Raine walked towards the mouth of the cave. If she weren't the first in,
she would be second. She walked in, and at first, she couldn't see a thing.
She didn't realize that somebody had followed her in until Isabel remarked,
"I can't see a thing. How can you see?" "Aries, it's impossible to see in
this darkness. What if there really are spiders or bats?" Taja said, her
voice anxious. "Nope, no spiders and no bats. But maybe a bear," Aries
added. There was a small squeal from Taja and the sound of laughter from
Isabel. Raine ignored all this and reached out a hand. She made contact
with the surprisingly smooth wall and walked, trailing her hand across the
wall.
"I'll go get firewood," Aries finally said. There was no sound of Raine anywhere in the darkness that engulfed him. "Are you sure there aren't any bats in here?" It was Taja of course. "No," he said firmly, heading in the direction of the mouth. "How do you know? You can't see anything." Aries paused before continued walking. "I have good eyes." He left the cave.
"No one can see anything in here, can you?" Taja was asking either Isabel or Raine. "Yes." "Yeah right," she snorted. "No one can see anything in here." Raine shook her head, but remembering that she couldn't see her. "I can see a little." "Wait. Things are getting a bit clearer for me too, what about you?" inquired Isabel. "Yeah, I can see," Taja finally said. "But that took a long time to adjust our eyes to the darkness." "Oh well, we better go help Aries." The three girls walked to the entrance of the cave and strode out.
It was nighttime now, and the stars were winking brightly in the sky. Raine looked at them for a few seconds before following Taja and Isabel. They were walking towards Aries, who seemed to be carrying a bunch of firewood in his arms. Raine reluctantly went to help him with the load and soon they had a fire going.
A few moments passed before anyone spoke. They were all sitting in front of the warm, crackling fire. Taja lazily tossed a stick into the flames. "So... Aries, where do you come from?" Aries was lying on his back, staring at the sky. "Crescent Realm," he finally said. "Where's that?" Isabel asked. Raine was sitting a little away from them, her hands stretched out before her, towards the flickering flames. Crescent Realm, she thought... Where had she heard that before? "A few miles from here, I think," Aries said. Taja sat up straighter. "You think? Where are you going? Besides, how did you get so far from your... troops?"
There was no reply from Aries and Isabel wondered if he had fallen asleep. Finally, he said, "There was a little trouble." Suddenly, Raine spoke up. "Where's Crescent Realm?" she asked all of the sudden. "I mean, exactly." Aries rolled over to face her. Raine's eyes were emotionless as she looked back at him. "By the Misty Mountains," he finally said. "Near the old city of Rivendell." Rained reached for her pack and pulled out the maps. She looked through them and grabbed one. She tried to read it by the fire. "What's that?" Aries asked. "A piece of parchment," she shot back, her eyes still traveling across the paper. The cramped swirly writing was hard to read. Finally, she found the Misty Mountains. It was a large mountain range. Her finger found Rivendell and went to Crescent Realm. "It's a forest," she stated. Aries grabbed the map out of her hand.
He looked at the map. It was incredibly old. "Where did you get this?" he marveled. "Someone," Raine said, unhelpfully. He ignored her tone and looked at the map. "Yes, my home is a forest. Not as splendid as Mirkwood, and definitely not as beautiful as Lorien, but still beautiful." "How can you live in a forest," Raine said. "Who's your king?" Aries looked at her. "We have no king. We need no king. We have a Lady who is like a king and she is a great ruler."
"I've never heard of humans living in forests," Taja broke in. Aries looked at her. Should he say it? Finally, before he can change his mind Aries said, "I'm not human."
Taja laughed. "Sure you aren't, Aries," she finally said. Gracie looked at Taja laughing and then at everyone else. The little girl didn't know what was going on. Isabel looked at Aries's face. "I think he's serious," she said, softly. Aries nodded. "I am." Raine narrowed her eyes and reached for her sword. "Stop," he said, noticing the movement. "I'm not going to hurt you. You are from my kind." A silence followed this sentence. Taja laughed weakly. "You can't be serious. You're not human?" Aries opened his mouth, but Raine spoke first. "What do you mean by us being from your 'kind?'"
