The Lord Son's Travels (16 page)

This
statement caught Adrien's attention.
 
He slowed his steps to letting Brendan take the lead so he could walk
next to her.
  
"How can
you have a kingdom with no nobility?"

"No
king, either," she returned.
 
"We have a president, chosen by the people in a election.
 
We got rid of the royalty idea a long
time ago."

"How
can that be?" Adrien demanded incredulously.
 
"Who decides the laws of the land?"

"We
have a Constitution - laws everyone has to obey, including the President."

Adrien
stopped dead in his tracks.
 
He was
truly dumbfounded by the nonsensical statements from the stranger next to
him.
 
Never had he dreamed of such
a system of government in his craziest imaginings.
 
"I don't see how such a system could work," he
declared.
 
Elenna stopped, too,
intrigued by his obvious interest.
 
He hung over her shoulder, waiting for her to explain further.

"I'll
be glad to tell you more about it," she said.
 
He began to nod vigorously.
 
"But now I think we found our dinner party."
 
She pointed ahead to the woods across
the stream.
 
In the last fading
light of the late afternoon, a few lanterns hung from low branches, beckoning them
forward.
 
The path led to a skinny
wooden plank laying across the creek.
 
Laughter and chattering floated over to them on the evening breezes, a
friendly and merry sound that sped up their footsteps.
 
They hurried across the little bridge,
following the winding path to a sudden clearing in the middle of the trees.
 
At the center was a gathering of
bonfires, each with a small company of elves huddled about.
 
In each fire was a pot or a roasting
stick; from the variety of pleasant smells each containing a different dish for
the feast.
 
Some of the elves
tended the fires and fussed over the cooking, while others lounged nearby and
kept them company.
 
A few elves
were wandering about with wooden instruments in their hands.
 
The elves were mostly identical to Berte,
within a small height range and different degrees of paleness.
 
A couple wore simple garments of brown,
but most were naked and apparently comfortable with that.
 
Weaving towards them through the crowds
was Berte, leading a less slender version of himself with a wreath of flowers
worn as a crown on his head.

"All
welcome!" Berte cried out when he saw the new arrivals, flinging his arms
out wide.
 
The other elf nodded and
opened his arms to indicate his greeting.
 
"All welcomes to Adrien and Brendan and Elenna!"

Adrien
bowed deeply, and after a second so did Brendan and Elenna.
 
As soon as they had risen again, a few
more elves appeared on either side, holding out wreaths of daisies similar to
the one worn by the older elf.
 
These were handed solemnly to the guests, who at Adrien's lead placed
them on the crowns of their heads.
 
The older elf gave what seemed to be a deep satisfied smile, and gestured
for them to join the main festivities.
 
The rest of the community, who had paused in their labors to observe
this simple ceremony, returned to their efforts.

"Our
King does not speak the human tongue," Berte said.
 
"But he asked that you find
comfort here.
 
All we can offer you
is yours."

"Your
kindness is more than we dare ask," Adrien reassured him, facing the old
King and giving him his warmest smile.
 
The King led them to a small pavilion away from the heat of the
fires.
 
It was merely the trunks of
a few young trees with simple cloth tied to the tops, but the decorations of
flowers draped from every surface assured them that they were in a place of the
highest honors.
 
At the King’s
gesture, they seated themselves on the ground, placing themselves to view the ongoing
activities of the night.

Brendan
was still tense. "When did you learn about the Little People?" he
demanded of his friend incredulously.
 
He, like the majority of the people of the Eastlands, had only thought
their presence was a legend to tell to children.
 

"My
tutors," Adrien replied calmly.
 
"They thought it would be best for my brother and I to know of
them.
 
They don't often choose
allies among the giants, but their help would be a blessing.
 
I didn't know how to contact them.
 
Thank the Lady for Bendelbert."

Brendan
interrupted, "Elenna, are you well?"

"I'm
in fairyland!" she muttered.
  
She stared eagerly at the crowds surrounding the pavilion.
 
She was afraid to blink; afraid to miss
a moment of the incredible life-changing view.
 
She had seen much already in the short time since her
arrival, but nothing to challenge this.
 
Once, when she was a little girl, her older brother had told her that
elves lived under the leaves of the rhubarb plants in their backyard.
 
She had spent hours digging around the
plants, terrified she might damage their home but anxious for a glimpse.
 
She never forgot her disappointment
when her father explained the truth.
 
Since that point she had faced the world with the heart of a scientist;
an unbeliever in the unseen.
 
Her
world was defined by the rules of evidence and scientific method.
  
But this new world she had
somehow found was so different than hers – this seemed like the kind of
place where maybe magic did work, or at least it would seem so tonight.
 

As she
watched the proceedings, she wondered at her own comfort in the face of her
dilemma.
  
Home was a distance
she couldn't even fathom, the cherished laws of time and space destroyed, but
as she relaxed and watched the activity around her, all she found in her heart
was wonder.
 
Maybe it was this
final certainty that her reality had changed that let her accept the
newness.
  
She offered Brendan
a reassuring smile, glad that she had found at least one friend here to share
her experiences.
 

