Iylaine meets a stranger in the woods

Iylaine slid off her weary pony and tried to stand on her own shaky legs. She didn’t know how she was going to mount him again unaided, but she simply couldn’t go on any more. What did it matter? She was lost, she was hungry, she was cold, and she was tired. There was nothing left to do but cry – but she would not cry. No. She still had more pride than that.

She wondered what they were having for supper at the castle. No doubt they were eating by now. It was now quite dark.

She wondered whether they had even noticed she was gone. Perhaps they had – but even so, it was not likely anyone cared. She was only an elf. Perhaps they were simply relieved that they didn’t have to worry about her any more. Well, she didn’t care about them either.

But what about her Da? Her Da didn’t know she was lost. If she could have just told him, he would have come looking for her. And he would have found her, too.

She didn’t believe Malcolm for one minute – her Da didn’t go away to in order to get away from her. He had told her himself – it was the King’s idea. He told her he wished they could be together every day, like before. And he said they would be soon.

Oh, if only she had been able to find the new castle! She would have been with him tonight! And she would have had supper with him, and then gone to a nice, warm bed with him, and had breakfast with him, and… and so on.

How she wished she had followed the wagon road! It would have taken longer, but it would have been sure. Indeed, she could almost wish she had simply stayed at the castle…

No, she did wish it. Anything would be better than this – this night that she would have to face alone, because nobody cared about her, and nobody would find her. She had nothing to eat, nowhere to shelter, and nothing with which to warm herself.

Perhaps she would simply die, like her Mama. And perhaps a tree would grow out of the ground where she had died, and that would be all that would be left of her. And her Da would never even know it was her tree…

At last, finally more forlorn than proud, she began to cry.

Just then she thought she heard someone clucking to a horse, and then a horse’s hooves padding across the thick carpet of pine needles, and she turned to see a rider come out of the trees. For an instant her heart leapt – her Da! But the man was too small and the horse too slender for it to be so. 

Thus she put her hands on her hips and stood as tall as she could – this stranger would not see her cry, would not know she was afraid.

“Do you need help?” the rider asked as he pulled up his horse next to her. His voice was soft and high – it sounded more like a boy than a man.

“No,” she lied.

“If you don’t need help, why are you crying?”

“I wasn’t crying,” she said, but she could not help but sniff.

The boy dismounted. “I think you were,” he said. “But I don’t mind. Where are you going?”

“I don’t have to tell you,” she said sullenly.

“You do if you want me to help you get there.”

It was too dark to see his face, but it sounded as if he was smiling. Iylaine didn’t like that. “I know how to get there. I don’t need your help.”

“There would be no shame in it, if you did. Were you going to find your father?”

Iylaine hesitated. “How did you know that?”

“I’ve been following you.”

Iylaine didn’t like that at all.

“It’s too far for you, you know.”

“I guess it isn’t!” she flared. “I guess I can get there by myself!”

The boy chuckled.

“Who are you, you stupid boy? Quit laughing at me you big ugly toad!”

Now he laughed aloud.

Iylaine cocked her head and studied him more closely. She could only see his silhouette against the darkly blue sky, but no matter how the wind touseled his hair, there always seemed to be a point on either side of his head.

“Are you an elf?” she whispered, thinking of all she had overheard the boys say about what the elves had done.

“I am.”

“Don’t hurt me,” she pleaded, close to tears. “Oh, please don’t hurt me.”

“Hurt you?” he asked in surprise. “Why should I want to hurt you? You’re an elf, too.”

“Because the elves kill people, and hurt them in bad ways, and cut them. Except me – I don’t. I never hurt anyone,” she blubbered. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“I shan’t hurt you, Iylaine,” he said softly. “The elves don’t want to hurt people. There are only a few bad ones that do.”

“Are you a good one?”

“Just as good as you.”

“Oh, that’s different,” she sighed in relief. But then she had another idea. “You’re not going to steal me are you? Like you elves stole my baby brother?”

“I shan’t steal you either. I believe I shall simply borrow you for the night. May I?”

“What are you going to do to me?” she asked, growing frightened again.

“Take you someplace warm and dry, and feed you, and on the morrow I shall take you to your father. You aren’t far, but it’s about to snow, and you aren’t dressed very warmly.”

“You’ll take me to my Da tomorrow?”

“I promise.”

“Are there other elves there, where you’re taking me?” she asked.

“Only two: you and I.” He held out his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she took it.