"I mean that you're like me, not human, one of our kin---." "What exactly is your 'kin?'" "Elf." Aries looked at each young woman in turn. "I'm an elf," he said again, more softly.
An elf? Raine though disbelievingly. Who's he kidding? He not an elf. He's just an ordinary man doing some wishful thinking. Besides, Elves have good eyes and have at least one magical gift. So far, he's shown nothing extraordinary. But then Raine remember how he could see in the cave. But it was normal, anyone could've seen inside the cave. She and her sisters could. "Show me," she said, abruptly.
"What?" Aries looked at her. "Show me," she said again. "If you're really an elf, where's your gift? Show me your gift." Aries looked at Raine, who looked defiantly back. "You're going to freak out," he finally said. Raine folded her arms. "Try me," she said simply. Aries looked at Isabel and Taja. He sighed before pointed at a rock nearby. "See that rock?" The girls nodded. Aries raised a hand and waved it. The rock skidded across the ground in the direction that he had waved. Taja gave a small scream, Isabel's eyes widened, and Raine's mouth dropped open. "Close your mouth," he told her, smiling. Raine closed her mouth with a snap and glared at him.
"That could've been a coincidence," Raine started stupidly. Aries raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, maybe not," she admitted. Gracie looked at the rock and then at Aries, an expression of awe on her face. "So maybe you're not normal," Raine said, trying to regain her posture. "But what does that have to do with us?" Aries smiled. "I thought that would've been obvious by now," he said, looking at Raine and then at her sisters. "You're all like me. You're elves." Isabel just stared back, her face unreadable, and then looked at Taja, whose face showed her confusion and then at Raine whose face was contorted in disbelief.
"You actually expect us to believe that we're... elves?" Raine asked, staring at him. Aries nodded. "You really are," he said. "I can prove it." Raine looked at Taja who looked at Isabel. She turned to him. "Sure. Go ahead." Aries looked at them. "You have elfish ears and you're immortal." Isabel shook her head. "You can't prove it that we're immortal. And not all of us have pointy ears." Suddenly, she looked uncertain as she turned to Taja and Raine. "I have pointy ears," Taja said slowly and looked at Raine. Raine pulled back her hair to reveal hers. "But that doesn't really prove it. What about gifts, huh?" Raine asked, still not willing to give in. Aries shook his head. "I have no idea what you're gifts are. You'll find out soon enough." He smiled at them. "But you have elfish beauty." Raine rolled her eyes and snorted, Taja laughed, and Isabel raised her eyebrows, "Uh... thanks for the compliment, but I am not pretty," Raine said, her voice serious, but Aries saw that she was trying not to smile. "Neither am I," Taja said, giggling. Isabel shook her head. "You've got the wrong people. We're not elves." Aries shook his head too. Why are they denying it? He wondered. "Oh well, you'll believe me sooner or later," he finally said. "Time for bed," he said, noticing that Gracie had fell asleep, lying by the fire. Taja noticed too and got up to pick her up. The four people put out the fire and grabbed their things. The three girls got their belongings and went into the dark cave. Aries looked around the woods before following them.
Raine tossed and turned all night. Something was bothering her but she didn't know what it was. She remembered dimly that it had to do with a raven's feather, but she fell asleep after that.
Raine was standing alone in the woods. She was looking for someone, but she didn't know what. She turned and saw a raven on a branch. Raine started to walk forward towards the bird. Silently, like a ghost, the raven left the branch and flew off. But something made Raine keep an eye on it and follow it. Finally, Raine followed the raven into a clearing. The Raven perched on a boulder. Raine blinked and gasped. A woman now sat on the rock where the raven had been. She was incredibly beautiful and had long wavy black hair that flowed down her back fluidly like water. She wore a white gown, which glimmered in the moonlight. As Raine drew closer, she saw that the woman's eyes were the same forest green as hers. The woman smiled gently and beckoned Raine to come closer. Raine obeyed and stood before her. There was a long silence before the woman spoke. But when she spoke, it was in a different language, but Raine understood. "Do you know who I am child?" she asked. Her voice was light and beautiful and reminded Raine of a graceful river. Rains shook her head. "I am your Great grandmother, Serena."
