Finding Fae

[NUADA SILVERLANCE]

2008 Nov. 09

Life was like a book. Every day a new page would be turned, and along with the pages, the chapters, there would be dust. Unwanted dirt that could be seen by even a blind eye. In this case, the dirt had been a half elf known as Fae. An elusive little speck of dust that had been co-inhabiting the land of man, and a half-elf that he had been trying to track down for a while. He had surveyed the store earlier, making notes of who her customers were, where they were from, what types of books were popular among the vermin she seemed to enjoy. He had nearly choked with disgust as a little girl discussed how much she loved 'Legolas'. Even in exile, Nuada wasn't blind to the world of humans, he knew his enemy like the back of his own hand.

It was dark now, however, he had watched the sunset over the city. The streetlights turn on by automated timers, the streets bustling with mindless parasites going about their own daily routine. He seemed unnoticed, then again... This was the city. The half-elf bookstore owner had just locked up the shop, but she would be in for a surprise. The prince listened and waited, not wanting any witnesses. Spear in hand, he silently made his way down the darkened side alley. This very alley had been very much different earlier in the daylight hours. It had been welcoming, and littered with flowers, and fresh markets. Now it was empty, dark, and very unsettling. Even for him.

He placed his hands on the bottom of the window, and slid it up, climbing into the building with ease. The outdoor breeze blew the sheer curtain about, as he sealed it once more. No one had seen him. It had been years since he started searching for this half elf. Certainly she had no idea who her father was, she lived among leeches. Idiots. Foul creatures with no right to the earth, but as a half elf, she had a right to know. Even if he frowned upon the half human part, she was still half of his world.

He heard movement among the building, making it very apparent that the girl actually lived here as well. Browsing the shelves as he passed, he recognized several books of myths, legends, lore. An interesting selection to have with all of the 'Legolas' and 'Harry Plotter' fan girls who had exited this very building earlier in the day. Running a finger along the books as he passed, with a nail extended, a strange eerie sound was produced as result. He took a seat on the sales counter, the movement making him confident that she would return. Seeking her out for this long had been similar to a sport to him, so he decided to let the games continue.

[FAE SCHWARZ]

The day had gone by as any other had for the past few weeks; despite being ... well discovered by a choice few people, those being another half elf, a Medusa and a strange human ... surprisingly, her life had been going by rather quietly; obviously no one had told on her, to be frank in thought. People would enter and buy books, sell books, she'd even get into cute little discussions with the younger ones over their favorite Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings characters. It was refreshing to see such an interest in fantasy, even if it was somewhat inaccurate fantasy; entertainment was entertainment after all.

And yet, for this day in particular, she couldn't help but feel like something was ... off. As though amidst all the indifference or excitement there was a small twinge of ... anger ... not quite malice, no ... too ... well something about it wasn't quite right, that was for certain. However, all day she was not approached or confronted in any sort of manner, so for then, she brushed it off as though it were nothing.

And then the day would end, the last few customers would shuffle out, ready for a night of peace and relaxation, and she would close the door and lock it, only tonight forgetting to do the windows as well; maybe she'd grown soft, or too settled to realize that even in a place as uninteresting as New Jersey that anything could happen. Or perhaps she was just tired and it made her forgetful; either way, she had only momentarily made her way up the stairs, allowing her wavy, long hair to fall from it's hairclip, shaking it around with a small noise of contentment. She ran her thin fingers through the yellow-white strands and sighed, half opening her eyes to glance about her small apartment as she leaned against the opened door.

And then she heard it.

Very faint, just from down the stairs in the shop, some sort of ... scratching noise. She tensed, green eyes snapping to attention down the stairs; she didn't imagine it ... and she could feel that same ... sensation she had earlier that day. That ... subtle anger. Someone was definitely downstairs... it was faint, as she was too far away to feel it properly, but there was most certainly a presence. A burglar? No ... probably. She couldn't read it properly enough; she reached for what was nearest her, which was unfortunately just an umbrella. She looked at the item in question and huffed, shaking her head before slinking her way down the stairs.

She was careful to skip the stairs that creaked, landing silently at the bottom step and gently pushing the curtain aside that separated her home and her shop; the umbrella was kept close to her chest, biting hard on her lower lip as she looked around, sneaking through the corridors of books, closer to where she felt this person ... they were in the front. She would not hesitate.

Without sound or warning, she leapt from the maze of bookshelves, umbrella blazoned protectively in front of her, eyes wide and body tense with expectation.

Seeing this person properly ... or rather ... not human properly ... only caused her to freeze further. A mixture of fear and wonderment on her face as she examined him, the pale white skin and hair, tipped with gold and those ... eyes. She found herself stuck in place, caught by his stare, as though he were ... expecting her?

She did not falter, however. Her umbrella stayed where it was, even though she was very, very certain he would be able to disarm her quite easily, given the armor and such ... still, she could at least use it as a distraction.

No words were spoken; if he wanted her to speak, she was sure he would address her first.

