Reborn as an Elven Mother - Chapter 2

Commissioned by Azena

When Cameron, a relentless workaholic, falls into an exhausted sleep one night, he wakes up in the body of an Elven maiden in a strange fantasy realm. Suddenly thrust into a life he doesn’t remember, he must learn how to be a mother while not letting on that he's not who he appears to be.

~

Chapter 2

I woke up to quiet for the first time that I could remember. No alarm, no phone, just the quiet sound of a few birds outside the window and the morning sun on my face. Once the light had gone and my candle burned down, I’d had no choice but to go to bed. It was either that or sit up in the dark. If I had guessed, it couldn’t have been later than 8 o'clock, and when I woke, the sun was just rising. 

My head felt clear, and my eyes were missing the distinctive itch of tiredness I’d grown used to over the years. It would have felt nice if it hadn't been for the fact that when I blinked my eyes open, Dellah was an inch from me.

“Wahhh!”

“Aaaaah!”

“Dellah, why were you leaning over me like that?”

“I was just checking if you were breathing okay.”

“Next time, just…wake me up?”

Next time. God. How many days would I have to spend in this body? The cotton night dress itched, and I shuddered, feeling the grime on my body. I was in desperate need of a shower. 

“Dellah, I need a bath. Let’s get some water.”

“Enough for a whole bath?” Dellah groaned. “That’ll take a dozen trips to the well!”

“We’d better get started then.”

By the time we’d filled the wash basin, I was beginning to think that bathing every day was overrated. My arms ached from lugging the heavy bucket of water from the well down the street to our house. I was never the strongest man, but this body was willowy and extra thin from a week in bed, even lifting the empty bucket took effort. I didn't dare complain, though, not after I shot Dellah down. When we finally filled the tub, I was ready to fall in it and drown when somebody knocked at the door. 

“Sampson!” Della greeted, not waiting for me before she flung open the door. “Mmmm, is that fruit loaf?”

“Fresh from the ovens.” The burley elf grinned. “Figured you might need some extra, you getting back to work today, Ada?” 

“Um, maybe not straight away.” I replied, mentally adding ‘What’s my job?’ to the list in my little book.

Sampson gave me a charming smile and lingered in the doorway, looking for a reason to stay when he spotted the filled tub and turned pink.

“I’ll uh, leave you to it!”

“Thank you!” Dellah called innocently. 

Sampson tipped his flour-coated hat to us both, making Dellah giggle, and then was off. I tried not to think about the way he was looking at me; I never wanted another man to gaze at me with such desire again. Maybe Sampson was Dellah’s father? I made another mental note to add him to the list later. Dellah immediately got to work slicing up the bread while I pulled the curtain across so I could bathe. 

I shed the nightdress and examined myself, taking in the almost unnaturally smooth skin and long hair that brushed the small of my back. There was a patch of dark, curly hair between my legs that I couldn't help but touch out of curiosity. Unlike the human women I’d been with back in my other life, the hair there was soft, almost silky. After all the hard work lugging the water, I didn't even care that it was cold as I slid in. After a few seconds, though, it started to seep into my skin and make my teeth chatter.

“Mama, don't catch another cold!” Dellah said, voice only half joking. 

“I w-won’t!”

I quickly scrubbed my body as clean as I could, feeling slightly awkward, pressing my fingers into all the new nooks and crannies I possessed. It felt almost wrong, sliding wet hands over this smooth skin, like I was feeling a woman up in her sleep or something. This wasn't my body, what right did I have to look and feel it? Then again, I didn't have much of a choice. Water flowed against my lower lips and inner thighs, making me shiver. It was probably a good thing the water was cold. And that there was only a curtain separating me from another person; if not, my thoughts may have drifted somewhere very inappropriate. 

My toes curled, and my nipples hardened in the fresh, cold air as I got out and hastily dried myself. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. Wrapped in the thin cloth I riffled through the box of clothes in our bedroom; there weren't many options, nothing close so masculine either. 

In the end, I picked a simple cotton dress with a long skirt to cover my legs and a neckline that showed off my clavicle. The fabric was green, with tiny leaves detailing the hem that looked hand-sewn. I ran my fingers over them, feeling the rough thread and taking note of one flower that seemed cruder than the rest. I wondered if Dellah had done it.

