The Darkness

History of the Ages

The words on the page in front of me seemed to mock me. I thought I was smart enough to come up with a strategy on my own - I would be the future Queen, after all. I was exhausted and my brain was so over-filled with information and personal drama that there was no room for knew information. I hadn't been able to sleep. Not for a lack of trying - I had tossed and turned for a few hours before I climbed out of bed and stomped to the library in attempt to clear my mind. The nightmares were relentless and even though I knew I was safe, it was hard to find restful sleep. Laurel usually lulled me to sleep with a soft song and dream manipulation, but my own negative dream manipulation seemed to be stronger. All I could dream of was Paeris laying in the clearing over and over again. It made our training sessions so much harder, seeing his face every day. I was traumatized by his death and broken hearted over his return to life.

I dropped my head back and glared at the ceiling, growling to myself with irritation.

"What are you doing?"

I didn't bother to look up at Paeris, though he took it as an invitation to settle into the armchair next to me. I hoped our earlier fight wouldn't make things terrible between us, but he seemed to be back to his flippant attitude like nothing had happened.

"Trying to find a loophole."

He seemed genuinely amused. "For what?"

"Everything. Do you remember earlier when I asked what your future looks like?" He nodded slowly, as if he didn't understand. I sighed.

"Well, my future seems like it's changing every couple of months. And I hate it."

"I thought you were the adventurous type? I thought you liked change?"

"Not when I can't control the changes." I slammed the book shut, making Paeris jump a little. "The first lesson I ever learned was control. Control your emotions, Alaray. Control the shift. Control your opponent."

"I personally like it when you're out of control." He teased. I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, you make the best decisions when you're under pressure. You may not be in control of the way things are, but with information, you should be able to have the feeling of control."

"How is information going to help me?"

"Problem solving 101." All teasing was gone in his tone and class was back in session. I was exhausted. "What is the problem you're trying to control?"

I bit my lip, my mind reeling at all the different answers I needed. "There are a lot of things I need to change."

"The world we know wasn't built in a day. Narrow it down. What is the biggest problem in your life?" I shook my head. "I can't advise you or help you find answers if you keep me in the dark."

I agreed. Even if Paeris and I weren't going to be romantic partners anymore, I still needed to be transparent with him. He was the only person helping me on the royalty side and while I knew others were attempting to ease the struggle of my new title, he was the greatest source of Elven knowledge I had - aside from books.

"I think the most pressuring problems at the moment are basically the same." I tipped my head. "I need control of my powers. I can't protect myself or others with what little I know. I can't keep running into battle with my fists and teeth." I started. The smile on his face was encouraging. "I know I'm improving but the weather makes it hard to train when I'm freezing."

"I agree. You would be much more effective using your full arsenal. It has been a long time since anyone has used their abilities in combat. You're actually the first Queen in decades to fight with her people in a real battle." Paeris' shadowy eyes actually looked a few tones brighter as he spoke. My heart swelled. He looked proud.

"I want to change the dynamic."

"That's why you're perfect."

Breath sucked from my lungs momentarily at his words, my cheeks growing a touch warmer.

"What else?" He pressed, jumping up to look through the rows of books around us. "Keep going, I'm listening." He looked more invigorated than he had in months.

"Well, I need to know more about my history. Our history." I wanted to take the words back as I said them, but the clattering of books falling down somewhere in the stacks made me laugh. "What are you looking for?"

"A book. Keep going. Control of powers, knowledge of the collective Elven history." He called back, sounding muffled through the shelves and dusty books. "What else?"

"I also need to know how to align it with my duties as a Champion. I have specific cultural rules I have to abide by. It's going to be easier now that the Guardians are inside the walls, for the most part, but it would be an uproar if Cage took the thrown beside me." I knew in both histories, a Guardian had never been even a consort to the Queen aside from my father's secret forced affair.

I watched Paeris' light hair bob around through selves as he searched.

"As a Champion and leader of the Guardians, our culture dictates that I have to be Mated to the eldest male that matches my strength. That would be Cage. But as Queen, I can't be with him."

"Well, you could. You are High Queen." Paeris pointed out, carrying a large leather bound book back to the table and settling into the chair across from me again. "But it could cause an uprising from the other settlements."

I blinked, confused at his words. Other settlements?

