A crisp breeze dragged across the sparkling surface of the lake.
I dipped my hair in the crystal water, which took on hues of pink and violet due to the influential sun. I then raked through the excessive length of my bronze curls with a wooden comb.
The castle had lavish baths with fountains that expelled warm water; however, the servants who waited in corners for my call often invaded my bathroom. Even when ordered to leave, they stayed, pledging their duty to me, their prince. Their urgent desire to serve me sometimes drove me mad.
I had no privacy to even wash myself. My father, the King of the Meadow Province, cared not to interfere, saying this was as things should be for a prince. At a young, curious age, I'd realized that my requests were mute to my father's ears, so I was not surprised by this outcome.
For comfort, I'd begun bathing in this sparkling lake in the human world. The trees, fond of me, gave me the privacy I craved. But it was only due to the company of my royal guard, Taegen, that my father consented to me coming here. Always nearby, Taegen was. And he was more trusting and confident in my sensibility than my father was.
I dried my naked body. Then, I put on my white clothing and clasped my jewelry around my golden-brown skin. After sectioning my hair into four long braids, I crowned my headpiece, positioning the dangling pink ruby in the center of my forehead.
A snap sounded a handful of yards behind me.
I looked up at the sky and noted the time. More animals would appear, and it was always best never to disturb them or the elven scouts that would roam this vast forest soon.
With ease, I leaped onto the tall, overhanging rock that sheltered a portion of the shore, then into the nearest tree. But a rustling sound had me pausing. I peered through the thick branches and studied the lake's edge from where I came.
Pale curls came into view first, and then the rest of the tall body of the human. I shrank in the tree, observing. It'd been three days since our first encounter. I had assumed the human had forgotten to return or could not find his way home. But here he was, walking along the edge of the lake…searching. For me?
Curious, I observed some time longer. The human wandered for a few minutes before pausing to think. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes fixed in my direction, although not quite spotting me.
"Are you there?" he asked.
Interesting.
I hopped out of the tree and landed on the rock's peak. My abrupt motion startled the human, who stumbled a few steps back, although his eyes were trained in awe.
"You're here," he said on an exhale, that familiar smile brightening his face.
Seeing him now, I realized the human was quite nice-looking. He owned a strong jaw, a straight nose, and doe eyes to soften his masculine appearance. Splotches of rose color patterned his ivory cheeks beneath the speckled rash. Although he had a strong build, he was still human. That meant he was considerably weak.
I shifted my weight to one side. "I am."
"You waited?"
"I happened to be in the area," I gave truthfully.
The human approached. I retreated a tentative step.
And the human paused; his smile didn't falter. "A friend, remember?" He lifted his hand for me to take. When I was contemplative, the human smiled brighter to reassure me.
My eyes flitted from the callused palm to the human's eager expression. He didn't seem dangerous. Bravely, I allowed our palms to touch and felt an immediate spasm of waves in my stomach. I used him to hop down, although I was capable on my own. I was nearly a head shorter as I stood before him.
"I brought something for you," the human said. His voice carried a gentle depth, like the lake I had just bathed in. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a package of linen. He met my eyes with a kind smile as if he didn't own any other expression. "Tissues for your illness."
My lips straightened. "You're considerate. Thank you."
I waited for the human to speak again, as I wasn't sure what topics would interest him in conversation. Even if I were aware, I wouldn't have the social capability to start that engaging conversation. The only people I spoke to were Taegen, my teachers, and my father. I had no companions to socialize with.
The human shifted the bag on his shoulder, not a nervous response, but to get comfortable, it seemed. "So, what's your name?"
"I'm Ruith."
Fond colors bloomed on his cheeks. "I'm Simon. It's nice to meet you, Ruith."
I nodded, feeling unable to return a warm pleasantry. "And how old are you, human?"
Simon laughed and wandered onto a nearby log. "Human is a little condescending, don't you think? I'll be twenty-one next month. What about you? You look younger than me."
Condescending? How so? "I'm nineteen," I answered, my eyes tracking Simon's wobbly movements on the fallen tree. "That wood is molded. You'll end up falling."
The tree collapsed in the center. Simon reacted in enough time to avoid his leg sinking in but tipped over the edge and fell to the grassy ground. I sprinted to his side. I was unsure of how delicate humans were. Would that have been enough to kill him? To my unexpected relief, Simon sat up, a few blades of grass tangled in his curls.
"Thanks for warning me," he grinned. "I could've lost my leg there."
I looked from the tree to Simon's leg. Curious, I crouched and inspected his knee. The bones seemed sturdy enough. "Really? Humans are that fragile?"
Simon huffed a musical laugh. "Of course not. I was exaggerating. At most, I would've twisted my ankle and gotten a few splinters."
"You can walk then?"
