by JD Cole
After what felt like an eternity, Kelli turned to face him. Her emerald eyes seemed dimmer than usual. “Would you mind staying and eating with me? I kinda want to be alone, but I’ll just start feeling sorry for myself, I think.”
Sorvir smiled sympathetically. “Of course, my Queen. Tell me, has anyone yet regaled to you the tale of your rambunctious antecedent, Princess Arii?”
~
Before Kelli could fully bite into the meat cake she was holding in her mouth, a laugh escaped through her nose. Flurries of white breading flew off the top of the cake, flying all over her lap and the floor in front of her. Sorvir chuckled around the muffin he had just bitten into.
When Kelli had cleared her mouth of debris, she shook her head. “She really did that?”
“I am telling you the tale as it has been passed down through the last couple of generations. I don’t think there has been enough time for embellishments to make their way into the story.”
“Well, I guess seven thousand years really isn’t that long to a sprite.” Kelli smiled, then took a small bite of the meat cake before shaking her head again. Arii could almost have been the sister Kelli never had. Like Arii, Kelli loved the outdoors, and absolutely adored horses. About the only difference was Arii’s lack of a temper, but even then, she had been known for her biting sarcasm and a low tolerance for rudeness.
Kelli had yet to meet any dwarves, formally known as pashryk, but they were apparently shaggy people who took great pride in their grooming habits. A dwarf princeling had felt the need to inform young Arii, in front of a royal gathering, that her windswept, unkempt hair resembled curdled milk in which a family of snakes had drowned. In reply, Arii had charged the air around him and his parents with static electricity, and the obvious effect on their hairy, meticulously groomed bodies ensued. “She sounds like somebody I would have gotten along with pretty good.”
“Indeed. Spryes,” female sprites, “are not usually mischievous. I would say one in a thousand is born with that temperament-”
“And the males?”
Sorvir twisted his brow in good-humored guilt. “I would say one in a thousand of us is born without it.”
Kelli laughed. “Why am I not surprised? So, she cast that spell and embarrassed her parents in front of the dwarves. What happened next?”
“Ah, this is where the story really begins. You see, all of the raucous from her juvenile prank drew the attention of the palace guards, and she fled to the edge of Deemil forest, near the borderlands. That is where she met Taromus Ja’Hassin.”
“I think I know who that would be…” Kelli grinned.
“Yes. The human half of your ancestry. As the story goes, he was scouting the lands beyond Tirapan, keeping track of the borderland Vyzen,” wood elves, “who were establishing villages and outposts in the area. Like most faeries, Arii had never seen a human. Of course, she became instantly fascinated with this one. According to the tale, she shadowed him until he discovered her presence, and after a misunderstanding they engaged each other in a brief battle. It was the rarest of events, faery magic pitted against human technomancy. Of course, rarer still was their coming marriage. But I am getting ahead of myself. Taromus finally overpowered her-”
“How? Even Paladins aren’t that strong, are they?”
“Arii was no mage. I think I’m safe in saying she was no more capable than I as a spellcaster. Paladins may be significantly weaker in the magic they possess, but they are also masters at using what little they have. When you couple that with their science? Stars forbid a conflict with our Paladin guest, but while Lumina would not stand a chance in one on one confrontations against you, or Aunt Brevha… it would be a different story for one such as I. Well, I am much better with a blade than a spellbook, but I am not confident I could survive a Paladin’s fury.”
“I see. Weakling.” Kelli giggled at the look he gave her. “So he beat Arii, and then what happened? No, wait, I have an idea. Do you think we, um…”
“Yes?”
“Could we see the rest of this through a shi’un vision?”
“I am that dull?”
Kelli laughed again. “Compared to living the experience in shi’un? Yes!”
“It probably is not a wise idea.”
“Why?”
“You are still recovering, Highness.”
“Aw, come on, don’t be so boring. Do I look that weak?” She stood and offered a clumsy pirouette, nearly falling over. “Wait,” she raised a finger at Sorvir, closing her left eye as she looked at him. “Don’t answer that yet,” she ordered him, knowing a wisecrack was about to escape his lips. She repeated the move, this time successfully. “Ha! I can handle it, Sorvir.”
