A few minutes later, the four girls were walking down the hall. Gem stopped
in front of a tapestry, "This is a map of the palace." She pointed at
various parts of the tapestry while telling the girls about the places.
Finally, she showed the rooms that will be there's.
"I'll have to call some people to lead you to them," she said. "I have important matters to attend to, I'm sorry." She clapped her hands. Three elves appeared to lead them to the rooms. They bowed.
"Uh... hello?" Taja said nervously, trying not to laugh. One of the servants smiled and said hello back. He reached for her bag. "Uh no thank you," she said. "I can carry it myself." The elf smiled and led down the hall and to the left. They turned a couple times and Taja began to worry that she would get lost. She turned to look behind her. Her sisters were nowhere to be seen. She turned to the front again and saw the elf motioning her to follow him. Gracie had stopped and looked back at her questionably. Taja smiled at her and followed. The servant had opened the door to a room for her.
Taja walked by him and through the door, smiling and giving her thanks. She took one look at her room and her jaw dropped open. Her pack fell from her hand. The elf left behind her and closed the door, but the girl took no notice. She strode out to the middle of the vast wide room and spun around trying to take in the largeness of the room. Everything in the room was a deep purple shade. Her bed was large and had a canopy covering with hangings. Gracie immediately went to jump on the bed. A large polished wooden desk was in the corner and there were bookshelves filled with many books. Taja looked up at the ceiling. The royal purple was dotted with silver stars. Taja walked towards the large doors and opened them. She stepped out onto the vast balcony, and gasped in awe. The view overlooked a waterfall and a graceful river running past the palace. Taja pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It hurt. She turned to a sound to the right of her. There was another enormous balcony and Isabel was emerging from the billowing curtains. She looked around in the same amazement as Taja had. The older girl spotted her sister and laughed. Taja looked to her left just in time to see Raine emerging from another balcony. She wasn't laughing or smiling, but her eyes showed peace.
Part 2
4 years later
Raine quickly ran a brush through her hair and stood back to survey herself in the mirror. She was wearing Elvin dress robes of deep navy blue. A silver necklace hung delicately from her neck. Raine looked at the tiny golden crown on the bed. She decided not to wear it. It was a hassle and others gawked at her in it too much. Four years had passed and she still wasn't comfortable with all the royalty things. There was a knock on the door. "Come in," she said absentmindedly, remembering old times. Isabel entered, her silver dress robes swishing behind her. She was wearing her crown. She smiled at the sight of Raine. "Hello, sister," she greeted her, and hugged her. Raine stiffly embraced her and then stood back. "You look amazing," Raine said. Isabel's smile widened. "You too," Isabel said. She walked over to the bed and picked up the crown. "Why don't you ever wear it?" Raine sighed and went over to her desk. Her diary was left wide open and now she slammed it shut and safely placed it in a drawer.
"Because I see no point in it," she said for the millionth time. "All it does is make my head heavier." Isabel shrugged. "Okay, fine, whatever you want, but Gem isn't going to be happy." "She isn't happy with anything I do," Raine pointed out. Isabel walked back over to her younger sister. ""That isn't true," she protested. This time Raine shrugged. "Where's Taja?" she asked, changing the subject. Isabel went to the door and opened it for Raine. "Probably downstairs at the party. Keeping an eye on Gracie most likely." "Two eyes," Raine corrected, leaving the room with Isabel close behind her. "That girl's becoming quite a handful." Isabel grinned. "I agree."
The two young women, continued down the hall silently. As they turned the corner, Isabel broke the silence. "So... Are you nervous?" "Nervous?" Raine asked. "Why would I be nervous?" Isabel glanced at her, but Raine's face showed no trace that she was lying. "Well, Aries is going to be there." Raine looked at Isabel? "And?"
