Vala, One Story from Two Perspectives

          Keta Lowwil was all packed and ready to go. She waved to the small group that had gathered to see her off from the small forest town of Doren. Her backpack was even heavier with books than it was when she arrived. It was their way of thanking her for helping to make their homes safe again.
          As a member of the Elemental Guilds of Arbitration it was her job. The Guilds held no affiliation with any country or organization and were often called into mediate disputes as an impartial entity. They also investigate crimes or even retrieve particularly dangerous fugitives. Their ability to sense and manipulate the elemental energies of the world made them quite adept at such things.
          She was also trained to recognize the aura of those with Guilds potential. But Keta didn’t expect to sense that on the third day of her trek through the King's Forest, far from any town or village.
          Adjusting her heavy backpack, full of books and supplies (but mostly books), Keta stepped off the trail in the direction of the aura she sensed. She kept an eye out for anything from a farmhouse to a mud hovel. Deeper and deeper into the woods she went and the Guild member saw no structure resembling any kind of building.
          After awhile, Keta stubbed her toe, the soft leather of her knee high boot not much of a shield, on a rock she failed to notice. Before that, a tree branch decided to whip around and smack the woman in the nose. When she wiped her chin length auburn hair out of her face, she was surprised to not see blood caked in the strands. That was only after she tripped into a large puddle of mud, soaking her nice, clean emerald green uniform.
          As the thought of quitting and starting back home came to mind, some laughing came from the other side of some shoulder high bushes ahead of Keta. Light streamed through the leaves, making it seem as if there were no trees on the other side. There must be a clearing.
          Hearing movement, Keta's brow furrowed and she concentrated on moving silently, not wanting to startle anyone. She peeked over the bushes to see who was there.


          There wasn't much in the clearing but the family always enjoyed stopping here. It gave them a chance to rest from having to make their way around all the trees in the forest while still enjoying the shade they provided to keep the heat of the sun away. It also gave the moms a chance to play with their children, which the whole family reveled in.
          Vala’s Mom playfully tickled her daughter’s pointed ears. The eight springs old girl blushed but couldn’t keep herself from laughing. Vala was the only one of her family to have pointed ears and Mom just loved playing with them.
          So Mom continued to tickle and Vala continued to laugh. Even after Vala noticed a strange face poke up from the other side of the bushes, she couldn’t stop laughing. But then Mom noticed.
          She snatched Vala into her arms and ran as hard as her legs could carry her into the trees furthest away from the stranger. She dashed under branches and over rocks easily, already knowing where most of them were. This was their home and they knew it well. None of the moms were going to let bad things happen to any of them. So they ran off in every different direction.
          But they wouldn't stay apart for long. After a few turns, Vala's blue eyes caught the familiar sight of the cave that the family used to find each other. Two other moms and their daughters had made it there before them and were already waiting.


          Keta quietly watched a small group of nymphs in a clearing. Nymphs were another species of human, much like the alfar. While alfar, like Keta herself, were nearly indistinguishable from humans at a distance, up close their pointed ears gave away their heritage.
          Nymphs lived in the wilds, like forests, and were rarely seen by other human species. Even those sightings were fleeting as nymphs dashed off at the first hint of being noticed. As far as anyone could tell, they didn't have any kind of spoken language and didn't have the capacity to learn one. They lived off the land, using their instincts like other animals.
          Nymphs didn't wear clothing or show any kind of ability to make it. But their hair was tight and curled much like wool from a sheep. Some even grew wool-like hair on their arms and legs that served the purpose of keeping them sufficiently warm without cloth.
          Those differences came to the Guilder's mind as she looked over the little group of nymphs. There were several little girls but the one laughing didn't have any wool on her arms or legs but she did have pointed ears. The child was an alfar! Keta couldn’t stifle a gasp.
          Hearing her, the nymph tickling the alfar snatched up the little girl and ran away. The other nymphs followed suit, each running in a different direction. This is exactly what Keta didn’t want. Still, she had to be sure about the child. Why would an alfar child be living among nymphs?
          Keta followed the first nymph’s tracks. The Guilder didn’t run. She didn’t want to give them the impression that she was hostile.
          The terrain here was treacherous. It was a good place for the animal-like thinking nymphs to live and avoid predators. The rocks kept any creature unfamiliar with the area from getting too much momentum and the trees grew wildly, their branches seeming to reach down and grab at any pursuer.
          Finally, Keta caught up with them. They were hiding in a shallow cave in the face of a small hill along with the rest of the group of nymphs. They had somehow regrouped after they split up. The alfar woman stepped up to the entrance of the cave and stopped.
          She spoke in the gentlest tone she had. “My name is Keta Lowwil. I’m a Member of the Guilds of Arbitration from Haku'o.” She lifted her hands from her sides, the right one covered in tattoos that looked like bark and leaves that symbolized her membership in the Elemental Guilds. “I’m not here to hurt you. I only want to talk.”


