An Elven Tale

Status
Not open for further replies.
To ease her fears, Tarchon picked up one of the plums and took a bite. The sweetness coursed through him. The orchard plums were truly one of the best fruits the woodlands had to offer. He smiled again and nodded towards the tray. "There you go, now eat. You can fear me all you want, but your stomach needs satisfaction, and I can guarantee no better way than eating those fruits."

As he took another bite, he contemplated what she had said. She had never been able to trust her own race? Clearly the kingdoms of men had become far more complicated than he was led to believe. Tarchon had always assumed that humans were allied with each other and would wage war against other races for control of the land. What could possibly make them want to harm each other?
 
Ava hesitated before taking a fruit and taking a hesitant bite out of it. She was surprised at how good it tasted and was quick to finish it off. Her stomach had been close to growling at her before she started to it, glad to have something in her stomach. She started to eat the rest of the food given to her, not realizing how hungry she was. As she ate, her medallion fell out of her shirt, hanging proudly on her chest.

The symbol of her kingdom was not usually worn by people of the peasants or workers. Only the nobles were allowed to proudly carry that sort of symbol. However, if Ava had gone to the wrong people, she could have been killed simply because she was a human.
 
Tarchon smiled as she began to devour the food like a woman who had never tasted food before. He still had to find a way to get her to trust him, however. And the task was proving more difficult than he had hoped. He supposed in order to learn more about her, he would have to tell her more about himself and his people first. "Those are orchard plums," he said. "They grow here naturally and are more abundant in these parts than any other fruit or grain. And the grapes were grown here as well, though I am told they were brought here by humans thousands of years ago, in the days when we still had contact with them."

He finished off the plum in his hand and leaned back in his chair once more. "I learned a great deal about your kingdom from ancient scrolls," he continued, pointing to the amulet around her neck. "I fear some of the information may be outdated, but I have always been fascinated by the behavior of humans. You are the first one I've met in person."
 
Ava glanced over at him and scoffed. "Well, I wouldn't get your hopes up too much. Humans aren't all that great. We fight and steal, only looking out for ourselves. Hell, we even fight each other and kill our brothers and sisters for self-gain." She put away the amulet as she took a bite out of another fruit. Hatred seemed to seep into her voice when she talked about her own people.

"Thank you for the food. I should probably leave... I've overstayed my welcome." She said, ignoring the faint feeling from the sickness that had been making her head pound. She couldn't stay here. Not when this... person was so curious.
 
Tarchon shook his head, almost smiling at her stubbornness. She was proving to be a challenge, no doubt. "You must rest until your fever has diminished. We would be terrible hosts to let you wander off alone in your current condition." He was not lying, but had he been completely truthful he would have mentioned that he still wished to know a great deal about her. But her mood told him it would be safer not to mention that for now.

"If you wish to be alone for now, I can leave you to rest," he said as he stood up from his chair. He did not want to leave for fear of her attempting to run off unseen. But at the same time he also did not wish to make her uncomfortable.
 
Ava was quick to say, "No!" She coughed in embarrassment at her own fear of being alone. "I-I mean, you wouldn't want me to steal all of your belongings and leave because you left me alone, right?" She pulled on her hair. This was the only person who was willing to be around her right now. She thought about just how trustworthy he was. If he told her more about himself, she thought, she would trust him.

The young human looked almost frail as she stared down at her feet. She was blushing in embarrassment as she waited for the elf to laugh at her, to call her a wimp or something of that extent.
 
Tarchon was startled by the sudden outburst. He had not expected her to make such an odd point, though he was not convinced she was going to steal anything at all. She seemed far too feeble for that. But he sat down anyway, smiling with wonder. Humans were bizarre indeed. It was then that he notished her face had turned a bright red, which confused him in a way. What did she have to be embarrassed about? Or perhaps a red face meant something different in the human world.

"As you wish," he said politely. "I suppose I could stay for a little while longer. I guess you want to know more about me then, since you won't tell me much about yourself." He thought for a while about what he could tell her. What would interest her. "As my mother told you before, I am Tarchon. I am one of the youngest elves in these woods, so I get into a lot of mischief from time to time. That's why my father was upset when I found you. I was off in places that he does not like me visiting."
 
