The ocean breeze was cool on Sielyth’s heart shaped face, whipping through her long white hair and contrasting with the warm sunrise that marked the last day of her journey from Revelon to Kersia, the sea village near her hometown of Willow Fae. The boat she had gained passage on was a large merchant ship painted in weathered hues of blue and gold, which unfortunately made many stops along the way to trade goods at the ports around the greater country of Cinderna. It had been a long journey, but the only one that she could afford at the time.
The scoundrel of a sailor in the city wanted 100 gold lucre for a straight shot. That’s more than a semester of tuition at the university, thought Sielyth.
Sielyth recalled the day that she started this journey only four months ago. It was still fall and she was finishing her quarterly exams at the magical institute in Revelon when a letter arrived by raven to her apartment. The raven's black feathers, deep and profound as the midnight ocean, looked familiar and she recognized it as the raven of the high priestess’s office in Willow Fae, the high priestess and her grandmother Andrissa. The contents of the letter sent Sielyth rushing to the docks to find passage back to her home:
“Dear Sielyth,
I am afraid the time has come where I must move on from this world. I do not have much time left, as my body fails me even as I write this. Do not worry, my magic will live on in the nature around me. I leave to you my manor and land, where a piece of me will always be. I know that you are on your own journey and you may not return to Willow Fae, but if you ever need a place to rest, or struggle to find yourself out there, you will always have a place to call home. If I don’t see you before I pass, know that I love you more than life and remember that not all magic can be studied, some magic must simply be felt.
Everlasting love,
Gran”
Sielyth’s heart broke reading the letter, as she knew in her heart that she would not make it back in time to see her grandmother. Revelon was a city far from her hometown, with many mountains and dangerous terrain standing between her and Willow Fae. The fastest way to get home was by water, and as a student she did not have enough money to hire a private ship to take her directly to her destination. She ended up on this ship, forced to feel the guilt eat her up inside at each stop the boat made.
“Can I get you something to drink, Miss? Water or an ale?” a cabin fairy asked, breaking Sielyth out of her reverie.
“No, thank you,” replied Sielyth.
She had been rationing her leftover money the whole trip for food and water, but had very little left to spend. Although she was parched and her stomach was empty, she wasn't sure what she might need once she arrived at Willow Fae.
“Not a problem. We will be at the port in Kersia very soon. I hope the rest of your journey is blessed,” said the cabin fairy as she moved on with her morning tasks.
Once the ship docked, Sielyth was one of the first to gather her things and quickly disembark. She had already sat and wasted enough time, and was anxious to get home, regardless of the hardships that may await her there. She saw a dwarf with a carriage heading to Willow Fae to drop off supplies to the town blacksmith and spent half of what she had left to procure a ride home.
“I make this trip monthly to drop off supplies to Dawson. Ya know him? He took over the blacksmith last year,” explained the burly dwarf in a deep, gravely voice.
“No, I haven’t been home in 5 years,” replied Sielyth. Feelings of regret made her voice crack and she chewed her bottom lip to hold down other emotions trying to surface. I’ll be back soon and I’ll work hard to make the town proud, she thought.
“Ah, well you should head over and meet Dawson when ya get the chance. He’s a great guy from a strong dwarf family,” he said, “He seems a little lazy at first, but his work is impeccable.”
“I’ll make a note to stop by,” Sielyth said with a small smile. Meeting new people in town isn't at the top of my priority list, but supplies from a blacksmith may come in handy.
“Do you know what happened to Rune, the old blacksmith?” asked Sielyth out of curiosity.
“Not really, the townspeople say he mysteriously disappeared one day. But Dawson and I bet that he had a bit much to drink and ran off with a lady traveling through town. He was always complaining about not having a wife,” the dwarf stated in between laughs, “I’ll probably find him in Ronlind one day with a bunch of little dwarf children running around him.”
Ronlind was a town high in the mountains that was primarily populated by dwarfs and miners. Sielyth had read about it in one of her classes. Many gems with magical properties could be mined there. It did seem like a village Rune could be drawn to, but she still found it strange that he would leave without saying a word. From what she remembered of him, he seemed very dedicated to the town.
“We’ve got quite a ways to go if you want to get some rest,” said the dwarf kindly, breaking her out of her thoughts. Sielyth excused herself to the back of the carriage to try and shut her eyes for a bit, pushing thoughts of Rune to the back of her mind for now.
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A familiar mist hung in the morning air the next day when Sielyth arrived in Willow Fae. Her back and legs were still stiff from the long carriage ride into town, but the damp breeze clinging to her skin almost seemed to heal her. She could smell the magic and nature in the air as she looked over the familiar scene of the town. Although it had been many years since she had visited her childhood home, not much had changed. Nestled into the mountain, Willow Fae was a quaint village where many elves, dwarves, and humans made their home together. Along with the many tall trees surrounding them, the shops and buildings that lined the main square were very old, but well maintained and made of the highest quality wood and stone, enchanted to withstand aging. Past the square you could see the town’s waterfall, a mighty source of energy and fresh water, that ran through Willow Fae and down the mountain river.
