Thank you for reading <3.
Art is Theodore Robinson - The Old Bridge, 1890.
There was tea, and some of those dry biscuits my grandmother would serve. Modest royalty, the two of them. Eventually Nuada seemed open to explain what happened as we sat down at the table.
"Despite the terrible things that happened, I have what I wanted. After this there will be no more sacrifices." He made a definite gesture.
"What do you mean?"
"It is... rather difficult to explain," Nuada sent a warning glance to the Princess, "perhaps it is best to show you, once things are ready."
"Alright," I said, still confused. "Is there anything I can do for you?" My fingers reached out to his hand, trailing them over his pale, veined skin. His eyes shot to mine, deeper golden than before. Not expecting that, I subtracted my hand like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Have you ever been to the place they call the United Kingdom?" he asked, his voice deep. My gaze flittered to Nuala, whose face betrayed nothing. Nuada took hold of my left hand, pressing it between both of his own. "Have you?" he repeated as I didn't answer.
That jolted me from my thoughts. "I have, just once, to London. Why?"
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His fingers were rougher than I expected. I was unable to keep my eyes off our hands together, the difference between the colour of our skin.
"No reason." he shook his head lightly, still smiling. Still I could sense the weight of grief bearing on his shoulders. "How would you feel about an adventure, since you mentioned before how you prefer the road less travelled."
I raised my eyebrows. "To the United Kingdom? Perhaps in the summer, but thank you for the offer."
The pressure on my palm increased. "Not that kind of adventure. Won't you stay the night? It is much too late to return, is it not? The streets are not for humans during this hour." there was an edge to Nuada's voice. Would we fight again? With an awkward spectator as well. I could not place the Princess.
I checked the time on my phone. Sure enough, it was just after midnight. There was little options to weigh, as public transport and walking the rest of the way home would indeed be rather unpleasant, in favour of staying with Nuada. And his sister was there, a buffer for any 'stupid things' I could decide to do.
"I can tell," he said, gesturing at me with a smirk, "you are thinking of going home alone. Do you want a repeat of last time? We do not bite, Elise."
I sighed and gave him a look. Princess Nuala smiled encouragingly at me and there was little to do but stay.
As I laid on the strange, hard mattress, I thought things over. Nuada seemed different, although he was somewhat upbeat. Then there was his sister. A lot must have happened in the time we did not meet. I felt for him, and perhaps part of me felt flattered when he suggested I spend the night. There was a small room, if it could be called a room, with a mattress and that was where they lead me to. On the other side of the door they were speaking Bethmoorian to one another, in hushed voices. It was clear there was a disagreement. Not that it was for me to know, but I was curious nonetheless. I was so tired, too tired to listen closer. Nuada's husky voice wishing me goodnight was the last thing on my mind, before I fell asleep.
When I awoke, it was not to a damp, dark room in the tunnels. It was to the smell of the sea and wet wood. Still damp, colder, but lighter. I sat up in the bed. Princess Nuala laid on another bed, head on her hand, her golden eyes reflecting light.
"Nuada has gone out, you are safe." her voice was melodic and soft. I pushed my feet over the edge of the bed. We were in a cabin. The small square window had no curtains and let in silver streaks of moonlight.
"Where are we?"
"Somewhere in the north of Scotland." she said, following me with her eyes. I walked over to the table in the centre of the space. My backpack rested against one of its legs. I rummaged through it for my phone.
"How long have I been asleep?" I asked. The battery had died. With harsh movements, I threw it back in the bag and straightened my back.
"For a few days. We thought it best to save you the worries of travel."
I pressed my hands to my eyes. "Who decided that? What-" I started, sharply, but my voice broke off.
Behind me, Nuala rustled the bedsheets and stood up. Her hands were gentle on my shoulders. "Do not worry, Elise, it is only for a short time."
I jolted. "What day is it? What date?"
She told me and instantly I deflated. My heart went haywire in my chest, instantly my palms were sweaty. I had missed a deadline. The one I was working on that day when Nuada and I ate cherries together. "There is quite a bit to worry about, though." I told her, shrugging her hands off. "Human responsibilities may be human, but they are rather large for me."
