Elf Heart

Prince Amatus never wanted anyone hurt. As far as intentions went, his were pretty vague, but never malicious. That’s the tricky thing about intentions, though. It’s difficult to know where they will lead.

His life and intentions began to change on a pleasant day. The sun shown and warmed the land of Denna. The grass was green and the air crisp as the sea breeze drifted over the island. Birds sang their songs from the trees, tempting anyone nearby to stop and listen.

On such a day, a young elf like Amatus could hardly be expected to remain indoors and study, whatever his tutors insisted. Sneaking out was never easy, but he’d done it so many times, there were few who could stop him.

Unfortunately, one of those few was Fronia, his language tutor. She was working with him that day and had learned quickly not to let him out of her sight during lessons. She was deceptively fast and strong, despite her small stature. He knew escaping from her would be a challenge. Even if he made it out of the building, she’d proven she was willing to chase him as far as necessary and drag him back to class. If he resisted, she would drag him by the ear, which was as painful as it was humiliating. Due to his royal status, few elves dared to treat him so roughly. However, Fronia was not easily intimidated and would do whatever she believed to be best for his education.

“Are you listening?” she demanded as she caught him staring at the door. Her dark hair was braided tightly behind her. Her cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut someone and her lavender eyes glinted with annoyance as she examined her pupil.

“I am,” he assured her. He knew the door was locked and the room had no windows. His father and tutors had come up with a variety of precautions to keep him from running off. He could pick the lock easily enough, but there were sure to be guards stationed outside the door. It would certainly be difficult to escape, but Amatus rarely turned down a challenge.

“What did I just say, then?” She walked closer to his desk so she was towering over the seated prince. Her dress was a simple black frock with no embroidery. It stopped at her ankles, making it easier for her to run if need be. Fronia always cared more about utility than appearance.

“You were talking about how the culture of the phents is reflected in their language.” He continued to stare at the door as he spoke in a monotone. “Honestly, why am I even learning a dead language, though? I already know enough to communicate with anyone I’m likely to meet. There’s little point in knowing how to speak to the dead. They can’t speak back, after all.” He looked at her. “Or do you intend to teach me necromancy, as well? I might actually be interested in that.”

Fronia stared him down. “You have an excellent ear for languages, so I’m not sure why you insist on playing the fool.”

“I’m not playing,” he assured her. “I’m just a fool.”

“Now, we both know that’s not true.”

It wasn’t really a scolding, but it didn’t feel like a compliment, either. Her voice was as sharp as her cheekbones, but the words were as kind as he was likely to hear from any of his tutors.

Amatus pursed his lips and reiterated, “I’ve learned as many languages as I’m likely to use. Why learn another?”

“You never know which ones might come in handy. If you…” She trailed off, blinking several times. “If you showed…”

Amatus stood and quickly moved to Fronia’s side just before her eyes closed and she started to fall. He caught her, laying her gently on the floor of the room as the door burst open.

“The charm only lasts a minute, so we have to go, now,” his friend, Robin, announced.

Robin was a fairy and a tricky one at that. He was tall and slender with colorful wings that reflected any light that fell on them. His clothes were a patchwork of leaves and his feet were bare, as usual. He cast a lopsided grin in the elf’s direction as he waited for him to join him.

Certain his teacher was secure, Amatus jumped up and rushed out the door. The pair ran past several unconscious guards in their escape. “I can’t believe you actually managed this.”

“Never underestimate my determination when mischief is involved.” Robin tapped the side of his nose and winked. As a fairy, he had no fear of repercussions by the elves for such actions. It was one of the traits that made him the perfect partner in crime to the prince.

They ran as fast as they could. Amatus knew Robin could simply take flight and escape, but he kept his wings tucked, matching the pace of the elf. They managed to put a fair amount of distance between themselves and the building before anyone woke up. It was surrounded by a forest, which they wove through with practiced ease. They waded through a river so their tracks couldn’t be seen. There were low branches downstream, which they used to pull themselves out of the water. They then hopped from tree to tree, making it impossible to follow them. Years of practice had taught Amatus the best way to escape his guards.