“Mama, come try the bread!”

“Coming.”

I quickly noted down Sampson’s name as a potential father for my new daughter and then sat down to eat. After the stale bread last night, a fresh baked loaf tasted like heaven. I never knew something as simple as a few bits of fruit could make such a difference!

“Aren’t you going to do your hair?” Dellah asked, pointing all the loose waves flowing down my back. I normally left my hair as it was, or combed it with my fingers. Experimentally, I tried doing it here and winced as my nails snagged on the knots. 

“I’ll get the brush! You can do my braids at the same time.”

Oh Boy. Dellah handed me a rough brush made of some kind of animal hair and I proceeded to try and brush all the knots out. I had so much hair! By the time I finished brushing it all, it would be time to go to bed again. I eyed the scissors set on the kitchen bench; it would be much more convenient to cut it all short. 

“Can you do my braids?” Dellah asked innocently.

“Um…”

I had no idea how to braid hair. I picked up several strands at the side of the girl's face and looked at them helplessly before twisting and turning them together. I tried looping and swirling the strands, but they all fell out in an instant.

“How about we go for a more…natural look?” I tried, and Dellah’s brow furrowed. 

“But you always said a proper elf has to have their braids done right every day.”

“Well, that was then, and this is now. Loose hair is fine.” 

I hoped it was fine anyway; for all I knew, hair braids were some deeply significant cultural thing and being without them was like being naked. I really hoped that wasn’t the case, I didn't want to waste valuable time I could be using to try and get home learning to braid hair. 

“What’s that, Mama?”

Dellah pointed to my book, instantly distracted from her lack of braids.

“Oh, just something I had lying around.”

“Can I see?”

“No, sorry, this is…adult business.”

“Awwww.”

I smiled awkwardly. Didn't this girl have school or something to get to? According to Sampson, I probably had work of some kind. I thought about those gold coins hidden in the cupboard; how much was that? Did a coin buy a meal here? Or were we on our last legs? One way to find out. I finished my food and grabbed a few of the coins, dropping them in my apron. 

“I’m going shopping.”

“Okay.”

Despite the fact I clearly said ‘I’ not ‘we’, Dellah got to her feet and headed for the door, looking back over her shoulder expectantly. Right, it seems I wasn’t losing her any time soon. We walked back to the main street, and I began to tick potential jobs off the list mentally; most of the shop owners seemed to live in their establishments, so I wasn't any of those. I could be an assistant, though; damn, this was going to be harder than I thought. 

“What are we buying, Mama?”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I scanned the shops and walked and spotted candles in the window of what looked like a general store. Thinking of my makeshift pencil and lack of light, I stepped inside and quietly checked the price of both. It would total three gold pieces, half of what we had in that jar. Uh oh. The shopkeeper, a plump older elf, looked like she was about to approach when her face turned pinched, and the sound of the doorbell rang. In stepped a new figure, and I froze in shock. 

The figure was humanoid, but his legs were bent the wrong way, and there was a long, silky tail swaying between his legs. His wide yellow eyes were unblinking and his whiskers wrinkled as his feline face forced itself into a smile. 

“Good morning, ma’am, I was wondering if you might have some writing implements. Travelling isn't exactly conducive to pen and ink!” 

The humanoid cat man gave a dramatic bow, and I just stared; I’d never seen anything so fantastical in my life. To my surprise, Dellah and the shopkeeper seemed equally taken aback; whatever this…thing was, they clearly weren't a common sight. Undeterred by the awkward silence, the cat mane continued:

“A pencil or perhaps even some charcoal would suffi-”

“It’d be six gold, for you.” The shopkeeper interrupted, and I blinked, that was double the cost marked. 

The cat man’s smile became all the more forced.

“Why, ma’am, that’s highway robbery! While I do respect a silver-tongued shopkeep, I-”

“Seven. This is an elf village, Felindae. We don’t go giving away important items to your kind.”

He blinked those yellow eyes and sighed, fishing out a small coin purse and paying the exorbitant fee before pocketing a single pencil. 

