Chapter 28: Discoveries

“You are Fae, are you not?” 

Slightly confused, Fae looked to her side from where the friendly sounding voice came. There, sitting on a soft bed of moss was a female elf. While the rest of the Tribe looked like time had no grip on them, this lady's skin was wrinkled, making her look so much older than the rest of the Tribe members.

“Yes, I …” Fae started, still confused. She leaned a bit to the side, away from the woman, showing her discomfort. But the older lady gave her a reassuring smile and patted on a blanket that was placed beside her to sit down.

“You are the daughter of Ly’Kalyn Ah’Ghasyr.”

Fae must have pulled a very surprised face, as the woman giggled.

“Don’t be afraid, child. I am not gonna bite. I have known your mother when she still lived in this Tribe.”

Sparked by curiosity, Fae lowered her guard. She shifted over to the assigned spot, dropping the bags with food she had just got from the farmers.

“You knew my mother?” The girl asked, interested. Her eyes shifted over the old woman’s face, resting for a second on her old looking eyes. Yet instead of being insulted by Fae’s staring, she gave her a friendly smile.

“Don’t worry, my child. This won’t happen to you if you are careful with magic.”

Fae frowned. “Magic did this to you?”

The woman nodded. “I may not be a mage, but I have always been fascinated by magic. But you should know your boundaries and not try to surpass them. This is the result of magic eating from my power. But don’t let it distract you.”

The woman put aside some of her pottery, each containing a lotion or a mixture of herbs.

“But yes, I knew your mother. And your aunt. Both were born here in the Tribe. Fine young girls, if I may say so. They really looked much alike, even when they were not twins. But they were so different in personality.”

The woman took out some wooden cups, taking up the pot that had been brewing on the small fire next to her.

“A cup of tea?” The woman asked, already handing out one of the cups. Fae took it, smelling the sweet scent of the herbs she had used to brew it.

“My name is Ella’Rian. But call me Ella.”

Fae nodded, taking a careful sip of the still steaming tea. The taste was as sweet as it’s scent. It was warming her body quickly and drove away any sign of tiredness like snow for the sun. 

“Your aunt was always the more serious one. She was the eldest as well, so she had to look out for her little sister. She preferred to follow the guidelines and boundaries. Your mother on the other hand …” 

“Did not …” Fae completed her sentence. Elle nodded with a smile. It didn’t surprised Fae. Her mother had always been very outgoing, often angering dad because she did something that was not according to common rules. But it had always worked out… in a way that her mother got what she wanted.

“Your father, marked as the future Akthan of his Tribe, often visited this place because of our alliance. As the next leader, He often accompanied his father, already from a young age. It was so that he got to meet your mother. They became friends and were often caught when doing their usual mischief.”

Fae tilted her head, giving Ella a curious glance.

“Like what?”

“Well … “ The old woman started, putting her finger on her lip while she looked to the sky.

“I can remember a case where they accidentally let a group of spotted boar escape … which resulted in an entire field of crops that was destroyed. And your mother was famous for using her magical skills too. She was a master in that prestidigitation spell.”

Fae nodded, recalling a few memories where her mother indeed used that spell. It created small magical effects, flickerings, sparkles, small elements, ... Everything to keep her children occupied or to give a story some extra flavor.  

Fae giggled when she saw the image projected in her mind.

“What are you thinking off, girl?” Ella asked, seeing the dreaming look in Fae’s golden eyes.

“My mother …” A sigh left her mouth, turning her face away to look at something else.

“And my brother. We often did such things together.” Fae chuckled. At first it had been her that pulled her brother in her mischief, until he became older and did the tricks himself and often pulled her into his trouble. 

“You two were close?” Ella tried to sound cheerful, knowing that recalling those memories would drag the dark images with them. 

Fae sighed deeply and started to play with a strand of her white hair.

“I guess like any siblings. I loved him, but he could be so reckless.”

Ella chuckled, offering another cup of tea to the girl, who gladly accepted the offer.

“Like all young boys. And so was your father. He did have courage, I had to give him that. His bond with your mother became stronger after several years. But I can recall that your aunt wasn’t so glad about that. I think she was jealous.”

“Jealous?” Fae asked, a bit confused, wondering why her aunt would be jealous.

Ella nodded, closing her eyes and she released her breath.

“I think she also had her eyes on your father, but his attention went mostly to your mother. Eventually, also their parents encourage them together, which resulted in their love binding.”

Fae’s curiosity was sparked by that story and she wondered if that was the reason why her aunt was still alone. It was true that she never came for a visit … Yet Fae thought that was because the Tribes weren’t that close in distance. It took several days of travel ...or longer if you got lost like she did on her way to this place.

While her mind wandered, her eyes suddenly fell on her bag with food.

“Ow, shoot!” And the young girl shot up from the ground, giving back her cup to the elder woman.

“Thanks for the tea … and the talk.” She said with an honest smile.

“I better get going, my aunt is waiting for these.”

“Of course dear.” Ella said, taking back the cup with a large smile.

“You can always come by when you have some free time.”

Fae nodded when she picked up her bag and gave a small bow to the woman before saying her goodbye.

When Fae was out of sight, Ella sighed, going back to work on her lotions.

“Poor child, has no idea what is coming for her. At least I was able to put a smile on her face.” The woman whispered, before she softly started to chant again when mixing her herbs.