Sorvir shook his head as she sat down again. “All right,” he agreed, taking the Queen’s hands as they sat facing each other. “‘Weaklings’ like myself normally do this in groups of five or six, at least,” he told her. “So if you begin to feel weak, I will break the spell.”
“Okay, that’s fair. I’ve done this once before, except I didn’t realize I was doing it.”
“Oh?”
“When I was kidnapped, I accidentally trapped myself in Derek’s memories for awhile. I lived through almost his entire life.”
“I see. Well, we will be focusing you a bit better so that you can choose what you’ll be seeing this time. I will teach you the simplest concentration mantra for this spell, so we will not be engulfed by shi’un, as you were with Derek. We will simply see Arii in our minds, almost like new memories.”
“Aw, that’s not what I wanted.”
Sorvir sighed as the Queen pouted. He twisted his mouth in momentary thought. “You want the experience, like during your Lifishi’un trial.”
“Yeah! I want to walk in the woods with Arii and Taromus, I want to hear their voices, smell the trees, feel the grass under my feet.”
“I understand. I do not know if you are up to that, however.”
“We can at least try, right? Would it hurt me if it turns out I’m too weak?”
“Well, no. The shi’un spell would simply fail.”
“Well, there ya go!” Sorvir could not help but join the Queen in smiling; her wonder and excitement was infectious. “It’s not dangerous, and if it works it’ll be fun, not to mention educational! History and magic lessons, all at once! Then you can brag to Dufangen about teaching me all this stuff!”
“Very well,” he told her, still holding her hands. He gave her an almost-offended look. “You do not need to create a multitude of excuses for me, I am simply cautioning you. I will initiate the spell, but you will need to feed your magic into it. I do not have the strength to actually weave this on my own.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Simply listen to the song, and join in as you memorize the words. At the same, time empty your thoughts. You will begin to feel me searching the Earth for its memories of Arii and Taromus. Just follow my lead, and when we find the memory you’re looking for, focus all of your attention on it.”
“Alrighty.” Kelli closed her eyes, and they began to sing.
~
“That’s Taromus?” Kelli whispered.
“Yes, and he cannot hear us,” Sorvir replied. “This is not Lifishi’un, we cannot affect the people or environment around us. We can only observe. And look there.”
Kelli looked up to where Sorvir pointed at a tree, and she could see a sprye peering around the high branches, watching the Paladin. Kelli stared with an open-mouth smile at the princess through whom she had inherited the Birthright. “She’s so beautiful…”
“It runs in our family,” Sorvir pointed out, and Kelli laughed.
Taromus crept through the woods, holding a hilgrad similar to the ones Lumina carried. It was a rifle that fired bursts of vissin, a class of destructive magic Kelli had yet to learn much about.
“He is tracking Vyzen rangers,” Sorvir explained. He and Kelli walked together casually beside the Paladin, who in contrast was placing each
of his steps carefully, scanning the grassy floor and his surroundings like a wary animal. Occasionally, Taromus pulled curious devices from his belt and knapsack to help him in his task. He stopped suddenly, as if sensing something important. He reached into the sack hanging across his side, and pulled out a visor that had ear coverings which looked like robotic elf ears. He placed them over his eyes, then primed his hilgrad as he knelt frozen for a moment.
Without warning, he spun and threw something he’d been concealing in his hand. The object struck the tree behind which Arii was hiding, plunging into the bark for just a second before detonating and blowing the top half of the tree into splinters. Arii flew like a lightning bolt behind another tree, and Taromus tracked her with his rifle. The sprye came back around with both of her arms stretched out before her, pointing at the Paladin in the same manner that his weapon was aimed at her. Her eyes were glowing white. “Oathbreaker!” she cried indignantly.
Taromus instantly lowered his rifle, and pushed his visor above his brow. “A sprite? What are you-”
“You violate the treaty!”
