Davina stared in disbelief at the person in front of her. All this time she was expecting the worst has happened to Quinn, but here he was in front of her. His face was clean unlike the last time she saw him. His lips had their pink color back. He seemed well rested. He was wearing a dark green long-sleeved suit and pants. He was also still wearing gloves on his hands.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, shutting the door behind him. He recovered from his shock—unlike Davina—and showed that same boyish smile he always wore.
"Well I...it was...," she took a step back. What was she going to say? "I haven't seen you in a while—I mean, Kira and I. And the last time I saw you, you didn't look well." Her voice got smaller and smaller.
"You were worried about me?"
Davina was looking anywhere now but Quinn's face. She may not be able to see the expression he has on his face. But she wants to wipe it off.
She didn't want to mention that Kira was crying last night. He'll ask her what it was and she has no idea what it is about. Kira also told her not to tell anyone that night. That she was not to mention it to anyone. She may not like Inarians, but her hatred for them wouldn't go as far as to divulge their personal secrets to each other.
"No." She finally looked him in the eye. Her flustered expression changed into a serious one. That one Quinn was used to. "If you forgot, we came here to Farren because we're going to the Island of Eryl. We've been staying here for far too long now."
The smile on Quinn's face faltered. He let out an embarrassed laugh. "No, I haven't forgotten."
"Why are you staying in the palace anyway?"
"The Elven King allowed us to stay because Arlo and I were trying to find some more information about the Island of Eryl in his library."
"Why was it just the both of you? Kira and I could've helped." Davina doubted she could've helped since she couldn't understand the symbols, but she would have carried the books for them if they wanted.
"We wanted you and Kira to rest."
She scoffed. "You wanted us to rest? You were the one who looked as pale as death the other day."
There was a moment of silence between them. It was Quinn now who couldn't seem to look her in the eye. Davina suddenly felt a little guilty. Her cold eyes softened.
"You are alright now right?" She asked.
Quinn let out a timid nod.
"The Elven King mentioned that there will be a celebration but only when everyone is well. Since I haven't seen you and the celebration hasn't happened yet, I thought…" Davina stopped before she'd embarrass herself any longer. She thought Quinn might tease her, but he didn't do so.
"It was Rowan," Quinn said.
Davina looked at him quizzically. Rowan? It took a second for Davina to remember he was Arlo's eagle. Where did that bird come from?
"He was shot by an arrow from one of the elves, although they didn't mean it and were just playing," he explained. "Remember the scream we heard while we were hiding from the ogres?"
Davina nodded.
"That was Arlo." She almost laughed. "Rowan wasn't in a good state when he found him. We've been trying to revive him. The Elven King decided to help us heal him and keep an eye on him. That's why we stayed here in the castle. Kira came over last night to check up on him, but he wasn't doing well."
Davina was dumbfounded. "So, Rowan is alright now?"
An eagle's cry that echoed in the hallways was the reply.
Davina had no idea if she was going to laugh or storm out of the castle in frustration. They made her worry and they stayed here in the Elven Kingdom just for a bird.
"I don't understand," she rubbed her temples. "Isn't Rowan just a talisman?"
"Well yes, but don't let Arlo hear that. Still, if Rowan gets really injured and dies, he won't come back to life again. And the magic to be able to create something like Rowan is really powerful."
"I see you've finally seen each other." The Elven King said, surprising both Davina and Quinn.
Quinn bowed to the Elven King and Davina imitated him.
"I only came to see how Rowan is doing. Was he the eagle I saw flying earlier?"
"Yes. Arlo was trying to see if he could fly again."
"I see. So, we can hold the celebration tonight now that everyone's well?"
"Yes we can."
"Very well. We will start the preparations for tonight. Miss Dana, since you and Miss Kira are part of the guest of honors I will send someone to escort the two of you."
Then with a bow, he left the two of them alone again.
"Dana-"
"I'll see you at the party." She walked away, not letting him speak. She didn't trust herself to stay calm anymore after all the information she found out.
So Quinn was left standing in the hallways, watching as Davina walked away.
~~~~~
Living within the Royal Grounds since she was seven, Davina has been able to go to her fair share of balls and celebrations. However, Davina would usually be dragged around by Felix during these events. Davina liked the balls, but she only enjoyed watching them from a distance. She adored the pretty gowns and the jewelries that the ladies would wear. She loved seeing the men in suits as well. The castle would be filled with decorations and food. It was a pretty sight to see all the people mingling and conversing with one another. She especially loved to watch them dance. But her admiration for balls reached only to that extent.
Usually those who were invited to the Royal Balls were important people. People of nobility and have high ranks within their Kingdoms. The conversations they'd have were ones she couldn't understand or relate to. There were also few children who were around her age. And if she was able to find one, she wouldn't know how to approach them.
Felix didn't have a problem wondering if he were to approach someone. As the prince and heir to throne of the Kingdom of Eris, people flocked to him wherever he went. Parents presented their daughters to him. Both men and women wanted to be close to him and be in his good graces.
Davina would always watch from somewhere, laughing when he'd be surrounded by many people again. But when he would be able to escape from them and find her, he'd drag her around with him. In the later years, he saw when he had her around, there were less people trying to approach him. To Davina's dismay, he used her as a shield.
She used to hate it when he'd do it. But now as she watched the ball of the Woodland Elves come into a full swing, she longed for the familiar feeling of someone tugging her hand and dragging her around.
