"As usual, there was a story behind the story, and that is where the truth was hidden."
― Kenneth Eade (Beyond all recognition)

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All our faces resembled the same shocked expression. Whatever we were expecting, it definitely wasn't it. Ozoman...even the name sounded dangerous. Why would his language be engraved in the bodies of the victims?

Josh was the first to recover from the surprise thrown at us. He coughed and said, "Well, we had no idea." At least, this part was true. "Like we said, we just happened to stumble across it. But thank you, Lady Melissa, you have been of great help. If you wouldn't mind--"

"How would even writings from this language be in the archive? I thought they burned anything related to Ozoman hundreds of years ago. This book is the only copy of the language, Ozra as far as I know."

"Yes, exactly! How strange!" Vanessa exclaimed, eyes wide. "Mr Blackwell would like to hear about this. Maybe if we could borrow this book from you so as to translate the meaning of the writings--"

"I can always translate it for you," offered Lady Melissa kindly.

"Oh how thoughtful of you but--" Vanessa fumbled a little, trying to come up with an excuse.

"But we have our training sessions in just another half an hour. Look, it's already morning. We promised Mr Blackwell we would be back in time, right? We must get going!" I said, trying to sound believable.

"Right," Vanessa said, grateful. "We must get going. I am sure we would be able to work it out, or we could just ask someone for help. We do have some competent linguistic experts."

Lady Melissa nodded reluctantly. "If you say so. But you must return this book to me, without any damage preferably."

"You got it, Aunty!" Kace agreed. He carefully took the book from his aunt's hands and said, "Thank you so much for your help. We'll come meet you soon! Now, let's get going guys!"

After we had all climbed down, along with Lady Melissa who had insisted she walk us till the river shore, a deep baritone voice interrupted us.

"Leaving so soon?" asked the voice. I saw Lady Melissa stiffen slightly. The four of us turned to face another two elves standing in front of us, one male and one female. They were easily the tallest and the most beautiful ones by far. Lady Melissa was, of course, beautiful but the two standing in front of us had a completely different aura in them. Not just of beauty, but of power. I could almost feel it, coming off them like invisible waves. 

The male elf was dressed in a silvery tunic with dark trousers. He had long blonde hair, almost white, falling till his waist. A circlet of shining gold leaves sat in his forehead. His stance although seemingly relaxed, was still straight as an arrow. Beside him, was a female elf with similar blonde hair except it was tied in a braid and was almost skimming the floor. She was wearing a white gown with a bluish tint to it. The fabric, that had almost moulded into her slim figure, seemed to shimmer as she moved, as if it were made out of gleaming water. Huge long sleeves of intricate designs flared beside the flowering skirt and a similar circlet of gold leaves sat in her forehead. 

I felt like a clumsy goblin that hadn't bathed in four years in front of them.

"My King," Lady Melissa said, bowing. She turned to the female elf and bowed again, saying, "My Queen."

"Lady Melissa, keeper of the elfin library and a maestro in the harp," said the Queen, smiling.

"Well, I hear we have some guests?" The King said, turning his electric blue eyes at us.

"Ah, indeed. My King, meet my nephew, Kace Walker, a Guardian student. And his friends, Josh Bradford, Vanessa Hart and Ava Young," Lady Melissa said, gesturing at us one by one. He greeted them all but when it was my turn, for reasons I couldn't comprehend, my palms started to sweat as the Elfin King's gaze turned to me. He seemed to be studying me with a curious expression. 

"Ava Young," he said, a millimetre of a smile playing on his lips. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintances."

"T-the pleasure is all mine, Your Highness," I spluttered out when Vanessa elbowed me discreetly to snap me out of my surprised trance.

"If you do not mind my asking," interjected Lady Melissa. "What brings you here, sire?"

"Oh my wife and I were just taking a stroll of the lands when we heard some young Guardians have paid our land a visit. We thought to stop by. We aren't interrupting, are we?"

"Of course not!" Lady Melissa exclaimed as if the very thought was outrageous.

"Thank you. Well, Eleanor wanted to talk to the kids a little. Isn't that right, my dear?" The King turned to face the the Queen who smiled at us pleasantly.

"Indeed. It has been so long since we stepped out in the city of Morlea. I wanted to know if everything was going all right. You wouldn't mind filling me in, would you?" The Queen, Eleanor asked.

It's not like you can refuse the Queen something so we all nodded.

"Come then, let us sit," Queen Eleanor said. She waved her hand a little and suddenly, branches and roots sprouted from the ground and weaved together to form a roughly hewn bench. We were about to follow her when the King suddenly said, "Not you, Miss Young. You wouldn't mind talking to me, would you?"

I looked over to Josh who had stopped in his tracks, looking just as surprised as me. He forced a reassuring smile towards me and nodded, as if to say everything would be all right. Taking a deep breath, I made my way towards the Elfin King who was patiently waiting for me. I wondered if I should curtsy. But before I could make my mind, he said in his deep honey voice, "Would you like to take a walk with me, Miss Young?"