          Vala’s Mom hugged the little girl so tight her shoulders were starting to hurt. When she saw the stranger step up to the entrance of the cave, Mom squeezed Vala even harder.
          Noises started coming out of the stranger’s mouth. Everyone looked at each other and nobody understood it, but she didn’t sound threatening. The stranger lifted her hands. She didn’t look like she had claws or anything that would hurt them. In fact, one of her hands looked like it was wrapped in leaves.
          Vala, feeling curious, wiggled out of her mom’s grip. Carefully, she started toward the stranger, keeping a sharp eye to make sure the stranger didn't suddenly become scary. Mom must have been shocked because it took her a few seconds to leap up and stop her. She grabbed Vala’s ankle to keep her from going but, in doing so, accidentally tripped her daughter.


          The little alfar pulled herself free from the nymph’s grip and started toward Keta. The Guild member smiled sweetly, trying to show that she wasn’t someone to be feared.
          Suddenly, the older nymph snatched the little alfar’s feet from under her and pulled her to the ground face first. Keta’s face betrayed her surprise and disgust. The nymph would actually hurt her child to protect herself?
          The little girl started to cry. When she looked up from the ground, the child had a bloody scrape on her nose.
          Keta started toward the child but the nymph woman pulled the girl back into the cave. The Guilder continued forward slowly.
          “Let me help her.” The alfar woman said. “I can heal her.” Keta pointed at the tip of her nose, trying to show what she meant to the speechless nymphs.


          Vala felt tears well out of her eyes as her nose throbbed. She cried for her Mom and her arms were around her daughter immediately. She carried the child back into the cave, to safety.
          Vala couldn’t see what was happening because of her tears but she heard noises coming from the stranger again. It wasn’t as nice sounding as it was before but she still didn’t sound mean. Mom stopped walking back into the cave.
          Vala heard the stranger again. It sounded like she was directing the noise at her Mom, whose grip around the little girl slowly loosened. Vala felt something rub the tip of her nose. It stung but it felt better at the same time.
          After a few moments, Vala’s tears stopped. She saw the stranger kneeling next to Mom. Both were looking at her intently. The little girl gave a reassuring, if uncomfortable, smile to Mom.


          After the nymph let her go, Keta knelt over the little alfar and removed her heavy backpack. She opened the top flap and reached inside.
          The nymph looked ready to snatch the girl away again. “Please, I’m just getting my curing pouch.” The Guilder was starting to get annoyed but tried to hide it. “It will help her, I promise.”
          She pulled out a small jar of healing balm and put some on the child’s nose. It already started to look better, the deep red almost instantly turning soft pink. The child stopped crying, looked up and smiled. Finally, Keta felt she might be making some progress.
          The nymph pulled the little alfar up into her arms again. She for the first time she didn't look at Keta like a predator.
          “I’ll have to put some more on in a few hours.” The alfar woman pointed to the jar and then her nose. “And tomorrow, too.” She pointed to the jar and her nose again.


          Mom didn’t seem afraid of the stranger anymore. She even smiled at her. The stranger pointed at the jar and then at her nose a couple of times. Vala guessed that meant that she’d have to put that stuff on again.
          Vala hugged her Mom tightly; thankful she didn’t hurt anymore. Mom started out of the cave and motioned for the rest of the family to follow.
          The stranger just stood there, looking unsure. Mom, while still holding Vala in one arm, tugged on the stranger’s arm to get her to come along. It was getting late, almost time for bed.
          Mom led the stranger back to the sleeping place. The rest of the family looked at the stranger unsurely but let Mom have her way. The sleeping place was only a short walk anyway.
          Once there, Vala once again wiggled out of her Mom’s grip. This time, she headed straight for her favorite leaf stack before any of the other children could claim it. Mom laughed as she saw Vala race away.


