The Trade: Elswyth

Elswyth peeked out at her mother again, looking to see if she had relented. She still looked angry and Elswyth went back to sulking under her wings.

400 years. No. More than 400 now. They had kept their own council, avoided the other elvenkind. They stayed within their forest realm and bothered no one and no one bothered them.

So why now? Why after all this time was it so important that they come? With two youths from the royal line?

She peeked out at Ranger and he looked glum as he sat with his cheek on his fist. He stared out the small window in the carriage as they rode by the forest on the old trail to the crossroads.

It wasn't a literal crossroads, just a huge meeting ground for their kind that was central to everyone. Only the keepers were there anymore and no one else. It had been abandoned for centuries.

Ranger looked over at her and saw her looking, then scowled at her as he sat up. She sighed and turned to look out her own window. He was angry with her, he had been for over a month now. They had never really gotten on well when they were younger and she disliked him and his prissy and snobbish ways. His father was their king and he thought that earned him some right to lord it over the other youths. As they got older, he had started being nicer to her, but she knew it was only because they were of an age and everyone expected them to bond.

She'd very adamantly told him no when he'd asked her to fly up to the heights with him. He hadn't gotten angry right away, he'd assumed she was playing hard to get. He sent her little gifts, notes and other signs of his interest. She kept them all and next time he came over, she dumped them on him, told him if he ever so much as looked at her again, she would rip his eyeballs out and shove them so far down his throat he'd be able to see out his ass and slammed her door in his face.

THAT was when he had gotten angry.

He hadn't spoken to her since, as if he assumed that was some sort of punishment.

She sighed and peeked at her mother again.

Nope, still angry.

She sat up and crossed her arms. She looked across at Ranger's escort, the king's general, Hunter. "Do YOU know what this is all about since my mother refuses to tell me?" she demanded.

Ranger snorted and Hunter turned his dark eyes to look her over.

"Ever eloquent, El. Can't imagine why you STILL have no callers," Ranger smirked.

"Shove it, Ranger, like you weren't at my door a full three months before you finally took the hint. That look. Hunter, you know what this is about! Tell me."

Hunter cut his eyes at her mother who glared back at him. He turned back to the window without speaking.

"Why can't I know?" she demanded of her mother angrily. "Everyone else knows! Where are we going and why?!?"

Ranger snorted again, then smirked at her. "For a kiss, I will tell you."

"You know what is happening?" she demanded. "Tell me!"

"Come over here," he coaxed, patting his lap. "Sit with me and keep me company for a bit. Kiss me and I will tell you."

"You're such a pig, I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last forest elf on earth."

His smile then was dangerous. "Oh, little one, you may be sorry you said that. Won't she, Aunty?"

Her mother said nothing, only glared at him.

She wasn't his aunt by blood, only marriage. Elswyth and Ranger were in no way related by blood, as he constantly reminded her. She constantly reminded him there was more royal blood in her veins than his and to stop trying to shove it down her throat all the time.

Elswyth growled angrily and turned back to her window. "Let me out, I want to fly for a while."

"Absolutely not!" her mother barked. "As if anyone in the carriage doesn't know the first thing you will do is take off and we won't find you for a week! No. You will sit still and behave until we get where we are going."

"I am not a child anymore, mother, I don't need your permission."

"If you try it, I will let Ranger hold you down while Hunter pins your wings! See if I don't!"

"I will be glad to escort her," Ranger smirked. "Fly with her, hold her hand to make sure she doesn't..."

"If you lay a hand or anything else on me, you will lose it!" Elswyth hissed, yanking her little knife out of its sheath.

Hunter immediately plucked the knife from her fingers with ease and tucked it behind his belt as if he was bored.

Elswyth glared at him. "That isn't my only weapon," she said darkly as she began calling to the trees.

The carriage rattled and rocked as limbs and branches began reaching out and grabbing for them.

"Elswyth!" her mother shouted. "I will have him knock you out and then I will go take a break and leave you in her alone with him!"

Elswyth released her magic immediately, scowling at her mother. Only one person was more angry at her than Ranger for turning Ranger down and it was her mother. She had been trying to convince her to give him a chance since she found out Elswyth had sent him away, not understanding why she'd said no. It was common knowledge that they would be paired as soon as they came of age.