When I faced her with the anger still fresh in my throat, she was much too understanding. She took me to sit down on the bed.
"Shh, it is alright, of course they are important to you." It tempered the anger and shock I felt – instantly it deflated into sadness. About failing a class, and fear and confusion and not knowing what is going on. Tears welled up in my eyes.
"What is going on? I do not understand why you have taken me here." Soon my hands were wet from wiping the tears. The Princess held my hand, tucking a handkerchief in it to dry my eyes.
With a resigned sigh, she said: "I promised my brother that he would be the one to tell you, so I cannot say much. There are things at stake that are much larger than you realise, but I do not blame you for not knowing. It is that he cares for you that gives me hope."
"Hope? For what?" Even more questions plagued me. She rubbed her thumb on my hand in soothing circles. We sat for a long while before she spoke again, me frustratedly sobbing the entire time.
"He is trying to save our people, the ones who have lived in the shadows for many centuries now. Much of what you believe is not the whole of reality."
I nodded, expecting there to be more.
"That is all you can know for now. I will be here when you fall asleep, it is good to rest." she smiled and her large eyes were so beautiful, that is was easy to believe her.
The morning came. There was Nuada, preparing fruits for breakfast. His back was to me as he cut up an apple with a knife too large for the job.
"Good morning," I said as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
"You're awake," Nuada said, as he turned to me. I had never seen him in daylight before. He was indeed very pale, his skin almost resembling a specific kind of stone in the way the carvings it bore made him look. "Care for some fruit?"
Nodding, I sat up in bed. Before I had the chance to ask any questions, he leaned over and offered me a piece of apple on the blade of the knife.
"I hope you slept well."
Careful, I took it, only breaking eye contact at the last second. It was too sour for my taste. After chewing swallowing, I responded: "I heard I slept for several days, so I better hope it was a good sleep. Have you drugged me?"
"Nothing dangerous, just something we did to make things easier for you." his voice was low and soft. Calming, perhaps, in another context. "Consider it as something we can do, because we are elves."
"Nothing dangerous? Sounds very reassuring." He didn't rise to my sarcasm, instead offered me another bite. I frowned before eventually taking it. The strange feeling in my stomach was indeed hunger, and it protested to its emptiness.
"Nuala mentioned you have many questions."
"I do. Where are we? Why did you take me here?"
"We are nearby a sacred location of our people. I have taken you with us upon Nuala's request."
I raised my eyebrows. Nuala and I have barely met – and Nuada barely seems like the kind of person to listen to another's opinions, even if they were his sister's. Perhaps their bond is stronger than I realise.
Nuada continued. "She is out to get some air now. There is something important that I need to do, for the sake of our people. For this I want Nuala close, and since she insisted upon your presence, so it is."
"Are you two close?" I asked, understanding even less of my function here. Perhaps I thought, foolishly, Nuada may be the one who cared to show me relics or architecture of his people. To want to show me where he is from, what it means to him. It is clear that he is on a mission. But of what sort? And what is the role of Nuala in it?
"We are twins." Nuada broke me from my increasingly messy thoughts. "We have... a special bond. After my father passed away, she is the only family I have left."
"I am glad you two still have each other."
A small smile played at his lips. "Indeed, but that is not all we have." he paused for a short moment, taking his time to look so intently at me, it made me shiver. His voice was a little rough when he spoke again. "You are here with us, too, now."
However much I wanted to make a sarcastic remark, about how that was not by my choice, something stopped me. I just nodded.
The door of the cottage opened, Nuala stepped in. She had a blue shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders, a basket of fruits in hand.
"Welcome back," greeted Nuada with a pleasant smile.
Nuala and I met eyes, she gave me a nod and a small smile. "I brought fruits and bread for us."
There were a few apples and those hard, small pears that tasted good enough regardless. Bread was soft, white bread. We ate in silence.
The rest of the day I kept thinking of it, how casually Nuala said 'us'.