The Theocracy Untouched by Time
1541 Words
Father Pierre, shocked, worried, and relieved, scolded Myles for running away. It was the first time he scolded Myles over 18 years when they took him in. Myles’ torn clothes left an impression on him that perhaps the boy was attacked by one of the creatures in the forest. He was more surprised to learn that Myles sustained neither injury nor any bruise when he inspected his skin from the tears.
“How are you unhurt?” Father Pierre inspected his skin from every open tear on his clothes.
“I don’t remember. I had wounds everywhere.” Myles touched his head. “But there was this girl and she saved me from those things.”
“Those things?”
“Yes, lean green creatures with fangs, I was taller than them. They were also wielding clubs as weapons.”
“So it seems goblins attacked you,” Father Pierre held his chin. “And a girl saved you?”
“Yes,” Myles nodded. “She had green eyes and white hair.”
Their conversation did not proceed any longer and Father Pierre helped Myles up. They finished gathering mushrooms and went back to town. The two were silently strolling until they witnessed a battle between goblins and the knights whom Myles saw this morning.
Father Pierre told Myles to stay back and then ran to help the knights. He used magic to heal the soldiers’ wounds. With his help, they managed to drive off the goblins back to the forest. On the goblins’ path was, however, Myles who stayed back. With wounded and angered goblins coming his way, Myles ran back to the forest and tried climbed the nearest tree he could find. However, the goblins were in close vicinity so he had to run deeper into the forest.
Throwing the basket he is carrying at the goblins, he dashed forward deeper into the forest. The dense vegetation made it hard for him to see where he was going. He went deeper into the Greenwood forest; deeper than any human has ever gone. He no longer saw the pursuing goblins yet he still ran. He fell down a slope and rolled down eventually stopping at the edge of a pulchritude pond.
He calmed down and hyperventilated as he watched at his reflection at the pond. He suddenly heard something and when he looked back, a staff was being pointed at him. It was the same staff that saved him earlier this morning. He looked at its wielder and looked at her in the eye. He stood up while grabbing the staff pulling its wielder towards him.
Myles saw the same green eyes like lush vegetation and white hair which shone like silver. The girl retaliated and grabbed her staff back.
“You are the girl from this morning, are you not?” Myles asked looking at her face.
“You…you’re the human who fought those goblins earlier this day?” The mysterious girl replied directly looking at Myles’ deep blue eyes.
“I wasn’t able to thank you properly for saving me,” Myles scratched his head. “So thank you, I owe you one.”
“Don’t be,” the mysterious girl walked towards the pond and looked at her reflection. “I was merely doing what I must be doing.”
“Anyway,” Myles approached her, “I need to get back to the village. Father Pierre and Sister Maria must be worried.”
“Back to those humans? But you do not belong there.” Wearing a surprised face, the girl asked him.
“Well there are bullies, but Father and Sister are like my parents.”
“That isn’t what I…”
“Anyway, I should get going.”
For moments, silence filled the air. Everything was dead silent.
“It’s almost nightfall,” the girl sighed. “You’ll never find your way around the forest once it gets dark. You’ll have to leave by morning.”
“What? There must be a way. I can’t stay here for long.”
“There is no arguing with nature,” the girl sternly replied. “You’ll get lost and you’ll never find your way again if you leave now.”
Myles stood silent.
“Follow me,” the girl suddenly said running off to the right side of the pond. Myles followed her. He felt tired but he could not stop now. He mustered his strength and kept on following the girl who surprisingly ran fast even under a cloak. The girl led Myles deeper inside the forest through a path marked by two lines of trees on each side. When they got through the path, there were even more trees but they were very much different than what Myles saw.
Beyond those trees, Myles could not believe what he saw. An entire city deep inside Greenwood forest, with houses and buildings he never saw before and all of them were in the branches of the trees.
“My name is Viethra and this is my home, the city of Aggria” the mysterious girl suddenly stopped and gave her a fierce look. “This is the theocracy of elves created by our mother, Vie, the goddess of nature. Ordinary beings and unworthy creatures cannot enter this sacred place.”
“I can’t believe such a place existed inside the forest.”
“Let’s go,” Viethra grabbed his hand. “Before anyone sees you.”
They climbed the nearest tree and stealthily ran towards the largest house in the center of the city. Without much trouble, they found themselves inside the house where somebody was waiting for them.
“Where did you run off to this time?” An adult elf holding a great bow asked while the two entered. “And why are you with such a creature?”
“I was scouting the forest and was cleansing it of the creatures of decay,” Viethra replied removing her cloak. “I ran into him on the way. He was fighting two goblins.”
“Why bring him here?” The elf grabbed an arrow from his quiver and got ready to shoot.
“Wait,” Myles said. “I’m completely harmless!”
“It is night and anybody could easily get lost while it is dark inside the forest so I took him here,” Viethra stood in front of Myles.
“Don’t worry sir, I will keep your city a secret,” Myles promised. “No human will ever know I stayed here.”
“Human?” The elf returned his arrow to his quiver and laughed. “I’ll let you go, however, Viethra shall keep an eye on you.” He turned to whip his cape and left.
“Who was that?” Myles asked.
“You do not need to know,” Viethra replied. “Come we must go to my room before more elves see you.” Viethra grabbed Myles’ hand and led him to her room.
Myles was surprised at what she saw in Viethra’s room. There were only three walls. No wall separated the space from outside, only a mere curtain blocked the elements. Everything in the room was organized except for some scrolls that lay open on the floor.
“This is my room. Elves sleep on the floor so as an unwelcomed guest you have to sleep on the floor too.”
“Thanks for the accommodation.”
Myles looked at the scrolls that lay scattered. He was surprised when they were written in the same language as humans used. He asked Viethra about it and all races used the same language in writing and speaking. Viethra explained to him that there was a single pantheon of deities that created the world thus there was only one language.
The dusk turned to night and the city glowed. Myles was fascinated by the flowers that the elves used as lights. The flowers were everywhere. Every twig of every branch had flowers. Even inside Viethra’s room, flowers were blooming from the roof providing light to the entire room. Viethra went outside and left Myles alone in the room.
Myles looked at the elves from Viethra’s room and noticed that there was something different in Viethra. Viethra came back with fruits that Myles have never seen before. They ate the fruits and talked.
“Your hair is somewhat different from the elves’ hair,” Myles told her as he sat down leaning his back on a wall.
“Yes, it is,” Viethra replied as she sat down leaning on the wall opposite of Myles. “They said I was born like this after our great mother vanished.”
“I’m sorry,” Myles replied turning the whole room silent like it was empty. “I also noticed that you are the only one who carries a staff around here. Other elves carry a bow or a great bow.”
“Yes, I was born with immense magical power which elves naturally do not possess, and what is strange is that I am the only one born of this power in our race.”
“That must mean that you are very special,” Myles answered.
“I guess so,” Viethra blushed. “But I’m still practicing, the scrolls that were written by our great mother long before she left.”
“Are there other elven cities?” Myles asked.
“No, this is the only city of our race. There are neither any cities nor any village anywhere else.”
Viethra suddenly stood up and grabbed a blanket. She grabbed one for Myles and gave it to him.
“We are leaving early tomorrow, we should sleep now.” Viethra slept on the other side of the room and Myles slept on the opposite side. The two were tired and weary for the day and let their bodies recuperate.
- Writer