          Keta didn’t know where the nymphs were leading her. She followed, working hard to keep her bearings. Thankfully, the walk through the trees was short.
          When they entered another clearing, lush and green compared to the one she initially found the nymphs in, the Guild member saw piles and piles of leaves. She was surprised when she saw the little alfar free herself from her mother’s grip and dash for one of the biggest piles. She was even more surprised when she saw the mother laugh at the girl’s actions.
          The nymph motioned for Keta to follow. They both walked up to the pile of leaves the little girl decided to lay in. The mother tugged on the Guild member’s green sleeve, pointing at her nose and then at the girl.
          It took Keta a moment to figure out what the nymph meant. “Oh, you want me to put more balm on her nose.” She shrugged. “It’s still a little early but I don’t see why not.”
          Keta sat on the leaves next to the little girl and motioned for her to sit up. She almost bounced up next to the Guilder and pointed her nose at the older alfar, smiling.
          The mother stepped over to one of the other piles to help another nymph and her child get settled in. Keta decided to try and talk to the little girl.
          “I am Keta.” She pointed to herself. “Who are you?” She pointed to the little girl.
          The child looked back at Keta quizzically. She pointed unsurely at her nose again.
          “I am Keta.” She pointed at herself again.
          After a few seconds the girl smiled wide, seeming to finally understand. “I am Keta.” She poked the woman in the stomach.
          The Guild member shook her head but smiled at the progress. “Keta.”
          This time, she did understand. She pointed at the older alfar woman again and said, “Keta.”
          Keta pointed at the little girl. “What’s your name?”
          The girl looked thoughtful for a moment then she pointed to herself. “I am Vala.”
          Keta smiled even wider, then heard a rustling beside her. Turning, she saw that the mother had a leaf bed for her or, more accurately, commandeered the one closest from another nymph. Keta nodded to the mother then opened the jar of healing balm and applied it to Vala’s nose.


          Vala slept peacefully in the arms of her Mom that night. She didn’t know why but Vala felt a great sense of pride that she was the first one to learn the stranger’s name. Keta... it sounded nice. Vala liked her and hoped Keta didn’t have to leave too soon.
          In the morning, after everyone had woken up, all the Moms went into the woods to get breakfast. The pickings had been meager lately but Mom always made sure that Vala was never worried about her stomach. In fact, she always made sure that Vala ate first out of their share of the berries.


          Keta stayed behind with the children. After putting more balm on her nose the alfar woman tried talking with Vala again. It was a slow start but Vala was able to explain, roughly anyway, to the Guilder what the adults were doing.
          Keta pulled a thick, leather bound book out of her backpack. She opened it to pictures of the different races of the continent. First she opened it to a picture of a nymph.
          The nymph in the picture had a fine, wool like hair on her head, forearms and legs. “Nymphs.” Keta pointed to the other children, who looked a lot like the picture.
          Vala smiled and pointed at herself pridefully. “Nymph.”
          Keta shook her head and turned to a different page in the book. “Alfar.” She pointed to the page, to herself and then to Vala.
          The little girl's eyebrows pressed together. “Nymph.” She insisted, poking herself in the chest.
          Keta shook her head again. She pointed to Vala’s pointed ears and then to the pointed ears of the slender alfar woman in the book.
          Vala frowned, thinking hard. She lunged at the book and started pushing the pages back to the picture of the nymph.
          She pointed at the curly, woolen hair of the nymph in the picture. Lifting her hand from the page, she tugged at her own golden, wavy locks.
          “Nymph.” She scowled at alfar woman.
          Keta looked at Vala. The Guilder hadn’t thought of it, but it was rare for alfar to have naturally curly hair, not unheard of but rare. She looked down at the picture of the nymph again.
          She thumbed back to the picture of the alfar and its long, straight black hair. Keta’s hair was short and auburn but also straight. There had to be a reason for Vala to resemble… both… races.
          Of course! Vala must be a half-breed. Keta didn’t really like the term, as it was often used as an insult, but couldn’t think of a more accurate one. Nymphs have been said to be desirable to most any species. Vala’s father must have been an alfar!
          Before she could try and explain this to Vala, a very somber looking group of adult nymphs walked into the clearing. Each carried a handful of berries. A very small handful.


          It was really bad this morning. None of the family could find much of the berries and fruit they knew and liked. So they were forced to try some new kinds.
          Both Mom and Vala had tried this yesterday. They were lucky to find a new berry that was purple and bumpy and tasted okay. Mom had picked some more of what looked like that kind of berry for Vala. And she couldn’t find much of even that.
          Mom motioned for Vala to hold her hands out. Scooting away from Keta, the little girl lifted her hands to her Mom.
          Mom dropped all of the berries from her hand into Vala’s. Vala looked down at the berries then up to Mom’s empty hands. She motioned for Mom to share.
          Mom shook her head. She sat down next to Vala, kissed her daughter's forehead and told her to eat.


          When Vala moved away, Keta realized she had made a mistake to try and explain why the little girl was different so soon. Her worried looking mother then dropped barely a handful of berries into her daughter’s small hands.
          Vala didn’t want the berries and tried to give them back to her mother. The nymh refused and insisted that Vala eat with a series of grunts.
          The child looked at the berries uncertainly. Finally she picked one up and started to bring it to her lips…
          Keta jumped and knocked the berries out of Vala’s hands. She hurriedly checked the girl’s hands and face to see if even any juice had touched her skin. Keta breathed a quick sigh of relief when she saw no sign. Then she turned to Vala’s mother.
          “Are you crazy? Trying to feed your daughter Sivle Berries!” Keta pointed an accusing finger at Vala’s mother, who cowered back, looking confused. “Is this how you test new foods? On your child? Just getting the juice on her hands would kill her!”
          Behind her, Keta suddenly heard one of the other children start to gag. The color drained from the woman’s face.
          “Oh, sweet spirit of mercy.” The Guilder dove into her backpack for the curing pouch.
          Opening the small bag, she dug for a potion that could counter most poisons. Finding it, she ran to the other child and force-fed her a mouthful of the blue liquid. Her breathing improved after a few seconds. Keta almost relaxed then but then she realized that at least some of the mothers must have gotten the juice on their hands as well.
          The illness crept through the adults quickly. Keta treated them as fast as she could but the nymphs would be sick for a while. Thankfully, only four of the dozen nymphs had come in contact with the berry. Unfortunately, Vala’s mother was one of them.


