CHAPTER SEVEN: I can’t see any pointy ears.
Jude was familiar with the part of the wood they were walking through and couldn’t imagine where a whole elvish city could be hidden. Unless it was very small and you had to shrink to get there. He hoped not. He could see nothing different about the wood around him when he felt the amulet warm up next to his skin. He knew they must be about to go through the enchantments which guarded the Elven city but he could see nothing unfamiliar, nothing he hadn’t seen in the wood before. Not a single tree looked strange or unfamiliar.
The warmth of the amulet faded and he could see Branwell ahead of him relax.
They must now be in the Elven city, but Jude couldn’t see anything different from the trees, bushes and little paths we’d played around as a child. However as he looked closer, he started to see movement in and around the trees. He started to see pointed faces with bright eyes peer out of what he had always thought of as knots and twists in the trees, but he could now see were actually doorways and windows. He felt as if his eyes had suddenly been opened and he could see clearly. What he’d always thought of as little rabbit paths in between the trees he could now see were pathways from dwelling to dwelling. The Elves had fashioned their houses from the trees. No part of the tree had been chopped down or cut, but had been bent and persuaded into shape to make walls, doorways and windows. The tree dwellings were all partly open, with little definition to the boundaries of the houses. It was difficult to judge what part of the house was indoors and what was out.
The inhabitants of the houses started to show themselves, there seemed to be two races of people that he could discern. The first were obviously Elves, even the woman were taller than him, and both men and women moved naturally with an ease and grace Jude associated with dancers. They were all elegant with fair skin and long blonde or light brown hair. They were dressed in flowing robes of natural colours and seemed to blend into their surrounds as if they were also a part of the wood. Like beautiful plants that moved around the wood rather than being rooted stationary in it.
The other race, he later found out they were called Sprites, Jude recognised as being the same as the creature he had first seen. Like the Sprite he had got the amulet from, they were all child size with greenish tinted skin and beautiful wings in different colours. Wherever they flew they sparkled and shimmered in the air. They seemed to live in harmony with the Elves, having their smaller dwellings higher up in the trees than the Elves.
Jude realised that he’d been playing in the middle of an Elvish city all his childhood, but he’d never been able to see it until the enchantment had been lifted. He had a memory as a child playing in these woods climbing the trees and pretending they were castles, dens and ships. How close he was without realising.
Two Sprites, one with purple wings, the other with blue, peered at him particularly closely and flew hesitantly towards him. They seemed familiar. He had a flash of a very distant memory of both them. He had seen them both before he was sure but a long, long time ago. His memories of playing here in this part of the wood came back to him; he had seen them both here. He remembered their names. He looked at the Sprite with the pretty purple wings.
“Ione?” he turned to the blue-winged Sprite. “Lily?”
“Remembered,” they giggled together and flew off in a cloud of shimmering light. He couldn’t believe it; he had seen Sprites before, but as a young child. How could he have forgotten seeing something that incredible until now?
Some of the Elves greeted Branwell and he responded in their language, he realised it was the same breathy language he’d used when making the bubble. He wondered what Branwell was. He’d met him in his own world and he hadn’t noticed any of the same pointy ears that all the Elves and Sprites had. But he seemed to know a lot about this Elvish world and they seemed to know him. How he had killed all the Orcs without even getting a scratch wasn’t quite human either.
Again the amulet felt warm and he found even though he could not understand the words the Elves were speaking, he understood roughly what their meaning was. Branwell was asking to speak to Taule. A tall, elf with long brown hair and a flowing yellow tunic told him where to find him and they went further into the city. Branwell lead the way, striding confidently ahead with Jude and Ruby following looking around them in awe. They saw many faces, especially small child-like ones with twinkling eyes, looking at them with curiosity as they went past.
