Vidanric and I spent our days in Tlanth mostly relaxing, except for sword work in the morning, but neither him nor I thought that work. Now that my relationship had changed with Danric, I no longer felt embarrassed at my lack of skill, and even accepted lessons from him when he offered, though my rather stubborn sense of pride forbade me from actually asking him to teach me, which I think he knew. But even with informal lessons and off-hand advice, my skill steadily improved. It was about our third day in Tlanth when my trademark restlessness struck me, late at night, and I felt the need to once again climb the white stone peak at Elios and run over the mountain trails, except this time, I did not feel the need to be alone. So at around eleven at night, I knocked outside Vidanric's tapestry and dragged him out into the night.
It felt odd for me, who was trying to relive past days, to run over the trails in my civil riding clothes instead of my worn skirts and tunics, which I never minded getting dirty, but I moved into the forest, quickly passing the imaginary line that marked Hill Folk territory. Vidanric proved to have a perfect sense of tact and kept quiet through our trip, understanding that this was something I had to do for myself, and he was simply a guest on my trip into childhood.
I reached the bottom of the white stone peak and began to climb, with Vidanric's lithe form not far behind, for even though the peak was almost sheer and he was not familiar with the best hand- and foot-holds, he seemed to be very capable of climbing, which I suspected came from climbing the cliffs in Renselaeus as a child.
The two of us reached the top is when I first spoke, the silhouette of the castle sparking my memory. "Vidanric, do you remember the night before we left for Remalna-city? You were standing in the high tower of the castle late at night."
"Yes," he responded, confused at my choice to topic. I guessed he thought I was going to launch into a lecture on the Hill Folk or some such matter.
"Why were you up there? I looked for you when I got back, but you weren't there."
"I needed to think. About you, mostly, because of our conversation in the library, about what I was going to do to get you to like me when we got to Court, about how I could protect you from Court life. That is when I came up with the idea of asking Russav to make you popular, no matter how much it irritated me to give my cousin permission to flirt with you whilst I could not. I like to do my thinking outdoors, usually in the gardens when we are at Court or by the waterfall when I am at home, but there I did not know where to go, so I went to the tower."
"Oh," was all I could say. I leaned back, into his arms and just sat, thinking and listening as the Hill Folk played their music over the mountain. It was a song that I recognized, though they didn't play it very often – it was the song of welcome, a song they play only when one of their own comes home from a journey. I knew they played it to welcome me back to my home, not my home at the castle, but my home in the forests. I smiled into the darkness, then up at Vidanric, who leaned down to kiss me.
I let Vidanric kiss me, losing myself in my memories of him, of my home, of this very place. I marveled at how far I had come from when I had last sat upon this ridge and looked down at my lifelong home. I was engaged to the very man I had raged against last time I was here. When I came out of my thoughts, I realized that Danric had stopped kissing me and was looking at my with a questioning look deep in his grey eyes.
"I was just thinking," I said, vaguely, but Vidanric didn't question further. I looked up at the sky and listened to the Hill Folk's music, and idea popping into my head.
I stood up and pulled Danric up after me, walking away from the edge and into the forest behind us, quickly finding a little known trail, used only by animals, the Hill Folk, and me. The trail was lined with flowering jasmine, planted when the Hill Folk removed the buds they wore. It made the trail smell heavenly, and I breathed in this scent of home as I continued down the trail, following the harp sounds around me to my destination.
A few minutes later, the trail opened into a meadow I vaguely remembered from my childhood, one that my father showed me, the place where I first saw the Hill Folk. The meadow was surrounded by towering Redwoods and Bluewoods, with a towering Goldenwood standing in the center of the small glade like a king. Around it were nearly thirty of the Hill Folk, dancing to the music played by a harpist and another on a reed pipe. When Vidanric and I entered the glade, everything became silent.
Silent for only the barest second, for I guessed it took them that long to gauge our intentions, before the glade erupted into a song of welcome and the Folk began to wildly dance around the tree.
I heard Vidanric take a sharp breathe when he realized what I had brought him to. "Meliara, I can't believe this. How did you know this was here?" he whispered.
"My father brought me here once, when the Hill Folk were mourning the loss of my mother. They only come here when the either celebrate or mourn, for so many are not usually gathered in one place. When I recognized the song they played, one of welcome, I knew they would be here to celebrate, so I decided that we should join in the gaiety."
"Why do they not run? I always heard that Hill Folk scatter whenever humans come upon them," Danric questioned.
"They know who I am, and through me they know who you are. Besides, I don't know if Hill Folk understand or acknowledge kings, but they have always accepted those of rank more quickly than those without. I can only guess its because the nobility of Remalna are the ones who created the Covenant. Anyway, they won't run unless you frighten them." I walked out into the glade and began to dance alongside the Folk, though not altogether with them, smiling when Vidanric came into my field of vision and I saw him with an utterly astonished look on his face. It was so rare to see Vidanric so totally lose his composure. I walked to the edge of the glade where he stood and drew him with me into the dance.
Vidanric and I danced for hours, content together among the Hill Folk who did not judge us or expect anything from us except to celebrate. We danced until the Folk began to leave, planting their garlands in the ground as they walked along. Finally the harpist and reed piper ended their never-ending song and disappeared among the trees. Quietly, after the last of them had left, I lead Danric back along the path to the stond peak, where we sat together to watch a brilliant sunrise before heading back to the castle for a long rest.
