The Elven Queen

CHAPTER 17

Unlike other creatures very little is known about the Faye, ironic being that they are the oldest race known to creation, maybe because of their long life spans the Faye didn’t feel any need to procreate hence why they also had the lowest population, so small that they don’t even have a country

No

That was because they choose not to establish a country but instead live in covens, wandering covens, groups of 10 or more that migrate from one place to another, their living habits were as odd as their filial habits, as long as they were together they were all together, they are not an easy group to come across, only if you don’t know where to look

Another unique characteristic of the Faye was the magic they use, unlike the Elves whose power came from the words bound and given life by nature, the Faye gain power directly from nature itself as such they tend to hang around forests with old trees that have accumulated a large amount of mana over a long period of time

Faye haven has long been a myth, an old wives tale, but I’ve been relying on those a lot lately so might as well

After flying East for 13 days, stopping only to rest or spend the night, sometimes in towns most times up in a tree, I land at a town at the edge of a large forest, thicket of trees so thick I couldn’t see the forest floor from above, once again I wave off Adromeda and head into town stopping at the nearest pub

A cute little establishment, the entranceway looked to be carved out of the trunk of an old tree and from the size of the pub I must be in a dwarven settlement, bending down to walk through the door I enter and no one pays me any mind, fair enough, it was a dwarf pub but there were other races there too, I saw a few forest elves, a Lycan or two, some Fairies and of course Dwarves

Taking the first seat at the counter, I wave to the bartender, a small shapely dwarven woman walks up to me

“Vad kommer du att dricka?” what will you be drinking?

“vatten” water, at first she looks surprised, I don’t blame her, the language of the dwarves was not a common one, especially since no two dwarven settlements spoke the same language, but one of my lessons as a Queen were to train my mind as well as my body, my mother made sure to drill in as much as she could into both my mind and my body, her accent hinted of Uplasen decent, it's not odd to find Uplasenian blood so far out in the East, their country boarders between the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere

Her surprise was short lived, she poured the water in a gauntlet and handed it to me

"Är du inte lite långt hemifrån, mane elf?” aren’t you a little far from home, moon elf?

“Jag antar att mitt folk inte är vanligt här?" I take it my people aren’t common here?

“Jag skulle inte säga det” I wouldn’t say that

I like this woman, maybe it’s a skill that comes with working in the service industry but she was easy to talk to

“Jag letar efter ett träd” I’m looking for a tree

“Ett träd?” a tree, she gave me a quizzical look, brow arched and everything

“Ja, ju äldre desto bättre” the older the better

“ aaaaaaaaa” a look of recognition flashed across her face, I guess it was a common thing for people to come here hunting for large trees, the biggest tree in Eldenbard forest was the mother and no one needed directions to that, the mother tree was a ginormous monument that could be seen for miles, she stared off into space heavily considering something, before turning to me and giving me a good once over “Jag vet inte vad du vill med de där trädkramarna, men du är bättre att lämna dem ifred

” I don’t know what you want with those tree huggers, but you’re better off leaving them alone

“ Tyvärr har jag inte det alternativet” sadly, I don’t have that option,

The barkeep turned to the ground,

shaking her head, she sighs then turns back

“Faye.......” she spits on the ground behind the counter as if the very word rose bile to her tongue, I knew the Faye didn’t have a good reputation, but I definitely wasn’t expecting this

“....Arroganta, manipulative, vidriga varelser” .....Arrogant, manipulative, disgusting creatures,

“.....Ja, jag känner ett träd, fortsätt flyga österut över skogen så får du se det, en stor klump timmer i mitten av skogen.......” ......Yes, I know a tree, keep flying east over the forest and you’ll see it, a big lump of Lumber in the center of the forest.....

“......en grupp av de där spetsiga jävlarna gillar att samlas vid den luggen vart tionde år eller så.......” ......a group of those pointy eared bastards like to gather at that lug every ten years or so....

“.......du har tur, det är precis vid den tiden på året” ......you’re in luck, its right around that

time of year

I couldn’t believe it, my hunch was right, I could finally get some answers, with how long they lived I’m sure at least one of them had seen this happen before or could at least tell me something

“Tack” Thank you, I thanked the barkeep unable to hide the excitement in my voice but sadly she didn’t share the same sentiment

“Don’t go” my hands twitched and I nearly dropped my cup

“You speak the common tongue?”

