Fear

chapter 8

Two more men stood in the kitchen. They seemed as horrified as I was. One was dark haired, the other lighter, although not as blonde as Grant. Both were similar with the same dark tan, although the darker haired one sported an ugly facial scar.

"Charles and Adam, sholry." Grant said softly from behind me. I whirled around to face him. He had thrown some clothing on, although his shirt was open, his chest visibly heaving. His face had paled and was pinched. I was not certain if it were fear or guilt.

"She can see us?" One asked in a squeak, his eyes bulging.

"Obviously." Grant snapped. "She can see me too."

Instantly, Charles and Adam dropped to their knees before me, their heads hanging low.

"Forgive us, your highnesses." The fair one mumbled.

"Highnesses?" My voice mirrored the squeak of the kneeling elf.

"I did attempt an explanation, Eloisa." Grant sighed. "Sholry has many meanings. Princess. Lady. Highness. A term of great reverence to which you are entitled."

"Not a term of endearment?"

"That too, Eloisa. Coming from my lips, it is."

I swallowed hard and loudly. "Coffee. I need coffee." I gasped. Instantly, the fair elf jumped to his feet and switched on the kettle. The other joined him, reaching for my cup and the jar of coffee. Grant steered me to the table and pulled out a chair, then switched on the radio. Voices droned in discussion, disguising our conversation.

"Sit. We need to talk. This has all been too sudden for you to take in."

I sat and nodded. "Yes, perhaps we should talk. There's much I don't understand."

He sat at a distance from me. I heard the kettle click off and then the sound of a spoon in a cup. I continued to look Grant in the eye expectantly. I saw my cup appear in front of me on the table, although not who delivered it. I picked it up, and sipped it, not taking my eyes from Grant's face.

"I'm waiting."

Grant sighed. "I'm trying to figure out where to start."

"Try the beginning." I took another sip at the coffee. It was just how I liked it, strong and hot.

"You were born to be a queen, Eloisa. Your parents were two of the finest of our people and were delighted with you. They had waited a long time for your arrival, and the whole city rejoiced in your birth. There were others less than pleased, of course, but that is the nature of life. It was not you they were displeased with, but with the fact that you were a female, not male. You could not be a King. You grew. You were happy, and your parents treated you fairly, wishing you to inherit traits of fairness and mercy. As soon as you could walk, you learned to ride and how to treat the animals you rode with kindness and compassion. When you learned to talk, you were taught all the different languages used in our world, and you spoke them all fluently. Many cities offered suitable royal consorts. I was one of them."

"Do I look like a queen?" I interrupted with a snort. Adam and Charles gasped and fell to their knees again.

Grant chuckled. "Does that answer your question?"

"Not really, but continue."

Grant waved a hand and the two elves stood again, melding into the walls of my kitchen as if they were utensils.

"I spent time in your company. Friendship was encouraged, but not insisted upon.

We rode, played as children will, and became friends. We hit it off really well. We shared many similar interests. One by one, the other boys were rejected. Most of them were simply not interested in you. Others were deemed not suitable. There were many reasons – some genetic, some political. That left four of us in competition – although none of us were aware of it. We were just children, and enjoying life."

"What happened?"

"You disappeared. Taken, I was told. Not willingly, but spirited away during the night. Kidnapped. Nobody knew where, how or who by, although I'm certain some knew, but were unwilling or unable to say. I left my childhood the day they told me. I pined for my friend. I missed her laughter and her company. I feared for her safety. A year passed without news. Then another. I never forgot you. As the years rolled on, I vowed to find you, seeking people to train me in tracking, survival, and weapon skills. I grew older and developed my magic. I found loyal companions, who have assisted me, fought with me, followed me and even died for me. Charles here, received a dagger in his face intended for me. Our healing abilities were somewhat lacking in those days."

"I survived, Talgen, thanks to you. The scar is honourably gained." Charles said from a shadowy corner by the cooker.

"Honourably and heroically, Charles. I will be forever grateful." Grant didn't turn to look at him. I glanced at the scarred man, who flushed red and averted his eyes, staring intently at the tiled wall beside him. I drank some more of my coffee, continuing to watch Charles while listening to Grant continue.

"Information regarding you was minimal. Either nobody knew or was too frightened to say, even to us. We spent years trying to glean information. I knew you were still alive. I could feel it deep within me. It spurred me on. The first ray of hope came in a tavern. We had stopped for a meal and to slake our thirst. The tavern was busy as we entered, but by the time we pushed our empty plates aside, it was almost empty. A coin pouch sailed through the air and landed on the table in front of me. Adam dived on it, thinking it was a danger, tucking it into his chest and curved his body around it on the floor, hoping to absorb any blast. Nothing happened. Whoever had thrown it was long gone when we realised there was no danger in it. When the pouch was opened, a necklace slid out. I recognised it instantly. It was yours."

"Mine?" I returned my eyes to his with interest.

"You wore the necklace when you were a child. It was constantly around your neck. I remembered it because I asked you once what it was. You told me the story it depicted. You said your father had given it to you and it was a charm. Each charm is made individually for each person. It was unique to you. There was a note in the pouch. Go west, it said. The one you seek is in the west. We walked west. We travelled through every misery and hardship the world could send our way and still we continued west. I began to dream of you, first as you had been, young and carefree, then of an older person, much as you are now, probably alone and afraid. Those dreams strengthened my resolve, although I have never faltered from my goal of finding you. The more I dreamed, the more I became convinced of the reason I searched. I began to follow the dreams. In them, you were running, constantly afraid, always running away from me. I chased you, you ran. Always just out of reach, so close, but so far away..."

I coughed to remove a lump that had formed in my throat. The dreams, my nightmares. So similar. I rose, a sudden thought clear in my mind. Grant looked at me, puzzled and wary as I left the kitchen, heading for my bedroom. Grant followed me like a shadow. I crossed to my dresser, opened the secret compartment and withdraw my notebook.

"Can you read?" I asked.

"Of course, sholry. Like you, I am fluent in many languages, written and spoken."

"This is all I know – at present. Maybe I will recollect if I regain my memories."

I handed him the book and returned to the kitchen to finish my coffee. Adam and Charles stood as immobile as before, blending into the shadows with ease. Grant moved his chair closer to me and sat at the table to read the book.