          When Keta started walking toward Vala’s Mom with that bottle of blue stuff, Vala jumped up to stop her. She wasn’t going to let Keta hurt her Mom. It wasn’t until Mom started making weird noises and coughing that the little girl realized what was happening.
          Vala turned and saw her Mom’s hands, covered with purple spots from the berry juice, reach up and cover her mouth, trying to stop coughing. Keta rushed to Mom’s side and poured some of that liquid between the nymph's fingers into her mouth. Mom stopped gagging but she still moaned weakly.
          Worried, Vala sat next to her Mom on the leaf stack, never taking her eyes off of her. It took Keta a while but after she had given some of that juice to the other nymphs, the alfar woman lowered herself beside Vala and put an arm around the little girl shoulders. Vala didn't move an inch the entire time.
          Keta had pulled another, smaller book out of her backpack and showed Vala a picture of the blue liquid. She said something that sounded comforting but the child couldn't understand the words.
          Vala didn’t know what “poison” was. She pushed the book away, shrugged off Keta’s arm and laid down beside Mom, trying to comfort her.


          Keta slipped the Guild Potions and Medicine Guide back into her pack. She pulled the large Field Book back onto her lap and looked up the Sivle Berry.
          She showed the picture and the poison symbol to Vala. “This is the poison that elixir will cure. Your mother will be fine.”
          Keta unrolled the blanket from her pack and placed it over Vala and her mother. She gave the child a reassuring smile.
          "Don’t worry, Vala.” Keta pulled a loaf of bread and cheese out of her backpack and gave Vala a slice of each.
          The little girl reluctantly reached out from under the blanket and took the offering. Keta grinned at the little half nymph as she practically inhaled the food after the first taste. Her stomach was obviously working just fine.
          “I’ll take care of you. All of you.” She looked back at the other ill nymphs and then down at what food she had left.


          The following weeks passed both slow and fast for Vala. Time slowed whenever she thought of her Mom, who was too sick to even walk. Vala worried about her so much. Fast when Keta was showing her things in that big book the young nymph was growing to adore.
          She learned a lot of things that helped make her Mom more comfortable. Vala learned how to build a fire, to keep Mom warm at night, what berries and fruits were safe to eat and how to make a bowl to bring water up from the stream so that Mom didn’t get thirsty.
          As she learned all these wonderful things, including the language of the alfar, she told her Mom about them. Her Mom was happy but the little girl could tell that she didn’t understand. Still, Vala told her everything.


          The day after Vala’s mother had fallen ill, Keta wrote a Phoenix Epistle, a parchment soaked in a special chemical that, when set aflame, the message written upon it would launch off to the Guild Council. Even though it would be delivered almost instantly, she knew it would be some time before she got a reply.
          “I write this epistle to you in request your guidance.” She wrote. “I found a girl with Guild potential in King’s Forest. She is around eight years old, a mixed race of alfar and nymph named Vala.
          “I have observed behavior that bordered on abusive when they at first considered me a threat. I had to keep half of their group from eating the poisonous Sivle Berry and treat some who had already eaten it.
          “I am not certain if this is a suitable or safe environment for a young alfar. I need instruction on how to proceed. Shall I return with the girl to Haku'o, or leave her in the normal, albeit dangerous, care of her natural mother?”
          Keta also wrote down some of her specific experiences since she'd come to live stay with the nymphs and included them in the message. While the Guild member waited for a reply, she taught Vala everything she could out of the tomes she carried in her pack. Vala eagerly learned everything from language to basic survival skills and mathematics.
          But Keta's heart was conflicted at what to do next. She was lost until the Council’s epistle came to give her instruction.


