by K T Durham
But Darrius would not let it go. Tossing her auburn hair, she scoffed. “Just because we dream about becoming something, doesn’t mean it will happen. I mean, isn’t it best to recognise your limitations? What’s the point of having such big dreams when you know they most probably won’t come true?”
Darrius had delivered her presentation already, stating that she wanted to become a weaver. She loved creating her own clothes, and was constantly showing them off. Her family was so rich that they always bought the most fashionable and expensive fabrics.
Mrs Silverwinkle fell silent, then slowly walked up to Darrius. At that moment, Elly thought that she had never seen anyone look more intimidating.
“Do not ever interrupt me again,” Mrs Silverwinkle said quietly. “I will not tolerate such atrocious behaviour from any of my students, no matter who their parents are.” She stared hard at Darrius without blinking. Darrius looked back defiantly; but after several moments, she looked away and sank down in her chair, cowering at last.
Mrs Silverwinkle shook her head and turned to the rest of the class. “If you never dare to dream, then you’ll never know what great things you’re capable of. When you do what you fear most, then you can do anything.” She smiled, and at that moment Elly felt that maybe, just maybe, she really could accomplish anything. “Must we live with the results of other people’s opinions of us? Should we not have the courage to follow our hearts, even if it means we take the path less travelled?”
There was a silence as everyone took in her words. Suddenly, several voices started speaking up at once.
“Actually, I really want to become a grand healer, not a minstrel like my mother wants me to be!”
“Maybe I could really become a law-keeper after all, even though my papa tells me I may not be clever enough.”
The students were turning to each other, some reconsidering their future careers and wondering aloud if what they had chosen as their “dream” career was something they really wanted to do, or something they would do to please others.
Amidst all the commotion, Mrs Silverwinkle laughed uproariously. She turned to Elly, who had by now sat down looking bewildered. “Ellanor Celendis, don’t underestimate yourself! You can be a mover and a shaker!”
Elly smiled uncertainly. “Thank you. But what does that mean, exactly?”
Mrs Silverwinkle chuckled and winked. “Let’s just say it means you have an imagination, and you have the courage to be different because it feels right for you.”
Elly thought about that for a moment and smiled. It was definitely a compliment.
As the class was filing out to go home, several classmates went up to Elly and congratulated her on a great presentation. The Three Flamingos ignored her as they stalked past, their heads held high. Elly sighed. She wished she could have said something sharp back to Darrius. Any sort of clever comeback would have been priceless.
Edellina and Aron were waiting outside her classroom. She beamed and gave them a thumbs up.
Aron whooped and gave her a big hug. “Way to go, Elly!”
Edellina smiled and winked. “See, I told you so.”
Then Mrs Silverwinkle came out of the classroom. Elly happily introduced her two friends. It was then that she noticed Mrs Silverwinkle looking a little pale; her cheeks had lost some rosiness, and her eyes looked less bright, like the clouds had obscured the sunshine. Elly wondered if the Three Flamingos, especially Darrius, had tired her out somewhat. She was quite old, after all.
“Oh yes, I know of Aron,” Mrs Silverwinkle said, smiling warmly. She turned to Edellina. “Hello, Miss Rosebane. I am aware that you joined the academy several months ago. Perhaps your parents can come to Elly’s party tonight? I was told that even Headmaster Greenleaf hasn’t yet had the opportunity to meet them.”
Edellina flashed a charming smile. “That is so thoughtful! Thank you for your concern, Mrs Silverwinkle, but my parents are still out of town. They’re very busy merchants, and I think they might even be doing business all the way up in the North with the Vierran these days. They won’t be back to Evergreen until next month, but my guardian and I have been managing just fine.”
Mrs Silverwinkle nodded. “Yes, I understand. What a shame.”
Then she turned to Aron. “Well, young man! I heard from your teacher that you wrote an exceptional history paper on goblin infiltrations. You obviously worked very hard on it.” She patted Aron on the back, then she looked up at the sky.
“Oh my, it’s already so late! Elly, I need to go home and dress grandly for your birthday party, otherwise your dear mother Nidah would be most cross with me. Off you go now!”
