Aerien’s POV

 

‘Well, this has significantly altered the course of events, but the situation will be dealt with later.’ The queen said. ‘On the subject of our guests, Sagel spoke of the other grey elf child also having a rather interesting power.’

 

Before I even had time to recover from the huge and ridiculous announcements this head-strong queen had just made, she decided to keep on moving on with the course of her official cerimonies. I heard a soft squeel of a “Nooo…” coming from the direction of the wagon. In order for me to hear it from this distance, it must be a pretty loud scream, and I can clearly identify it as coming from Gaerien.

 

‘I apologize my queen, I ought to have told you, she is strongly resistant to anyone picking her up save for her human, although I am told she allows her, ummm… sister to physically handle her as well.’ There was another soft mental voice, but it was one that I did not recognize. Gaerien had told me about a changeling traveling with them, could this be him? Also, Gaerien didn’t like people picking her up? How had I never noticed something as significant as that? How long has she been like this?

 

‘Hmm… how bothersome. This behavior is also rather strange. Aerien, has she not maintained her memories of her previous life the same as you have?’ The queen moved her eye toward me.

 

“Well, she has, but…”

 

‘Try to use the spirit speech here in the court. I already know you are capable of it.’

 

‘An elf using spirit speech?’ There was a murmur from somewhere in the court, it seemed this was rather surprising.

 

‘Elves will die normally if they do that, right?’ I heard from someone else.

 

‘Well, her majesty did say she was powerful, but I don’t sense it.’

 

‘Weren’t you listening to the changeling’s report? She can summon energy.’

 

I blocked out their rather easy to hear mental murmurs. Regardless of how quiet all the others were by comparison to the queen’s, they were still very easy to hear. This clearly must be the reason everyone was supposed to use this method to communicate. Clearly, this thought energy would project better across large distances than sound waves.

 

Well, guess that makes sense. I took a deep breath, and then focussed on projecting my thoughts by letting an energy out from my body. ‘SHE DID, BUT IT SEEMS OUR BODIES HAVE AN INFLUENCE ON OUR BEHAVIORS. I ACTED RATHER CHILDISH UP UNTIL RECENTLY AS WELL, AND WILL MAKE NO PROMISES AS TO MY FUTURE BEHAVIOR EITHER.’

 

‘Hmm… I see, that’s how it is.’ The queen said.

 

‘Ahh… no doubt she has power, but… that’s worse than a young dragon.’

 

‘Yes,’ the queen looked at me again, ‘that was somewhat loud, likely too much for some weaker individuals in here to handle easily. You will need some practice lest you knock an elf unconscious just from hearing your spirit voice.’

 

So, my spirit voice is loud? What an embarassment. As if I need something more to deal with in all this nonsense. There are definitely more important things to worry about now, but here she seems to be treating it as low priority. This is going to be my life now? This whole thing with the trial had better go well. Well, I am already being given the huge advantage on this of being the judge, but I still can’t help the feeling there is a lot more to this than that.

 

‘Anyway, for now how about you go down and calm your brood-mate. All of this can be handled in due time.’ Next thing I know, I am being hurled at the ground in a manner that seems to defy the law of inerta. I seemed to be instantly accelerated and made the trip over to Gaerien, traveling at what must have been five times what my terminal velocity ought to have been and reaching her in about three seconds, and then I stopped in place. It was too fast for me to have even thought to scream or make any other kind of noise of unrest.

 

Well, at least I was hurled chest first in such a way that my dress didn’t flip up. Judging by how it feels, I am not entirely certain I am wearing anything underneath anymore. One more thing to be embarrassed about.

 

After arriving right in front of Gaerine, I was stopped instnatly in an even more inertia defying stunt. The sudden stop that ought to have snapped my neck and sent my lungs and heart smashing against the front of my rib cage was something that I barely even noticed or felt.

 

Well, if I get hung up over every unusual thing, I don’t think I will get anywhere with all of this. It’s magic, I’m going to just have to accept that and move on. I think the dragon that could swallow a sky scraper whole and the tree that dwarfs even that huge dragon are significant enough that nothing else ought to surprise me.

 

As soon as I am let go from the queen’s apparent telekinisis magic, I immediately grab the floating Gaerien out of the air as well, and before I even realized I was doing it I found myself hugging her tenderly to my chest.

 

‘Are you Ok?’ I asked her as soon as I was in physical contact with her. It seems our normal method of communication still works as it should.

 

‘Yeah…’ I respond to her, I think, completely appropriate griping. I can honestly sympathize having just experienced the same thing myself.

