A'lurejah: The Fae Princess

Chapter One

    The day my family perished was no different than any other day.  The sun poured down, unfiltered by the trees, into the small clearing.  It's warmth evoked a wonderful perfume from the flowers on the bed of the forest floor, the sweetness of honey and the cleanliness of lavender and lilac. Close by I could hear the gentle trickle of the babbling brook. Above me, the birds sang gayly and the forest floor still smelled of damp earth from the morning dew. Not far off I could hear the laughter and chatter of my family (the clearing was no more than four or five meters from my house). A soft, cool breeze tickled my hair and made me shiver slightly. My soft pink dress was much too thin for the colder days of late Summer. There was no hint, not even an inkling, that anything bad would happen in just a few short hours.

    Joyous laughter echoed off the forest walls, my Avalonian friends and I used to come here often to play and share secrets, but I went mostly to escape the chaos of having six older siblings, they (the Avalonians) went because I was there.  I could tell them my secrets, and share with them my deepest fears and my darkest nightmares, and they would whisper back to me knowledge and wisdom.  I was safe there with them.  Though the Avalonians are naturally, a peaceful nurturing race; they had a fearsome temper when someone threatens their own.

    “It is such a lazy day, one of the few left where the sun will be warmer than the cold wind.  The days grow shorter and colder, Winter was quick in approach. Oh! How I dread the coming of Winter!  The days would be short and cold and the sun would hide away behind thick grey clouds for many months; it did feel like I would never see Summer again!  I would miss coming to my favorite patch in the woods with my Fairie friends! I wish Summer would never end!”  I thought to myself.

    I laid down on a soft patch of moss that the Avalonians made for me, soaking up the last of Summer's warmth, admiring the way their wings sparkled and glistened when the light hit them.  Their iridescent, translucent wings cast rainbows on the objects below them as the sun passed through them, it was quite breathtaking.  They flew around and danced in the air, rejoicing in my laughter; they would do anything just to make me laugh.  You see, the Fae thrive on laughter, it keeps them going, makes them feel as if they are restoring joy and hope into the world again.

    I must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing I knew was that my mother was calling me inside, the sun was already fast fading in the distance.

    “Coming mother!” I called back as I picked up my shoes and ran back to the house. 

    “Where are yer shoes!? And yer shawl!? One of these days yer gonna catch yer death of cold out there!” My mother fussed, “Go inside and get cleaned up fer dinner!” She said, shaking her head, and slapping my backside as I went by.

    I giggled playfully and ran to the wash basin to clean up for supper.  It smelled especially good tonight. 

    “Ma, what's the special occasion?” I asked as she came back inside. 

    “Whatcha mean?” 

    “It smells especially good tonight, I figured there was a special reason for such a special meal.” I shrugged as I took my place at our large wooden table. 

    “Donna fash yerself about it just now.  I expect you'll ken soon enough.” When she smiled, her eyes lit up and sparked like the fae’s wings. 

    I ken she's gonna have another bairn! I thought silently. 

    I waited as patiently as an eight year old girl could wait, for the rest of my family to take their places at the table. Da’ sat at the head of the table on the north wall, Ma’ sat at the end of the table on the South wall, each of the bairns sat, from oldest to youngest from North to South along the east and west walls. This was tradition, the head of the house always sat on the North wall, it was a sign of power and good luck. 

    As everyone was seated, silence fell and Da’ began with the evening prayer. 

    “Our heavenly Creator, we thank thee for the prosperity of the crops this year. We ask thee to protect us and look out for us this winter. Bless this food as we go about yer will here on earth. 

Amen.” 

    We all said “Amen” at the same time, and Da’ began serving food onto plates and passing them out.  Ma’ always got the first plate of food, then it was oldest to youngest after that.  No one was allowed to eat until everyone had their plate of food and Da’ had been served; he always served himself last.

     “It is good to be humble and selfless, always serving others before yerself.” He would always say.

    “Before we begin, I have some good news to share with yeh.” Da said, smiling, there was a twinkling in his eyes that sent a flutter of excitement through me.

    This is it! I thought to myself, I am about to not be the youngest anymore!!

     “Ma and I” Da’ continued, “have decided that it's time for yeh bairns to begin learning a trade. The girls will each spend rotating weeks at the castle learning from yer auntie and uncle and cousins. And the boys will each spend a week in different places in town.  The oldest will begin in the blacksmith's shop, and we will make arrangements from there!!” 