Eventually, they stopped in a glade at the edge of the forest. Venturing further would have been difficult as the whole area was encompassed by a great wall that stretched well above their heads. It was impossible to climb and Robin struggled to lift Amatus high enough to cross it. Therefore, the pair usually remained within its borders.

“Did you bring me anything to eat?” Amatus asked as they sat down in the soft grass.

Robin tilted his head, tossing his mess of golden curls to one side. “Was I supposed to?”

“Did you not?”

Robin smirked and withdrew a piece of fruit from his pocket. “You know I always do.”

“You’re the best,” Amatus told him as he bit into it. He didn’t know the name of the fruit, but it was sweet and juicy like most things from the fairy realm.

Having a moment to breathe, Amatus looked down to inspect his clothes. He hadn’t known Robin was going to break him out that day, so he hadn’t really dressed properly for it. His tunic and pants were a creamy white, now stained green from the grass and splattered with mud. The had gold embroidered swirls across it, which still glinted in the sunlight. He took another bite of the fruit, deciding it was worth the dirty clothes.

“You know, most people would hesitate to eat our food,” Robin pointed out. “Don’t you ever worry I might steal you away?”

“The fairies would make you send me back before long,” he argued. “I’m too much trouble for them to want to keep me.”

“I think you’d fit right in with us, actually.”

“I’m sure I wouldn’t.”

“We wouldn’t starve you, at least.” Robin took a seat behind him and started braiding the elf’s long, black hair. He always enjoyed playing with the prince’s hair. Amatus figured it was because his hair was easier to braid than Robin’s wild curls. He wasn’t even sure if the fairy brushed his own hair.

Of course, Robin was beautiful regardless of whether he did anything with his hair. All fairies were. Amatus knew elves were considered the fair folk by humans, but none of them could compete with a fairy. Robin’s copper skin and deep blue eyes were always flawless, even when he appeared to be a mess. Somehow, even the mess was beautiful.

Amatus finished off the fruit. “I’m not starving. Fairy food is just better.”

“You’re really lucky I’m the only fairy around you. I’m sure you’d be taken in by any other.”

“As I said, they’d return me soon enough.”

“So you won’t let me steal you away?”

“Why would you want to?” Amatus wondered.

Robin pressed a finger against his chin, as if trying to decide. “I think I might like to keep you as a pet.”

“I’m the type to bite the hand that feeds me,” Amatus warned.

“Then I’ll just get you a muzzle,” Robin joked. “At any rate, I’d take good care of you.”

“I am well-cared-for here.”

“If you say so.” He finished with the braid and tied it off with a gold ribbon he produced from inside his tunic. Robin always had ribbons. He could pull out any color at any time. He used them to tie up hair or mark trails when they wandered through the forest. Of course, the latter wasn’t usually necessary at that point. Amatus had been on the island long enough to have memorized everything within the wall.

He looked up at the monstrosity, the white stone hurting his eyes. The wall was there for his protection, or so he’d been told. The servants and tutors that lived on the island were all protected by it. They had taken their section and allowed the rest to remain wild. Amatus was as fascinated by that wilderness as he was terrified of it.

He was drawn from his thoughts as the pair heard footsteps coming their way.

Amatus groaned. “I’m not ready to return yet.”

With the sun warming his skin and the grass-scented air in his lungs, he couldn’t bring himself to return to his stuffy, windowless classroom. He told himself he just needed a little longer. He needed just a few more minutes of freedom and he would return.

“Then we won’t.” Robin grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Together, they ran away from the approaching guards. As they went, Robin softly commanded, “Get into the trees.”

Amatus didn’t question him and ran into the forest. When he looked back at his friend, he realized Robin has used an illusion to make himself look like Amatus. The fairy put a finger to his lips and winked before continuing to run.

