Lily of the valley

6

They awoke in the hazy light of mid morning, there was a sweet warmth in the air, all three of the women had squeezed onto Florabella's King sized bed. Sleep had come upon them quickly and deeply, so that when they awoke they were well rested and half starved.

"Good morning ladies, how did you sleep?" Florabella spoke through a stretch and a yawn.

"Really well thank you." Katherine replied, sitting up from the incredibly soft and comfortable bed, she could have lain there forever.

"Are you hungry?" Florabella crossed the room and put the kettle on the fire stove. Both Lily and Katherine exclaimed their vast hunger and Florabella set about cooking, she denied all offers for help as she was the host and they were her guests. Lily sat and marvelled at the various paintings inside the untranslatable books on elven art. The romance and beauty of the images astounded, the grandeur and elegance of elven architecture inspired such awe. Katherine sat sipping tea in the window, looking down at the forest below, finally having the chance for a moment of processing. There was the occasional small rabbit or squirrel that came into the clearing. Katherine looked upward, at the fluffy white clouds that chased each other across the sky. Florabella hummed and sang in elegant elvish whilst she prepared their food, there would be a feast of eggs, meats, bread, cheeses, soups, chutneys and salads.

"How far is the edge of the forest from here?" Lily asked the bustling elf.

"Oh only about four hours by foot, theres no rush at all."

Florabella plated her selections of food and placed them on the table, along with ice cold water and that wonderful traditional elven floral tea of rose and bergamot. There was such a rich wealth of food and conversation that they sat about that table for at least an hour, losing track of time and of their greater mission. They continued to talk about the night sky, Florabella taught the ladies of the mountain about the different planets and their pull on the living. The wood elf was such an enigmatic host, she had been starved of interaction for so many months that the ladies of the mountain had come as a great blessing and though she valued their cause she was not ready to give them up. The tea, which she had not touched, had been laced with a potent sleeping draft.

After the meal both Katherine and Lily drifted into a lightheaded trance, they could not move their limbs from the green patchwork sofa that they lounged on together. Their speech had left them, bound by a feeling of lethargy and of seductive comfort. Florabella sang an elven lullaby while tidying up the meal, the crackling fire and her elegant voice sent them deeper into the laudanum until they found themselves snoring and dreaming vividly.

Florabella carried them in turn to the bed and tucked them in as the sun began to set, nothing would wake them now till morning. She sat in the windowsill and dissected her decision, she knew she had done wrong and the guilt did indeed tear at her chest but at the same time her fear of the deep well of loneliness that had been filled upon their arrival overpowered her guilt. She was consumed by desperation and flitted between thoughts of self hatred and of terror.

Florabella thought of the elven citadel where she had grown up, an entire city built of marble and living oak. It was a bustling place, filled with music and knowledge, the greatest universities and libraries were all there. She longed to return but could not, she was married to her research and her research was not yet complete. She was a long way from home, once her work was finished she would have to find a way to cross the great green sea to the sacred isle of Heireann and present her findings to the eleven King, master of all knowledge. If her work pleased she would be granted a place of warmth and comfort in the palace of academia. A place filled with philosophers and scientists who had helped to shape the world with their research. If she failed to impress the King she would be cast out, no longer an elf, but still not quite human. Raceless and stateless, it would be a cursed wanderers life.

Florabella spent the next couple of hours scanning the skies and making notes and diagrams on their movements, it was slow thankless work. All of the vibrant passion that she had felt for the stars when she had left for the forest was long dead. She did not sleep that night, just sat by the window and wept, staring up at the cold dead moon. Its mysteries had once enthralled her, but now it was nothing more than a dead hunk of rock.

Katherine and Lily rose with the sun, they did not recall much, they only remembered a powerful pull into sleep that did not effect Florabella. They looked at each other wide eyed, knowing that they were no longer safe in the home of sweet Florabella. The elf had not yet noticed their wake, she just sat and stared directly into the sun and let it warm her tan face. The ladies of the mountain dared not move, dared not draw attention to themselves but Florabella sensed their consciousness across the room.

"Good morning! How did you both sleep? You got so tired after lunch I was worried about you!" Florabella moved from the window to sit in an armchair beside the bed, she exuded vibrant charm and they wanted to believe her innocent but just could not. Something about her was off, she couldn't hold their gaze and fidgeted awkwardly with her jewellery.

"I slept really well thank you, maybe we shouldn't have such a big lunch today, we really should get going." Lily braved the delicate manoeuvring of dealing with a potentially dangerous woman. Katherine nodded along with Lily's speech.

"Thank you so much for having us, would you be able to point is in the right direction." Florabella began to sweat, her cheeks were flushed and hot.

"Oh... must you go right this second? Won't you at least stay for tea?" Her voice shook, she could feel them slipping away and didn't know what to do, how to act, what to feel. Katherine stood from the bed and stretched, she ran her fingers through her tangled white hair.

"We really don't want to waste any more time, especially after sleeping all day yest..." Katherine was cut off by a panicked Florabella launching herself across the small tower room and pressing herself against the door, blocking the only exit. She was wild eyed and trembling.

"Flora... are you okay?" Lily slowly approached the woman; knees slightly bent, reducing her frame, like one might approach a rabid animal.

"No I'm not okay!" The elf began to yell and water at the eyes, "you want to leave me, all alone in this wood, I hate it here... I hate it!" Florabella slid onto her knees, she was in tears, a pitiful sight. Neither Lily nor Katherine knew how to comfort her, she had drugged them after all. Lily knelt beside Florabella and let her cry into her shoulder, her sobs increased as thoughts of her tortuous solitude rapidly crossed her mind. "I've been here all alone for two years, I am so lonely... I'm sorry." Florabella pulled back from Lily and wiped her wet, red eyes, she took a deep breath, composing herself.

"Being alone for that long must be dreadful." Katherine comforted, "when can you return home?"

"When my research is complete, which could take years! If I ever finish it." Florabella wiped her tears again on the velvet green sleeve of her gown.

"Can you not give up? Go home anyway?" Lily stroked Florabella's shoulder while searching for a solution, the elf just shook her head with heavy melancholy.

"If I were to go home empty handed I would be made a mockery of, banished from the holy isles..." She sighed, "no matter, I cannot keep you here. I can survive the solitude, I swore an oath." Florabella crawled away from the door so that they could leave, clutching at herself and gently weeping. "Take what you need from the kitchen, I have a set of sleeping bags if you need them too." Florabella pointed to two deep green silken cocoons. With a stifling weight in the air Katherine and Lily raided Florabella's cupboards, the elf curled into a ball on the sofa and watched them.

"You're more than welcome to come and visit us in Maequil anytime, on your way home or if you just need a break." Katherine spoke while sliding some strong cheddar and bread into a plain cotton bag.

"Thank you, that is very kind." When they had collected all that they could carry Katherine and Lily kissed Florabella goodbye and let themselves out. Florabella was unable to move, unable to cry. The familiar thick solitude rushed back to her, it was a crushing weight. She felt empty, her mind was numbed. She wished she had gone with them, wished that she had damned knowledge in favour of a happy meaningless life. She could have followed them, they would not yet be too far away but her limbs did not give into movement. When night came she was back to searching the sky as if the ladies of the mountain had never been there at all.