[NUADA SILVERLANCE]

His gold eyes read the titles of the books upon the shelves: Robin Hood, The Odyssey, Bethmoora Chapters... What was this? The title had caused a double take, pulling the book off of the dusty shelf he observed with wonder. The front of the book was blue and was stamped with the seal of Bethmoora. Some legends were lost, others forgotten, but this was interesting. Frowning he perched himself on the front service desk, and flipped open the book. As much as he disliked humans, he had spent enough time to learn their language and their text. “Man would keep to the land, while elves and other mythical creatures would keep to the forest...” He purred, snapping the binding shut, letting out a huff of air, the creak of a bookshelf warned him of someone nearby. Laying the book to his side, he waited, anticipating the company of the prey he had been hunting.

A creak, followed by a thud. His golden eyes rested on his subject, who was holding a very colorful umbrella in front of her protectively. He let out a quick breath through his nose, and smirked at the girl. Nuada had seen a lot of things in his years, but a jumpy half elf swinging an umbrella was a first. She appeared frightened, yet full of determination. “Do not be foolish, if I had come to kill you, you'd all ready be dead. Put that down.” He demanded, swatting her umbrella away effortlessly with the back of his hand. He did not let his guard down, although he was certain this girl was no match for him.

She stared, and for a moment there was silence. He had taken her by surprise, although being ambushed wasn't what he had envisioned. He stared at the half elf before speaking again. “You are very elusive.” He stated plainly, picking up the book to study the cover again. The book itself was blue, with a silver seal. Soberly shaking his head he held it up. “I don't suppose many people buy this, but have you read it?” He wondered if the girl even knew she was a half elf. “What do you know about your parents? Did they tell you what you are?” His voice was even as he continued his interrogation, no longer paying attention to the umbrella in her hand.

"I am Prince Nuada Silverlance of Bethmoora." He stated evenly. "I have been seeking you out for years, you have been very tricky to locate, but at last we are at the ends of this search." Taking a breath he glanced at her. "Why do you chose to deny your heritage with us, the children of the earth, for the sake of living among humans? Are you not aware of what they have done to you? To our people? You may only be half elf, but you have more in common with us than with them." The prince then fell silent to let the girl room to speak.

[FAE SCHWARZ]

The way he smirked and swatted the umbrella away from her; he was confident ... then again not many would consider an umbrella threatening when they were dressed in such ... odd armor. Obviously he was a soldier of some sort, or at least trained as one. As hesitant as she was to do so, especially with his statement of how easily he could have killed her ... she placed the umbrella to lean against the side of the counter, though her eyes would never leave his figure. It would have been foolish to take her eyes off of him, if even for a split moment.

And he would continue to speak; she eyed the book in his hands and recognized it straight away, though he wasn't the first to have noted it amongst all the other titles. The gorgon and the other half elf ... she would wonder if they knew this person before her, if they told him of her whereabouts, and then he began to speak of how long he had been searching for her. It was there that she tensed up again, silent as her brow furrowed in confusion; what further was putting her off guard was how well he was able to hide his emotions from her reading. Well, if one had been searching for someone like her for as long as he had claimed, she supposed one would know a great deal about her ... and would learn how to defend themselves against something like empathic reading.

He asked if she had read the book and she simply nodded, knowing it was not yet her place to speak. Even if it was, she felt as though she just yet could not; something about the way he spoke to her gave off an air of importance, and she could not yet bring herself to break her silence to him. He asked about her parents ... she paled, but she nodded, the nervous tension welling into a knot in her chest. Just how much did this person know about her? Who could he have spoken to, and the same question remained ... why? Why was she of any importance to -

Prince Nuada Silverlance.

All those tales, the stories from the book itself, came flooding at her at once, and something within her dropped her to her knees before him, prostrate on the ground with her head bowed deeply. She trembled somewhat; all this time she had only thought he was a myth, even if not that he would be dead by now. Of course she misunderstood just how long a full blooded elf could live ... she supposed he was probably immortal. A full blooded elf, and not only that one of royalty, was here in front of her, and he had been looking for her. Her head rose as he continued to speak to her, continued to ask questions that she knew not the answer to.

She winced at his final choice of words, questioning what exactly she had been doing amongst people. Would it sound foolish to say that she truly did not know how to find others of her kind? That living amongst humans seemed easier, that it frightened her that her own kind, could she have found them, would have not regarded with fear as humans would have, but rather disgust and shame. Fear she could handle ... she would rather have not been understood at all than ...

"My lord," She managed to choke out. "Forgive me for answering your questions with another question but ... as you said I am merely a half elf. Why seek me out at all? Why even care as to who I am, or what I have done?"

She did not raise her eyes, not wanting to seem disrespectful, and she would not unless he wanted otherwise.

[NUADA SILVERLANCE]

The girl was obviously unfamiliar with mythical creatures, though Nuada suspected that had something to do with the life she had chosen above the ground living along the parasite known as mankind. She seemed intelligent enough, despite her initial attempt to defend herself. Clearly she received her intellect from her elvish half, for a mere human would likely have done something provocative: Thus, ending their life. However he had been seeking her out for years, and she was simply hiding in plain sight. Meeting her gaze, he leaned against the bookshelf behind him, one foot flat against it as he spoke.

