Around four months had passed since I opened my eyes into this world. I had hoped it might have matched the hazy fragments of my memories, but no. I was disappointed to learn that it wasn't at all close to the world I had in my mind.
It was less… magical than the world I came from.
That, I was sure of. Don't get me wrong, this world was plenty magical— but it wasn't that kind of magical. Not the kind that filled me with emotion. Not the kind that felt like home. Agh! Find the silver lining! I had to look at the upside of things.
Cutting to the point, my family was remote.
We weren't close to any cities, or kingdoms, or many other people.
It was clear from the strolls I sometimes had with my mother or with Sara that we were out in the middle of nowhere. The woods were like our backyard, and the rather large cottage we lived inside along with the other family was in a small cleared out area that was chock-full of pretty animals, flowers, and everything in between. A garden lay behind, while fountains of refreshing water spurted from the ground to water the fields in front.
Ahh… new.
It felt very new.
Like I had been born again— except that was exactly the case.
Because I could not yet move much by myself— my horrid attempts at "crawling" usually resulted in me falling, or tripping, or stumbling— I relied on the others to take me outside whenever I wanted to.
Whenever I want?
Sounds too good to be true, right?
But.. no.
It was very simple.
All I had to do was, hmphh… move my eyes like this, and then scrunch my eyebrows together like that, and then smile with my mouth… and voila! My "cute pleading expression with a side of sparkling goodness" was complete. With it, I had my parents wrapped around my little finger!
My very… little… finger.
That sounded incredibly stupid, didn't it? Pah… no matter.
Today, there was news.
News!
Finally!
I had to stop the laughter bubbling up in my throat so my mother wouldn't look at me with a weird, suspicious expression— apparently I sounded something like a "little witch" when I laughed. Not pleasant to hear from one's own parents.
Well, my father said there was news.
Not sure what it exactly was.
I'll just be in the living room, climbing on the sofa…
"Buh! Buh! Buh-dah!"
Oh.
You're already here.
"Blurbburuhhh!" I responded, waving my arms in what could only be anger. My mother, who was staring at me, erupted with laughter, facepalming and then heading back to the kitchen, which smelled very good.
No, no, I had to focus!
The little hybrid tyrant, her name was Millie.
And she was insufferable! She'd stolen all my things!
A little bundle of joy, her parents called her!
No, she was a menace and a master manipulator!
Whenever I wanted to indulge myself with some toys, she'd just zip over and take them— especially because she could already basically crawl around, I was left helpless time and time again. Hmm… maybe I should look at the books in the library. I can't read or write the language, though… a pity.
I was only able to understand it.
The situation in front of me!
Laying on the sofa, I widened my arms.
She crawled over to me, laying over my stomach.
Well now, this isn't too bad—
Boing! Boing!
My stomach wasn't a trampoline, thank you very much!
How could you possibly jump on top of it?!
Damn you!
Pushing her off of me, I looked around for my father
Fortunately, I saw him walk into the room, one slow foot after another, slapping against the hardwood floor. He was humming a tune under his breath. He looked towards the kitchen with a longing expression, and then he saw me.
Hurrying quickly, he plopped himself down in front of me.
Boing! Boing!
"Mmhh…" My father's expression melted watching us.
No, no, this hurts!
Do something!
"Now Millie, you shouldn't do things like that to little Am-Am here! Even though you were both born on the same day, you were born first, so you have to be a big sis for Am-Am over here, right?" He took his warm hands and rubbed her cheeks a bit. Millie clung onto him, grinning wildly.
Yes… yes!
My father lifted her up, pulling her into his lap.
Then he took me, and squished me against her.
Sigh…
The smell of cherry goodness wafted into the living room like ambrosia from the gods themselves. My mother soon stepped out, wearing a simple plaid apron and baggy maroon clothes. She had a scarf wrapped around her neck, and a bonnet over her head. Waving to my father, she smiled.
"The pie's ready, hon! After that, you guys should get going… Sara and Cidris both left around dawn… and your lazy butt wanted to spend time watering the flowers! You should be grateful that I even cooked this for you…" My mother's voice soon devolved into mumbles.
Picking us both up and slinging us over his shoulder, my father ignored the burps reverberating from my mouth, though Millie didn't take it kindly. As she kicked me, I sighed internally as the smell of pie filled my nose.
Taking us to the kitchen, we sat down.
Pie… pie!
Cherry pie.
Throwing a few plates over to my father— who caught them, of course— my mother took the steaming hot pie from the stove, in which hot coals and amber flame still burned. Although the smell of smoke wafted out the chimney, some still remained in the air.
The pie was served.
Using a small metal knife with some wooden engravings on it; a collectors item, perhaps, the pie was sliced up, and my father took joy in feeding it to both me and Millie, moving the spoon around while insisting that it was a "kite".
Parents… Well, the pie was yummy at least.
But Millie seemed to enjoy this whole "kite" thing.
Soon, lunchtime was over.
