Childhood's End

Pure instinct guided her past the Grove and onward into the gloom. As she ran, the forest gradually began to thin. Tall oaks gave way to enormous willow trees. Their long limbs hung at naturally crazy angles, some almost brushing the floor. Amidst these elegantly twisted trunks a spectacular lagoon shimmered in the moonlight. In the distance, the sound of crashing waves was like a long-forgotten lullaby.

At last, Zia paused to gulp air into her deprived lungs. She could go longer without breathing than a human could - she was the essence of a plant, after all - but there was still a certain point at which a lack of air became too uncomfortable to bear. Several panting gasps later, Breejit skidded to a stop at her side. His tongue lolled out as he collapsed, russet sides heaving rapidly.

Zia's torn, filthy skirts swished around her ankles as she crept toward the lapping water. The trees whispered of withheld secrets and tranquil meditation. This was a place where time drifted so that it barely existed at all. Zia knew Nina was here somewhere - the Empress had an affinity with this place. Her presence was almost tangible in the still, calm air. The only light came from the reflection of the Solstice moon glinting off the gently rippling surface of the lagoon. Zia moved through caressing shadows until she caught sight of a woman's figure sitting against a willow that seemed more regal than the rest and grew closest to the water's edge.

Unease gripped Zia's heart and her steps faltered. Somehow, deep down, she felt responsible for ruining the Solstice – for Nina and for herself. She was about to turn and slink away to wallow in her shame but Nina lifted her head and their gazes met. She raised her hand and beckoned with one long, slender finger. With her soft, curving features and round cheekbones, Nina almost perfectly resembled a delicate white rose. Even her intense blue eyes had now dimmed into something softer - an open, gentle understanding that somewhat soothed Zia's qualms.

With no words spoken, Nina invited Zia to sit beside her against the willow tree. Zia felt her eyes steadily take in the tattered state of the ball gown she'd worked so hard on. Her shoulders slumped under the weight of her shame and she pulled her knees towards her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible as she opened her mouth to explain.

"I didn't mean to," she blurted, digging her fingers into the sand. "It's just that Pelerine was being all snooty and smug and running her hands all over Edm – the King. I couldn't stand it, Nina. I couldn't just sit there and watch her snatch him up like that."

Nina tilted her head curiously. "Why couldn't you? You hadn't met him before tonight." Her tone suggested she already knew the answer, but wanted to hear Zia say it in her own words.

Zia swallowed hard and shook her head, still staring submissively down at her knees. "I don't know," she mumbled.

"Then let me ask you something. Do you believe in love at first sight?"

A week ago, Zia would have been disgusted at the very idea. She'd grown up away from any form of male creature - except for Breejit and Tumnus. Hibernation had caused her to miss a crucial part of her life: when she'd shifted from childhood to adolescence. Her mind was still catching up and still partly fixed in a stage of childish insolence and immaturity. Any sort of affection - besides that of friendliness and domesticity - was still very much alien to her. The pull she felt towards Edmund was something more, she knew that much. The sensation was strange and seemed to exist as a separate part of her that she was unsure how to fully acknowledge. She had no idea what love felt like - but also no idea what it didn't feel like.

"I don't know," she repeated.

"Do you think Pelerine does?"

"I don't know."

With a soft sigh, the Empress held out her arms. Zia crawled into Nina's lap and snuggled into her comforting warmth as though she was still a small child. Nina had changed out of her stunning blue gown into a much simpler dress woven of soft pine needles and decorated with acorn shells. It smelled comfortingly of autumn – a scent that always made Zia sleepy.

Nina tucked Zia's head under her chin and murmured into her fiery hair, "You shouldn't hold a grudge against someone for doing something that you wish you could have done yourself."

Zia stiffened. This was the conversation she'd been dreading. She fought to keep her expression placid as Nina's cool hand cupped her chin, bringing her head up to meet that venerable gaze.

"Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"I…" She didn't even know how to begin. How could she explain something to Nina that she herself did not understand? "I couldn't possibly," she admitted hopelessly.

Unbeknownst to Zia, her reaction only attested Nina's fears. There always came a point in a young Dryad's life when she suddenly found herself catapulted into the early stages of adulthood and with this came an emblematic fascination with males. Having witnessed this destiny befall countless Dryads over three hundred years, Nina had grown wary - even marginally frightened - of the time when another one of her juvenile subjects would be submitted to the physical and mental hardships of growing up.

"You're still young," Nina said, holding Zia's fragile body tighter to her own as if to protect her from the world. "It will take time for you to be in control of your feelings and… urges."

"What do you mean?" Zia asked meekly.