    I couldn’t hide the shoulder slump that happened from the disappointment of this news, nor the tears that sprang to my eyes quick as lightning. 

    “Really, Da!? Are yeh serious!?” Jerome jumped up from the table so quickly in his excitement that he almost knocked his food on the floor. 

    “Sit down, son!” Ma scolded. 

    He blushed, sat down, said a hurried “sorry” and went back to his conversation with Da. 

    “Yes, I'm serious. It's past time that yeh start learning what yeh might wanna do as yeh grow into a man.” Da was quite proud that his son was as excited about this news as he was. 

    “Excuse me?” I injected my meek self into the conversation. 

    “Yes, lass, go on.” Da said, his smile waning a bit. 

    I blushed, “Sorry, Da, it can wait.”  I apologized. 

    “Nonsense. Speak up lassie, don't be shy.” He said, his smile was more gentle now. 

    “I was only wondering, well,  does this include me as well? Or only the older girls?” I asked almost as quietly as a whisper. 

    “Ah, lassy, for another year it will just be the older girls.” My face fell and everyone laughed. 

    “There will be no laughing at this table if it is to poke fun of someone else, or ye’ll have no supper!” Ma spoke up harshly to my siblings. “There is no need to be cruel, just because she is considerably younger than yeh, is no right to be laughing that she canna join yeh. Think of how yeh’d feel if the situation were reversed!” Ma cursed under her breath and smiled encouragingly at me. “For now, lassy, you'll be here helping me out with things.  We will begin lessons for yeh like sewing and crocheting and reading. That way yeh’ll be prepared next year to begin lessons at the castle.” 

    Ma was a kind soul, always trying to find peace between her seven children. Don’t get me wrong, being the youngest had its perks. But I would trade those perks to be healthy and older, just to fit in with my siblings. To not be different. This disconnection from the rest of my siblings caused a rift between them and our parents. They thought that I was always getting special treatment and they resented me for it. Ma always told me that they were just jealous of my majickal abilities and that they didn’t understand. She and Da always said that as I get older and stronger and healthier that I would fit in better and, in my own time, find my groove with them. 

    The rest of the night went on silently for me.  I toned everyone else out because it was too painful to hear their questions about what they would be doing, and if they would be staying at the castle or coming home every night. I sat all alone, wishing for just one single sibling to take mercy on me and be kind, but to them, I was invisible. Too young. Too weak. Too meek. Too naive. Too quiet.  Too weird.  They never paid me any mind. 

    Ma’s touch on my hand startled me out of my gloomy thoughts, “Would you stay and help me wash up tonight, my love?” She whispered quietly to me. 

    I smiled as earnestly as I could, trying to hide the pain, and nodded.“Thank you.” I mouthed back to her as a few silent tears escaped my eyes. Sometimes I felt like my mother was the only person in the world who understood me; she was my best friend.  

    I finished my dinner methodically, waiting for the others to finish and go to bed so that I could have Ma all to myself. It seemed, however, that time was against me, it seemed to have slowed down, and dinner felt like it took forever to finish that night. 

    Finally when everyone was done they excused themselves to go wash up for bed.  They did a full circle around the table giving Ma and Da hugs and kisses as they left the dining area. When the older kids had left, Da looked at me curiously. 

    “Are yeh alright, lass?” He asked kindly.

    “I am, in fact, quite sad.” I said, tears brimmed my eyelids and threatened to pour over. He got up and scooped me into his strong arms.  I drank in his musky, tobacco scent as he held me tightly. 

    “I ken it's hard, love, and I ken that you feel alone, but as you get older and are able to do more with them; they will be more welcoming of your talents and less put off by you.” He smiled his crooked smile and kissed my cheek. “Donna fash yerself about it. I think yer quite extraordinary!” He tickled my ribs before setting me down on my feet at the sink.  “Donna ever forget that yer mum and I love yeh very much and we both think that yer very wonderful!!” He tapped the tip of my nose, wiped away a loose tear and went to the fireplace mantle to pick up his pipe and tobacco. 

    Ma and I washed dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, singing and laughing together, and when we were done, Ma took me to my room and helped me get dressed for bed.