“Ai, but it’s not so often I get to converse in my mother tongue, with how far I am from my country I relish the little pieces of home”

“Where are we?”

“Eldenbard woods, a hot bed for grease bellied swine hungry for a little adventure” Eldenbard woods? I’ve never heard of such a place, my lack of a response made the barkeep burst into laugher till tears came to her eyes, wiping it off with the back of her hand “Ye got a serious look there, Eldenbard isn’t a conversation you come across very often so you shouldn’t look so shocked not to know it, you a spionera?” spy

“Please” I take a swig of water, she wasn’t right, but she wasn’t far off either

“Why do you want me to stay away from the Faye so much?”

The playful look on her face melted away into a somber atmosphere “I’ve lived in these woods me whole life, I grew up with the moss and the leaves, I’ve seen a number of people come and go through the walls of these pub, I actually learned the common tongue from the dribble that walks in and out of those doors so you aren’t the first person to come looking for those fair sheap skates, they never come back, the only person I know to come back came back a shell of a man, I don’t want to see that again”

“I’m sorry”

“Don’t be, it’s not my place to keep you from throwing your life away but could you make it easier on my conscience and rest up, you look like you dragged yourself out of a Reptilaundra’s arse”

I chuckled at her inept though oddly comforting humor and I can’t say she was wrong, I doubt I look my best after days of camping up in trees, the offer of a warm bed was heavily appreciated

“Also the Faye are night folk, you might arrive and find them shagging under the tree in open air”

This made me burst out into a fit of laughter, the first genuine one I’ve had in three weeks

“Follow me” she beckons me behind the counter leading to a flight of stairs going up, from outside you won’t notice but the building was a story long and even had a basement,

“My name is Linnea” I was struck in silence my mouth hanging open, I almost told her my name, I wanted to but I couldn’t risk it

“I’m sorry”

“One thing is for sure you were raised proper with how much you apologize for no reason, if you don’t want to tell me your name that’s fine, it’s your choice, the same way telling a total stranger mine and letting her into my house right above an establishment that has been In my family for generations is mine” she gives me a warm smile, I never expected to meet someone so kind, sitting on that throne for so long has made me skeptical, and I’ll admit a little paranoid

“Resten, Blå” Rest, Blue

“Tack” thank you

She turns back down the stairs, curiosity nipping at my heels like a rabid dog, I needed to sate it, I began to explore the room and I notice the pictures hanging on the wall, all of them were of two people, one was Linnea and the other was a Dwarf boy who bore a striking resemblance to her, looking around the room it looked like it hadn’t been used in a while but didn’t have a single speck of dust sitting on the bed I open the small cupboard on the side to reveal a leather bound book, a diary perhaps, brushing my hand over the cover

“Ludvig” it read, at this point no longer caring above my total lack of respect for the privacy of a woman who opened her home to me, I read the first page

To congratulate me on learning the common tongue mother bought me a diary to write all my new knowledge in, I’ll make her proud

This book and this room must’ve belonged to Linnea’s son, Ludvig, I flipped a few pages and continued

I found a rock today…….

The entries continued on, a collection of rather mundane activities, I nearly put it down when I came across a portion of the book where the writing had gotten more frantic and it all started with one sentence

I SAW A Faye TODAY,

he was so beautiful, his skin was smooth, hair like silk, he looked so so so so so so beautiful

And the next pages went on and on describing the Faye, until

I wonder what that Faye is doing right now, what does he do? What does he eat? I want to see him

At this point the writing got more frantic more jagged, I open a page that was particularly disturbing

I had a dream today, I saw him, he was as beautiful as the first time, he was calling to me, his eyes, oh those eyes, I want to smell him

He was obsessed, next to it was an entire page of scribbles, random swirls and gashes all over the paper till it was boarder line illegible

I want to see him, I want to see him, I want to see him, I want to see him,

The last page was the most concerning

I learnt that Faye gather at old trees where Mana is highly concentrated, there’s a big tree at the center of the forest, I’m going to go to him

And that was it, that was the last entry, at the bottom of the page I see stains, most likely caused by little droplets of water, tears, closing the book, I put it back into the cupboard I pulled it out off rolling onto to my side I close my eyes and drift off into a dreamless slumber