✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

6

And let's not forget how they all seem to have this insane amount of beauty. Every person- child, man, woman- have gorgeous faces, smooth skin, and they all seem to have this glowing quality about them. I feel so out of place I almost shrink back behind Knox. I would, anyway, if I wasn't still in shock and absorbing all of this.

"Beautiful, right?" Knox walks up beside me, smiling at a little boy who waves at him as he runs by, a women in a sky blue dress running after him, laughing, her red hair flowing in the winter breeze.

"Yeah," I breathe. I'm not even sure any words could describe its beauty. At this moment, I know that this is real. I could never come up with anything this intricate in my imagination. No movie or book I've ever encountered is quite like this.

After a good five minutes of absorbing all of this, Knox starts walking down one of the stone paths, all of which have been mostly cleared of snow. I crane my neck to look up at the trees. I don't know if this is possible, but even the trees feel regal, like they're filled with a presence that demands to be respected. Oh my god, I feel so out of place here. But I love it here.

"Come on, we should get you cleaned up before you meet the Queen."

"Queen?" My eyes widen significantly. "There's a queen?"

Knox nods, taking a right down a path that leads us down a row of small trees with the little houses attached. The warm smell of soup washes over me suddenly, and my mouth waters a little. I refocus on Knox as he says, "Yes, queen. Here we can have a King and Queen, but our Queen now doesn't have a partner, what your race might call husbands or wives- so, yeah. Just her. Hey, we're here."

We are standing in front of a large tree with a small door in the front. And by large, I mean significantly bigger than redwoods. Most of the trees here are way bigger than redwoods. It looks like a maple tree, with no special carvings or anything. My heart starting to beat faster in anticipation, I follow Knox as he opens the wooden door with old metal hinges that basically blend into the tree. When we step inside, I let out a sigh of relief as heat washes over me. I can already feel my fingers and toes warming up- it's painful, but I'm not complaining. I'm too busy admiring the inside.

First of all, the tree is a lot bigger- deceivingly so- than it looks from the outside. It's round, of course, and is probably the size of my school's cafeteria. Somehow there is natural light in here. Turning around, I realize that there are windows looking outside. But... I didn't see windows from the outside. Elf magic? Who knows. I mean, everyone here probably does, but that's besides the point.

The inside of what I'm now realizing is a shop looks to be at least two floors, with a wooden spiral staircase going up to the second floor. The walls and floor are both wood, but somehow it works here, unlike how houses in my neighborhood would. There are small lanterns attached to the walls, sending a warm glow across the shop. To be more specific, a clothes shop. For women. Women elves. In front of me, stretching the length of the shop, are rows of dresses, with small stone islands in between with folded tops, pants, and skirts on them. The dresses are all gorgeous, but not like prom dresses. These have more natural, matte colors, nothing shiny. But they all stand out. Some remind me of Merida, some of Eowyn from Lord of the Rings, and more that remind me of no one but are gorgeous. Most dresses are in the green, brown, blue, white, or black colors, with a few bolder ones.

My eyes and brain snap back to attention as voices fill the shop. Looking to my right, I spot a wooden peninsula table jutting out from the wall of the shop, presumably a check-out table. There is a middle aged lady behind it, dressed in a dark green top with long sides and a brown skirt underneath. Simple but elegant. Knox is talking with her- I can tell it's about me. After a minute she walks out from behind the counter and comes to stand in front of me, looking me up and down, but not in a judgy way- She has a kind shimmer in her eyes.