Elijah's grip on me tightened, and soon after, an unexpected wind began to build at my feet. I looked at the others still in the library, the shadow that separated their undisturbed lives from my own fading while the wind encircled the two of us, rising and twirling beyond my legs and waist until it reached above my hair, causing it to fling into my face. Building in momentum, the wind seemed to spin me at my core, my vision becoming nothing more than a blend of colors and the contents of my stomach threatened to escape. The sensation happened so abruptly, I hadn't even realized it was over— my own head still spinning— until he began to speak.
"I am sorry. The feeling is quite overwhelming for those who never travel by wind. It will comfort you to know that over time and with each use, it will prove to be less difficult . I myself haven't fully adjusted, so I can speak from experience to your hardship."
Thankful his hand still remained on my bicep, I drew in slow deep breaths through my nose, releasing it gradually, to gain my bearings then opened my eyes. Directly before me was my home, though I could hardly believe it.
"Princess Addisyn, I am unaccustomed to this land. Tell me, is one of these places where you call home?"
I turned to face him as he stared in wonder at every house and car down the block, studying them like he'd never seen such things in all his days. Wherever he'd come from, or whenever, I had a feeling Elijah had endured quite the long journey.
"Yes, the one right in front of us is my home." I answered, gripping my unsettled stomach.
"I see. Then let us go inside. Please, lead the way." He hadn't let go of my arm, waiting for me to show him I could walk steadily, and I was much obliged by the gesture, but as soon as my steps proved stable, Elijah let go, following me toward the door.
As we stepped inside the house, Elijah looked around in amazement, his hand gripped tightly around the handle of his sword as he walked. Standing in the middle of the living room floor, he stared at the television's black screen, his large frame leaning forward narrowing his gaze. "What is this? Some sort of magical mirror?"
I snorted, plopping onto the couch, desperately needing to sit. "It's called a 'television. "It's like watching someone perform a play, but in that box."
He nodded, but I could tell he hadn't fully understood. "Here, I'll show you," I reached over for the remote sitting on the arm rest, and turned the TV on. His eyes opened a little wider as a commercial for laundry detergent now played on the screen.
"Fascinating." He grinned. "Though I admit there is a pressing matter I would like to attend to. If you'll let me, I would like to place fury light inside this home. It is a shield against foes who would seek to harm you. Kane's Marked Six have been roaming your world for many years, waiting for the prophecy to be filled, but this light will shield us if they try to enter."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever that is." I groaned, rubbing my forehead. I could feel a headache coming on and knew it was the result of too much bewildering information all at once and I hadn't even gotten to the answers yet.
Elijah pulled out his sword once again, holding it at arm's length. His voice was softer than a whisper, not even loud enough for me to make out. But it was the tone that surprised me the most; echoing throughout the room, circling me for a moment before continuing its path until every corner had been touched by the words.
My eyes were fixed on the blade, glowing so bright the color reflected in the cieling above. After the whispers finally settled, the sword finally dimmed, leaving a sparkle of stars on the walls for a moment before completely fading.
"What—was that?" It was my turn to stare in wonder. I looked toward Elijah as he smiled back.
"It is divinity at work. It lives within each of its followers, granting them supernatural protection and abilities."
"Wow, that was incredible."
Sitting upright, the tips of my fingers touched my stone, tucked beneath my shirt. I wasn't sure if he was ready to answer all my questions, or if I was ready to hear them, but it needed to happen and I needed to be strong enough to bare it or I'd be stuck in a cycle of uncertainty and fear forever.
"Uh, Elijah. I am more confused than you could even comprehend. This all seems more like a dream than reality to me. I have to know what's going on and why you're here and why you keep calling me 'Princess.' Please, just explain all of this before my head explodes."
He let out a sigh before relaxing a bit and taking a step toward me. "Princess Addisyn, as I told you before, I am Elijah of Ethina. But for you to understand why I have come, you must first hear a tale."
Elijah ran a hand through his unruly hair. "I will tell you this story as it was told to me, many years ago, as is customary in our land. The kingdom of Roria deserves nothing less."
Reaching for the throw pillow, I held it like a child would a teddy bear and waited for him to continue.
"There is a land, Addisyn, known as Arwick. Within this land lie seven kingdoms.
"The first and greatest of these is the kingdom of Roria. It is a kingdom of peace. A place so pure that no darkness can take form there. Roria is also home to the true leader of all Arwick, King Selah. He embodies all the things needed for such a peace to remain there: faith, hope, and love.