    “Lassie, we love you, you ken that, right?”  Ma asked as she tucked me into bed.  I nodded my head slowly.  “Yeh ken that they are just jealous of yeh, right?”  My brow creased, and this time I shook my head.  “Aye, that’s right.  They are jealous of the time yeh get to spend off in the forest, not havin’ to work and do chores and such.  They are jealous of the time I spend with ya, and yer Da spends with ya too.  When yer older, and able to do more, they won’t see ya as any different than them, because yeh’ll be working right alongside them.”  She smiled kindly and kissed my forehead, “Night, bug, get some sleep.  I think tomorrow will be an eventful day!”  She laughed softly, blew out my candles and left the room, closing the door behind her.

    I sat straight up in my bed, gasping for air, throat burning, eyes watering. 

    "I wonder what Ma burned this morning..” 

    I shrugged my shoulders, coughing trying to reorient myself.

     "Oh no..."

    I sat frozen, fear prickled at the back of my mind and neck.  My throat began to close, my stomach dropped to the floor and felt sick.  

     "That is no burnt toast… That is a fire.. And a large one at that… !"

     Palms wet with sweat, hands shaking, heart racing, I began to realize what was happening, just as the screaming began somewhere in the near distance. 

      “My house is on fire! My siblings are burning alive in their rooms!"

      And just like that, I couldn’t think, I was paralyzed, I couldn’t move. My whole body began to quake uncontrollably.  I knew that I should be feeling sad right now, but all I could feel was fear and cold.

    Lost in my spiraling thoughts, I didn’t notice when the fire reached my room until my left ankle was burning.  The fire caught my sleeping dress on fire, in no time, the fire had burned up to my thigh and was climbing quickly to my hip.  I fell off the bed and onto the floor in a feeble attempt to claw my way out of my room and out of the fires reach.  I knew that I wouldn’t reach the door in time, that I, too, would be burned alive, but I tried anyway.  Suddenly, rough hands were fiercely patting out the fire on my sleeping dress; the floor suddenly gave way and I was flying through the air.  I landed, with a huff, against my father’s chest, relief washed over me like a breath of fresh air.

    “Lassie, listen to me!  Listen! There’s no time!  Yeh’ll ken the right time to read these.”  He said, gruffly shoving a small bundle into my hands.  “I love you, lass, more than you know.  I will always find you, when the time is right, I will come back and find you!”  He opened the front door and the house exploded.  

    In slow motion, the fire behind us soared up and out of the door; bright, blazing orange and red flames.  The blast propelled my father and me forward, and I flew out of his arms.  I landed with a sickening crunch, and blackness consumed me instantly. 

    When I woke again,the sun was high in the sky, blinding me.  My mouth was so dry that I had to peel my lips apart.

    Where am I?

    I thought as I tried to look around me to understand. My head was pounding, my ears were ringing, a hollow ache in my chest and pain riddled my entire body. I couldn’t think, my mind was spinning out of control, thoughts sped by in a blurry motion. I took many deep, steadying breaths and, when my mind finally stilled, I opened my eyes and looked around me. I was laying on the ground outside, there was a smoke tinge to the air, no sounds of birds singing their early morning songs, no sounds of kids laughter, no screaming either. I thought back to the night before, trying to understand why I was on the ground and why my body hurt so badly.

    The events from the night before came flooding back to me, I remembered the fire and the screams. I remembered how my father carried me out the door and how the house exploded and I got thrown to the ground a ways away from the house. I remembered the sickening sound of bones breaking as I landed on the hard ground. Panic rose up in me like a pot of boiling water, it rose up in my stomach and spread like wildfire in my chest, my throat constricted and my heart raced. 

     How long have I been here for? 

    Does anyone know what happened?

    Will anyone find me before I die too?

    There was no way to tell how long I had been asleep for, or how long ago the fire happened.  It had been long enough that I was severely dehydrated and starving, but not long enough that I was dead, so somewhere in the middle.  The silence around me was disturbing.  No birds singing, no sounds of any kind; it was very unnerving.  When I tried to lift my head to look around me, it sent a sickening jolt of pain through my spine, making my empty stomach lurch painfully.  I wondered if this was how I was going to die.

    I would have been better off dying in the fire, than dying of thirst.  I thought bitterly to myself. Anger washed up inside of me, making my heart race and my head pound. 

