by Iaz Grant
“Still, you can’t ignore that part of the tourney.” He insisted.
She waved her hand as if it was only a minor matter.
“That is only a formality. Who would know we aren’t lovers?” She said airily.
It looked like she had given the matter a whole lot of thought. Now that Abel thought about it, it would fit his plan perfectly. In his haste to get to Sheelah and the tourney, he hadn't given much thought to the female that would be his cheer. He only assumed he would surely see a willing woman to go with him when he needed one.
Now, he realized no ordinary woman would do; he needed one who would delight his senses and at the same time actually cheer him up. He took a long look at her, noticing her determined jaw, fit body and keen eyes. It had taken a while before he saw that she was watching him stare for stare. He smiled to himself. This magnificent creature looked like she would do just fine.
“True. None will notice we aren’t lovers.”
He was now staring at her full lips and imagining all sort of things he would love to do to that lushness.
“So?” she said.
“So, what?” he asked. Had he missed anything she said while staring?
“So, when do we head for Sheelah?” she asked impatiently. “And I do hope you know the way.” She quickly added.
“Impatient, are we?”
“We leave at first light tomorrow. It is a long, long journey from Albion.”
For the first time since he met her, she gave him a broad, sincere smile that lightened up the tavern. This was going to be an incredible journey and an, even more, fantastic tourney with her beside him all the way.
"Abel," He said as a way of introduction, holding out his right hand to her.
"Tanya," She said. Taking his hand in hers, albeit hesitantly.
The feel of her hand in his reeked of an unspoken promise. He wondered if she felt it too.
ϖ
Tanya couldn’t get a wink of sleep. She couldn’t thank the fates enough for sending Abel upon her way. To think she had dismissed him at first sight! She berated herself for her arrogance. Not that he didn’t have his share too, she thought. She sighed and turned on the bed she secured for the night.
Well, seeing as there were no other men, fairy or no fairy, queued at her doorstep to be her warrior in the tourney, she would just have to forget, or at least, ignore his arrogance and flirty ways so they could both go for what they longed for- The Louvre.
Her inability to sleep tonight was for the fear that Abel would up and leave in the middle of the night. That was why she insisted they hire a room next to each other for the night. She knew she was unreasonable with her thoughts but just couldn’t control her imaginations. He didn’t seem like he needed a cheer when they met. All he had in mind was a quick lay. Surely, someone heading for something as serious as the tourney would be more solemn and thoughtful in his dealings? Maybe he had one already waiting for him in Sheelah. Maybe he accepted her volunteer as cheer just to punish her for her disdain of him when he flirted with her.
Well, he better not think about turning tail and running. She would keep watch all night if necessary.
In a few hours, Tanya was snoring away. So was Abel in the next room to hers.
ϖ
“Wake up, sleepy head.” She heard Abel say the next morning.
Tanya hurriedly got out of bed. She swore silently under her breath. She didn’t know when she fell asleep and almost kicked herself. What if he left? She looked up at him but couldn’t see his face well. He had his back to the door which he left open. She could see that the first rays of the yellow sun were just coming up and the shafts which managed to elude his large body were almost blinding her.
“Thank you for waking me. I will be ready in a short while.” She replied with a small smile. She wouldn’t want to send him off with a frown this early, would she?
She fully expected him to make a comment about her state of undress, the lustful man that he was but to her surprise, he turned back and left her room without another word.
She flew out of bed and hurriedly performed her morning rituals. She was out at his door in a jiffy. He came out the door with his backpack slung over his shoulder like he had been waiting for her.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded. "Ready," She said.
They were really going to compete in the tourney, she thought, still unbelieving of her good fortune thus far. As they made to leave, he suddenly turned to her looking at her askance.
“You never told me why you wanted to compete in the tourney.” He blurted out.
“You never told me your reasons too.” She retorted.
She wasn’t willing to divulge her secrets to this mortal. She didn’t trust him just yet. Not that she ever would.
"You keep your reasons to yourself and I'll keep mine to myself," She added.
He looked at her face for a short while and nodded.
"Fair enough," He said.
Together, they walked off into the streets. Sheelah, here we come, she thought excitedly.
THE WOOD FAIRIES
Tanya was tired of the silence that hung in the air. It was exactly a sennight that they left Albion and contrary to the first impression Abel had given her, he proved to be quite the opposite. He had barely spoken save the necessary. She soon started to think she had been too presumptuous in her assumption of his character.
