The Little Water Elf

18- Lull

「 I cannot love her; she is not like
the beautiful maiden in the temple,
whom you resemble. If I were forced
to choose a bride, I would rather
choose you, my dumb foundling,
with those expressive eyes. 」

The room was small, and had a large pair of windows that overlooked the ocean, and morning light filled the area with a beautiful, golden glow. Callum was leaning against the glass windows, a sketchbook open in his lap as he mindlessly drew out the image of something.

Rayla stood silently in the doorway for several minutes, before casually tapping on the wood frame.

Callum jumped at the sudden noise, his head shooting up and only relaxing once he saw it was only her.

"Hey, I didn't realize you were there."

Rayla waved her hand, as if to say No problem, it's okay.

She made her way across the room, settling in a position next to Callum and peering around at the strange instruments decorating the room.

She recognized one, from the inside of a shipwreck she explored a long time ago. It had been beautiful, with various plants and sea-flowers deciding to make their home along the decorated frame, bits of sea-weed tangling around the strings that stretched across the middle. They had similar instruments in Xadia, though she couldn't quite remember the name.

A lyre, perhaps?

The poked Callum's shoulder, pointing to the instrument with a distinct curiosity.

"Oh, that's a harp," Callum casually said, "I'm not certain anyone here knows how to play it, though."

Rayla stood, making her way across the tiled floor and sitting at the decorated chair positioned by the instrument. She looked at Callum, as if to ask for permission. He nodded, and Rayla timidly plucked one of the strings.

A simple, melodious note rang out, echoing gently off of the music room's walls. The sound was familiar, in a way.

It was the sound of the ocean, she realized. It was a ridiculous comparison, but the only one that seemed to be fitting.

With a newfound confidence, she began strumming her hands along the instrument, the notes that resulted were simple and melody-less. A mess of measures and tunes that clashed and shouldn't have ever been played together, yet instead of ruining the music they only seemed to compliment each other.

It was a song like that of the ocean's constant lull. Inconsistent, endless, and filled with a silent melody only few could care to understand, or even attempt to hear.

Callum watched her from his position at the side of the room, and she was well aware of his eyes on her. Silent, awed.

All of her thoughts drifted away, leaving the familiar feeling she thought she'd never feel again. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, it was as if she could feel the cold of the riptide, smell the salty air from out in the middle of the Xadian seas, and hear the distant cry of dolphins from down beneath the waves.

It wasn't until there was yet another rush of pain throughout her body that she realized she'd been playing the instrument to the point where her fingers bled.

"Rayla!" she heard Callum shout as she attempted to pull herself up from where she'd fallen to the floor. Like all previous times she felt the rush of pain, she was left exhausted. This time, however, she could only stare at her hands. How her skin seemed to be drying out right before her eyes, and how blood just seemed to pool up in her hands from where the instrument's wires had cut into the sensitive skin.

Rayla closed her hands, allowing Callum to help her up before quickly bowing and running out of the room. Already the hidden scales were beginning to spread across her hands and up her arms.

How in Poseidon's reign was she going to get him to kiss her when, every chance she got to be with him, the pain returned?

She made it to her room, slamming the door shut and frantically running to her bathroom. As usual, the water in the tub was filled. She suspected Viren had ordered it to be so. There also appeared to be sunfire runes along the tub, which led Rayla to believe it was enchanted so that the water never cooled.

She grabbed the vial from its hidden placement, pouring the glimmery substance into the water. Rayla sunk her hands in first, watching with relief as the skin on her palms faded from the shimmery blue of scales to a pale, clear texture of human skin.

She ended up sitting there at the side of the tub, watching the water as she heaved in heavy, exhausted breaths.

Her heart hurt.

Even with the spells Viren had cast, she knew that this wouldn't be able to last forever.

Her magic was fading. Even to a simple, inexperienced elf like her she knew it was obvious.

She just didn't quite know how long it would be until she faded away completely.

• • •

When Callum moved to run after Rayla, he found that, despite knowing he wanted to chase her, he was left with an empty feeling of complete and utter apathy. The song Rayla had played struck something within him, like a distant memory. A feeling that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring to the surface.

Now, he was just numb. He couldn't seem recall what his previous interactions with the girl had been like, or what his relationship with her had grown to be.

It was just nothing.

He groaned, the jumble of mixed thoughts and unseen emotions made his head hurt.

Callum made his way to the harp, where Rayla had sat just moments before, his mind swirling with questions that he just couldn't seem to find the answers to. His fingers traced gently along the instrument's strings, the sharp silence being cut through as he plucked one.

He tried a few more. He just couldn't seem to match the flow of Rayla's melody-less song.

He pulled away from the strings, looking down at his hands. There were small traces of blood from where the harsh lines of metal had cut into her fingertips.

Callum stood and left the music room, the thought of Rayla far from his mind and the memory of the love he once felt for her distant and unseen.