As the footsteps drew closer, Amatus scurried up a tree. It wasn’t particularly tall, but the leaves were thick enough to hide him as long as he didn’t move much. Looking down, he saw the guards chasing his doppelganger and passing him by. It was somewhat concerning to know his guards could be so easily fooled, but he was glad for it in that moment.

Once they’d passed, Amatus nimbly jumped down from the tree. He stepped out and looked around, searching for any signs of pursuit. He saw none but something else caught his eye. Several feet away, there was disturbed ground near the wall. Moving closer, he discovered it was a rather large hole. Some animal had been digging and appeared to have burrowed right under the wall. Amatus knelt to study it, wondering whether he could fit through. Obviously, he realized climbing into a mysterious hole would be a foolish idea, but he was often willing to play the fool.

When he heard footsteps coming his way, Amatus made up his mind and crawled into the hole, figuring no one would follow him. He was right, of course. No elf in their right mind would go into a hole like that, so it granted him escape. Once inside, he realized it was more of a tunnel than a burrow. He could even see light coming from the other side.

Unable to resist, he crawled through, finding himself outside the wall. He stared up at it, his heart pounding. Amatus had only been on this side of the wall a handful of times and never on his own. He hadn’t had a chance to properly explore. He knew the island was large. The section enclosed within the wall was only a small portion of it and still spread out for miles. He’d lived there for decades and had barely seen anything outside the wall.

His clothes were now covered in mud and likely beyond salvation. He didn’t look forward to the scolding he’d receive for that. Having clothes imported wasn’t easy and he was expected to maintain a certain appearance, even if there was no one but servants and tutors around to see him. Of course, there was nothing he could do to rectify the situation, so he did his best not to let it worry him.

He realized the sun would be setting soon, so he would have to be careful not to get lost. He heard water nearby and quickly found a stream. He followed its current, knowing that would be the easiest path to return.

The stream curved and took him deeper into the forest. The trees here were ancient and rose almost to the clouds. The trunks were large enough to contain his bedroom. It was amazing any sunlight managed to seep through their thick branches.

The area within the wall was well-kept. They had cut down many of the trees to create a space for the elves to live. Now, none of the trees there was more than a century old. They didn’t have the same energy as these. Amatus could almost imagine the ancient trees whispering in their secret language. His heart pounded at the thought, but he kept going deeper, unable to resist.

The stream widened as he followed it and he soon heard the roar of a waterfall. He broke through the tree to find a cliff which the water flowed over. He leaned over it, but couldn’t tell how high it was due to a fog that rose not far below.

Amatus looked up at the sky, which had grown dark. He didn’t know how long he had walked but he knew he had to return. There was no telling what kind of animals might be lurking in the dark forest. Although his night vision was good, he still wasn’t sure if he could defend himself against them.

He wiped some sweat from his brow and his hand came away muddy. Frowning, he knelt in front of the stream, intending to clean some of the mud away. The current was surprisingly strong and knocked him off his feet just as he reached in. He fell headfirst into the water and was quickly swept away. He tried to fight it, but to no avail. Within seconds, he was over the cliff and falling. However, before he could even scream, he had landed in a river. It was deep and he had to swim upwards, as well as away from the crashing water that came from above. Fortunately, the current of this river wasn’t as strong. Unfortunately, Amatus wasn’t much of a swimmer.

He knew how to float, of course, so he was able to keep his head above water. He appeared to be in some sort of cave or a tunnel. The current of the river was taking him deeper into it. He searched for a shore close enough to swim to, but the water filled most of the space.

Suddenly, he was falling again, having been pulled through an unseen hole by the current. He landed in yet another river, but this one was surrounded by dry land, which he clumsily swam to and pulled himself out. He lay on his back for a second, trying to catch his breath. His lungs burned and his vision was blurry. He closed his eyes as he tried to gather himself.

