The Encounter

[ainad]

The Encounter
Written by PurplePadfoot

It was the month of November, and a young child sat in the snow in the middle of the Lirakalya Meadow playing with her pet Flowper. Quilly, as she called him, was a tolerant little friend and didn’t even mind it when she buried him in the snow. It was just like any other day: she passed the time doing whatever she found amusing. During the summer she was usually out hunting for bugs to munch on, but in the winter all of the insects that inhabited the woods had gone underground or into hibernation. She missed this form of entertainment, and thus spent the time turning her petpet into a living snowball.

She was just expressing her sorrow over the lack of bugs to Quilly when a strange sight caught her eye. There was something out there, just at the edge of the forest... it looked like a blue light, but it couldn’t be, could it? All of the fireflies had to be long gone by now. She tapped Quilly on the head and pointed in the direction where the faint light had come from. "What’s there?" she asked him.

The light flashed again, and this time Quilly noticed it too. He purred and looked excitedly at the snowy colored Draik who was his owner. "What do you think it is?" she asked him, "A firefly?"

Without another word, they both began creeping closer to the light. Every now and then it would flash faintly before disappearing again. In truth, something this suspicious should have made her wary, but safety wasn’t exactly the first thing on her mind... ever.

The source of the light had flown inside a pine tree and was sitting delicately on one of the branches. With a nod at Quilly, Aire stuck her arm into the branches and began reaching for the bug. She stuck her tongue out in concentration and continued to feel around between the branches for firefly. Quilly ran under the tree and began to kick at the stump in hopes to shake the bug free, but he was so little that he only managed to make the tree shiver slightly.

"GOTCHA!" exclaimed the Draik finally as she pulled the bug out of the trees branches grasped securely in her fist. Quilly squeaked and clapped his paws together in triumphant excitement. "What should we do with it?" Aire asked him as they began to walk back towards the middle of the meadow. "Should we eat it now or save it for later? Do you want the head or the abdomen?"

She had barely even finished asking her question when the dimming light in her hands suddenly lit with such intensity that Aire and Quilly both stumbled backwards into the snow and the bug was released in their surprise. "What’s going on?" Aire cried out as they both shielded their eyes.

No sooner had the light begun when it was matched by another radiating from the cottage nearby. Aire could barely make out the figure of her mother in the doorway through her squinted eyes as Ainad began her march across the lawn. She looked strange, different than usual. Her eyes were narrowed and her face was set with more determination than Aire had ever seen in her life.

Aire was speechless as Ainad lifted her into her arms before turning to the small source of light. "Leave." Ainad said simply. "I'll not have you endangering my forest."

The light radiated for a few seconds longer as if considering its next source of action before it slowly faded to reveal its source. It wasn’t a bug at all, but a very small Draik. Aire gasped and Quilly fell flat onto his face in surprise. Ainad looked stunned too, as if she had been expecting some sort of miniscule monster.

The draik was a pure white in color with markings of pale blue and wavy hair of the same color. Her earfins, wings, and tailfin were all a light, colorless material, and were barely noticeable unless they looked close enough. She had a horn like a unicorn's on her forehead and a strange golden band around her right forearm. She was so tiny that they couldn't make out the markings on the armband even if they had wanted to. The small Draik was floating ominously in front of them and they had barely even begun to notice its petite features before its figure suddenly began to swell. In a matter of only a few seconds, the 3-inch Draik had grown to be a foot long from nose to tail.

"Who... who are you?" Ainad asked, still holding Aire protectively.

The Draik bowed its pearly head in an extravagant manner and answered, "My name is Nayalme, Elvin Goddess of the Amase'ere Race."

Ainad gawked stupidly for a minute before blurting out, "Hummawha?"

The small Elvish Draik looked slightly annoyed and frowned disappointedly at Ainad. "You’ve... never heard my name before?"

"No." Aire answered for Ainad as they both looked on in shock.

"Oh dear." Said the small white Draik as she slowly began to float towards the ground where she began pacing around nervously. "Where do I even begin...?"

Ainad’s voice shook when she next spoke, "Erm... I’m sorry, but who are you?"

Nayalme locked eyes with Ainad and sized her up before answering, "Nayalme - known as Naya to my most-loved. I was one of the three Goddesses and protectors of the Amase'ere Race of Elvish Draiks."

"That’s... nice." Said Ainad suspiciously. "And what are you doing here?"

"Well, of course," said Naya, "I came here to find you."

"Me!?" Ainad and Aire said at the same time.

"Well, both of you." Naya assured. "You’re two of the last remaining, the last of our kind."

Ainad frowned, "Our kind?"

