My own arm hitting my head as I stretched woke me up finally, making me blink in confusion as I quickly looked around to see an earthy room with massive roots twisting through the walls and overhead, the elaborate furnishings seemingly sung from the wood of a single tree and carved to perfection with the touch of a delicate hand. For a moment I could not gather my thoughts enough to understand where I was or recall what had happened. All I knew was that I wanted my mother and nothing else mattered that she was not already here beside me. Where could she be? I had always woken up beside my mother in the little cot that we shared in our tiny room that was our home, this room was far too large, too fine and too clean to be that same place. My legs shifted and I drew in breath, feeling a silky softness brush over my skin and I pulled back the covers to find myself clad in a nightgown finer than anything I had ever seen before. These were not my clothes either.
I had been washed until my skin was smooth and clean, smelling fragrant and my hair had also received some sort of treatment so that it was braided back from my face to expose my ears with the ends curling softly, the near midnight locks spilling over the comfortable cushions that propped my head and neck. Where in the world was I? Where was my mother? I want her here. Even with all these comforts around me, feeling warm and full, I could not escape the hollow sensation that gripped me as gradually, my innocent mind began to recall what had happened when I had last been awake, and the painful realisation that I would never again see my own mother gripped me like the maw of a relentless beast. I remembered the woods and the hunters, the sound of her screams before the angels had come.
Tears soon fell without restraint and my small body became racked with little sobs as the heartache and confusion over what this all meant. To a child such as I, death was too grand a concept for me to comprehend in such a moment of grief where all I longed for was to hear my mother's voice and to feel her arms embracing me. I sobbed and wept until I was once more exhausted, cuddling a cushion for a poor replacement of the comfort that I yearned for. For the longest time I did not move or utter another sound, simply stared into emptiness as I felt with every throb the same pain burst with spasms across my entire body. So great was the sorrow that it was not until sometime later that I realised that my side no longer hurt. The one thing that should have caused me physical pain was no more, and as I pulled up the silken nightgown, I saw not even a scar to indicate that I was ever wounded. It had been healed, bound with more silk with fragrant herbs which smelled like meadows and flowers of all kinds.
It was enough to distract me from the grief of my mother's loss for a few moments, before I then spiralled back into misery and felt that I should not move from this bed ever again. Would it not be better to simply wither away and decay into nothingness, so that I then may see mother again? I shall not move. I shall not. However, as the curiousness of my surroundings began to tug at my childlike curiosity, I found myself sitting upright and studying the room more carefully and allowing my ears to listen with more attention to what lay beyond the walls of this room. I could hear birdsong and music, the sound of warm winds blowing through trees and branches to ruffle the leaves that adorned them. I could hear fresh running water and the occasional sound of a voice as lyrical and mysterious as the last.
The temptation of the outside became all too much for me to bear and so I deigned to get myself up and out of the bed to at least explore the room in which I had slept. My bare feet placed themselves on the floor before I slid down from the bed, glancing about before going towards the window with slow movement. It was a mere gap in the wall with roots twisting in a pretty pattern, however it allowed golden beams of light to streak inside and when I stepped into their heavenly rays I felt their warmth gaze down upon me, and it felt oddly comforting. The chair that sat below the window was wonderful to admire, with patterns and designs that I knew not how to describe, but the call of the outside overcame my intrigue for mere decoration and so I climbed up onto the velvet cushion that padded the seat and, taking a breath to ready myself, looked upon the world outside.
Instantly I was in awe and lost in wonder as I stared, seeing endless expanse of towering trees and twisting stairwells, amber lights shining brilliantly as I beheld a sight that felt too unreal to be real. The serene peace of the surroundings were further uplifted through song, melodious voices rising like reversed snowflakes as I felt tears of emotion slide down my face. I could not help but be moved, comforted even. It felt almost as if that the words and song were meant solely for me, as they soothed my heartache and allowed peace to was over me even though I could not understand their words. This song was for me. I knew it instinctively, and it was the most beautiful sound that had ever fallen upon my little ears. Everything was just so wondrous that I was immediately captivated within its spell. Suddenly my eyes clouded over and I gasped, my waking dream rushing to show me my door unlocking and someone stepping inside, someone I did not recognise, and their beauty although great, terrified me. I had to escape from here, I do not know these people. Perhaps they intended to keep me locked here like a caged bird, my mother had warned me of these types of people. Those that weren't afraid of my waking dreams would seek to trap me forever in order to use me and she had told me to never allow that to happen.
My mind cleared as I became aware of the present once more, my head turning and listening with keen ears to know that someone really was coming. Light footsteps glided over the ground with the swish of silken robe fluttering around them, coming ever closer. Leaping back from the chair I ran back to my bed and grabbed the largest cushions, stuffing them under the covers to roughly form a small shape underneath to try and fool them before I then concealed myself at the wall where the door would open and conceal me, praying that they would be momentarily fooled that I might escape from here. Mother had warned me that often, the most beautiful creatures were the most deadly, they would lure one in with a smile whilst hiding their true intentions. With unmatched beauty such as this, then surely it meant that this place was more dangerous than any other. More dangerous even than the forest which was mine and mother's exile.
