Melina should have been surprised to see the elf as she swooped down into the clearing, but somehow, she had known that he would be there. He had picked the wrong day to come to the fae pool. She approached him stealthily, unsure about how exactly she was going to do it, but one thing was for sure, she was going to take him down.

He sat hunched over with his back to Melina. One of his feet was in the pool. He seemed relaxed, almost at ease. It irritated Melina. This time she would get rid of him for good. This time she was not afraid. Melina felt immensely powerful. She no longer felt the need to hide her power, and no one would ever make her again.

“I know you are there, your majesty”, the elf said.

His voice was shaking, and she realised that he wasn’t at ease at all, he was crying. Suddenly she felt unsure. She very well couldn’t destroy someone who was crying.

For Melina, this was uncharted territory. She had never seen anyone but her mother, and of course, herself crying. Even when she cried, she tried to avoid any mirrors in her vicinity. She did not want to see herself that way. In Elverira crying in public, or in the presence of another was frowned upon. It was akin to undressing in public. It was a sign of weakness. One might as well have signalled to the world “Here I am! I am weak and vulnerable, easy prey! Come and get me!” and the predators of the court would swoop down and have a party at your expense.

“I sense your discomfort,” he said with a chuckle.

He was right, she was very uncomfortable. How could he know?

“And now, you are confused,” he said.

“How do you-”

“Empath”, he stated cutting her off.

He looked up at her with a shaky smile. His green eyes were glassy with tears.

“For all the good it does me,” He continued “Out of all the elvish gifts I could have received at my birth, mind-reading would have been much more useful. I’ve never once used being an empath for any good. Well, no, that’s not right. I used it for good once.” He looked up at her “After all that’s how I knew, well, it’s more like I made an educated guess that you wouldn’t hurt me that first day we met”.

The elf’s voice was still shaking, and he looked small and weak somehow. Even though in reality, he was much large than her. Despite the negative associations she had when it came to vulnerability, the elf’s brokenness, openness, and weakness pulled at her heartstrings. She sat next to him and lifting her dress she put both her feet into the water.

“I used to love coming here with my father. Sometimes we would just put our feet into the water, like this and talk.” She looked up at Dilwyn. “Why are you crying?” she asked.

“It’s uh-” he chuckled, and his chuckle turned into a sob. He covered his face and sobbed for a while.

Melina was ill at ease, but she felt deep sympathy for the elf. Even though she did not know what had brought him such immense grief. She put a hand on his back and patted him awkwardly.

“There, there,” she said self-consciously.

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Was that even a normal thing to say when someone was hurting? It was definitely the best she had. She remembered her Nanny saying the same thing to her whenever she hurt her wings as a child.

“It’s sweet. That you are trying,” Dilwyn said, “It’s my brother. He’s dead,”

Melina’s heart sank. She knew too well how deeply such a close loss could hurt.

“What happened?” She asked.

“We think it’s pookas, you know. Out in the woods. There have been sightings recently. My brother, he uh, he loved exploring. He would ride to the very edges of the forests just to see what lay beyond.”

“Pookas? But those are creatures of myth…aren’t they?”

“Oh, they are very much real. The elves know it. You fairies knew it once.”

“You say that you think it was pookas? haven’t you seen his body? Can’t you tell for sure?”

“No, we haven’t seen his body”.

“So how do you know that he has died??”

“I feel it. He was my twin brother you see. As an empath, I have strong empathic bonds with the people closest to me,”

She had hoped for his sake that there was still a chance that his brother was alive. She felt her heartbreak for him.

“I lost my father. An elf shot him with an arrow. He was my best friend. I am sorry, that you are in pain. I know the pain you feel most intimately.” S

he took his hand and held it in both of hers. “I’m sorry”.

“Thank you,” he said with a small smile “An elf killed your father? no wonder you hate elves” he continued.

“I thought you were supposed to be an empath. Do you feel like I hate you?”

He paused for a moment. “No, no you don’t. You seem sympathetic, perplexed and a little... intrigued?”

“That’s enough,” she said, “My point is, we do not hate the elves. The truth is we fear them. Although I did not live through the wars, I know they were not pleasant. I know you are dangerous.”

“We could say the same about you,” he said, “Tell me, your majesty. What intrigues you about me?” He asked bringing his face close to hers.

She folded her hands and stood up.

“Don’t get familiar, elf”.

“And the walls are up, and I have to admit they are pretty high - but I can scale them, “he said with a wink.

“What is wrong with you? Aren’t you supposed to be grieving?.”

His smile slowly fell away. “Yes, I am. It was nice to forget that for even a second. Besides my good humor and grief are not mutually exclusive”

He gave her his crooked smile again. “And flirting helps me forget. Just for a moment.”

“Flirting? Flirting! I can’t even - well, I never- You- You are an elf!” she spluttered.

“I am aware,” he said, his smile widening.

She crossed her hands and fixed him with a very stern look. Then he winked at her! Melina couldn’t believe it. What was happening here? He was an elvish guard! She was a fairy queen!

She shook her head from side to side. Then, slowly, even though she was fighting it, she smiled, and once she allowed that small smile, she started to laugh. It was a full high-pitched laugh. Dilwyn started to laugh with her, which only made her laugh harder. She doubled over, tears flowing out of her eyes. Soon she was lying on the ground and Dilwyn was lying next to her.

After a while, they quieted down. And for a while, they just lay next to each other looking at the sky through the gaps in the tree canopy.

“I haven’t laughed like that in - I don’t think I’ve ever laughed like that” Melina said.

“That was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. It’s a shame that more people don’t get to hear it”.

“Stop! “she said pushing him. “You’re such a charmer! How many women have you said that to?”

“I will admit that I am a charmer, but when I say these things to you. You have to know I mean them.”

She looked at him. His face was completely serious. This was stupid. She was screaming at herself in her mind because she was about to say something that she could not take back. Something that would likely change things forever. But she had seen a glimpse of happiness and felt a moment’s peace. She wasn’t going to let that go.

“Dilwyn. I formally permit you to enter this clearing,” she said to him.

He chuckled, then he stood and gave her a quick bow, “What an honour. Thank you, your majesty.”

She sat up. “It’s a bad idea, but I think I want us to be friends Dilwyn. I like your company”.

“It’s that elvish charm,” he said with a wink.

She giggled. What a strange sound it was to her ears.

“Yes. Maybe,” she said.

She was glad he could only read hearts and not minds and afraid of what he would have thought of her if he knew that he was her first and only friend.