Ruby was delighted with every detail she saw, pointing out things to Jude, she was like a child in a candy store. Everything she saw she was amazed by. Jude was surprised at how totally accepting and untroubled she was by the recent events. She just seemed to take everything in her stride looking for the beauty in and curious about everything. The curious faces peering out at them didn’t seem to bother her at all and she would peer back with just as much curiosity, smiling and waving. He could tell she was eager to explore this fascinating new world, as he was himself. Hopefully with her, she seemed to see things that he would never of noticed, she had a child’s attention to the details that he would of missed. Branwell hurried them onwards not allowing them to stop and admire.
They came to a natural avenue of birch trees, their silver trunks forming walls on either side with their branches of silvery leaves meeting in an arch overhead. The avenue widened out at the end to form a clearing surrounded by more birch trees with the branches making a natural domed roof. The sun had now set and stars were starting to appear in the sky. The starlight glinted off the birch trees making them shine. A light wind rustled the silver leaves making them gently tinkle like wind chimes.
In the middle of the clearing were a small group of Elves which seemed more stately and older than the elves they had previously seen, though none were marked with the signs of human age. They were all talking quietly together in their own language clustered around an elf in the middle of the group. He was sat upon what must have been the tree stump of a willow tree, but that had been fashioned into a chair with willow branches twisting up tall behind it. Even though the elf was sat down Jude could tell he was the tallest Elf he’d seen so far. He had long shining silver hair and eyes that twinkled like stars. Jude had the impression that he was very old, although he had no wrinkles and his body was not stooped or moved with any less grace than any of the other elves. He was dressed in a long robe of pale green embroidered with branches of leaves; on his head he wore a circlet of gold leaves.
When Branwell entered the clearing the group stopped talking and looked welcomingly at him. He went straight up to the seated Elf and knelt, hand on chest, bowing his head before him. The elf rose from his throne and raised Branwell up from his knees; gripping both his elbows he greeted him warmly. Branwell spoke with him earnestly in elvish, but Jude could not understand what was being said this time. The elf’s brow furrowed at what he was being told and he glanced at Jude. He glanced down; those star like eyes looked like they could see everything that you were thinking, everything that was in your heart. Jude felt in awe of him and a little frightened. The Elf turned to Jude and Ruby, taking them both in he said in to them in English. “Welcome to Aldea. I am Taule. I hope you will find comfort and peace under cover of our trees. But I understand that you have some tales to tell of your adventures first before you can rest.”
Ruby seemed to not be disconcerted at all by his deep seeing eyes, never taking her green ones off his and beaming her happy smile up at him. Taule turned to Jude to hear what he had to say. Under his gaze Jude nervously told him what had happened, he knew he would be unable to lie or put a different spin on anything he said to Taule, he knew he would know if he wasn’t telling the truth. He felt Taule wasn’t actually listening to the words he was saying but reading the scenes Jude had seen from his mind like a film. All the surrounding elves that were hearing the tale gasped in wonder when Jude mentioned his fiery, flying rescuer.
“A dragon,” they said. “We have not seen any dragons in recent years.”
Jude had the impre
ssion that recent years were probably a different length of time to the Elves than the one it gave him the impression of.
“These are grave tidings for us indeed,” Taule said when he had finished. “It sounds as if a leader has organised the Orcs. They have never been much of a threat to us as they are usually in small bands driven by instinct and can be easily frightened. But organised into an army and given a purpose they could be dangerous to us, to all of us.” Taule looked thoughtful and sad. “We have noticed the increase in Orc numbers recently and have been disconcerted. We have sent some brave Sprites into their hideouts to try and find out what they are doing. We are expecting them back tonight, may the stars guard over them. But you must be tired, please go and rest, here you will be safe.”
The same elf with the yellow tunic who had directed them earlier came to show them where they could rest. Jude had the impression that he was much younger than the other elves assembled. He said his name was Rowan and would be their guide and host while they stayed in Aldea.
“You never told me you’d seen a dragon,” said Ruby, punching Jude in the arm. “It must have been amazing.”
“Ouch,” said Jude rubbing his arm.