Through the Portal

A group of elves slipped out of the forest, each armed with a bow, pointed at the children. They were surrounded and had nowhere to run, nor any way of defending themselves. The elves had long, golden hair and amber eyes. They wore garments of yellow, red and orange with trims of gold. Their bows and arrow shafts were clearly crafted from the wood of the trees, and there was no denying that they belonged in this forest. They were incredibly beautiful and equally dangerous.

The one who seemed to be the leader spoke, again, “What are you doing in our forest? Speak or die.”

William grabbed Josie’s hand and stepped in front of her, protectively. “We mean no harm. We were just trying to rest for a moment.”

The leader caught sight of Katherine and glared at them. “You come with our lady as your prisoner and you expect us to believe you mean no harm?” His pulled his arrow back, further, threatening to release it at any moment.

William blinked and looked back at Katherine, briefly wondering why she was referred to as their lady. However, he knew that wasn’t important, at the moment. “She is our guide. She came to harm protecting us and we brought her here because this is where she was leading us. We thought she would be safer.” He felt Josie grab his arm and he squeezed her hand, trying to comfort her. “If she is your lady, perhaps, you can help us and her.”

The elves seemed skeptical and looked at each other, as though making a decision. The leader looked back to William and lowered his bow, causing the boy to let out a relieved sigh. “You will all come with us. When our lady awakens, we will learn the truth. If you are friend and not foe, we will help you. However, if you prove to be false, you will regret it.”

William nodded, realizing that he was shaking, a little. “Thank you. I’m sure this will be cleared up, soon.”

The leader picked up Katherine, as though she weighed nothing, and carried her, gently. The other elves followed, some staying behind the children to make sure they didn’t run.

“We’re going to be okay, right?” Josie asked, softly, “They wouldn’t hurt us, would they?”

William offered her a smile. “Everything is fine. Katherine will wake up before you know it and explain everything. She’s clearly important to them, so they won’t hurt us. We’re safe, now.” He gave her hand another squeeze.

Josie smiled and nodded, trusting him as she always did.

They were led deep into the forest, constantly aware of the deadly bows the elves held. The daylight shone through the treetops, reflecting off the golden trunks and making the forest glitter. Despite her fear, Meredith couldn’t help noticing the beauty of the place.

They came upon a place where the trees grew close together, their branches tangling and weaving tightly at the top. There were several groups of trees like that with clear space in between where elves walked around and performed their daily activities. However, they all looked over when the group was led in. One of the elves took Katherine away and pushed some vines aside, so he could enter one of the tree bunches. It was then that the children realized they were not just groups of trees, but buildings which seemed to have been formed by nature.

“What are they going to do with Katherine?” William asked, concerned for the girl.

“She’ll be well cared-for,” the leader of their elven group assured him. He led them to the biggest tree cluster and pushed some vines aside, indicating that they should enter.

They had little choice and stepped inside. He followed after them and walked over to an elf who was sitting on a throne, which also seemed to have grown from the trees, rather than been built. He wore fine robes, unlike the ones the elves that captured them had worn, which had clearly been made for moving around. This elf had a regal air about him that made it hard to look him in the eye.

He looked at the elf that had brought them in. “Tristan, who are these children and why do you bring them to me?”

Tristan gave a bow. “My lord, we found them trespassing in our woods. Our lady was with them, but she is incapacitated, at this time. They claim she is helping them and they are friends, but we have no way of knowing the truth until she wakes up. Also, there was a shadow wyrm above the forest just before they entered, so we fear they may be in league with the sorcerer.”

William decided “sorcerer” sounded much better than “shadow master” and he was going to use it, instead. It took him a moment to realize what he was being accused of and his eyes widened.

“You think these children are allies to him?” The elven lord looked them over, skeptically. “They are very young.”

“It would not be the first time he has used children, my lord.”

“Indeed.” The elven lord considered them, a moment longer, then sighed. “Well, we can’t know anything until she is awake. For now, let us treat them as friends. Let them wash and give them clean clothes. If they are friends of our lady, we will want to treat them as such. If they are enemies, we may as well make their last days pleasant, yes?”

Tristan nodded, his feelings about the decision impossible to read. “Very well, my lord.” He looked to the group. “Follow me.” Nobody dared to argue as he led them out of the building and to a different one, nearby. He pulled back the vines. “The girls will go in here.”

Josie was holding William’s hand and shook her head. “I want to stay with Will!”

He knelt and looked at her, not wanting to risk the anger of the elves. “It’s okay, Josie. I won’t be far and Meredith will be with you.” He nodded to the older girl, then smiled at the child. “I need you to be brave for now, alright. I’ll see you, later.”

Josie didn’t look happy, but she nodded and allowed Meredith to take her hand, and lead her inside.

“They will not be harmed, correct?” He asked Tristan as the vines fell shut, knowing he was helpless to do anything for them, either way.

