Song of the chapter - Don't Forget Where You Belong by One Direction

The forest they were walking through left Eliana in awe. The trees were electric with energy, she could practically feel their vibration. The deeper into the forest they traveled, the more distinct the feeling became. She was sure there was more to those trees than just leaves and branches. However, experience over the last week kept her from asking Blaike. She figured he would say the same thing he had already said more times than she could count; that's a question for the Queen. So she made a mental note to ask when they had their meeting with her.

The group reached the main Fae community a few hours after entering the forest. It was nothing like Eliana had imagined. All of the stories she had read brought to mind houses up in the trees, with expansive bridges connecting them. However, when she came upon the homes, they were quite simple and ordinary. Many were made of logs, small in size and simple in design. One or two had been built with stone, but also still modest and simple. It reminded Eliana of a pioneer village, almost similar to the tourist town the girls had stopped at on their road trip.

And yet, there was something else about it, something almost magical. However Eliana knew it wasn't magic at all. Harper had clarified that on their journey with Zolen, asking if he had any magic powers. Other than the look that he shot her, which if it had been magic would have left Harper dead in her spot, he didn't seem to possess any unusual gifts. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on.

Tomorrow, she thought. I'll ask all of these things tomorrow.

The girls were given a small cabin, which had three rooms. As they entered, there was one large common room with a table, several chairs, and a rustic kitchen. To the right was a door, which led to a bedroom with two simple beds. On the left was a second door leading to a bathing room holding a sink, tub and toilet.

"They have toilets?" Harper shouted. "I'm not complaining, but don't you think that's odd? Nothing here seems modern, but they have running water and toilets!"

Eliana just shrugged, "I have no idea, just go with it." She told her friend.

"Meh, this place keeps surprising me. I wonder what the food will be like!"

Eliana wondered too, and they still had to clean up before eating. She could hardly wait to wash a week of travel off of her body. "I'll clean up first. Maybe you could find something for us to wear. These clothes need to be washed before I'm letting them touch my skin again."

"Yeah, sounds about right. Mine are so rancid I'm thinking of just tossing them. I'll go find Blaike. I don't even want to look at that Fairy guy if I don't have to."

"Right." Eliana said, not believing Harper for a second. That much hatred had to mean something. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

A warm bath became heaven on Earth, or heaven on wherever it was they had ended up when they walked out of that cave. It felt like she had scrubbed off a layer of skin when Eliana finally climbed out of the tub, the water already cooled considerably. She had enjoyed it far too much to make it quick. She opened the door to the common room slightly, peeking to see if Harper had returned with clothes for the two of them.

Although she didn't see Harper, she did see an outfit that took her breath away. It had many similarities to the one Blaike had worn, with a light weight tunic made with overlapping layers. It reminded Eliana of a wrap dress, with many sections to wrap. It was paired with a type of dark brown leggings, made with a material that she couldn't name but was soft to the touch. Harper had even found boots, complete with the criss-crossed layering that this land seemed fond of.

Dried and dressed in her new, clean outfit, Eliana walked out of the small bathroom, Harper still no where to be found. The clothes, the surroundings and the fact that she was now clean rather than covered with grime, made Eliana feel more at home than she thought possible. The time in the Ferlands had been so unusual, and yet something about it niggled at part of her buried down deep. It was thrilling, exhilarating and unnerving, all at the same time.

She stepped outside of the cabin, looking for signs of Harper somewhere within the Fae community. Zolen had explained that the community would be what other territories referred to as commoners. Those were the Fae that took care of the day to day needs, the goods and services. Fae warriors stayed within the compound, which also housed the Queen.

A quick look around pointed Eliana in the right direction. Not only did she see a flurry of activity but she heard Harper's distinctive laugh, somewhat high pitched with a snort at the end. It wasn't a delicate laugh, to say the least. Eliana walked across the path separating the rows of Fae cabins and found Harper sitting on a tree stump, holding some type of small animal. Zolen was no where to be found, but Blaike was standing next to Harper, leaning down and petting the animal, also laughing at whatever had happened. A handful of Fae children surrounded them, calling for Harper to let them have a turn and jumping around the scene like grasshoppers.