“I suppose your tavern is full up as well and doesn’t require a charming storyteller who could discount his stay with some entertainment?”

“Right you are.”

He tipped his large, feathered hat to us, and I felt guilt gnaw at my gut, not saying anything. I couldn't risk sticking my neck out for some furry stranger though, what if this shopkeeper was an old friend? Worse, what if Ada was known to hate whatever he was, Felidae? Was that the term the woman used? I filled it away for later. The man disappeared back out the door, and the shopkeeper huffed. 

“Filthy things, those animal hybrid types. Worse than humans.”

She eyed Dellah as she spoke, and I felt my new daughter’s tiny hands grip my skirt tightly. My brow furrowed; Dellah’s ears were as pointy as anybody else's, she certainly wasn’t human. I decided against a new pencil and left the shop feeling confused. The chatty girl at my side was silent the whole way home. 

We passed that church building again, the priestesses were blessing a garden outside, causing the leaves to turn red and fall only to regrow while singing softly. My skirt tugged, and I almost tripped as Dellah stopped to watch wistfully. I thought back to her praying over my bedside, was the girl religious? God, I hoped not, I’d never set foot in a church back home and had no idea how this new religion worked, except that they hated possessions. Which honesty…fair. 

I recognised the elven woman with flowers in her hair: Jenavelle. People were gathered beneath the tree, letting the leaves fall on them while she spoke. 

“Remember, we wood elves are nature's guardians. We do not live in great numbers, for each of our lives is worth more in harmony with nature.” She called. “We must be vigillent of outsiders, those who wish to damage our ways of life. Those who seek to hide in plain sight and cause harm.”

She fixed me with a stare, and I saw several people turn to regard me. 

“Demons often take those lives early and use the bodies to corrupt others. We must remain vigilant at all times.”

Well, that wasn’t concerning at all. I felt a cold sweat break out on my neck; why couldn’t I have wound up in a more friendly fantasy land? 

“Do you think they would ever let me join the Sisters of Nature, mama?” Dellah asked quietly as the sermon continued with us on the sidelines. 

“I…don’t see why not,” I replied. “We could try going to a service?”

It might be a good way to gather information, especially about magic. That was the only explanation for how I ended up in this body, the more I learned about it, the quicker I might find a path home. It also might get the other villagers and Jenavelle to stop staring at me as if I were about to sprout horns at any second. 

“Maybe.” Dellah sighed. 

Surprisingly, she didn’t seem that enthused. Raised voices put an end to whatever ceremony the priestesses were holding and we all turned to face it. I watched as that Felidae man practically fell out of Sampson’s bakery, the burly elf close behind. 

“I swear, good sir, I stole nothing! You yourself said there was nothing missing.”

“I know what you Felidae types are like, mongrels, all of you! I know you swiped something, and when I find out what, I’ll give you a good thump.”

Sampson was red in the face, I could hardly believe this was the same kind man who’d been teasing Dellah and bringing us bread a few hours ago. I watched him scramble up the street, away from everybody’s prying eyes while they all muttered about themselves, Dellah leaned in close again. The felidae darted down the streets and into a small stone building with a book emblazoned on the front, and I felt my heart leap. Of course, how had I not thought of this before? Books! Books had been my life’s blood before, and there would be no better way to get my bearings than reading. 

“Dellah, why don’t you go find Symon and play knucklebones,” I suggested. “I need to get things done.”

“But I don't want to leave you.” She whispered, eyes wide. 

“You can’t be with me every second of the day.”

“Why not.”

“Because…”

Because it would drive me insane. 

“Because I am busy.”

Dellah’s gaze dropped to her feet, and she shuffled awkwardly before whispering. 

“But what if you get sick again.”

My heart ached for the girl, really, it did, but despite appearances, I was not her mother. I didn't know what I was doing. 

“I’ll be fine,” I said, giving her a little pat on the head. “Now, off you go.”

I walked quickly, leaving Dellah whispering to herself. My sharp elf ears picked up something about not even liking Symon or knucklebones, and I snorted; oh, to have a child’s worries. What an easy life that would be. A little voice told me I probably shouldn’t be leaving an eight year old girl alone, but this was a small town; she’d be fine. And she wasn't even really my daughter. I was only guessing her age! 