The Paladin was thrown back into a tree by the princess’s telekinetic spell, and he dropped his weapon. Arii threw her arms forward to magically shove him again, but Taromus waved one of his hands, seeming to catch her spell and deflect it as he pulled himself to his feet. No sooner had he stood than Arii zoomed across the distance between them, this time physically pushing him with her own hands back into the tree.
“You are far beyond your borders, human. You know the agreement forbids you to expand beyond Tirapan!”
“We’re not expanding!” the Paladin protested as he gripped her wrists. His eyes blazed, and Kelli watched, fascinated, as she could actually see the mutual attraction between the two, despite —or perhaps because of?— their conflict. “The elves,” Taromus went on, “are building fortifications too close to our land. I’m here to warn them off! And haven’t you noticed the irenak tracks and scents in these woods?”
Arii paused and looked beyond Taromus, seeming to consider his story. The Paladin, shorter than Arii by two feet, but easily ninety pounds heavier than her even without his gear, used his grip on her wrists to push her backward. “I am no oathbreaker. My people honor the treaty to the letter. You are the one encroaching near our lands, mistress of the light.”
Arii stood more than arm’s length from him now, an incredulous look on her face. “How dare you shove the daughter of King Ivhen?”
Taromus seemed unimpressed by her lineage. “Perhaps the princess should learn how to track down facts as well as she does Paladins?”
Arii blinked, but all sign of hostility was gone from her face, replaced by challenge. Her hands produced a dagger from somewhere within her robe, and the dazzling blade spun wickedly in her fingers before snapping to place in her grip. “Perhaps the Paladin needs a lesson in how to address royalty?”
Taromus was grinning stupidly now, his eyes all but lost in her beauty as he pulled a short sword that he kept curiously sheathed upside down on his back. Kelli was awestruck; this was flirting on a level she’d never seen before. Drawing blades was the equivalent of playing footsy under the table to these two!
“This is a great example of sprite nature for you to take note of,” Sorvir said. “She was proven wrong, and no longer had reason to be upset. She-”
“Okay, shhh, I don’t need the commentary,” Kelli admonished, wrapped up in the unfolding romance.
The Paladin was as nimble on the ground as the sprye was in flight. They dueled like masters, the sprite dagger singing across the Paladin sword edge again and again. They were both smiling, enjoying the competition as they determined that they were evenly matched in blade skills, though their disciplines were anything but similar. Arii’s dagger took advantage of the fact that she could fly and had a longer reach, while Taromus’ swordplay coupled his trained reflexes with brute human strength.
Kelli watched, and protested loudly, as Arii cast an earth spell that moistened the ground where Taromus stepped. The Paladin slid on the muddy patch, nearly missing a block against Arii’s swift strike. The blow did manage to knock him onto his back, muddying his dark, rich garments. “No fair!” Kelli shouted with a laugh. Her great, great, many times great grandfather almost seemed to be chuckling with her.
Arii laughed in a musical tone, flourishing her dagger as she landed and paced before her rising opponent. “The tales of awesome Paladin warriors seem to be greatly exaggerated.”
“Only when we have no real reason to win a fight,” Taromus grinned, standing and dusting himself off. “I would not want the princess to realize her inadequacy. That is the point of your lesson, is it not? How not to be rude to the royalty, how to protect your fragile self-worth?”
“Oh!” Kelli cupped her mouth and laughed anew. Sorvir was laughing, as well. “He did not just say that,” Kelli giggled behind her hands.
“We will see who is… inadequate,” Arii retorted. She lunged forward, but twisted the dagger around his block, waiting for his deflection and counter attack…
The blade sank into Taromus’ side, and his blade dropped. Arii quickly withdrew her weapon and caught the falling Paladin. “Oh, no, no! Forgive me, I thought you could block that!” She stabbed her dagger into the ground beside her and swept his sweaty hair from his face.
Taromus reached up to stroke Arii’s face as she cradled him. “It would be a shame… if I died without ever kissing one as beautiful as you…”
Arii was taken aback, and stared at him for several moments. Her head moved as if she was contemplating giving him his wish. “I, I can heal you, you fool!”
The princess held her hand over his wound, but was perplexed as the blood did not stop flowing, and the broken skin did not seal. Taromus slumped in her arms, dead. “No… no!” She shook him, but his eyes did not open.
