The Elf and the Nelfkin

A/N: This story follows immediately after the events of "Introductions." - Rachel

“Who is this person you know who can help us get into Vana Vale?”

Blue glanced at the elf walking a step behind her. They'd set out from the tavern at once, mostly because Blue feared that too many cutthroats there had been made aware of Zi's wealth. The elf seemed rather naive and Blue could only imagine what trouble she might had gotten herself into if she'd been left to her own devices. She was a pleasant enough traveling companion thus far, though rather talkative.

“I don't know her myself,” Blue explained. “I only know of her reputation. She is a fairy with no magic, but skilled with a sword. They call her Fae, and I have heard tell that she is kind and fair. They say she has fought men under the command of Lord Detraf who came from the east to claim territory in his name. If there is a fairy in the realm who would help us enter Vana Vale, I am confident that it must be her.”

In truth, she did not know what to expect of this mysterious fairy warrior. In her experience, fairies were an unpleasant sort, prone to snobbery and also rather greedy. They hoarded their communal magic jealously and didn't trust strangers. But the stories she'd heard of Fae, the warrior fairy who lived alone in a woodsman's cottage in the deep of Calben Forest, were quite impressive. It seemed that Fae tended to fight for the underdog and had made a name for herself as a person of great moral standing.

Zi contemplated Blue's words, her pretty face wearing a quizzical expression. “What happens if we track her down and she refuses to help us?”

“Then I will forgive the extra charge for my fee and guide you to Vana Vale, but leave you at the gates. It's the best that I can do, I'm afraid.”

It wasn't that Blue wanted to abandon the elf, but she was afraid of Vana Vale. Fairies were some of the worst in the realm when it came to their treatment of nelfkins. Blue would help Zi as best she could, but she would not throw away her life needlessly, not when her mother was still relying on her. The life of a guide was dangerous enough but Blue did not take unnecessary risks.

The elf's smile drooped, and she started to wring her hands. “And if Lady Fae does agree to help us, would you also agree to continue with me and help me to find the spell I need?”

“Well... I could perhaps help you further, but I'd rather not step foot in Vana Vale if I can avoid it.” Blue was hesitant to speak of her fears, but the elf was harmless enough and it didn't hurt to be honest, when it was possible. “Fairies don't take kindly to my sort.”

“What sort? Guides?”

Zi's confusion was genuine and it gave Blue pause. Did the elf not understand how others in the realm looked down on nelfkins? Blue hadn't interacted with many elves, but those she'd seen from a distance had seemed mostly a rather haughty sort that didn't spare much attention for a lowly little nelf like her.

“Nelfkins,” Blue corrected. When Zi still looked confused, Blue sighed and explained further. “People don't like us. Some taverns won't even let me in the door. Fairies are worse than most, I've heard they'll kill a nelfkin as soon as look at one.”

Now Zi looked rather alarmed. “I've never met a nelfkin in person before. You're cousins to elves, right? Hey, does that mean we're cousins?” She brightened, as though the idea of it brought her great joy.

In truth, Blue had no idea if elves and nelfkins were cousins. She'd heard the assertion before but she'd never read any book that gave credence to the theory. There weren't many books that mentioned nelfkins at all. Blue had often thought the lack of information about her people made it seem like someone had once made every effort to scrub them from existence. And yet, her people had persevered, and still fought tooth and nail to survive.

“I don't think it would make you and me cousins,” Blue explained to Zi, though she didn't think she'd mind being related to the elf. Zi seemed naive, but Blue could tell that she had a good heart. She also knew that something weighed heavy on the elf that she'd yet to admit to the guide. “So, why do you need this spell book we're going after?”

The elf's eyes widened and then she turned her gaze to the ground, as if she were ashamed. “I've done a terrible thing. It is difficult to speak of it...”

“Then I'll speak of it for you,” came another voice, from the elf's lips no less, but it sounded very different. A serious scowl crossed Zi's face that looked as though it really did not belong on her features. “This idiot was irresponsible with her spell work and I got dragged into it. She needs the spell book so she can restore my body! Until then, I'm stuck in her body.”

Zi's whole body seemed to sag as her expression changed to one of abject misery. “Yuna, I said I'm sorry, please don't call me names...”

For a long moment, Blue could only stare at the elf as she tried to digest the information she'd just been given.