Something pricked his leg and he tried to jerk it back, but something held it down. He tried to sit up and look, but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t even lift his head. His eyes flicked around, seeing vines over his shoulders, moving upward. He felt them crossing his face and soon his eyes were covered. He tried to scream, but they covered his mouth. Meanwhile, something like thorns pricked him from underneath. He wondered if this would be how he died. Somehow, it seemed appropriate.

Just as he was starting to resign himself to his fate, a man’s voice rang out in song. The pricking stopped and the vines slowed. As the song ended, the vines stopped moving completely. Slowly, someone pulled the vines apart. Amatus stared up as a man who appeared to be human. He was pale and had shaggy, brown hair. His broad shoulders blocked out light from above as he looked down at the prince.

“Can you stand?” he asked and Amatus realized it was his voice that had sung.

Of course, he realized that should have been obvious, but his head was still swimming. Besides, the silky voice that had persuaded the vines to release him didn’t suit the rough-looking man before him. Scars streaked across an otherwise handsome face. His brown eyes were fixed on the elf, but his expression was impossible to read.

“I think so,” Amatus managed to say as he recovered from his shock. He slowly sat up but his body was unusually heavy. He grit his teeth to keep his expression blank. He didn’t want to show weakness in front of this stranger if he could avoid it. Having been rescued by him was bad enough.

“Careful,” the man said. “No sudden movements.”

Amatus looked down at the vines that lay beside him, apparently harmless, now. He couldn’t see any thorns beneath him; just ordinary grass. Well, ordinary wasn’t really the right word. It had a metallic sheen to it, but felt like regular grass as he touched it. He watched the plants warily as he stood. He figured he should leave as quickly as possible, but could see no exit. He looked back the way he came, knowing he couldn’t return that way.

“Are you injured?” the stranger asked.

Amatus could see his clothes were torn and had spots of blood, but he didn’t feel much pain besides some stinging. “Not really.”

The man looked him over. “Come with me.”

He walked away, clearly expecting Amatus to follow. The elf hesitated until he noticed the vines were starting to move once more. He realized he was probably safest with the stranger and rushed to catch up with him. “What were those things?”

“Vines and grass.”

“Are they cursed?”

“This forest just doesn’t like visitors.”

“But you’re here.”

“I belong here. You do not.” His voice was soft and held no emotion. He wasn’t lecturing. He was simply making a statement.

Amatus frowned. “Where is here, anyway?”

He looked around and had to remind himself to keep walking. He hadn’t noticed at first but the entire forest was glowing softly. After a moment, he realized it wasn’t really a glow for the most part. The river glowed and everything else just reflected it. The tree leaves were metallic and resembled blades. The bark of the trees themselves appeared to have been formed by shards of glass.

“Pay attention to where you’re going,” his guide said, rather than answer him. “Stay close to me if you don’t want to be attacked.”

Amatus didn’t see any animals around, but that clearly didn’t mean he was safe in that place. “How do you not get attacked?”

“As the guardian of this forest, I have some control over it,” he explained. “We should move more quickly, though.”

Ah, a guardian. Amatus was familiar with those even though he’d never met one before. They were spirits created by old forests to protect them. They could take on any form but usually reflected the feelings of the forest in their image. How much damage must the forest have suffered to create such a scarred being?

“You didn’t drink any of that water, did you?” the man asked, drawing Amatus from his wonderings.

“No.” His eyes widened and he reflexively hugged himself. “Why? Is it poison?”

“Not exactly. It’s just very dry and we don’t need you dehydrated.”

“Dry water?” Amatus was going to scoff but he suddenly realized he was, in fact, quite dry. He hadn’t noticed due to all the excitement but his clothes weren’t wet at all. He touched his braid, which was now a mess. His hair was dry, as well, though. “How can water be dry?”

“You ask too many questions,” he replied. “We don’t have time for answers.”

Amatus glanced back over his shoulder. “Is something coming after us?”

“No.”

“Then why...” Amatus trailed off as his body grew warm and his head swam once more. He groaned as he legs went weak. He tried to reach out to a tree to steady himself, but the guardian grabbed his wrist.