"Through King Selah came a great time of peace. For each kingdom, Selah appointed a worthy ruler. The first kingdom was Epsom, the land of humankind. They were led by King Abram. Then there was Bidell, the kingdom of fairies, which was ruled by Queen Esther. The third was Modmin, the kingdom of elves, ruled by King Enoch. Followed by the kingdom of Dueldah, the kingdom of giants, which was under the command of King Isreah. The sixth was Xion, kingdom of centaurs. This land was under the rule of Queen Ezra.
"For many years, the kingdoms were united. Each land contributed to the others in ways of knowledge, wisdom, and their own unique grace gifts. For instance, humans are Arwick's great sword wielders. The blades we forge are designed through our grace gift, which allows us to bless the blades with pure light. The swords are capable of wondrous things, such as control of the elements and of lightning. But each kingdom's grace gift is no greater than the other. As for you, your grace gift is vastly different from mine."
Elijah smiled broadly, his eyes gleaming with pride. "Princess Addisyn, you are a noble daughter of Bidell and from the great lineage of Queen Esther, leader of the fairies."
"I'm sorry, what?" My mouth dropped.
"You are royalty, Addisyn. A true fairy princess."
Before I had a chance to speak on the fact that Elijah had called me a fairy princess, he continued.
"When King Abram of Epsom came to a great age, he was to choose an heir to the throne of Epsom. Each leader can only appoint someone worthy to replace him or her. Someone devoted toward the eternal peace of Arwick. Abram knew that between his two sons, Bale and Kane, only Bale was truly righteous. Abram saw his son Kane grow into a jealous man, but Bale was mindful of others and humble in ways that his brother did not understand. Although the oldest, Kane was not crowned king.
"Driven by jealousy, Kane murdered his brother, Bale, and was banished to a far island. It was there that his hatred and darkness grew. Through selfishness and greed, he began to practice dark magic, a force only conjured in places that our grace gifts of pure light cannot survive, it separated the kingdom of Roria from the rest of Arwick, losing its divine protection forever. You must understand that the gifts we possess can only be used by the pure of heart, and when someone abuses these gifts, it devours the soul, cursing the user to eternal darkness.
"Kane used his dark magic to destroy any who chose to oppose him. Kane claimed that a new way of life had begun. Peace was no longer necessary; only power remained. His way of life tempted many souls, and soon after, he convinced a third of Arwick to follow him.
"A great battle ensued that destroyed many lands and innocent lives, and though there were many who fought for the peace of Arwick, a grace gift is bound by the use of faith and as such can be harder to wield. It forces oneself to trust in something greater, which can be difficult to do as we are all bound to some form of selfish nature. Dark magic, however, is bound by a lust for power, and as such, is much easier to wield, but comes with a heavy cost. Despite the efforts to defeat Kane, his army overthrew them. Soon those who fought against Kane were forced to flee. Several elves and many fairies fled beyond the sea of Zarenea to the forest of Edena, for any who try to enter that sea with ill intent are drowned by its powerful waves. The humans of Arwick took refuge in the mountains, where they built a hidden city not easily discovered, which they called Ethina."
In utter amazement, I listened to Elijah's every word, letting it fill my heart and mind with the wonder of a young child. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips; like I finally understood my strong desire to discover my own adventure, and it all stemmed from the fact that I was apparently born for it. Despite how befuddled I was, and likely would be for sometime, I took comfort in the truth it revealed within me.
"Those who did not manage to escape Kane's wrath were forced into slavery, used for cruel entertainment, or beaten to death when defiant. Many of Arwick's people are starved and left with little-to-no hope at all. But hope can never be completely abandoned. For Roria's power will always remain. One hundred and fifty years passed before a prophecy came forth from a woman of Ethina, the city hidden in the mountains. She spoke of Roria once again reuniting with Arwick, stating this: 'Darkness will first reign the land, but light will defeat its evil wrath. From Roria, this light will soon be reached, but faith will be tested by those who seek. Of Abram a guardian and Esther a seeker, will soon unite to discover Roria's saving light."
"It is you, Princess Addisyn, the prophecy spoke of. You are destined to discover this light and I to help guard your quest. We are destined to save Arwick."
I stood from the sofa, one arm tightly wrapped around my own waist while I chewed on my thumb nail and paced the living room floor. I was beginning to feel like Alice, free falling my way to Wonderland. A part of me wanted to escort him right out of my house, certain he'd found the wrong girl. Surely someone destined to save another realm would have better and more natural athletic abilities! I was a notorious book binger. Entering a gym in my opinion was practically blasphemous.