     Calm down, Ary.  Yer just making things worse for yerself.   I attempted to soothe myself, but the pain became too much and darkness consumed me once again.

    When next I woke, the sun had gone down and I was shaking with cold.  Every bone, muscle and organ in my body hurt beyond compare. I knew that I had several severely broken bones, and I knew that I had hours left to live.  I would die of dehydration before anything else, except, maybe freezing to death. The temperature was below freezing and I could feel moisture beginning to fall around me. If by some miracle, I was found: I probably would die of pneumonia or some other kind of infection or disease.  

       My brain was spinning and spinning out of control. Going over every possible way that I would or could die there before anyone found me. By my calculations, two days had already passed, by the end of the next day, if I was not found, I would surely die.  If I cut my eyes just right, I could see my former house.  I avoided looking in that direction, if at all possible, because it was too painful. Every second of the moments that I laid there awake, I could hear them all screaming over and over again in my head.  I had thought that when they were gone, the screaming would stop too. I was unaware of the echos etched within the memory cells of my brain. I was unaware of the pain they could cause.. Slowly tormenting me until I drew my final breath… It would not be long now, my breaths were numbered; the only question was, what number would be the last one? I counted my breaths and tried to listen to any sound other than my tearless sobbing, but there were no other sounds. I counted to six hundred before the darkness came again. I welcomed it like an old friend. 

      It seemed like I had slept forever. Good dreams and bad dreams. Didn’t seem to matter. I vaguely remember something warm and wet going down my throat multiple times, and I vaguely remember thinking that someone was talking. 

    If this is what death is like, it sucks. I was expecting to be able to see my family again… oh well… 

    Death felt an awful lot like a very restless, everlasting sleep … I was disappointed, to say the least, angry to say the most. I died out there in the yard of my home, and I still could hear them screaming. 

    I do not know how long the screaming continued on for, it could have been days, months, years even.  All I know is that at some point a voice sounded in the midst of my dreams, a voice that brought me confusion and strength all at the same time.

    “A’lurejah, can yeh hear me?”  Her voice was oddly airy and sounded far away.  “Ary, this is Idhrenniel, can yeh hear me, lass?”  The voice became more clear, but still sounded far away.

    “Aye, I can hear you.”  I replied weakly.

    “Listen, there isnna much time.  Do yeh remember what happened?”  She asked me.

    “You mean the fire?” 

     “Aye, lassie. The fire.”

    “Aye... I remember.” My voice was thick with sorrow. 

    “Good, now, Rothaniel rescued yeh from the yard and brought ya to the palace.  He thought it was the safest place for you to be, however, there has already been an attempt on your life.“ 

    “Yah mean, someone has tried to kill me?”  I asked, incredulous.

    “Aye, lass, someone tried to kill you.  Now pay close attention, the King may be back at any minute.  I am going to help yeh, yeh’ve got a lot of physical healing to do, and yeh’ve got a lot of emotional and mental healing to do.  I am going to put yeh into a sleep that will allow yeh to wake up slowly, when yer ready.”

    “Is it real, then?  Are they all dead?”

    “Aye,  lass, I’m afraid so.  I have to go, someone is coming.”

    She was gone as suddenly as she had come.

    Time seemed to not exist where I was.  Days could have been weeks, or vise versa, there was no way to tell.  Everything was just one constant day, no nights, no setting sun, no sunrises, no goodbyes.  Just one bright sunny day, where everything was peaceful and happy, I was with my family and everything was right again.  Things were as they should have been.  The fire didn’t happen, I could have forgotten about reality all together in time.  However, the universe had other ideas for me.  Instead of being allowed to drift off into my peaceful afterlife, I was dragged back into reality.  The transition began slowly, I was suddenly aware of conversations happening around me, of people coming and going from my room.  I was aware of smells,  especially during meal times.  The smell of food awakened my previously dormant stomach, I think it might have growled at some point.  I was also hyper aware of the atmosphere.  I could feel what the people in my room were feeling, their worries and anxieties weighed heavily on my chest.  

    I was aware of the days passing, I could see the sun make its way across the room and down again, I could tell when my condition changed and when it stayed the same.  It felt like I was there sitting on the sofa, waiting anxiously with the rest of whoever was in my room to see if I would wake up or not.  I stayed still for days, really because I was unable to move, but also because I was not ready to show signs that I was awake yet.  I felt a chilled warning in Idhrenniel’s previous visit, something that she was not telling me, I wanted to feel things out, see what was happening. 

