ROV (ADD AS I EDIT NEW VERSION)

Chapter 11

    "I can't believe we just did that!"
    Panting they hid in the dark of the closet praying the maid on their tail had lost their tracks. Though it was dark within the small closet her eyes seemed to adjust to the dim light and she could make out the shelves and brooms that rested against the walls. She could make out Tavols form, his head looking down at her. "You brought me into a closet?"
    He laughed, still not looking away from her. She was beautiful even here in the dark closet, his eyes perfectly able to see her chest rise and fall in the tight corset he helped her put on, and the way the lace skirt tightened around her curved hips didn't help him much as he saw her toned thighs. Gods she's so beautiful and I can't even touch her the way I used to. He cursed the circumstance but also blessed them at the same time. She was back, that's all that matters and that's what he had to tell himself as the proximity was slowly choking him to death. 
    "Is the coast clear?" She asked, holding onto the bread as if it was her only life line. She couldn't believe they just stole bread for a group of fish and that it was the most exhilarating thing she's done, but it was the best thing that ever happened. She felt so happy, so carefree to run up to the kitchen crouched down as if she was hunting and come out with the loaf of bread. Did she usually do this back in the day? Steal for fish? She thought it was so foolish and yet so fun.
He slightly opened the door peeking his head out. "It seems fine. Let's go."
    The fish better damn well enjoy this bread. She thought as she followed him to the outdoors. It almost got them in trouble.

    Midafternoon hit quicker than she expected. The fish had thanked her for the food after she scolded them about stealing. They ate the food happily, rubbing against her hand and even performed a jumping show for her, careful not to ruin her new outfit.
She wished she could be back with those fish as she stood in the royal throne room, making her think twice about saying yes to seeing them. She kept fidgeting with the lace of the skirt wishing she had not worn the pants underneath wondering if it was a bad idea. The Queen gave her this beautiful outfit and yet she felt as if she was ruining it.
Not only had she put the pants on under the skirt but she wasn't one of them. She wasn't an elf and she was feeling more at home yet lost in Vallinor than when she woke up in the hospital. She wanted to turn back and hide within her room knowing at least there she was safe from questioning eyes.
    The large red velvet chairs before her made of iron and wood towered in size and height, weighting their soon to be presence and higher status leaving her feeling weaker by the moment.
"Relax. It's fine."
    "Easy for you to say." Tavol had dressed up as well for the occasion; his black hair slicked back and his outfit changed from tunic and pants to a green tunic and gold and silver metal vest with leather and metal tied gauntlets to protect himself up to his elbows. The details in the gold chest and arm piece itself were beautiful and the way the silver lacing was melted into the pieces were awe inspiring. It made him hard to look away from, the gold and silver dancing in the light.  Before they left and he walked out of the bathroom adorned in all the finery she couldn't help but want to stay in the room with him and help him take that armor off and do other things rather than see the King and Queen.
    It distracted Falencia for a short while as she admired the way Tavol looked, the protector shined through and she wanted nothing to do but swoon in his arms like a maiden in distress. Her cheeks heated at the thoughts running through her head and could barely look up at Tavol, though his small laugh made it hard to not worry that he could somehow read her thoughts. "This is neither the time nor the place. But I'm flattered." She squealed her worry out of her, face heating up more as she begged her body to calm itself.
    She jumped, practically tripping into Tavols left arm as she heard the large wooden doors open. Light behind the two figures was blocking their features but she knew it was the King and Queen who had entered. She looked down at herself one last time brushing the skirt down, making sure most of her chest was covered and she prayed that her hair looked nice in the braids and curls a maid had helped her with after she had dressed.
    She gasped when she saw the face of the couple before her. They were beautiful. Young and yet otherworldly as the other fae here and the King and his Queen entered gracefully as birds from their trees walking on light feet with a smile towards them. 
    The Queen was breathtaking, her long dark brown curly hair was pulled back with two braids on each side, a crown of silver made to look like birch trees and green leaves rested on top of her head, a green leaf resting on each of her temples. Her pale skin looked  smooth, high cheekbones highlighted her blazing blue eyes that almost seemed to change color to a green as she caught Falencias' attention.