          Mom sat up for the first time in weeks. She slouched, obviously still weak but at least she was up! Vala almost tackled Mom back into the leaves with a relieved hug. Smiling, Mom wrapped her arms around her daughter.
          “Keta! Keta!” Vala called into the trees. “Mom is feeling better!”
          After a few moments the alfar woman came out of the woods, looking up at the sky. “That’s good news, Vala.”
          Keta knelt and started to examine Mom. She pulled some things out of her curing pouch, which she had started wearing around her waist. She poked a little stick into Mom’s mouth and checked Mom’s heartbeat by pressing her fingers against Mom's neck. How that worked had taken quite a bit of explaining to the little girl.
          Vala looked at Keta expectantly. “Well?”
          Keta looked thoughtful for a moment… then smiled. “She’ll be fine. One or two more days and she’ll be as good as new.”
          Vala jumped at the happy news and hugged Keta as hard as she could. She held tightly for a few moments before dropping back to Mom to hug her again. Tears started to roll out of her young eyes.


          Keta sighed as she sank onto her leaf pile for the night. She was glad Vala’s mother was feeling better and the look of relief in the little girl’s big, baby blue eyes… the feeling that gave Keta still filled her heart with warmth.
          The Guilder looked up to find her favorite constellations for the last time that night when she noticed an unusual light dancing through the sky. She recognized it almost immediately: A Phoenix Epistle.
          Keta jumped up from her leaf pile as quickly and quietly as she could and dashed into the nearby trees. It would be difficult to explain why she was catching fire falling from the sky to the nymphs. She forced herself not to pace but that didn't keep the woman from stomping the soft earth impatiently for the message to traverse the distance.
          Finally the message in the shape of a bird made of flame landed in her hands and transformed into a normal envelope with the seal of the Guilds Council on it. She ripped it open straight away and read:
          “Guilder Lowwil, we sympathize with your dilemma and are thankful you turned to us for guidance.” The letter continued. “Based on your report to us, including injuring of the child to keep the adults from harm and possible use of the children to test the safety of new food sources, it may be prudent to take the young child, Vala, from the dangerous surroundings to those that will ensure her safety.
          However, while nymphs may be creatures of instinct, our research finds it is highly unusual for beings such as them to use their offspring in the ways you have described. Please be sure you are correct in your assessments before you make final judgment.”
          When Keta finished the letter, it didn’t fill her with the relief she thought it would. On the contrary, it left her heart as heavy as ever as the decision was still up to her.


          “Keta has been acting funny since Mom started feeling better.” Vala wrote very slowly and carefully in the blank journal Keta had given her, making sure to use all the right letters for each word. “Is she going to be leaving soon? I hope not. I hope she can stay with us forever.”
          The young girl sat near her leaf pile on a log that she and Keta had dragged into the clearing to use as a study area. All the other nymphs had gone off to play and forage and explore like usual. Even Mom had started joining them, not wanting to interrupt Vala's new education. She didn't understand what they were doing, all Mom knew was that it was making Vala happy.
          Keta had left to do something called “meditation” after she gave Vala the journal and told her to practice writing in the book. Keta did say, though, that what Vala wrote in this was personal, for herself alone, and that the Guilder wouldn't read it so it could say anything she wanted. So Vala wanted to make sure she did it right.
          The little girl quickly lifted the book to her chest to cover the writing when she heard someone coming. She relaxed and laid the book back flat on her lap when she saw it was her Mom. She was always the first back into the clearing. She made sure that Keta had time to teach but Mom wanted to keep her time away from Vala as short as she could.
          She kissed her daughter’s cheek as she sat next to her. Looking down at the writing, Mom lightly ran her finger over the drying ink, smudging it but the writing was still easily readable. She smiled as she looked up at Vala.
          “Pretty.” It was the only word in the alfar language Vala was able to teach her mother.
          Vala wasn’t sure if she was referring to the writing or her and didn’t care to ask. She leaned her head on Mom’s shoulder and closed her eyes. The child wasn’t sure if she could get much happier than this.
          Vala and her Mom sat there in the clearing together for a long while. They didn’t speak. They didn’t have to.
          Vala didn’t open her eyes until she heard twigs snapping under the feet of a new arrival. When she saw it was Keta, she made sure the journal was closed and smiled at her alfar friend.


          Keta paced back and forth in the solitude of the trees all morning. She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to make a decision.
          And that was to find Vala’s mother to try and explain herself to a woman with no language. It didn’t take long to find her. The full blooded nymph was never far from her daughter, though she stayed out of sight during lessons. Since Keta hadn't been with her, Vala's mother returned to the clearing and was sitting next to her child.
          Vala closed the journal Keta had given her and smiled up at the alfar woman. The Guilder gave a hesitant half smile back. This was going to be harder than she thought.
          Vala’s mother looked upset when her daughter closed the book and smacked the little girl's shoulder. “Pretty.” She pointed at the book then at Keta.
          Vala girl shook her head at her mother. The nymph snatched the book from the child's hands and started to rise from the log. Vala grabbed for the journal and started wrestling with her mother. Still, the child just wasn't as strong as the full grown woman yet and Vala’s mother pulled the book from her grasp, causing the little girl to sprawl onto the ground.
          That made Keta's decision much easier. Vala had to come back to Haku'o with her. The Guild member's determination steeled in the face of what happened.
          Vala’s mother stepped toward Keta with that same naïve smile the nymph had on her face since she recovered. She started thumbing through the journal, holding it upside down as she walked.
          Keta marched up and snatched the book from the unsure fingers of Vala's mother. She stepped around the nymph and started toward Vala. Keta forced herself to not look back at the other dumbfounded woman.
          She handed the little girl's journal back to her. “Come along, Vala.” She held out her hand to help the little girl up. “It’s time we left.”
          Clutching her journal in one hand and Keta’s hand in the other, Vala rose to her feet. They started for the leaf bed where Keta kept her backpack. Vala’s mother stumbled behind them, making grunts and other sounds that made her confusion obvious.


