Arthur was pacing past the Tomato Soup door, waiting for the Wulix girl to appear. At last, the girl appeared. She looked the same, light-brown hair in a braid - which again fell over her shoulder - silver headband across her head. Arthur only now could actually see the headband properly. It was a thin silver thing, which thickened a bit on her forehead, where a little diamond bead sat. It was gentle, but it was there. For the rest the girl had dark brown eyes, a crooked nose and thin, small, pink lips. She wore an outfit similar to Arthur's except for the jacket. She wore a cape-like brown jacket, which looked slightly battered. She smiled, then opened her mouth to speak.
"You're a new Uphlet, right?" Arthur nodded, "For a moment I thought Ella was going to upgrade you, since she looked highly surprised when she saw you. Of course, the hall is very big, so maybe she was looking at one of the people sitting next to you, but it isn't very likely she'd upgrade either of them. Finn and the asian girl, I mean."
"You know them?" Arthur asked, not intending to be rude by interrupting her.
She laughed. "I know Finn, at least. I was a Uphlet the same time as he was for a week. Then I got upgraded to Vinchman, and Wulix quickly after. But that was four years ago, so, well. Ella doesn't like me that much anymore. She's been a Zaclin for a very long time." she said. "What's your name? I'm curious, as you remind me of someone."
"Arthur." he answered.
She nodded. "I'm Eylin. Arthur, huh? Is by any chance your last name Redworth?" Arthur shook his head. "Oh, well, I thought maybe you had an ancestor you're named after called Redworth. Maybe your grandma was born a Redworth. Do you know about that?" Arthur shook his head.
"Her name was Waters." he said, and Eylin nodded slowly.
"You know, you strike me as special. I'd love to take you up to Wulix and show you a picture of Arthur Redworth. He was a famous Wulix." she said, and Arthur laughed.
"I can't really go to Wulix, I'm a Uphlet. They'll see immediately, won't they?" Arthur said, and she shrugged.
She reached in her cape-like jacket. "Not quite, if you wear a headband like we do. A so called Argentium." She took out a headband. "If you put it around your head and take off the army jacket I can take you. You're not famous so no one will recognize you as Uphlet. People from Wulix don't wear army jackets. It's a bit of a Uphlet and Vinchman thing."
"Do you know why Uphlets don't have an item like you do?" Arthur asked, as he put the headband over his head.
She shook her head. "No. I've been here for over four years, but it's always been this way."
Arthur nodded, but still had a lot of questions. "So, why did you want to talk to me?"
"I need to show you the picture of Arthur Redworth, like I said. I'm ninetynine point thirty-two percent sure you are related." She said, as she stuck her small hands in her pockets. She started walking to the stairs, which led to the door Finn had said was the door to Wulix. Arthur followed her shortly. "The thing is, Arthur, I saw Ella look at you and I was so sure she'd give you that upgrade. Then she didn't. And then I looked at you again, and you looked like exactly like Arthur Redworth."
"Who is this Arthur guy, anyway?" Arthur asked, and Eylin laughed. They neared the large door of Wulix.
"He's one of the most important people from Wulix. You see, for four years have I been one, so surely I know a bit about its history. This man, was the most important man for Wulix because he had created the Argentium. The very first. You see, at that time, there was an evil spirit lurking through Arboria. We don't really speak of it much anymore, it's been dead and gone for ages, but it was very evil. It stopped people from killing their Alter Ego's. And that's why we're here at Arboria. Now the important thing about the Argentium now, is merely its symbol. But at that time, the silver headbands protected the Wulix against that spirit. I've been doing research on it in Silva, the small village right outside here. Some people there say the spirit can return, but I don't believe that, really. I do believe a different spirit is coming, the one that cannot be held at bay by an Argentium. Especially not these," she said, as she pointed at the one she was wearing.
Arthur nodded, and followed Eylin to the large door. She threw it open, and behind it was yet again, the magical look of branches and Christmas lights.
The huts that were there were much prettier, and bigger. They were still made out of wood, but they were decorated with elegant curls and decorations. People were walking around over the branches, and, to Arthur's great surprise, there were these ropes between branches, which were used to travel from one to another. Arthur liked that idea much better than jumping down. Eylin waved at someone, but Arthur couldn't see who it was. Then, a voice behind them startled them.
"Eylin, what do you think you're doing? He's a Uphlet, isn't he? Is this another trick of yours about that spirit?" Arthur and Eylin spun around. A large figure with flaming red hair stood in front of them.
Eylin shifted uneasily. "Ella. Why are you here?" she asked, and Ella smiled. It wasn't so much polite smile, though.
"Checking on Wulix. I make this round very often. Why are you here with Arthur? I know he's a Uphlet. This doesn't help your case to become a Xinth, and you know that." she said, before shaking her head so her enormous bush of hair moved out of her face. She had a very outspoken face. Her eyes were stormy, and her look was fierce.
