Song of the chapter – Fireflies by OwlCity

Morning came quickly, with only a few hours sleep for all of them. Blaike seemed especially quite causing Eliana to wonder if he'd had any sleep at all. The threat of the Oprey may have been weighing on him.

"We will be moving through the Wildlands now. Keep close and don't move from the trail. These lands have been handed over to every type of beast and threat after so many years of unuse. Heads up and eyes open at all times." Blaike instructed. His warrior persona was on display for any threat that may be watching them.

The group moved as quickly as two girls from a far land with no experience in such circumstances could. They made their way through the Wildlands by nightfall and were able to camp at its outskirts. Blaike expressed his relief at getting the newest arrivals, meaning Harper and Eliana, out of there unscathed. According to him, it had been the most daunting task of his illustrious career. Harper laughed, until he told her she'd be crying if she knew what had tracked them, waiting until darkness to attack.

"Oh you were serious?" She replied.

"Deadly serious." He answered.

Harper kept quiet after that. The next day brought an easier journey as they made their way through the open countryside. Eliana had been impressed with her surroundings at each new territory, but kept those thoughts to herself not wanting a scolding from Blaike. His demeanor had changed after the night of the Oprey. She decided he was on high alert for danger. She longed for another quiet moment with him, but the opportunity never seemed to present itself. After another day and night traveling through the county, Blaike announced that they had almost made it to the fae realm.

"How much longer do you estimate?" Eliana asked.

"By mid-day after Star down." He replied while setting up camp. Eliana realized Star down was likely what was referred to as sun up back home.

"Star rise, star down, StarStone. You guys sure like your stars." Harper interjected.

"Starlight is our essence, as I've told you. Our world revolves around it, so therefore we use it to gage the passage of time as well." He answered simply.

"It's cool. The stars here are pretty intense, I get it." Harper conceded. Her tone had also changed over the few days they traveled. She still loved to tease Blaike, but she must have also sensed his tension because she had backed way off.

"Sleep now, tomorrow is a big day as we make it to the Fae. Our arrival will most likely illicit yet another round of questions from the two of you." He told the girls.

"I'll try to keep my trap shut." Harper winked at him. Blaike actually laughed a little in reply, which gave Eliana a smile as well. Things were finally less intense then they had been.

Morning dawned giving the group a renewed energy at the knowledge their journey was coming to an end. Eliana had little experience camping out, let alone roughing it as much as she had in The Ferlands. She was the first to admit that she had been more of a hotel girl than a camper, so the fact that she had spent the better part of a week out in the wilderness, no showers or toilets to be found, was an enormous feat for her. Harper was ususally open to anything, but this trip had also thrown her off her game. Eliana knew it hadn't been easy for her. The constant sarcasm had been the first clue.

But suddenly everyone was positive and upbeat. Blaike had informed them that the Fae were waiting for them, and they would find a hot meal, warm bath and comfortable bed when they arrived. That lit the fire under all of them and they walked faster than three tired bodies should be able to.

The sun hit the mid-day mark just as the terrain began to change. Eliana noted that they had been walking through rolling hills, fields of grass and shrubs, but up ahead she viewed the same impressive trees from the Forgotten lands. From the distance the trees stood, they appeared average, but each step forward gave testimony to their expansive girth as they grew exponentially in front of her eyes. The colors in front of her were vibrant and intense. It was like a painting, something outside the realm of reality. And yet, it was real and tangible, right in her path.

"Are those the same trees that were growing just outside the cave?" Eliana finally asked out loud. Something about them wasn't quite the same, in her mind.

"Almost." Blaike replied. "They are like relatives, similar in many ways. They both originated from the same tree, but these are Fae trees. They have been in the realm longer than even the Fae. The trees of the Forgotten land were grown from the same seeds, but have had more starlight to aid their growth." Blaike explained, then looked back at both Harper and Eliana, "and they hold different secrets." He added, then gave a wink.

"My, my. Cheeky today, aren't we?" Harper teased. "Someone's happy to be done with this journey."

"Are not we all," was his response.

"Amen to that!" Harper laughed. At that point, they had reached the trees Blaike had just been explaining. Eliana noticed that they were indeed quite similar, but their essence was different. It was almost as though the trees themselves were alive, as if they had a soul.

"I myself am quite ready to bathe the stench away." Blaike joked. "Even a Watcher prefers to be clean occasionally."

"We're all a little ripe if you ask me, right Eli?" Harper shoulder bumped Eliana as she spoke.

"Yes, you are right on that point," Eliana said, with less humor than her companions.

"What is up with you lately? Ever since we started our road trip you've been like this. And here, it's just gotten worse." Harper complained. The trouble was, she was right. Eliana had felt odd, and that feeling had only grown as time wore on and they traveled deeper into the Ferlands.

"You're right, but I'm not sure what it is. It almost feels like I'm waiting for something awful to happen. Like I know it's coming." That was the best way she could explain it, even though that wasn't entirely accurate. She left out the part that she felt more at home in this strange land than the one she had grown up in.

"Girl, I got ya. But look around, something awful has happened." Harper said as she gestured to their surroundings.

"Not in my forest," declared a foreign voice. The sound had come from up above, somewhere in the trees. All three travelers looked up to locate the source.

"Zolen. Of course you are here waiting for us. Did not her Majesty instruct you to wait until after our meeting?" Blaike called to the mysterious voice.