Stepping into the little library made my heart sing; the scent of ink and paper in the air reminded me of why I got into publishing in the first place. It had been so long since I read a proper paper book; my e-reader was just more convenient regarding the sheer amount of manuscripts I had to read through. I was so excited at the prospect of a book I didn’t pay attention to what I was grabbing, instead, I flipped open the pages and… gibberish.

The letters meant nothing, strange swirling pictographs that may as well have been scribbles. They were beautiful, curling letters that looked like nothing I had ever read. My heart sank. 

“Of course…” I sighed, why would they have books in English? This was probably a whole other planet. 

“Disappointing ending? Or perhaps, a disappointing start, those are almost worse in a way.”

The voice made me jump and I cursed as I turned and slammed my now wide hips into one of the shelves. It was the felidae man, smiling wifely again, but this time I could see the hesitance in his gaze, he was getting ready to defend himself. 

“Something like that.” I replied, “I’m sorry….for the way people around here have been treating you.”

His ears flicked forward, and his smile turned genuine.

“Why, thank you. I knew coming this way that it would be tricky. I’m sorry to say this area has a reputation for a reason.”

“Really…what reputation is that?”

“Wood elves are notoriously snobby. Your priestess of the Maple Mother, all about how wood elves are the closest creatures to nature, the natural, superior beings to us lowly animal and human folk.” He said dramatically with a wry smile. “Cloistered away in your little groves where adventurers like me cannot ruin your perfect balance.”

“You make them sound insufferable.”

“Them?”

“Us.” I corrected quickly. “Sorry, the truth is I am a little bit of an outsider myself.”

And that was putting it mildly. 

“Well, meeting a kind and open-minded wood elf will certainly make for a good story. I’m Thatcher, by the way, storyteller and adventurer extraordinaire!”

“Cam-uh, Ada.”

“Camada, what a name.”

“...Just Ada is fine.”

“So, Ada, what sort of story are you after? This sorry excuse for a library doesn't have much on offer. I must say, you should see the libraries in Ruler’s Rest; they are so large and grand that I don’t think a bibliophile with a full elven life could read them all.”

“Ruler’s Rest?”

“Gods, you really are isolated in these little groves, aren’t you? Ruler’s Rest is the grandest and largest city in all of Ardra. People of all shapes and sizes are welcome, wood elf or not.”

“So why are you here and not there?”
 “Ran a afoul with a wyvern.” Thatcher winked. “By the time I escaped, I was thoroughly lost, and this charming place was the first sign of civilisation for miles.”

“Will you be staying long?”

“I think I will chance the wilds; they are more hospitable.” 

I laughed, no, giggled. The sound made my chest light, and I couldn't help but blush at the sound. It felt so wrong that it was coming from me. Thatcher gave me a dramatic bow, and I turned to leave.

“Don't you want a book, ma’am?”

I thought about all the words I couldn’t read and shook my head.

“Maybe another time.”

~

Thatcher must have left after that, because I didn't see him again after leaving the bookshop. Not that you could tell, it was all people would talk about for the next few days, which served me perfectly well, since I was no longer the talking point for Jenavelle and the rumour mill. It gave me time to focus on laying low and learning what I could. 

I just couldn’t get used to this new body. All soft and curvy, where I was used to hard and straight. Even the way I walked felt different, and I found myself constantly aware of the gentle sway of my hips when I moved. My new ears were sensitive too, able to hear subtle sounds like breathing across the room. It was a double-edged sword though, because I kept hitting them with the brush whenever I tried to organise my long, flowing hair. 

I’d half hoped I would discover I was magical now, but disappointingly, nothing manifested. From what I could observe, magic wasn't too common; outside of the priestesses a handful of other elves had used spells, and nobody had done anything too spectacular. Spectral helping hands and the odd blooming flower were about it. Dellah stayed glued to my hip each day until I finally pried her off and forced her to go play with the other children. The scowl on her face would make people I'd sentenced her to death, not games of dice and bones. 