 

‘Now then,’ The queen continues. ‘As I was saying, I have heard this child has a fairly interesting power of her own.’ There was a dark shadow over me, and the boys who were still in the wagon which I was standing right next to were making some frightened noises. I looked up, and I saw the queen’s city block sized head hovering directly above me.

 

‘So, child, you do not like being picked up, is that right?’ She lays her head on the ground directly in front of Gaerien and I. ‘Well, right now I ought to be inside the range of that ability of yours according to what I have heard. If you would like to prevent me from lifting you straight out of Aerien’s arms, then give me a demonstration of this power of yours and use it to stop me.

 

‘What is this power she’s talking about?’ I ask Gaerien.

 

‘Not important now, I am not fully certain it will work like this anyway.’ True to both of their words, almost as soon as Gaerien said this she was lifted straight out of my arms, and directing a rather grumpy look toward the queen.

 

‘Hmm… I see, so the degree of internal power one has seems to make a difference. That was harder than it would normally be, but you were unable to stop me.’ I still didn’t quite understand what they were talking about, but from the direction of their conversation I could easilly fill in some blanks and realize that whatever Gaerien was being tested on was over, so I immediately jumped and snagged Gaerien back out of the air.

 

‘Very well then, it is not a manner of traditional power, and it will likely frighten some, but this can serve as an excellent weapon in the future. This child shall recieve rank as a noble junior knight, and for the time being until you have physically grown enough to enter another role you may be assigned to the princess. As for the mother… she has adiquite potential, but it has yet to be realized. Her status shall be on hold until the magus’ trial has concluded. This concludes this issue. Someone find a room for the princess and bring all of them to it.’

 

‘At once your majesty.’ A spirit voice came from somewhere at ground level, and when I turned to look that direction there were two adult-size female fairies skimming across the air, low to the ground, with their wings barely moving.

 

They landed next to the wagon and looked into it. [Which of these humans belongs to the sister?] They asked in Elven. I could not see over the edge of the wagon, but my birth mother must have answered their question with a gesture because the next thing I know they are reaching into the wagon and pulling out Rolwen. After this, the other one jumps to the other side of the wagon, detouring only slightly, in order to reach the other side where it seems Levin is.

 

[Come here now,] she says, seeming to pull Levin out a little more gently than the one who handled Rolwen. After this, she touches the side of the wagon and the entire thing starts a controlled descent into the floor, almost as though it’s melting from the wheels up. As it sinks, my mother, well… my birth mother stands up and is soon following behind the fairies.

 

‘Aerien.’ The queen says as she is slowly lifting her head back up off the ground. ‘I would like for you to remain here, hand your sister over to them. Do not worry, they will all be waiting for you later.’

 

‘Umm… is that going to be Ok? I mean, not wanting to be held and all?’ I asked Gaerien in our silent communication while looking down at her as though I was hesitating.

 

‘It should be alright as long as it’s one of those two who are actually holding me.’ She gave a glance toward the two fairies, or more accurately the two boys they were holding. At about this time, the one carrying Rolwen knelt in front of me.

 

[Please, you can trust me with your sister’s safety “lle taurn er”] What did she just say at the end there? Considering my position, she wouldn’t happen to have just used the elven word for something like “your highness,” would she? I am just getting more and more lost in how unsettling and alien all these experiences are, suddenly being called “your highness” would just make me feel like I might have just fallen into a dream still in my inner world, maybe that’s what’s going on here. Maybe it’s all just that I went crazy staring at nothing but rocks and lightning flashes all day for so long.

 

I wind up numbly handing Gaerien over as asked, and the fairies escort my mother and carry off the rest of them as I watch them go. Once they get a fixed distance, a number of mushrooms seem to suddenly pop out of the ground in a cirlce around them, and then they all simply vanish.

 

“Huh?”

 

‘Yes, you said you did not have magic in your world. That was fairy teleportation magic. Actually, such teleportation enabled locations usually have to be maintained, it was with Isanil’s help that they were able to create a circle on the spot like that. Anyway, there is one more order of business I need you for, and then you may go and rejoin them.’

 

‘Sagel, please step forward!’ She turned and shouted for someone. When the person they called stepped forward, I couldn’t help but stare in wide eyed shock at what I was seeing. This person had white hair on his head and was wearing normal clothes, and that’s about the only thing that was separating him from a classic roswell space alien. His skin was blue instead of grey, but those huge black eyes left me unable to think of anything other than a space alien.

 

What the heck IS this guy!? I do noth think I remember any fantasy race that looked like this! Well, whatever he is I guess this is where the cultural image of aliens must come from.