          What had gotten into Mom? Vala looked up from the ground, not physically hurt but definitely confused as Mom looked through her journal as she walked over to Keta.
          Suddenly, Vala understood. Her mother wanted to show Keta what she had written. Mom didn’t know that it was supposed to be personal. Vala hadn't found a way to explain that to her.
          Keta took Vala’s book from Mom’s hands and marched over. The alfar woman held out her tattooed hand to Vala as she returned the journal with the other.
          “Come along, Vala. It’s time we left.”
          Vala walked hand in hand with Keta to the leaf bed. The alfar woman looked upset.
          Keta picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Over the last few days, it had been hard for Keta to find some items when she was teaching Vala. Since she started keeping the bag packed all the time now.
          “Where are we going, Keta? To the river bed?” The little girl asked, her gold eyebrows pressing together.
          The alfar woman shook her head. “No, we’re going to Haku'o.”
          Vala stopped walking. “Where’s Haku'o?”
          Keta turned and looked at the little girl. Vala’s eyes opened wide as she figured out what was happening. Keta was taking her away. Taking her away from her home, her family… her Mom.
          “No!” Vala started backpedaling away from the alfar. “I want to stay here!”
          A pleading looked crossed Keta’s face. “I know, Vala, but it’s not good for you here.”
          The little girl felt tears welling in her eyes. “Yes it is!”
          The woman shook her head, looking on the verge of tears herself. “No, baby, it’s not.”
          “Mom loves me!” Vala started shaking all over.
          “I know she does.” Keta knelt in front of the child. “But she can’t take care of you.”
          Keta reached out with her hand and took Vala’s free arm. Vala pulled away from her.
          “Then I can take care of her!”
          The girl threw the journal down at her feet and started to run. But Keta was quicker and grabbed her by the arm again.
          “I can only hope that someday you’ll know I did this for your own good.” With her free hand, Keta picked up Vala’s journal and started dragging the little girl into the forest.
          With a howl of grief and anger, Vala’s Mom charged into Keta, tackling her to the ground. Pinning the Guilder to the dirt, Mom looked up at Vala.
          “Pretty!” She motioned for Vala to run away.
          Vala couldn’t make her legs work. Not because she didn't want to but they just wouldn't move. How could everything be so perfect then come crashing down around her so fast?


          Keta felt her muscles rip as she was shoved to the ground. Her backpack was so thick it stretched her spine into an unnatural position just short of breaking. Blood started rushing to her ears as pain rushed through her body, making her unable to hear a thing past her throbbing eardrums.
          She pushed Vala’s mother off of her. The nymph rolled into the dusty ground but quickly picked herself back up. Keta's entire body was in agony as she lifted herself to her feet. The backpack stayed on the ground. The alfar woman looked around and saw Vala standing in stunned silence.
          With a heavy, heaving breath Keta raised her hands, readying to defend herself from the full grown nymph. Vala’s mother charged straight at her, screaming as loudly as the air could come out of her mouth. This time Keta knocked Vala’s mother back down to the ground before she could even touch the Guild member.
          From the ground, dirt clinging to her cheek, Vala’s mother looked pleadingly at her daughter. “Pretty...”
          Keta stepped over the nymph and towards the little girl. Vala’s mother lunged and wrapped her arms around the alfar's legs to stop her.
          “Pretty?” Tears welled down her mother's cheeks, washing the dirt from her face.


          Vala couldn’t understand. Keta told her that she was smart but she couldn't figure out why was this happening. The child's feet wouldn’t move. She couldn’t run. Why?
          Keta kicked Mom off of her legs and into her big backpack, knocking it over and spilling its contents into the grass. The alfar started toward Vala again.
          Something snapped inside of the little half-nymph. She charged at Keta with all she had.
          The alfar woman let out a yelp of pain and surprise as she struck the dirt beside the full blooded nymph. Vala sat on Keta's chest, not letting her breathe as she slammed the journal into the Guilder's head.
         THWACK
          “You hurt my Mom!” The tears fell from Vala’s eyes onto Keta’s face.
         THWACK
          “You tried to take me from her!”
         THWACK
          “I thought you liked me!”
         THWACK
         THWACK
          Vala lifted her arms for another strike but the book wouldn't come back down. Looking up, she saw Mom gripping the journal tight.
          Mom had such a look of anguish in her eyes that Vala immediately dropped the book and jumped up to hug her. Vala felt herself cry even harder when she felt the softness of Mom’s arms fold around her more gently than ever.