"The Amase'ere Race was highly regarded." Naya began in explanation. "We were known far and wide and we lived in peace and harmony with most of the creatures in our area. But, like all others, we had our flaws, our weaknesses. These weaknesses eventually led to the downfall of our culture. It pains me to say it, but the Amase'eres are no more."

"Gone... forever?" Ainad asked confusedly. "And how does this relate to us?"

Naya sighed and explained as if addressing a child, "You and your children are the last remaining. Your ancestors were of the Amase'ere Race."

Ainad looked uncertain, "I have... relatives?"

This was nearly too much for the small Draik, "Of course you have relatives!! How else would you exist!?"

Ainad looked embarrassed, but was quick to defend herself, "Well, Rose had a Draik Egg and hatched me from that."

Naya smirked, "And where did she obtain such an egg?"

Ainad frowned, "She bought it..."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken!" sung the small Draik cheerfully before lowering her voice, "I gave it to her."

Ainad looked shocked, "You!? How? Why?"

"I was one of the few to escape." Naya explained, "I was eager to use what little of my magic there was left to create another egg: yours."

Ainad's voice wavered, "I... I don't understand..."

"Eggs are made differently in our culture..." said Naya smartly. "They're manifested magically as opposed to..." she eyed Aire grudgingly, "...biologically."

"I created your egg in hopes that the hatchling might continue in the ways of our life, that I could raise you as needed to make you a successful, contributing member to our dying community."

Ainad stared, "So... how come I've never met you before...?"

"I'm not finished!" snapped Naya, "The downfall of our civilization and the creation of your egg was more than my magic could handle - I was left out of commission for several years, leaving you to be raised by a human. Biggest mistake of my life, I might add."

"Rose isn't that bad..." Ainad mumbled in Rose's defense.

"No?" tried Naya. "Well, if it weren't for her, my plan might have succeeded..."

"What do you mean?"

"It's her fault your egg didn't hatch properly. She's the one who got tangled in the conflicts that caused your improper hatching."

"You mean the Meridell and Darigan war-thing?"

"Yes. Once the dispute over your egg began, I immediately had to take action to prevent your egg from being destroyed altogether. The only thing I could manage to do was split the egg in half, dividing up the magical powers which I had tried so hard to preserve."

"You mean... Drev?" asked Ainad disgustedly.

"Yes." Said Naya in the same manner. "Such a disappointment, that boy. And a waste of good magic."

"Okay, so I'm beginning to understand..." Ainad offered cautiously. "But if you created my egg, would that make you my... mother?"

"Heavens no!" said Naya with a short laugh. "I am mother to no one. If you insist on relation, though, you may refer to me as your Godmother."

Ainad couldn't react fast enough to hide the small tear forming in the corner of her eye. All her life she had dreamed of a family, a history, or even anything of the sort. Here was living proof that she really had something, that she didn't just randomly exist. She'd never be able to express how happy this made her feel.

If Naya noticed Ainad's emotions, she chose to ignore them as she continued, "My magic has slowly been strengthening, though it will never be what it was. My magic was powered by the existence of the other Amase'ere... without them, there's not much I can do. I was, however, able to lead you to this place."

"You mean the woods?" Ainad asked, "This meadow?"

"Of course." Said Naya plainly, "It's a good location. It's no Amae Forest, but it'll work."

Ainad was somewhat speechless as she remembered back to the time she was exploring the woods for the first time. She had noticed a strange blue light and, thinking it to be a firefly, had followed it directly to the meadow where she now resided. She had never thought a second thought about it... until now.

"So - I guess this explains my blue magic..." Ainad reasoned as Naya nodded.

"That's one of the traits you picked up from me." Said Naya with a hint of pride in her voice. "Though, I must admit, I was a little disappointed when you took Daya's course of color rather than my own."

"Course of... what?"

"Color." Explained Naya as she raised an eyebrow. "The pink-hue? A complete disappointment. I would have preferred you stay blue - it looked so much better on you."

"Wha... what!?" asked Ainad incredulously, "I had no control over what happened to me! I just changed! It just... happened!"

Naya laughed heartily, "In our race, a girl takes the color of the goddess she's most like. For a while you were blue, my color for my traits. I couldn't have been happier! But then..." she frowned disappointedly, "You met that boy and fell in love."

Ainad blushed, "Ho... how do you know about Koarai?"

"Child." Said Naya simply, "I know everything about you."

Ainad refrained from expressing how creepy this was before demanding further explanation. "So... I turned pink because I was in love?"

"I'm pretty certain that's what it was. There's no telling, of course, because you can never be confident of the exact event that triggers a change. It's very rare for one of us to change in the middle of their life - maybe that's why yours caught me so off-guard."

"So, if they change colors, will Aire and Koj...?"

"It's hard to tell." Said Naya. "They are not full-blooded Amase'ere - for all I know, they could stay those colors forever. And even so, I've never seen a male change before... with the exception of your brother."

