Yesterday, I was normal. Today I don't even know who I really am. Tomorrow I don't know if I will still be alive.
Gavin touched her on the shoulder and told her they needed to get going. Corinne's hair felt fuzzy so she quickly grabbed a mirror and brush from her backpack. She looked like she had just woken up. Corinne ran the brush through her long blond hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She noticed her left pointy ear and couldn't decide if she should put her hair back down. She decided against it and put on her muddy shoes again. Her feet felt like she was scraping them against rocks when she put them back on.
Her blisters were throbbing, and all she wanted to do was take off her shoes and take a little break. As they walked in this new place, the trees were listening to them. The flowers leaned in as they passed.
Corinne looked around at the strange new world she had just entered. Nothing in her life could have prepared her for the beauty of Aladarien. It was absolutely ethereal. There were so many shades of green. The trees were more vibrant and more colorful than anything she had seen on Earth. The landscape was picturesque with long lush grass, large majestic mountains, and beautiful flowers everywhere. Everywhere she looked there seemed to be water; lakes, waterfalls, streams, and ocean. During the middle of the day, the sky was different shades of orange, with tinges of pink and purple resembling a sunset. Corinne felt like she was peering at a world through rose-colored glasses that she couldn't take off or wouldn't want to for that matter. The climate should be tropical, yet it wasn't. They were in a very large forest and the air was crisp and intoxicating. Everything was alive - the trees, shrubs, clouds, flowers, everything.
Corinne stumbled off of the rock and pushed her way through the thick brush, trying to keep up with Gavin and Bria. Gavin decided he better set some rules in order to keep the girls safe.
He leaned in and whispered, "First off, while we travel, I want you to go by your human name Corinne. We don't want anyone, not even the trees, to know who you are. Do you see those trees way over there?" He pointed up the mountain over to the tall skinny tress with twisty vines hanging down.
"Yes, I see them."
"Those are Femar trees and they report to the Elves. Try to steer clear of them and keep yourself hidden as much as you can if you spot them. Because the Elves are doing everything in their power to find you, nobody but me knows where you are. We won't have any help. We are taking the long way to the castle since the Elves will never expect it."
Talking Trees? Castles? Elves? Really?
She tried to take it all in. Gavin was talking but his voice was just a distant hum.
"Corinne!" Gavin snapped. "Please focus. This is really important."
"Okay, okay, I'm listening," she stammered.
"I will become a horse and let you both ride on my back occasionally so that we can make quicker time, but you must understand that I can't allow myself to get too tired. I have to be ready to defend you at all times and if I'm exhausted and can't fight, then this whole thing would be pointless. We have a long way to go until Brimsdelle and we have to stay hidden and avoid the Femar trees. Now when you get to the castle, you will go by your royal name - Reina, understood?"
Corinne said, "Yes sir!"
"This isn't a game Corinne. This is serious and I don't want anything to happen to you. I have watched over you for eight years, and I don't want all of my hard work to be wasted over a stupid mistake," he said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "And, that goes for you too Bria. No mistakes, got it?"
Bria rolled her eyes at him and responded, "Reeearrrrr!"
Corinne furrowed her eyebrows at Gavin, "There is no need to be rude, Gavin."
He sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. Now, do you feel like you know how to behave like a princess about to be crowned a true queen?"
"Yeah, Gavin," Corinne said smugly. "I know exactly how to rule an entire kingdom all by myself in a brand new world at the age of sixteen. Of course I don't think I will ever be ready, but I will try to do the best I can. You have taught me everything I could possibly think of and more. At least I know how to hold a teacup properly, and curtsy to all of the right people."
"Alright, alright, I know you have learned quickly," he said, as he grabbed both of her hands in his own. "Promise me that you will be smart and not trust anyone until we arrive okay?"
She knew he was worried about her, but this time he had good reason. "I will try Gavin. Don't worry," she said, as she gave him a great big hug.
Bria said, "Give it a rest, Gavin. She will be fine. She is a strong girl, and if she is meant to be this true queen, then she will prove to all of us her capabilities. Give her a little credit. Geez!"
Thank you, Bria!
She always knew what to say.
"I'm just anxious Corinne," he grabbed her hand, "I don't want you to get hurt." He said looking up. She noticed he was still holding her hand.
"I know," she said quietly.
He dropped her hand and continued hiking through the forest. Corinne was worried about the Harrisons calling the police when they realized she was missing.