"Yes, but I gave her reason to change that order. And now I am here." The voice responded coolly. Eliana detected a bit of friction between the two men by the tone of voice they had been using.

"Show yourself so that our necks do not break from the strain of looking into these trees. Introduce yourself to your guests." Blaike shot back with obvious disdain. The interaction would be interesting, to say the least.

Seconds later, a large body came zipping down from whatever branch he had been perched upon, landing with a thud right in front of where Harper and Eliana stood. Both girls leapt back a few steps in surprise. The male in front of them was tall, taller than Blaike, with short brown hair and a scruffy beard. His muscles filled out both his tunic and pants, made in a similar layering style as Blaike's. However, where Blaike had tall boots, this male had bare feet, an odd thing to do in a forest.

"Whoa, Tarzan! Dial down the extreme sports!" Harper shouted with her hand covering her racing heart.

Zolen's only reply was to cock his head to the side in confusion. His green eyes seemed to shine in the forest of the same color. Eliana could see his jaw muscles clench, his nostrils flare, and she found herself wondering if he was someone to fear.

"Great," she said while looking over at Eliana. "Another one that doesn't understand anything I say."

"I understand your words. But most of them do not belong together," Zolen said with a straight face. Eliana laughed, causing Zolen to look over at her, brows furrowed in confusion. It was then that she realized he was serious. However, she also realized he was no threat and her worries began to ease.

"Hello, I'm Eliana," she said, putting her hand out to shake his. He just stared at it, so she pulled it back in. "Blaike told us that Queen L'Oran requested to meet with us."

"Not 'us'," Zolen said as he pointed to Harper and Eliana, "just you." He clarified while looking right at Eliana.

"Hey! What about me?" Harper interjected. "I came all this way, I at least want to meet the Queen of the Fae. Is that what you are?" She directed the question to Zolen.

"Yes, I am Fae. And I am the Faery General," He said, standing a little straighter.

"Fairy?" Harper said, slightly smirking, "then shouldn't you have pointy ears?" She looked over to Eliana once again, "Don't fairies have pointy ears?"

Eliana just shrugged, not wanting to get in the middle of those two. She sensed they would be going head to head soon and wanted no part of it.

"Faeries do not have pointed ears. Where did you hear that?" he asked, shocked and appalled by her question.

"Um...everywhere. It's pretty well known." She shrugged. "Where are your wings?"

"Wings...what?" Zolen shut his eyes and shook his head. "What?" Then he looked over to Blaike, "Who is this female? Has she been like this the entire time?"

Blaike just shook his head, "You have no idea."

Zolen leveled a glare at Harper, "We do not have wings, or pointy ears. We are the most feared army in the land. Now, if you will excuse me. I must return to her Majesty's compound."

"Not so fast, Zolen." Blaike called out as he turned to leave, "If you talked your most beloved Queen into letting you welcome us to the realm, what will she say when you refused to escort us directly to her?"

Eliana could have sworn she saw steam pouring out of Zolen's ears. He was not amused, and she wondered if he had any sense of humor at all. Even Blaike had warmed up to Harper's sarcasm and biting wit.

"It would be my pleasure to escort you to the compound borders. Then I must make my leave at its entrance." He replied with gritted teeth.

"We have been camping for a week in a weird land with a dude who won't answer any questions, and now we have an escort who has zero sense of humor." Harper mumbled loud enough for Eliana to hear.

"Maybe just leave him alone, if he's going to be so easily irritated with you." She suggested to her equally irritated friend. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you hated him so much you'll probably end up falling in love with him."

Harper stopped dead in her tracks. "Over my dead body!"

"Whose dead body? This forest is sacred, I want no deaths to mar its luster." Zolen shot back to the girls.

"Besides," Harper said, raising the volume of her voice, presumably so Zolen would hear, "I'm sure the Fae all have mates. You know, that one person they were born to be with and they know it the minute they lay eyes on each other."

Zolen scoffed, "Mates. Hah! That's for beasts and animals, not Fae. We are not werewolves."

"Oh yes, clearly. Werewolves are sexy." Harper replied smugly.

From their vantage point walking behind him, Eliana saw Zolen stiffen at Harper's comeback. "So, how far to the Queen's compound?" She asked to take the focus off of the previous topic.

Zolen took a deep breath. "Two days time." He didn't bother looking back to gage their reaction. Harper's loud, "WHAT?" was clue enough to how they felt.

Eliana watched as Harper stormed over to Blaike, "Why didn't you tell us we'd be trudging through the forest for two more days! I want to take a bath!"

Zolen coughed at Harper's outburst. "It takes two days to get to the compound, not two days to get to the community. You did not ask about that. We will arrive to your quarters by the evening meal, with time to freshen up before being served."

"Oh. Well, why didn't you say so?" Harper crossed her arms like a sulking child and continued to walk along.

〰🖤〰

So, Zolen, am I right! I was so excited to introduce him to you, finally!! He won't know what to do with Harper, that's for sure. You may know about my Chris Pratt obsession. This is my way of working through that I guess, haha!! Your votes will help me through as well, just saying 😉

Because this chapter is also split, expect an update on Wednesday.

Fireflies is just a fun, happy little song. I hear it in my head when Eliana enters the Fae Realm.

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