The celebration for Davina and the Inarians was held in the Elven King's castle. It was in between the three towers. The castle was surrounded by the crystals. There were many Elves who would dance together to the sweet music that played through the air.
Kira was enjoying herself with the Elves. She wore a flower crown on her hair and a beautiful silver dress with golden ribbons that was given to her for the ball. Davina was also given a dress that was golden and has silver ribbons. The way Kira's eyes lit up when she saw the dress made Davina forget that she was crying the other night. After finding out about everything from Quinn, Davina didn't even bother to think about it anymore.
Quinn was also with Kira. He was wearing an elegant dark suit that's similar to Arlo's. There was also a flower crown on his slicked back head of hair. The four of them were given the crowns as a sign of thanks. The two of them were dancing and laughing as the Elves were trying to teach them their more traditional dances. Sometimes, they would make some tricks to impress them.
Arlo was not with them, but he was on one side with Rowan proudly perched on his shoulder. This was the first time she saw him this cleaned up that she could see signs of freckles on his face and his eyes. The Elves value cleanliness that even Davina felt like her months of grime in the dungeons were finally washed off.
Davina thought she wasn't the only one who wasn't really good with handling people when she saw him standing on the sidelines. But then she saw that there were many Elves approaching him and talking to him. He was smiling more so than she was used to. He seemed like he knew how to be able to handle people—which she was surprised at. She had no idea what they could be talking about but the Elves had their full attention on him.
Meanwhile, there were also many Elves who would gather around her. They'd ask her questions about where she was and how she learned how to fight. They wanted to know stories about their heroes. She hated lying to them, but she had to keep up her facade for the Inarians. So, she tried to dodge the questions about her past as much as she could.
"Dana!" She turned her head to see Kira coming towards her. The Elves parted in order to let her pass. Kira then linked hers and Davina's arms together as she always did. Then she turned to the Elves with a sweet smile. "I hope you would let me borrow her for a while."
Not being able to resist her, they let her do so. Kira then led Davina away from the crowd of Elves. Davina let out a sigh of relief making Kira laugh.
"You're not good with people are you?"
"They were just asking too many questions." She tried to say. "I don't like talking about my past with strangers."
Kira only smiled. Then she took the two of them to the dance floor where the two of them danced with Quinn and the other Elves.
Somehow, Kira didn't let Davina get away from her side. She made sure that she was either with her or Quinn. There were no more Elves who tried to bother Davina with their questions because of this. Kira would drag her around, but she would usually be the one who'd make conversation and Davina would only say a few words. Because of this, it reminded her of her time with Felix.
"You're smiling!" Squealed Kira.
"Excuse me?"
"I think this is the first time I saw you smile. Right Quinn?" She tapped on his arm repeatedly.
"She's not smiling now."
"You missed it!"
"Mistress Kira," someone was pulling on her dress. The three looked down and saw children looking up at them. There were about five of them.
"They're so adorable," Kira gushed. "What is it you want darlings?" She kneeled down to their level.
"Can you turn into a bird again? I want my friends to see it."
The other day, Kira turned into a bird and flew around the Kingdom. She attracted a lot of Elves who watched her fly around. Davina was cleaning her sword during the ordeal.
"Certainly."
Kira made the others give her some space. Davina and Quinn gently took the children to their side. The other Elves saw the circle around Kira and wanted to see what was happening.
After taking a deep breath, Kira started to spin around. After one turn, her body disappeared. It was replaced with a brown swallow that had golden and silver streaks. The crowd around her was in awe. Even Davina had to admit that was impressive. Everyone watched and clapped as she flew towards the bridge that connected the three towers.
When Kira landed on the bridge, she turned once again into a human and gave everyone a bow.
But when she was about to go down, she saw someone flying towards her. Everyone's eyes were now on Arlo who was flying towards her at full speed with Rowan behind him. They were all nervous that he might crash into her. But when he was near her, he stopped and landed gracefully right beside her.
Davina looked at Quinn, waiting for him to do something and join the two. But he stayed on the ground with her and watched his two friends entertain the crowd.
Kira once again turned into a swallow and started to fly back down. Rowan was flying alongside her. Without any warning, Arlo jumped from the bridge. The crowd was filled with anxiety as they watched him fall. But he controlled the wind and it let him break his fall. He gently landed with one knee on the ground. Rowan and Kira perched on his shoulder.
Everyone—even Davina—clapped and cheered at the show those two made. They gathered around the two, leaving behind Davina and Quinn. Quinn had an amused expression on his face as if he was expecting this to happen.
"I'm surprised you didn't join them," Davina said.
"I usually let those two show off while I watch."
During the times she's known him, she saw that he was timid compared to Kira and Arlo. He doesn't always use his magic. She realized that he'd only use it when they're in trouble.
"Dana."
"Yes?" She turned to Quinn.
"Dana I wanted to-"
Quinn was cut off by the fanfare that introduced the Elven King's arrival. Kira ran towards Davina's side and took her wrist.
"Come with me."
"What?"
"I heard the King is about to give us gifts." She also took Quinn's wrist and pulled them to the long table at the side with four seats just for them. The Elves parted to give way to the King.
Davina and Kira were seated beside each other. Davina was seated on one end of the table and Quinn was seated on the other end. With all the commotion, Davina forgot that Quinn had something he wanted to say to her. The words that were supposed to escape his mouth were left unsaid.