"I'm sure they are searching for you at this very moment. Everyone will be looking for the two of you. It will make headlines. Eventually their leads will run out and the search will stop. They will think you are just another set of runaways who stole a truck, got in with the wrong crowd, did drugs or they might think you were kidnapped once they find the truck at the Muir Woods. Who knows?"
Corinne's stomach dropped and she felt sick. How could she have done this to them? Gavin noticed her concern and put his hand on her shoulder, "Corinne you HAD to leave. There were no other options. With time, they will move on."
"Wait, it feels like you just used them"
"We did, Corinne. They served a greater purpose." Gavin said as he pushed a branch out of the way.
"But what about Bria? You know the plan was to only have her stay for a short period of time. How will she explain when she gets back?"
Sighing with a hint of frustration, Gavin said, "She was never part of the plan to begin with. Because she refused to stay behind, we will let her help us get you to safety and then she will return home immediately. We will have to make up a story for what happened to the both of you and how she got away. I don't know. It's complicated everything."
"I'm right here you know Gavin." Bria said. "Anyways, I'm not going to let my best friend go to some world she's never heard of with people trying to hurt her. What kind of friend do you think I am?"
"What about your family Bria? Did you ever think about that? Do you know how difficult this is going to be for them?"
Bria stomped through the brush, "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I think I will help my friend survive first and then go back home to my family and ask for forgiveness."
Gavin blew out his breath, "And how do you plan on helping her survive in a world you know nothing about?"
"Stop it you two! I know we are all on edge but let's just try to get along okay?" Corinne pleaded.
"Fine!" they both said in unison.
They continued pushing their way through the dense forest. The air smelt like fresh rain and dirt. They stepped over logs and the branches scratched at their legs. After hiking for a while Gavin said, "I have to leave you two to go and get supplies. I can fly a lot quicker or I would just bring you with me. I'll only be gone for a moment. Do not move. Stay hidden under that large rock over there."
The girls were a little apprehensive of him leaving, but he was true to his word. Gavin had left for only an hour that evening, and when he came back he had some clothes for both of them to change into.
"Dresses? Seriously Gavin? You're joking, right? What does this look like, the prom? How are we supposed to go hiking and climbing over all of these rocks and bushes in not only dresses, but ugly, outdated dresses?" Bria asked.
"Just put them on, Bria. Do you really want someone to spot you? Your outfit screams foreigner," he said before adding, "And, you know what? Change your shoes. You look ridiculous."
"Don't tell me what to do." Bria grumbled.
"Don't forget to put on the cloaks. You also need to fix each other's hair. All Siri women wear their hair in different braided styles."
"These are hideous!" Bria said glumly.
Gavin was exasperated, looking to Corinne for help with Bria.
"Come on Bria, let's put them on." Corinne suggested.
Bria's face cringed as she slid on the bright green dress with lace and ribbons. She hesitated before she fastened on the red cloak. "I look like a freakin Christmas tree Gavin."
Corinne burst out laughing, and dressed herself. She put on a light blue shimmering gown with a brown cloak. She clumsily braided Bria's hair to the best of her abilities and Bria braided Corinne's hair into a perfect dutch braid. She hummed the happy birthday tune quietly, when Bria asked her, "Are you singing happy birthday to yourself?"
Embarrassed, Corinne stopped. They kept on walking endlessly over branches, rocks, and tree roots, with no sight of any normal trail. She had a great admiration and love for Bria.
"Bria, you really didn't need to come. What if something happens to you? I would feel responsible for the rest of my life," Corinne said with a twinge of guilt.
"Don't be ridiculous, Corinne?" replied Bria. "Do you actually believe that I would just let you go by yourself? I will help you as much as I can, and when you become Queen," she winked, "I will go back home. How could I miss out on such an adventure? Plus you are my best friend and that's what friends are for. Besides, I will figure out what to do with my family when I get home. They will eventually forgive me. They always do." she said while looking down at her perfectly polished nails.
Corinne heaved a sigh. "Yeah, but you could get hurt or much worse."
Bria exhaled, "Look up, Corinne. Do you think he will let anything happen to us, to you?"
Gavin, now in hawk form, soared through the sky scanning the forest for anything that could be problematic in their near future.
"I didn't think so," Bria continued. "He can turn into any animal in Aladarien a bear, snake, tiger, one of their creatures, anything. I wouldn't want to mess with him for sure. Who would have known sweet Gavin would turn out to be our own ferocious protector," she laughed. "Besides, you have the whole Siri kingdom on the lookout for you, awaiting your return. I'm sure they have guards everywhere."