"I can." And with that, he stood, comically puffing his chest to prove he was alright.
I stood as well and watched him with discreet fascination. Then I extended the package in my hand. "Was this the only reason for your coming?"
He frowned. "It isn't obvious?"
I waited for an explanation.
Wearing an awkward smile, Simon scratched his cheek. "Well, I'm here to see you. I did say I'd check up on you."
This human wanted to care for me? Simon had stated he was a friend, although we'd only just met. It made sense. Humans did not live long, so they formed relationships hastily. Did Simon wish to have with me what he had with other humans?
A timid smile crept onto my lips. "Would you like to go exploring with me?"
****
I showed Simon along a grassy path, keeping him near me in case I sensed other elves approaching. It was uncommon for village elves to roam the human world during the day, but Ophinem's soldiers wandered the forests at their discretion. My being around a human was dangerous. Any relation to a human that was not antagonistic was forbidden and punished severely. My race harbored an intense hatred for them, and as a prince, it had always been part of my duty to uphold elven values. However…there was a thrill in having this secret. I'd had secrets with my brother all the time.
Simon scoped the forest awe-filled and with an upbeat rhythm in his step.
This forest, which I had grown up in, seemed ordinary to me, although I appreciated it. From the pillar-like trees that proved to be no obstacle to climb to the iridescent stones that littered the forest floor, like jewels in a cave. I adored it all. The animals were lovely and usually caused no trouble. The wind was almost always calm, showing me a path whenever I knew not where to explore next. This forest had become my solace. I was quietly glad that Simon adored it as much as I did.
Simon pulled something unfamiliar from his bag. I paused. Withdrawing a usual step.
Observing me, his eyes widened. "That's right. You must not have seen one of these before." He smiled to himself and brought the object to his eye.
"What is that?" I cautiously asked.
"You'll just have to trust me." While pinching the other eye shut, Simon encouraged me to smile.
I looked away when a bright flash chased my eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
A sheet exited the object. "You looked away at the last moment. Let's take another one." Simon raised it again.
"Enough," I interrupted. "The light hurts my eyes."
"Alright then," Simon offered gently. Even now, he smiled, proving he'd taken no offense to my clipped tone. "I'm not originally from this area, so I've been doing some research. This is a magical forest, isn't it?"
"Not innately. A handful of passages to my world reside here, so this forest has magical attributes from the fall out of our magic," I answered.
A pile of stones caught Simon's eye, and he crouched to flash the light from his object. He picked up an acorn-colored stone and held it against the setting sun. "This one kind of reminds me of your eyes." How strange. He pocketed it and stood. "What element of magic do you have, Ruith? Can you show me?"
Showing him would do no harm; however, I still believed it too soon. After all, Simon could be one of those deceitful humans my father had warned me about. Learning more about him was my priority before revealing anything.
I questioned instead, "You said you're not from this area. Where do you live then?"
"If I tell you, will you come visit me?"
My head fell on a tilt. "Is it not enough for you to come see me here? It's more comfortable this way."
"Wow…" Simon exhaled with a chuckle. He grasped my shoulder and squeezed me. "We really need to work on your humor, yeah? I'm terrified you don't know what a joke is."
He smelled like the earth. Like fragrant sage and sweat and…calm. Instinctively, I latched onto Simon's hand with my own, enjoying this feeling of being touched by him. Simon seemed startled but timidly delighted. He considered me with that same curiosity from before. My neck warmed, and I felt embarrassed. I released him quickly.
We continued our journey, discussing various plants we encountered and the purpose of their leaves. We discussed berries, which ones were bitter and which were sweet. And it was then that Simon revealed that humans could not consume all species of berries, for certain ones were poisonous to their kind. He praised my "iron stomach"—my immunity to poison. I blushed at that but hid it well.
Eventually, I found myself lecturing Simon about the purpose of every living thing we encountered and how joyously I felt about them all. Simon captured many pictures, from what he'd explained was a camera, enamored with my teachings.
A bud of pride and fondness bloomed in my hollow chest. It hadn't been necessary for me to learn about the human world since I rarely had to leave castle grounds. But at this moment, I was glad I had taken it upon myself to explore this land with Taegen and my brother. Together, we'd learned many things.
"And what about this one?" Simon asked, blindly reaching for a plant in the dark.
I caught his hand. "Poison ivy. Careful."
"It causes rashes even for elves, then?" Simon then asked, letting his hand fall.
"For little ones. Although the effects don't last long, they're uncomfortable."
Throughout the couple of hours we'd spent together, Simon had been a generous bank of playful laughs. And he laughed now, patting my shoulder as gratitude for saving him. Again. It was quite endearing how curious yet oblivious humans were. They were like bunnies, from what I had noticed from taking care of the ones I spotted.
What could a bunny ever harm?