• “How much further father,” asked Jacie. She was already tired even though her and her father, David, had been walking for only an hour.
    “Not much further now honey; hang on a little bit more.”
    They were taking a trip into the forest. They were hoping to catch a deer; her father had brought a bow with him. He had set her to the task of carrying the quiver of arrows. When they saw a deer, she was supposed to give him an arrow quickly and quietly.
    They lived in a small village on the edge of Forest. That’s how she knew the forest. Nobody really had a name for it. If anyone knew anything about Forest they kept it to themselves. Jacie didn’t know why.
    “Oh! There are some mushrooms! Should I pick some for mother? She may be able to make mushrooms and onions for a treat tonight!”
    “Yes Jacie, go ahead.” David bent down and took a bag off his back and rummaged trough it. “Here is a basket,” he said as he took out the homemade gathering basket. “Make sure you don’t pull the roots, we want more next season.”
    “Yes father, I understand,” Jacie answered. She sat down in the middle of a bed of flowers and began to pick the mushrooms carefully. She watched her father sit with his back to an ash tree and close his eyes to take a break. I wonder if we will catch any deer today. I haven’t seen any thing except a few squirrels and chipmunks. There are a few birds too, I guess. She continued to gather the mushrooms as she thought. We haven’t seen hardly any deer this year. Its like something is getting them before we do. But that’s impossible. There are no other living humans out in this area. The Nobles don’t come out this way for hunting. I don’t think that other animals could kill and eat that many deer, and even if they were there would be bones lying around Forest floor. She tugged at a stubborn mushroom that didn’t seem to want her to get him. She pulled with all her might and pulled him up roots and all. She fell backwards with the force. She looked over at her father who was snoring away by now. I wonder if those elves are taking them, she smiled as she thought to her self.
    Even though she was fourteen, she still liked to imagine there was elves and fairies in Forrest. If her parents found out they would tell her to put away her fantasias and those childish thoughts. So she never told them. She loved to imagine that she was an elf and she was engaged to the prince of the elves. So one day she could be Queen. She could sit in her room for hours and think about elves, fairies, hobbits, and other fairy tale creatures. As she pulled up the last mushroom, she wished she could see an elf. She got up and was about to wake her father when she thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She turned quickly and didn’t see anything. She turned back to her father and started to shake him. Oh well, she thought maybe I just imagined it. I have a tendency to do that.
    On the way home she picked some wild flowers for her mother. When they got home, Jacie took the flowers and mushrooms into the cottage and put them on the table.
    “How was hunting with your father Jacie?” Asked her mother Amanda. “It was not very successful I see.”
    “No but I did get you these mushrooms. Could we have mushrooms and onions for dinner? I can go pick some onions from the garden.
    “Yes. I can arrange that.” Amanda said in a weary voice. “Water Katie while you are out there.”
    Katie was the family goat. She provided all the milk that the family needed.
    Jacie went outside with the water bucket to water Katie and to get the onions. When she went down to the babbling brook she looked up from getting the water and saw a young man looking at her. She blinked and he was gone. It was strange she did not feel frightened. She wished she could see him again, and then she forgot he was even there. Until the next day that is.
    When Jacie woke the next day she looked out her little window at the forest. She decided to go pick some wild flowers there. She snuck out of the house (she was not allowed to go into the forest by herself) and got the gathering basket off a peg on the cottage wall. She made her way over the stepping-stones on the brook and ran into the forest. Jacie stopped running when she could not see the house anymore. Jacie kept walking and picking flowers.
    All of a sudden she saw a stream of light. There was a ball of, well; Jacie didn’t know exactly what it was. I wonder what that is, she thought as she started to follow it. As Jacie followed the glowing ball and the stream of light, they led her deeper and deeper into Forest.
    After about what seemed like a minute (it may have been an hour), Jacie looked away from the ball. When she looked behind the glowing ball, she saw the young man she saw the night before. She thought it looked like he was pulling the ball towards him with his out stretched hand. He was standing so still Jacie thought he was a statue at first.
    When Jacie was about fifteen feet from him she stopped. As soon as she stopped the young man put his hand up in a “halt” position. They stood staring at each other for a while.
    “Hi,” said Jacie. She couldn’t think of anything else to say to his handsome face.
