Grace for The Fallen

The Elf Leader

Daetheia Grace

   My parents exchanged a surprised look but nodded all the same.

   “Go ahead, honey,” my mom rolled her hand in a ‘go on’ gesture. “What do you want to talk about?”

   "Um…" I started, suddenly nervous, "I wanted to ask some questions about The Fallen." Well, that certainly got their attention. My dad's mouth tightened and he frowned, as if the very word offended him, and my mom glanced nervously over at my dad then quickly looked away. Huh. Weird. I decided to just carry on.

   “Well, after the news today, about that innocent that was killed,” My dad’s face tightened even more at the word ‘innocent’, “I was wondering why, exactly, people are so afraid of Elves that they would kill them just for something that they might do?”

   “Ok, Daetheia, first off, The Fallen are not innocent,” my dad said through gritted teeth, and I cringed a bit at the use of my full name. “Secondly, to answer your question… can I tell you a story?”

   “Uh… sure, Dad,” I replied, a bit confused.

    “Well then, let’s see…

   ‘Once, long ago, Elves and humans lived in peace. We trusted each other, we worked together, our children played together. But then, something changed. A new Elf leader came into power, and he wasn’t like the old one. He was power-hungry and suspicious, and he saw the humans as a threat. So do you know what he did? He threw a huge party, and he invited all of the major world leaders, as well as their wives and children, to attend. And when they were all eating and the children were playing in another room, he used a concentrated blast of power and… and killed them all. Then he turned on the world leaders. He slaughtered as many as he could before he was finally killed. But it still wasn’t enough.

   ‘The only person who escaped was the leader of a now long-lost mountain city called Verchon. But he was never the same afterwards. He closed Verchon off to the world, and nobody has caught a glimpse of it or its people ever since. The leader himself left Verchon, never to go back. Instead, he became the first Elf-killer. The first and last one to ever show his identity. He recruited other people for his just cause. He revealed the truth about the Elves to the world, and ever since then, they have been trying to purge this world of the Elves, and the threat that they represent. If only one Elf could kill an entire room of children and Elflings with little to no effort, then kill a huge group of world leaders, without even using his powers, do you really want to find out what an entire species just like him could do?

   ‘I’m sorry if it seems unfair,” Dad’s voice was soft and tender, “But you must understand, if the Elf-killers don’t eliminate this threat…” he choked up for a second and my eyes widened in surprise, “I won’t be able to keep you safe from them. I can’t lose my daughter. My family. Please try to understand.” I swallowed and nodded, feeling slightly ashamed.

   “I’m sorry, Dad,” I whispered, my head bowed, “I had no idea…” I was stopped by a hand under my chin. I lifted my head to look into my dad’s eyes.

   “It’s ok,” he whispered, “You don’t have to apologize. I understand. Besides, your curiosity does come from me,” At that, he winked and I giggled, relaxing under his comforting smile.

   “Is it ok if I ask a few more questions?” I asked. Despite the tragic story, I was still hesitant to believe that an entire race could be evil. My dad nodded.

   “You said that there were Elflings in the room with the children?” I questioned. My dad looked down sadly and nodded.

   “Yes, the leader sacrificed both Elflings and Elves so that nobody would suspect him. Because what monster would sacrifice his own wife and children so that he could kill a room full of innocents? Well, him, apparently.” Dad shook his head sadly.

   “Did he work alone?”

   “As far as we know.”

   “Well,” I started hesitantly, “Uh, doesn’t that mean that he was the only guilty one?” I asked apprehensively. My nerves proved to be well placed a few moments later. My dad’s face tightened again and he gritted his teeth.

   “Daetheia,” his voice was low, “Just because the Elves did not actively participate in the m******e does not mean that they were not involved. Do you really think they would just send their children into a locked, sealed room and not even think twice? They could have stopped him, but they didn’t. Do you want to know why? Because those monsters were willing to offer up their own children as sacrifices just so that the human children could die along with them. It’s true that they didn’t raise a single finger to help their leader when he attacked us, but that just shows that they were cruel and selfish, not showing mercy. So no, none of The Fallen are innocent.”

   “How about the Elflings who only came of age recently?” I shot back, suddenly feeling defensive, “They may not even know the crimes of their ancestors. How could the Elf-killers not even give them a chance to prove their innocence?”

   “There is nothing to prove,” My dad shot back, “Elves are monsters, and they must be eliminated!”

   “Why?” I yelled back, “What makes a monster, Dad? Is it what they are, where they come from, or what they’ve done? If it’s what they are, then why aren’t we killing all of the dangerous animals in the world? If it’s where they come from, then why aren’t we killing anyone who comes from Nivemen after they waged war on the world 21 years ago? And if it's what they've done, then why are we killing Elves who have done nothing…”

   “Enough!” My dad’s thundering shout interrupted me, and I fell silent, “That is enough, Daetheia,” he repeated, almost growling, “If you cannot accept the fact that Elves deserve to be eliminated, then this conversation is over.” At that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving his now-cold coffee behind on the table. I turned to look at my mom, who had been quiet the entire time. Her lips were pursed as she looked at my dad’s retreating figure, but when she saw me looking in her direction she quickly tried for a comforting smile, but it turned out to be a sort of disappointed grimace.

   “Your father is right, Daetheia, you should listen to him,” she scolded me gently, then sighed, “Why don’t you go to bed? I’m sure everything will be fine in the morning. Just… try not to anger him further.” She gave me a quick smile, then stood up and took both of the coffee cups to the kitchen.

   I sighed, feeling a bit guilty. But I also felt a strange sense of relief. I had wanted to get that out for a while now. I just couldn’t believe that my dad refused to see reason. I snorted. Guess I didn’t go about it the best way, though, did I? I thought. I turned and walked to my room. Once I got there, I started my night-time routine, getting ready for bed. I'm glad I had done it so many times because I was not paying attention to what I was doing. Instead, I was thinking about the story my dad had told me. That Elf leader had done a terrible thing, it was true. Yet I still couldn’t help feeling sorry for their race. Not all of them were evil, I was almost sure of it. It was almost impossible. And the fact that we were killing the innocent ones along with the guilty just really didn’t feel right. Why don’t Mom and Dad see that? I groaned softly and got into bed. It was still only 8 o’clock, but I was tired. I lay down and closed my eyes, clapping my hands to switch the lights off.

   The last thought in my exhaustion-addled brain before I drifted into the sweet black sea of sleep was;

   I am so glad that I am not an Elf.   

-Rebecca Underwood