"Drev?" asked Ainad.

"He's green, correct? He took the colors of Fara."

"Another goddess?" Ainad asked, "How many of you are there?"

"Only three." Said Naya distantly, "Three to maintain the entire society."

Ainad had been so intrigued by the Elf's story, that she had forgotten exactly how cold it was outside, she was only snapped back to reality by Aire shivering in her arms. "We'd better go inside." She said. "Er... you're welcome to come in if you'd like." She added to Naya as the four of them returned to the cottage.

Hugs eyed Naya suspiciously as she entered and began to generate his usual static current just in case she did anything he didn't approve of.

"So..." said Ainad as she and Aire sat down on one of the fluffy pink couches. "What got rid of all of the Amaseer?"

"Amase'ere." Naya corrected. "You need to work on your Elvish."

Ainad frowned before Naya went on, "Our forest neighbors, the Scythanians eventually broke through and destroyed us. But that's a story for another day."

"Oh..." said Ainad, who was curious but not wanting to press the issue any further.

"What's that thing on your arm?" Aire burst out after what seemed like an eternity of being politely quiet.

Naya waved her right arm to display her golden arm brace, "This? This is our symbol of immortality. Wearing this preserves our life; it may only be removed by the wish of the wearer."

"What happens if they take it off?" asked Aire.

"Well, they'll eventually die." Said Naya awkwardly. "Depending on how much magic they have left, of course."

"Couldn't they just put it back on?"

"Once it's removed, it can never be replaced."

Both Ainad and Aire were silent for a minute before Ainad finally spoke up again. "This is all really hard to believe, you know. I've lived a really normal life - I never expected to be part of some weird fairy tale."

"Fairy tale?" barked Naya, "This is your history whether you choose it or not! It's time you knew... and your children too, as it effects them."

Aire took this as her cue, "So am I gonna be pink and have blue magic too?"

Naya looked surprised, "Well, there's really no way to tell until you're old enough... I'd say a change would happen about your teens if at all."

"Koj too?"

"No idea. It's possible. Not likely, but possible."

"What's my magic?" Aire asked excitedly.

"No telling." said Naya again. "Could be protection, could be healing, could be disguise. It all really depends on your course of color. Your mother is a special case in the fact that she's kind of took the powers of two colors."

"Blue and pink." Said Aire.

"Yes." Assured Naya, "My protection and Daya's healing."

"I can't heal that well, though." Said Ainad defensively, "I'm still learning - I can't really control it."

"It's commendable enough that you've learned it as well as protection." Said Naya proudly. "Normally, subjects only learned one power. You're probably the first to learn two..." but she was suddenly cut off as she looked out the large window on the front of the house. "Someone's coming."

Ainad's eyes widened in panic and she dove towards the window, "NO, PLEASE NOT AGAIN!!" but it was too late. Less than a second later, a large green figure came crashing through the window, shattering pieces of it all over the small room. Aire had promptly ducked behind a couch and pulled Naya behind with her just in time, but Ainad had caught the full wind of it.

"Damn you, Drev..." she snarled as she wobbled to her feet to glare at the smirking figure before her. "I have a door, you know. That's the fourth one this month..."

Drev ignored her comment and looked around, "Who's here? You were talking to someone."

"AND WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO QUIT SPYING ON ME!?" Ainad spat without an answer to his question.

"It's about time you arrived." said the small Draik coolly as she sat comfortably on a sofa's armrest. "You've been outside lurking for the past half an hour."

Drev shot a nasty glance towards the small Draik before his expression quickly changed to panic. He stumbled backwards and hit the wall, staring frightfully at the petite figure before him. "What... what are you doing here?" he mumbled barely over a whisper.

Ainad and Aire both looked towards the small Draik for an explanation of Drev's reaction, but she looked just as puzzled as they did. "You... know who I am?" she asked him.

"I've seen you before." Drev said cautiously. "In... in visions... nightmares."

"Nightmares?" she asked, "Go on..."

Drev swallowed hard and continued in a shaky voice, "You and... another like you. Differently colored, but still the same. And a war and her body and..." he stopped and looked at her warily.

"You've seen a war?" she asked, her own voice wavering a little. "And... you've seen someone else like me?"

"With a horn." Drev assured as he pointed towards the single horn on her forehead. "And... and green markings."

"Fara." Said Naya sadly. "And you've witnessed her death?"

"No." he said. "Just her... dead body."

"But how?" said Naya as she looked frightfully around to the other three in the room. "You're seeing my visions? My memories?"

"I didn't mean to!" Drev blurted out. "They just happened while I was sleeping! Most of them happened..." he lowered his voice again, "... while I was in prison."

