Ari sat in his room, silently twirling a flower in his fingers. Such a
beautiful little thing, this flower, so like his Princess, so small, so
beautiful, so fragile, one little chill could destroy it.
Elisabeth, his beautiful Princess, had had her Saining, and all had not
gone well. She was a Satyr, not the noblewoman she had dreamed of being,
and Ari felt her disappointment as keenly as if it had been his own,
which it might very well have been. He had to admit, he had wanted her
to be nobleborn as much as she had, and she would have been wondrous
among the Sidhe. But she was a Satyr, and already he could see forces
rallying to destroy that fragile flower he had coaxed through the
Chrysalis and through Fledgehood. To the inhabitants of Underhill,
Satyrs meant only a narrow set of things, among which were several vices
Elisabeth had decided, as a human, to forego. Ari found that he admired
her for that, and feared that she would not be allowed to keep to those
decisions.
In truth, Elisabeth had started screaming that day, and Ari hadn't seen
her since she ran out of the room crying. She had locked herself in her
room and wouldn't let anyone in, wouldn't even talk to anyone. There
were rumors that she was becoming Dauntain. Ari hoped not.
There was a knock at the door and Ari looked up as Leon entered. Leon,
Ari's oldest friend and the Duke of the lands around Dallas, and ruler of
Underhill besides. The troll and Gwydion Sidhe had fought more battles
together and seen more sights together than most of the Fae around them.
Leon, also, cared for Elisabeth, loved her even, in the way that true
friends love each other.
"Ari, there's a problem." Leon said, and his voice was very grave. Ari
looked up, concerned.
"What is it, Leon?"
"I'm afraid someone has to do something about Princess." In private,
Leon had taken to calling Elisabeth by the pet name Ari used for her. It
had brought a smile to her face, because she always dreamed of being the
much beloved princess in the fairy tales.
Ari looked down at the flower. "Nothing has changed then?" he asked.
Leon looked even more concerned and worried. Here, in private, with his
friend, he could afford to let his emotions show on his face, and so took
full advantage of the opportunity. He sat down next to the large Troll
and placed a hand upon his arm. "I'm afraid something has changed."
Ari looked over at him. "What has changed?" he asked, a catch in his
voice. Oh please, Sweet Dana, he prayed, don't let it be...
Leon paused, not sure how to say this. "The hall where Elisabeth's rooms
are located has recently taken on a distinctly chilly feel." He could
barely get the words out and almost faltered when he saw the bleak look
in Ari's face.
"Oh Dana, no..." he breathed, grief and fear in his heart. No, this
could not be happening to Elisabeth, sweet, gentle Elisabeth who couldn't
hear a child cry without reaching out her arms to comfort, who couldn't
imagine doing harm to anyone on purpose, and couldn't sleep at night
because of unknowing harm, Elisabeth, who reminded him of what
Christianity was meant to be. This could not be happening to her, not
her of all people.
Leon nodded slowly. "I hope she doesn't realize what is happening around
her. She was so eager to be Fae, I'd hate to think that she was welcoming
this... But someone has to deal with her, and I would rather that it be
you than someone who cares not for her heart."
Ari nodded, suddenly feeling very old. "She was my fledge, she is my
responsibility, even in this." The heartbreak was almost more than he
could take and broke down crying for the gentle girl he called Princess.
* * * * * * * * * *
Later that afternoon, Ari was pacing in his room, trying to figure out
what to do. He did not have the wisdom to know how to approach this so
that he did not accidentally push her father away. He did not want to
have to destroy his Princess. With a frustrated grunt he fell to his
knees and hit the floor, not hard enough to harm it, but enough to expend
some of his anger and frustration. Even now he was aware of the damage a
Troll's strength could do. Then he reached out with his Glamour and
undid any damage he may have done anyway.
Restlessly he started pacing again. He hated the thought that he might
lose Elisabeth, she was so precious to him. As he paced, his eyes fell
on a set of books Elisabeth had given him, a Bible, and a triple set of
_The Book of Mormon_, _The Doctrine and Covenants_, and _The Pearl of
Great Price_. On an impulse he grabbed one of the books and opened it to
a page and began reading, his frustration calming with every word.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ari stood outside her door, his mind made up, and his heart steeled
against what he had to do. He prayed that she wouldn't hate him. The
air around him definitely held a slight chill to it and his heart quailed
for a moment, before he pushed himself forward by sheer force of will.
