“Yes, keep yourselves safe. Make sure you have fun whilst you travel, no one will blame you for not being able to find the answers you seek,” da added, the two of them hugging me tight.
Thankfully ma and da were the last people for me to say goodbye to. By now my nose was sore from wiping it and my eyes must have been red from all the crying.
Glen and his family weren’t handling our departure much better and so there were red faces, blotchy from crying, all around.
After our emotional goodbyes, we travelled with a farmer da knew. He was taking wool to the main town where there was the largest market in the kingdom and the royal castle.
It was strange to leave our little village behind. I watched and waved until our village became nothing more than a little cluster of stone cottages in the distance. After crying out all my tears, I began to feel less upset about leaving them. Instead I was anxious to get our journey started, although I still dreaded not being able to talk to them every day.
Everyone goes on journeys, I told myself whenever I felt sadness creeping in. Everyone goes away and everyone eventually comes back, it would be fine. Glen must have been feeling the same as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we sat amongst sacks full of wool.
“What do you think it will be like?” I asked as we travelled along the worn road, through gently sloping hills without a cottage or person in sight.
“Busy I reckon, and loud,” Glen admitted.
“I can’t imagine seeing so many people in one place. Da said it’s much bigger than our village and that the market is even busier than our castle during festivals.”
“Aye that’s true, but I am sure we will love it,” Glen laughed. “We’ll probably be amazed and wander around with our mouths open staring at everything.”
“As long as we don’t catch too many flies we should be okay.”
Talking about all the sights we might see helped pass the time and made me forget about what we had left behind, at least for the moment.
We were lucky that the weather stayed dry as we travelled, there was a slight chill in the air that made me glad for the new thick travelling clothes ma and da had given us.
I was used to living amongst fields, with only a few hills to break the monotony. I found myself awestruck by the lands we were travelling through. We passed increasingly huge hills with outcrops of grey rock bursting from the grass. We passed more rocks like the fairy stone, each with carvings similar to the ones back in our village.
“Morven, look over there,” Glen suddenly pointed over to one of the rolling green hills.
There, beside a winding river, was the most magnificent animal I had ever seen. Back home we had cows, sheep and chickens but never had I seen an animal like this.
It had thick brown fur covering its body and pointy ears. Though the feature that struck me most were the two huge antlers protruding from its head, twisting and curling towards the sky. I had heard about the stags that roamed the hills and forests but had never been lucky enough to see one with my own eyes, until now.
“We’ve hardly even left the village and already we’ve seen things from the stories,” Glen said his eyes bright with excitement, “Just think about everything we might see as we go north.”
After one overnight stop, which Glen and I spent curled up together in a pile of blankets beside the fire, we arrived at the town.
As we approached the town, the road became busier with farmers and families from other surrounding villages, all heading in to visit the markets. We passed many people on foot, heading in from the cottages on the very outskirts of the town, which we had seen scattered amongst the hills.
The cart pulled to a stop just before entering the town to let us go exploring on our own. We took our leather bags and bundled up our blankets.
Then, we were off on our own, for the very first time in our lives. I took Glen’s hand as we approached a larger crowd of people and he gave it a reassuring squeeze.
The main town in Tirwood sat near the foot of the southern part of the Fairy Hills. I couldn’t stop staring at the giant mountain peaks visible behind the market and the castle.
The castle sat atop a hill behind the market, at the edge of the town, and was the closest thing to the mountains. It was the most glorious building I had ever seen. It must have had at least three floors with stone turrets, like we’d heard about in the tales.
Unfortunately, before we could see the castle up close, we had to brave the bustling market.
There were stalls we could recognise in the market selling meat and bread and seasonal vegetables. Then there were stalls dedicated to specific items like knitted hats, gloves and little pieces of metal jewellery. One even sold expensive looking gems that Glen was sure weren’t really the blood of the sky fairies, but he had a long look anyway.
The market traders called out to passers-by and we found ourselves trying soups, a strange herbal tea and even ended up being pressured into buying a little piece of carved wood which showed an engraving of the castle. Not essential, but I knew ma would appreciate it as a gift.
After spending the afternoon wandering around the market we went looking for somewhere to eat. Malcolm had told me about pubs and inns where you could trade coin for food, drink and a bed for the night. Glen and I had never had a reason to spend much of the coins we had earned doing work on the family farms, so we were sure we had enough to last us the whole journey.
We found one inn that we both agreed looked quite respectable. It was a stone building with two floors and a thick thatched roof which, for some reason, made it seem a lot safer than the others we had passed.
We quickly made our way inside as the night was starting to draw in and my hands were numb from the cold, despite spring beginning.
The inn’s owner was a cheerful man with a shaved head and a beard even larger than Glen’s. He laughed heartily as we asked about a room and food. Apparently, it was obvious that neither of us had ever done this before but he was eager enough to help us. Probably thanks to our coin.