    The Queen was smiling at Falencia, a mere mortal girl. Falencia felt as if she was in the wrong room, in the wrong place. They're too important to see her. "Falencia and my dear Tavol. Welcome to our Courtroom." Her voice though somewhat far away sounded as if she was right in front of them soft and sweet as magic amplified her voice.                "Welcome home Falencia." Her arms spread wide and she noticed the gown had large draping sleeves that fell off her shoulders to the floor. The long silky white and gold fabric of the dress hugged her small frame moving fluidly as she walked forward and wrapped her arms over her shoulders.
    The embrace made her freeze. She could feel her pointed ears against her own and when The Queen backed away to face her she noticed the tip of her ear was covered by a silver casing that was attached to silver earrings and small chains dangling down to her shoulder. They were beautiful earrings and it made her realize how much being royalty is an outer appearance. Could she handle wearing something like that? Did she when she was alive? "Thank you, your majesty." What does she do? Bow? Smile? She had no idea of how to present herself in front of royalty. "Sorry, I'm quite new at this."
    "It is quite all right dear." It was the King who spoke. My god he was as good looking as Tavol was but in an older, leader kind of way. She found herself stilled by his handsome face and strong features. His long blond hair was straight and neatly held under the silver birch tree crown he also bore. A single green leaf laid on his forehead after his hairline. His skin was smooth and pale like his wife's, and his square jaw and face showed years of knowledge and life and yet still young and immortal in the strong bone structure. How could one look like this? How could these people seem so old and yet look so young? Part of her started to envy that immortality and yet it made her wonder if she had died...then it must not be full immortality. Though one surviving a beheading seemed unlikely. She inwardly shook her head to forget that dream at this time. It wasn't the right place to be thinking of such things.  "Your travels must have been long. We are elated that you are back in the presence of your true home."
    My true home? Part of her still doubted though the signs were there. "Thank you My Lord." She bowed to him as well, taking in his long red cape and white suit seeing the elegance of the King as an amazing detail. The white tied shirt had gold in the threads and the loose tunic was tucked into the black pants that fit his firm legs. Even the black stones that held onto the top of the cape and the chain of green leaves that attached both sides was beautiful. "Thank you again for the outfit my Lady." She pulled at the skirt to show her how much she liked it but then it made her feel as if she was a child pulling at her dress in shyness. "It's very beautiful."
           The Queen spoke. "Tavol, you were right my dear. She looks ravishing in the outfit I chose. You were right to tell me to add the pants. It's something I would like all of my female warriors to wear."
        Feeling her face heat up with the compliments and the thought that Tavol helped pick out the outfit made her want to hug and then punch him in the gut for putting her on the spot. 
           The king's smile matched his wife's as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "My sweet we are making Falencia nervous. Child, there is nothing to be afraid of. This one here has always been right with her outfit selections. There isn't one thing I don't love about what she chooses for our people." He grabbed her hand lifting it above her head. "Spin for her darling. Show her the amazing detail in the back." As she spun it revealed the low cut back, chains of pearls connected both sides to keep the fabric together. " i Had it handcrafted after her beauty."
         It seems so out of place to see the display of affection but it almost made her ideas of royalty change. They looked as if they were deeply in love with the way her smile turned into a slight giggle, how his hands rubbed the back of her neck as if massaging her. "Oh Dorn, stop it my love."
        Tavol cleared his throat causing Falencia to look up at him in horror as if he had just declared war. "My Lord and Lady, thank you for allowing us to come today. She does look beautiful in your choice and it would be an honor for my warriors to wear your garments." She gawked at him. "But may I ask one thing?"
        "What is it my dear boy? We would do anything for you. He is our best guard and trainer in this entire castle."
         "Oh you are, are you?" The best? She'd have to see about that.
          He looked away sheepishly. "Well, I had a lot of time on my hands the last few years." It was all he could do not to be consumed by her death. He trained and trained until he became guard and Captain of the training facility. "But I would like to train Falencia and have her as a warrior. She deserves that much honor from her past." He turned to her and his green eyes melted her right to the floor. "That is if you'll have me."
          His warrior? Is he joking? "Um, Tavol, I" She had no idea what to say. She didn't know the first thing about all this and it was happening so fast. "I don't even know how to fight."