“You have my word,” the elf assured him. “None of you will be harmed unless you prove to be traitors. There is a she-elf in there to care for them. We have had unlucky wanderers before, so we are well-prepared.” He led the three boys to another building and pulled back the vines. “Boys in here.”

William led the twins into the room, knowing they had very few options besides going along with whatever was happening.

Inside was an elf, wearing simple, red garb and a kind expression. “Ah, hello. You must be our new guests.” He smiled at them and nodded to Tristan. “We’ll be fine, now.” The vines fell shut and he looked back at the boys. “Well, there’s no need to look so terrified. My name is Ezra. Please, make yourselves comfortable while I draw a bath.” He indicated some chairs and disappeared through a curtained doorway. Soon, they heard the sound of water running.

The boys looked at each other and took seats, still uncertain. Ezra seemed nice enough, but they couldn’t be sure of anything, here. Each boy silently wished Katherine would wake up and clarify the situation.

The elf came back a little while later and smiled at them, again. “Who wants to go first?”

Back at the girl’s hut, they were receiving similar treatment. They walked in with Josie clinging tightly to Meredith, but the kindly she-elf there helped to put them at ease. She introduced herself as Alesia and allowed each of the girls to take a bath. The tub seemed to be sculpted from one large stone, which was hollowed out to allow for the water. Meredith was surprised to find that it was warm, but she wasn’t sure where the water came from, so she hadn’t really known what to expect. As she climbed out, she realized there was a red dress waiting for her, along with some golden sandals. She felt immensely relieved, since she’d been wearing her clothes for a few days. After finally washing up, properly, she didn’t really want to put them back on.

Josie was allowed to take a bath, next. Alesia filled it with fresh water and laid a small dress out for her to change into when she was done.

Once the child had disappeared behind the curtain, Alesia beckoned for Meredith to sit. “I’ll comb your hair out.” She smiled as she held up a brush.

Meredith obeyed, but felt a little uncomfortable. “I can brush my own hair.”

“I’m sure you can,” Alesia replied, amiably. “However, I enjoy combing hair and making it look nice. Is that strange?”

“It’s not that strange.” Meredith smiled. “But good luck making my hair do anything it doesn’t want to do.”

“A challenge.” Her voice was cheerful.

Meredith felt a cool breeze, almost like a hair-dryer, and turned to look for the source, but all she saw was Alesia, holding her hands out, one with a comb. She cocked her head. “Did you do that?”

“Do what?” Alesia seemed genuinely confused, then it dawned on her. “Ah, the wind.” She made a gesture and it blew in Meredith’s face. Alesia smiled. “I just directed the air. We’re good at persuading nature to do our bidding. It’s how we convinced the trees to grow into these huts.”

Meredith nodded her understanding. “That seems useful.”

“It is. Now, turn around and let me finish.” She gestured and another puff of wind hit Meredith’s face, making the girl laugh.

“Alright.” Meredith turned her head back around and allowed Alesia to continue her work.

The boys were given red tunics and pants, along with dark shoes. They all felt much better after being cleaned and started to realize how hungry they were.

William’s stomach growled and he felt a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. “Sorry.”

Ezra waved the apology away. “It’s not your fault. We’ll be having dinner, soon, so don’t worry. Perhaps, in the meantime, you would like to find your other friends.”

The boys nodded and left the hut together. William paused as he stepped outside and turned back to Ezra. “Do you think they would let us see Katherine?”

The elf frowned, uncertainly. “Not yet, I think. It’s best to let them care for her. Besides, if anything happened after you saw her, you would be blamed and I don’t think you are dangerous.”

William smiled, a bit, at the last comment, despite his disappointment. “I’m glad somebody realizes that.” He left the hut and headed to where he had last seen the girls. He bumped into someone coming out and started to apologize, but he lost his voice, for a moment, as he looked at her. “Meredith?”

Her ever-troublesome hair had been tamed, at last. It framed her face, now, instead of covering it. Her dress was simple, but it suited her.

“How do I look?” She had never asked before, but, now, she wanted to know.

“You look…all grown up.” He smiled and touched her hair. “How did you manage that?”

She slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch it or you might ruin the magic.” She was convinced that it had to be magic. Nothing less could make her hair behave.

“I don’t imagine that outfit will be very good for running around, though.” He pointed out, noting the sandals, in particular.

Meredith shrugged. “We’re not running anywhere until Katherine wakes up, anyway.”

“Will!” Josie came out wearing a similar dress, her curls fixed up, for once. A red ribbon held her hair out of her face. She jumped into his arms, knowing he would catch her.

William laughed as he picked the child up. “Well, I would say you are the prettiest girl, here, kiddo. You put these elves to shame.”

Josie giggled at the compliment. “Alesia fixed my hair.”

“Well, Alesia is very talented,” he commented.

“Thank you. I try.” The she-elf had stepped out and, now, stood in front of them. “We should head to the dining area. Dinner will be served, soon.” She led the way through the village to several stone tables, most of which were already full.

