, placing the required coin on the counter. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to pour some heat into her freezing bones.
Thrymma brought her a bowl of soup and set it before her with a smile. "There you go Aedhel. Nice and hot."
Aedhel thanked him and he left to tend to another customer. As Aedhel spooned some of her soup, a commotion at one of the tables caught her attention.
A woman with bright red hair sat at a table with several men, playing some sort of dice game. Several others stood by watching on as money changed hands. One of the men rolled the dice and everything went quiet. Everyone was watching with baited breath to see what the dice would land on. When the dice stopped, a great uproar sounded from the crowd as more money changed hands.
The red haired woman stood, grinning fiercely. Her curly red hair falling into her face as she curtsied mockingly. "Thank you gentlemen. It has been my great pleasure beating you all at this little game. I hope to have the opportunity to do so many more times in the future but, for now, I need a drink." She made her way over to the bar and sat down, ordering a pint of ale. She wasn't too far from Aedhel and looked over to her as she waited for her order to be filled.
"Hello there," she drawled in a low voice, flashing Aedhel a smile. "My name's Alwicce. It's nice to see another woman in this stuffy dump. It freshens up the place." Aedhel raised an eyebrow. Thrymma's tavern was not a stuffy dump, and for this woman to insult the tavern while patronising it, all within earshot of the owner was uncouth. Aedhel glanced over to where Thrymma stood and saw that his eyebrows were likewise raised in surprise but he decided to say nothing. He wasn't quite ready to throw her out while she had everyone's spending money.
Aedhel flashed the woman a somewhat strained smile in return. She really didn't want to talk to her right now but she didn't want to be unnecessarily rude either. "You must be new in town. What brings you to the Wold?" Aedhel said.
"I'm looking for something." Alwicce said. She scooted closer to Aedhel. "An elfling." Aedhel stilled, and her heart pounded inside her chest. "You haven't happened to see one lost and confused in the area?" Alwicce asked, her face perfectly curious and innocent. It did nothing to ease the edginess that Aedhel felt.
Aedhel forced a smiled to her lips and shook her head. "You're a bit too far south to be finding elves. From what I hear they don't normally leave their lands. What makes you think you'll find one so far south?"
Alwicce smirked. "I read the portents."
Aedhel's eyebrows shot up. Alwicce was a witch? A witch looking for an elfling? An elfling who at the moment was probably sitting on Aedhel's bed wondering when she would return.
"What do you want with an elfling anyway?" she said, trying to keep her tone only mildly curious.
"Oh, I have my uses." Alwicce drawled. "For example, their hair makes a fine addition to most potions." Aedhel shifted away, repulsed by the idea of taking someone's hair for such a purpose. Alwicce, relishing her discomfort, smirked and leaned in, closing the distance once more. Aedhel could smell the ale on her breath. "And their toes when dried and crushed are a crucial part of a spell that lets you go for days without needing to rest, but their heart," she said, continuing to move in as Aedhel moved back. "Their heart, when used right can grant me youth and longevity,"
Aedhel's stomach roiled, and she felt bile rise up to the back of her throat. With effort, she swallowed and forced it down. She needed more information. "You've done this before, have you?" she asked, still trying to keep her voice light, but afraid that she was failing miserably.
Alwicce leaned back with a sigh. "No I haven't." Aedhel breathed in relief of both the answer and the space the witch had granted her once more. "But my master taught me all about the potential uses of one before I outgrew his teachings. His sorcery hasn't failed me yet. I'm particularly interested in the heart. After all, with looks this good, it would be a shame to have the go to waste," she said, casually gesturing at herself.
"You would take the life of the elf child to attain a few more years of youth? That's disgusting," Aedhel said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Alwicce let out a barking laugh. "Why would you care about an elf child anyway?" She stood up. "Why should any of us care about the elves?" she cried out, drawing the attention of most of the inn. She turned, addressing everyone now. "The elves hide away in their trees, hoarding wealth, and the secrets of long life! And meanwhile they try to convince us that our mortality is a gift! A GIFT!" She spat. "Well, if you see an elfling, be sure to bring it by because I have my own gift to give!"
Some of the men called out in agreement, while a few of the others seemed less sure and kept quiet. Aedhel stood up, having heard enough. "You're despicable," she said, turning to the door.
"You! You leave with the parting words of a coward!" Alwicce shouted. "Tell me, O Righteous One, what makes me so despicable?"
Aedhel stopped at the door ready to leave without another word to the witch. But then, Aedhel thought, maybe she might be persuaded to change her mind. She turned in the doorway, an imploring look on her face. "You care not that you will harm this child you seek. In fact, it seems that you relish it." she said, turning back toward the witch whose eyes were glinting in the lamplight. "A young being who has no faculty to defend himself against the hardships of this world. Children are our wards to protect and teach, and you plan to cut one down for vanity's sake."
"It's not a child it's elven spawn," Alwicce retorted.
"A child is still a child, be it human, elven or dwarven." Aedhel said.
The witch's lip curled up in distaste. "Looking after the little ones? How domestic. What a soft hearted mother we have here," Alwicce mocked.
"I'm not a mother," Aedhel said. "But you don't have to be a mother to care about a child."
"Well now you will never be a mother!" Alwicce cried, her face crumpling in some unfathomable anger. "May you never have children of your own!" Alwicce cried pointing her finger at Aedhel.
Goosebumps ran down Aedhel's back and she ducked out the door, eager to get away from that place and the people. She needed to get home. They could not wait for tomorrow. Aedhel would have to take Puck and leave tonight. Thankfully, the rain had stopped and the clouds rolled out as quickly as they had rolled in, giving Aedhel a clear view of the darkening sky. As she got close, the front door opened, and Puck ran out to meet her.
"Nenith!" He called out, smiling and chattering away happily in his lilting language as they headed back to the cabin. Aedhel smiled, but beneath her smile she worried. With that woman in the area, Puck was in danger.
She tried to keep a calm demeanor as they ate supper, but her worry made her fall silent and distracted, and soon enough Puck started to catch on as well. She smiled at him apologetically as he too fell silent.
"I'm sorry to spoil your good mood Puck" she said. He just smiled at her, not understanding her words, but understanding her tone.
As soon as they had finished eating, Aedhel started making preparations for their journey. She dug out an old cloak she had used when she was younger. It would still be a bit big for him but it was better than nothing. She packed the rest of the bread, some dried meat, and fruit. Finally she turned to Puck and slung the small cloak around his shoulders. She led him over to the table and pulled the map out again. Pointing to Lothlorien she said, "I'm taking you back."
Puck's eyes got big, and suddenly he launched himself at her, wrapping his arms around her waist in a big hug. Aedhel smiled and hugged him back. "Come on," she said. Dousing the fire, she led him out the door, and turned to look around the small cabin that had been her home her whole life. As she did, an ache settled in her heart. An echo of some distant past pain, or a pain yet to come: some sort of foreboding. She didn't know what it meant so she pushed it away and set off through the trees, hand in hand with Puck, towards Lothlorien.
TBC
Chapter Two everybody! I hope you enjoyed it.
Thank you so much to Silverhand19 and Zadria Cerulean for reviewing my first chapter. And thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this story!
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Till next chapter!