With our room purchased for two nights, and a hot dinner waiting for us, we stored our bags and blankets under the rickety bed before locking the door and heading down for dinner.
Dinner consisted of slightly stale bread, some pork and boiled nettles to wash it down. The nettle tea made Glen cough and splutter but we decided that it was better if he drank what he hated, rather than wasting our coins on more expensive drink and ending up drunk.
The wooden tables in the inn were long with many seats and we soon found ourselves drawn into conversations with the locals. They were eager to share gossip about market sellers we had never heard of and news about King Torin.
Unfortunately, they soon ran out of things to tell us and became curious about what villagers were doing up here in the town.
“So, ran away to get married did ye?” A man with hardly any teeth asked, giving us a sly grin.
“Oh no, just thought we would see the town. Not much where we live but grass and animals,” Glen said while I just rolled my eyes.
We didn’t act like lovers and anyone paying attention would see that it was not women that held Glen’s attention.
“Aye well there’s lots to see here,” said the toothless man’s friend, his defining feature being a pair of the largest ears I had ever seen.
“Lots to see and hopefully lots of stories, I love to collect tales,” Glen explained.
“If it’s tales yer after then ye want to be seeing the wee old lady,” Toothless said gesturing left and spilling his drink all over Ears.
“Aye, she’ll tell you a tale or two,” Ears agreed, absentmindedly shaking the drink off his arm like he was used to it.
“Where does the lady live?” I asked, suddenly a lot more interested in the conversation.
“Across the river,” said Ears.
“Aye, across river and down the road,” agreed Toothless.
“Across the river, down the road and up to the hill to the last wooden
cottage,” Ears finished nodding seriously.
That was the most ridiculous way I had ever received directions but I was excited to see what she would have to say. I hadn’t been sure how Glen was going to find stories, unless we had encounters with all sorts of magical beings, likely risking our lives.
An old lady in a cottage seemed like a much safer way for Glen to find what he was after and I could tell from the smile he gave me that he was excited as well.
“I do wish you would stop that,” my twin, Aelwen, called from across the hall where she stood in her travelling clothes, ready to leave. She was helping her youngest child Prince Elath, a small boy of only 10 years, to fasten his cloak despite his protests that he was old enough to do it himself.
“Maybe if you wish harder, it will come true,” I replied with a smirk, continuing to absentmindedly gouge grooves into the table with a small dagger.
“I suppose, if it makes you feel better, then you can just stay here and continue carving up the table,” she smiled calmly as she slowly approached me, as if approaching a small animal and trying not to frighten it.
“Yes. I am sure taking up carving will solve all of my problems,” I threw the dagger down onto the table and stood to embrace her.
Despite how much I attempted to distance myself from everything, it was impossible not to love my family.
“I will miss you.” she whispered, wrapping her arms tight around me.
I let myself smile as her snow-white hair tickled my face. We were born to the same mother and father, but where she had white hair to match our pale skin, I had hair blacker than night, matching our dark eyes.
“If you don’t travel down to Wulvendach then they might come north to Norbroch. Considering the mess our last royal guests left behind, that is something I definitely want to avoid,” I forced a laugh.
“You know as well as I that the wulver never leave their kingdom. Are you sure you won’t come with us? The children would be so pleased.”
“We should leave one queen in the castle, just in case we receive unexpected visitors.”
Our father was killed during a battle when we were young, leaving our mother with two twin girls to raise and a kingdom to rule. She did a marvellous job and Norbroch prospered and found peace during her reign. Her one fault however, was that she neglected to ever tell us which twin was the heir to the throne.
There was much debate between the Lairds and Ladies, about who they thought most deserved the throne. Instead of waiting for them, we came to our own decision.
What better way to rule a kingdom than to have two queens, two people to share the burden, two people to council and guide each other. Much to the dismay of many, there was nothing that could be done to stop us and fifteen years ago we were both crowned Queen of Norbroch.
“Take care of yourself Euna. Tormod will be making sure you do,” Aelwen placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before joining her family in the courtyard where they were mounting their horses, ready to journey south.
I watched as they prepared to leave, along with their guards and servants. My nieces and nephew looked excited about journeying south but I did not envy them. Not when it was safe here in the castle.
“Stay safe on the road,” I called as they began to leave.
I watched from the large wooden doors as Aelwen, her husband Laird Ronan and their three children rode out of our castle which sat at the foot of the frozen mountains.
They would travel south, crossing the border into Wulvendach. From there they would follow the border between Wulvendach and Culhuinn before heading inland to the castle. There they would meet with the wulver King and Queen.
The wulver were fairies that had a covering of hair all over their bodies and possessed the strength to crush a human, and possibly even a fairy, with their bare hands. Despite their unusual strength and power, they are quiet people who keep mainly to themselves.
Unfortunately, this means discussing anything of importance with them requires a long tiring journey as they avoid leaving their homes and families.