          Keta slowly tried to lift herself from the ground and found that she couldn’t even sit up. She looked over at Vala with her mother, embracing each other tightly. On the ground beside her laid Vala’s journal lying open on its first entry:
          “Keta had been acting funny since Mom started feeling better. Is she going to be leaving soon? I hope not. I hope she can stay with us forever.” The handwriting, while simple, was so... pretty, so pure that it was like there was no filter between the sentiment and the words.
          She lost consciousness after that. When Keta awoke, the alfar found herself lying on a familiar leaf bed, staring at the familiar, albeit not as open face of little Vala.
          “How long have I been unconscious?” Keta croaked.
          Vala lifted her small clay bowl of water to the alfar’s lips. “Two days.”
          She sounded like someone speaking to a total stranger, saying only what was necessary to convey only essential information. The Guild member took small sips of the cool water. As she did she saw Vala’s bruised mother rubbing an ointment on her wounds, no doubt at her daughter’s request.
          Keta’s lips trembled. “I’m sorry, Vala.”
          Vala looked at the woman as Keta might have looked at a wagon she was repairing. She put the bowl down and readjusted the blanket around the Guild member.
          You’ll be able to go back to… Haku'o,” Vala barely choked out the name of the city. “Tomorrow. Until then, Mom and I are taking care of you.”
          “You and your Mom?” Keta couldn’t hide the disbelief in her voice.
          Vala nodded proudly. “Yeah, she’s been finding all the things that fell out of your backpack after you knocked her into it.”
          Keta cringed at the reminder of what happened. A new wave of guilt washed over her.
          “I guess you don’t want me to stay forever anymore?” She couldn’t keep the sadness from creeping into her voice.
          Vala tried to hide her surprise. She didn't realize that Keta had seen the entry after all. She tried to busy herself by folding some rags.
          “I’m sorry, Vala.” Keta started again. “What I did was wrong. I know that now.” The alfar looked enviously at Vala’s mother, who was putting ointment on where it wasn’t needed. “She was just trying to show me that entry so you could know how proud she was of you.”
          Now the little girl’s lower lip trembled. She nodded and blinked hard, fighting tears from coming.
          “She needs you here.” Keta motioned to Vala's mother. “Otherwise she’d be covered from head to toe in healing balm.”
          Vala turned and looked at her mother. She rushed over and stopped the nymph from putting on any more medicine. She took the jar from her mother and placed it neatly back into the curing pouch and returned to Keta’s side.
          “Did I ever tell you why I came here in the first place?” The Guilder asked.
          Vala slowly shook her head. “No.”
          “I sensed an aura with Guild potential. You do remember what I told you about the Guilds?”
          The child nodded. “They help and protect people no matter what species or belief.”
          Keta nodded back. “We make mistakes.” She cringed to herself. “But that’s why we always look for new friends to join us.”


          Vala frowned. “Is that what you were going to make me do? Join you?”
          Keta shook her head. “I just wanted you to be safe. Whether or not you joined the Guilds was always going to be completely up to you.
          “We always look for people who can help us help others.” A tear slipped down Keta's cheek. “Please don’t judge the rest of the Guilds by my mistake. We actually do a lot of good.”
          Vala grunted. “You only came here to draft a new recruit.”
          Keta raised an eyebrow. “Where did you learn the word draft?”
          The girl lifted the thick Field Guide. “I’ve been reading it for the last two days.”
          The alfar chuckled. As she did, the tears Keta was fighting flowed out of her eyes unrestrained.
          “What’s so funny?” Vala folded her arms sternly.
          “I didn’t come here to draft you, Vala.” The Guild member choked back a lump in her throat. “I came here to show you your potential.” She laughed louder. “And you just showed me that you had more than even I thought.”
          Vala's breath caught in her throat. “Really?”
          “Yes. Really.” Keta yawned.
          And she fell back into a peaceful slumber. When Mom knelt down next to the other woman, looking confused by what just happened, Vala showed her the herb she had put in Keta’s water to make the Guilder sleep.



