The sky was a clear, pale-blue sky that day. Today was their third day on their journey to their second mission. When they reached the entrance of the town, the vast stretch of gradient-blue shade above them had started to darken into gravel-grey. Pillows of clouds started to gather up overhead and the calm breeze gradually picked up speed. The ruffling gust coming from the east buzzed into their ears. Some icy stones nearly the same size of the knapsacks on their backs were uprooted.
A tinkling sound reached their ears as the first drops of rain touched their heads. The pitter-patter of the rain clanked into the clay roofs of the faye houses beside the road. The three of them huddled closer together, covering themselves from the downpour with their knapsacks; the helms of their robes were now drenched. The downpour had finally broken into a heavy rain. The storm buzzed incessantly, soaking them wet; the winter robes that they were wearing had clung onto their bodies.
The three broke into a sprint as they froze helplessly out in the biting cold. Rain and winter were an odd combination. The young whisperer, who was shaking vigorously, wondered if this was a normal occurrence for the fayes of Melte, a small town at the edge of the border between the far-west of Spîcolion and Thawgardé.
Alvaro knocked on the door of the village chief's house, half of his face hidden behind strands of wet, dark hair. When the door swung open, the young girl breathed a sigh of relief. They ran in as fast as they could, desperate for a roof to protect them from the heavy rain. Gala sneezed as the servants led them to the living room. Her gaze was drawn to a steaming mug at the center of a table.
"Greetings, Alvaro and Deviro," an intimidating voice said from behind them, and they immediately turned to face the source of the voice.
A faye, whose skin was pale and had bony cheeks, emerged from the room with his hands on his back. He appeared very sick, his hallowed eyes piercing into theirs. Despite his ailing state, the old faye exuded an imposing aura. Behind him were a swarm of fayes who looked exactly like the old faye in front of them.
Before the two of her companions could stand up, Gala bowed respectfully to the old faye. "Greetings to you, sire. I am Galatea, the whisperer of Aelfrey." She introduced herself with a confident smile on her face.
The expressions on their faces didn't budge, so she assumed that they had some sort of idea of who she was. The old faye nodded at her. He tried to smile but struggled, so he chose not to strain himself. "Greetings, dear whisperer. I am Balto, the chief villager. Welcome to Melte; we hoped that the hot chocolate had at least made you feel better."
Gala let out an endearing chuckle, which elicited a soft smile from the fayes' faces. It somehow brightened their mood. "I've never tasted any better hot chocolate than the one that was served to us, sire. I'm sure Alvaro and Deviro liked it too."
The two male fayes next to her nodded their heads enthusiastically, a mystified expression subtly displayed on their faces, stealing glances at her from time to time. The fayes were happy to hear the flattering words from her. "Why don't we all sit down so we can discuss the problems of your town?" She ushered Balto and the other fayes towards a long, old couch.
Once they were settled altogether, Deviro and Alvaro began to cough violently. The two fayes pounded their chests simultaneously to relieve their throats. The fayes looked at the two faye warriors with a worried expression, as if they had expected this to happen. Balto summoned a servant and instructed it to bring a medicinal tea.
She approached the two fayes whose cheeks had turned a bright red, clearly struggling to breath from the non-stop coughing. She was deeply troubled. She was certain that it wasn't any normal cough, seeing the calmed expressions of the fayes. "What happened to Alvaro and Deviro? Will they be alright?" she asked them anxiously.
"After a day, their cough would eventually stop," Balto replied. "Don't worry, dear whisperer; once they drink the medicinal tea we concocted, their cough will be relieved and they will be able to breathe smoothly again."
Her brows arched upwards, "Does that mean that they will be completely healed after a day?"
Balto's expression had darkened. "We cannot guarantee you that, dear whisperer; in fact, we've been dealing with this mysterious disease for quite some time; half of the village, including myself, has been infected with the illness," he replied, avoiding her gaze.
She looked at her two companions, a deep concern for their well-being bubbling up within her. "When did this mysterious disease started?" she asked Balto, squeezing him for more information about the disease.
"A month ago, to be precise, miss Gala." Balto answered, then the servant came back with a tight-lipped jar, immediately pouring the content from the jar into their cups. A green liquid came out of the jar's mouth with a rather disgusting smell. The servant then gave it to both Alvaro and Deviro, which the two male fayes eagerly gobbled up despite the foul smell. "We started to experience the first symptoms, which is the incessant coughing, just like what you have witnessed from Alvaro and Deviro after we got soaked by the rain."
"Does it rain here all the time?" Gala asked again. She checked the two faye warriors and breathed a sigh of relief when the coughing had ceased and the color of their cheeks had returned to their normal hue.
"No, miss Gala. The frost had ruined Aelfrey's seasons. In fact, it was supposedly spring for the land. Since the frost had started, the land had no longer experienced rainy weather. That's why when it rained last month, for unknown reasons, everyone in Melte celebrated. Every fayes went out of their houses to shower. Unbeknownst to us, we are about to face a very serious predicament."
Gala fell into deep thought. "You said everyone went out of their houses during that day. Then why did only half of your people get afflicted with the disease?"
Balto looked out of the window, staring at the heavy downpour outside. "We do not know as well, Miss Gala. That was why we had requested the king to bring you here. Please help us, dear whisperer."
"Before any of that, were there no fayes here that have gifts to heal?"
The old faye shook his head. "Our faye healers had tried to check our conditions, but they couldn't heal us. Their knowledge of existing illnesses in Aelfrey was rendered useless, as most of them were infected as well. The medicinal teas that Alvaro and Deviro drank were the only thing that they could do to lessen the excessive coughing."
Her eyes darted towards the ailing fayes behind him, then the orbs of her eyes shifted towards the two fayes beside her, who were just listening silently to their conversation. Gala guessed that they were having a hard time talking and that their throats must still be itchy.
"How about the kingdom's infirmirary? I am sure that the healer fayes in the kingdom could come up with a cure." Gala asked again.
Balto sighed, his expression dejected with the burden of their situation. "If only we could, Miss Gala. But the rocky terrain leading to the kingdom will be too dangerous for us. . Besides, we are too weak already to venture out on a three-day trip towards the kingdom. The extreme cold would pose an immense threat to our illness." The old faye then took her hands and clasped it tightly. "Your gifts as the whisperer are our only hope, Miss Gala."
Gala stared at Alvaro, who was clearly feeling some discomfort. She gave Balto a reassuring smile. "I will promise to help Melte in every possible way that I can."
The fayes in that room were exceedingly elated upon hearing her response. They could not wait to be freed from the illness that they had endured for one month, taking so much toll on their bodies.
She joined them in their quick revelry by clapping her hands together. She could not help but feel an immense joy that she had the ability to help the fayes in their predicaments. It was a feeling that she had longed for such a long time, to become someone that other people could rely on.
With the help of some of the remaining healthy fayes, Alvaro and Deviro were transferred to a room on the far end of the hallway, past the dining hall of the huge house. She then requested thick quilts and thick robes from the servants who attended to their needs. Gala also went to the healer fayes to get some of the medicinal tea ready in case the coughing occurred again.
When she went back to their room, she found the two sleeping soundly on their bunk beds. She carefully placed the jar on the table and went out to Balto to further investigate the mysterious disease.