"We hadn't seen him for four years." Isabel said. "I wondered how much he changed. Did you ever wonder about him?" Yes I have, Raine thought. A couple times over the past years. They reached the wide entrance of the Raven Palace and started down the grand staircase. The party had started and they could see all the elves dancing and feasting. Isabel and Raine neared the party when one of their faithful, and very ancient, servants came up to them. Gaffin walked up to them and nodded deeply. "My ladies," he said, smiling, his old eyes twinkling mischievously. "Hello," Isabel replied smiling. Raine smiled. She started to walk into the crowd when Gaffin blocked her with an outstretched arm. "My lady Raine," he started with a laugh in his voice. "There are to be no weapons in the party. There is no need at all." Raine rolled her eyes, but untied the dagger she was stealthily hid under a layer of her dress. Gaffin took it and let Raine enter. She looked around as she walked, trying to spot her younger sister. She finally saw her talking to a man about something. She seemed excited. Taja was wearing a red and gold dress and her hair was up. Raine went over to a small vacant table and seated herself. Raine noticed a small bare foot popping out from under the table. Pulling up the tablecloth, she leaned over and peeked under the table. A nine-year-old girl stared back, giggling. Her brown hair was falling out of her ponytail and her robes had a few grass stains on the hem. "Shh...." Gracie whispered. Raine sighed audibly and dropped the tablecloth.
"Hey Raine!" Raine looked up to see her younger sister's smiling face. "Hey," Raine said. "Have you seen Gracie?" Raine pointed silently to the foot sticking out from behind the tablecloth. Taja nodded. Someone came up behind her. "Oh!" Taja said, remembering something. She grabbed the person by the arm and dragged him up to Raine. "Remember him?" Raine looked up at the man she had seen talking to Taja earlier. He smiled crookedly, his hair looking like it had been swept by the wind.
"Hello Aries," Raine said. Why was she feeling embarrassed? He had grown taller and was wearing robes of dark green. "Hey," he said. "Sit down," Raine said, motioning to the empty chairs at her table. Aries pulled out a chair for Taja and she gratefully sat down. Aries then pulled out a chair for himself and seated himself. "So..." He started. "How's life been for you?"
"Isabel!" Isabel turned around and saw her cousin hurrying towards her. "You look good," Gem said, looking at her. "You too," Isabel said. Gem was wearing purple robes with red hems. "Everyone we invited came," Gem said, looking around in satisfaction. "That means everyone in Crescent Realm right?" Isabel asked, watching a young elf run pass her. Gem frowned slightly. "I didn't really like the idea of children here, but it is the 22nd of September." Isabel nodded. "Cormare."
Gem spotted Taja and Raine. "She isn't wearing her crown again," she said. Isabel shrugged. "She hates it and we can't really make her." Gem let it go. "Oh, by the way, someone's been looking for you," Gem said suddenly. Isabel felt annoyed. Not again. "I told him that you'd be out later. He's to your far right talking to his brother. You can try to avoid him." "Thanks," Isabel said. "I don't need him stalking me today." Gem sighed. "But I still don't know why you don't like him. He's wealthy, honorable, brother of a captain---." "Oh it can't be that he's arrogant and his head bloated but still empty?" Isabel cutted in scathingly. Gem surveyed her silently. "I'm sorry," Isabel said. Gem just shook her head and said, "You shouldn't hang out with Raine too much. It's rubbing off on you." "She's my sister!" Isabel called after her retreating back. "Life?" Raine asked. "Okay I guess." A new song, a slow one, started. "Would you want to dance with me?" Aries asked Taja. "No, I have to check on the food," Taja said, getting up. Raine pointed at her slipping crown. Taja straightened it. "Thanks." She looked at them. "You guys dance for now," she said, turning to leave. Raine looked at Aries. He grinned. "Shall we?" Raine nodded, allowing a small smile and taking his hand.
Isabel took a seat by a giant tree and watched the dancers. Suddenly someone came up to her table. "Now why would such a lovely young lady not have a dancing partner?" Isabel looked up and inwardly moaned. Not him.
Higara smiled at her, looking her up and down. "May I have the honor of dancing with The Lady?" Isabel smiled back but she was actually trying to think of an excuse. "Uh..." Taja appeared at the table. "Isabel, Gem's asking for you." Isabel stood up more quickly than normal. "Lead me to her." The two girls walked off into the crowd without another glance at Higara.
"Thanks," Isabel said gratefully. Taja smiled brightly. "Gem didn't really want to see me right?" Taja shook her head no. "No, I just thought you might needed a little help." "More like a lot," Isabel said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Let's go check at the food for now okay?" Isabel nodded.