“This way”, “Here”, “Careful there”, and other short sentences to guide her were all he had said to her so far. She had first taken solace in the beauty of the lands on which they journeyed that she didn't notice that they barely talked. She looked wondrously at the opening petals to the rays of light. She watched the garden fairies as they swept the dust off the flowers. She watched the gnomes pick up the fallen fruits during the night. She delighted in the sight of the sky turning a bright shade of blue when the sun rose fully and later turning a dark orange at twilight. It was always such a delightful scene each day, and she gloried in it every day they walked the earth.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, her stomach had rumbled ominously. She didn't have any breakfast today, she remembered. As she made to tell her travelling companion just this, she hesitated. They hadn’t spoken much of a meaningful word to each other since they set out, had they? Why! She barely knew him at all. He was always predictive of their needs, and she needn't ask before he fetched their breakfast or ask that they rest during the day or set camp for the night. Forgetting her rumbling stomach, she immediately made to rectify the situation.
“Tell me about yourself, Abel. Who knows, there might be a task where you have to talk about your partner.” Tanya congratulated herself for this excuse at conversation. She did well to come up with this.
Abel turned from the tall birch he was examining for fruits they could eat and regarded her thoughtfully. He heard her stomach rumble and immediately paused to fetch fruits on the tree. For a moment, she thought he was back to the playful, passionate man she saw in the tavern but that man was gone in a flash. Must be her imagination, she thought.
“I never knew my parents. I grew up with some blacksmiths and then later with some monks. I learnt all I know from them.” He said shortly.
She nodded sagely. That accounted for his muscularity and his adeptness with cutting instruments. This, he had shown as they sojourned so far; he cut down trees that hindered their progress with one swipe, he pitched a makeshift tent for the night all by himself that she soon felt entirely useless to their purpose.
She was about to ask him some more questions about his growing up years when she stopped short. In her eagerness to a conversation, she totally forgot that her question was a double edged sword. What if he asked about her childhood? She wasn’t willing to disclose her true nature to this man. She cast about for something else to discuss.
Before she could think of something, she heard voices. Beautiful voices that filled the senses with s
yrupy sweetness like honey. She touched Abel's arm to still him. His gaze flew to hers but she shook her head at him.
“The music. Wood fairies.” She whispered. “They come out in the twilight to play. They can be quite mischievous too if they set their mind to it. They can mislead a traveller and send him to his death if he invokes their ire.” She explained in hushed tones.
As soon as she said this, the wood fairies could be seen popping out of various trees. They were little creatures that shone brightly as they flew about. They ran around the woods in which they were singing in full tunes. At first, it seemed like they couldn't see her and Abel, but Tanya knew better.
One little fairy plopped on Abel’s shoulder.
“Here is a cute mortal come to us in the flesh.” She sighed wistfully.
Soon, the others gathered around Abel. Tanya was at a loss for what to do. She hoped Abel would just bear their invasion and keep walking till they could make it out of the woods.
Before her very eyes, Abel smoothly turned into the flirt she knew him to be.
"And here is a stunning fairy come to keep me company as I journey through their lovely home," He said winningly to the fairy that popped on his shoulder, the pervert.
Tanya could almost swear she saw the fairy blush.
“Ohhhh!” The little fairy crooned. “He says I am beautiful.” She got up from her seat on his shoulders and made a little turn in the air.
Before long, other fairies gathered round fishing for compliments. Who would have thought wood fairies were all so vain and gullible? Tanya thought uncharitably.
“I am Tinkerbell and these are all my sisters. We guard the woods and show travellers their way.” More like mislead them, Tanya thought.
Each of the fairies began to introduce themselves to Abel, and he responded flatteringly to each. “Stunning”, “Beautiful”, “Amazing”, “Gorgeous”, he never ran out of qualifiers for each fairy. Names like Twinkie, Footsie, Arelia, Xena, Sunshine and many other funny ones were mentioned, and Abel did not bat an eyelash. Tanya wondered where he learnt this ability to flirt without stress. Surely not at the monks’, she snorted loudly.
“Oh! You have a woman here with you.” A fairy said in surprise.
Tanya was smiling gratefully at the fairy that acknowledged her presence. She was beginning to think she was invincible to them and Abel too; he had ignored her as soon as the fairies came out. The fairies all turned in unison to look at her. Her smile was too early. As soon as the words left the fairy's mouth, she was forgotten again. All focus was back to Abel.
