A shorter and calmer chapter this time. The AI test was clearly even worse than my normal writing so not going that route again. Can't lie I have not felt much like writing these past few weeks, but I'm keeping it up whilst I get my mojo back. There's no real reason for it, just a bit of writers block and a bit of exhausting irl stuff. Writing a little bit for some of my side projects helps me keep in the mood for it, but I haven't released any for a while. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy.
Nervous. Ellena was feeling quite nervous for the first time in a while. The last time she met Humans had definitely gone better than the first, but she still couldn’t help but worry. Especially considering it was an entire village filled with them. Of course she had Samora with her and now had the ability to talk, so she couldn’t imagine they would be straight up hostile, but still, she couldn’t help but be a little nervous.
They left the house around lunch time and headed south, towards the Kingdom of Ashes. There were no Mortal villages deep into the forest. In fact the one that Samora had been living at is the deepest in the kingdom.
In fact it took the two of them just under two hours to reach the village. Samora wanted to go back and check at least twice a week, but it seemed like quite a regular journey to Ellena.
It was a larger village than Ellena expected, a little larger than her old one. Around thirty houses surrounded by a crude yet solid looking wooden wall. There was a guard standing at the gate who raised his spear upon seeing the strange Mushman, but it quickly lowered when he spotted Samora.
“Lady Samora? We haven’t seen you in days, what is this strange beast by your side?”
“Stwange beast? That’s bloody wude,” Ellena huffed.
The guard looked taken aback, very clearly surprised that Ellena could even talk. He looked between her and Samora. Samora raised an eyebrow then shook her head.
“That’s a Mushman Dan. A smart one at that. She’s here to help me grab a few things.”
Dan the gate guard lifted his spear and rested its heel against the ground. “You’re leaving again?”
“I have a patient Dan, I’ll be here a few times a week, you guys will be fine without me,” Samora replied.
Dan stared at Samora for a moment, then tapped the gate twice. “Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it,” he muttered as the gate slowly opened.
There were a few more lightly armoured guards behind the gate. It wasn’t generally common to have a lot of trained guards in a small village, but it was a necessity for those living in the forest. The question was why they lived in the forest in the first place. The answer was almost always the same. Rare resources. This was a mining village first and foremost, and they needed the guards to protect the miners.
Samora led Ellena into the village. A group of children played near a well in the center. There was an inn called the Last Barmaid nearby. The few villagers that were around gave the Mushman a curious expression, but most wore smiles when they spotted Samora. It seemed she was well liked and respected here.
Eventually they got through the small crowd and arrived at a charming small home at the edge of the village. It was surrounded by greenery with ivy and moss down the roof and walls. There was a small pond with a built-in waterfall feature behind it. The sound was quite soothing.
“This is mine, Ellena.”
Ellena looked at Samora. “You suwe you want to stay away for so long?”
The Elf chuckled. “It’s quite nice isn’t it? Peaceful.” She paused and simply looked over her house for a while. She quite clearly loved it. “Ellephwens home is just as charming, you know? As was my old home.”
“What was youw old home like? Never seen an Elvish settlement befowe.”
Samora glanced down at Ellena with a smile. “It was beautiful, Ellena. Wood and polished stone entwining together. Cast over a large and calm lake which sparkled both day and night. Buildings that rose like budding flowers and parks that would lower down to give you a view under the water. With glass windows. I remember great lake Monsters coming straight to the glass. Yet they never attacked.”
This was the first time Ellena had seen Samora get lost in a moment like this. Clearly she missed her home, so it was surprising that she stuck around in this forest. The Mushman had to wonder when she last visited her home.
Before she could ask, the front door slowly creaked open to reveal two teens, they looked quite similar, almost identical. Siblings at the very least. Black hair and tired eyes, both of them had the stench of medical herbs about them. They both looked between Samora and Ellena, just as the rest of the town had.
Samora clicked her tongue. “You think living in the forest they would be used to seeing things like this,” she held her head and shook it.
“Master Samora, what is that?” the one on the left asked.
“Oh for. First off, I have told you just call me Samora, or Lady Samora if you gotta. Secondly, Ellena is clearly a Mushman. Why does no one get that?”
Ellena awkwardly raised her hand. “Hey,” she smiled.
The other sibling waved back, with a slight slap from their brother. “Why are they here?”
“Can we perhaps move this conversation inside?” the Elf asked.