Before Elly could ask whether she had ever gone to Nidah’s Sweet Secrets, Mrs Silverwinkle shooed them away. Elly laughed and waved goodbye before turning back to her two friends, heading for the Meridien Meadows.
Mrs Silverwinkle’s smile dissolved into a frown as she gazed at their retreating backs.
CHAPTER THREE
The Party
The three friends chattered as they were stretched out luxuriously on the grass at the sun-dappled Meridien Meadows, where the blue water sparkled, butterflies and dragonflies swooped over the clovers and wild flowers, and birds were twittering a symphony. When the sky started turning crimson, they headed back to their respective homes to get ready for the party.
Before they parted ways, Edellina pulled Elly towards her. “I have a surprise for you tonight!” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. Then she winked and leapt away, her silver mane flying behind her.
Elated, Elly couldn’t stop grinning as she hummed and skipped along, wondering what Edellina had planned. A special present? Was she going to perform a song and dance routine? She giggled, imagining Aron stumbling on his feet while Edellina, a head taller, twirled around him gracefully.
She was having the best day ever—the presentation had gone well, several classmates had actually complimented her, Mrs Silverwinkle was so much nicer than Mr Holle… and to top it off, she was going to receive her Royan tonight!
Mama was standing at the door with her arms crossed, looking anxious. “Where have you been?” she demanded. “I thought you were going to come home straight after school!”
Elly was taken aback. “I just went to the Meridien Meadows to catch up with Aron and Edellina. I didn’t stay that long. You know I often go there after school.” She looked at her mother curiously. Why was she so upset?
Mama shook her head and muttered something under her breath. “When I ask you to come straight home, you should take it seriously,” she snapped before stalking into the house. Elly hurried in after her, bewildered. Maybe she was just nervous about the party. No matter—Mama would cheer up once she had given her an update on her extraordinarily good day.
Indeed, once Elly had recounted what had happened at school, Mama’s bad mood dissolved. She squealed and gave Elly a big hug. “Oh Elly, I’m so proud of you! See, I knew you would be fantastic!”
Marlow squawked, putting one cheek close to Elly’s face. She snuggled up to him and murmured, “Thank goodness I have you, Marlow. You always try to keep me in good cheer!”
Eleven years ago, Papa brought Marlow home after his mother and siblings had been attacked by a band of goblins that had infiltrated deep in the heart of the Celestan Forest. The guard at one cross point had fallen under some spell that put him into a stupor. The youngest baby griffin survived the attack after Papa fought off the goblins, who scurried away and escaped back down the cross point. “You were only a toddler back then,” Papa once told Elly, “but the baby griffin took such a shine to you. He snuggled up to you in the hammock while you were napping. You named him Marlow, and since then you’ve been inseparable!”
As Elly snacked on blueberry sweet cakes and petted Marlow, Mama grinned and whipped out a large silver package. “Happy birthday!” she cried, carefully placing the gift in fro
nt of Elly.
“Oh Mama, you didn’t!” she exclaimed. It must be the first edition of Roaming the Worlds as a Chameleon by Larabeth Goldberry! They must have remembered after all! Mama looked on with anticipation as Elly unwrapped the package excitedly.
Then her heart sank; nestled in the soft white wrappings was a beautiful leather belt with a silver clasp, a pair of sturdy, light brown boots… and a pink dress.
Elly liked the belt and the boots, but the dress.
She thanked her mother for the gifts and tried to keep a straight face. But then she blurted, “Oh, Mama… the style of the dress is pretty, but you know I hate pink! I’m not wearing pink for my twelfth birthday party, and definitely not when I’m receiving my Royan!” Why couldn’t Mama just accept that she doesn’t have to like what many other girls prefer?
Marlow squawked and shook his head at the pink dress in disapproval.
Mama frowned. “Oh, Elly, pink is nice! You should at least try wearing something ladylike on your big day!” she protested. But no matter how much she pleaded with her, Elly would not give in. She simply could not stand pink, and she just couldn’t explain it. After all, why did one like any particular colour? Why did one prefer strawberries to apples?
