Chapter 2: As The Sun Sets (1/2) || Ruith
A crisp breeze dragged across the sparkling surface of the lake.
I dipped my hair in the crystal water, which took on hues of pink and violet due to the influential sun. I then raked through the excessive length of my bronze curls with a wooden comb.
The castle had lavish baths with fountains that expelled warm water; however, the servants who waited in corners for my call often invaded my bathroom. Even when ordered to leave, they stayed, pledging their duty to me, their prince. Their urgent desire to serve me sometimes drove me mad.
I had no privacy to even wash myself. My father, the King of the Meadow Province, cared not to interfere, saying this was as things should be for a prince. At a young, curious age, I'd realized that my requests were mute to my father's ears, so I was not surprised by this outcome.
For comfort, I'd begun bathing in this sparkling lake in the human world. The trees, fond of me, gave me the privacy I craved. But it was only due to the company of my royal guard, Taegen, that my father consented to me coming here. Always nearby, Taegen was. And he was more trusting and confident in my sensibility than my father was.
I dried my naked body. Then, I put on my white clothing and clasped my jewelry around my golden-brown skin. After sectioning my hair into four long braids, I crowned my headpiece, positioning the dangling pink ruby in the center of my forehead.
A snap sounded a handful of yards behind me.
I looked up at the sky and noted the time. More animals would appear, and it was always best never to disturb them or the elven scouts that would roam this vast forest soon.
With ease, I leaped onto the tall, overhanging rock that sheltered a portion of the shore, then into the nearest tree. But a rustling sound had me pausing. I peered through the thick branches and studied the lake's edge from where I came.
Pale curls came into view first, and then the rest of the tall body of the human. I shrank in the tree, observing. It'd been three days since our first encounter. I had assumed the human had forgotten to return or could not find his way home. But here he was, walking along the edge of the lake…searching. For me?
Curious, I observed some time longer. The human wandered for a few minutes before pausing to think. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes fixed in my direction, although not quite spotting me.
"Are you there?" he asked.
Interesting.
I hopped out of the tree and landed on the rock's peak. My abrupt motion startled the human, who stumbled a few steps back, although his eyes were trained in awe.
"You're here," he said on an exhale, that familiar smile brightening his face.
Seeing him now, I realized the human was quite nice-looking. He owned a strong jaw, a straight nose, and doe eyes to soften his masculine appearance. Splotches of rose color patterned his ivory cheeks beneath the speckled rash. Although he had a strong build, he was still human. That meant he was considerably weak.
I shifted my weight to one side. "I am."
"You waited?"
"I happened to be in the area," I gave truthfully.
The human approached. I retreated a tentative step.
And the human paused; his smile didn't falter. "A friend, remember?" He lifted his hand for me to take. When I was contemplative, the human smiled brighter to reassure me.
My eyes flitted from the callused palm to the human's eager expression. He didn't seem dangerous. Bravely, I allowed our palms to touch and felt an immediate spasm of waves in my stomach. I used him to hop down, although I was capable on my own. I was nearly a head shorter as I stood before him.
"I brought something for you," the human said. His voice carried a gentle depth, like the lake I had just bathed in. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a package of linen. He met my eyes with a kind smile as if he didn't own any other expression. "Tissues for your illness."
My lips straightened. "You're considerate. Thank you."
I waited for the human to speak again, as I wasn't sure what topics would interest him in conversation. Even if I were aware, I wouldn't have the social capability to start that engaging conversation. The only people I spoke to were Taegen, my teachers, and my father. I had no companions to socialize with.
The human shifted the bag on his shoulder, not a nervous response, but to get comfortable, it seemed. "So, what's your name?"
"I'm Ruith."
Fond colors bloomed on his cheeks. "I'm Simon. It's nice to meet you, Ruith."
I nodded, feeling unable to return a warm pleasantry. "And how old are you, human?"
Simon laughed and wandered onto a nearby log. "Human is a little condescending, don't you think? I'll be twenty-one next month. What about you? You look younger than me."
Condescending? How so? "I'm nineteen," I answered, my eyes tracking Simon's wobbly movements on the fallen tree. "That wood is molded. You'll end up falling."
The tree collapsed in the center. Simon reacted in enough time to avoid his leg sinking in but tipped over the edge and fell to the grassy ground. I sprinted to his side. I was unsure of how delicate humans were. Would that have been enough to kill him? To my unexpected relief, Simon sat up, a few blades of grass tangled in his curls.
"Thanks for warning me," he grinned. "I could've lost my leg there."
I looked from the tree to Simon's leg. Curious, I crouched and inspected his knee. The bones seemed sturdy enough. "Really? Humans are that fragile?"