There was an exchange of glances. Then, shortly after, the four found themselves in Samora's sweet little kitchen. Plenty of light, plenty of cooking equipment and a savoury smell from wall to wall. Ellena did not fit in the human sized seats however, so plopped herself on the counter top, kicking her tiny little legs. The friendlier of the brothers reached out for her, but was once again slapped away by his sibling.
Even after witnessing that, Samora was close to doing the same, but caught herself. It looked like the villagers respected her quite a lot, so she probably wanted to hide the. . . More open side of herself.
She cleared her throat. “So, first off. Ellie, these are Herred and Tomar. My two apprentices. Twins. Came begging at my door after I healed their mum ten years ago.”
“Eleven,” Herred corrected.
Samora shot the boy a daggery glance. “Anyway, they’re both perfectly skilled and can look after this little village whilst I’m gone.”
“You’re going again?” Herred asked calmly. Though the glare in his eyes implied a different temperament.
“Look, this village would live without me. Especially with the both of you here, but even then I’m not leaving permanently. I’m also only a couple of hours away. God’s I’ve been here for longer than you two have been alive.”
The twins both grew silent, Herred no longer protested but he still looked a little sour. Meanwhile Tomar was still stuck staring at Ellena. A very clear stare that she could feel to her bones.
“Can I help you?” she asked him.
“I want to squidge you,” he replied without changing expression.
Ellena slowly turned to look at Samora. At least one of the apprentices had to have picked something up from her and it appeared to be Tomar. It was likely Samora did not see the connection, given her irritated expression.
“Look, I came here to pick up my bed and Ellie’s a lot stronger than she looks. I’m living with her and her adoptive mother, at least until her mother heals up. You need me badly just ring the village bell, I’ll hear it.”
“From two hours away?” Herred asked.
“Did you forget I’m an Elf?”
Tomar finally looked at his teacher. “Can we visit?”
“No,” Samora answered simply. She was not great at sharing. Though Ellena didn’t really mind, she had gotten used to being poked prodded and hugged thanks to this particular Elf already.
Even so, after a quick cup of tea, they were already preparing to leave. Ellena was fine with staying longer, the stares of the villagers were a bit uncomfortable, but it was still the warmest first impression she had had to date. Though she did have another reason to leave, a question she wanted to ask Samora.
The bed itself was not particularly large, and it had been constructed from good materials, which was to be expected. Even so its design was far too cumbersome to just carry. Ellena’s arms were not capable of that.
“You’ll have to tie it to my back,” she instructed the Elf.
A small smile appeared on Samora’s face. “Are you sure Ellie?”
Ellena shrugged. “Got a better idea?”
At this point, Samora fought very hard to hide her joy. “Boys! Come and help me with this!” She called her apprentices over.
***
Herred stifled a snort, Samora could no longer suppress her joy and Tomar’s expression still did not falter. Though he did keep muttering something under his breath. Ellena didn’t want to know what it was.
The object of their joy was the bed twice the side of Ellena laying effortlessly up her back and towering over here. She could definitely feel the weight, but it was far more manageable in this state.
Even so, it did strain her, and she did not want to keep that up for long. “Samora, we should probably get a move on.”
“Oh yeah, of course Ellena. That’s gotta be heavy,” she turned to the twins. “Alright you two, I promise I’ll be back next week, so look after everyone whilst I’m gone.”
Tomar moved forward. “You could at least tell us where your new home is, Master.”
“Not Mas-” she cleared her throat. “I’ll take you there when Ellena’s a little older, alright?”
Herred and Tomar exchanged another glance then nodded. They stood back as the Elf and Mushman left the village. A few more villagers gathered to watch them leave as well, a few asking Samora to come back soon.
Ellena watched Samora's eyebrow twitch, ready to say something, but before she could another voice joined the crowd. “You can come back too, Ellie,” Tomar smiled, just a little. It caught Ellena by surprise.
She nodded with her mouth open and continued to walk by Samora’s side. The Elf herself smiled warmly down at Ellena.
“Now we just need the rest of the village to understand your charm,” she winked.
Ellena simply looked away, though she couldn’t deny the warmth she felt in the moment. More importantly, they were now far enough away for Ellena to ask her question.
“Samowa?” she asked.
“Hmm?”
“Do you weally think that Ellephwen is like my adoptive mothew?”
Samora furrowed her brow. “Well of course Ellie. What else would she be?”
The Mushman stopped in her tracks for a moment, she looked at the ground then carried on walking.
“Mother, huh?” she muttered to herself as the calm afternoon air whistled through the trees.