A towering figure stepped inside after the door had soundlessly swung open, ethereal in her steps as her long flowing hair fell past her slim hips. She approached the bed in almost utter silence, her back facing me so I slowly slipped out and passed through the door unnoticed, pausing a moment to ensure that no one was about before taking off at a run, my bare feet not even making a sound. The opening to escape was scarce and a few moments later I heard a voice crying out in an unknown tongue, the words frantic as they swept through the unearthly air to alert others. My heart quickened in panic as I continued to run whilst knowing not where I was going or how I was going to leave this place, but my mind had no answers to the questions spiralling around within, I simply had to continue running for all I was worth.
I could hear the rush of movement as more of the beautiful creatures jumped to search for me, a soft horn resonating from the deep as I ran. Though I had no direction and very little by means of a plan, I continued running and eluding to the best of my ability until I came upon a vast network of bridges, open space and winding stairs that led to unknown places. Underfoot I felt the soft bed of moss which felt even silkier than the nightgown I wore, making me want to wiggle my toes and to simply sprawl out over it to enjoy its sensation, but I had no time for such things. In a panic I simply chose a single route, climbing upwards as the sound of racing feet came ever closer. With a sweep I found myself running towards a door and I reasoned that perhaps hiding a while longer until they had passed was a sensible idea.
As I approached the door opened for me of its own accord as if by magic, allowing me to streak inside before I pushed it shut behind me, lifting the latch and sliding it back down to ensure that the door remained closed. I trembled in the wake of such thrilling escapades, uncertain of my fate should I be captured by these strange people who seemed to hold all the beauty in the world within this entire place. Taking a moment I caught my breath, resting my head against the firm wooden door before I turned around to see what kind of room I had entered. When my eyes perceived an infinite number of books I started, smelling their papery scent as I stepped away from the door and padded slowly forwards. So many books. I had never seen so grand a number of anything before in my entire life. They seemed to equal the number of leaves upon a tree, upon an entire grove of trees, in fact.
It was peaceful in here, the quiet lull of soundlessness soothing the jittery pulse of my heart and easing the tempest of fears that rattled in my mind as I began to look more closely at my surroundings. The world beyond the door seemed to simply fade away as I reached out and touched the spines of the books, volumes and tomes that lined the shelves, unable to read a single word but I liked their colours, whether they were vibrant and new or faded and aged. Moving around I went further through the study, seeing a desk towards the back with numerous candles gently flickering and I approached, touching the beautifully carved wood that had been made to look like trees. Everything piqued my curiosity and soon I was exploring every nook and cranny without hesitation. Turning to look at one book in particular I reached out in order to touch it and felt the soft leather under the pads of my fingers. It was large and had a red binding with letters printed in gold however the moment I intended to pull it down from the shelf I envisioned someone reading it in a time long since passed, a woman of extraordinary beauty with hair as rich as sunlight, smiling features looking peaceful as she read this book with particular love and care.
Whipping my hand back I jumped slightly, a little surprised that I was able to look into the past rather than the future as that happened very rarely. Behind me a footstep sounded, making me whirl around quickly with a rush of fear to see someone stepping out from the shadows, purposefully making a noise as to warn me of their presence. Unbeknownst to me they had been present the entire time, watching a child flit about like a hummingbird with curious amusement. "You are quite the clever little one to have eluded my people in this manner." His voice spoke and I instantly thought of the towering mountain outside of my city, sturdy yet powerful in its presence as the light cast itself upon this stranger. Silvery fair hair lay neatly brushed back from his head with a gaze that made me seize up inside, pressing myself into the bookcase. In my mind, I could not help but think that this creature was going to eat me. "Do not be afraid." He guided, tone remaining rich and mellow as his eyes observed me contemplatively. "You have my word that I shall never harm you. Come, let me see you."
As he lowered himself down to my height I watched him extend his hand, large yet slender with the fine robes rustling with his movements. I could not perceive any reason to be afraid except for the fact that I did not know this man, though his ears were just the same as mine. However something about him distracted me momentarily, an aura about him that almost shimmered, like an illusion that he was not willing to drop and it made me suspicious for a moment. His eyes were cold and somewhat vacant, as if the light that was meant to shine within them had been diminished long ago, never to be rekindled. I feared him. I feared him so strongly that a tiny whimper sounded from my throat like the mewl of a kitten. The sound caused a fine haired eyebrow to arch, his gaze never once wavering from mine as I remained rooted to the spot.
