The second time Taro flew me down was cleaner; he stayed low to the ground and the landing in the same clearing was substantially smoother. The momentum, however, sent him plowing into me, toppling me to the floor.
"Sorry." He repositioned himself onto all fours and his wings curled away when I shoved at him. I was on my back, propped up on my elbows, his hips between my legs--
"Syndra!" A very familiar voice cried out just as my brother Timkem burst through the bushes. He was turning thirteen tomorrow; a boy on the way to becoming a man.
But the smile on his cheerful, rosy-cheeked face faded when he set eyes on Taro.
"Off!" I hissed at Taro, and he crawled away, scrambling to his feet just as I did.
"Timmie," I giggled as my brother ran up and embraced me.
"Who's he?" The boy asked cynically after pulling away. "Or rather, what is he?"
"Twice already I have to deal with human disbelief! Leave me be, goddamnit." Taro muttered, running a nervous hand through his blue-black hair.
"Timken, this is Taro Kingesley. Treat him with respect, he's an Elf," I told him before adding, "An important one."
"I've never met an Elf before," my brother stated ponderously.
"Now you have. I do bite, you know." Taro dropped into a crouch to meet the boy's height.
"Really? Do you have sharp teeth like in the stories?" Timken shot back; I wish I had also inherited that bold fearlessness.
"Indeed I do, little boy." The Elf bared his wicked teeth.
"You look like a girl."
"Is that an insult or a compliment?"
"Take it as you like."
Taro looked up at me, eyes gleaming. "I like him. He's the interesting sibling."
"Hey!" I cried out indignantly.
"Timken, Timken!" Another instantly recognizable voice seeped through the underbrush. My father emerged this time, in his dirtied, frayed outfit. His hair was not yet all grey, since he was only in his fifties. To a Senkyan human, however, a poor lifestyle and lack of proper nutrition and medical care led the average lifespan to be terrifyingly low. Thus my father may as well be an old man.
"Syndra," He sighed when he lay eyes on me, his voice cautious as he noticed Taro in his peripheral vision. "And is this the kind visitor that brought you home yesterday, too?"
The Elf strode up to my father, who promptly held out his hand to shake. Taro glanced at it, then ignored the gesture. "You are her father, correct?"
"Why, yes, I am."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Elwood, if I may call you that. Your daughter, you raised her well," He crossed his arms across his chest, an empty smile on his Elven face. His tone was definitely sarcastic.
"Thank you, Mr…"
"Kingesley. Taro Kingesley." His ears twitched, and I noticed my father's eyes dart to them, baffled.
"Syndra, you haven't told me anything about your job at the palace. I can't help but be curious!" Father changed the subject, his voice overly exuberant. He did that when he got anxious.
"You know I'm not allowed to tell you anything, Father," I murmured.
"But I can," Taro interjected. "If I may invite myself into your home."
"Ah!" My father exclaimed. "Of course. We'd love to have you." For just a second I spotted the sheer terror behind his facade as we pushed back through the foliage and back into the village center.
"What are you doing?" I hissed at Taro.
"His Majesty wants to have a conversation with me, and I'm not particularly looking forward to it." He said gravely, fear visible in his stormy eyes.
"And you're using my family to put it off? That sounds like cowardice."
"I don't give a shit, Syndra. Honor is a human concept."
"But pride isn't. You Fae are reeking of it."
"Is pride a bad thing to you?"
"If you have too much of it, yes."
"What strange ideas your kind have."
"It's called morality."
"Again, a human concept," Taro growled.
*
*
*
Taro's anxiety was much more visible inside our home, where he had to keep his head down as it grazed against the ceiling. He did not sit at the table, for his long, thin legs could not fit under it. My family ate dinner at that table when we could afford it, and it was the nicest piece of furniture we owned. After seeing what lies in the castle, however, sadness washed over me; we work so hard, all just to survive and nothing more.
My mother sat near the hearth, a ratty blanket draped across her shoulders. Her frame was so narrow, so weak, and every sputtering cough made her chest shake violently. Her once full cheeks were sunken, her complexion pallid and sickly. My heart ached to see her like this because I remembered her being a beautiful woman years ago.
Taro dropped to his knees in front of my mother, much to our surprise. "Madam, I am sorry for rudely intruding into your home, my intentions were not impudent. Your husband inquired of your daughter's role in the palace, and I wished to respond. It would not have been wise to talk about such matters around curious ears."
He spoke as though he were reciting a poem, no ounce of impertinence in his tone. It was clear that he viewed my mother as the one with power in the family, despite her illness.
"You go overboard with your flattery, Elf," She said quietly. My father tended to the weak fire in the hearth and my brother had gone into the bedroom he and I shared. "Say what you came to say."
"Syndra attends to the King directly and is by his side constantly. Does that give you comfort?"
My mother hesitated before saying, "Is she safe? Is he a danger to her?"
"If she's careful, no, he is not."
"What is the real reason you are here, Elf?"
Taro's ears dropped low. Was he really that afraid of Jack? It was understandable, yet he was part of the Elven gentry. What was I missing?
"I believe the king wishes to take your daughter and I to the Gala as his only retinue. Which in my opinion is painfully unwise, for it would place glaring targets on our backs. And with the tension with Eshon…I fear for my life, madam!" The words spilled out of his mouth, just as he blushed and covered his mouth with his hand. "Forgive me, I am saying too much."
"The Concord Gala?" My mother's brows furrowed. "What place would my daughter have there, among diplomats?"
"She is a diplomat," Taro said rapidly.
"I am?" I joined the conversation. "And what do you mean by us being the only retinue to the king? Where are the guards?"
"Not once in history has His Majesty brought Fae guardsmen to the Gala and the Summit. But not once have tensions with Eshon been so high. Ever since Sperling's coronation, he's proven to be a pest."
My mother's weathered face rested gravely as she listened, and my father stood behind her and wrapped the blanket closer on her meek form.
"Why must you all be so proud!" I exclaimed. "At least tell me, does he have a reason to be so confident?"
"Of course he does. He's untouchable."
"Then why are you afraid?"
"Sperling is stupid and ignorant, but ambitious. I'm expecting conflict."
"And you don't want your hide caught up in the mess." I narrowed my eyes.
Taro opened his mouth to say something, only to hesitate. "I'll leave now," He muttered.
"Wait," Mother finally spoke again. "I do not know your motives, and I do not know if you are cruel and heartless as they say your kind are. Yet you seem genuine and seem to care more than your brethren. If you do not bring Syndra back to me--"
"I'll kill you," My brother reappeared in the short corridor, his hands balled into fists. "If you hurt my sister, I'll kill you."
A smile teased the corners of Taro's mouth. "I'll take your word for it."
"Out!" I opened the creaky front door and pushed the Elf through.
"Have a wonderful rest of your day!" He called out as I slammed the door shut.
I looked him straight in the eyes, unblinking. His eyes widened and he glanced away bashfully.
"How old are you?" I addressed him.
"Why do you--"
"Answer."
"Nineteen"
I paused. "Just nineteen? On the Gregorian calendar?"
"Yes…"
"That makes sense!" I cried out, and Taro gave me a strange look. I must have looked mad, gesturing with my hands to the heavens as I stood in the dirt and mud in a fancy dress.
"Even though you're Fae, you're lame and I'm not afraid of you." He scowled indignantly. "So naturally it is because you are a child."
"I am not a child."
"Compared to the King, you are."
"Oh, fuck off Syndra." Taro rolled his eyes, and I could tell from his expression that his mind was elsewhere and he didn't have time for me. "I'm leaving."
"See? You're lame." I muttered under my breath.