WoodSong - Act II: The Singing Maiden

From all I could do to record the passing of the years, I would say I was just over fifteen on that night I ran from Maureen, a place I had once considered home. For five years I had lived as a part of their extended family, tending the fields with an uncanny green thumb and watching over the field horses and cattle with a fatherly affection.

 

So it was hard for me to just pack up my things and leave it all behind. But I had felt the urgency in the robed figure's voice and knew I had to flee to escape my brother's plotting. So, with a small pack of his few worldly possessions he fled Maureen and the land of Mirhame for the Elven Wood, a neutral strip of territory that stretched across the border between Mirhame and the neighboring kingdom of Altair. Being a neutral land meant that any coming war would likely not spread there and it was a place where I could be safe.

 

Even under the light of the full moon the grassy plains were dim, though the MoonScar that resembled a glowing third eye in the middle of my forehead shone the way as surely as any lantern. I had long ago learned to control it's light, but on nights when the moon was at it's fullest, there was nothing I could do to stop its glowing. I had grown my bangs long to help keep it from being noticed but tonight I regretted that as I was constantly having to struggle the hair back to get good light to see by.

 

As I approached the tree line I could see a beckoning light not too deep in the Wood. I ran to it hoping to find a town or some sort of village to take refuge in for the night. Shifting though the underbrush my hair fell once again onto my face. I could still see, however, but for the light coming from the figure in front of me.

 

She stood in the middle of a large spring, washing herself in the spring's central gush. She could be little more than just past the cusp of puberty but I could not look away from her naked body. But the most fascinating part of her body was the way one whole side of her face shone in streams of light, just like my own MoonScar. I watched, captivated, as she combed the excess water from her long black hair, sending large drops cascading down to her feet. Around her, little green forest spirits (which I later learned were called Kodama) circled, floating lazily in the air. The y made a gentle humming sound as they flew, and before long, in her rippling high voice she joined them in song.

 

“Out on the road there are fireflies circling, deep in the wood, where the lost souls hide.” It was as if she was singing the song just for the two of us. I fell in love with her then, I suppose. Maybe it was the mark; the thought that somehow we shared the same fate. It can get lonely thinking you're the only one with a destiny. Now I wasn't alone, there was a fate that we both shared. And even through these thoughts the song continued.

“Over the hill there are men returning, trying to find some peace of mind.” Then there was a pause, and the Kodama all hung motionless, waiting for her to continue. In a short time, the young girl obliged. “Under the fog there are shadows moving, don't be afraid, hold my hand. Into the dark there are eyelids closing, buried alive in the shifting sands.” Again she paused, as if she was waiting on the Kodama to sing a chorus, but when they once again failed to she continued.

 

“Speak to me now and the world will crumble, open a door and the moon will fall. All of your life, all your memories; go to your dreams, forget it all.” With the third verse complete the spirits surrounding her jumped in a joyful sort of way and turned and floated to me. The girl turned as well, curiosity getting the best of her, and saw me lurking in the bushes. Embarrassed, though lovestruck, I ran from the spring on wobbly legs, Kodama trailing after.

 

I continued to run from the Kodama, farther and farther through the Wood. I wasn't afraid of the spirits themselves, but that they might lead the girl to me. Sure, there was much I had to speak with her about, but I was certainly not on the wrong foot with her as it stood. So, feeling shame at my apparent perversion. I ran fast and when I turned to check and see if the spirits still followed I saw none. Though I continued to run, not looking ahead of myself as I did. And as is my luck I came crashing into a thicket of especially dense shrubbery. The limbs seemed to claw at my body as I struggled to free myself. Branches came up to choke me and when I felt ready to suffocate I heard the familiar hum of the Kodama and felt the branches release me, effectively spitting me out into a clearing on the other side.

 

I lay there and rested for a moment with my eyes shut tight. I kept my ears alert, just in case she could seduce the Kodama into letting her pass through the barricade of vegetation. After a moments rest, I opened my eyes again, noticing at once how well lit the clearing was. I looked to my sides to see if the light was hers and found that in my brief rest I had become surrounded be Elves.

 

Elves are not magical creatures by any mystical means, they simply learn PlantMagic because off where they live and because it is a part of their culture. They are the descendants of a group of nomadic forest dwellers long removed from traditional men. They adapted to the forests by becoming shorter, in order to more easily navigate the underbrush, and their ears grew to become long and pointed. It would seem this last adaptation, along with a clicking they tend to make without even realizing it, gives them an unnatural ability to navigate even in low light situations. But in light such as this they could creep up and surround a person without making a single sound as if it were as natural as breathing.

 

From the center of them emerged an older wizened elf. It wasn't difficult to ascertain his age with the numerous domesticated firefly buzzing around him. With the exception of a few well placed torches, the fireflies and ground walking firebeetles seemed to be the only thing lighting the entire city. Yet they did their job well.

 

The older elf was roughly the same height as the rest despite being bent forward somewhat and walked with an energy uncharacteristic of a man of his age.

 

“I had wondered why Ellenria was alive with song tonight. I believe the Kodama forecast your appearance here by a bit. Tell me child, was it they that lead you here, the forest spirits? Did they lead you in?”

 

I wasn't sure what to say to that. Most men had a healthy respect for the elves that was enough to keep them out of the Wood. Whether this was a case of respect or of fear I could at that time not say. So I spoke the truth, and did so with haste oping that brief answers would keep me from saying the wrong things. So my simple answer was, “yes.”

 

“I see, they must think you are worthy of our teaching. When I told your father of your birth and coming destiny I never thought it would lead you here, my boy.”

 

“Are you the TreeMage?” I asked sheepishly as he offered his hand to me to lift me from the ground.

 

“I am one of a handful throughout the Wood, and yes, I did serve as a part-time advisor to you father before he met his end.” Saying that he grimaced. “Come, we will find you a cot and allow you to sleep for the night. What will come of your stay here can be discussed in the morning.”

 

And so I followed him up the steps that seemed to have grown in place and over plank bridges still showing signs of new growth. He was my guide that night through the suspended maze of tree-housing that made up the city of Ellenria.