Sielyth strained to look even further past the waterfall, where she knew the high priestess’s chapel was. She could barely make out the tower sticking up over the rest of the town. Sielyth would often run around in that old building as a little girl when her grandma was the high priestess and needed to meet with other villagers to discuss the town’s affairs. She could not imagine entering that building now, knowing her Gran would not be there to greet her, but she willed her feet forward regardless. She had to become stronger and take on the responsibilities that her grandmother left her. She would not let her family’s ancestral land be forgotten. Sielyth came from a long line of elven high priestesses who helped establish the town of Willow Fae. She may not be strong enough or adept in magic enough to fill that spot now, but she would not abandon the land her Gran left her.
She made her way to the steps of the chapel, pausing to take in the familiar gray stones that made up the walkway. The door was framed on each side by two beautiful elven statues, standing poised with peaceful expressions on their faces, welcoming all who would enter. Sielyth reached for the handle and opened the door, engulfed by the familiar smell of old books, herbs, and warm spices. The chapel smelled similar to her grandmother’s manor, which she would have to go inspect after she was finished here.
Before she could make it back to her Gran’s office, she was greeted by an older elf, who she recognized from her childhood as Liadan, the matriarch of another elven family in the village. Where Sielyth’s family specialized in Nature and Light magic, Liadan’s family specialized in Dark magic. Many of the older elf’s family served as guards and protectors of the village because of their specialty. Liadan was smaller than Sielyth remembered, but still held an authoritative presence, with pale skin and grey hair worn up in an elegant updo.
“Welcome home Sielyth, you have certainly matured in your time away,” Liadan said with kindness in her eyes.
“Thank you,” replied Sielyth, “I have been away for a few years studying at the institute, but I heard about Gran and tried to make it here as fast as I could.” Although she knew the answer in her heart already, she had to ask, “Is she really gone?”
Liadan’s eyes turned away and a sadness fell upon her face as she answered, “I am afraid she passed on the same night that she sent you that letter. She somehow knew that it was her time. She always was so gifted in the magic of Nature and in tune with the world around her, I am not surprised that she sensed her life energy was ending. It all happened so suddenly.”
Sielyth had sensed that this was the case, but she couldn't stop a few tears from escaping down her cheeks. Liadan quietly watched her before going on to say, “Your grandma loved you very much and was so proud of you and your ambitions.” But Sielyth could not accept those words. She knew that her grandma did not want her to go study magic at the institute in Revelon. Her Gran believed that magic was already in you, and that you needed only to experience life and the nature around you to unlock it. But Sielyth relied on her more logical mind and decided to go far from home to study Light magic at one of the best magical colleges. She thought she needed to start there to get a strong foundation before coming home to apprentice under her grandmother for the role of high priestess. She never would have imagined that she would be too late. She would have to live with that choice and its consequences for the rest of her life.
Liadan could sense that Sielyth did not want to continue talking about her grandmother and offered some new information instead. “I have to inform you that the town has named me interim high priestess,” Liadan said in a more serious tone, “It was unexpected but since no one knew if you would return, someone had to fill the position. It is only temporary as I'm too old to continue in this role for long. But I will take the responsibility of training someone as an apprentice to take over. Though I would be remiss if I did not inform you that I'm giving my grandson the opportunity to become high priest. I think you both can be given a fair chance to prove yourselves.”
“That is a lot to process, but I understand. Thank you for letting me know,” replied Sielyth as politely as she could. She was really taken aback by all of this new information. She had not realized that the role of high priestess could be taken from her family lineage so easily. She did not think she should just be handed the role, or that she even deserved it yet, she had a lot of learning still to do, but this was all so unexpected.
“Your Gran left her manor to you, along with the land surrounding it. No one has touched it since your grandmother passed, so it may be a bit overrun, but it is yours,” Liadan said.
“I will head to the manor then and settle in. I’m sure there is much to do,” replied Sielyth, thankful for a chance to leave this conversation and organize her thoughts. Just as she got to the doors to leave, someone was walking in. He was a tall elf, with jet black hair and pale skin.
“Welcome Rowan. You remember Sielyth, she has returned to Willow Fae. Would you walk her to her grandmother’s manor so that she can get some rest? She has had a long journey,” said Liadan.
“Yes grandmother,” replied Rowan with no emotion or sign of recognition on his face.
Sielyth looked him over as they walked in silence down the road through the town, passing many shops and homes. He had changed since the last time she had seen him. He had always been serious and quiet, but he had grown at least five inches and his features had hardened giving him a much colder demeanor. His black hair hung past his shoulders and it swung like a curtain as he walked, like a wall between them every other step.
Sielyth’s skin felt tense as she searched for something to say. “It’s good to see you again Rowan,” she said tentatively.
“Is it?” Rowan asked as they neared the edge of her Gran’s property. It seemed like a rhetorical question, so Sielyth turned to look at him instead and gauge his expression. Again it seemed blank and lifeless.
“Your grandmother’s land is straight ahead through the glade, as you already know. I’ll leave you here with one more thought. Our family has taken over as leaders of this town. We would never abandon it in the way that you have. And I won’t be backing down just because you’re back,” Rowan laced the last sentence with acid as he turned and walked away from her, leaving Sielyth in the shade of the tall trees surrounding the path.
She felt more cold and alone than she thought she would have returning to her home.