    Jacie studied him. He looked like he would be her age, or a year or two older than her. He had strange but beautiful clothes on. They looked like they were made of a thin silk material. The over coat was a thick crimson overlaid with a thin transparent silver. His pants were made out of the same crimson color. He had silky brown hair that hung down to right above his elbows. He had thin bands of silver braided together on top of his head forming down into a V on his forehead. It was increased with crimson jewels and diamonds. He also wore a white crystal pendent on a dainty silver chain around his neck. Jacie wished she could see what shoes he was wearing but his coat was down to the ground. He wore a silver cloak that pinned at his throat and had a big hood.
    The first words that he spoke were as smooth as honey, as clear as crystal clear water, and as strong as a winter wind. “Follow me,” he said. And she had too. It is not that Jacie didn’t want to follow him, she wanted to.
    Jacie followed the handsome stranger for a while All of a sudden; up ahead of them there was a waterfall and small pool. She saw stepping stones going across the pool and leading into the waterfall. He started going over the stepping-stones and walked right into the waterfall! She followed him, nearly slipping on the wet stones. She clenched her teeth and fists getting ready for the blast of ice-cold water that was about to hit her. But it never hit her. When she walked though the waterfall all that she felt was something like soft flower pedals and a comforting breeze of cool air. She did not even get wet.
    While she was wondering how this was possible her guide turned suddenly and said, “Welcome to the Elvin Realm of Nibencarden.”
    Jacie looked around her. She stood with her mouth open and staring at the wondrous things around her. She stood in the middle of a huge meadow with numerous flowers that she had never seen before. So many colors dotted all around her! Beyond his meadow she saw huge ash trees with delicate staircases going up in the trunks. Up on top of these stairs there were exquisite little houses. They were made of a kind of silver crystal. They glowed with candles and little balls of light, just like what had led her to her male traveling companion. There were fountains that held sliver water.
    The best part about this strange city was the elves. They were all dressed in the same kind of clothes as her guide. Not the same color or even the same exact style, but the era was the same. All of their hair was long with the same jewelry in it. Not as extravagant as her guides but beautiful anyway. Their ears were long slender and pointy. From them the most beautiful jewelry hung. All of the elves had the same kind of crystal pendent of a chain that her guide had on. Now Jacie noticed that when it was pointing toward the Elvin Realm it glowed a bright blue color. All the other elves pendants were glowing also. Then it occurred to her that she was seeing this as is she was up close to it but she was really a mile away.
    Jacie finally found the courage to ask the question she had wanted to ask ever since she first laid eyes on this handsome man. “Who are you?”
    “Have you not guessed,” he said. “I am an elf. I am the son of Avery, the Lord of the elves. I am Locien, his son.”
    “That’s a beautiful name. What does it mean?”
    “It means dragon. I have brought you here to meet my father and mother,” said Locien. “You are to follow me.” The moment he was done saying this, he turned and started to walk through the meadow and up to the ash trees.
    “May I pick some of these flowers to give to your mother,” Jacie called after him.
    “You may. Do not pick the black flowers; they are known as bad luck.”
    As Jacie walked with Locien she picked purple, pink, blue and yellow flowers along the way. She also picked little white flowers that reminded her of baby’s breath. She took the white ribbon out of her hair and tied it around the bouquet as they neared the biggest ash tree.
    As they began their ascend up the stairs Jacie took a look at all the elves. She saw their beautifully carved ears and eyes better than ever before. Their bodies glowed as if they were not mortal. They are not mortal, Jacie remembered. I knew that there was such a thing as elves and other magical creatures.
    When they were nearing the top of the beautiful stairs the light grew in abundance. Finally at the top of the stairs Jacie saw the Lord and Lady. There was no mistake there. She knew at once who they were. They were richly dressed and wore such elegant jewels. They were also wearing the crystals.
    Jacie curtsied in the English style and said, ”How do you do my Lord? How do you do my Lady?”
    Locien stepped forward and spoke. “Vedui’.”
    “What did you just say,” Jacie whispered.
    “Greetings.”
    “Oh.”
    “I suppose you do not speak the Elvin language,” Locien asked.
    “No I don’t but I would like to learn.”
    Lord Avery spoke to Jacie. "Daughter of humans, would you like to stay here for always and learn the way of the elves?"
    "Oh yes my Lord," Jacie exclaimed happily. "If I really could."