Eliana felt a stab of something in her gut as she took in the scene. Blaike looked quite comfortable next to Harper, much more so than he had over the past several days on the trail. She took him in, head to toe, before he could look over to catch her watching him. He had already cleaned up and donned a new outfit. Eliana found her heart speed up at the sight. He was incredibly handsome, his masculine energy threatening to overpower her.

Blaike had trimmed the light beard that had started to grow while on the road, his face scrubbed free from the grime they had all been covered in. Her eyes almost refused to look elsewhere, but she somehow pulled them away and noticed his clothing, very similar to the first outfit he had been wearing. Now, however, he had a darker tunic, almost black, and his trousers were tan and loose fitting. The bottoms were tucked into his boots, the very ones he had been wearing all week.

Just as she drew her eyes back up to his face, her breathing caught as she met his intense stare. Their eyes locked, and for a split second everything around them seemed to fade away. Her heart, which was already racing, seemed to beat even faster. Before she could move or say a word, Blaike's mouth turned up at the corners, expressing his approval at her appearance. Eliana found her face taking on the same look, after all she more than approved of him.

"Hey, girl! You clean up well!" Harper called out, putting the animal down and watching it run off into the forest, causing the children to sigh with disappointment. "Oh don't worry, kids. This guy-" she thumbed over towards Blaike, "-will catch another one later." Blaike rolled his eyes, something Eliana hadn't seen him do before. She thought he must have picked it up from Harper.

"Do not volunteer me to catch another one of those scoundrels! Do you realize how difficult that was? Serals are not easily captured, you are lucky it did not claw your skin trying to escape."

"Meh, cats love me." Harper shrugged. "It was cute! But now I'm going to go get a new layer of skin. See ya around, Blaikey." She smacked him on the back as she crossed the path to the cabin.

Blaike looked over at Eliana, "Your friend is as wild as that Seral she held. I caught it to stop her banter but it only increased the noise!" He shook his head. In the next moment he had come up to stand next to Eliana, speaking in a quiet tone. "You make an excellent Ferlander." He gestured to her ensemble.

"Thank you." She felt the blush in her cheeks, but didn't let that stop her from responding, "You look nice. What a difference a bath makes, right?" Eliana said with a smile.

"Yes, it does feel good to be human again." He laughed, but Eliana's eyes went wide. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Human? You're human?" It sounded ridiculous when she heard it leave her lips, but for some reason she had assumed he was something other than human.

"Well, yes, of course. Are you not human?" His face was filled with confusion.

"Yes, but for some reason I thought that since we were in this whole other land, with strange trees and starlight, and Fae, that maybe you were something else. I'm sorry." Eliana said, feeling as though she had insulted him.

"No need to be sorry. I guess that does make sense, being that you had no idea the Ferlands even existed. I have always known about your lands, being a Watcher and having grown up a Watcher's son. So it did not cross my mind that you would think otherwise." Blaike explained.

"There are so many questions, more with every passing moment, the biggest one of all being why Aine had never told me before she died. This has been such a strange experience." Eliana shook her head, looking at the ground rather than at Blaike. She felt his hand move to her shoulder, offering some comfort in her confusion.

"You will receive your answers, but I must say that this week has shown me how well you have adapted to our land, as if you just may belong here. After all, it seems that your family are Ferlish, so that makes you Ferlish as well."

Her mouth dropped open in shock. "I...I hadn't thought of that. But you're right. This is home."

Perhaps that was why I have felt so drawn to this land, she thought to herself.

〰🖤〰

Eliana fits right in, and Blaike seemed pleased about that! The next chapter will include more Zolen and Harper interactions, and soon we meet the Queen. I can't wait!!

Thanks for reading...and voting...and your comments! ❤️

One Direction has had several sound changes over their career. I love this one, written by Nial and his friends, and felt that Eliana has finally found "where she belongs"

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