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The light of the sunset over the plains was beautiful that night. Oreliel was sat beside the horse, running her hand over the tired animal to soothe it. Today was the third day of their journey together, and Lieth felt as though she was beginning to understand her little charge. Oreliel cared for animals and nature in a way that she had not seen one of her own kind do before. She would often sneak apples to the horse when she thought Lieth wasn't looking. Lieth held back from admonishing her though, because Lieth was beginning to understand how intimately Oreliel cared for living creatures.
The fire was roaring and cracking pleasantly, there to cook their dinner and to keep them warm as the cold night approached them. "Lieth, why did you save me?" Oreliel asked suddenly, surprising Lieth. Oreliel regarded her with guarded curiosity, clearly trying not to place her trust in her saviour too soon. They were fast becoming friendly, and both of them hesitated to trust the other out of fear.
The question got Lieth thinking, and for a few moments, she didn't answer. Why did I save her? "I saved you because you could have just have easily been my sister. I would like to think that if someone saw her in the same situation that you were in, they would do the same for her." The answer seemed insufficient to Lieth- it was more than that. She felt protective of the girl because she looked like a child, but that was not all. Even she didn't really understand what had driven her to protect the stranger. She could have turned away and left without her, and her life would have been easier if she had.
Oreliel seemed to be pleased with her answer, offering her a small, lovely smile. "Your sister is lucky to have you. I always wished I had a sister-." She stopped suddenly, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden.
She had slipped up, made a mistake by speaking of her family. Leith knew that she was sure to be secretive for a reason, so she did not want to press her for further information, even if she was curious. To avoid an uncomfortable situation, she quickly changed the subject. "Have you ever left the woods before, Oreliel?"
Oreliel looked confused by the question, and simply said. "Why would you want to know that?"
Lieth felt as though she may have offended her by asking, so gently murmured. "Well, I have never before seen an Elf Child. It is strange and rare-." Lieth never got to finish the sentence.
"I am not a child! I will have a growth spurt soon!" Oreliel said hotly, making grand and angry gestures with her arms. Lieth had unintentionally struck a nerve, and sat back, aghast, as her young charge continued in her tirade. "I know it's unusual for an Elleth to grow as slowly as I have, but it is because one day I will be the strongest and most beautiful of all my race! My body just needs time to prepare for my amazing and beautiful growth!" She was on her feet now, a fist balled up in front of her. The passion of her words overflowed, and it was obvious to Lieth that Oreliel believed strongly that she would be the fairest of them all. Lieth couldn't help but snicker at the older girl before her. Clearly, the growth spurt she was expecting was not coming any time soon! "Don't laugh, Lieth! I mean it! I will grow!"
Lieth laughed richly, enjoying the colour in Oreliel's face bloom, a light tinge of pink on her cheeks and the tips of her ears. So even Elves can become emotional! "I don't doubt it, Little Oreliel! One day you will outgrow them all!" Lieth chuckled at her friend's pouting face, but then sobered a little as she realized how annoyed and upset the girl was. "I am quite sure you are right, Oreliel. One day, you shall be the most beautiful Elleth in your Kingdom, and all will behold your light in stunned amazement." She said seriously, smiling at the other girl, who perked up at her words, looking pleased with herself. "When you grow up, that is!" She could not help but add. Oreliel pouted and threw something at her, laughing with her eyes. She was not as angry as she appeared to the naked eye, Lieth realised. She chuckled at the peculiarly girl, until her sides hurt. When she looked up again, the pain grew, and suddenly, she was no longer laughing in the field with Oreliel. She was now stood at the foot of a huge towering pile of skulls. The landscape around her was a grey and barren place of jagged rocks that appeared as sharp teeth. She looked about her, trying to understand where she had ended up, and how. It looked like no place on Middle Earth. It isn't, I am dreaming, she thought distantly. It was a strange dreamland.
It was then that she saw an aged book at the summit of skulls. With little else to do in the barren dreamscape, she attempted to climb the pile of skulls, whom she knew to be her friends and family in her heart, slicing open her feet and hands. She was not deterred, pursuing the knowledge at the peak. She crawled slowly to the top and read the words in the book, and as she did, she heard them whispered by her forefather's voices. As she heard the verse, she began to fall from the pillar of bone, slower than one would naturally fall.
