¤ Who’s Anywhere?

Suddenly, she just found herself here again. There was a whispering in the dimly lit space around her, something that she had never detected before. Previously, it was simply a blank vacuum, nothing that she could hear.

Strange how every time she came to consciousness (was that the word?), more and more of the details in this strange, dark landscape start to come to her. No, more accurately, more and more of her ability to sense those details were being restored to her.

And now, the soft whispering caressed her hearing (ears?), stroking like the seductive hand of a lover. Come, the wispy voices in the wind said, sang, laughed. Come, and look there. She turned her eyes obediently.

The intense square of light that she had opened up in her previous visit still glowed steadily, a lone sun in this place. There? She tried to ask, but she still had no voice. But the whispering heard her anyway, and laughed a tinkling laughter. Yes, there. Come.

’Huh?’ Out of nowhere, there came another voice from the darkness. Who’s there? Startled, she tried to call out, forgetting again that she had no voice. The whispering around her picked up her call though, and cried out for her in perfect chorus, Who’s there? Some silver peals of giggles, as if it was great fun, and then the air started to echo with playful cries of Who’s here? Who’s where? Who’s anywhere?

Quiet! She clamped her hands over her new-found ears, the calls resonating, echoing and overlapping as if in a small space. It was starting to hurt her. (Pain, this is pain, she recalled.) The whispering, once her ally, now ignored her silent plea and continued, the chanting now accompanied with maniac laughter. Who’s there? Who’s where? Who’s here? Who’s there?

’Shut up, you little annoyances.’ The voice that spoke now was solid, a cool, heavy weight amongst the ethereal buzz in her ears. The airy other-voices giggled, but obediently fell quiet now.

The source of the voice came closer. Through the faint light, she could not see a face clearly, but she sensed who it was immediately. It was the same comforting presence that she called the Soul, scarred, determined, and still full of deliciously warm passion. She longed to use her fingers to touch this presence, but kept her distance, fearing that this Soul would be torn away like the last time.

’Who are you?’ The solid voice asked. Unable to speak, she could only make a gesture: I don’t know. ‘You don’t know, do you?’ The Soul said, understanding at once.

She remembered the square of light now, the one that the whispering told her to look into. Eagerly, she beckoned to the Soul with her hands, and brought it to the window. ‘You want me to look too?’ Puzzled, the Soul went over. She clasped her hands together, excited that the Soul understood.

’But isn’t this-!’ The Soul exclaimed, as it looked into the square. ‘Am I dreaming here?’ The Soul turned, its slim silhouette outlined against the brilliant light from the strange window. ‘Of course I am.’ The voice was soft with wonder.

Curious to know what made the Soul so excited, she moved over too, and looked.

‘Your Majesty, the village head of El Nath requests an audience.’ The major-domo announces loudly from the door, his voice echoing down the long throne room. The length of the room is full of courtiers lined up on either side of a long red carpet, in attendance as King Kranz holds court. On the highest step of a dais, the King sits on a golden throne, his forest green hair held back from his benevolent face by a heavy golden crown. By human reckoning, he looks like a middle-aged man, with only some wrinkles at the corner of his smiling green eyes. However, he is much older, and infinitely wiser, than any middle-aged mortal man.

Several steps down the dais, five plain chairs are arranged around the foot of the King’s throne, reserved seats for the five fairies that Kranz appointed as Advisors. These fairies, picked for their wisdom, influence and intelligence, help counsel the King on court matters and aid him in managing the affairs of the kingdom.

However, only four out of the five chairs are occupied now, the one on Kranz’s right hand side empty. In the chair closest to the left hand side of the King, a fairy girl sits at ease, her silver wings folded neatly behind her over the low back of her chair. A thin circlet on her head marks her to be an Advisor, the only female amongst all her counterparts present. Her small size and obvious youth, even by fairy reckoning, make her the centre of a lot of the whispered conversations held amongst the gathered courtiers, little of it kind nor complimentary.

‘Let him in.’ The King says, his voice a deep soothing rumble.

The major-domo bows at the King’s command, then beckons at someone beyond the throne room’s entrance. A plump mortal man dressed in robes of finely spun wool steps through the door, looking a little awed at the grand atmosphere in the high-ceilinged room. He clutches at a scroll of parchment in his hands, and his eyes dart around nervously as he walks up the long red carpet that leads up to Kranz’s throne.

‘Y-your Majesty.’ With some difficulty, the plump man kneels before the King, trembling a little. He bows until his stubby nose touches the red carpet, and remains staring at the ground even after he straightens up.

‘You need not kneel to me, Nethan. After all, your village is not under Orbis’ sovereignty. We are of equal rank, as leaders of the people under our care.’ The King says kindly.

‘Yes, Majesty.’ The village head mumbles. However, Nethan remains on his knees, still clutching at the scroll.

The King flexes his pure golden wings, a little puzzled at Nethan’s behaviour. The fairy girl at Kranz’s left shifts in her seat too, leaning forward slightly. She has experience from dealing with mortals in the Academy, and recognises the fidgeting and the indecisive look on the mortal’s face. ‘Perhaps you have something to request of our King, Nethan.’ The fairy girl says in a coaxing tone, trying to encourage the mortal.

Nethan’s eyes dart up at her in gratitude for giving him an appropriate opening. ‘Yes, yes, lady Advisor, I do have something to request. Majesty, please forgive my boldness, but I have come up to your divine halls today to ask for your aid as a war ally.’

The fairy courtiers start murmuring loudly, upon hearing Nethan’s request. Without even waiting for the King’s response, Nethan buries his face into the carpeted floor and stammers, ‘I-I know this is too bold of me, and it is most unworthy of El Nath to even think of the honour of Orbis’ alliance, but it is a desperate time for my people, and I hope you would-’

‘Nethan! What strange words you speak!’ King Kranz says hurriedly, and motions to the fairy girl to help the village head up. As the young Advisor hastens down the stairs of the dais, the murmuring of the gathered courtiers swells again, and all eyes dart to the tall, winged figure that appears through the tapestry-covered door near the dais.

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Links to previous chapters:
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Today! I speak such!

More Italics above! XD Excuse the sudden influx of new names! Hope it doesn’t get too messy! (Just threaten me with… I don’t know, writer’s block for a month! I’ll clear it up immediately!)

A wallpaper! link Featuring Indescane’s ubercool poem! link I’m really proud of it (the wallpaper, I mean!), just to put aside humility for a while! The image is itsy, due to photobucket’s interestingly fickle size limits (the original was less than 1MB, but somehow, somehow, photobucket decided that it still needs to be shrunk!) PM me if you want the original!

(okay, enough of exclamations. [Ex-Clams? What’s that?])

Coooookies. Hmm. *thinks of jelly bean cookie (courtesy of a character from aznricefan’s fic), then recovers what’s left of sanity* Vanilla cream! 😀