Amaranta – Captive of Elf’s King

Wooden charms

Ivein watched how a bath for Amaranta will be prepared. Under her leadership wonders were going on. The bath has occupied a whole hall laid out with shells, from the inside of which, instead of the ordinary noise of the surf, a quiet fascinating singing came.

“Siren's shells,” she explained to amazed Amaranta. "We are in the union with the underwater kingdom, and we have a lot from it, but also we must to give in return something else." Mermaids, if you noticed, granted benefits. Here in every well and reservoir there is a risk to get into their cold friendly arms.

In the bathroom, too, floated, as the mermaids arising from nowhere - a whole company. All their hair and tails had different shades, and right in the skin were pearls.

“All water tanks, alas, are channels for them to our world, but there are benefits. They can make you a massage so that you relax.”

“No, thanks,” Amaranta scared their hands with membranes and sharp color nails. The mermaids themselves could be admired, but she didn't want to swim next to them. Suddenly theydrown her. Or worse they pulled her into the underwater kingdom. They are probably all sorceress. Large pearls growing right in their foreheads, resemble the third eye.

"If you communicate with them, then you will be able to breathe for a long time under water," said Ivein.

Mermaids bathed in jets that flowed into a huge bath from large shells located in the corners.

“It will be better to swim alone.”

“As you wish!” Ivein dripped into the bath an elixir from the flickering bottle, and the water was foamed so that mermaids with a screech broke into different directions and disappeared. Simultaneously with them crawled out of the bath and a large starfish.

“And there is no fish there?” worried Amaranta.

“No, only an admixture of rare herbs, balms and elixirs.”

“And all this, so I forget the world of mortals?” The head was spinning from mixed aromas above the water.

“Have you not forgotten?” Ivein was amazed.

“I did not even forget how the procession in masks from the golden leaves met me along the way to the county. Why is your face without leaves now?”

“It is a camouflage and grows only in the world of people during the day. So we hide in the forest, merging with illuminated by sunlight foliage. If we do not speak with you the first, you do not distinguish us from the crowns of trees.

“Right! All elves can so?”

“Not all! Only our small society. I enter it, Ivor, and all those elves, which I recently introduced you.”

“Why are you so special?”

“We are the former retinue of the goddess Danu. She adored all the golden. She could turn into gold all the crowns of trees in general forest.”

“Where is she now?”

"Now we serve Dagda," said ​​Ivein, giving it clear that the topic is closed.

A huge bath that would be more appropriate to be called the pool, foaming and waited.

“I have the impression that now a water dragon will be floating out of it!”

"If you want, I can invite one sea dragon here for you, but it is much more pleasant to ride with him on the waves.”

“Are you kidding?”

Ivein shook her head. A wreath of golden leaves in her curls pleasantly rang.

To swim in the bathroom among the shells with gentle melodies turned out to be nice. Velvety foam caressed the body. Water became warm and cool, depending on the desires of the one who was swimming in it. All disturbing thoughts passed from the aromas that had air over the water. Amaranta understood why the mermaids so liked to frolic on the water in this bathroom, as if any other water space was not open.

“That's what is pleasure!” Amaranta noticed how tiny pearls are emerged from the water and stick to her skin, taking the shape of bracelets and necklaces.

"They will need to shake them so that the magic of the underwater kingdom does not rejoice your brains," Ivein warned.

“Later!” Amaranta splashed in water for a long time. Foam flew sparkling bubbles. From the caressing hearing of the mouths of the shells it was easily to forget absolutely about everything. The border from the seashells stretched along the edges of the pool, along the walls and even on the ceiling. The door leading to the balcony was also framed in the form of a large corrugated shell. All this is a tribute to the beauty of the underwater kingdom. It is probably very beautiful and diverse, but she didn't pull there. Too risky. The bottom of the sea is what scares people who are not able to breathe under the water, even navigators. But Uriella attracted something. Ivein confirmed that the girlfriend of Amaranta is still alive. And she was talking to all the mermaids, nymphs and naiads from sources around the elven hills. She learns the truth. According to rumors, Uriella was lucky to become someone like a sea princes.

Now it was just to believe. After all, Amaranta herself became someone like an elf's concubine. The definition was unpleasant. Better let Dagda even call her his bride, forgetting that she was already married. The first marriage was a shallow, but important item. Because of it, her position at the court of the elves was very uncertain. Whether she is a prisoner, or the hostage, or the favorite. Or maybe all at once?

