Gifts of the Living Phoenix

Chapter 14

            He took off his hat and coat and sat next to one of the men at the counter.  As Helen put a cup of coffee in front of him, she motioned in Faith’s direction;

            “This young elf is looking for your father, Lucian.”

The young elf turned on his stool and looked in her direction, just in time to see Faith take a bite of her mashed chicken. 

            “Really?” he said, looking at Faith with a bit of curiosity.

Faith watched as he hopped off his chair and walked over to her booth.  She couldn’t help but notice the sound his heavy boots made as he walked over. 

            “Excuse me, Miss?  Ms. Helene says you’re looking for my father…mind if I join you?”

She looked up at him noticing his piercing blue eyes.  Although a little apprehensive, she nodded to him. 

            “Sure, I guess.”

Lucian was more polite than she expected.

Faith eyed him as he carefully lowered himself into the booth across from her.  She couldn’t help but notice that blood was seeping out of his bandage. 

            “You should get that looked at, you’re bleeding through.” Faith said through bitefuls of food.  

              “Oh, I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have to see that while you eat.”  Lucian quickly pulled his hand off the table and into his lap.   She noticed a faint smell of wintergreen on his breath.

            “How did that happen? Don’t you have a healer?” Faith asked.

            “Just a scratch, caught a splinter in the woodlot up behind Thompson’s, no big deal.  Thanks for asking.  Sorry, my name is Lucian, and you are?”

            “Faith,” she said a little too quickly.  If she was going to give a fake alias, it was definitely too late. 

            “Pleased to meet you, Faith.  And welcome to the Second Realm.  You sure picked an interesting time to visit.  It’s warming up, but we still have the leftover Ogacio winds. Where did you come in from?” Lucian asked a little too earnestly.

            “First realm.” Another quick answer.  Boy, she was on a roll.  Faith mentally face palmed herself but she just didn’t have the time to work out any different answers and the truth was just the easiest to go with.

            “Oh, that sure is quite a way from here.  I have never been out there, but I understand it’s cold and windy there too,”  Lucian said with an easy smile.

            Faith looked back down at her plate and took another bite.  Just then, Helene dropped off a chicken sandwich with potatoes for Lucian.  There was something about this elf that Faith just couldn’t put her finger on.  Maybe it was his eyes, or just that she seemed to find herself at ease around him. 

            “So, how long have you lived around here?” Faith wanted to get the subject away from her reasons for being here, and she didn’t want to give away too much of herself, right now. 

            “Well, my father moved our family here when we were real young, and before that we lived with my grandparents for a while.   After grandmother passed, we just kept the old house and we’ve been here ever since,” Lucian answered matter of factly. 

            This elf definitely knew how to keep information to himself, Faith thought.  No real information other than he has a family and they have been here for a long time.  She figured that he couldn’t have been older than 19 or 20.  As she watched him take a bite of his sandwich, she realized that this man could be her half-brother, but it didn’t matter, she wasn’t here for a family reunion, she was here for answers. 

            “Your turn.  What brings you out here? Helene said you were a friend of my father’s? You look kinda young to have known him.”

            “I didn’t mean to imply that I know your father, you see, he knew my family back in the First Realm and …” she trailed off.  Her mind was going way too fast and she didn’t want to blurt out her true reasons for being here.  She quickly tried to change the subject.  

            Fortunately, the elf named Ben broke up the silence, “Miss, the old lodge is just up the road.  My granddaughter, Christine runs the place.  I’ll let her know that you’ll need a cabin for a couple of nights.”

            “Thank you, I’d appreciate that,” Faith replied.

            “My pleasure, Miss.  Besides, it will give her time to get the cabin warmed up. Take care now,” said Ben through a pleasant smile. 

            “See you tomorrow Ben, take care getting up your hill,” Lucian called after him as Ben stepped out into what was now looking like a blizzard. 

Faith shivered from the sudden gust of wind that swept through the diner.  Lucian looked over at her and grinned.  “It’s really getting bad out there,” he casually stated. 

            “It was nice of him to offer to let the innkeeper know I would be coming,” Faith was desperate to keep the subject away from her true reasons for being in town.  God, I hope he doesn’t ask me why I’m here again she thought.  I don’t even know why I’m here…

            “That is the beauty of living in a small area like the second realm, everybody knows everybody.  Those two men are the unofficial mayors of this town.  Not much goes on around here that they don’t know about.  Must be different than the big establishment, huh?”

            “Sure is.”  Back to the short answers. 

Lucian finished off his sandwich and stood up to leave.

            “Nice to have met you.  The old lodge is just down there, you can’t miss it. See you around.” 

            “Same here.” Faith replied through a troubled smile.

Lucian quickly put on his coat and hat, handed Helene some coins for his dinner and was out the door.  Faith noticed through the window that Lucian jumped into a small carriage. 

Helene came back over and this time, she brought a fresh pot of hot water and took a seat where Lucian had just left. 