"You look like I lost you. What are you confused about?"

"Other settlements? You mean the Council, right?" He looked at me like I had grown a second head. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Sorry, I've never..." he started, rustling through the pages of the book he brought over, his eyebrows pulling together as he searched. Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for and extended a page to me that looked like a hand drawn map. It was a much bigger version of what I had seen in the books at the Enclave. Instead of depicting just the Enclave and the High Wall, it also had little towns around with the names of other elements written over them. In the corner was a dark space that simply had scrawled Unknown Ruins.

I frowned, nibbling my lip again in confusion.

"Have you never seen this map?" He asked softly, dragging my attention back to him.

"Never. What is it?"

Paeris shook his head. "This is the Old Kingdom."

How did I not know there was more? My whole life, I had thought it was just the Enclave and the High Wall. How was I so naïve to think that this was all there was?

"This map is about fifty years old. There used to be another one, but it was destroyed when Lorelei took power." Paeris closed the book, offering it to me. "There used to be smaller kingdoms for each element. The High Wall was a home to the strongest elves of each element, the ones who were chosen to be leaders by the Ladies of these smaller groups. Eventually, your mother, who was Queen at the time, decided to bring in the Guardians."

I nodded, remembering a story similar to this from my youth. It had never been in our history books, but it was more of a story told by the Alphas to their children.

"The other leaders didn't like the idea of using Guardians to fight our battles for us. They went against Lorelei and she refused protection to these different leaders. Eventually, we closed off the High Wall to outsiders and left the other regions to fend for themselves. Before your mother, it was rare for elementals to mix lineage aside from the selected family to produce an Heir to the throne." Paeris reached across to run his fingertips over the back of my hand gently. This time I didn't pull away. I needed more information.

"The High Wall became a mixing pot for all elementals; we created our own elemental divisions and elected our own Council leaders. Meara had been communicating more freely with the other Leaders of these regions, but all communication stopped with her death." He sighed softly, looking as exhausted as I felt. "Our magic is strong because it is mixed. But we only know the power that was taught to us by our ancestors and practice. A lot of us have gotten lazy and since no one new is sent here from the outer Regions, our history is dying with each new generation. And age, of course. It's hard to remember things after you've lived as long as, for example, Keya."

I remembered thinking how lazy the Elves must have been to need Guardians to fight their battles for them. Apparently it hadn't been very far from the truth.

"So these other regions, they are masters at elemental magic?"

"Their elements, yes." He clarified. "Most of these regions, while they are generally peaceful to one another, don't spend time learning other magic. There is no point, since it is still virtually unheard of for elementals to mix in their communities outside of the High Wall. There are a few exceptions, like Fluvis. Braun was the closest adaption to the traditions to the High Wall, but they are very vein. There is a whole story there, but that could take the whole night. When Lorelei cut off ties, a few of the elemental regions fell, resulting in some regions to mix to maintain their numbers. Keya was the last of the original Council from Spiris."

It made sense as to why everyone seemed to mourn her death, even if they hadn't been close to her in life. It also made sense why she wasn't invited to many Council meetings - she had been pushed out.

"Pae, how do you know all of this? I know you enjoy reading, but you know a lot." I asked, feeling a sense of longing and sadness in his tone.

"Well, for one thing, it is our history. We are taught a lot of this, the basics anyway, since we are very small." It reminded me of the stories and history lessons the Guardians took as soon as they were old enough to read. And even before, when my father would tell me bed time stories that were legends and stories passed down from each Pack. "Secondly, I lived through it."

"I thought you said that map was fifty years old?"

"Give or take a decade or so." He smiled, the shadows in his eyes returning.

"So how did you live through a period that is older than you are?" It didn't make sense. I gazed at him, knowing that he looked to be only a few years older than me. At most, I would guess Paeris was in his late twenties.

"How old do you think I am, Ray?" He asked then, amusement dancing over his features.

"Twenty five. Give or take a year."

He laughed as if my answer was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

"Okay, thirty then." I offered, narrowing my eyes at him. I knew elves aged differently from Guardians. I knew they lived to be much older than us, but if this map was fifty years old, and Paeris vividly remembered a time before this map, how old was he?

"Ray, I'm nearly a hundred and twenty years old."

"What?" I screeched, my voice echoing through the library.

"Give or take a year."