"What about you?" said Naya quickly as she turned to Ainad, "You're his twin; do you have these visions too?"

"No!" said Ainad dreadfully, "I never!"

"You didn't?" Drev asked. "You never had visions like this too?"

"I can't remember ever seeing..." she paused and he eyes suddenly widened and filled with tears. "Oh wait... it's been so long, I couldn't remember."

"What did you see?" asked Naya gently.

"I saw you." Said Ainad shakily. "And... I saw another."

"Fara?" Naya asked eagerly.

"No..." Ainad said distantly as though trying hard to remember, "Pink."

"That's Daya." Said Naya, "What did you see?"

Ainad choked and covered her eyes, "It... it was terrible..."

"What was it?" asked Drev, who sounded both interested and relieved that he wasn't the only one.

"I remember part of a war too... but before that, I remember seeing her. She was dead. Mangled, deformed... and she was with... someone terrible. Someone dark, I couldn't see their face."

Drev, Ainad, and Aire all looked at Naya for an explanation and were surprised to see her crying. Small, pearly tears were trickling down her cheeks and she was beyond words.

"I... I'm sorry." Ainad apologized between her own tears. "I hated these visions. They haunted my dreams for nights after Drev was captured. I was so distraught and I couldn't live with the pain. That was when I left... and I came here."

Drev frowned sadly and looked at Ainad carefully, "I didn't know that's why you left."

Ainad turned her eyes to meet his, "I was devastated..." she sobbed. "...after I lost you."

Drev eyed her for a minute, wanting more than anything to forgive her and let it be, but he wouldn't give up so easily. His eyes narrowed and when he spoke again, it was in his usual icy tone, "Then why didn't you come looking for me?"

"I DID!" Ainad wailed. "I did, I sent my brother up to the citadel to find you. He fought for Darigan, he asked around. They all said you were dead!"

"Dead?" asked Drev amusedly, "And you believed it?"

"What was I supposed to think?" she demanded. "I couldn't stand it, when I thought you were gone... that's when the visions were the strongest. I couldn't stand to be at my home anymore because it was so near to where I met you. I had to leave - escape. I came here to start a new life and forget about all of those things."

"Consider yourself lucky." Drev spat. "That you were successful in that. My pain is harder to escape, I'll have to live with it forever."

"You can start a new life too!" she said enthusiastically, "You can change, you can forget about the past!"

"HOW CAN I FORGET!?" he demanded. "I lived in that cell for ten years. Ten years, Ainad. During that time, you managed to create a new life, find a mate and even have children! Can you even imagine how I feel?"

"I can!" she cried mournfully, "I can, Drev. I know you better than anyone else, I knew you before - we're one and the same!"

"We were." He said sadly. "Once."

"Stop." Naya interrupted sternly as seemed to have finally recovered from the shock of having her painful memories played back. "Stop right there, and don't say another word."

"Please don't fight." Aire finally cried out from the side of the sofa, holding Quilly tightly in her arms. "I hate it when you fight!" Small tears of her own were dripping down her nose and Quilly nuzzled her to cheer her up.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves." Said Naya angrily in Aire's defense. "All these years and you two still can't put aside your differences and forgive each other!"

Ainad bowed her head guiltily and muttered an apology, but Drev stood solid and pointed a claw at Ainad, "I can never forgive her. After all she's done to me? She's lucky I haven't killed her yet."

"The day might come..." Naya interrupted, matching his angry tone, "When you two will be all each other has."

Drev snorted indignantly and she continued, "I beg you, please! You two are one divided! Combine your powers, work as a team."

"I've been alone since she left me so many years ago." Drev said simply. "And I'll continue to live that way until I can manage my revenge."

"Don't you dare..." started Naya, but she was too late as he had turned and left out of the broken window as quickly as he had come.

Ainad choked back another sob and carefully sat herself on one of the sofas. "He'll never change." She said knowingly. "He's so stubborn! He'll never forget; he'll live with it forever!"

"Keep trying." Said Naya as she waved a hand towards the forest outside. "Even the most steadfast leaves will fall from their perch as the weather gets cold enough."

Ainad looked over to Aire and held her hand out for Aire to climb up in her lap. "I'm sorry, Aire." She said as she hugged her tightly. "He makes me so sad... and we've both been through a lot. More than you could ever imagine."

"It's okay, mommy." Said Aire as she hugged back. "I don't want you to be sad... and I don't want him to be mad at you."

Ainad just nodded and looked back towards Naya who was now sitting on the windowsill. "You're welcome to stay if you'd like." She said as she offered a smile. "I have plenty of room... and I'd love to hear more about the Amase'ere."

Naya remained still for a moment before turning around and smiling back, "Thank you, I think I will."

"For a little while, anyway."

To be continued...