"How's training?" "Great," Raine said. She felt uncomfortable. She didn't usually dance, especially with guys. "I finished training a week ago," She added. Aries nodded. "So, what's your weapon? Bow and arrows?" "No, sword."
"Ah," he said. "Are you any good?" "I don't know, you have to fight me sometimes to find out," Raine said. "What's your ideal weapon?" "Sword," he answered. "But I'm handy with a bow and arrow." "Isabel uses bow and arrows, but she always has a dagger somewhere." "And Taja?" Raine laughed. "She's a strange one. She doesn't usually use weapons." Aries remembered. "Oh. Is it true that she figured out her power?"
"We all did," Raine corrected. "Right. Sorry. We haven't met for a long time." "Yes, we discovered our powers a few months after we came back. Isabel and I always suspected what our powers were after you mentioned for the first time about powers." Raine laughed again. "Taja found her power after she was practicing fighting with the master. They were on a cliff and she tripped over a boulder and fell off the edge." "So it's true," Aries said. "Her power—." "Is levitation," Raine confirmed, smiling. "I was there when it happened. It gave me quite a scare when she went over. But you should've seen her face when she came back levitating." Aries laughed. "So you're power is intuition, like a sixth sense." "I know when something bad is going to happen or if something's sneaking up on us and Isabel can feel your emotion. But not if you hide them very well." Aries nodded. A pretty elf came up to them.
"Oh!" Aries said. He pulled the girl to him and beamed at Raine. "This is Beretta." Raine nodded. Any trace of a smile was gone and she was back to her surly self. Beretta smiled at Raine, "Hello!" Aries said, "She's my fiancé."
Raine stood there, her face showing her surprise. "Well, uh... congratulations!" She finally stammered, forcing a small smile on her face. Beretta laughed and hung onto Aries. "Thank you." Taja came up to them. "Hello!" Taja smiled at the petite elf. "Who are you?" Beretta smiled back. "This is my fiancé," Aries explained. "Really?" Taja exclaimed. "I didn't know you were engaged!" "I didn't either," Raine said, her fake smile faded. "Best wishes for the both of you," Taja said. "You're really lucky," she said to Beretta. "I know I am," Beretta said. Raine took a step back. "I'm... going to find Isabel. I just remembered something." Raine turned with a twirl of her robes and walked off, her sister staring at her, confused.
Isabel stood at the foot of the steps. She cleared her throat. All the elves quieted down and turned their attention to the Lady. "Hello," she began. "Welcome to the traditional party of Cormare. This story is well known to all of you, but all of us always want to hear the tale again. Lady Gem will be saying the story."
Raine walked away from the crowd and into the shadows of the trees. She walked until she reached the clearing behind the castle. She walked on the slippery wet stones by the river and sat on a boulder. She pulled off her slippers and let her feet dangle in the cool water, pulling her robes back so they didn't get wet. As she kicked the water, she thought back on her life.
Isabel walked into the crowd and sat at an empty table. Lady Gem strided to the foot of the steps and cleared her throat as her cousin had. "This is the story of Nine- Fingered Frodo and the One Ring." She started into the familiar tale. Isabel leaned back in her chair and pictured the story in her mind. It was one of her favorites. She didn't hear someone sitting in the chair next to her until he spoke. "I don't like this story." Isabel opened her eyes and sat up. Higara continued. "The person who wrote the tale should've given more attention to the elves. Instead they focus on made-up characters." "It's a true story," Isabel said, a little more icy than she meant too. Higara laughed. "No it isn't. Hobbits don't exist. They're probably just terribly short mortals." Isabel left the table, not wanting to talk to him any longer.
Raine woke up to the sounds of birds chirping. She sat up and pulled back the hangings around her bed. She blinked in the sudden bright light and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the light. Then, she got up to open the doors leading to her balcony. It was a clear, warm morning, with only a hint of a breeze. Raine put her arms out on the wall and looked down at the waterfall. All was peaceful.
A few minutes later, she was writing in her journal at the desk. She dipped her raven feather quill into the inkbottle and looked at the paper thoughtfully while the ink dripped off the tip. A sudden knock shook her out of her reverie. "Who is it?" Raine called out. "Us." "Come in." Raine continued to write. Isabel opened the door and walked in with Taja right behind her. Isabel went over to Raine's book shelf to look at the numerous books.