          She turned when she heard the Queen speak. "Oh my dear of course you can be a warrior and trust me you know a thing or two; your reflexes will come back to you and you'll be training Tavol soon enough."
          She laughed at the picture in her head but suddenly quieted when she realized where she was. "I guess I could be. This is just happening so fast. It's odd. Would you still want me even though I am human? Or this body is at least, Queen Pommel?"
           She walked up to her and placed a small hand on her cheek. "My sweet dear of course. You have your powers inside you, they just still lie doormat but they will come. You are Falencia and nothing will change that. Not even these round ears."
         When the pointed ears used to scare her now she wanted them to look the same as everyone else. What would they think of a human warrior with them?how could she fight like them when she was in this weakened skin? As soon as she wanted to ask, Tavol stopped her as if knowing what she was going to say. "So Dorn, my Lord, about my team," Him and the King started to walk away near the Throne chairs leaving Falencia in front of the Queen, her heart racing.
          The Queen suddenly grabbed her arm and spoke. "So dear, tell me how does it feel to be back? When you woke I hope the human world wasn't too much for you. I've seen it and the things people do scares me and my people."
      "I'm sorry but I don't really remember much. I was scared waking up in the hospital. I guess my human part was in an accident and that's what woke up well, me." She motioned to herself. It still felt weird to talk about Ellie, the girl who looks like her and shared a body with her for twenty three years and yet they never knew either one existed or to think that one was truly gone. "I was mostly stuck at the human home, her father wanted to protect her from getting hurt or leaving him ever again." That was when she bowed her head realizing he ended up losing his daughter anyway. "That family, they will miss her."
The Queen understood all too well what Falencia had meant. She herself an orphan losing her parents years ago with the human-elf war and now she looked down at this girl and felt as if she was ten years old again hearing about her parents. It was the day she met Dorn and the rest was history. Dorn was a prince and he took her in in her time of need. It was a miracle to have him and even more of a miracle to see this youngling beside her. "There, there child. It is all right. He will understand one day that you had to leave. That you were not of that world."
          "But I'm human. I am nothing like you, like your people." She hated leaving him even though she felt no real connection to him as her human father but he would still find a way into her dreams. She would see him run and call out her name trying to search for her and when he found her he would look at her with fear in her eyes as he saw her pointed ears and magic billowing around her. "I don't know where I belong."
"My dear Falencia, you belong here as you always have and always will. Though you have been dealt a bad hand in the past I see this one being the right one." Falencia smiled at the thought. A better world, one she deserved andyet she hoped she could live up to everyone else's thoughts. "I do have something else for you." She turned to speak with one of the maids that was nearby and the girl nodded running off into another room.
         "Thank you for the offer but I possibly couldn't-" She raised her hand as the maid came prancing forward bowing at the queen with a black velvet box in her hand.
           "This will help you. It is a powerful stone that will raise the powers that are within and help your body withstand the magic inside you. It is the last of its kind." She opened the box and turned it to the young girl that stood there in awe. "Sir Tavol? If you will?"
           Tavol ran to her as fast as he could standing beside his Queen in moments grabbing the necklace that laid inside. When he lifted it up for her to see she shook her head in awe. There was an amethyst stone attached to a small gold chain making the stone shine in the mid afternoon sun, almost pulsing when Tavol moved it closer to her. "Queen Pommel." She gasp. "No, please, it's too much for me."
            "Nothing is too much for my warriors."
              Before she knew it she was lifting her own hair up to bare her neck as Tavol went behind her to clasp the necklace together. It felt light on her neck and the stone rested right below the collarbone over her sternum. Looking down at the pulsing stone she was in awe as it shinned brighter and pulsed faster, her own heartbeat speeding up. As her skin starting to tingle throughout her body she heard herself make a slight yelp at the pain. "What's happening?"
            Her hair on the back of her neck raised, her fingers tingling with anticipation and something else flowing through her that she wasn't quite sure of though it scared her to feel. The stone was doing something within.. "It's your magic my love. It's been awaken by the stone. Keep it safe and it will help you. It will protect the human side of you that we hold so dear." His words wrapped around her body like silk as she felt a small burst inside her that made her cry out and hide in Tavols chest. "Give it a brief moment and it shall pass." His arms wrapped around her as she felt every wave crash through her and then suddenly the feelings stopped. It had passed.