His Elven Crown (An Aladdin Retelling)

Part 1

The night was dark. A small shadow was moving quickly in the darkness, the figure of a young boy, wrapped in his cloak. He pulled his hood further over his head, in an attempt to hide from the rain. His dim golden eyes were constantly moving left and right, as he took turns and moved in the tiny spaces between buildings. He was running as fast as he can, glancing behind every now and then, a small wrap clutched hard in his arms, and never slowed down until he reached the edge of town. He walked for a while to reach the forest. He climbed to the top of one a tree, sitting there, and opened his wrap to see what he picked up. Just a small loaf of bread. He put it away in his empty bag.

The rain had almost let up. He thought it was time to go home, but when he looked down, his curious eyes immediately caught his next target. A few trees away, he spotted baggage, next to a weary traveler sleeping on the ground. He jumped down and approached them from behind a tree.

He couldn't see their face, didn't know if they had weapons on them. Nonetheless, he approached slowly, and opened one of the outer pockets. He stuck his hand inside and picked up something, small and metal-cold, probably some sort of ring. Suddenly, something grasped his forearm. Startled, he looked up to see a pair of angry eyes staring at him in the dark. He pulled his hand back forcefully and took off running into the forest, but something soon wrapped itself around his ankle, pulling him back, and he hit the ground face-first.

He groaned, pain spreading through his limbs. He kept his eyes closed as he forcefully staggered to his feet, leaning against the nearest tree for support.

Footsteps, slowly approaching. His eyes shot open and he was ready to run again, but another tree branch came pulling at his wrist. He tugged hard at it, as the traveler approached, and with a motion of their finger, more branches coiled down his arm, restraining him to the tree.

"That's enough running, you rascal," said a clear feminine voice.

A hand grabbed his collar, pinning him against the tree. The scorn on the traveler's face disappeared. Her eyes lit up upon landing on his face. His heart was racing, as he realized that his hood had fallen off and that she could see his ears.

He still had his fist clenched around the little ring he stole. He opened his hand and brought it up between them. "I don't want it," he stammered, "Take it and let me go."

"Is that what you took? How ironic." She barely glanced down. "You can keep it. It's not mine anyway. I took it from a young elf lord.." She trailed off, her wry smile fading into a glare. "..after I killed him."

His breath hitched.

"One more escape attempt and you'll be dead." She threatened as the branches slowly unfurled. "I only want to talk a little." She pulled him by the wrist, and he walked with her back to where her baggage was.

"Sit down."

They both sat on the ground. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Dian."

"How old are you?"

"You didn't tell me your name."

She shot him a sharp look. "Adeline. And don't ask me more questions. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Let me guess, an elven father and a human mother. I mean, it's always the elf-lords' sons, who keep running around, doing things like that." She tilted her head in his direction with a leer. He glared, his silence confirming her suggestion.

His appearance made it so obvious that he wasn't fully elven. Maybe if he looked more like an elf, his father would have liked him a bit more. But he was much darker than his father's clan. His hair was such a mess. His ears, although leaf-shaped, were too small for an elf.

"So, you live here in the forest?"

He nodded.

"Alone?"

"With my mother. We have a hut in the forest."

"And is that how you earn money, by stealing from travelers?" She teased.

"No." He glared at her. "Mother spins and weaves wool, to sell in the nearby town's market." She stared silently, prompting him to continue. He sighed. "But she hasn't been able to do so, for a while now, because of her health condition."

"And you father?" Adeline sneered.

"I have no father." Dian looked her right in the eyes.

"Yes, you do, even if you don't like it."

"Look, I know nothing about elves. I have never been to an elven village. I have nothing to do with them." He paused to recollect himself. He was almost shouting, how embarrassing. He then added, more calmly this time, "Whatever it is you want from me, I probably don't have it."

"You have elven blood. That's all I need from you."

A chill ran down his spine. He watched her carefully, waiting for her to speak.

"I won't hurt you, don't worry," she scoffed, turning the next few word carefully in her mind. "I need you to find something for me. Something that's been hidden away in a cave, protected by elven magic, hundreds of years ago. I am no elf, so I can't enter."

"But I can." Dian said abruptly.

Adeline nodded.

"And what do I get in return?" At this instance, he felt the branches tapping on his shoulder. It registered only a second too late. He wanted to take off running, but the branches were already coiling around his neck, then slowly down his arms and around his ankle. Adeline came closer, and stared him in the eye. "In return, I'll let you live. How about that?"

He nodded with a glare, and the branches crawled back. "Actually, you might find something of use for you in the cave. I heard it's full of gold. I'm not interested in that, so you can take from it as you want."

One branch remained curled around his ankle. "You're staying here tonight. I can't have you running off."