    Just as I had decided that maybe it was time for me to come awake, the king graced my room with his presence.  I had assumed that he was the other person in the room, but I was mistaken.  It was shortly after high noon when a loud, sharp rap echoed off the walls of my bed chambers, making everyone gasp and jump.  

    “Who’s there?”  I heard an unfamiliar, brusque voice asking through the door.

    “King Albion, I have come to see my niece.”  He said, his voice was thick with annoyance.

    “Enter.”  The same voice allowed him entrance, the door opened and a pair of heavy footsteps entered the room.  His footsteps reminded me of my father’s heavy and wary, he sounded tired, when he spoke, his voice thick with many sleepless nights. Albion came over and sat on the edge of my bed, he held my hand and stroked my hair. I felt something warm and wet touch my face, he was washing my face.  His large hands were calloused and strong, reminding me of my father’s.  I struggled to keep my breath slow and steady, to keep my hand limp when all I wanted to do was squeeze his.

    “How does she fair, Idhrenniel?”  The king asked in a voice thick with emotion.  

    “The same, my king.  No change.”  Idhrenniel said.

    “It’s been a year, she should have woken up by now.  I have to assume that she isn’t going to wake up.”  He said in a dismissing tone of voice.  “It’s time for us to move on, to accept the reality that this is her reality and it's not gonna change.”  He said, keeping his voice even and monotone.

     “Be patient Albion!  Her emotional wounds were far deeper and far worse than her physical wounds.  Her mind needs time to heal.  She will wake up when she is ready to.  Your aggravation and endless pacing will get you nowhere but kicked out of here, again.  We can do nothing more for her except wait and let her know that we love her, and that we are here when she is ready to come back to us.”  Idhrenniel chastised the king as a mother would scold her misbehaving child. 

     “You better not be wrong, woman!” Uncle Albion said crossly, I could almost hear the scowl that was on his face, “I’ll be attending matters of the state, I want to be notified the moment she is awake again!”  His tone suggested that of a king, full of dominion and authority.

     A small chuckle could be heard slipping from Idhrenniel, “Are we trying to soothe a guilty conscience there Albion?  You have never taken an interest in this child before, all you have ever cared about was saving face with the public.  Making sure that your sister was taken care of and that she had the bare minimum to survive on.  So tell me, Albion, what did you do this time?”  Idhrenniel’s mocking tone and sarcasm shocked and confused A’lurejah. 

        “A fate she chose, and you would do well to remember that! Do not cross me, because if you do, it will be the last thing you ever do!” Albion was angry now. 

       “Do not forget, sire, I am the full and legal guardian of A’lurejah. If anything should happen to me, you would never see her again. Furthermore if I feel my life or her life was in danger, you would never find us again! Remember what happened the last time you threatened the life of a loved one? You would do well to remember!”  Idhrenniel said, all of the rage she had kept inside and had bottled up came pouring out of her. “Sire, I will never give up hope on her, not as long as there is breath in her lungs!  If you would like to be relieved of her burden,” She snarled the last word, “I am always happy to take her home with me, I have the time and the care to give her while she recovers.”  Idhrenniel said, accusingly.

    “And if she never recovers?”  He asked, a death like stillness in his voice.

    “Well, she will certainly be comfortable until she dies.  Whenever that may be.  It sure seems like, since your physician failed at killing her the first time, she would certainly be better off away from you, either way.”  Idhrenniel said, finally cutting to what was really bothering her.

    I heard the king take a few steps away from me, I assumed that he was stepping closer to Idhrenniel, in my mind I pictured him pointing his finger sternly at her.  

    “I told you once, and I will tell you a thousand times again, I did NOT order that physician to kill my niece!  For now she will remain here.  But if she does not wake up soon, I will be forced to accept that she may never wake up again.”  He growled at Idhrenniel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.  I tried not to jump, but was unsuccessful; I just hoped that no one saw. I was not ready for anyone to know that I was awake.  Idhrenniel’s warning came flooding back to me, “There has already been an attempt on your life.”

     She had not told A’lurejah this to frighten her, but to make her cautious and help her understand that she had come to a dangerous place.