"I don't know about that," Corinne grumbled. There could be an army of Elves waiting to kill her right around the corner.
Gavin told her earlier that he was a Siruqoy, a different race than Siri. Siruqoys were born with the unique ability to take the shape of any animal, reptile, insect or marine form. He said he was born as a hawk, and had the intelligence beyond that of a human. He suspected there were more races similar to his kind, but had never run into any. He had been in the shape of a human for so long, he said he almost felt like one. Corinne could tell that he felt like he was home by the way he shifted from one form to another. He might have been showing off a bit too, she couldn't tell.
Her mind flooded with memories of her life on Aladarien. Her mind filled up with the memory of her beautiful mother crying and hugging her tightly. She could see the resemblance, but Corinne thought her mother was much prettier. Next, a large castle flashed in her mind. Two little girls were running around the grounds trying to find her hiding. Sibyl and Maeve. She had two sisters. She smiled. Corinne used to play with Maeve in her bedroom, always brushing her hair. She saw her older brother Kael building a fort with her. She had so many siblings. A vision of an older man came to her mind...her father. He had a brown beard, and his green eyes would twinkle when he smiled at her. He was playing a game with her by the large grass quad on the castle grounds. What had happened to everyone while she was gone? Had Kael grown up and moved away? Was Sibyl wearing makeup or going to balls? Who did their hair and dressed them? That used to be her job. She felt overwhelmed with sadness. Corinne had missed out on so much with her family. She had missed her parents so deeply, even in the human world.
Why did they have to send me away?
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up to the sky. She heard thunder, and then came the rain. It was just the thing she didn't want to hear or see right then. It made things even more depressing. It rained hard. Gavin flew down and took his familiar human form. Corinne was still amazed at the transformation.
They waited out the storm under a large boulder, and when the skies cleared, she noticed something beautiful with blue tipped wings flying towards them. It was a fairy - a real live fairy. The fairy had long red hair, and a sparkling blue and white dress with blue shoes that had straps that twisted part way up her leg. Her sparkling wings were like gossamer and very delicate. She was only the size of Reina's hand. Her very appearance made Corinne smile.
Gavin introduced Corinne and Bria to the fairy like it was no big deal and the kind of thing that happens on a regular occasion.
"This is Talia. She uses magic to fly. When entering the human world, fairies turn into butterflies, to hide their true identity. They have also been watching over you for quite some time now," Gavin said, as he let Talia land on his outstretched hand.
"It's er - nice to meet you," she said astonished. "Thank you for - well, everything I guess. I had no idea." The little fairy danced around Corinne and Bria and sprinkled dust on their hair.
"Oh, um, not on my hair, okay? I mean you can sprinkle your fairy dust anywhere else, but just not on my hair. I don't want to look like I have dandruff, that's all. I need to make a good impression when I get to the castle," Bria said as she shook the dust out of her hair and tried to put her hair back into its perfect place. The little fairy rushed over to Corinne's side a little offended.
Corinne wondered about something her mother had mentioned in her letter. She had said Siri have magical abilities. She also remembered how Mr. Smith had said that she didn't even know how to use magic yet. She asked Gavin, "Hey, what did my mother mean about Siri having magical abilities? Like what? Does every Siri have the same magical power, or are they all different? I don't have any magical powers."
As he pushed his way through the trees, he grabbed her hand and helped her over a rock, and said, "Yes you do. Every Siri has a different magical ability. Some have more than others. You have to find it out on your own. Some Siri do not find out until they are old; others find out when they are young children. You discover your capabilities all on your own."
"Well, I haven't used any magic yet. Does it come out of our fingers like a green light, or does it just happen, or how does it work?"
Gavin laughed. "I forget you've been living with humans for eight years. Magic isn't like zapping wands and stuff you see in the movies. It works differently for every Siri. Magic is a part of your race. You are born with it and it is a part of who you are. I'm sure you will discover your strengths soon enough."
With that, he instructed her on how to act like a princess. Corinne took a deep breath. She knew she was going to need a lot of help with that subject. She heard Bria try to muffle a laugh under her breath.
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A/N:
I love this new world that the girls stepped into. Aladarien is awesome! Danger is about to come bwahaha.....I love writing fantasy!
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Love to you all.