"I'll have to call some people to lead you to them," she said. "I have important matters to attend to, I'm sorry." She clapped her hands. Three elves appeared to lead them to the rooms. They bowed.
"Uh... hello?" Taja said nervously, trying not to laugh. One of the servants smiled and said hello back. He reached for her bag. "Uh no thank you," she said. "I can carry it myself." The elf smiled and led down the hall and to the left. They turned a couple times and Taja began to worry that she would get lost. She turned to look behind her. Her sisters were nowhere to be seen. She turned to the front again and saw the elf motioning her to follow him. Gracie had stopped and looked back at her questionably. Taja smiled at her and followed. The servant had opened the door to a room for her.
Taja walked by him and through the door, smiling and giving her thanks. She took one look at her room and her jaw dropped open. Her pack fell from her hand. The elf left behind her and closed the door, but the girl took no notice. She strode out to the middle of the vast wide room and spun around trying to take in the largeness of the room. Everything in the room was a deep purple shade. Her bed was large and had a canopy covering with hangings. Gracie immediately went to jump on the bed. A large polished wooden desk was in the corner and there were bookshelves filled with many books. Taja looked up at the ceiling. The royal purple was dotted with silver stars. Taja walked towards the large doors and opened them. She stepped out onto the vast balcony, and gasped in awe. The view overlooked a waterfall and a graceful river running past the palace. Taja pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It hurt. She turned to a sound to the right of her. There was another enormous balcony and Isabel was emerging from the billowing curtains. She looked around in the same amazement as Taja had. The older girl spotted her sister and laughed. Taja looked to her left just in time to see Raine emerging from another balcony. She wasn't laughing or smiling, but her eyes showed peace.
Part 2
4 years later
Raine quickly ran a brush through her hair and stood back to survey herself in the mirror. She was wearing Elvin dress robes of deep navy blue. A silver necklace hung delicately from her neck. Raine looked at the tiny golden crown on the bed. She decided not to wear it. It was a hassle and others gawked at her in it too much. Four years had passed and she still wasn't comfortable with all the royalty things. There was a knock on the door. "Come in," she said absentmindedly, remembering old times. Isabel entered, her silver dress robes swishing behind her. She was wearing her crown. She smiled at the sight of Raine. "Hello, sister," she greeted her, and hugged her. Raine stiffly embraced her and then stood back. "You look amazing," Raine said. Isabel's smile widened. "You too," Isabel said. She walked over to the bed and picked up the crown. "Why don't you ever wear it?" Raine sighed and went over to her desk. Her diary was left wide open and now she slammed it shut and safely placed it in a drawer.
"Because I see no point in it," she said for the millionth time. "All it does is make my head heavier." Isabel shrugged. "Okay, fine, whatever you want, but Gem isn't going to be happy." "She isn't happy with anything I do," Raine pointed out. Isabel walked back over to her younger sister. ""That isn't true," she protested. This time Raine shrugged. "Where's Taja?" she asked, changing the subject. Isabel went to the door and opened it for Raine. "Probably downstairs at the party. Keeping an eye on Gracie most likely." "Two eyes," Raine corrected, leaving the room with Isabel close behind her. "That girl's becoming quite a handful." Isabel grinned. "I agree."
The two young women, continued down the hall silently. As they turned the corner, Isabel broke the silence. "So... Are you nervous?" "Nervous?" Raine asked. "Why would I be nervous?" Isabel glanced at her, but Raine's face showed no trace that she was lying. "Well, Aries is going to be there." Raine looked at Isabel? "And?"