Elijah stepped closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder and I turned my head to face him. His normally hard and intentful features were suddenly soft and relaxed. "I know your thoughts are astray and that this is much to take in, but I speak nothing but the truth. You are of true fairy blood, and you were meant to save all of Arwick."
Sitting back down, I reached for a throw pillow, pressing my face against it and screaming with all my might. I was a mix of terror and confusion and yet everything made perfect sense. The truth to who I really was had been revealed and the conviction burning inside confirmed every word, but the insecurities of my own heart were reminding my head of everything I lacked for such a destiny.
I felt like the final page of a long book. On one side, were hundreds of words that told the story of who I was and maybe it all seemed incredibly ordinary. The other side was empty, leaving room for who or what I could be. Maybe some of the words already written would carry onto that blank space and maybe that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, if I was going to choose what could be written, I'd hoped I could make it the perfect words to set up for an incredible sequel.
When I finally worked up the courage to speak, I set the pillow aside, noticing Elijah's brow and scrunched together and he'd crossed his arms over his chest. I could see he was worried he'd said too much too quickly, and honestly he had but this was definitely a 'rip off the band-aid in one fell swoop' kind of situation. There were simply no easy routes.
"This is wild. Immensely and mind blowingly wild." I started out, my hand slapping against my forehead. "But I can feel—" I pointed to my chest. "In here, it's real. It doesn't make it any less terrifying but it's real. I don't understand it, especially considering my lack of life experiences and athletic inability. I really don't know what I have to offer and that's what's most terrifying of all." I fell back on the couch again; stuck between relieving my anxiously wobbly legs but unable to resist the urge to pace the floor. "That anything this important would choose me. And you say that I'm a fairy?" I huffed, almost laughing. "The fairies I know of are smothered in pixie dust, the size of a thumb, and can fly. None of those things sound like me."
Elijah's eyes twinkled with delight. I wondered just what part of my distressed speech he found so amusing.
"The size of a thumb?" He chuckled. "Fairies have always carried the appearance of humans. And of course, you have pixie dust. It lies beneath every inch of your skin. In fact, it is the only characteristic that differs you from humans."
He sat beside me, and his hand moved toward mine. "May I?" he asked politely as I let him take hold of my left hand. He inspected my skin carefully, like he could see something I couldn't. Curious, I began to follow suit, looking at my arm and waiting for something to change. I
"Do you see something I don't?" I asked, still searching my own skin.
"No, but you must be harboring conceal magic." He answered matter-of-factly.
"What magic?" I asked, raising a brow.
"When fairies escaped to Edena several men followed. I believe a man used a conceal blade to keep your pixie dust from showing. To hide your identity from the Marked Six, he covered your skin with divinity magic that only the blade of a human can conjure."
"You see, a fairy's skin is covered with this lightly colored design that traces across the body." Lifting his hand, Elijah began to draw an invisible line, swirling his fingers across his skin in uneven patterns. "The design is different for every fairy but is a sign of a fairy's heritage. Their brightly colored pixie dust emits from these designs and takes the shape of such things as weapons of defense."
As he reached for my hand a second time, I moved mine to his without question. "Now only the man who placed the conceal mark could remove it from you entirely, but I might be able to break it momentarily."
Standing to his feet, Elijah pulled me up with him. He removed his sword again and placed the cold steel against my forearm. I couldn't move. My body burned with anticipation, ready to see with eyes the truth my heart already knew.
"Reveal," he said forcefully.
As the blade began to glow a beautiful crimson, my eyes widened in amazement. A color of indigo fell across my skin for only a moment before fading. I gasped; the indigo design reminded me of a lightly colored tattoo on my thumb twisting up to my wrist before it quickly faded. The sight made me jump and pull away from Elijah, who smiled warmly.
With a second bow and a hand over his heart, Elijah raised his head and began to speak. "There is your proof, Princess Addisyn. Leader of the fairy court. Child of the prophecy."
"I really am a fairy." I uttered, staring off into space, the knott in my stomach growing and expanding with every realization.
Sensing my uneasiness, Watson whimpered near my feet. I'd been so preoccupied by my own emotions I'd forgotten he was there. He glanced up at me with needy eyes before I knelt down to pet him and he wagged his tail approvingly, licking my face for good measure.
"Great looking dog you have." Elijah smirked as he reached out for Watson, though I sensed his smile meant more than he was letting on.
I watched the two interact, staring at Elijah's outdated attire and finally realized what I could do for the time being. If my mind was given a task, I could eventually figure everything out along the way. I just needed a project. I needed to do something to keep my overactive mind from overthinking, and I could start with Elijah.