This was his duty.
With one tremendous blow he knocked the door off its hinges and let it
fall before him into the room, and he saw Elisabeth sitting curled up in
a chair, looking up at him startled, eyes red with crying. Before she
could say anything he moved forward and picked her up in his arms,
cradling her as gently as a baby. It was then that she started crying
again and yelling at him, and trying to hit him, but though it pained his
heart to do so, he simply stood and walked out of the Freehold, carrying
her in his arms.
It didn't take them long to reach the meeting house. He knew where it was
because Elisabeth had taken him to Church with her on several occasions,
and though he was himself a pagan, he could see the influence the
religion of her birth held over her. He had taken the time to speak with
the bishop of the ward she attended, and so they were expected. She had
stopped screaming at him and now only lay crying in his arms as he
carried her into the chapel and set her down on one of the pews.
Something in the building calmed her, some spirit that lived in these
places touched her heart and calmed her tears.
"Why have you brought me here? I don't deserve to be here." There was
such pain in her voice, such aching pain and such bitter cold. Was he
too late?
"Princess..." he started, but was interrupted.
"I'm not a princess. I'm a satyr, a beast, nothing."
"Elisabeth, to me you will always be a Princess in the truest sense, but
I'm worried." He paused, agonized and afraid that one wrong word would
lose her forever. "Elisabeth, you've become so Cold, I'm afraid the
Winter might be taking you." The words hurt, but at last they had come,
and they got her attention.
"No..." she whispered in surprise. She had not known, had not felt the
creeping chill around her, until this moment, and she knew that this was
not the fate she wanted. The air around them warmed up a little bit.
"No, I can't be..." She couldn't even say the word it hurt too much. "I
never wanted anything more than to be part of the stories. I can't be
destroying them." She hugged her knees to her chest, tears flowing now
as she reached for the only support she could. "Oh Heavenly Father, help
me... I can't lose the Dream, I can't fall. Fae and Human both Thou
hast placed in my care, how do I stay true to both?"
Ari reached out and pulled her into his arms. "You will always be a
Princess to me, and to Leon, and to yourself, if you stay true to what
you believe. Nothing can make you other than the noblewoman you deserve
to be." He didn't know what else to say.
Off to the side, they heard a man clearing his throat, and Elisabeth and
Ari looked up to see Bishop Green and one of his counselors. "Elisabeth,
would you like a blessing?" he asked and Ari felt hope in his heart
rising like a bird.
Elisabeth nodded and slid to the end of the pew, where the two men placed
their hands on her head. "Elisabeth Annette Crane..." Bishop Green
started, and then he proceeded to bless her with ever so many things,
including the strength to fight and the will to live and be what she knew
she was inside. As Ari listened to the men pray, he felt something
growing around them, his Princess was changing, and the chill around her
faded beneath the warmth of absolute Love which surrounded her, and
Glamour, too. "...in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." They finished and
Ari looked up to see a light shining in his Princess's face, and tears in
her eyes, but this time with other emotions than bitter disappointment.
As the two men turned to leave, the other, the Counselor, placed a hand
on Elisabeth's shoulder. "I never said it would be easy," he told her,
"I only said it would be worth it." Then they left and Elisabeth reached
over to hug Ari, and he found himself crying with joy and relief.
* * * * * * * * * *
It is generally believed that when Ari Mountain-Tall disappeared after
delivering a token of some sort to Greyhawk, he was about to make an Oath
of some sort to Elisabeth. It is also generally accepted that nothing
short of powerful foul-play or death could have kept him away from
Elisabeth this long, for neither Elisabeth nor Leon accept that he would
simply run off of his own will.
Elisabeth still struggles with the Fae of Underhill, and recently Leon
has taken actions to see that she is somehow take from there to another
Holding where she will be better treated. The Company of Tears are her
dearest friends now, and her companions when she had none for so long.
A seer of some power once said that Ari and Elisabeth would find each
other again, but no one knows how or when or under what circumstances.
The power of the Faith born that day has kept Elisabeth shining amid
Darkness more than once. No one knows how much she is going to have to
endure, since such a gift was given to her. "Where much is given, much
is expected."
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