Mama glanced at the sky; the guests would be arriving soon. There was no more time to argue. With a resigned look and a sweep of her hand, Mama changed the dress from pink to dark purple.
Marlow squawked again and nodded with approval. Elly broke into a smile. “Thank you so much, Mama! I love it!” She kissed her mother on the cheek and darted upstairs to her bedroom to change.
Papa ducked his head through the kitchen doorway and chuckled at his wife. “I told you so!” he said smugly before ducking out again.
In her room, Elly took great care getting dressed. She dabbed some water on her hair in a futile attempt to make it look straighter and silkier. Her long black curls refused to obey, however.
When Elly had just started attending the academy, she asked her parents why people thought her black hair was ugly, and why some people would sneer and call her names like Raven. “Aren’t ravens birds of ill omen?” she asked them tearfully. Papa and Mama exchanged looks before he sat down and perched Elly on his knee.
“My darling Elly, there is nothing wrong with your hair. You are a beautiful little girl. As you know, black hair runs through the Celendis family. Those people don’t really think that black hair is ugly; they are afraid of what black hair might represent, because of something very bad somebody from the Celendis clan did a very long time ago.” He paused, looking pained. “He was your grandpapa’s brother, and your grand-uncle.”
Elly had grimaced. “Yes. Grandpapa doesn’t like to talk about it,” she said softly.
Papa had nodded. “Our clan numbered many before the War of Wrath over four hundred years ago. Back then, the Celendis clan was revered and beloved, for we were renowned for our brave warriors. The Celendis clan had for a long time been like the stewards of Alendria.”
At this he paused, his eyes staring into the distance, remembering days of glory past. “But your grand-uncle betrayed us to the goblins during the War of Wrath. Because of his treachery, many elves from the Celendis clan were slaughtered in the war. That is why there are so very few of us left, Elly.”
He sighed heavily as he recalled the dark days. “Since then, we’ve been branded as traitors by association, despite all the good we have done for Alendria. You see, those who are quick to judge and listen to gossip and slow to think for themselves tend to be unkind without good reason.”
Elly had listened in rapt attention; then she looked up at Papa with heart-wrenching, misty green eyes. “But what if my friends are mean to me and call me names, too?”
Mama grasped her small hand. “People who dislike you just because of your looks or the colour of your hair are not your true friends to begin with,” she said firmly.
Elly thought about that for a moment and gave a faint smile. “If that is the case, then Aron is my one and only true friend.”
Aron always comforted Elly whenever she complained about the name-calling. “Hey, I think it’s kind of cool to be in the minority! It’s boring to be the same as everyone else!” He would tug at his own shoulder-length silver hair and pull funny faces.
Thank goodness for Aron. She could always count on him.
After much brushing and tugging, she sighed in resignation. Her unruly curls just kept unravelling from the ribbons. She gave up and let her hair loose down her back. Several squirrels had gathered on the windowsill to admire her. She blew them kisses as she leapt out.
Elly skidded to a stop with a yelp at the foot of the stairs. In the fading light of dusk, the family room was illuminated by the golden ellanors that glowed on the walls like fireflies. Dozens of thick, round candles shaped as stars, griffins, trees, centaurs, and unicorns were aglow, lending the room a dreamy ambience. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky outside; it was an inky black dotted with stars. One was shining particularly brightly—the Star of Freya.
There stood many small, tall round tables covered in shimmering gold cloth, on top of which were perched thin vases holding exquisite flower arrangements of daisies, tulips, roses, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, baby’s breath, lilies, peonies, and forget-me-nots. Surrounding these vases were overflowing platters of food—a mouth-watering array of ripe, plump-looking fruits, leafy vegetables, nuts, crispy bread of all shapes and sizes, toffee-pops, and mounds of sweet cakes of various flavours. Silver goblets holding refreshing quenchers such as dragon honey ale and bubbling spring water circulated in mid-air, offering themselves up to thirsty guests. Butterflies fluttered about as they prepared to eavesdrop on conversations about to take place.