I nodded, ignoring the nervous energy humming through me. I quietly followed him through a boulevard, leaves of various shades forming a canopy above us, such that the dim morning light streaming down formed a changing kaleidoscope of colors, pink mixing with yellow, orange with red, blue with purple.

For a long moment, a companionable silence ensued between us, as if he wasn't an immortal Elfin King and I wasn't a mere teenager with an identity crisis. I wondered how he managed to get me comfortable. Maybe it was some elfin magic I wasn't aware of.

Finally, the Elfin King spoke, "I heard you were new here, in Morlea, that is. I do hope you are adjusting yourself."

"I am," I answered.

"I would also like to offer my sincerest condolences for your loss. I heard about the death of Esther Young."

I was actually taken aback at that. Even though his words were formal, there was genuine sympathy in it. "How did you know?"

He looked a little amused. "I am a ruler, Miss Young. You will see that it is my monarchical duty to know all that is to know. However, I must admit, you came as a surprise."

I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, nothing at all," he said, shaking his head. "You must be wondering the reason for me calling you aside to talk to you, right?"

I nodded.

"There is so much that you aren't quite aware of yet, Miss Young. And I wish I could tell you. But it isn't my place. Neither is it Grimm's," he said, just a hint of distaste sipping into his voice.

"Y-you know about him too?" 

"Of course," he said dismissively. "Dwarves and elves have never been the best of friends but both our kind have a mutual agreement of peace and cooperation. Grimm, that arrogant conceited dwarf who presumes to be the most knowledgeable being on earth is bent on causing trouble. For someone who has been given the responsibility of guarding something so precious, he is very reckless. He is messing with the fate and future by handing you even a drop of the Mead of Poetry."

"I don't understand," I said, my voice weak. He turned his sharp iridescent blue eyes on me and they softened a little.

"I know you don't. But you will soon. All things will be made clear with time. But if you drink the Mead, there are going to be consequences. Miss Young, you must understand, it is, ultimately, your decision. I cannot do anything but strongly recommend you against drinking it."

For some strange reason, I started feeling defensive. "Well, if nobody is going to provide me with answers, the Mead might be my only chance. I am sorry, My Lord, but what if I drank it anyway?" I challenged.

"Then you would have to pay the price," he said, his eyes lit with a fierce fire. "Do what you feel you must, Miss Young. As creatures of nature, we always encourage others to go with their instinct. Especially in times like these, when danger is bound to come, often sooner than later. Tell your Mr Blackwell to prepare himself and the others. We must be ready for evil is stirring."

"What evil?" I asked, frustrated. But he just offered me a humorless smile.

"You needn't worry yourself now. There would be time for that. Now, you must learn to fight."

"Not worrying is a lost cause," I said, exhaling a deep breath.

He chuckled softly.

"Ava!" the familiar voice of Vanessa reached my ears making me look up in surprise. I realized that we had made a full circle and reached back to the base of the tree which we had climbed to meet up with Lady Melissa just a little while ago. Josh, Kace and Vanessa along with the Queen and Lady Melissa were waiting by the shade of another large tree with burgundy colored leaves. All of them, except maybe the Queen, were looking at me with barely veiled curiosity.

"We must get going," Josh said once we were close enough. "We are already quite late, as it is."

"Ah, of course," Lady Melissa said. "I'll call the guards to escort you back to the shore."

"But before you leave," the Elfin King interrupted, his ancient eyes on me. "I would like to offer something. A small gift – one without a price to pay," he added. I smiled despite myself.

Abruptly, he started whistling a low tune, just a little bit shrill. My eyes widened in wonder as the sudden sound of chirping filled the air, along with the rustle of feathers. A flock of birds appeared, rushing past us, as swiftly as they appeared. But one of them remained. I realized it was the same bird that had landed on my arm when we were halfway through climbing the tree. It glided down and gracefully landed on the Elfin King's outstretched arm. It chirped cheerfully when the King stroked its feather lovingly.

"I have seen many creatures of wonderment," the King started, his gaze locking on mine. "But this one, by far, has never failed to amaze me. It never disappoints. It shall come to you when you desperately seek help, in any shape or form as required. Despite you Guardians claiming to be the protectors of the worlds, you need protection once in a while as well. Even more so now than ever. Which is why this is my gift to you," he said, as the bird flitted to his open palm.

He held out the bird to me, urging me to take it. With shaking hands, I extended my own arm and the bird flitted onto it, its claws lightly taking hold of my skin. "Happy birthday, Miss Young," he whispered, low enough so only I could hear. My eyebrows shot up in shock.

"T-thank you," I muttered.

"It is a shape-changer," he said in a normal voice. "As I said, it shall always come to your aid, in any possible form, except a human. Humans are much too complicated to able to replicate but otherwise, it is quite an efficient shape-changer. The form of bird is its natural preferred shape."

"Does it have a name?"

He smiled. "I like to call her Miss Feathers." The bird's tiny head whipped towards the King upon hearing its name.

I smirked before turning to stroke the bird's wings. "Well hello there, Miss Feathers."

It chirped back at me cheerfully.