Someone was sniffling, and Kelli looked around the tiny glade. There were seven different Taromuses seated in the trees surrounding them, seemingly talking to each other, pointing at Arii, or patting each other on the shoulders in mock mourning.
Arii looked down to her lap, but the Paladin had vanished. She stood, her face twisted in embarrassment and irritation. “An illusion spell, how very immature!”
“You were really gonna kiss him!” one of the Taromuses accused. “Kiss me!”
“No, me!” shouted another. Soon seven identical Paladins were taunting Arii for a kiss. Arii turned from one to another, trying to figure out which was the real Paladin…
And spun right into Taromus’ face as he stood balanced atop the dagger she’d plunged into the earth. She froze, staring at his face as his lips pressed into hers. Finally, Arii’s eyes closed, and they kissed so tenderly that Kelli’s heart melted. “This is storybook stuff,” she whispered. Then she shook her head and turned away. “This is kinda like peeping, we shouldn’t invade their-”
“I think you’ll want to see this,” Sorvir suggested.
Kelli turned back just in time to see Arii pull away, stretch her arm back, and swing her fist right into Taromus’ jaw. The princess summoned her wings and shot into the sky as the Paladin lay sprawled in the grass, rubbing his chin. Kelli stared with amused shock, looking at Taromus and then the fleeing Arii. “Yup,” Kelli confirmed, “that’s definitely my grandma.”
Taromus chuckled, continuing to rub his jaw as he sat up. He looked up, but the princess was nowhere to be seen. “Look at that goofy grin!” Kelli laughed. “He looks like a schoolboy!” The sight of her ancestor and his obvious infatuation with Arii reminded her of Bennett, and the beginnings of their romance in childhood. The world around her shimmered then, and began to speed past her. Kelli shook her head, and a moment later found herself standing in the hallway at Future Sunrise Academy, where she’d graduated what seemed a lifetime ago. “What?” Her head spun around, watching the students walk past as they joked and visited lockers.
“My Queen,” Sorvir said, placing a calm hand on her shoulder.
“You’re in control of this shi’un. Do not be alarmed. You accidentally pulled us into a different memory. We can return, just let me-”
Kelli pushed his hand away and walked towards a boy and girl at the nearby lockers.
“Highness?” Sorvir stood behind her, and saw that she was staring at a much younger version of herself. Child-Kelli was staring up at a boy who could only be…
“Ben,” Adult-Kelli whispered.
Child-Ben was scratching his head, looking everywhere but at Child-Kelli. “So yeah,” he said, “I mean, if you like come with us…”
Child-Kelli giggled. “Picnic at Magic Island? Yeah, I’d love to! But, should I bring anything?”
“What? You will? I mean, yeah, you can bring whatever you like! Chris making bentos and Erica making desserts… so maybe you can bring like sodas or something… I-I dunno, it-it’s up to you.”
They continued to laugh nervously and chat, and Sorvir chuckled as he watched the two youngsters awkwardly try to hide how excited they both were. But then he looked over to his queen and saw that she was crying.
“This was the first day I knew I was in love with him. I don’t know how, I was just a thirteen-year old brat. He asked me to a movie at that picnic, and we’ve been together ever since.” She and Sorvir watched the new couple walk away. “Sorvir, can you teach me Lifishi’un?”
“Forgive me, Highness,” he replied sadly, “but I do not think that wise.” Kelli looked up at him, silently waiting for an explanation, and he sighed. “I know what you’re thinking, Queen Kelli. And I ask you to refrain from this desire. If you lock yourself in Lifishi’un dreams… Your Majesty, we do not use that magic for self-gratification or entertainment. It is not necessarily wrong, but it is not real. The Ben you would share company with in Lifishi’un would not really be Ben. The state you are in now, I fear you would become enslaved to the dream, to the detriment of yourself and all of us who are relying on you. Perhaps later on, as you learn things on your own, you can find a balance somehow, but I honestly believe it is too soon to give you this particular knowledge. Please understand I am not trying to make you miserable, I’m trying to protect you.”