Silencing himself, arms folded across his chest, Fae's voice answered as he knew it would. Anticipating her answering with another question, he blamed the human in her for not picking out his ambition sooner. "That..." He paused referencing her reply, "Is an interesting question." Tilting his head to meet her eyes he frowned. Had she gone all this time thinking that the world to which she belonged would stop seeking her out? Had she even known about the elvish world being real, or did she just prefer the company of vermin? "The question of why is important, because the end result is that I'm here, and you have been sought out. If it puts your mind at rest, you can say that I have reasons of my own for finding you here."

The silence was foreboding, accompanied by the atmosphere of the darkened room and settling dust. The main source of light was that of the moon shining through the windows, and to Nuada it felt similar to the Halloween stories he had heard human mothers telling their children in passing. He remained quiet for a moment, in case the girl felt inspired to toss-in another question, or remark. "Your ability to read the emotions of others, your natural heightened empathic traits, those are why I have sought you out. That, and since you are a half elf, your safety does fall into my responsibilities." Another pause.

Relaxing his head against the bookshelf, he stared her down casually, attempting to read her expressions. "Regarding your safety: Are you aware, Fae, of the crimes that mankind has committed against our people?" He inquired uneasily. "You're half elf, so the war that is coming... This retribution we will deliver... Will effect you. What I need to know is which side are you taking? Because if you are not with us, then by proxy you are against us." The line spoken sounded better in his head, and he realized that persuading this woman may prove a bit more challenging than some of the other mythical creatures he had spoken with in the past.

"Should you be with us, I would advise moving yourself and your possessions back to the refuge of Mythicals. Back to the Troll Market, where you'll be out of harms way. Other half elves dwell there, alongside other mythical creatures. The world has been forgotten, and is highly protected." That was the truth. Nobody knew where the market was, except those who knew where it was all ready. Those who stumbled across it would not be able to enter, because of the tricks and magic guarding the main entrance beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

"I don't suppose you've been to the marketplace either, have you?" He wondered. The secret seemed to be so well kept that many half elves before her hadn't even heard of its existence. "I await your answer, if you need time, I will grant it. However, I will be watching so don't try to escape me, your effort will be futile." The prince still wasn't sure if she had been eluding him purposefully or not before, so he had prepared to take precautions.

OOC: Oi, I'm rusty!

[FAE SCHWARZ]

She watched his stance intently, eyes raking over his tense and yet relaxed stance, leaning against one of the many bookcases that were lined up all around the store. When her eyes returned to meet his gaze, she took note that he was still watching her, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his head tilted, as though questioning what she had just asked him. He almost seemed disturbed by the fact that she would ask such a question; it wasn't as though she expected to be sought out. Honestly, this entire time she had thought she was being rather good about how she hid herself. Then again, it wasn't as though she could truly understand how the mythical realm worked from her perspective. Perhaps even just her very existence gave her away.

He further explained how her abilities were part of the reason he sought her; that made her tense in unease. How did he know about her empathic abilities? She stood slowly as he went on to explain how her being of elvish descent put her 'under his responsibility'. Fae would watch him quietly, daring to move closer toward the desk as he continued questioning her, about her knowledge about what mankind had done, about ... a war ... and about which side she would choose to be on; the nature of her choice almost seemed like he was threatening her over it, something she didn't take too kindly to inwardly. As she leaned against the desk, with her back facing him, she would look out toward the window, watching as the night passed by them; the street lights would flicker and garbage fluttered about in the breeze; it looked like a newspaper. It wasn't news to her that the humans treated the earth with so very little respect; her hands clenched the sides of the desk tightly, turning her knuckles white as her head hung. They had treated it with such disregard, and yet ... yet she knew it was wrong what the Elvish prince was suggesting: genocide. In her travels, she knew not every human was bad ... and she could assume not every mythical being was good.

"What you're suggesting would make you no better than they are, you know ... or at least than they can be." She murmured, glancing over her shoulder to watch Nuada, greenish eyes flickering as she kept her gaze intent on him. "Are you so certain there's no other way?" It wasn't a question of curiosity, more of intent. Were the humans really so far gone from reasoning that they needed to be eradicated? "Have I really been so out of touch that this is what is to occur?" She asked aloud, though her eyes had traveled from him to an unknown spot, as though talking to herself out loud.

And then he mentioned the Troll Market; if she were to go with him, if he could convince her, then she would have to move once more, uproot herself once more as she had gotten comfortable. Even then she wasn't sure if she would be accepted; even if there were other half elves, that didn't make them acceptable to their society. What if she were more hated by her mythic counterparts than her human? This uneasiness rested in her eyes visibly, and she turned away to stare at the floor, shoulders so tense that they would shudder ever so slightly as she continued gripping the desk. And then he threatened her again should she try to escape.

"Your highness, my answer revolves on you answering one last question..." She kept her back to him, almost biting out the last part of her sentence. "Why should I trust you?"