I spent all day scribbling in my book, trying desperately to translate the new letters from the library into English so I could at least be literate. It was slow going, though and the dwindling coins in that earthenware container were a constant reminder that I needed to remember how the hell I earned money. I couldn’t exactly just ask somebody what my job was without at least earning a look and more suspicion. 

“Ada? You in there?”

I groaned and leaned back in my chair; I’d just gotten rid of Dellah and now I had a new visitor to deal with?

“Coming.”

I swung the door open. Sybil was there, hands on her hips. 

“Last I checked, it’s been almost a week since you were sick.”

“Yes…which explains why I haven’t seen a medicine woman.”

Sybil let out a short, frustrated sigh.

“What it doesn't explain, is why the herbalist has let her garden go to pot, and why she hasn't delivered me any of my usual medicinal herbs!”

Oh. Well, at least I knew what my job was now. 

“Sorry, Sybil, I have just been…busy.”

“Busy doing what? I see Dellah out on the streets at all hours, so whatever you’re busy doing, it’s not being a mother.”

It shouldn't have, but that comment stung. Even Sybil seemed to regret it as she cleared her throat and bustled in. 

“Come on, Ada. Tell me what’s going on. You haven’t been yourself since…the fever.”

She said the last words slowly, and though I could tell she was trying to hide it there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

“I’m just tired, still recovering, is all.” I lied. “Dellah is such an energetic girl, I can’t keep up.”

“Dellah is the quietest elven child I have ever known. Which is why her wailing distressed everybody so when you took ill.” Sybil scolded. “I see her out there, wandering around, obviously counting the minutes until she can be back here with you.”

“You shuffled her out the door the moment I woke up.”

“Because I am a medicine woman, not her mother.”

Sybil huffed.

“Besides, you did need rest then. You’re fine now. Or at least I thought you were before you started forcing your girl out in the cold.”

“I am not!” I stood. “It’s spring, it’s warm, and she’s fed, clothed and playing with children her own age; isn’t that what every child should want?”

“She wants her mother, the only parent she has and the one she almost lost.” Sybil said quietly, and I swallowed.

I’d been so focused on trying to figure this all out that I hadn't thought about how the girl must be feeling. Or how she’d feel when I did manage to find my way home. I bit the inside of my cheek; it wasn’t my problem. I didn't ask to be put in this body or to be a parent. Dellah would be fine, better even, with a guardian who knew something about kids. Sybil opened her mouth, presumably to scold me further but was interrupted by the door opening, and a mud-covered Dellah stepped inside. 

“Dellah! What on Earth, do you have any idea how long that will take to clean!?” I cried, thinking of my aching fingers yesterday down at the stream, trying to scrub cloth clean with sand. Not to mention her hair, it took an age to wash, dry and brush normally!  

“Sorry, Mama.” She whispered. “I’m going to bed.”

Her voice was quiet and shaky; even I could tell something was wrong. Sybil fixed me with a hard look and I reached out to stop the girl as she passed.

“Dellah, what happened.”

“Symon pushed me in the mud.” She sniffed.

“Symon did that?” Sybil question. “That boy is sweet on you, why would he ever do something so mean?”

“...I cheated at knuckle bones,” Dellah whispered. “Using magic.”

“You’ve got magic!?” I cried before I could think; thankfully, Sybil seemed just as surprised. 

“Just a little…” Dellah whispered. “I can light candles and…make objects float a little.”

“Which I am guessing is what you did with the bones.” Sybil deduced.

“Symon had won four times in a row! I just wanted to win once! But he caught me.”

“Well, you shouldn't have been cheating.” 

It was true, and I meant to say it gently, but evidently, I was worse than I thought at this parenting thing because Dellah burst into tears. The sound made my sensitive ears hurt, and I winced.

“Hey, hey uh, no stop now; there’s no need to cry.” I tried, awkwardly holding her against me. “Magic is a gift! It means you're special! You just need to use it for the right purposes.”

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but a niggling little voice in the back of my skull told me there was more going on here than Dellah was saying. Then Sybil said something that nearly made my heart stop. 

“We should have seen it coming, considering how strong her father was.” 

Dellah looked up at me and wiped her eyes.