Arthur didn't want Eylin to get in trouble because of him, so he decided to say something. "I made her take me into Wulix. I wanted to see it, so I threatened her."
For a second or two Ella looked convinced. Then she burst out in a laugh. "God, you? Threatening? I can't imagine that. You're just as threatening as a puppy. I know Eylin, she wouldn't be afraid of you. You're very sweet to take responsibility but I'm sure Eylin has a better explanation."
Eylin bit her lip. "I thought he looked like Arthur Redworth. You know, Wulix' hero." she said, and Ella laughed some more.
"He doesn't. Not one bit. Arthur Redworth was a lot more threatening. Like I said, he's as threatening as a-"
"Puppy." Arthur interrupted, "I know. I'll go back to Uphlet right away, if that's what you want." he said quickly.
Ella narrowed her eyes. It wasn't the way Elice did it, which was a curious way. This was more of a 'I-don't-trust-you-but-you're-interesting' kind of eye-narrowing. "Good. I don't want you anywhere near Wulix again until you are one. And, considering I don't throw you down like I would with anyone else, that will take a while. I trust you can find your way to the door yourself. Tata for now, Arthur, Eylin." she said, before throwing a handful of Dreamer's Dust on her feet and disappearing in green fire.
Arthur and Eylin stared at the spot Ella had been standing a second before. Then, Eylin rummaged in her pocket. She took out a small ornate pocket watch with a crack in the glass. It looked old, but was still working. "If we're quick, she won't be back here any time soon. I really need to show you that picture." she said, and stuck the pocket watch back in the pocket of her cape-like jacket. She grabbed Arthur's hand and ran over the branch, Arthur doing his best to keep up with her.
Arthur nearly slipped more than once. The branches were less slippery than up in Uphlet, but it was still very slippery. Apparently, Eylin's hut was next to the main branch, so they didn't have to climb those ropes. She stopped in front of a hut and opened the door.
Inside, there was one room. It had a bed in the windowsill like in Uphlet, but it looked much more comfortable. It had a green bedspread with the logo of Arboria on it, and in the bed was a small teddybear that looked as if Eylin made it herself. A large brown rug covered the floor and looked very soft. A huge closet blocked the window on the right and a desk with chair stood next to the one on the left. The desk was covered in paper, pens, books and other things, and Eylin started rummaging in the small cupboard with drawers next to it. At last she took out a small photograph of a boy. The boy looked a bit older than him, around sixteen or seventeen. He had a silver headband like Eylin, and his hair looked a lot like Arthur's. It was brown, and messy, but messy in a way that it looked neat. His eyes weren't like Arthur's, they were more of an ocean colour. It wasn't a very good picture, though, and it was clearly very old. It looked wrinkled and was ripped in places, and Arthur very much doubted it wasn't older than the colored camera.
"See? It's exactly like you!" Eylin exclaimed, when she clasped her hand over her mouth. "Uh-oh. Arthur, jump into the closet! NOW!" she exclaimed, and she opened one of the doors of her closet, then pushed Arthur into it. "Sorry!" she whispered, when Arthur could hear the door of Eylin's hut open.
Eylin's closet smelled like freshly mowed grass, vanilla, and newly baked bread. He took a deep breath which immediately calmed him. He listened to Eylin and the person who had just entered, and could look at them through the small creak in the door of the closet.
"Did he go up to Uphlet?" A clear and recognizable voice asked. It was Ella again.
Arthur could tell Eylin was nervous. "Yes. He went up to Uphlet right after you left."
"Good. Now, Eylin. I know you want to be a Xinth, but with this kind of behavior you know you won't. Arthur, however, if he proves himself well in his classes, will most likely be a Vinchman by tomorrow. I really do believe he is of quality. You see, Eylin, I don't know if I've told you this before, but I will not leave Arboria soon. Even though I have been here for a very long time I might still be here for a while. Therefore, I want you to stay put and behave yourself, okay?" Arthur swallowed quietly.
The door creaked and shut, and Eylin opened the door of the closet. Her face was covered in worry. "You have to go back to Uphlet. Take the picture with you, and keep it safe. I'll see you in the evening, during dinner. You can keep the headband in case you want to talk to me again." she said, and she opened the door so Arthur could leave.
Arthur walked as fast as he could without slipping to the large door that would lead back to the well-lit staircase to Uphlet. Luckily he didn't run into anyone, and was able to exit the door and run to Uphlet without talking to anyone. He opened the door of Uphlet and carefully started making his way to his own cabin, which he shared with Finn and Elice. He reached the hut safely and saw that Finn and Elice were inside. He opened the door and entered, as his two friends greeted him.
***
Hey guys!
It's update day!
So I've been super caught up in school and everything and next week I have a testweek but I still have some chapters ready for updating and then I have an autumn break to continue writing.
Who is this Arthur Redworth? Why does Ella like our Arthur so much?
Stay tuned! (I actually despise the sentence but it works best here)
Love,
Florence