As his eyes drew in my every movement, no matter how minute, this great and unearthly being seemed to read my expression as easily as if he were reading from one of the numerous books that surrounded us, and in his understanding, made a conscious effort to gain my trust. His eyes softened and seemingly called to me as his outstretched hand remained open and awaiting my own, the other resting upon the ground with graceful drapes pooling around him in luscious silver like beaten metal had been made into fabric. "Tolo na in, pinig…av-'osto." As I listened to his voice there was almost a mystical quality about his words, an air of magic shimmering within the air as my instinctive fear began to weaken against him. Without even realising that my hand was moving, I found myself reaching forwards to the spell-weaving creature before me and the moment my tiny hand was placed in his, I felt a shiver ripple down my spine.
His fingers curled around my smaller paw to guide me closer, looking at my features as I gazed up into his face in silent wonder, eager to commit every detail I could see to memory in case this would be the last time that I would ever see him in my entire life. For a moment there was a flicker as my eyes perceived that which was not meant to be seen and with a sharp jolt, I realised what it was that seemed deceptive about him, he truly was encasing himself in an illusion. "Your face." I whispered, reaching up unhesitatingly to touch the corner of his mouth and brush against his cheek where I could see the illusion falling away before my all-seeing eyes. "It must have hurt." His eyes creased as I spoke, still looking to where I could see his features had been burned away by something. Fire. Dragon fire. Seeing such beauty marred was heart breaking as I saw the past unfold before me, everything bursting in a bright bloom of death and heat which caused my entire body to tremble whilst tears began to shed down my cheeks. "And you were terrified…so much fire and death…you couldn't make it stop."
"How do you know of such things?" His soft whisper rolled into the back of my mind as I frowned slightly, unsure of how to answer him. Still unable to take my eyes away from his scarring, I wondered that I was not more afraid of him now than I was when I viewed him as flawless. Perhaps it was my mother's words which rang in the back of my mind, that beautiful people were often the most dangerous. Truly this creature was beautiful, more beautiful even than any of his kind that I had seen, and yet his beauty was not perfect, and perhaps it was this imperfection that meant that I could trust him. Our eyes met and I found myself being reminded of the other angel I had seen, the one that had carried me away from the forest and saved me from death. Their eyes were both clear blue, almost intensely sharp like glass as he looked down to me.
"I see things." I offered weakly, my hand still touching his face as the truth began to fall from my lips without me even considering the consequences that may follow. "Dreams. I dream when I am awake." Shivering slightly from the cold that was beginning to spread from my bare feet which had for so long remained unclad against the ground. The stranger glanced down before humming softly in thought. With a flick of the satin robe that he wore the deep shimmering scarlet suddenly surrounded me as he lifted me off the ground with effortless strength, carrying me in one arm as I squeaked and gripped onto him tightly as he wrapped my feet to ensure that they were warm before he walked towards a luscious chair that sat behind his desk that I had meticulously inspected before.
"Visions. They are called visions, little one." He informed me rather studiously and I was surprised by his seeming lack of interest, observing him as he gracefully sat upon the seat as I was then perched on his knee, wrapped in the warmth of his robe as he lifted a quill and began to construct a letter with deep black ink, the letters looking nothing like I had ever seen before and I watched in silent fascination as the words of his language were crafted. "The gift of prophecy is almost unheard of among our people, which makes you a rarity among gems." I listened to the smooth lilt of his voice and felt myself become comfortable and more trusting, watching as his hand glided over the paper. "You have no idea who you are or what your gifts entail, perhaps you do not even understand exactly what we are, little one." I shook my head. "We are elves, ancient as the stars and wise in our counsel. You are one of us, so here you shall stay under my protection."
"And my mama?" He was silent for a moment, hand going still and I felt his chest rise to draw breath and his arm brace against me which remained wrapped around my frame.
"Your mother is no longer of this world, little one." He told me in a gentle yet firm tone, conveying his strength as my fingers tightened their grip into his robes and my eyes became damp once more. To hear this confirmation was to know the truth beyond a shadow of a doubt. I had hoped in my foolish youthfulness that perhaps I had been wrong, that perhaps these creatures…elves…had performed the same miracle they had performed on me and saved my mother from death. "Which is why you shall remain with us within the borders of our home, where you will be safe from the greedy touch of mankind and all others that would seek to possess you." I had no response for him, uncertain of what this all meant. This was a very big and strange world and within it I felt exceedingly small, one where I felt like nothing but an outsider, an intruder even and that my place was not meant to be here where I, plain as I was, would remain amongst the beautiful and grand. I may look like them, but even then I was different. They all had fair or light hair and pale eyes, I was darker in both cases, almost to the point of blackness. "What is your name, young one?" Lifting my gaze I looked into his face, blinking once before I curled up against him and rested my head into his shoulder, seeking comfort from the only source of warmth I had, though he stiffened slightly in surprise.
"Asta. Mama named me Asta."