“Is that true, mama, was my father a strong wizard?”

My mouth opened and closed, I had no idea how to answer, and Sybil was looking at me with a hard, knowing look on her face. I could tell then and there, she knew I wasn’t Ada. 

“Your mother can tell you about him later, right now you need to get cleaned up.” Sybil said quietly, “Go on, I see water in that tub. A quick bath and new clothes for you, Dellah. Ada, a word.”

My heart beat loudly in my chest as we moved to the far corner of the room. I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry, and I licked my now full lips. Would Sybil report me to Jenavelle? I really didn't want to find out if those priestesses had magic for dealing with ‘demons’. 

“You’re not Ada.” She whispered. 

It wasn't a question. I shook my head.

“But I’m no demon!” I insisted. “I don’t know how I ended up here in this body; I have been trying to figure it out. Find out how to get out of this body.”

“What about the real Ada, is she in there?” 

“I don’t think so. I think…she passed, and I ended up in here by mistake.”

Sybil pressed her lips together in a thin line as she stared into my eyes; I could feel her scrutinising my gaze, looking for deceit. She let out a breath, and her eyes dropped to the floor. 

“I don’t think you’re a demon; you seem well meaning enough but…”

Her gaze moved to the curtain, where we could hear Dellah splashing in the bath. 

“I’m not a mother, I’m not even a woman.” I insisted. “I just want to go home, back to my world with cars and phone and internet.”

“I don’t know what any of that is, but like it or not, you’re here now, and Dellah needs her mother.”

“I’m not-”

“You are! At least for now.”

“You said her father was a wizard; where is he? Is he still alive?” I asked hopefully.

“As far as I know. He was a half-elf, not welcome in these parts but you, I mean, Ada, took a shine to him. He only stayed a few days, months later…”

“Dellah.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember anything about him? A name, where he might have been going?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because if he has strong magic, he might be able to help me get back to my world! The real world!”

I scrambled for my notebook, eager to write anything and everything down that could help. For the first time since arriving here, I felt like there was hope. I could finally get back to a place with technology and real beds! I opened the drawer where I’d been keeping the notebook only to find it empty.

“What?”

I was sure it was in here. Where could it have gone?

“What are you looking for?”

“My notebook, I’ve been tracking everything I can to make sure I didn’t slip up and…”

I felt my blood slowly turning to ice in my veins as Dellah peaked out from behind the curtain. Her hair was still wet, but she was dressed in clean clothes with a guilty expression on her face. 

“Dellah…” I said slowly, “Did you take my notebook?”

“I just wanted to see what was inside…” She whispered. “You’re always writing in it.”

“Dellah…”

“I couldn’t understand the symbols, and I thought Symon might know but I must have dropped it when he pushed me. I didn't realise till I went to get in the bath.”

My notebook, full of all the names and places I’d studied and my ideas to get home, was out there lying in the mud somewhere. I balled my hands into fists and hissed hot breath through my teeth; having this girl to look after made everything more complicated. 

“Show me where it is,” I ordered. “It’s important, Dellah.”

Her bottom lip wobbled, but I was too annoyed to feel any sympathy, she was old enough to know taking things that didn’t belong to her was wrong. She opened her mouth only to freeze, turning as all our ears pricked. Footsteps were coming down the street, a lot of footsteps, and muttered voices that made the chill in my blood feel even colder. 

“Dellah, stay behind me, girl,” Sybil said quietly, and I moved to open the door. 

It felt like half the village was outside my door; I recognised Sampson, the shopkeeper, and a dozen others. At the front of the group was Jenavelle, little Symon clinging to her robes. A stone formed in the pit of my stomach. 

“What’s this about?”

“You tell us, demon,” Jenavelle said coldly, holding up my notebook. “Symon here found your scrawlings in that evil abyssal language of yours. Who knows what evil magic you have written here.”

She threw it at my feet. 

“They’re just notes, a pretend language…for my daughter!” I lied, but my voice was too nervous. 

“Lies, you are a demon who took precious Ada from us! We will not tolerate your kind here.”

“That’s not true if you’d just let me explain-”

“Be gone!” Jenavelle cried, holding out her hands and summoning a crackling ball of golden light. I could sense the heat and magic several feet away and my heart thundered in my chest.