In front of the large open windows through which a cool night breeze blew were the Serenities, a popular trio of minstrels; one was on the harp, another played the flute, and the golden-haired beauty in the middle, named Laurien, sang in a melancholic, breath-taking voice.
Elly watched around in amazement. It must have cost a fortune to book the Serenities! They were her favourite band. She had always wished she could sing like Laurien. But she just could not carry a tune… which was unusual, for all elves seemed to have an affinity for music. All elves, except Elly.
As Mama liked to say, this was part of her uniqueness. But Elly thought it was just another area in which she was lacking.
Papa, Mama, and Luca were all dressed in their best, though her brother was already tugging impatiently at his new shirt. Even Marlow looked exceptionally well-groomed, his coat of feathers sleek and shiny.
Elly ran to her parents and threw her arms around them. “Oh, you’ve made this look amazing! Thank you for doing this!” she cried. Papa chucked her chin affectionately, while Mama stepped back and looked at Elly. “You’re right, purple is your colour!” she conceded with a smile.
Grandpapa Galdor was the first to arrive, followed closely by Aron who had ridden over on his griffin, Browning. Edellina then arrived by herself, looking gorgeous in a shimmering grey dress. As her two friends chatted easily with her parents, and Luca had become preoccupied with Browning, Elly went up to her grandfather.
Grandpapa Galdor had a stern face that would look startlingly joyous whenever it broke into a smile, which happened frequently around his granddaughter. He was one of the eldest in Alendria; but his bright blue eyes were alert, and his tall and lean body was still strong. His hair, once jet black, had long since turned silver. There was always a calmness about Grandpapa; even when he was rushing, he never seemed in a hurry. Tonight, he looked grand in his sweeping blue robes as he bent down low to kiss Elly on the forehead.
“Happy birthday, my dear sweet girl!” he said in his deep, resonant voice. “Today is your coming of age and a most important milestone! On this day, you have officially been initiated into a life dedicated to Alendria.” He paused and leane
d forward conspiratorially. She held her breath in anticipation, certain he was about to embark on yet another thrilling tale from one of his adventures.
“Do you think anyone would notice if I took home a dozen of these heavenly raspberry cream sweet cakes?” he whispered. “Your Mama won’t let me overindulge, but whose fault is it that they are so irresistible?” His eyes twinkled.
Elly blinked, then she giggled and wagged her finger. “You’ll never escape her notice, Grandpapa! I swear she must have eyes on the back of her head!” He laughed uproariously.
Then she started telling him about her day at school, describing her collage in great detail. “Oh, I can’t wait to introduce Mrs Silverwinkle to you! She’s just the best!” she gushed.
Grandpapa raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “The best, eh? I’ll see about that!”
One by one, her classmates and teachers started arriving. The Three Flamingos turned up together in identical long pink dresses, looking down their noses at everyone—though that became rather difficult when they had to greet Papa and Grandpapa, two of the tallest in the room.
Luca gawped at the three pink-clad girls. “Now I know why you call them the Three Flamingos!” he hissed under his breath. Luca was five years younger than his sister, and had not yet started at the Arvellon Academy. “Boy, let me teach them a lesson!” Before Elly could say anything, he had darted off, disappearing among the throng of people.
Elly had to admit that the party was turning out to be quite a success. There were games, much dancing and singing, and jovial faces talking and feasting on the scrumptious food. She had to stifle her laughter when she spotted the Three Flamingos screaming and running away from Luca practising enchantments on them. Aron was deep in conversation with Grandpapa, undoubtedly discussing some historical event. Mama and Papa were doing a slow dance, which made her smile.
She looked around for Edellina, and spotted her standing near Mr Holle, whose perpetual scowl marred his otherwise handsome features. His thin, wispy brown hair framed his tired, pale face. Elly raised her eyebrows when she noticed that his arm was in a sling. She supposed that was the reason for his absence from school today. He caught her curious gaze, and narrowed his watery-blue eyes coldly. Edellina turned around and waved at her, before sauntering over to Aron and Grandpapa and joining in their conversation.