Raine didn't answer but looked at her. She knew deep inside her that this was true. "Raine, you have to come back," she continued. "You belong with us, with elves." Raine blinked and said, "I can't be—." "You are, Raine. You are." Raine bit her lip. "But If I am... an elf, then how come I grew up with mortals? How did I get separated?" The woman shook her head. "Ask the man who you met. Trust him. He'll lead you and your sisters back to your home." Suddenly, her surroundings began to fade. "Take care my child..."
Raine woke up. A pale light lit the cave and she sat up. It was dawn. Raine looked around her. Taja slept soundly, an arm encircling Gracie who was curled like a cat. Isabel laid not far off, her back to her, but she wasn't moving. Raine looked behind her and saw Aries's sleeping body. Raine got up slowly, trying not to disturb anyone and left the cave.
Raine found a river not far off and washed her face with the water. Wiping her wet face on her sleeve, she looked up at the sky. The sun was rising. Raine stood there as she pondered her dream. It had felt so real. She remembered what Serena had said. Isabel and Taja? Her sisters?
A sound behind her broke into her thoughts and she whirled around quickly. Aries was there. "Don't sneak up on me like that," Raine complained. "I'm sorry if I startled you," Aries said. He came closer. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked, looking at her. "I had a strange dream," she finally said, turning back to look at the gentle river. "Want to talk about it?" he asked. Raine shook her head. There was silence for a few moments.
"How do elves find their gift?" she finally asked, breaking the silence. Aries looked at her curiously. "I don't know. I guess you just know when it happens. Why?" Raine shrugged. "Do you believe me?" Aries asked. "Believe what?" Raine asked, even though she knew what he was talking about. "About you being an elf." Raine shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe." Aries pointed at her right arm. "Will I convince you if I tell you what your birthmark means?" Raine jumped and whirled around to face him. "How on earth do you know so much about me?" she demanded. Aries looked at her. "Everyone knows about you and your..." he trailed off. "Are they really my sisters?" she asked softly. Aries looked at her surprised. "Exactly what dream did you have?" Raine looked at him. "Nothing," she said. "Yes, they are your sisters. Isabel is one year older then you and Taja is the youngest." Aries looked at her. "I would think you would've realized right away that they were related to you because of their birthmarks."
Raine turned again, her face shocked. "What?" she gasped. "Their birthmarks," Aries said. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed theirs yet." Raine shook her head. 'I didn't. But their birthmarks, are they same as mine?" Aries shook his head. "You birthmark is your name in elfish, Raine." Raine shook her head. "That's impossible," she said. Aries sighed. "I haven't seen your birthmark yet Raine, right?" Raine nodded, wondering what he was getting at. "I'll show you what the symbol is. Aries kneeled and grabbed a twig. He used it to draw on the loose soil. "There," he said, standing up. "Isn't that how it looks like?" Raine looked at the drawing in disbelief. He was exactly right. "How..." she started. "How I know?" he asked. "I don't want to shock you, but everyone in Crescent Realm knows about you and your sisters." "Would you stop calling them my sisters!" Raine shouted. She had suddenly felt angry. She knew that her anger wasn't reasonable, but she felt the emotion anyways. Maybe it was because of her growing fear and confusion. How could so many people know about her? It wasn't possible. She didn't even know who she was.
Aries looked at her. "I'm sorry," he said, surprising Raine. She wasn't expecting an apology. "It must be shocking. It's my fault. I shouldn't have told you so much so quickly." Raine looked at him once and then looked away. "Do you trust me?" he asked. Raine didn't answer. "I'll bring you home," he continued despite her silence. "I was looking at your map. I didn't know where were we," Aries admitted sheepishly. Raine didn't answer. "But now I know where we are," he added. Motioning towards the river, he said, "This is river Mystic. It runs through Old Rivendell. The Crescent Realm is near Rivendell." "I know," Raine said, remembering him mentioning it. "We could follow the river and soon be home." He stopped here, nervously. "If," he said, "You want to come." Raine sighed. "When I ran away from home, I was aiming for Mirkwood," she said. "I wanted to meet Elves. I never thought I would be an elf myself," Raine continued. Aries looked at her. She had a convinced look on her face. "So, you believe me?" She nodded.
