✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

9

-

Snowflakes drop down between the leaves, settling on my hair and shoulders. The sun beats at my back, providing a little warmth in the winter altitude. It took about another thirty minutes or so, but I've finally stopped crying. Now all that's left is this weird empty feeling. 

I stay up here by myself for another hour or so, though I don't have anything to tell the time by. I've just been watching the tiny dots of elf people walk on the ground, or the not so tiny ones swing around in smaller trees below. The breeze keeps a steady wooshing sound as the leaves brush against each other on all sides of my awareness. My fingers and face are cold, considering I'm only in my dress, but I barely feel it at this point.

I hear it before I see anything- the barely existent noise of feet on wood. I guess my elf senses are kicking in then. My tears are dry, and I'm assuming my eyes are at least a little less puffy than they were an hour ago, so I hope the person just comes up here, sees me, and leaves. But it's not a stranger.

The minute he sits beside me, I know who it is. I keep my gaze forward, though, through the opening in the leaves. I almost laugh when I register that Knox isn't even breathing hard. Must be his elf magic stuff.

Another breeze blows by, a freezing one, but before I can shiver I feel something warm being placed over my shoulders. My cloak. I don't question how he got it, figuring the queen must have access to every room. Instead I sit up from my crouched position, leaning back against the bench and wrapping my cloak around myself.

"Thanks," I say, letting out a sigh. Looking over at Knox, I'm met with a pair of bright amber eyes. He just nods, wrapping his own cloak around himself.

We sit in silence for a while, which is surprisingly nice. To have another presence with you.

"I'm sorry," Knox finally says, his voice quite. "About your father."

Another pang of regret and sadness hits me, so I just let out long, slow breaths until it passes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I reply, giving him a small smile. "But thank you. For coming up here."

"Of course. You probably would've frozen in just that, and I didn't exactly want to come up here and find a life-sized snowman," he says with a small smirk that has me laughing, my stomach doing a weird flip as Knox laughs too, showing his bright white, perfect smile.

I must just be hungry still.

"So... What am I going to do? I mean, as long as the Heartstone is protected we're good, right?"

"Yeah," Knox replies, looking through the trees at the city below. "But we need to keep you protected too. To be honest, even my mom doesn't know where the Heartstone is. Your dad was smart, hiding it without telling anyone, so no one could find it. I doubt he knew you would be able to sense it, but you will eventually. Which makes you a target. The Cin want you. So we have to keep you safe here."

An uneasy feeling settles in my gut at his words. Of course they want me. Why can't they just dig to the center of the earth- sorry, Earthe- instead?

"Ok..." It's all I can think to say.

"We'll need to train you, so you can at least somewhat take care of yourself. I'm sure you'll catch on, considering your dad was one of the most powerful elves to exist in I-don't-know-how many years."

I nod, swiping my hair behind my ear as it whips in my face from the wind. Knox stands, a fluid, smooth motion. Yep, because elves even make standing look graceful.

"Come on, you must be cold."

I am, but I just shrug and stand with him, getting one last look at the vast city below before turning to follow Knox back down the stairs, cloak flying in the wind behind me.

"So is what your mom said true?" I ask as we speed down the spiral stairs. The tree is so big that spiraling around it once takes about half a minute, and that's when we're speeding down the stairs. "Am I actually a- uh, princess?" It sounds so stupid to say, like I'm saying I'm some fairy with a crown and poofy dress. I know being a princess here is a lot different than in a generic fairy tale.

"Kind of," Knox replies, "My mom is the queen, but only by elect. So not exactly a princess. Technically you are a former princess."

For some reason I nod with relief, like I wouldn't be able to accept that fact along with everything else.

Although, at this point, I don't think anything could surprise me.

-

Rose, Knox and I came to the agreement that I would start training tomorrow, leaving the rest of today off. Training for what, I have no clue. But, seeing as I can't go home, training seems is a welcome distraction to the fact that I spent my whole life believing a lie. Knox has some stuff to do, as he explained before heading off, and of course Rose has to be a Queen, so... I guess that leaves me to wander around. After spending a few hours studying the paintings in the Castle and exploring the halls, I decide to head outside, walk around the city and maybe find some cool shop or something.

Donning my cloak, I head out the doors, across the bridge, and onto the stone paths that weave throughout the trees. Looking every which way, I make up my mind and turn on my heel, heading down the path to the left.

The paths are bustling with life, elves in dresses and tunics and skirts passing by me as I head down the path. All of them seem to happy and content, I can't help but pick up on the positive energy, adding a little bounce to my step as I admire my surroundings. Trees line the path, along with some old, but not rundown looking, houses. They are mostly either wood or stone, with shingled roofs and windows looking in. The first building I spot is a library, and what looks like a little coffee shop inside as well.

My kind of place.

Opening the door, the warmth and the pleasant smell of herbs and old books fill my nose. The building, once again, is definitely larger than the outside, with bookshelves stretching along every wall. In front of the windows and placed throughout the bookshop are tables, benches, and small couches. Lovely and calm harp, jazz-like music fills the shop, giving me a little deja-vu of a coffee shop back home. A few elves sit on the couches, reading, a few are writing as they sit at tables, another few sharing tables with muffins or salad and what looks like tea, talking and laughing. I absolutely love the atmosphere in here.

Heading up to the stone counter I order a bagel with peanut butter and a strawberry banana smoothie. For such a 'one with nature,' olden day feel here, they do have modern foods, things like chalkboards, and normal things like parties. So, in conclusion, these elves are strong, magical and agile, with traditions like old fashioned clothing and long hair, but they have modern stuff. Huh.

I take a seat with my food at a corner booth in the back of the store. The window above it looks out over a small clearing with a few benches around a frozen water fountain. A smile lights up my face as I take a sip of the smoothie after having a bite of my bagel. Everything is so good. What the heck. The smoothie tastes better than any I've had, and the bagel is whole wheat, which is okay with me. The peanut butter isn't sweet at all, and is a little chunky, like they just crushed up peanuts. Which I'm guessing they did, along with taking fresh fruit for the smoothie and making and shaping the bagel by hand. Everything is so natural here, I don't think elves even know what pesticides are.

Just as I'm finishing my bagel, someone slides into the chair across from me. Looking up from my plate, I'm met with a pair of sparkling blue eyes.

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New character alert🚨
POV I'm editing this while watching the World Cup🤭 Who else watches fifa? If u do, what team do you root for?<3

- Avery