Simon huffed a musical laugh. "Of course not. I was exaggerating. At most, I would've twisted my ankle and gotten a few splinters."
"You can walk then?"
"I can." And with that, he stood, comically puffing his chest to prove he was alright.
I stood as well and watched him with discreet fascination. Then I extended the package in my hand. "Was this the only reason for your coming?"
He frowned. "It isn't obvious?"
I waited for an explanation.
Wearing an awkward smile, Simon scratched his cheek. "Well, I'm here to see you. I did say I'd check up on you."
This human wanted to care for me? Simon had stated he was a friend, although we'd only just met. It made sense. Humans did not live long, so they formed relationships hastily. Did Simon wish to have with me what he had with other humans?
A timid smile crept onto my lips. "Would you like to go exploring with me?"
****
I showed Simon along a grassy path, keeping him near me in case I sensed other elves approaching. It was uncommon for village elves to roam the human world during the day, but Ophinem's soldiers wandered the forests at their discretion. My being around a human was dangerous. Any relation to a human that was not antagonistic was forbidden and punished severely. My race harbored an intense hatred for them, and as a prince, it had always been part of my duty to uphold elven values. However…there was a thrill in having this secret. I'd had secrets with my brother all the time.
Simon scoped the forest awe-filled and with an upbeat rhythm in his step.
This forest, which I had grown up in, seemed ordinary to me, although I appreciated it. From the pillar-like trees that proved to be no obstacle to climb to the iridescent stones that littered the forest floor, like jewels in a cave. I adored it all. The animals were lovely and usually caused no trouble. The wind was almost always calm, showing me a path whenever I knew not where to explore next. This forest had become my solace. I was quietly glad that Simon adored it as much as I did.
Simon pulled something unfamiliar from his bag. I paused. Withdrawing a usual step.
Observing me, his eyes widened. "That's right. You must not have seen one of these before." He smiled to himself and brought the object to his eye.
"What is that?" I cautiously asked.
"You'll just have to trust me." While pinching the other eye shut, Simon encouraged me to smile.
I looked away when a bright flash chased my eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
A sheet exited the object. "You looked away at the last moment. Let's take another one." Simon raised it again.
"Enough," I interrupted. "The light hurts my eyes."
"Alright then," Simon offered gently. Even now, he smiled, proving he'd taken no offense to my clipped tone. "I'm not originally from this area, so I've been doing some research. This is a magical forest, isn't it?"
"Not innately. A handful of passages to my world reside here, so this forest has magical attributes from the fall out of our magic," I answered.
A pile of stones caught Simon's eye, and he crouched to flash the light from his object. He picked up an acorn-colored stone and held it against the setting sun. "This one kind of reminds me of your eyes." How strange. He pocketed it and stood. "What element of magic do you have, Ruith? Can you show me?"
Showing him would do no harm; however, I still believed it too soon. After all, Simon could be one of those deceitful humans my father had warned me about. Learning more about him was my priority before revealing anything.
I questioned instead, "You said you're not from this area. Where do you live then?"
"If I tell you, will you come visit me?"
My head fell on a tilt. "Is it not enough for you to come see me here? It's more comfortable this way."
"Wow…" Simon exhaled with a chuckle. He grasped my shoulder and squeezed me. "We really need to work on your humor, yeah? I'm terrified you don't know what a joke is."
He smelled like the earth. Like fragrant sage and sweat and…calm. Instinctively, I latched onto Simon's hand with my own, enjoying this feeling of being touched by him. Simon seemed startled but timidly delighted. He considered me with that same curiosity from before. My neck warmed, and I felt embarrassed. I released him quickly.
We continued our journey, discussing various plants we encountered and the purpose of their leaves. We discussed berries, which ones were bitter and which were sweet. And it was then that Simon revealed that humans could not consume all species of berries, for certain ones were poisonous to their kind. He praised my "iron stomach"—my immunity to poison. I blushed at that but hid it well.
Eventually, I found myself lecturing Simon about the purpose of every living thing we encountered and how joyously I felt about them all. Simon captured many pictures, from what he'd explained was a camera, enamored with my teachings.
A bud of pride and fondness bloomed in my hollow chest. It hadn't been necessary for me to learn about the human world since I rarely had to leave castle grounds. But at this moment, I was glad I had taken it upon myself to explore this land with Taegen and my brother. Together, we'd learned many things.
"And what about this one?" Simon asked, blindly reaching for a plant in the dark.
I caught his hand. "Poison ivy. Careful."
"It causes rashes even for elves, then?" Simon then asked, letting his hand fall.
