“You dare raise your weapons against Lady Daisy, the Beloved Child of the Nature Spirit King, when you live under his same protection?”
Suddenly, the elves looked at each other, murmuring in confusion.
“A familiar? No, look at his green jewel! That’s a divine beast!” said one.
“He serves the Nature Spirit King?!”
“If she rides a divine beast, she must truly be a beloved child!”
All the elves lowered their bows in unison, and one by one, they dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
The first elf who spoke to us sounded humbled now. “We had no idea. To think we raised weapons against someone so dear to the Nature Spirit King! We are deeply sorry.”
Mark let out another sigh while the elves groveled. “Hey, Letia,” he muttered under his breath.
“Yeah, Mark.”
“First of all, no normal person just stumbles onto an elven village. Usually humans can’t get anywhere near their territory! Second, why are they all bowing?”
“Well, it is what it is,” said Letia. “I can’t explain it, but are you really complaining? Or would you rather fight a bunch of elves?”
“Well, no,” Mark conceded. “But seriously, how does Daisy just happen to find a hidden elven village?”
“You know, Mark, maybe we should just start saying, ‘Because she’s Daisy’ and leave it at that?”
“All right, fair enough.”
I asked Leaf what he meant by the elves being under the Nature Spirit King’s protection. He told me that elves built their hidden villages in secret places granted to them by the Nature Spirit King so that no one knew for sure where they were. But there were certain places, like that magic circle of teleportation, that occasionally connected the human realm to an elven village.
Elves were known for their striking beauty, pointed ears, and long lifespans. Because of that beauty and their rarity, they risked being captured and sold into slavery by reprobates if they ever openly entered into human territory. That was why the elves lived in this hidden green paradise, far from human settlements and accessible only by a magic circle.
Once I thought about it, it made sense that the Ents had needed to open a path to the circle for me, because they were probably guardians that protected the place from intruders.
“There’s no need to apologize so much,” I reassured him and the rest of the elves, who were still bowing low to the ground. “We did come here uninvited, after all, and you couldn’t have known I was a Beloved Child. We’ve never even met before! Please, lift your heads—you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Then I reached over and petted Leaf’s head. “Thanks, Leaf. You spoke up for me and helped calm everything down.”
He closed his eyes happily and licked my hand.
Finally, the elves began to raise their heads. The one who called out first moved closer, deftly leaping from branch to branch until he stood before me.
“I am called Elsarion, captain of the elven knights of this village,” he said. “I must apologize again for my earlier behavior. But if I may, what brings you to this village, Beloved Child?” He knelt before me with one arm across his chest, looking up at me questioningly with clear eyes.
I pointed toward the big tree at the center of the clearing.
“That tree is crying out in pain. I heard it calling for help,” I said.
“The World Tree…” he murmured.
“The World Tree?” I echoed.
“Yes, this is one of three World Trees that give life to this world. As you noticed, it is sick and suffering,” Elsarion said before pausing to think for a moment. “I see. It called out for help and must have summoned the Beloved Child.” He nodded, looking convinced, then rose to his feet. “Beloved Child of the Nature Spirit King, Companions, I shall escort you to our leader, the queen of the Sun Elves. Would you come with me?”
“Is that okay?” I turned and looked at Mark, Letia, and Lynn.
“Do you really think no is an option at this point?” Letia asked, looking around.
The other two nodded as well, so we agreed to go with Elsarion. As we were guided toward the queen, I couldn’t help but feel awkward about being the only one they kept calling Beloved Child, so I decided to mention it.
“Um, by the way, Elsarion… My friend Lynn here is the Beloved Child of the Earth Spirit King.”
“What?!” He stopped in his tracks and began profusely apologizing to Lynn all over again.
I swear I’m not teasing you on purpose…
Once that exchange was over, we walked along a road paved with white stone until the trees parted and we entered a clearing. Ahead of us was a vast, shimmering lake with an island in its center, upon which was a single castle.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!” I said.
The water was so clear you could almost see right to the bottom. With every breeze, tiny ripples sparkled along its surface like scattered gems. An elegant stone bridge arched over the water, leading to the island.
The castle itself wasn’t very big, maybe only two stories tall. It looked as though it had been built from some kind of white ore. Covering the walls were climbing vines that bloomed with roses of every color and size.
Finally, we reached the main entrance.
A woman playing the harp sat sideways on an arched balcony on the second floor. She was incredibly beautiful; her long, pale golden hair fell in gentle waves, held back with a silver circlet much like Elsarion’s. Her eyes were a soft lavender and she had the characteristic pointy elven ears. Her skin was pale and luminous, her lips as red as ripe cherries, her cheeks the color of the light pink rose petals that surrounded her. She wore a flowing dress of some gauzy fabric, perhaps silk, that shimmered in the light; the drapery drifted and rippled with every movement. The way it fell over her ample bosom gave her a maternal aura.
“Your Majesty,” Elsarion called up to her.
“Elsarion?” she replied. “Oh, my! You’ve brought guests. And two Beloved Children among them, no less. Please bring everyone up to me.” Her red lips curved into a smile as she welcomed us.
Elsarion led us up to the second floor, where the queen stopped playing the harp and instructed her servants to welcome us properly.