"Elijah, my roommate will be home from work within a couple hours, and the way you look, there's no way I could get out of any questions as to why you're dressed like a knight from the Round Table."
Elijah glanced at his clothes before looking at my own, a playful smirk forming on his lips. "You find my attire unsuitable?"
"Everyone does. You look like I picked you up at a local Comic-Con event. So unless you want people to notice or if you don't mind me explaining the truth, by all means stay as you are."
Moving toward me abruptly, Elijah shook his head in protest. "No, Princess Addisyn. No one must know of our journey. Our quest must remain secret. We will face many who will stop at nothing to keep us from succeeding; even those you trust could deceive you in order to stop you. For now, assume no one can be trusted. The Marked Six have been hiding among the people of your world for many years. The Marked Six sacrificed their very soul in eternal service to Kane. And they, like Kane, cannot be killed by any power divinity has bestowed on us. Our only chance to defeat them is through the powerful light of Roria. If there is any chance those you know are being used as tools by the Marked Six against you, we must keep this between us."
I let the magnitude of his words sink in, knowing how difficult it would be for me. I trusted people easily. So being weary of the motives of others went against my very nature.
"I am sorry, Princess Addisyn, if I have upset you, but we must be cautious. For now, keep this between us.
I waved him off. "It's okay. I get why you're wanting me to be cautious. It's just- I'm not so good at deciphering if people are trustworthy or not." I shrugged. "I guess I typically see the best in everyone." My boss's face suddenly came to mind, my lips pressing together firmly. "With one exception."
Elijah nodded, changing the subject. "Now I suppose we should obtain these clothes you speak of to give me the appearance of a man of this world. Elijah tugged at his own clothes, jokingly.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. " I snorted, before reaching for my car keys. "As handy as that wind travel thing was, I'd much rather take my car. I tend to prefer avoiding the feeling of inescapable vomiting."
He laughed and followed my footsteps toward the door. "I have never heard of a car before, but if you insist, Lady Princess, I must comply. You are, of course, royalty."
I turned to catch him bow playfully, giving me a wink. Shaking my head, I opened the passenger door. "Go on; sit down." I told him.
Making my way to the driver seat, I sat down just as Elijah fiddled with the A/C vent, "OK, take your buckle like this and pull it over you. Then clasp this end into the latch." With every word, I demonstrated the process as slowly as I could, with Elijah following suit.
Starting up the engine, I held back a laugh while Elijah jumped and glanced about the car in surprise. It was, after all, a very noisy old car with far too many miles. Not exactly the best vehicle to ease someone into.
As we made our way to the store, I couldn't help but watch Elijah gazing around the shopping center in awe. Coming to a stop, Elijah marveled at a man standing behind a small booth and demonstrating a new blender to a few customers.
When we reached the clothes, I dragged Elijah toward the men's section. Thinking anything too trendy wouldn't fit him, I immediately reached for a few plain, solid T-shirts and dark jeans.
Holding up a shirt and pair of jeans to Elijah, I tried to picture him in it, selecting several sizes I assumed were close. Heading for the fitting rooms, I did my best to ignore the bizarre glances the two of us were getting. Had I been in their shoes I would have started at Elijah's clothes too.
"Here, go try these on." Holding up a shirt, I pulled out the white tag before continuing. "Both the jeans and the shirts have these. They're called 'tags,' and they always touch your back area. Got it? And this silver button on the jeans: just unfasten and fasten it back on like this. Then pull up the zipper when you're done, too."
He watched me intently and took in the tags and buckles before nodding. I handed him every shirt and pair of jeans I had grabbed before ushering him into one of the stalls.
As I waited patiently for Elijah, thoughts of the day began to play in my mind, causing an array of emotions that blended together until I was practically a ball of mush. Fighting the urge to cry, I leaned against a clothes rack, closing my eyes. "It's gonna be okay." I told myself, my hands squeezing the metal rack, like I could somehow transfer my emotions onto the object if I gripped it tight enough. How anyone could manage such a situation without feeling like they might fall apart I had no idea. My only hope was to take every moment one step at a time, trusting eventually I would find a way to see beyond emotion, too invested in this new cause to notice anything but the finish line.
"Do I look the part?"
I looked to Elijah, the dark-gray shirt accentuating his broad shoulders and muscular arms. It was amazing that something as simple as a shirt could be made to look so appealing but Elijah was just one of those rare specimens capable of such a feat
"Such a difference," I gave him a thumbs up, then grabbed Elijah's arm. "OK, let's go get you some shoes to match."