When Men Meet Monsters

Esca ~ 6 A Tree Gives Me a History Lesson

 "Do princesses sleep all day?" His voice jarred me awake, and I cracked an eye open to glare at the owner of the voice. It was Vulius, crouched close to my head. I groaned, but sat up. I was laying on a thin mattress in the corner of the room. Another mattress lay opposite, the blankets all folded neatly. In the corner in front of me, sat a chest covered with golden ornamentation. There was also a wooden washtub and a low table, with a candle and washing items on it. "Good morning... finally. You are in Taesaemae-"

"Uh huh, city of forest sprites, whatever that means," I grumbled, not quite awake yet. I stretched my arms. "Are you going to explain this to me, or not?"

He continued as if I had not spoken. "In the chest you will find a few dresses to wear, while that is cleaned." He pointed a finger at my outfit, so I glanced down at myself. My pants were torn and caked with dried mud, while my white shirt was anything but white anymore. "Clean up. I will be waiting in the entryway." He stood. "Then, I will explain." He did not seem too happy with that inevitability. He pulled open the door and left. I rubbed the heels of my hands into my eyelids. I had never met someone so insufferable!

When the washtub was filled with water from the pitcher, I stripped off my clothes and stepped in. A shiver ran up my calves, thighs, and back. With one swift movement, I lowered myself into the water, inhaling a sharp breath. Once I had gotten used to the temperature, I dunked my head into the water. The coldness restored a sense of sharpness and clarity, and with it a host of feelings that I was not in the mood to feel. So, I swallowed them and picked up the soap to scour my body and hair. My fingers yanked twigs and leaves out of the tangles that had become my hair. The soap held a strange scent and tingled as it crossed my skin. My little cuts and bruises seemed to shrink or fade away.

Once I was finished, I reached for the towel and scrubbed my skin dry. Inside the chest were two beautiful dresses that reminded me of Ellova. I held them up to the light like she would have, letting the jewels glisten. But I shook my head; it was no time for dresses. I put them back, and dug through the chest until I came upon pants and a shirt that fit. When I pulled them out, I noticed a small inscription on the inside. I could not read what it said, but I recognized that the language was from a southern human city-state. Nowhere near here. It had to be stolen. Intriguing. I closed the lid.

I ran my fingers through my hair one last time before raising the mirror to gaze at my new appearance. My cheeks had slimmed a bit, and with my lips set in a line, I looked much older than I was. I returned the mirror to its place, gathered my dirty garments, and left the room.

The ceilings were low, yet the details were numerous and intricate. My fingers glided across the smooth grooves. Something bumped into my thigh, causing me to spin around. "Sorr..." I tried to utter an apology, but was shocked into silence by the creature I saw. The body would have seemed human, except that its head only reached my hip, its fingers withered into white claws, it had a tail, and its ears were broad and pointed.

"I am sorry," it apologized, revealing two rows of short, sharp teeth. It reached for my bundle of clothes. I allowed it to take my items. The creature then scuttled away, quick and agile with its small frame.

"That is a true sprite, Princess," Vulius called from down the hall. I squeezed my eyes shut, then reopened them... nothing changed. "Come." He laughed, actually laughed at me. "I promised I would explain." He bent his arm, waiting for me to accept. I walked past.

"What is this? How is this real?" I spun in a circle, trying to take in the city around me. "Why is this...no." I stopped my torrent of questions. "One question at a time. Why did you call that thing a sprite?" I looked back, but the creature was gone. "Sprites are like fairies. They are just small humans with wings. That..."