Didn't Think This Would Ever Happen...

Chapter 4: Of Magic and Men

  Sylvie hung out the still-wet clothes on her makeshift clothesline.
  Lilia was staring up at the sky. It was slowly filling with smoke.
  "What's the smoke from?" Sylvie asked as she looked up as well.
  Lilia answered, "burning the dead, I'm sure."
  "Do faeries..."
  Lilia shook his head, "no. Most turn to dust."
  Sylvie pursed her lips, "well, I hope whoever attacked you learned their lesson."
  Lilia nodded, "I'm sure they did." He pressed his hand gently against his chest, "but will the rest of your kind learn from their example?"
  Sylvie was surprised by how somber he sounded. She expected him to say something like that in an upset way...
  "Humans never seem to learn... they don't live long enough to..."
  Sylvie stared at Lilia as he watched the sky with a glazed-over expression. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.
  "Lilia," Sylvie began, "how old are you?"
  He cracked a smile, a chuckle almost escaping, "how old do you think?"
  "Well, I don't know. I don't know how long fae normally live for... or what they are like at different ages..."
  Lilia folded his arms, growing a bit confident, "go ahead. Guess."
  "Well, obviously you're older than me... and you said you helped raise people, so you've got to be old enough to have kids-"
  Lilia cringed, "that is... not true..."
  "Huh? Oh, so fae have children differently than-"
  "Just- I don't have any children..." Lilia closed his eyes tightly, "let's leave it at that..."
  "Then how would you know how to-"
  "I've seen other people raise children, it's not so hard..." Lilia seemed rather uncomfortable with the topic.
  Sylvie smiled, "Lilia, are you lying?"
  "No," he turned his face away defiantly.
  "Ooh! Are you married??? Aren't they worried about you-"
  "Can we move on please?!"
  Sylvie laughed, "finee. But you have to tell me later, okay?"
  Lilia sighed heavily.
  Sylvie hummed as she thought, "you're probably at least a hundred."
  Lilia snorted, "try higher."
  "Higher??? Mmm, five hundred???"
  Lilia laughed. His shoulders shook and his eyes shut. The dress he was borrowing swished over his feet and his hair did the same to his face. His face got some color to it, warming his cheeks to a light pink.
  "A lot older than that!"
  Sylvie laughed as well, "really???!!! Then how old???"
  Lilia sighed, a smile still on his face. "I don't even know an exact number. You get so old that it's pointless to try and keep track."
  "Huh? What about birthdays?"
  "Oh, I haven't forgotten when my birthday is," he rolled his eyes, "I simply don't see a point in keeping track of a number when all I'll use it for is telling people that I've lived longer than them."
  "Hm? Do you at least have an estimate?"
  Lilia paused, "well. I can tell you one thing: Besides the trees and nature itself, I am probably the oldest thing alive on this earth."
  Sylvie stared at him. She giggled, "no way. How old are you, really?"
  He was taken aback, "I'm serious."
  "Huh? You are?" Sylvie blinked.
  Lilia nodded, "yes."
  Sylvie looked around, "the oldest..."
  Lilia looked down. Had he somehow broken this human even more?!
  Sylvie was silent for a long time. "You're really the oldest person...?"
  "I believe so."
  "... then, I'm certainly glad I helped you! Imagine all the knowledge I would have stolen from the world if my axe landed in your chest!!!"
  Lilia flinched, "knowledge?!"
  "Yeah! You must know so much!! How many crafts have you mastered?!"
  Lilia took a step back, "hey now, calm down. You know that knowledge comes with a price."
  "It does?"
  "Yes! How did you learn the proper way to use your axe, for example?"
  "Well, through experience, I guess?..."
  Lilia nodded, "through experiences where you failed, yes?"
  Sylvie tilted her head, "I guess?"
  "Failing and hurting yourself was the price for that knowledge. Is that simple enough for you to understand?"
  Sylvie nodded slowly, "that's easy enough... but you could just tell me-"
  "Oh, no, I couldn't. Something would happen to claim a price. Everything evens itself out."
  Sylvie's shoulders suddenly fell, "then... how much have you gone through...?"
  Lilia's eyes widened. Why would she ask?... "Well, I can't have you going and trying it for yourself. You'd certainly die."
  Sylvie looked to the side, rubbing her arm, "yeah, but... You must have gone through a lot..."
  "The longer you live, the more life you see," Lilia shrugged. "Aren't you hungry? You should eat."
  "Oh!" Sylvie hurriedly finished hanging the laundry, "I totally forgot about that! Are you still hungry, Lilia?"
  He paused, "no... I'm only tired, now..."