Warm sunlight filled the cottage, and it was time to get ready.
Ready for what exactly, I didn't know.
Soon enough, my father had carried us both to the door.
Millie was sleeping in a way so cute that I could almost forgive her, and I couldn't blame her. She was a very normal baby, who had just eaten a very large meal. But I, the great me, had other plans!
I was going to use this chance to learn!
Learn more about my parents, and this place!
The angular wooden door creaked as my father opened it, letting in all the glorious sun's light. He muttered something under his breath and then smeared his fingers over our faces. A liquidy substance stuck to our skin— some sort of heat protectant, or similar.
Squeak!
"We're off!" My father shouted, stepping outside as the door squeaked.
"Have a good trip!" My mother smiled, waving her hand.
Hmm, but…
My mother's expression was complicated. She was biting her lip slightly, and there was a hint of worriedness in her face… although I didn't think it was much, it couldn't hurt to be careful.
I looked at my father.
His gaze was already in my direction.
We walked for a while, until we were in the heart of the plains.
I thanked my father silently for the "sunscreen", because otherwise, the hot sun would have already seared my skin right off! Although I couldn't exactly look up as I wanted to preserve my eyes, I looked around, lost in the myriad of organized chaos that was the plains.
Butterflies, colored beetles, grasshoppers, and much more…
Their chirping filled the still air.
Long grass went up to my father's waist, though there was a dirt pathway cleared through it. He shoved past easily, not noticing the ants that sometimes crawled into his sandals. The brick and stone cottage was left behind soon as we neared the bottom of the hill our house was on.
Rocking Millie back and forth, my father pointed at his mouth.
"You… can't understand what I'm saying, right?"
Woah.
Did he suspect something?
Actually… no.
His smile was replaced with a more pained one.
"Hah, what am I talking about? Of course you can't… so let me vent some of my frustration on you, Am-Am! Be a good little son… ah, what am I saying… let's take a little break for a moment…" My father sat on the dirt, tracing the clouds in the sky as he began to speak.
It seemed serious, so no jokes.
I listened intently.
"Amina did want to live in the countryside, and it isn't like I don't enjoy it, but this place? I understand that it's just about the most beautiful place that someone could live, and I love it, but there's always a little stillness here." He said wistfully, mostly talking to himself.
"Sherwood Village…"
Ding!
That was what this place was called!
Sherwood Village… not a bad name.
I liked it.
"And the Sherwood, where the elves live. Living beside elves? C'mon, everybody knows that they're a bit iffy— of course, Sara, even as a… that, is wonderful, she's like a sister to me, and Millie here is a half-elf half-something… because Cidris doesn't know his own race… I don't have any problems with it, but sometimes, it keeps me awake at night." My father stated to himself. His skin began to lighten, and he seemed to be getting better and better.
Maybe I was therapeutic.
Like a little bundle of healing!
But elves… no, it wasn't that unexpected.
Just long-eared, nature-turned creatures.
They lived longer than humans, and were much more powerful, but their figures were mostly the same. The thing was, they didn't age, so I envied their concept, but just like my father said, it wasn't that bad.
Half-something, though…
Someone who didn't know their own race?
Interesting.
My father interrupted my thoughts as he spoke again.
"Cidris is my best friend, we've been through a lot together. But sometimes I wonder…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Well, it doesn't matter, actually! Living like this is great… I've got my beautiful wife Amina…"
Woah there, father. Don't get so mushy and gushy!
"... And my amazing son," he continued, nudging me gently.
There we go, that's what I like to hear.
"Doesn't change the fact we're living on the elves' territory. 'Course, we gotta follow their customs… still! I was a soldier! I know just how much damage stems from dabbling with the spiritual, the divine, the unknown. And they let their children fall right into it…" I watched my father sigh, scars peeking from underneath his shirt, realizing that there might be credibility to his rant.
Then he looked at me, as if I understood anything he said.
Well, I understood the words, but the concept was unsettling.
What did he mean by the divine?
Could it be something similar to the power that child showed?
I wonder…
Standing up again, my father stretched his arms and legs.
Wearing a smile once more, he walked closer and closer to the Sherwood, which I could only guess was inhabited by elves, steeling himself for something. What that thing was, I couldn't tell.
Ah, such is life.
It isn't like I'm going to die here.
I'll be fine, like always.
"Un-kah! Un-kah!" Millie opened her eyes, and she immediately began babbling as she pulled at my father's trimmed beard— which was to say, she just started pulling at his skin.
Chuckling, my father patted her head.
"You'll meet your parents and the other children soon, Millie!"
"Just an hour's worth of walking…"
My father began humming a tune like he usually did, as we came closer and closer to the trees that stood straight, tall, and regal.
Holding my breath, I counted as we…
We walked through! We made it into the forest!
I stared back at the sunlit field, missing its warmth.
But the forest… It called to me! Well, it didn't, but my curiosity did.
Time to meet the elves.