          Keta was all packed and ready to go. Only Vala, with the Field Guide and her personal journal in her arms, and the child's mother were left in the clearing to see her off. She started to lift her backpack but put it back on the ground.
          She walked over to Vala’s mother. “I am truly sorry for what I did.” She knew she couldn’t understand the words but she continued anyway. “You have a very pretty daughter.”
          Vala’s mother smiled. “Pretty.”
          Keta nodded and hugged Vala’s mother tightly. Catching her by surprise, she just stood there for a moment but, at last, returned the hug. The alfar finally released her and gave the nymph one last, gentle smile before kneeling down in front of Vala.
          She held up two envelopes, one sealed and one open. “These are called Phoenix Epistles. We use these to communicate with other members of the Guilds.” She shook the sealed one. “I’m sending this to my leaders to tell them what I did here.” A pained look flashed over Keta's face then she shook the unsealed one and handed it to Vala. “This one is for you. If you decide to join the Guilds, just write on the paper inside this envelope and light it on fire to tell me. No matter where I am, I’ll get it.”
          Vala held the paper uncertainly. “What if I don’t want to join?”
          “Then tell me if you want to come for a visit. Or simply keep it as a reminder of the good times we had together.” Keta rose and lifted her backpack onto her shoulders. “I hope to hear from you in three or four years. That would put you about the age students start in our school in Haku'o.”
          She waved to little girl and started out of the clearing. Vala hurried after the Guild member.
          “Wait!” She clutched the books tightly to keep from dropping them as she ran. “Aren’t you going to give me a hug?”
          Keta looked down at her for a long moment. “Well your arms are awfully full and I’m in this clunky backpack…”
          Vala looked for a clean place to set her books. She looked almost ready to just drop them into the dirt.
          The alfar knew what she was thinking and stopped her. “Tell you what.” She knelt down in front of Vala again. “If you come to Haku'o, Guild member or not, I’ll give you the biggest hug you’ll have ever gotten. Is that a deal?”
          The little girl rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “…I guess so.”
          Keta started out of the clearing again. When she reached the trees, she looked back for one last lingering look at Vala. Taking a deep breath and she started back into the forest for Haku'o, the Guild City.

* * *

Three years, eleven months and nine days later:

          Keta jumped when the unexpected Phoenix Epistle landed on her desk. She looked at it curiously, saw who it was from, and tore into the letter eagerly:
          “Dearest Keta,” It began in the prettiest penmanship the Guild Councilwoman had ever read. “I am writing to tell you of both sad and happy news. First, I will tell you the sad.
          “My mother recently passed away due to old age. She lived to a hearty thirty-six springs, not bad for a nymph according to my research. Before she passed, Mom made me promise to be the smartest, best person I could be. She made sure I read from the Field Guide and wrote in my journal everyday (and believe me when I tell you the writing has gotten very small toward the end). That brings me to the happy news…”
          Keta continued reading the letter not looking up at anything else. “To fulfill my promise to my mother I have decided to join the Guilds. I am en route to Haku'o as we speak. In fact, I am writing this from just outside the city walls.
          “I hope to see you shortly and get that hug. Truly your pretty, Vala.”


          Vala, adjusting the straps of her makeshift backpack, stepped through the stone archway of the western wall, looking upon the inside of the city in awe. She saw a multitude of alfar, humans, dwarves and other races go about their business on the grounds.
          She nodded a greeting to an alfar man up in a tree. After she passed Vala heard a thud but didn’t realize that the he had fallen to the ground in shock.
          The half nymph walked down the trail to the largest building in the city, a great structure with seven walls that were each made of one solid piece of stone with giant trees making up its five corners.
          Vala noticed people were staring as she passed but she didn’t care. The young woman was too overcome by what she was seeing in this city, the first she had ever been in.
          As she neared the entrance on the southern wall of the giant stone building she saw two alfar boys about the same age as her standing beside it. The short one with black hair stared at her, flabbergasted.
          The other, taller one with brown hair didn’t look up from his book until the first smacked him in the shoulder. "Sil!"
          Looking up at Vala, the same look came across his face… then his black haired friend fell down and Sil had to help him up. "Cyrus? You okay?"
          Keta ran out of the entrance, nearly smacking the two young alfar with the swinging door. The alfar woman dashed straight to Vala and gave her the biggest, tightest hug anyone since her Mom had given her.
          They stayed that way for some time until Keta noticed something. “Vala, dear?”
          “Yes?”
          Keta pulled her emerald green tunic off and draped it around the half nymph's shoulders. “We alfar aren’t used to lovely, maturing young ladies walking around the grounds naked.”
          Vala looked down at herself and pulled the tunic in tight around her. “Oops, must have forgotten that part.”
          “It’s alright.” The woman ushered Vala into the building. “Come in, come in. I’ll get you some clothes of your own then I’ll introduce you to our leader, Warlock Bishop Asellus. He really is an unbelievable man.” Keta closed the double doors behind her, blocking off all the staring Guild members. “Then I’ll get you a copy of the newest edition of the Field Guide.”
          “Newest edition?” Vala smiled at the chance to learn something new.
          “Oh, yes, it has been almost four years, you know…”

THE END