"For little ones. Although the effects don't last long, they're uncomfortable."
Throughout the couple of hours we'd spent together, Simon had been a generous bank of playful laughs. And he laughed now, patting my shoulder as gratitude for saving him. Again. It was quite endearing how curious yet oblivious humans were. They were like bunnies, from what I had noticed from taking care of the ones I spotted.
What could a bunny ever harm?
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
_Haven
_Haven I'm so excited for you all to read the second half of this chapter! All I want is for Ruith to smile genuinely, so I hope Simon can encourage one from him. See you all soon!
Chapter 3: As The Sun Sets (2/2) || Ruith
A calm wind breezed past me, and I looked at the sky. It was dark. Moonlight drizzled through the sparse treetops and reached me. Ophinem's soldiers—scouts, would be out now, wandering these forests they conquered in search of any humans that might have roamed this far. It'd be dangerous to keep Simon out any longer. And despite my feeble attempts at displaying my glee, I had enjoyed myself. With him. The last time I'd felt so enthusiastic in this world had been when my brother was still alive, and we'd frolic around the forest.
There was a low growl somewhere behind me. A bear, most likely. Like humans, they were delicate creatures. No longer could I play with them because, like a child, I underestimated my strength whenever I was excited. Usually, I would have ignored the animal's aggression, but I stopped momentarily. While journeying through my mind, I'd briefly forgotten that the human was my responsibility.
Where had Simon gone?
I spun around and spotted Simon in the distance, distracted by that camera to his eye. He was unbeknownst to the grizzly that stalked him. How powerful were human eyes? Would Simon notice it?
Briefly, I wondered what to do. I didn't want to confront the bear, but if it targeted Simon, I might not have a choice.
Looking in my direction, Simon strained his eyes to see me. "Ruith, come he—"
Oh, now he saw it.
Simon became a wall, his camera falling to the ground and making more noise than he probably would have expected. The smell of his fear was pungent. If I could smell it, the bear certainly could. And it wasted no time charging at Simon. Simon retreated quickly, skillfully without noise, but he groaned when he fell backward onto a bed of sharp rocks.
I lazily wrung out my fingers and manifested a spear with my light magic. In two strides, I protected Simon and blocked the bear's violent slash with my weapon. I hissed when its nails snagged my skin, causing blood to spill. In my other hand, I curled a concentrated ball of golden light.
Then I roared at the bear. Sometimes, it took noise to deter the aggressive ones. The bear's mouth snapped closed with a whimper. It withdrew quickly, losing interest in a potential meal as fear influenced it. I stood my ground until it was out of sight, then dispersed my spear. My light, I kept activated in my other hand.
Once the bear effectively disappeared, guilt nagged me for having raising my voice at it. I recognized the mother bear. She'd been my friend for a while.
Simon was still on the ground when I turned around, trembling slightly. Bears weren't terrifying, but it seemed they could overpower humans. Simon must have thought he would have died at that moment.
"Are you alright?" I dropped to my knees. With my light, I inspected Simon's person. I took his hand and frowned at the color inside his palm. "You must've cut yourself when you fell."
"It's hardly a battle wound." Simon attempted a smile, but it was dull. His expression was a telltale of guilt as he stared at the small wound on my upper arm. It had already begun to close, but plenty of blood remained. "You're hurt."
"It'll heal." I retrieved a tissue from the package Simon had given me earlier and brought a corner to my tongue. Simon observed as I pressed the dampness to his palm. When he hissed, I paused to regard him. "So humans are fragile."
"Are you laughing at me?" Simon asked, but his following smile uncovered the humor in his tone.
A joke.
I shrugged. "It's okay to be weak when you have someone willing to protect you."
We were comfortable in silence while I wiped the dirt and blood from his hand.
"Books don't even scratch the surface of how wonderful magic is. It's strange, but they even have movies trying to recreate it," Simon said, engrossed by the orb of light balancing on my thigh. "What's it like for elves to create something like that?"
I considered my magic also. "The answer to that is based on whether the user depends on pulling their magic from the element around them or being able to manifest it on their own. Magic comes naturally to some, while others must train to access it. Sometimes, even skilled users train to heighten their abilities."
Simon stared thoughtfully at me. "Can magic from your world…heal others?"
"In my province, anyone possessing water magic is capable. But it's rumored that light magic, like mine, also has healing properties. Unfortunately, I never learned how to access it."
"Wow," he breathed, wonder-stricken. "Still, that's incredible."
I was discreetly pleased Simon regarded my magic so fondly, although I was not exceptionally skilled. I desired to wonder him despite my hesitance earlier. It was shameful how easily flattered I was. I stood hastily.