Now here they were, both of them of age and neither of them paired. Elswyth was the only person on this trip who didn't want to see the two of them together.

She slumped down, crossing her arms and Ranger nudged Hunter, making him trade him places. She glared across at him, wondering why he had moved closer. He leaned up close, sitting on the edge of his seat to loom over her. "Elly," he whispered, reaching for her face.

"You touch me and I swear to you I will see you dead," she hissed. "And I TOLD you to stop calling me that."

He smirked. "It's not too late for us, we have time. We can stop right now and say our vows and go home."

"Go home? What do vows have to do with where we are going?"

"It's lack of vows that are the reason we are going," he told her, taking her distracted moment to twirl one of her light brown curls on his finger. "Mmm, Elly, what I wouldn't give to taste those luscious lips. Just one kiss? Say your vows with me so we can go home?"

"Why would vows matter? Unless... no. NO! Mother you wouldn't DARE! Not even you! And Uncle August wouldn't send Ranger, he's his only heir! WE are the only heirs! It can't be time for the Trade! I won't go! I WON'T!" she screamed, diving for the door.

Ranger caught her quickly and held her struggling in his arms. "A life with me seems less onerous now, doesn't it?" he asked scathingly.

"Settle down!" her mother yelled. "Hunter, put her out!"

Elswyth struggled harder as Hunter reached for her, but her strength left her and she lay languidly in Ranger's arms.

"I did not put her all the way out," Hunter spoke, his deep voice low. "If she wishes to stay with Ranger, she still has the opportunity to say yes."

"Say yes," Ranger whispered in her ear. "We could go home, be happy, you and I. I will get to go back at any rate, all of the males will. It is the females who will have to go home with their new husbands. You could end up going anywhere! And I will have no chance to win you, even if I came in first. Once you are there, you have to go with another kind, dilute the bloodline and share the magic. You could be paired with Darkness, or Death! Or Sky! What would you do so far from your woods? What if Fire claimed you? Or Storm? Even Water would be bad for you. I am your hope, Emmy, I am home. I have a care for you, I will treat you well."

"You have a care for how I look, let me go!" she managed, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Put me back in my own seat."

"No. No, I will hold you while I still can. Convince you to return with me before it is too late. Think on it Elly. Ice... nothing can grow in the ice. Moon, you will never see daylight again. Shadows only grow dark and dank things. Death, Elly. Darkness. Fire. Water. Sky. You won't be near your trees."

"But I might. Flora and Fauna both have a chance. Light too. And there are trees on the mountains, some of them. Even storm would not be bad if..."

"They would all be bad if it wasn't me, if it wasn't your real home in the forest. We are forest elves, Elly and you especially. You speak to the woods in the old ways like so few can. Your powers would be lost outside of our forest. Come back with me, we will figure it out!"

"Never, Ranger. Never. I will never pair with you," she whispered, but her heart was hammering in her chest.

Would he be worse than where she might end up? She could stay at home, stay with her trees. She could end up with the sky elves and live among the clouds where there were no trees. Or in the water with the water elves. They had plants, but not trees. No... she might get a Flora elf if he was strong enough, or even a fauna elf. Both would be ideal. She was afraid though. Who would be strongest? Who would win the Trade competition?

Fire.

Fire always won, the past three competitions. Every time they had hatefully taken water with them as if to torture them. Water was always weak, low in the rankings. The Mountain elfs had come in second twice and the storm had come in second once. She could only recall the winners of the last three Trade competitions. Before that was so long ago it had been lost to anyone but the record keepers.

She remembered when she was younger, pretending to be a fire elf, an all powerful warrior who protected the entire realm of elvenkind. She learned later that they were angry and vicious.

Storm was volatile and ever changing.

Mountain were strong, quiet and stoic. Implacable.

Shadow was tricky and a bit wicked, but in a playful way.

Night was wicked in a darker way and their lust knew no bounds.

Sky was boisterous and competitive.

Moon was serene and worshipped the goddess.

Light was beautiful and full of vitality, life and fun.

Water was easygoing, able to adapt and change no matter what.

Fauna took care of all creatures and they were gentle natured, but fierce protectors.

Flora was the same with their plants and flowers.

Ice were cold and angry and easy to bring to a rage.