If there is someone else in Aluar told her that she would be a beloved of the kingof elves, she would have found him a storyteller. In the kingdom of the hills, the fairy tale was becoming the truth. Even miracles from the seabed here were available. And the rainbow bridges outside the windows were waiting for her to go for a walk. It is wonderful, but someone gloomy and evil knocks with his claws through a closed door. It is worth covering the eyes, and the lattices of the dungeon are seen, iron drips and locks on the doors, made by magical engraving and someone's black claw, encouraging in the keyhole. He is trying to open the door and can not. He needs help. Her help!

“And otherwise it will be with you, that with me!” whispered a wolving voice into the ears.

Amaranta tried to distract from the hallucination. In the morning she swept on the Pegasus. If we speak more precisely, then flew on its winged back in heaven over the castle. She visited in one of the sides a feast of the elves. To be inside the hill was unusual and interesting. Then she walked along the alley of fruit trees, ripe fruits on which turned out to be a solid set of miracles. It is a pity to it them, even though they give the magic force. Some fruits even knew how to speak or independently overlap from one branch to another. Some trees were also alive and moved roots. Not a garden, but a festival. There were many birds similar to Infanta in the garden. And she considered her white pet the most wonderful feathered creation. The elves even had Sirins. One of them did not lag behind her all the walk.

"A golden brocade is well for you," it sang. The head on the bird body was definitely maiden, and the tail is luxurious, like a white peacock.

"Only if you can constantly wear dresses from golden brocade, then your skin will also become gold. It is already starting to sparkle.”

Amaranta stopped and looked concerned into the well. Water in it reflected like a mirror. Ivein dressed her in the golden outfit. Amaranth herself was not solved to choose from the rich wardrobe. She allowed Ivein to help. Ivein herself wore green outfits with the upper layering of gold lace, woven by Arachni. It seemed that her clothes were braided with a sparkling cobweb. Her preference to the gold color was obsessive. What choice doesn't give her, she will always choose a gold shade thing.

That's the well shine something gold. Amaranta realized that these are shut-off heads. Although it is possible to call uncontrolled heads made entirely of gold. They resembled curly bars. Probably not alive. Why were they left to swim in the water? One head turned its face to her and smiled broadly.

“Hello! It’s the border, you can not go through the burder,” it said. There was metal in singing voice. Other heads repeated the end of the phrase.

“These are guards of the borders. Usually they sleep in wells until mortals come close to the borders of our possessions. Then they wake up and warn, do not go further if a person has good intentions. And if evil, they attack and bite.”

The explanations of Sirin alarmed her. Especially, given the fact that disproportionately large head ears resembled wings of bats. You can probably fly on them. One head waved them and slightly raised above the water level. It even kissed the hand of Amaranta.

"The sign of respect," Sirin explained again, which took on the role of a mentor, "and then suddenly a local queen will soon be proclaimed.

The sign of honor scared Amaranta. The golden lips were burning, even though the head and swam in ice water, and its teeth were like daggers. The death does not avoid if such head attacks you.

"If they protect the borders from the invasion of people, then why they will not drive me away from here, I'm a person," Amaranta stepped back from the well and wandered in an unusual apple garden. Red fruits grew on trees directly from the trunks. The fruits on the branches resemble the balls. The branches themselves moved like hands. It is better to leave the garden, they still stick into her, but they behaved delicately. Not touched!

“You're a guest of Dagda. You can do everything.”

“But I can not leave, and the heads warned me about it.”

“It’s right.”

“Because I'm a prisoner?”

Sirin scratched with the wing in the back of the head.

“Well maybe!”It obviously does not want to go to the conflict. “For me is more pleasant to call you a guest. We rarely have guests. Especially so beautiful.”

“And if Dagda once will drive me away? Then the heads will not let me back, even if I myself find your borders?”

“It all depends on whether he will wait for you. They obey his wishes.”

“Do they feel his desires at a distance?”

“Do you not?”

"I don't know," she thought. If his desire to love her always and be only with her, then she really feels it at a distance.

"I always feel what he wishes," Sirin boasted and drove into the bitches, which swung alone red fruits. “Which would you eat: from the bark or from the branch?”