"Come with me. I'll show you something special before you leave."
We followed another grassy path, weaving between growing trees in the dark, although I could see them. This time, Simon stayed nearer to my side. He'd even gotten startled when a family of bunnies crossed before us. Despite his height and lean build, he had quite an adorable air to him.
In no time, we arrived outside the entrance of a cave. The surrounding boulders were decorated with moss, unripe flowers, and birds (when the sun was out). This place occupied another pocket of my heart. In the deepest depths of the cave was where I occasionally planted berry bushes to feed wandering bears and lost cubs. I took a comfortable step into the darkness.
"Wait a second, Ruith." Discomfort had Simon shifting on his feet. "You shouldn't walk in there this late. There could be another bear."
"There isn't. The cave is empty."
Simon's shoulders relaxed a little, and he braved forward. "Are you sure? Does your magic tell you so?"
"Not my magic, my ears. The only heartbeats I hear are ours. Yours is beating fast."
Simon hid his face from me, likely embarrassed. It seemed humans flushed just as readily as I did.
"You can hold onto me if you're afraid, but I wouldn't let anything happen to you," I confidently stated.
When Simon looked at me, our eyes caught for a long, unshakable beat. I felt static on my bare arms; goosebumps tickled my neck. And I wondered if somehow I affected him the same way he strangely affected me.
Eventually, Simon shook his head. "I'm just being cautious. Let's go."
The familiar path of rock felt comfortable beneath my feet. Forward, I strolled with Simon immediately behind me despite 'not being afraid'. My lips were numb with a smile. I turned around and grasped Simon's hand to pull him to the cave's center.
"H-Hey! What are you doing, Ruith? I can't see anything."
"It needs to be dark for this to work," I responded. "Give me your hands."
Simon lifted his hands, and I cupped my own beneath them. I could feel the pulse in his hands beat beneath my fingertips. He was still nervous.
Quickly, I plucked magic from my core deep within me and directed it to the blood in my fingers. I transferred the glittering magic to Simon's hands so that a glowing star of light hovered in his palms.
Simon's wonderous expression was illuminated with a golden sheen, the tips of his curious curls dipping in it also. His cheeks bloomed with color. And he smiled.
"This is amazing, Ruith," he whispered.
I stroked Simon's thumb, lifting my hands against his. "On three." After a nod, "One, two—"
We lifted our hands so that the light could scatter like sunbeams against a mirror. The cave brightened wonderfully, as did Simon's already positive aura. His lips parted with a gasp as he witnessed the magical sight in awe. The light fell like glitter and gathered like snow on the ground until we were standing in a garden of light. My broad smile astonished me, but I could not contain it because Simon also smiled.
He seemed genuinely happy to experience this moment, and that made me embarrassingly glad.
Simon hastily retrieved his camera from his bag. But he did not capture my magic as I thought he would. The camera flashed, and I squinted my eyes.
Simon smiled contentedly as he viewed the photo. "You're really special, Ruith." He offered it for my viewing. In it, my brown eyes shone amber from the flash, and my hair dappled with specks of gold.
"May I try?" I asked.
Simon's voice lifted excitedly. "Really? You want to?" He offered his camera and explained briefly how to use it.
I peeked through the lens I held to my eye. And though the world appeared smaller, many wonderful things came into focus. The carvings on the rock in the distance, the snails that journeyed across the cave floor…the sparkle in Simon's eyes. I captured the picture.
Pulling it out of the slot, I shook it as Simon would and waited a few moments for his image to appear. Humans had magic, too. The elven world didn't have such technology.
"Well…what do you think?" Simon asked after a silent moment. His voice harbored a nervous inflection. He was worried I would disapprove of his image? I inspected the picture for a long time, comparing the intricate details of the Simon on the paper and the one before me.
Eventually, I smiled. "You're special too, Simon."
That usual, wonderful color darkened on his cheeks and neck. He smiled warmly at me. "Thank you for showing me this, Ruith. If this were the last thing I ever saw, I'd die happily."
What an odd thing to say.
Although we'd only just met, I already hoped for the many more days we could enjoy each other's company like this. And I would become hopelessly attached. I already desired many more years of being friends. Now that I'd dipped my heart into this river of friendship, I wanted to submerge myself completely.
The thought of losing what Simon and I had established today inspired an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I'd already lost my brother. How would I cope? Hopefully, I was not destined to be alone…but my heart was skeptical.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
_Haven
_Haven
Ah! Ruith smiled! I'm so happy for him. And I'm excited for you all to learn more about the kind of relationship Ruith had with his brother. Stay tuned!
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