*****************************************
Author's note: Well, this is what I really had planned to have happen in chapter four, but as I said, my brother kicked me off the computer before I could write it out. Yay! Danric met the Hill Folk! I think I may have a few more encounters with the Folk, but not for right now. Yes, well I hoped you guys liked the fluff in this chapter!
It felt odd for me, who was trying to relive past days, to run over the trails in my civil riding clothes instead of my worn skirts and tunics, which I never minded getting dirty, but I moved into the forest, quickly passing the imaginary line that marked Hill Folk territory. Vidanric proved to have a perfect sense of tact and kept quiet through our trip, understanding that this was something I had to do for myself, and he was simply a guest on my trip into childhood.
I reached the bottom of the white stone peak and began to climb, with Vidanric's lithe form not far behind, for even though the peak was almost sheer and he was not familiar with the best hand- and foot-holds, he seemed to be very capable of climbing, which I suspected came from climbing the cliffs in Renselaeus as a child.
The two of us reached the top is when I first spoke, the silhouette of the castle sparking my memory. "Vidanric, do you remember the night before we left for Remalna-city? You were standing in the high tower of the castle late at night."
"Yes," he responded, confused at my choice to topic. I guessed he thought I was going to launch into a lecture on the Hill Folk or some such matter.
"Why were you up there? I looked for you when I got back, but you weren't there."
"I needed to think. About you, mostly, because of our conversation in the library, about what I was going to do to get you to like me when we got to Court, about how I could protect you from Court life. That is when I came up with the idea of asking Russav to make you popular, no matter how much it irritated me to give my cousin permission to flirt with you whilst I could not. I like to do my thinking outdoors, usually in the gardens when we are at Court or by the waterfall when I am at home, but there I did not know where to go, so I went to the tower."
"Oh," was all I could say. I leaned back, into his arms and just sat, thinking and listening as the Hill Folk played their music over the mountain. It was a song that I recognized, though they didn't play it very often – it was the song of welcome, a song they play only when one of their own comes home from a journey. I knew they played it to welcome me back to my home, not my home at the castle, but my home in the forests. I smiled into the darkness, then up at Vidanric, who leaned down to kiss me.
I let Vidanric kiss me, losing myself in my memories of him, of my home, of this very place. I marveled at how far I had come from when I had last sat upon this ridge and looked down at my lifelong home. I was engaged to the very man I had raged against last time I was here. When I came out of my thoughts, I realized that Danric had stopped kissing me and was looking at my with a questioning look deep in his grey eyes.
"I was just thinking," I said, vaguely, but Vidanric didn't question further. I looked up at the sky and listened to the Hill Folk's music, and idea popping into my head.
I stood up and pulled Danric up after me, walking away from the edge and into the forest behind us, quickly finding a little known trail, used only by animals, the Hill Folk, and me. The trail was lined with flowering jasmine, planted when the Hill Folk removed the buds they wore. It made the trail smell heavenly, and I breathed in this scent of home as I continued down the trail, following the harp sounds around me to my destination.
A few minutes later, the trail opened into a meadow I vaguely remembered from my childhood, one that my father showed me, the place where I first saw the Hill Folk. The meadow was surrounded by towering Redwoods and Bluewoods, with a towering Goldenwood standing in the center of the small glade like a king. Around it were nearly thirty of the Hill Folk, dancing to the music played by a harpist and another on a reed pipe. When Vidanric and I entered the glade, everything became silent.
Silent for only the barest second, for I guessed it took them that long to gauge our intentions, before the glade erupted into a song of welcome and the Folk began to wildly dance around the tree.
I heard Vidanric take a sharp breathe when he realized what I had brought him to. "Meliara, I can't believe this. How did you know this was here?" he whispered.
"My father brought me here once, when the Hill Folk were mourning the loss of my mother. They only come here when the either celebrate or mourn, for so many are not usually gathered in one place. When I recognized the song they played, one of welcome, I knew they would be here to celebrate, so I decided that we should join in the gaiety."
"Why do they not run? I always heard that Hill Folk scatter whenever humans come upon them," Danric questioned.
"They know who I am, and through me they know who you are. Besides, I don't know if Hill Folk understand or acknowledge kings, but they have always accepted those of rank more quickly than those without. I can only guess its because the nobility of Remalna are the ones who created the Covenant. Anyway, they won't run unless you frighten them." I walked out into the glade and began to dance alongside the Folk, though not altogether with them, smiling when Vidanric came into my field of vision and I saw him with an utterly astonished look on his face. It was so rare to see Vidanric so totally lose his composure. I walked to the edge of the glade where he stood and drew him with me into the dance.
Vidanric and I danced for hours, content together among the Hill Folk who did not judge us or expect anything from us except to celebrate. We danced until the Folk began to leave, planting their garlands in the ground as they walked along. Finally the harpist and reed piper ended their never-ending song and disappeared among the trees. Quietly, after the last of them had left, I lead Danric back along the path to the stond peak, where we sat together to watch a brilliant sunrise before heading back to the castle for a long rest.
*****************************************
Author's note: Well, this is what I really had planned to have happen in chapter four, but as I said, my brother kicked me off the computer before I could write it out. Yay! Danric met the Hill Folk! I think I may have a few more encounters with the Folk, but not for right now. Yes, well I hoped you guys liked the fluff in this chapter!