“So... You have another person in there?” she asked finally, finding that the concept made very little sense to her. How was it possible for there to be two people in one body? Then again, it had to do with magic, she supposed, and Blue understood next to nothing about magic. “A person named Yuna?”

“Just her soul,” Zi explained, twiddling her thumbs. She still wouldn't meet Blue's gaze. “Her body is kind of... gone. Which is why I need the spell book! It really was an accident, you see, and now I must rectify my actions before I can continue my journey. I was supposed to meet with a friend but I... I cannot face him until I have made this right.”

Blue was very glad that she was not possessed of magic herself and therefore could not get herself into such a predicament. She felt bad for Zi, too. “What's it like, having another person in there? Do you share your thoughts with her?”

“No,” said Zi, “we don't hear each others' thoughts. That would make things a bit easier.”

“When I have something to say, I have to speak using her mouth,” spoke up the other voice, the one Blue now knew was called Yuna. “Being stuck in here is driving me mad. Please, I'm begging you, help her find that spell book. She'll end up getting us both killed if she tries to sneak into Vana Vale by herself, you know what fairies do to intruders.”

“Yuna, you're so mean,” whimpered Zi, tears gathering in her eyes. “I swear I'm going to get your body back for you.”

It was bizarre, watching Zi's face shift and hearing her voice change as she and Yuna spoke back and forth. Blue could only imagine what it must be like to be Yuna, trapped in someone else's body and only able to speak to her host by speaking out loud with Zi's lips.

“I'll try,” Blue agreed reluctantly, because she couldn't bring herself to abandon the elf and her accidental passenger. “I'll do what I can.”

In fact, she was not sure what she could do for Zi if it turned out that they could not find Fae, or if the warrior fairy refused to help them. People said Fae had once been a slave in Vana Vale, before she was cast out entirely. Perhaps she would not want to go back to the place that had caused her so much pain. Then again, perhaps she would be more inclined to help steal from the city, given her history with the other fairies.

Night settled early, and soon it was too dark to keep walking, the moon hidden behind clouds. Blue called a halt to their journey and set about making a fire. Zi offered to help by casting a spell but Blue waved her away, feeling apprehensive about being in Zi's presence when the elf used her magic. She didn't want to end up like Yuna, after all, or worse. Though Blue wasn't entirely sure that death would be worse than being stuck in someone else's body.

Zi seemed disheartened by Blue's refusal of her help and sat down on the ground, drawing her knees to her chest, while she watched Blue gather dry grass and sticks. Blue took out her flint and steel and sparked a blaze with her gathered materials that was small, but afforded them some light to see by.

The nelfkin sat down on the ground near Zi and carefully poked the elf with her walking stick. Zi looked up at her with a forlorn expression. The elf's own staff lay on the ground near her but Zi did not touch it, as though she was trying to purposely avoid it.

“You look upset,” Blue said. It was obvious that Zi needed some reassurance. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I'm not worthy of my position,” Zi said mournfully. She gazed at Blue, like she was willing the other to understand how she felt. “I don't know why the spell went wrong, but I must have messed it up somehow. I don't even know if the spell book I'm looking for really has the spell I need. I cannot go home, for I have not completed my journey. I miss my home and my friends. How can I be high sorceress of Ar one day if I cannot even manage my own spells properly?”

“High sorceress?” Blue's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. She'd not had any clue how important the elf was. Sure, Zi wore fine clothing and had plenty of money, but that was elves for you. Blue had never met one that didn't look like royalty. Granted, she'd only met a few to begin with. “So you're a big deal back home?”

She thought perhaps that talking about home would cheer Zi up. Of course, there was always the chance that it would have the opposite effect, but Blue wasn't certain of what else to do. Comforting people was not something she had a lot of experience with, but she had learned over the years how to be a decent listener and conversationalist. Such skills came in handy to guides, who often had to travel long distances with their clients. It only made sense to befriend those she had to travel with.

“Well...” Zi still looked on the verge of tears but she held them back. “I guess so. I've been studying since I was small so that one day I can serve my people as their high sorceress. Once I've completed this journey, I'll be able to do that. But I'm not sure I deserve to be high sorceress, not if my magic hurts other people like it did to Yuna.”

“Why do you want to be high sorceress?” asked Blue. It sounded to her like a very big job and not something she'd want to take on, personally. Zi didn't seem like the sort of person who craved power or authority, either.