“Are they different?” The color of the fruits seems to be the same, red, like blood, but they are different in form. She did not want to eat them. because how strange they vibrated was suspicious. The bark under them was porous and as if breathing. Not trees, but sleeping monsters.

“Some apples can change your appearance, others to bring it back. Look!” Sirin bit off a tiny piece from the apple. The hole from the bite instantly overgrown. The apple completely recovered in just a second. That is, they can sink hunger to infinity! So, the elves never starve. But it was not the most amazing. Syrin’s head began to modify. Instead of female and cereal, she turned into the head of a nice dark-haired young man.

“So do you like me more?”

“No,” Amaranta almost fell so. Syrian's head very much resembled Angus's head.

"Then I will return my appearance back," Sirin decided and did it easily. Likewise, it was necessary to eat a whole spherical apple from the branch. The branch scripted displeased, but the fruit on it was again a minute.

When Sirin acquired its former maiden's appearance, it became free to communicate with it. Amaranta was no longer shy because of the feelings of guilt in front of Angus.

"You don't need to eat apples to change the view," Sirin flew around her. “You change so much.”

“Why did you decide?” - Or it will be more correct to say "decided." Amaranta never learned how to contact Sirin, and it did not hurry to enlighten her.

“You are transformed. This is from the union with our king. You are all shining from the inside. Soon you will become one of us.”

“How can you know from?”

“I see it. You have no almost anything from mortal.”

Here is another provider such as Infanta. But judging by her reflection in the well, it was not mistaken. As however, the Infanta, who always had bad premonitions. In one she was right. Her mistress was kidn*pped. For pet, it is a tragedy - stay without her mistress. But if you look at the other hand, Amaranta likes her captivity. All definition of good and evil in the world depends on someone's opinion. And the opinions of people or even birds arise depending on their own position. As she was talking often to the old king of Aluar: good and evil is too abstract concepts. Now Amaranta realized that he meant. Even if the elves are evil for the whole county, for her to live with one of them is happiness.

“Do not go there!” Sirin warned her, but she had already entered the grove of slender trees with lush crowns without fruits. Each barrel in shape resembled the body of a person with thumps thrown up, of which branches sprout. Graceful wood heads were lost in kroons. Almost all of them were female. And rather beautiful. What tree cutter wandered into the world of elves and gave trolhes such a form?

“Have you ever kidn*pped the sculptor and forced him to work on elves?” Amaranta was surprised.

“Oh no! The fact is that those stolen girls who betrayed or wanted to throw their chosen-elves, with time it is treated,” Sirin admitted reluctance. “One insidious queen desired to subjugate the kingdom of elves by intrigue and temptation. She is right in front of you.

Amaranta turned away from the tree, resembling a sculpture of the girl, and stumbled upon the trunks in the form of knightly bodies, as if a whole detachment appealed to the trees. In the center there was a tree with a trunk in the form of a brown mantle. The crowned head from the bark looked at the crown. In the frame of the living green leaves, she looked dead and sinister.

“They are guests! The king and his retinue. They went to us, because Dagda became friends with them, but they saw how many wealth is here and wanted to capture us. Therefore, now they are trees.”

“Can they ever ride?” Amaranta spent her fingers on swords, also become wooden.

“Only when the end of the world comes. Or if you help them.|

“I will not risk!”

The king's head seemed to overgrown with the bark only for a while and sleeping. Amaranta for the first time saw the royal face and the crown of the whole brown. The bark was cracked on the cheeks, but the flesh under it was not to see. The treacherous king and his retinue were obsessed entirely. They deserve it! Cunning beauty too. But what about other virgins? All of them were once elected elves? Amaranta walked for a long time by a grove, looking after faces with accurate features. Some time eys from the bark were closed, some open, showing woody eyes filled with fear.

“Do they hurt?”

“I do not think that they are generally experiencing something, except the horror of the captivity in the first century. Now they will hurt if you wipe off the leaves from the tree.”

She accidentally threw one leave. All the tree immediately groaned. Sirin hurriedly stumbled.

“Will it be so with me?”

There was no one to answer her question. Unless the wood head of the girl speaks with her. It seems that she rushed to reveal the lips and warn about danger.

“Who are you?”

Amaranta was afraid that the tree whispered: "Wilhelmina", but it was silent.