"I'll go get firewood," Aries finally said. There was no sound of Raine anywhere in the darkness that engulfed him. "Are you sure there aren't any bats in here?" It was Taja of course. "No," he said firmly, heading in the direction of the mouth. "How do you know? You can't see anything." Aries paused before continued walking. "I have good eyes." He left the cave.
"No one can see anything in here, can you?" Taja was asking either Isabel or Raine. "Yes." "Yeah right," she snorted. "No one can see anything in here." Raine shook her head, but remembering that she couldn't see her. "I can see a little." "Wait. Things are getting a bit clearer for me too, what about you?" inquired Isabel. "Yeah, I can see," Taja finally said. "But that took a long time to adjust our eyes to the darkness." "Oh well, we better go help Aries." The three girls walked to the entrance of the cave and strode out.
It was nighttime now, and the stars were winking brightly in the sky. Raine looked at them for a few seconds before following Taja and Isabel. They were walking towards Aries, who seemed to be carrying a bunch of firewood in his arms. Raine reluctantly went to help him with the load and soon they had a fire going.
A few moments passed before anyone spoke. They were all sitting in front of the warm, crackling fire. Taja lazily tossed a stick into the flames. "So... Aries, where do you come from?" Aries was lying on his back, staring at the sky. "Crescent Realm," he finally said. "Where's that?" Isabel asked. Raine was sitting a little away from them, her hands stretched out before her, towards the flickering flames. Crescent Realm, she thought... Where had she heard that before? "A few miles from here, I think," Aries said. Taja sat up straighter. "You think? Where are you going? Besides, how did you get so far from your... troops?"
There was no reply from Aries and Isabel wondered if he had fallen asleep. Finally, he said, "There was a little trouble." Suddenly, Raine spoke up. "Where's Crescent Realm?" she asked all of the sudden. "I mean, exactly." Aries rolled over to face her. Raine's eyes were emotionless as she looked back at him. "By the Misty Mountains," he finally said. "Near the old city of Rivendell." Rained reached for her pack and pulled out the maps. She looked through them and grabbed one. She tried to read it by the fire. "What's that?" Aries asked. "A piece of parchment," she shot back, her eyes still traveling across the paper. The cramped swirly writing was hard to read. Finally, she found the Misty Mountains. It was a large mountain range. Her finger found Rivendell and went to Crescent Realm. "It's a forest," she stated. Aries grabbed the map out of her hand.
He looked at the map. It was incredibly old. "Where did you get this?" he marveled. "Someone," Raine said, unhelpfully. He ignored her tone and looked at the map. "Yes, my home is a forest. Not as splendid as Mirkwood, and definitely not as beautiful as Lorien, but still beautiful." "How can you live in a forest," Raine said. "Who's your king?" Aries looked at her. "We have no king. We need no king. We have a Lady who is like a king and she is a great ruler."
"I've never heard of humans living in forests," Taja broke in. Aries looked at her. Should he say it? Finally, before he can change his mind Aries said, "I'm not human."
Taja laughed. "Sure you aren't, Aries," she finally said. Gracie looked at Taja laughing and then at everyone else. The little girl didn't know what was going on. Isabel looked at Aries's face. "I think he's serious," she said, softly. Aries nodded. "I am." Raine narrowed her eyes and reached for her sword. "Stop," he said, noticing the movement. "I'm not going to hurt you. You are from my kind." A silence followed this sentence. Taja laughed weakly. "You can't be serious. You're not human?" Aries opened his mouth, but Raine spoke first. "What do you mean by us being from your 'kind?'"
"I mean that you're like me, not human, one of our kin---." "What exactly is your 'kin?'" "Elf." Aries looked at each young woman in turn. "I'm an elf," he said again, more softly.