Zi cracked a smile, finally. “I don't have a choice. It has been my destiny since I was born and since my mother disappeared...” Her voice cracked a little. “I must take her place as soon as possible. It's what I've been groomed for my whole life.”

The nelfkin's ears drooped in sympathy for her companion. “That must be hard, having all that responsibility. How old are you, Zi?”

“Seventeen,” Zi sniffled. “I'm the youngest journeyman in the history of Ar.”

“Wow, really?” Blue had suspected that Zi was young, though it was hard to tell with elves. However, she had not expected that Zi was only seventeen. She would be an adult by nelfkin standards, but only barely. Then again, Blue had left home to start her career as a guide when she was seventeen herself. “That's quite impressive. Your abilities must be quite special.”

“Oh. You think?” Zi wiped her eyes on her sleeve and her smile grew a little brighter. “Even though I messed up and destroyed Yuna's body?”

“Especially because of that. Wouldn't that sort of thing take very powerful magic to accomplish? I am sure that you will master your sorcery, given time. You're a good person, and you're doing your best to fix the thing that you messed up. One day, you'll be a great high sorceress.”

It surprised Blue to discover that she truly meant what she was saying. She didn't know Zi very well but already she could tell that the elf was exceedingly compassionate. Zi was truly repentant for what she had accidentally done to Yuna.

“Don't coddle her.” Speaking of Yuna, the disembodied soul was once again using Zi's face to scowl. “She's a good person but she's an idiot! She trusts every person we come across, never suspects that anyone will do her harm. Before we ran into you, I was certain she was going to get us into a huge mess trying to travel on her own.”

“But Yuna,” Zi whined. “I'm trying my best.”

“Didn't they teach you anything about journeying back in Ar?” growled Yuna. “They could have at least taught you to read a map.”

“I can read maps,” insisted the elf. “And we would have been alright. Nothing bad has happened to us so far. Well, except for your body... and I'm really sorry about that! Truly!”

Blue's head was starting to hurt. She rubbed her temples and sighed, marveling at her strange luck. At least she would have a good story to share with her mother when she got back home. If she ever made it back home, she thought to herself, because she was coming to realize that her conscience would not allow her to leave Zi to her own devices. For a nelfkin, trying to steal from Vana Vale was as good as having a death wish, for the fairies would have no mercy if they caught her. Despite her skills as a guide, Blue was not a professional thief by any means, and her skills in combat were limited to self-defense with her walking stick.

“Get some rest,” she urged her companion, stoking up the fire a bit. “I'll keep watch for a while. On the morrow, we'll continue our journey and I am confident we will find Fae, and she will help us acquire your spell book. Everything will be fine.”

This seemed to reassure Zi a great deal, for she settled down on the ground with her hand lain on her pack and her cloak drawn around her body for warmth. She stared into the little fire until her eyes began to droop, and soon she was softly snoring.

Blue huffed, wondering how she got herself into these situations. She murmured a prayer to Jill over the fire, though she was beginning to think the goddess of luck had a strange sense of humor. Drawing out the blue crystal she wore around under her blouse, Blue stared at it, wondering if it had any connection to the clear stone that Zi wore. Certainly, Blue felt somehow drawn to Zi's crystal, and she wondered if Zi felt a similar connection to hers without realizing it.

She probably should mention it all to Zi. Still, though she thought she could trust Zi, she had only known the elf for a few hours. The blue crystal was her most valuable possession and a memento of her late father, so she was scared of letting others know that she wore it. The realm was rife with thieves, after all, and Zi herself was planning to steal a book from the fairy colony, after all.

In truth, Blue didn't know anything about her crystal, except that it was beautiful and her father had discovered it on one of his own journeys. Perhaps it was nothing special, just a pretty bauble made by a skilled craftsman. Maybe it was made by elves and all of them wore such jewelry. Regardless of its origins, Blue was protective of it. If she lost it, she wasn't sure what she would do.

Tucking the crystal beneath her shirt once more, Blue pulled the hood of her coat over her head to ward off the chill. The cold air was starting to nip at the ends of her ears and her nose.

Blue wasn't certain what the future would bring, but at least for tonight she had a pocket full of coin and the promise of more. If she could help the elf, she would. Hopefully, she wasn't getting herself in over her head.

~ END