"It is in a Dryad's nature to go after any male creature who takes her fancy," Nina explained, as delicately as she could. "Naturally you will feel confused and conflicted but you, my Zia, are still a child. You cannot fully handle any of that yet. That is why it is best to ease yourself in as slowly as you can so you may be given chance to adjust."

Zia was smart and well used to Nina talking in a roundabout way - one that would spare her feelings but also didn't quite make clear what her actual point was – and understood what the Empress was trying to say.

"You think I shouldn't see him again," she whispered.

"You know I would only ask you to do something if it was for the best, don't you?"

Zia nodded. She had an implicit trust in Nina's judgement, although she sometimes wished it wasn't so circumspect.

"Do not be discouraged," Nina told her, hoping to lighten the burden of their discourse. "The king is the first person you have felt a fondness like this for but I assure you he will not be the last. In time your emotions will become less hard to manage and the men you fall for will, perhaps, be more… accessible."

Zia bowed her head reverently. "I'm sure he will be happier with Pelerine, anyway."

A little voice in the back of her mind reared its incredulous head and demanded to know what possessed her to utter words so foolish but she hurriedly dispelled it. She was not used to giving up without a fight but there was no fight left in her, only fatigue. Never had she been through such an emotional rollercoaster of a night, but Nina wasn't finished with her yet.

Zia felt herself being shifted off Nina's lap, causing her to land in a sleepy, rather ungraceful heap on the sand. Blinking blearily, she tried to drag herself back from the brink of sleep. She peered up at Nina's porcelain face, half-obscured by shadow, and mumbled, "What is it?"

Nina's hand was gentle and feather-light on her shoulder but the emotion in her eyes made Zia sit up straight, suddenly wide awake.

"Nina?" she asked tentatively.

"Zia," the Empress murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind Zia's ear. "Youth is the greatest of life's challenges and also the happiest period of time you will ever experience."

Zia frowned. "I don't understand," she said dubiously. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Nina's soft breath tickled Zia's face as she chuckled. "Dear one, you have much to understand. You are coming of age; you can now begin to learn the ways of our people."

Nina's tone had somehow altered. Now, instead of talking comfortably with her older sister, Zia felt as though she were speaking formally with her Empress.

"I thought… I thought there was nothing more to know?" she stammered, completely confused and a little frightened at the change in Nina. Her eyes were glowing royal blue and her face had hardened slightly, although not nearly enough to be cruel. She looked more like a queen than Zia had ever seen her.

"Child, there is more to know than you ever imagined. You must learn to heal the wounded, to run and climb and to care for the plants and animals of the forest. You must learn to use one of these."

Nina reached behind her and was suddenly holding a bow in her fist, having seemingly produced it from thin air. Zia's inhale was sharp. The weapon brought none of the fear she'd felt at first seeing Edmund's sword, only a fierceness swelling in her chest until her ribs ached. She reached towards the bow, running her fingers carefully over the smooth wood, afraid of breaking such a fragile-looking thing. It was cool to the touch, perfectly arched and seemed to hum with a power far too great for Zia to comprehend.

"Where…? How…?"

Nina smiled softly. "This was given to me when I was your age. Very soon you will be granted with a bow of your own, although first you much learn how to correctly handle one. You may think archery looks simple but it is an art. Bows can be unpredictable - especially when made by dwarves as mine was."

Still partly absorbed in the beauty of the weapon, Zia tried desperately to fit the pieces together in her head. Despite her very best efforts, several gaping holes remained in the puzzle. "Nina…?"

"Yes, my child?"

"I already know how to run and climb," she said. "And I always respect every plant or creature I come across."

"Baby steps, child," she amended gently. "You must become more adept if you are to be a true Spirit of the forest, as well as an able warrior."

"A warrior?"

Nina nodded her affirmation. "But first you must swear eternal allegiance to your Empress in front of as many witnesses as possible. Your life will change forever the moment you speak the oath."

Zia was virtually dumbstruck but managed to force out a whisper of, "Thank you, Your Grace," and tilt her chin in silent deference.

That was the first time she had ever called Nina by her proper title to her face. From that moment she was no longer Nina's burden, no longer a hatchling tucked under her wing. She was old enough to be set free and to regard Nina as nothing less than the royal she was. They would retain a tacit affection for one another but keep it discreet.

"Good luck, little one."

Breejit, having fully recuperated from his earlier exertion, stepped out of the shadows. He solemnly sat beside Zia, both of them facing the Empress. She put a hand on each of their shoulders, murmuring words of blessing in the language in which the Deep Magic itself had been written. Zia barely heard her - her entire being felt utterly swamped by the events of the past few hours. Never could she have surmised the drastic outcome of a harmless celebration.