“And what brings such handsome, virile man this way?” Tinkerbell asked.
Tanya almost replied that it was none of the little meddlers’ business but stopped herself in time.
“I am on my way to Queen Zanna’s court in Sheelah. It is my wish to participate in the tourney.” He replied conversationally all the while never breaking his stride.
Oh! He has forgotten all about his cheer, hasn’t he? Tanya said under her breath beside him. She was sure he heard her, but he totally ignored her. Now, Tanya wondered if his attraction for her had actually worn off. Since they left the tavern, he had made no move to have sex with her or even kiss her like he wanted to at the tavern. Was that normal? She just couldn't tell what happened.
“Would you like to learn some tricks to use in the contest?” the one called Twinkie asked.
"Of course," Abel replied. He sounded very delighted with this suggestion.
The fairies needed no further invitation. Soon, they were instructing Abel on various fighting modes and methods. They took turns to explain to him the importance of stealth and wisdom in engaging an opponent. Tanya thought they would never finish.
“Remember, when all else fails, your heart won’t. Take care to listen to it.” Arelia added. Tanya remembered the fairy’s name because she was the only dark-haired amidst the fairies.
By this time, they were almost at the edge of the woods. Abel did not look the least surprised that the fairies had followed them thus far. Now that Tanya thought about it, she saw that he knew what he was doing by engaging them in discussion; their light had guided their steps all the way to the edge. This, however, does not make her any less jealous of the undivided attention he paid them. She didn’t like it one bit.
"As a gift for your good nature and good company, we will set you on your destination fast and easy. The lands beyond the Forest may be dangerous at night as there are Duendes and Goblins that might disturb your journey.” Tinkerbell was saying. All other fairies nodded in agreement to her words. Now, this was more like it, Tanya thought.
“You shall see the golden dome tops of Sheelah when you get out of here instead of the land of Shante where the Duendes and Erkling mostly dwell. Go on straight into Sheelah from there with our best wishes. Stay safe and win, Abel, the good and his companion, the silent.”
Tanya did not bother to reply to this. They were almost out of the woods, and she didn't want to say a word that would keep Abel longer with the dazzling creatures. He was already much enchanted by them as it seemed.
Abel was bowing his head in appreciation, murmuring his thanks and smiling sweetly at them all.
In perfect unison, the wood fairies waved their white hands, and there was a ‘pop' sound. Before Tanya could figure it out, the fairies were gone. So were the woods. They were now on the loose soil as if a river was nearby. Faithful to the words of the fairy, Tanya looked up to see the glittering domes and rooftops of the land of Sheelah where Queen Zanna presided with love and respect. All were in awe of the Queen, and she was a part of the reason creatures from different realms made it to the tourney each year.
She couldn’t wait to walk the streets and see the sights that Sheelah was famed for. Most of all, she couldn’t wait to get to The Louvre.
She snuck a look in Abel’s direction to see if he was as excited as she was. She already knew he was no longer attracted to her and wondered how they were going to pass across as lovers. She guessed he wouldn’t be thinking this; his mind was already on the tourney, she was certain.
However, she found him looking at her oddly. He was looking at her as if… he wanted her! He looked at her now like he did when they first met at the tavern. It had been so long she saw him look at her like that. She gasped out loud as he walked towards her, his intent clear in his eyes.
“You were jealous of them.” He accused.
Taken by the hunger in his eyes, Tanya wondered what he was talking about. Then she remembered the fairies and the way she watched as he flirted with them ceaselessly. She had no idea that her silence betrayed her emotion.
For the first time, she didn’t hide her concerns.
“What if I was?” She asked him back. Heck! What is wrong with me?
Immediately, Tanya began to blame the wood fairies. She imagined that they must have resolved to make her this gullible and weak since they weren't too much allowed to mislead them on their journey. All thanks to Abel chivalry.
"Well, you never struck me as one to be so jealous of anyone but yourself," Abel said, now so close that Tanya was confused about her now-changing breath.
“What do you mean?” She managed to ask him.
He seemed rather in control of his emotions than her, giving Tanya rather the Goosebumps and the idea that she was the only one imagining the involvement of the fairies.
He stopped in front of her and started smoothening the thin lines of her hair.
"So soft," He whispered.