    "Yes. We will have our head gardener adopt you," said the Lady.
    "May I ask your name, my Lady?"
    "Yes my dear. I am Lady Diana, Lady of the woodlands, the moon, wild animals, and chastity. Our daughter is your age and would like to have a playmate. Her name is Nissa." Then Lady Diana spoke to her attendant. "Go fetch Lady Nissa."
    "At once my Lady," the attendant answered with a slight nod.
    Lady Diana then called another attendant to her side. "Go and fetch Rhoslyn."
    "If my Lady commands," came the answer.
    "Now that you are staying you need to pick an elvish name. Here is a list of appropriate names that I hope you will find to you liking," Lady Diana said while handing Jacie a she of blue and white paper.
    Jacie looked over the paper. There were many names. She couldn’t read them thought because they were in Elvish. "Is there any way I could have someone read these to me in English and then in Elvish? I don’t know how to pronounce the names you see."
    "Yes, there is," said Lady Diana. "We can have your new mother do that with you when she gets here. And here she is now."
    Jacie turned and looked at her new mother.
    Rhoslyn was one of the most beautiful elves she had ever seen; well she hasn’t seen that many elves but even so you could tell she was beyond mortal. She had long brown hair that went almost down to her knees. She had blue eyes and beautiful full lips. Rhoslyn was wearing a red and blue dress that hung around her. She had on gardening gloves and was holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
    "What can I do for you my Lady?"
    Her voice was as sweet as her looks. Jacie couldn’t wait for her to speak again.
    "Yes," said Lady Diana, "You are to be Jacies new mother. You are to show her the way of herbs and the flowers. Jacie also needs you help digging out a crystal from the mines of everlasting crystal." Lady Diana took a deep breath, "Jacie also needs you to help her pick out an elvish name from the list she has."
    "Yes my Lady," Rhoslyn answered with a smile and a wink at Jacie. "I will take her to my home at once." Rhoslyn stepped forward to Jacie and said "Hello, as you know my name is Rhoslyn. Follow me and we will talk."
    Jacie followed Rhoslyn down the stairs and listened to her and answered her questions the best she could.
    “Where did you grow up?”
    “In a small village in the English country side, that way from here. I think,” Jacie said as she pointed to what she thought was east. She didn’t know for sure.
    “How old are you?”
    “I am fourteen going on fifteen March first.”
    “Hmmm. You’re a young lady now,” Rhoslyn said. “How you any knowledge about our Elvin realm before you got here?”
    “No. I mean yes. I mean no. Well does dreaming count? Because I dreamed about it and all, but I never knew it existed for sure.”
    “Yes dreaming counts. Always follow your dreams. They will never lead you astray.”
    Jacie looked up and saw a cute little house surrounded by trees, flowers, water, fountains, and birdbaths. “Ohhhh! Is that your home?”
    “Yes it is. It’s small, but nice and cozy. There is a small bedroom for you.”
    “Thank you very much!”
    “It’s no problem. We can cook, garden, and make special potions together.”
    “I don’t know how,” Jacie said shyly.
    “To cook?”
    “No! To make potions.”
    “Ohhhh,” Rhoslyn said laughing, “I can teach you how to do that. They are not really potions, but medications for such things like warts, colds, the flu, and minor stuff like that.”
    They went into the house and Rhoslyn put down her gloves and bouquet. She slipped off her shoes and walked through the tick green carpet over to the fireplace and stoked the fire. She also stirred something that was bubbling in a cauldron hanging over the fire.
    “Let’s look though those names that you have there now Jacie.”
    Jacie dug through her old tattered pocket and retrieved the crumpled blue and white name paper. She gave it to Rhoslyn who began to read it.”
    “Huredhiel, Aafke, Adlanniel, Aalyah, Erulasse, which means Abigail. Anira, which means Desired –“
    “Wait! Read that one again!”
    “Anira, it means desired.”
    “That’s it! It’s perfect!”
    “You haven’t even listened to the rest of the list,” Rhoslyn said with a surprised voice.
    “I know it the perfect elvish name for me! I can feel it.”
    “Alright, it does fit you. You’re going to be a desired young woman around here soon,” Rhoslyn said with a smile.
    “What do you mean?”
    “You will see soon enough, Anira.”


    TO BE CONTINUED