 

‘Sagel was asked by the new dryad to help in the raising of the girls and their humans, beings he has experience with growing from childhood multiple times over his life. Normally, changelings such as Sagel would not be alowed to remain in the capital for any extended period of time. However, because this is at the request of a powerful dryad, and it was a contingent in calming their anger, we must make an exception for this. However, I will be placing a condition on this that ought to satisfy the court that is so concerned over having a changeling in our midsts.’

 

So, he’s a changeling? Then he must be the changeling Gaerien told me about. Well, that answers a lot of questions, but a condition on his staying here? And why did I have to be here for this? I suddenly got a bad feeling about this. I have been having bad feelings about almost everything this super size dragon has been saying, but this is the worst I have gotten so far by a long shot.

 

‘Sagel will be required to bind his soul to a member of the royalty, namely Aerien. This will permit him to act within his required duties, but also place a tight control over him such that should he gain a draconic form as a result of his exposure to the dragons here he will have no way of using that power against any of the scared cowards among this court. I trust there should be no objections to this?’

 

No objections!? Well, maybe not among them, but I have all sorts of problems with this!

 

‘I understand your majesty’ The alien man, err… changeling said and bowed his head.

 

“Wait!” I said.

 

‘Spirit voice Aerien.’ I saw the changeling man, Sagel, instantly cringe at the queen’s words and he seemed to be holding his head in preparation. I saw several of the fairies at the far sides of the area doing the same. Jeeze! Was my spirit voice really that loud!? In other words, in order to properly state my objection in a way she was going to accept, I would be causing pain to everyone around me! I was beginning to get a sense of having the walls close in on me on this one. To remain silent would mean something irreversable could happen, with consiquences I did not fully understand. To speak out would mean causing pain to everyone around, including the one I was trying to speak up for. It seemed the only one who wasn’t hurt by my speaking out was the very person putting me in this spot.

 

Well, I definitely felt like I would regret it if I said nothing, so let’s at least try to keep it short.

 

‘WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THIS SOUL BINDING THING?’ I asked, and I didn’t miss how everyone tensed as I was speaking.

 

‘It is a form of powerful contract that can be made by a fey creature. Normally, other fey cannot be the recipient of a soul binding contract, but elves such as yourself are an exception. To put it simply, he will be unable to stray very far from your side, and he will be required to serve you. In exchange, he recieves a portion of your spirit energy. It is not done often, but several fey creatures enter into such contracts with powerful individuals such as yourself quite eagerly.’

 

“Do you want this?” I asked the changeling, recieving only a strange look from him.

 

‘I apologize your highness, I am afraid I do not understand the language of your former world.’ He responded.

 

‘She asked you if you accept the contract.’ The queen told him.

 

‘Ah, yes, well in that case of course I do.’ He said, kneeling and taking my hand. He touched the back of my hand to his forehead, and I felt some kind of strange energy running through my arm. Wait! Did he just start whatever the ritual for the contract was! NO! The way the queen phrased that! She twisted my words to sound like they were part of the ritual!

 

I pulled back my hand, but something in me told me that it was already too late. I could feel something foreign in the back of my mind. It was… shock. The changeling, Sagel, looked up at me with a surprised look on his face and I could feel his emotional state in my mind.

 

 

Now that I had heard the difference between the “spirit speech” of the queen and the other fey creatures here back to back with my private speech with Gaerien, I was able to tell that the way he was talking to me now was a lot closer to the way Gaerien talks to me.

 

‘It’s fine,’ I replied to him with a slightly bitter tone. ‘I guess it’s a little too late to complain about it now.’

 

 2nd Arc: Capital

Act 3: The fey court

End

 

 

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FYI: The long term plan is to move the 1st act of this arc over to the previous arc. (I called the end of the arc too soon.) I am currently on track to write 2 more acts in the next arc, 4 is a very strange number of acts for a story to have. 3 and 5 are the preferred numbers. Not sure what I'm going to do with that.

 

(Those 4 acts, BTW, IS accounting for subtracting the 1st act from this one.)

 

Yes, I know that moving the 1st act to the previous arc will make it have 4 acts, but I also plan to split the 1st act at about the end of the chapter where Eirlathion takes the kids to his house.

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"‘I SAID ITS FINE, WHY WOULD YOU THINK I AM UPSET?!?!?’ said Aerien, most definitely upset."

 

                                           -NohVoha

 

"THIS IS MY INSIDE VOICE!!"

 

                                           -Roy

 

"Oooh Gaerien is a knight, that's interesting. I thought they would be twin princesses. But at least they aren't separated."

 

                                           -meowingLexi