The trumpets blared. Everyone was lined up along the main street. Little babies were crying, their mother's hugging them close. Younger children ran around each other and their parents, laughing. As a pair of white horses pranced into view, the children went running to their mothers.
The horses were a creamy white, with slightly darker manes. Gold and silver thread was braided into their manes and tails. Each had a scarlet cloth over their shoulders, bearing the insignia of the King on both ends of the cloth. Their harnesses were black leather, with gold stitching and the buckles and bits were polished silver.
The horses were pulling a large white carriage. The door and rims of the carriage were gold engravings of faeries and elves. A scarlet silk curtain covered the windows of the carriage. As the carriage passed by, the curtains parted, and everyone caught a glimpse of who was inside. The king had dark brown hair, upon which sat a large gold crown, inset with sapphires and rubies. The hand that waved from out the window was covered in a deep blue robe, with gold stitching.
As soon as the King passed, they hurried back into their houses. There was not much to see after the King passed anyway. Merlyn and Eleri had wanted to see the King. My mother and I stayed back at the cabin, cleaning and preparing for dinner.
Eleri and Merlyn arrived home, their faces flushed with the excitement of seeing the King. I set a cauldron of water on the fire to boil, while listening to Merlyn talk about seeing the King. Mother just nodded and smiled into her hair. Eleri began cutting up some vegetables, and Merlyn, after telling me what happened, went into her room to play with her dolls. Father came in, exhausted from a day's worth of fishing.
I was stirring the soup when I heard a knock at the door. I looked at Eleri. She nodded, and I gave her the soup spoon. I brushed my dress off, and untied my apron. The knocking came again. I went up and opened it.
Standing there was the King, minus the carriage, minus the crown, and minus the expensive robe. Instead he wore a simple tunic and a pair of breeched.
"Are there any healers in this household?" he asked, his voice rich and loud.
"Well, um, your majesty," I stuttered. "I am a healer."
The king looked me up and down, analyzing me.
"You look a littler young to be a healer." He told me.
"Oh, she is the most powerful sorceress you will ever lay eyes on." A voice came from behind the king.
A woman stepped out from the shadows. She had jet black hair that was tipped with a burgundy red. Her eyes were a piercingly clear blue and cold. She smiled at me, but her eyes remained emotionless. As she looked at, I felt as though she could see all my thoughts, and know what I was thinking. Despite my wariness of her, she was alluring and charismatic.
The King brushed her away impatiently. "If you say so Maeve."
Maeve stepped back, shooting daggers at the king with her cold blue eyes.
Eleri came up from behind me, as the smell of soup wafted through the open door. This reminded me of my manners.
"You majesty, would you like to join us in a humble meal?" I asked him. He looked thoughtfully at me for a moment. He was about to open his mouth when Maeve cut in.
"No, we have another place to stay." She said, steering the King around. At first he struggled, and then he was subdued. I heard her hiss in his ear.
"What do you think you are doing? I don't trust this girl." The king looked confused for a moment.
"But you said she was the most powerful sorceress I would ever meet." Maeve's painted red nails dug into his shoulders, her eyes blazing. "Well, besides your self Maeve." The king added quickly.
Maeve released her grip on his shoulders. She turned towards me.
"Well, we can't refuse your hospitality. And it is a long way to the inn." She said, and she brushed pass me. The king looked dazed, as he wandered in the door.
Maeve was wearing a black dress which went down to the floor. The front of the dress had a scarlet red lace inset, which was covered by black ribbon lacing. On her feet were knee high boots.
She surveyed our kitchen. The table sat in the center. To the side was where the pots and pans were. Eleri was in front of the hearth, stoking the fire. Over a small flame the soup was simmering. Seeming satisfied, Maeve nodded and sat down. The king followed suit.
Eleri began serving the soup and we began dinner.
After dinner, we settled down in our humble living room, where we had a small couch and a rocking chair. Eleri, Merlyn and I sat on the floor. The king and Maeve sat on the couch, and my father sat in the rocking chair, my mother standing behind him.
"As you have heard, I need Redynvre to accompany me to the palace, so she may try to heal my wife. The queen is suffering from an unknown disease that my advisor, Maeve…" he gestured to Maeve, who sat besides him. "…believes can be healed only by magic."
My parents nodded. The king continued talking, of how I would be well taken care of, and there would be no worry of my safety.
"I will let Redynvre heal my wife, but I need to have proof of her skill, before I take her to the palace." He was saying. I got up so I could put Merlyn to bed, who was beginning to yawn.
After stepping over Merlyn's dolls, I set her in bed. As I was about to pull up the covers she said, "Wait!" I let her out of bed. She bent down and pulled out a wooden box with holes drilled in the top and sides. She handed it to me.
Slowly I opened it. Inside was a seagull. Its wing was obviously broken; it must have a hit the cliffs during a storm.
"Can you heal it?" Merlyn asked tentatively.
My mother came in to say good night to Merlyn. She saw me holding the box and smiled gently.
"Well," she said, "Now you can test your power."
I smiled back apprehensively. Was I has ready for healing as my mother thought I was? I was unsure. "Well, Mother…" I began.
I began to protest when Maeve burst through the curtain. Her hair streamed behind her, then settled down eerily, as though it had never been disturbed. I closed my mouth. My mother looks at me questioning, and I shook my head. Maeve eyed us suspiciously, sensing the unspoken conversation between us.
Then she saw the bird.
"Now we can see you prove your skills Redynvre." She said to me, smiling. It was a unsettling smile. She called for the king, who came in immediately, follower by my Father and Eleri.
I looked at my mother, who smiled at me with reassurance. The king beamed down at me, ready for me to show my power. I smiled meekly at him and looked down at my patient.
It was a young gull, possibly a little less than a year. Its head just beginning to turn white, which is a sure sign of it being a male. It squawked and scrambled to the side of the box. Gently I placed my hand on its wind and breathed in.
I was nervous. I had never healed a living creature before. I had never even attempted to heal a creature before. I knew I had the power, I was unsure if I had the knowledge to do so. I breathed in again, calming the chatter of my mind.
Within the depths of my soul rose a stream of magic, a vermilion red. It flowed upward, gradually changing from red to green to indigo, the color of my mother's eyes. The indigo flames danced in front of my mind. Harnessing the flames I sent it through my arm and hand and into the seagull. I imagined the bone mending, my magic weaving in and out, flowing through the bone like water, and strengthening it. As the blue passed though, it threaded the broken tissue back together.
Suddenly I hit a black wall. The darkness swallowed my magic, as I tried to push my way through. I panicked and began to withdraw. In my conscious mind I heard the sea gull calling out in pain, a sound I never knew a sea gull could make before. I gained control of my ebbing magic and entered again. I braced myself for when I hit the darkness barrier. When I hit, I forced with my mind, trying to break through. My magic began finding crevices in the barrier. As my magic strengthened, the black barrier began to disintegrate. There were more and more crevices opening up for my magic to flow through.
In a burst of flaming red the barrier exploding, leaving the passage way free. I wove in and out of the muscle tissue, bonding it and the bone back together. One last final review of the wing and I let my magic recede back into my depths.
I let out a slow breath. Opening my eyes I became aware of the preparation running down my forehead and dripping into my eyes. The room flashed in front of me and began to spin. I saw Maeve standing over me, laughing, a cruel piercing laugh. As her laughter faded I passed out.