An elf? Raine though disbelievingly. Who's he kidding? He not an elf. He's just an ordinary man doing some wishful thinking. Besides, Elves have good eyes and have at least one magical gift. So far, he's shown nothing extraordinary. But then Raine remember how he could see in the cave. But it was normal, anyone could've seen inside the cave. She and her sisters could. "Show me," she said, abruptly.
"What?" Aries looked at her. "Show me," she said again. "If you're really an elf, where's your gift? Show me your gift." Aries looked at Raine, who looked defiantly back. "You're going to freak out," he finally said. Raine folded her arms. "Try me," she said simply. Aries looked at Isabel and Taja. He sighed before pointed at a rock nearby. "See that rock?" The girls nodded. Aries raised a hand and waved it. The rock skidded across the ground in the direction that he had waved. Taja gave a small scream, Isabel's eyes widened, and Raine's mouth dropped open. "Close your mouth," he told her, smiling. Raine closed her mouth with a snap and glared at him.
"That could've been a coincidence," Raine started stupidly. Aries raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, maybe not," she admitted. Gracie looked at the rock and then at Aries, an expression of awe on her face. "So maybe you're not normal," Raine said, trying to regain her posture. "But what does that have to do with us?" Aries smiled. "I thought that would've been obvious by now," he said, looking at Raine and then at her sisters. "You're all like me. You're elves." Isabel just stared back, her face unreadable, and then looked at Taja, whose face showed her confusion and then at Raine whose face was contorted in disbelief.
"You actually expect us to believe that we're... elves?" Raine asked, staring at him. Aries nodded. "You really are," he said. "I can prove it." Raine looked at Taja who looked at Isabel. She turned to him. "Sure. Go ahead." Aries looked at them. "You have elfish ears and you're immortal." Isabel shook her head. "You can't prove it that we're immortal. And not all of us have pointy ears." Suddenly, she looked uncertain as she turned to Taja and Raine. "I have pointy ears," Taja said slowly and looked at Raine. Raine pulled back her hair to reveal hers. "But that doesn't really prove it. What about gifts, huh?" Raine asked, still not willing to give in. Aries shook his head. "I have no idea what you're gifts are. You'll find out soon enough." He smiled at them. "But you have elfish beauty." Raine rolled her eyes and snorted, Taja laughed, and Isabel raised her eyebrows, "Uh... thanks for the compliment, but I am not pretty," Raine said, her voice serious, but Aries saw that she was trying not to smile. "Neither am I," Taja said, giggling. Isabel shook her head. "You've got the wrong people. We're not elves." Aries shook his head too. Why are they denying it? He wondered. "Oh well, you'll believe me sooner or later," he finally said. "Time for bed," he said, noticing that Gracie had fell asleep, lying by the fire. Taja noticed too and got up to pick her up. The four people put out the fire and grabbed their things. The three girls got their belongings and went into the dark cave. Aries looked around the woods before following them.
Raine tossed and turned all night. Something was bothering her but she didn't know what it was. She remembered dimly that it had to do with a raven's feather, but she fell asleep after that.
Raine was standing alone in the woods. She was looking for someone, but she didn't know what. She turned and saw a raven on a branch. Raine started to walk forward towards the bird. Silently, like a ghost, the raven left the branch and flew off. But something made Raine keep an eye on it and follow it. Finally, Raine followed the raven into a clearing. The Raven perched on a boulder. Raine blinked and gasped. A woman now sat on the rock where the raven had been. She was incredibly beautiful and had long wavy black hair that flowed down her back fluidly like water. She wore a white gown, which glimmered in the moonlight. As Raine drew closer, she saw that the woman's eyes were the same forest green as hers. The woman smiled gently and beckoned Raine to come closer. Raine obeyed and stood before her. There was a long silence before the woman spoke. But when she spoke, it was in a different language, but Raine understood. "Do you know who I am child?" she asked. Her voice was light and beautiful and reminded Raine of a graceful river. Rains shook her head. "I am your Great grandmother, Serena."