            “Couldn’t help overhearing honey, but I thought you said you were a friend of Colvine’s.  Sorry about the confusion.”  Helen looked out the window and mentioned the snow once again. 

            “We’re gonna have to close up early tonight.”

            “Oh, I’m so sorry, I’ll just pay my bill and be on my way,” Faith stammered as she slid out of the booth and reached into her purse.

Helen raised her hand and shook her head, “Not necessary, its been taken care of.  Just head up to the center of town, bear to the right and you’ll find the lodge.  I’m sure your driver will know.”

A timid “thank you” was all Faith could mutter as she shoved her coins back into her purse. She didn’t even think twice to ask who had taken care of her meal.

With her coat and scarf back on, Faith headed back to where her driver was waiting for her.   The wheels spun a little and they were slow to get back on the main road.  The cold was intense, and even though it was early in the evening, Faith looked forward to getting a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.  Before the carriage even had time to warm up, Faith saw the motor lodge.  Odd, she thought, the front of the lodge was relatively clear of snow.  She pulled up in front of a cabin that served as the office and ran in. 

She got through the door and stopped to clear the snow from her boots, as well as get her bearings.  Faith noticed that the room was very warm, and then she saw the reason.  An old pot-bellied stove sat nestled in the corner, she could see the flames dancing through the window in the door.  A large pile of neatly cut fire wood was stacked nearby. 

On the other side of the room there was a couch and a loveseat, brown leather and worn in all the right places.   A small red and brown area rug was on the hardwood floor, and a large handmade coffee table was placed in between.

            “Good Afternoon, you must be the young lady my father mentioned would be stopping by tonight.   How about all this snow?”  The elf behind the counter surprised Faith back to the present.  

            “Yes, I am, and you must be Christine?” Faith responded.

            “Sure am, and welcome.  Alright then, we have number five all set up for you.  We turned on the heat and lit a nice fire in the stove to help take the edge off.  There is plenty of wood in the cabin, just in case you want to keep it going.  There are fresh towels in the bath and if you need anything just let us know.”

            Again, a meek “thank you,” was all Faith could muster, before Christine continued: “Now, if you can just sign here and here, you can pay when you check out.”  She spun the ledger around on the counter and pointed to a line.  Faith signed her name, and she hesitated when she got to the spot for a home address. 

            “We use that for our Holiday greetings Hon,” Christine offered. 

Faith filled in all the blocks.  What harm could it do, and a Christmas card was the least of her worries right now.  She thanked Christine and headed back out to her car.  She couldn’t really tell which cabin was hers, and the snow didn’t help at all.  The smoke billowing from a cabin gave her an idea in which direction to head.  She backed away from the office and headed toward her cabin.  The fields nearby were completely empty.  Apparently, she was going to be the only guest this evening.  As she got closer, she noticed that a space had been cleared as well as the walk to her cabin.   She grabbed her bag from the driver, and quickly paid him.  She pulled everything up the three short steps to the cabin and noticed oddly that the door was unlocked.  When she stepped inside, she was pleasantly surprised.

The cabin wasn’t large, but it was cozy.  The bed was centered in a room slightly larger than the full size bed.   In a corner was a brown leather chair, next to it a small table.  An antique dresser was directly in front of the bed.   Directly in front of her, sat a smaller version of the wood stove Faith had seen in the office. 

The heat coming from it was intense.  Faith quickly peeled off her coat and shoes.  No closet, but a pair of cast iron hooks were set by the door.   When she turned to lock the door, she noticed that the lock was nothing more than a sliding deadbolt.  She locked the door anyway and moved further into the room.  To her left, she noticed the vanity sink and mirror and an antique claw foot tub with a simple shower head in place.  The hardwood floors were strategically covered with area rugs.  Not bad, she thought.  Mother would have liked this place.  Mother.  She would be frantic with worry about now.  But Faith pushed the thoughts out of her head as she moved towards the bathroom for the hot shower she had been longing for.  A hot shower and some sleep.  She would think things through in the morning.  Faith realized that she didn’t know what she was going to say when she met her uncle.  She didn’t even know how she was going to bring up this topic. 

As she drifted off to sleep, her last thoughts were of Everett and Edric. She missed the twins desperately and wished she had never made such a rash decision to come to the second realm. 

Outside, the tall shapeshifter was looking at the front of her cabin door.  He knelt by the door and could tell that she was inside sleeping.  He decided he too would get a room and stay.  He had no choice.  He would be here for as long as she stayed.

*Once In the past*

Miala looked across the bed at the elf she had come to love in such a short amount of time.  The two of them had stolen moments here and there, wherever they could find time away from their future partners.  They knew their parents would not approve- especially as Miala and Colvine saw each other at work every day, being alone together was altogether different and something that they cherished.  When Miala was with Colvine, she felt transported to another place.  She was safe, protected and most of all loved.  Colvine never told her he loved her, but she hadn’t needed any declarations of love.  She didn’t want to give a name to what it was they were doing.  While it was so wrong in the traditional sense, Miala felt like she belonged to Colvine, that she was supposed to be with him.  She wondered why fate was so fickle and why her timing was always just a little off…

“What are you thinking about?” Colvine asked quietly.