"Fair as starlight, but dark within,
Beware young one of the Elf girl's Kin,
The blade shatters, but the promise is unbroken,
Remain cautious and stay soft-spoken.
Feast upon knowledge and learn young one,
For if you do not, you will be undone
Serve her and give allegiance to the throne,
Where he awaits in the crumbling kingdom alone."
The dream ended suddenly before she could hit the jagged rocks below. Lieth jerked upright out of the vivid dream with a gasp, causing blinding pain, which radiated up her side. She could not help a small scream of pain. Instinctively, she grabbed the side where the arrow had protruded from, but was shocked to find there was only a scar there.
She realized then what this meant. She had survived the ordeal in the forest. The arrow went right through me, yet I survived! How can this be? No healer she had ever met would be able to do anything to save her, and she'd assumed that she would die from the fatal wound. It wasn't a human healer she realized then. The Elleth must have taken her to the Elvish healers when she had rescued them both. Oreliel! She looked about her, wondering where her new friend was, but quickly realizing that no one was around.
The room was unlike anything she had ever seen, and looked alien and foreign to her. It was built of wood, moss leaking from the walls and opened out into a sprawling, beautiful wood. There was no one in sight, for which she was quite glad, for although she liked Oreliel, she wasn't entirely convinced about meeting other Elves. Indeed, the idea made her uncomfortable, for she knew next to nothing about their ways and culture. All she did know she was told by her father, Bondi, who told her tall tales of an alien race, and the little Oreliel had said on their journey, who spoke of kindly natured people who were often mistreated by other races due jealousy of their wealth and immortality. She was sure most of her father's tales were designed to stop his children from wondering into the forest to find the magical people, and whilst she was sure that Oreliel would not lie to her, per se, she was sure that she would be biased in the favour of her own people.
She studied the room more, looking at the strange, beautifully crafted furniture that would have taken months to carve. She supposed that the amount of time invested would mean little to the immortal beings. She contemplated one of the chairs, which held a simple green gown, unsure if it had been left there for her to wear. She did not usually wear gowns, being a farmer. They were impractical and more often than not they got in the way. Her clothes were folded neatly away in the far corner. She felt as though that was a sign that they didn't want her to put them back on again. The scroll was not in sight, and she realized they must have taken it. She felt strangely relieved that she didn't have it in her possession anymore, as though it had put a weight on her heart that was now lifted.
Her thoughts turned to the wound on her side, and she regarded it with interest. It was throbbing dully, but there was no sign of any further problems. Where the arrow had been, there was a thin, pale scar. She marveled at the skill of the healers, but then paused. How long had she been here, healing? Months could have passed between her falling unconscious and waking up. Bondi would assume she was dead if enough time had passed, regardless of her note, and she was sure that her little sister would be heartbroken. She needed to find out how long she had been here, and where Oreliel was.
Pointedly, she rose from the soft bed and walked slowly to the chair with the gown on, struggling to change into it. All of her muscles were sore and aching, as though they had not been used for some time. She began to suspect that a very long time had passed when she saw the length of her hair and felt the atrophy in her muscles. She was surprised that there were no healers about the place, or anyone for that matter. Why had no one come when she had screamed? She supposed that if she had been unconscious for a very long time, then there was no reason for them to hover about and await her awakening.
When she emerged from the room, it was onto a balcony, overseeing a large and sprawling forest. The leaves were lit up silver by moonlight. What she could see of the trees and forest was beautiful. The branches looked like the fingers of an old woman, long and knobbly, reaching up to the twinkling stars above. She felt oddly unhappy that they would never meet one another, that no amount of growth would ever even see them close to touching. The trees were destined to reach towards the sky but to never touch the Moon or Sun.
That was when she noticed movement on the ground below, and she began to feel apprehensive. When she went to look properly, she could see nothing there. She could not see very well, but felt as though someone had been down there. Was she allowed to be walking around unaccompanied? Would the Elves be angered by her changing into the dress? Was it meant for her to wear? Thinking of how the Elves may feel about her being out of bed made her completely loose her confidence, so she turned back to the door gently to creep through it like a mouse slinking away from a predator; only, the doorway was no longer unoccupied. Shocked by their presence, for they had appeared almost silently, she jumped slightly.