So she was found by someone who was young... but how young was he actually? "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" She asked, starting to feel curious. She wondered if he was older than her, maybe in his thirties at the oldest. She had heard that elves looked a lot younger than they actually were. She seemed a lot more innocent, more childlike when she asked these kinds of questions, though her eyes still held suspicion in them.

The young girl felt horrible, but this man made her curious. One of her many flaws, her curiosity was too big. She wanted to know too much and it got her in trouble more times than she could count. She could tell this man was the same way.
 
He smiled at the question. "I am seventy-one years of age." Upon seeing the shock in her eyes, he felt it necessary to explain a little more. "Elves are immortal beings. We do not die of old age like humans and goblins. It is also quite rare for elves to have children, but it is also considered a great blessing." He was unsure of whether that would be a sufficient explanation, for the surprise on her face was still apparent. It would likely take some time for the information to settle into he head. It had not occurred to him before now what it must be like to be a mortal being. It sounded terrible, to not go on living and simply cease to exist. No wonder she seemed to dislike being human so much.
 
"Seventy-one..." Ava shook her head as she thought about it. "That's how old my granddad would be if he was still alive..." She couldn't believe that someone who looked her age was older than her by a lot. She suddenly felt like a baby. She probably would be a baby if she was born an elf. This was all just so... strange? She wasn't even sure anymore. "I just... wow... That is just amazing." She said, giving a small laugh as she wondered what would happen after so many years of living. She felt like a complete novice.
 
Her laugh made his smile broaden. It was good to hear something from her that did not involve words of unhappiness or misery, and he hoped it was a sign that she was growing more comfortable with him. "I suppose it might take some time for you to understand our ways," he said with a chuckle. "We do not appear to age the way you do either." A thought then occurred to him. He had not wanted to pry her with questions as he had before, but he figured that his was a simple enough question, given that she had just asked him as well. "And if I may, how old are you? Surely someone as fair as yourself must be quite young."
 
At his 'fair' comment, Ava blushed. She hesitated, unsure if her age would really mean anything. She was at the age of marrying in her kingdom, but here... "... sixteen. I'm sixteen years old." She finally admitted, almost afraid to say something like that. It suddenly made her feel so much more inexperienced with the rest of the world. She felt... weak. She hated the feeling and wished that it would just go away, but it didn't.

As she was about to say something, she got caught up in a coughing fit, covering her mouth as her small frame shook with the coughs. This just reminded her that she was sick and she needed to rest or else she was going to get even more sick.
 
Tarchon placed his hand on her shoulder. "Easy now. It's not going to be a fun process, but you will feel better soon." He was surprised by how warm she was, and not just because of the sickness. He had read that humans have their bodies fluctuate with varying degrees of warmth depending on where they live. But this was an almost calming warmth.

He quickly released his hand for fear of her growing uncomfortable again. "You need some sleep now. Do not worry. We will be checking in from time to time to make sure you are healing well."
 
Ava nodded, afraid to talk as she slowly moved to lay down, still occasionally coughing. After she was curled up and breathing properly again, she looked up at the elf. "Promise not to slit my throat?" She looked even more fragile in this state. Humans really were such fragile beings. She felt herself start to cough again as she curled in on herself, trying to stop herself from nearly choking.

The poor sick little human seemed to be in bad shape. Since it was a viral infection, the only thing she could do was wait it out...
 
Tarchon stood and placed a hand on her forehead. "I would not dream of it." He smiled down at her. He could not hep but pity her in this state, but he felt another emotion there as well. Though what it was he did not know, but he would figure it out soon enough. "Sleep well, Ava. You are under our protection now."
 
Ava woke up coughing the next morning. She felt like her chest was constricting on her as she hacked and coughed, her throat begging for water. She sat up, trying to calm her coughing fit, but that didn't help much. Her eyes watered as it finally died down, her breathing ragged as she held her chest. She looked around, quickly remembering that she was in the elven home and not at her own home in her large bed.

She took a breath before she started to cough again, wondering just what was irritating her throat so much that she had to go into these types of fits. She held her hand to her mouth, calming down once more and hoping she had something she could drink to moisten her dry throat.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back