“Just wondering why we met so late, after we were both promised to other people and settled into a life that can’t allow us to be together,” Miala responded.

“Are you being sad again?  We agreed we wouldn’t conjecture about the future,” Colvine coos.

“Yes, I know.  But sometimes I can’t help wondering, or dreaming even about a life with you.”

Miala’s future husband was away on training most of the time the first two years of their engagement, training before the union so that he could settle and take over as tribal leader.   Now their time together when he did come back for breaks was awkward and strange.  Miala thought maybe she just needed more time, but most of the time she had found that Colton irritated her and did things that she found annoying.  Colton’s constant need to do things alone and have his alone time left Miala feeling alone and disconnected to him.  Still, he was not a terrible elf, nor could she say that he drove her into the arms of another.  It was just very …she didn’t know what, she just couldn’t explain it, even to herself. 

“Colvine, what would you do if we ever got caught?” Miala asked, propping up on her elbows in bed. 

“Well, I would plead ignorance and say that we were just friends.” Colvine smirked.

“I’m being serious.” Miala said.

“I know you are.  You are always serious, my love, and I mean to correct you of that.” Colvine said simply.

“You are infuriating sometimes. I wish you would just answer the question.” Miala said, sounding dejected.

“And you, my princess, are too keen to be serious, which is all the time.” Colvine retorts. “Darling, you need to just let things be, and develop as they will.  We will come to that bridge if and when the time comes, if it ever comes.”  Colvine explains.

“You’re right, I don’t want to know anyway.  I might not like the answer,” Miala smiles back at him. 

“Yes!  And then what will become of me?  Who will think of poor, little Colvine, all by his lonesome without his princess to love him?” he laughs.

“You’re so stupid sometimes!” Miala laughs at him.

“And you, I think….need something else to think about,” Colvine whispers in her ear.

Colvine knew just what to say, just what to do to distract Miala. Their time was always short but always filled with bliss and enjoyment.  Whether they were talking over coffee and discussing the state of tribal affairs, or in bed playing with one another…it seemed as though they were truly a good fit together.

-------

Of the many letters that Colvine never received from Miala, the one that he had managed to receive was this one.  It was the one that struck Colvine as the letter that truly showed Miala’s true colors.  It was this letter that held him back from ever coming back to Miala. 

Dear C,

Thank you, because this whole time I thought I was with the wrong person, living out my life with the wrong person, but in fact I was with exactly who I should be with.  I don’t know why I thought that person was you.  That I had made such a grave mistake in finding you so late in life, but in fact, I was wrong yet again. 

 I can’t believe you would tell me that you love me when in fact you cut yourself off from me without a word, without an explanation or any reason.  I thought we were going towards progress - of being together, not the other way around.  I don’t understand. Above all, I thought I knew who you were and the person that are….

 I’m not going to ask what went wrong.  I do that in my dreams every night.  And every night you tell me that it wasn’t me, and that it was just something you had to do.  Every night I am left with the same silence I was met with before you cut me out of your life.  Did I not rate an explanation in the least?  Did I not rate something more from you?  When did I become someone you could just throw away?  When did I not rate even your friendship? 

 I find myself hating the fact that I opened up to you as much as I did. I hate the fact that I trusted you with everything.  Every painful memory, every painful reminder of the past where I was once heartbroken I shared with you.  How much it hurt then, still did a little every so often.  BUT I recall that feeling, and I recall that I will be able to move on from there. It took me a little while, but I did. It took me a while to remember that life is not about just one person I meet but about me as a whole.

I  hate you. Hate you for leaving me feeling empty.  For making me think that I’m missing something in my life.  For leaving me. I tried to think that you were dead, that maybe that’s what happened.  But I don’t fool myself.  I should have never involved myself with you. I should never have allowed myself to fall and feel for you.   

Never contact me again.

M

Colvine had gone back to see her once.  He had gone back a year after his union - a year in an unhappy marriage to see if she had missed him.  Instead, he found that she had moved on with her life.  She had a child with Colton and appeared to be happy with her new life.  

He didn’t have the heart to disrupt his brother’s life, he didn’t deserve that.  So he never visited.  Avoided seeing that baby, even avoided all family get togethers though his father had insisted on some.  It was torture to see how well adjusted she had been, how easily she dropped him from her thoughts.  He had believed that they were destined to be together.  Those miserable years with his wife changed Colvine.  He became heartless and desired nothing more than to gather power and take something back that was taken from him.  He wanted Miala to suffer, and now it was starting.

Soon, he would have everything he wanted.