They were undoubtedly the most stunning creatures she had ever seen. A light seemed to be turned on inside of their skin. All of them had fair, long hair that was intricately braided. The Elleth was dressed in simple healer's garb and her green eyes bored into Lieth's own. Her face seemed strict, but she was extraordinarily beautiful. Just behind her were two male elves. One was slightly taller than the other one, and his hair was almost entirely loose, whereas the other's was mostly braided. Both were dressed highly decorative, heavy-duty armor, which looked more like it belonged in a display case than on a battlefield. The tallest soldier was smiling at her slightly, but the other two looked stern and almost angry. Nervous now, but aware that there was no way of escaping from the interaction, she walked towards the healer gingerly.
"Le suilon, Lieth. Estannen Sidhil." Said the healer gently, her voice carrying a wave of knowledge and wisdom. Lieth did not speak a word of Elvish, so simply smiled at the stranger, for a smile can go long way in a difficult situation. When she did not respond, the woman asked. "Pedil edhellen?" She knew that language would be a problem with these peoples, as many were unlikely to speak the Common Tongue.
Instead of attempting to answer the questions that she did not understand she opted for. "Is Oreliel well? Can I see her? Please, I need to know that she is safe." Lieth's voice was slightly deeper than she realized, with growing horror. Her hand went to her throat instinctively. A lot of time must have passed since she had last spoken. The healer frowned slightly, and Lieth felt her heart sink. "How… how much time has passed?" She felt herself ask, feeling extremely fearful of the answer.
Sidhil seemed hesitant to answer the question, and she sighed gently before answering in a grave voice. "It has been four years now since you rescued the Lady Oreliel, Lieth." Her heart grew cold as the Elleth before her spoke, her musical voice not dulling the blow of the words one bit. Four years! How could I have been asleep for four years? Lieth could not believe it, would not believe it. All sorts of thoughts flashed about her mind. Her family would definitely have assumed the worse, and she wasn't sure if she could ever go back to them again. What would her father say? He would never let her return to the farm, to her sister. He would feel betrayed by her disappearance, and she knew that out of spite he would disown her.
She was unaware of how out of control her breathing was, of how pale she had become, but Sidhil was far more in tune with her condition. Sidhil gently took her arm, and Lieth's blue eyes locked with Sihil's green ones. Lieth suddenly realised that there were white spots in her vision, that the world was swaying beneath her feet. I am twenty-three years old! The thought made her feel as though she would throw up. She was aware that she was being taken back into the room- that Sidhil was speaking to her as she sat down on the bed. "Breathe, Lieth. Breathe."
She obeyed the healer's command mindlessly, feeling hollow inside. Her mouth was dried out now. She felt like her world had just been ripped apart, like everything she had ever known was suddenly completely gone. She was no longer the farmer's daughter. She was a nobody, in a place that she knew almost nothing about, surrounded by strangers. She was alone. And she wept the loss of the life she once knew. She wept, knowing that she would never again return to her father or sister, wept with confusion and sorrow for the time she had lost.
Sidhil held the girl beside her, unsurprised by her tears. For a mortal, it must seem like a long time had passed. To her, it felt like nothing, but she supposed that it would be quite a shock for one with only a fraction of a life in the beginning. She had had little choice but to put her into a healing slumber when she had been brought to the healing chambers, the damage to her body had been so great. That she had survived at all was an amazing and wonderful thing, and gently she reminded Lieth of this. It seemed to comfort the girl only slightly. Mortals never ceased to amaze her. Grateful to be alive one moment, and sobbing the next. Sidhil had seen the way that the girl before her had looked at the trees, in wonderment and with love. The way that the moonlight had reflected off of her eyes, eyes which moments ago had seemed happy. Perhaps she was just overwhelmed by the information then. If that was it, there was naught for it but to allow her time to adjust to the situation. "A feast will be held to welcome and thank you tomorrow, Lieth. You must calm yourself before then." She said gently, rising to leave. There was little else that needed to be said, so she decided that she would leave the girl to feel whatever she felt. She knew that her injuries would be healed by now, and was not concerned about leaving her in that sense. "I will return in the morning to help you prepare yourself. Try to rest." And with that, the healer left to report her awakening to the King, as she had been instructed to do.
Lieth sobbed until the tears dried up, until her feelings subsided. She felt hollow now, unsure of her place in the world. Fate had not treated her too kindly, but she would make sure that she made the most of her situation, and follow the advice in her dream. The verse ticked over in her mind as fell into a deep, dreamless slumber under the watchful light of the moon.