“Best not touch the bark,” he warned. “You’ll cut yourself.”

Amatus wanted to ask more questions but the world was rapidly going dark. He felt himself falling but lost consciousness before he hit the ground.

Lady Arabella’s life was never exciting. Her mother made sure of that. Of course, she could hardly complain. She had everything she could need or want in her home in the forest. She was safe and never lonely. Even so, she was restless. She wanted to explore the world. She had rarely left the forest for all her seventy-eight years. Even when she did, it was with guards. She was never truly on her own.

While Amatus was making his discoveries, she was hundreds of miles away, reading a book. She sat in the garden, ignoring the elves with weapons stationed around to make sure she was protected. With the book, she was escaping to far off lands and witnessing great battles.

“What are you reading?” someone asked.

She reluctantly turned from the book to face her friend, Claudia. “It’s about the time of dragons.”

“Honestly, how can you be reading on a day like this?” Claudia wondered. She had a tan due to her long hours spent outside. She wore a long tunic but her pants barely fell below her knees. It was a good outfit for running around in. Her brown hair was neatly braided to keep it out of her face. She looked ready for an excursion. Even now, she fidgeted as if she was resisting the urge to run in circles. “Why don’t we go for a swim?”

Arabella knew she was going to suggest something like that. “You don’t need me to go swimming.”

“It’s no fun by myself.” Claudia grabbed her by the arm. “Come on.”

Arabella wasn’t good at refusing such things. “Fine. I’ll get changed and meet you back out here.”

“Deal!” Claudia scurried off to change into her own suit.

Arabella glanced at her book longingly, but she knew she couldn’t break her promise, so she headed inside. She was wearing a long, satin dress the color of sunflowers. The sleeves were practically non-existent and it was perfect for lounging in the sun and reading. She’d hoped to do that for most of the day but realized she had to allow for a change of plans.

“Going for a swim?” her maid, Leandra, asked.

“You heard?”

“I heard Claudia calling for you and figured that would happen.” She held out her hand. “Shall I put your book away?”

“How did you know I was carrying a book?”

“You’re always carrying a book.”

Arabella smiled at that. Leandra was blind, but still managed to be more observant than most people. She handed over the book. “Don’t let the bookmark fall out.”

Leandra was taller than Arabella, but that wasn’t saying much. Even by elf standards, Arabella was rather short. She got that from her mother. Leandra was a pale girl with chestnut hair that was currently down save for two small braids tied back to keep it out of her face. Being the personal maid of Lady Arabella, Leandra wore finer fabric than most of the maids. She could almost be mistaken for a lady herself, especially with the confident air she carried.

“You think so little of me,” Leandra joked. “I’ll take good care of it until you get back.”

“Thanks.”

“Have fun swimming with your friend.”

“I’ll do my best.” Arabella headed to her room and changed into a light, sleeveless shirt with matching pants that stopped just above her knees. The fabric was thin, so it wouldn’t weigh her down in the water. She met Claudia outside and they headed to a nearby swimming hole together. Claudia was wearing her own swimwear under her clothes, making it clear she’d been certain Arabella would agree. Arabella hated being so predictable.

The swimming hole was a quiet spot, nestled in the young forest on Arabella’s family’s estate. Many of the trees had been planted in her lifetime. They provided shade, as well as a place for guards to hide and watch over the property, should there be any sign of an invasion. There never was, of course. No threats ever came close to reaching Arabella. Her mother made sure of that.

Despite her resistance, Arabella enjoyed splashing in the water with Claudia. Their personalities didn’t quite match up, but they still had fun together. Claudia handled most of the conversation. She barely noticed when Arabella stopped paying attention. Arabella found that strangely relaxing. There was no pressure on her to talk, so she could just let her mind wander, daydreaming of great adventures beyond her estate.

She didn’t expect to have any such adventures, but it didn’t hurt to imagine such. As it stood, she lived a safe, comfortable life on her family’s estate. She had no reason to complain and reminded herself of that every single day.