"We hadn't seen him for four years." Isabel said. "I wondered how much he changed. Did you ever wonder about him?" Yes I have, Raine thought. A couple times over the past years. They reached the wide entrance of the Raven Palace and started down the grand staircase. The party had started and they could see all the elves dancing and feasting. Isabel and Raine neared the party when one of their faithful, and very ancient, servants came up to them. Gaffin walked up to them and nodded deeply. "My ladies," he said, smiling, his old eyes twinkling mischievously. "Hello," Isabel replied smiling. Raine smiled. She started to walk into the crowd when Gaffin blocked her with an outstretched arm. "My lady Raine," he started with a laugh in his voice. "There are to be no weapons in the party. There is no need at all." Raine rolled her eyes, but untied the dagger she was stealthily hid under a layer of her dress. Gaffin took it and let Raine enter. She looked around as she walked, trying to spot her younger sister. She finally saw her talking to a man about something. She seemed excited. Taja was wearing a red and gold dress and her hair was up. Raine went over to a small vacant table and seated herself. Raine noticed a small bare foot popping out from under the table. Pulling up the tablecloth, she leaned over and peeked under the table. A nine-year-old girl stared back, giggling. Her brown hair was falling out of her ponytail and her robes had a few grass stains on the hem. "Shh...." Gracie whispered. Raine sighed audibly and dropped the tablecloth.
"Hey Raine!" Raine looked up to see her younger sister's smiling face. "Hey," Raine said. "Have you seen Gracie?" Raine pointed silently to the foot sticking out from behind the tablecloth. Taja nodded. Someone came up behind her. "Oh!" Taja said, remembering something. She grabbed the person by the arm and dragged him up to Raine. "Remember him?" Raine looked up at the man she had seen talking to Taja earlier. He smiled crookedly, his hair looking like it had been swept by the wind.
"Hello Aries," Raine said. Why was she feeling embarrassed? He had grown taller and was wearing robes of dark green. "Hey," he said. "Sit down," Raine said, motioning to the empty chairs at her table. Aries pulled out a chair for Taja and she gratefully sat down. Aries then pulled out a chair for himself and seated himself. "So..." He started. "How's life been for you?"
"Isabel!" Isabel turned around and saw her cousin hurrying towards her. "You look good," Gem said, looking at her. "You too," Isabel said. Gem was wearing purple robes with red hems. "Everyone we invited came," Gem said, looking around in satisfaction. "That means everyone in Crescent Realm right?" Isabel asked, watching a young elf run pass her. Gem frowned slightly. "I didn't really like the idea of children here, but it is the 22nd of September." Isabel nodded. "Cormare."
Gem spotted Taja and Raine. "She isn't wearing her crown again," she said. Isabel shrugged. "She hates it and we can't really make her." Gem let it go. "Oh, by the way, someone's been looking for you," Gem said suddenly. Isabel felt annoyed. Not again. "I told him that you'd be out later. He's to your far right talking to his brother. You can try to avoid him." "Thanks," Isabel said. "I don't need him stalking me today." Gem sighed. "But I still don't know why you don't like him. He's wealthy, honorable, brother of a captain---." "Oh it can't be that he's arrogant and his head bloated but still empty?" Isabel cutted in scathingly. Gem surveyed her silently. "I'm sorry," Isabel said. Gem just shook her head and said, "You shouldn't hang out with Raine too much. It's rubbing off on you." "She's my sister!" Isabel called after her retreating back. "Life?" Raine asked. "Okay I guess." A new song, a slow one, started. "Would you want to dance with me?" Aries asked Taja. "No, I have to check on the food," Taja said, getting up. Raine pointed at her slipping crown. Taja straightened it. "Thanks." She looked at them. "You guys dance for now," she said, turning to leave. Raine looked at Aries. He grinned. "Shall we?" Raine nodded, allowing a small smile and taking his hand.
Isabel took a seat by a giant tree and watched the dancers. Suddenly someone came up to her table. "Now why would such a lovely young lady not have a dancing partner?" Isabel looked up and inwardly moaned. Not him.
Higara smiled at her, looking her up and down. "May I have the honor of dancing with The Lady?" Isabel smiled back but she was actually trying to think of an excuse. "Uh..." Taja appeared at the table. "Isabel, Gem's asking for you." Isabel stood up more quickly than normal. "Lead me to her." The two girls walked off into the crowd without another glance at Higara.
"Thanks," Isabel said gratefully. Taja smiled brightly. "Gem didn't really want to see me right?" Taja shook her head no. "No, I just thought you might needed a little help." "More like a lot," Isabel said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Let's go check at the food for now okay?" Isabel nodded.
"How's training?" "Great," Raine said. She felt uncomfortable. She didn't usually dance, especially with guys. "I finished training a week ago," She added. Aries nodded. "So, what's your weapon? Bow and arrows?" "No, sword."