Raine didn't answer but looked at her. She knew deep inside her that this was true. "Raine, you have to come back," she continued. "You belong with us, with elves." Raine blinked and said, "I can't be—." "You are, Raine. You are." Raine bit her lip. "But If I am... an elf, then how come I grew up with mortals? How did I get separated?" The woman shook her head. "Ask the man who you met. Trust him. He'll lead you and your sisters back to your home." Suddenly, her surroundings began to fade. "Take care my child..."
Raine woke up. A pale light lit the cave and she sat up. It was dawn. Raine looked around her. Taja slept soundly, an arm encircling Gracie who was curled like a cat. Isabel laid not far off, her back to her, but she wasn't moving. Raine looked behind her and saw Aries's sleeping body. Raine got up slowly, trying not to disturb anyone and left the cave.
Raine found a river not far off and washed her face with the water. Wiping her wet face on her sleeve, she looked up at the sky. The sun was rising. Raine stood there as she pondered her dream. It had felt so real. She remembered what Serena had said. Isabel and Taja? Her sisters?
A sound behind her broke into her thoughts and she whirled around quickly. Aries was there. "Don't sneak up on me like that," Raine complained. "I'm sorry if I startled you," Aries said. He came closer. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked, looking at her. "I had a strange dream," she finally said, turning back to look at the gentle river. "Want to talk about it?" he asked. Raine shook her head. There was silence for a few moments.
"How do elves find their gift?" she finally asked, breaking the silence. Aries looked at her curiously. "I don't know. I guess you just know when it happens. Why?" Raine shrugged. "Do you believe me?" Aries asked. "Believe what?" Raine asked, even though she knew what he was talking about. "About you being an elf." Raine shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe." Aries pointed at her right arm. "Will I convince you if I tell you what your birthmark means?" Raine jumped and whirled around to face him. "How on earth do you know so much about me?" she demanded. Aries looked at her. "Everyone knows about you and your..." he trailed off. "Are they really my sisters?" she asked softly. Aries looked at her surprised. "Exactly what dream did you have?" Raine looked at him. "Nothing," she said. "Yes, they are your sisters. Isabel is one year older then you and Taja is the youngest." Aries looked at her. "I would think you would've realized right away that they were related to you because of their birthmarks."
Raine turned again, her face shocked. "What?" she gasped. "Their birthmarks," Aries said. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed theirs yet." Raine shook her head. 'I didn't. But their birthmarks, are they same as mine?" Aries shook his head. "You birthmark is your name in elfish, Raine." Raine shook her head. "That's impossible," she said. Aries sighed. "I haven't seen your birthmark yet Raine, right?" Raine nodded, wondering what he was getting at. "I'll show you what the symbol is. Aries kneeled and grabbed a twig. He used it to draw on the loose soil. "There," he said, standing up. "Isn't that how it looks like?" Raine looked at the drawing in disbelief. He was exactly right. "How..." she started. "How I know?" he asked. "I don't want to shock you, but everyone in Crescent Realm knows about you and your sisters." "Would you stop calling them my sisters!" Raine shouted. She had suddenly felt angry. She knew that her anger wasn't reasonable, but she felt the emotion anyways. Maybe it was because of her growing fear and confusion. How could so many people know about her? It wasn't possible. She didn't even know who she was.
Aries looked at her. "I'm sorry," he said, surprising Raine. She wasn't expecting an apology. "It must be shocking. It's my fault. I shouldn't have told you so much so quickly." Raine looked at him once and then looked away. "Do you trust me?" he asked. Raine didn't answer. "I'll bring you home," he continued despite her silence. "I was looking at your map. I didn't know where were we," Aries admitted sheepishly. Raine didn't answer. "But now I know where we are," he added. Motioning towards the river, he said, "This is river Mystic. It runs through Old Rivendell. The Crescent Realm is near Rivendell." "I know," Raine said, remembering him mentioning it. "We could follow the river and soon be home." He stopped here, nervously. "If," he said, "You want to come." Raine sighed. "When I ran away from home, I was aiming for Mirkwood," she said. "I wanted to meet Elves. I never thought I would be an elf myself," Raine continued. Aries looked at her. She had a convinced look on her face. "So, you believe me?" She nodded.