A
 
elf offered each a tall glass cup of a
reddish colored drink.
 
Brendan
took a sip, and sighed happily.

"Apple
wine!" he declared.
 
"Best I've ever had!"
 
He gulped a bit more, as Elenna examined her glass closely.
  
Adrien took a cautious sip, then
a deeper draught.
 
At the sight of
his satisfied expression, Elenna tasted a bit.
 
It was heavenly.
 
She drank deeply, until Brendan touched her arm.
 
“Not so much so fast, my Lady!" he
exclaimed.

Elenna
shook her head.
 
"I can hold
my liquor," she declared, unwilling to let go of the glass.
  
Adrien disagreed.

"This
is stronger than you think," he said.
 
"Take it slow.
 
Both of you," he added firmly, eyeing his old friend.
 
The servant brought a large plate of
fruits and cheeses, and conversation was abandoned as they filled
themselves.
 

The music
began after the final course of the splendid meal had been served to the
guests.
 
The instruments were
similar to short necked guitars, but the sound was closer to a harp in
voice.
 
The music was mesmerizing.
 
The tunes were sometimes joyful,
sometimes melancholy, but always gentle and comforting.
 
Elenna set down her glass and leaned
back in the warm soft grass to rest on her elbows, lost in the world contained
in the notes.
 
She wasn’t the only
one affected by the music.
 
All who
had to speak whispered in the softest tones possible.
 
She realized that Adrien had lain down next to her, and
turned surreptitiously to observe him.
 
He had his eyes closed, the peacefulness bringing a rare softness to his
hardened features.
 
His
appreciation of the beauty of the music surprised her, weakened a bit of her
reserve towards their leader.
 
Brendan had leaned forward towards the musicians, out of range of any
murmured comments.

Too soon
the music ended.
 
The audience
began to stir, wistful at the loss of the songs, as the musicians carefully
stowed their instruments back into their wooden cases.
 
Adrien sat up quickly, returning to his
more formal posture.
 
She noted the
forming of a circle, with their pavilion forming a flat side.
 
The elves seated themselves
cross-legged, watching them as they waited patiently for the next event of the
evening to begin.

"What's
going on?" she asked Adrien.

"In
elf tradition, all who join for company must offer a song for the
privilege."

Elenna's
face turned white.
 
"You mean
I have to sing?"

He
nodded.
 
"Do you know any
songs?"

She
pondered this question, as bits of songs flew in and out of her memory.
 
"I guess so.
 
What a way to torture your guests!
 
Mandatory karaoke!"

"It
is an honor to sing for the Little People," he answered with reproach, and
turned away.
 
The king, standing in
front of the pavilion, spoke a few words in their language, then all eyes
turned to the visitors.
 
To
Elenna's relief, Brendan stood up to be the first performer.
 
His song was off-key in several places,
but amusing.
 
It described the
search of a young man for the key to his favorite young maiden's heart.
 
Elenna noted the lack of concern for
the impromptu concert in either man, and concluded that ceremonies such as this
were not unusual, which eased her nerves a bit.
 
She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve as she anticipated
her turn. When Brendan was finished, the crowd waited silently, but emanated
approval.
 
Adrien glanced at her,
then rose to his feet to perform his offering.
 
At the first notes, Elenna gazed up, stunned by the
phenomenal baritone voice floating out from her somber companion onto the night
breezes.
 
His song was a sweet one
of traveling from home, but lacking in the emotional delivery that would have
truly brought out its beauty.
 
It
was technically excellent singing, but lacking that quantity that had gained
approval for Brendan.
 
The crowd
remained silent, but less enchanted.
 
He ended with a bow, then motioned for Elenna to rise.
 
She swallowed deeply, then sang a
version of “Yesterday” she hoped would be acceptable.
  
Her voice rang out clear and true on the familiar
words.
 
This one she had sang since
she was a little girl.
 
Years of
practice had brought an ease and spontaneity to the tune, as warming in its way
as the music of the elf players.
 
She sang it through twice, relaxing and emoting more on the second
version.
 
If she closed her eyes
she could be in her house, singing along with the radio as she completed some
household chore.
 
She held onto that
image until the end of the last note, opening her eyes to view the circle of
alien faces regarding her with brilliant glowing eyes.
 
She stepped back, tensed, then turned
to her companions.

"Elenna!"
Brendan breathed deeply.
 
"Where did that voice come from?"

"Was
that all right?" she demanded, her eyes slipping back to the crowd.
 
They remained as before, with their
strange blue eyes locked on her figure.
 

She
turned the other way to see Adrien gazing in open admiration.
 
"Your singing is... strange but
... wonderful," he said, trying to find the words to show his amazement.
 
He blushed at his own
discomfiture.
 
"Do all people
sing this way in your land?"

"Not
everybody," she replied nervously.
 
The audience hadn't twitched since she had finished.
 
"What do they want?"

"Another
song, my Lady of the Music," Berte requested, his pleading evident in his
eyes.
 
The king stood beside him,
his wishes evident in the fluttering of his hand in front of his open mouth.

Adrien
leaned closer.
 
"It is quite
an honor to be asked to continue.
 
Do you have another song?"