“You heard her!” Sampson yelled. “Get out! I can’t believe I helped you, poor Ada! She was a good woman!”

“Leave or we’ll make you!”

I squealed in surprise as a rock flew through the air and slammed into the doorframe next to me. I’d never felt so vulnerable; if I was still a man, at least I’d stand a chance against one or two of them, but in this fragile female body I would never stand a chance. 

“Mama?”

Dellah’s quiet voice appeared behind me, her voice was shaking.

“It’s alright, sweetie,” I whispered. “But…I think I have to leave now.”

“No!”

She grabbed hold of my skirt and refused to let go. 

“The child goes too, we can’t be sure what sort of poison you have infected her with.” Jenavelle said.

“What? She’s just a child!”

“Take her with you. Neither of you are welcome here anymore.”

I gaped; how could these people be so cruel? I couldn’t blame them for thinking I was some sort of demon, not in a world of magic but to banish a child? I looked back over my shoulder at Sybil, she said nothing in my defence but didn’t join the mob either. Coward. 

“Fine, we’ll go.” I said after a moment, “Just let me gather some things, for the sake of the girl.”

“I’ll watch her, make sure nothing untoward happens,” Sybil said and the mob muttered, staying stationed around our little house to make sure we didn't escape. I grabbed a satchel and stuffed as much food and clothing as I could inside. I thought about grabbing some of the herbs from the garden but decided against it. I had no idea what any of them did; I was no herbalist. 

“Are you really going to let them do this?” I hissed at Sybil while Dellah packed. “At least keep Dellah here. I don’t know what I am doing!”

“I don’t know who or what you are,” Sybil said, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t think you’re a demon, but you’re no elf, and the Maple Mother is clear about how outsiders can poison the wood elf way of life. The girl won’t stay without you, she thinks you’re Ada.”

“So you’re going to let us wander into the woods to die. How noble.”

She looked guilty for a moment before speaking again.

“Lewin.” She whispered. “Half elf with bronze skin and auburn hair. That was Dellah’s father.”

“Lewin.” I repeated slowly, writing it down in my book. 

“He seemed powerful, maybe if you find him he could help you.”

“Somebody should.”

I gathered my bag on my shoulder and turned to see Dellah gripping her own tight against her chest.

“Mama, what’s happening?”

“We have to go, sweetie.” I said gently, “I’m sorry about being cross before but…we’re going on an adventure. It’ll be fun!”

“Where are we going?”

I thought for a moment. 

“Ruler’s Rest, to find your father.”

Dellah’s eyes went wide. 

“Really? Will it take a long time to find him.”

“I think so, but we’ll be okay,” I said, praying to any God who would listen that I wasn’t lying. 

We headed for the door, and Sybil grabbed my hand briefly. 

“North,” She whispered. “Find the great northern road. It’ll take you ro Ruler’s Rest eventually.”

“Thank you,” I said after a moment's hesitation before reaching out and taking Dellah’s hand. “Come on, let’s get going.”

We stepped outside and it was silent. The village watched us like hawks as we made our way through the crowd toward the edge of town. Jenavelle was watching us with those icy eyes of hers, and I wished so badly to be able to knock her down a peg. 

My frustration fueled my steps, and I straightened my back and walked with my head held high. The gentle sway of my hips filled me with confidence rather than awkwardness for the first time. I let my long hair flow behind me, and I felt regal as we made our way through the village. 

Right at the edge, where the houses met the open fields of farmland, I paused, staring at the blacksmith. A simple silver sword sat, just completed, on the benchtop facing the street. The heat from the forge wafted over me, and I turned to glare at the narrow minded villagers who were sending us away. Without a word, I took the sword and kept walking, almost daring them to try and stop me. Nobody did. 

“Do you know how to use that, Mama?” Dellah whispered. 

“Not yet.”

The truth was, the sword was so heavy I was struggling to hold it; but if we were going to survive out here and make it to Ruler’s Rest we would need some way to protect ourselves. The sun was going down as we stepped into the forest and started making our way along the dirt path toward whatever the future held.