The Secrets of Elderville

As she stares at her reflection in the broken shard of glass, her long brown hair messily tied up in a bun, Jessa Underway can’t help but wonder if her wings will ever get past the second stage of her wing growth. Her mother, Isobel, always loves to remind her of her very tiny wings. Every morning, during first gathering, she would utter the same sentence to Jessa.

“Jessa, darling, how on earth do you manage to get out of bed every day with those fragile wings? Do eat some elderberries dear, to help them grow.”

She would do as her mother commanded, of course. No one dare disobey the Queen of Elderville, not even her children (though there’s always one child who must rebel at some point). Jessa was the eldest of her siblings, Theo and Rose. The royal family’s table sits in the middle of the gathering hall. And their subjects sit surrounding them in a protective-like bubble. To the Queen, the seating arrangement felt secure and safe. To her children, it felt like a big spotlight focused on their every move for all the villagers to see. Especially to Jessa who, for what seemed like the millionth time, catches the dark brooding eye of Nail.

Nail is the village’s one and only outcast. He’s lived in Elderville since the beginning. His one eye, the color of the dark night sky, is what makes everyone steer clear of him. Nail lost his left eye in, “The ole Wasp Wars”, a war dated back 1,000 years ago.

Jessa remembers the first time she ever saw Nail. She had just turned thirteen and was morphing into her second stage of wing growth. They were finally tall enough to fly from one part of the village to the other. The village hides in an ancient elder tree, tucked away deep into its hollowed trunk and lush green leaves. Being the princess, she is only allowed to go to the third highest branch grown on the tree and the fourth lowest. Never too high, never too low. But being a princess, she felt she was above the rules. Already disobeying her mother by going to the first highest branch, Jessa decided she would venture towards the bottom of the village. As she hopped from one branch to the other, her need to go lower and break her mother’s rules grew stronger. Her curiosity of the lower part of the village ached so further she flew down, until she realized there were no more branches left to step down on. Staring at the ground below, Jessa sensed that she was not the only one present on the lowest branch of the elder tree. Slowly, she turns her gaze to the left, a gasp leaves her lips, unsure of what her eyes lay upon. At first, the figure was in a crouched position, the only visible thing she could make out was brown fur and grey hair. As the figure straightens out, aware of Jessa’s presence, she sees that it is Nail. She had only ever heard of tales of the one-eyed wanderer called Nail, named after the weapon he carried in the old wasp wars. Nail may have one eye but if he fixes it on you, it will be an eternal glare. He did not yell or seem startled by the princess. He stared silently at Jessa, for Nail has been a mute ever since the last day of the old wasp wars. The wanderer’s call it ‘Freedom Day’. For they were no longer living in fear of the Wasp King and his minions.

To this day he has never stopped catching Jessa’s attention. All she needs to do is search for the hunched over man in the squirrel pelt. Jessa is broken out of her eight yearlong staring contest by her mother’s booming voice, announcing the daily reports for the village.

“Greetings to a new day! Our leaves are ever so green and our branches ever so strong on the ancient elder tree. The food supply is fully stocked for this spring, four brand new little ones have been born this week, and finally my eldest’s, princess Jessa’s 21st birthday celebration is tomorrow. I expect all to be in attendance. This concludes first gathering, everyone is dismissed.”

As soon as Queen Isobel dismissed the village, everyone flew from their seats, exiting through the hole of the hollowed-out tree. Jessa, Theo and Rose hovered above their seats, waiting for their mother to dismiss them as they always did after gathering. Yet the Queen sat silently, finishing her tea made from the elder flowers, before slowly lifting her gaze towards her three children. Jessa, impatient with her mother, couldn’t help but to let escape a heavy sigh. Immediately her mother’s attention was set on her.

“Something wrong? Have other places you need to be?” Jessa quickly straightened her back, answering her mother in an exasperated tone, “Yes, mother I do. I’m late for my flying lessons with Mr. Milo. So, if you don’t mind, may I be on my way?” Jessa could feel the sweat start to trickle from her forehead.

Noticing her daughter’s crossed arms, and fingers drumming nervously, Isobel smiles. Jessa must realize by now that her mother can tell when she is fibbing. The Queen stands, her golden hair shining from the rays of sunlight beaming through the hollow hole, she smooths down her extravagant yellow gown, and walks towards her daughter, until she is arm’s length away, her red eyes set onto Jessa’s similar, fiery red eyes.

“Twenty years on this tree, Jessa Vagare Underway. Twenty!” Jessa flinches and looks down; she hated it when her mother yelled. Sensing her daughter’s discomfort, she smiles, then calmly continues, “I know when you are lying Jessa. Now, please tell me the truth. Where is it that you must be in such a hurry to get to?” Jessa knew if she told her mother the truth, she would be sent to her hollow, escorted by the royal guard. She glances at her brother and sister who are the only ones that know of their older sister’s true plans. They both lock eyes with her and barely shake their heads no. That’s all she needed to look into her mother’s eyes and lie. Not knowing she would soon regret this decision.

“I swear on the elder tree, mother that I am going to my flying lessons with Mr. Milo.” Isobel holds her daughter’s stare, as if she is searching for the lie. After what seemed like forever, the Queen gently picks Jessa’s hands up, cradling them in her own. “I will decide to trust you.” She smiles, and Jessa at once felt a weight lift off her wings but suddenly her mother grips her hands, pulling Jessa closer to her and in a low hiss she adds, “do not make a fool of me. I won’t let the events of what happened last month, repeat itself. If you miss second and third gathering again, I will order a twenty-four-seven-hour guard so you shall never be out of my sight. Got it?” Jessa rips her hands away from her, rubbing them. “Yes, my Queen,” she flies towards the hole but not before hearing her mother tell her siblings, “And that goes for you two as well. You’re dismissed.”

Trying to follow their sister through the busy crowd of villagers on the elder tree’s branches, Theo and Rose began to worry for Jessa. “How long are we going to encourage her reckless behavior?” exclaims Theo, infuriated about almost being caught in his sister’s lies, again. “I mean, really, is her thirst for adventure so important that we must lie to our own mother?” Rose, rolling her eyes, sighs and shrugs her shoulders. “What Jessa is doing is reckless but…” abruptly, a dragonfly blocks their path, pulling along several little wanderers in a wagon, heading to the teaching hollow. Rose keeps an eye on Jessa, making sure not to lose her in the crowd. When the path clears, Rose continues, “but she is our sister, and we cannot betray her trust in us. If we do, then she will never confide in us again and no one will know where she truly is and that thought scares me to my core.” Landing on the fourth lowest branch, Theo and Rose watch as their sister descends further to the bottom of the elder tree. “And now we wait,” Theo sighs. Rose nods, as they both sit down, “Yes, I hope she discovers something new today. I’m bored of hearing about worms and ants.”

End of Chapter one.