The group found an empty table and sat down, not knowing what else to do. Alesia sat with them. Before long, a group of elves came out of a hut, carrying plates full of fruit, which they set at each table. It seemed slightly more normal than mushrooms to William, but none of the fruits were familiar. As the other elves began eating, he picked out a smooth, round thing and bit in. It was sweet and tangy. Juice slipped out the side of his mouth as he ate and he, reflexively, wiped it on his sleeve.

Ezra joined them at the table and offered him a cloth napkin, causing William to blush as he remembered his manners. The elf smiled. “No need to be embarrassed. We’ve had worse and you are just children, after all.”

William nodded and accepted the napkin, gratefully, deciding not to be bothered by an immortal calling him a child.

“So why are there only a few elves serving the food?” Meredith asked. “Why doesn’t everyone just get their own stuff?”

Alesia smiled. “We all look after each other, here. Everyone has a job. My husband, Ezra, and I are caregivers to those that need it. Some elves are gatherers and some are warriors. It all depends on our strengths, but everyone pulls their own weight, I assure you.”

“Except us.” William sighed and looked at her. “I don’t know how we could ever repay you for your kindness.”

“If you are travelling with our lady, you must be very important,” Ezra commented. “I’m sure you will eventually repay us, one way or another.”

William looked down at his fruit, thoughtfully. “I’m not so sure about that. It seems we’ve just caused her trouble, so far. Even now, she’s weak because she protected us.”

“It is her duty,” Alesia replied. “She would protect anyone, but our lady rarely travels with people for very long. You all must be quite special, indeed.”

The group looked at each other, uncertainly. They never considered themselves to be important or special. They were just a bunch of runaways from nowhere.

Meredith looked at Alesia, trying to get onto a more understandable subject. “Why do you call Katherine your lady? Is she someone very important?”

The she-elf smiled, as though answering a child who had asked a very simple question. “She is one of the most important people in Mirra. She is a guardian.”

“She mentioned that,” William recalled. “But she didn’t really explain what it meant.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Ezra smiled at him. “There are only two guardians in all of Mirra, one male and one female. They change when needed, but there are only ever two. They guard the land and are bound to it. If Mirra dies, the guardians die. When the land is sick, as it is, now, the guardians’ power grows weaker. That is why our lady cannot perform strong spells without falling ill.”

“Sick?” Meredith looked at him. “What do you mean? We haven’t seen any signs of an illness in the land.”

Alesia shook her head. “I doubt you will, any time soon. Not all the land is ill, just parts of it. Our lady is unlikely to take you to those parts without a good reason.” She cocked her head. “Where was she taking you? Do you know?”

“The Blue Palace,” Josie offered. “She said we had to get there, quickly.”

Ezra nodded. “That would be a good place for you to go. You would certainly be safe there.” He lifted a piece of fruit and, for the first time, William noticed he was wearing a blue ring with silver runes. It seemed out of place with all the fiery colors surrounding them.

William looked around and realized most of the elves had identical rings. He turned back to Ezra. “Why do you wear that ring?” It slipped out with no eloquence, but he was curious.

Ezra looked at his hand, seeming to have forgotten about it. “Ah, well, these rings allow us to communicate more easily. It translates what we say to your language and what you say to ours.”

William raised his eyebrows, thinking he should have realized sooner that it was odd for everybody to be speaking English. “That seems very useful.”

Ezra smiled and nodded. “Perhaps, we will give you and your friends some as a parting gift. Most people in Mirra have them, these days, but you may find people who don’t and want to communicate with them.” He paused. “Or at least know what they are saying.”

William nodded. “I really don’t know how we could ever thank you enough for your kindness. It seems like too much.” He’d been passed from one home to another and had learned, from a young age, to look after himself. As he got older, he started taking care of the others. It felt strange to have people taking care of him, now. It made him rather uncomfortable.

“One day, I’m certain you will,” Ezra assured him. “Besides, if you are friends of our lady, you are welcome to anything we have. She is more highly regarded than practically anyone else in Mirra.”

William took a bite of another piece of fruit, his mind wandering. “She’s going to be okay, isn’t she? She just needs rest after that spell, right?”

Alesia offered him a kind smile. “I’m certain our lady will be fine. She is a very strong girl, as I’m sure you will learn.”

They finished their dinners and were brought to a guest house. Simple beds had been prepared on the ground and the group settled in, for the night. William had just closed his eyes when he heard Josie’s voice call his name in the dark. He looked towards her, but couldn’t see anything. “What?”

“How long do you think Katherine is going to sleep?” she asked.

He sighed and closed his eyes again, not wanting to think about it. “I don’t know.” He worried that the elves may grow impatient and get rid of them if she didn’t wake up to explain the situation before long, but he had no intention of voicing those fears.

There was a long pause, then Josie spoke again. “I like it here, but I hope she wakes up, soon.”

“Me, too,” William replied, drifting off to sleep, the stress of the day having taken its toll, along with the long walk.

Josie rolled over and closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer for Katherine before she fell asleep.