In the past, I too travelled south to visit. Now those days were long gone and the thought of travelling out of Norbroch filled me with an uncomfortable mix of dread and fear.
I preferred to remain here in my kingdom, safe in the knowledge that no one would ever be allowed to hurt me in this castle, never again.
Once I had watched Aelwen and her family ride south and out of sight I returned to the main hall and took my seat. This time, with nothing to distract me the dagger was left discarded on the table.
I could not help but cast my mind back ten years.
10 YEARS AGO
“The journey here was awful,” King Ferchar declared loudly as he took his place across from Aelwen and I at the table.
His wife, the Queen, had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed by her husband’s outburst and offered us an apologetic smile.
“I like the snow,” chirped the young Princess Freya from her seat beside her mother.
Unlike my nieces and nephew who were too young to sit at a table, and so spared from an evening of dull conversation, the Princess was ten years old.
Despite my annoyance at her family’s visit I had to admit that she looked precious. She wore a thick woollen dress with a fur collar. Such thick clothes were useful outside in the snow, but they made the poor girl look awfully uncomfortable inside our warm hall. Her blonde hair was gathered behind her head and she had snowdrops threaded amongst her intricate plaits.
“You are in luck Princess, it is to snow for the whole duration of your stay here. You will have plenty of time to go out and play,” Aelwen replied with a kind smile at the young girl.
“You should move further south, it’s much less harsh. The moment we passed through the mountains into Norbroch I thought I was going to freeze stiff,” complained the King, much to the amusement of the Princess.
“It makes a lovely change,” the Queen swiftly changed the topic of conversation before her husband could insult us and our home any further. “Is that venison I see?”
The feast carried on that way, the King making snide remarks about us and our home, his oblivious little Princess finding it amusing and his wife frantically offering compliments.
Aelwen did not seem to mind and laughed along with the King’s jokes, easing some of the tension. I, on the other hand, stabbed viciously at my meal and glared icily at him.
“I think perhaps our discussions can wait until the morning,” Aelwen said with a smile as we finished the last of the feast. “I am sure a night’s rest will do you all the world of good.”
The King agreed and we were finally able to retire for the evening. After hastily saying my goodbyes, I made my exit from the hall and began heading up to my chambers. Tomorrow our discussions regarding trade and farming would commence.
The battle that killed our father was fought between Norbroch and Culhuinn, the climax of years of war. Our agreements would be the beginning of a new friendship between our kingdoms. Though the King’s attitude was making me wonder if we would live to regret this decision.
As I was rounding a corner on the upper floor I found myself colliding with a human. The human was knocked to the ground whilst I merely had to take a step back to regain my balance. I glared as he took his time getting up off the floor, grinning as he went.
“I apologise my Lady,” the man said after he found his feet again
“Your majesty,” I corrected.
His cheeks turned a rosy red, which reminded me of the berries that grew close to the forest floor as he gave a low bow. I had seen only a few humans in my life, mainly in passing as we travelled.
There were no humans here in Norbroch. To me humans were strange, so like us fairies, but so fragile.
To the human eye, or to a fairy with poor vision, we appeared the same. However, I could see that there were numerous differences between us.
Where my skin was like a blank sheet of undisturbed snow, free from imperfection,
this human had little brown freckles covering his nose and red cheeks. Blue veins were visible beneath his skin in areas, and he had wrinkles around his eyes as he smiled. I wondered why he was smiling, until I had the sudden horrible realisation that I was staring at him and found myself scrambling for something to say.
“I apologise your majesty, although it seems I was the one in danger during our encounter,” the grin never left his face.
“Yes well, you are a human,” I pointed out, “What did you expect?”
He laughed then as if he had never heard a more humorous comment in his life.
“I do hope I survive our encounter, me being a mere human,” he teased and I had to fight the urge to smile myself.
“What is your name?” I enquired, unsure why I even cared.
“Lachlann, I came here to Norbroch with my King and Queen, whom I hope won’t need to hear about this. King Ferchar would be displeased to hear that one of his servants had been foolish enough to run into you, your majesty.”
“I do hope you will be more careful walking through my halls in future, Lachlann,” I said before continuing down the hall towards the stairs which took me up to my bedchamber. “King Ferchar will not hear about this encounter from me.”
I did not look to see if he would reply, or if he watched me go. It was oddly difficult not to turn back, but I managed to control myself.
Why did it matter if a human servant was watching me leave? I decided that I must be tired from the long day getting ready for the King and Queen’s arrival. That explained my foolish thoughts.
PRESENT DAY
A decade later, I could still remember the way I felt that evening as if it had been mere moments ago. As hard as I tried I could not get the human, Lachlann, out of my thoughts. I convinced myself that it was simply because he was different and new. I thought I would soon tire of him.
How wrong I was.
I should have known, as I lay in bed that night thinking about those freckles, that I was already lost.
The Changeling's Journey Page 4