"Ah," he said. "Are you any good?" "I don't know, you have to fight me sometimes to find out," Raine said. "What's your ideal weapon?" "Sword," he answered. "But I'm handy with a bow and arrow." "Isabel uses bow and arrows, but she always has a dagger somewhere." "And Taja?" Raine laughed. "She's a strange one. She doesn't usually use weapons." Aries remembered. "Oh. Is it true that she figured out her power?"
"We all did," Raine corrected. "Right. Sorry. We haven't met for a long time." "Yes, we discovered our powers a few months after we came back. Isabel and I always suspected what our powers were after you mentioned for the first time about powers." Raine laughed again. "Taja found her power after she was practicing fighting with the master. They were on a cliff and she tripped over a boulder and fell off the edge." "So it's true," Aries said. "Her power—." "Is levitation," Raine confirmed, smiling. "I was there when it happened. It gave me quite a scare when she went over. But you should've seen her face when she came back levitating." Aries laughed. "So you're power is intuition, like a sixth sense." "I know when something bad is going to happen or if something's sneaking up on us and Isabel can feel your emotion. But not if you hide them very well." Aries nodded. A pretty elf came up to them.
"Oh!" Aries said. He pulled the girl to him and beamed at Raine. "This is Beretta." Raine nodded. Any trace of a smile was gone and she was back to her surly self. Beretta smiled at Raine, "Hello!" Aries said, "She's my fiancé."
Raine stood there, her face showing her surprise. "Well, uh... congratulations!" She finally stammered, forcing a small smile on her face. Beretta laughed and hung onto Aries. "Thank you." Taja came up to them. "Hello!" Taja smiled at the petite elf. "Who are you?" Beretta smiled back. "This is my fiancé," Aries explained. "Really?" Taja exclaimed. "I didn't know you were engaged!" "I didn't either," Raine said, her fake smile faded. "Best wishes for the both of you," Taja said. "You're really lucky," she said to Beretta. "I know I am," Beretta said. Raine took a step back. "I'm... going to find Isabel. I just remembered something." Raine turned with a twirl of her robes and walked off, her sister staring at her, confused.
Isabel stood at the foot of the steps. She cleared her throat. All the elves quieted down and turned their attention to the Lady. "Hello," she began. "Welcome to the traditional party of Cormare. This story is well known to all of you, but all of us always want to hear the tale again. Lady Gem will be saying the story."
Raine walked away from the crowd and into the shadows of the trees. She walked until she reached the clearing behind the castle. She walked on the slippery wet stones by the river and sat on a boulder. She pulled off her slippers and let her feet dangle in the cool water, pulling her robes back so they didn't get wet. As she kicked the water, she thought back on her life.
Isabel walked into the crowd and sat at an empty table. Lady Gem strided to the foot of the steps and cleared her throat as her cousin had. "This is the story of Nine- Fingered Frodo and the One Ring." She started into the familiar tale. Isabel leaned back in her chair and pictured the story in her mind. It was one of her favorites. She didn't hear someone sitting in the chair next to her until he spoke. "I don't like this story." Isabel opened her eyes and sat up. Higara continued. "The person who wrote the tale should've given more attention to the elves. Instead they focus on made-up characters." "It's a true story," Isabel said, a little more icy than she meant too. Higara laughed. "No it isn't. Hobbits don't exist. They're probably just terribly short mortals." Isabel left the table, not wanting to talk to him any longer.
Raine woke up to the sounds of birds chirping. She sat up and pulled back the hangings around her bed. She blinked in the sudden bright light and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the light. Then, she got up to open the doors leading to her balcony. It was a clear, warm morning, with only a hint of a breeze. Raine put her arms out on the wall and looked down at the waterfall. All was peaceful.
A few minutes later, she was writing in her journal at the desk. She dipped her raven feather quill into the inkbottle and looked at the paper thoughtfully while the ink dripped off the tip. A sudden knock shook her out of her reverie. "Who is it?" Raine called out. "Us." "Come in." Raine continued to write. Isabel opened the door and walked in with Taja right behind her. Isabel went over to Raine's book shelf to look at the numerous books.