Forest was the best, she felt like. They were mostly happy, nurturing and kind.

Death... was death.

There was nothing to say about death, they were what they were.

Elswyth drifted into a restless sleep and had nightmares, whimpering and jerking until Ranger woke her.

"Last chance, my little one," he whispered. "We are on the borders now. A few more steps and it will be too late."

Elswyth blinked up at the ceiling a moment, trying to orient herself, then tried to shrug out of Rangers arms. "Let me go you overstuffed, preening jackdaw!"

He chuckled as she managed to struggle away and land on the floor. He put a leg across the door and planted a foot on her seat so she couldn't try and get out.

"I am your only way out," he told her darkly.

She got up in her seat and wiped her face as she looked out. She could see the forest opening up, feel the trees getting less and fewer as they went and she watched as the huge marble crossroads loomed up ahead of them.

She could see other carriages coming from other directions and she felt a tinge of excitement.

She was going to get to see and meet others of their kind!

"Too bad," Ranger shrugged. "Don't worry though, I will tell them all how sour you are under that beautiful visage. Maybe you will be passed over until one of the weaker ones can get you. I will tell the Flora male that you are exceptional. How about that? Would you like that?"

"Why would you do that?" she asked, frowning.

"I know you hate me... and I know why you hate me, but I wouldn't like it if you ended in the hands of someone who would brutalize you. You do not deserve that just because you are jealous of me."

"Jealous?" she asked incredulously. "You're insane!"

"Enough!" her mother hissed. "We are close enough that others may hear us. Elswyth, fix your hair!"

Elswyth reached up and mussed her hair as hard as she could, shaking her head as she gritted her teeth and screamed through them. "I will NEVER forgive you mother! Never! You've been nothing but a hateful, grasping hag since papa died! He was too good for you by far! Whoever my husband ends up being, I will ask him a single favor and that will be to take you out of power completely and see you set down before the council!"

Ranger leaned up. "We may be able to turn around and sneak out of here, slip back. I will set her down to a scullery if you go back with me, be my wife."

"It is too late, they see us," Hunter told him.

Ranger grinned and shrugged, sitting back. "Worth a try. One kiss and I will strip her titles and lands," he promised, cocking his head slightly.

Elswyth looked at him in shock, then looked at her mother who looked horrified. The carriage rolled to a stop and Elswyth jumped up and half tackled Ranger, grabbing his face and kissing him.

She'd never kissed or been kissed before, but she'd seen it done enough that she was sure she was doing it right. Ranger seemed pleased with it as he kissed her back and held her against him, sliding his long fingers into her curls to hold her closer so she couldn't pull away.

Someone opened the door from the outside and Ranger let her go as she pulled away quickly. She turned without looking at her mother or Ranger and let the driver help her out. She didn't wait for anyone, hurrying inside as she tried to tame her curls.

One of the keepers stood at the huge marble archway that led to the inner pavilion. "Name?" she asked, her voice ancient.

"Elswyth Redwood of the Forest Elves," she told her softly. She could see past her to the dozen or more young people inside.

"Your companion? The male of your kind?"

"He's coming. Do we have to be together?"

"Customary but not required. You may enter, Elswyth of the Forest. There are refreshments at the center of the room."

She nodded and stepped in, looking around. There were two long tables in the middle of the room and most of the youths were there and most of them watching her as she came closer. Some looked away as two more youths entered from another archway.

She felt a little overwhelmed and stunned as she moved closer. They all looked so... different. She plucked at her simple green cotton tunic and brown leather belt, feeling underdressed. Everyone else seemed to... shine.

A tall man stepped to her, his smile dazzling with his blonde hair and bright smile. His white teeth matched his white clothes. "I'm Beacon," he told her with a grin, catching her hand to bend and kiss it. "And you are absolutely breathtaking, Miss?"

"I... uh... Elswyth?" she stammered as Ranger caught up to her.

"There you are, little one," he chided loudly. "We were supposed to arrive together."

She scowled up at him. "She said I didn't have to wait for you! Go bother someone else!"

"Excuse her, she has a foul temperament. You're Light, right?"

"Mmm," the boy smiled, looking down at Elswyth in amusement. "Spurned lover?" he asked her.

"We were never lovers, he was just spurned," she told him, still rankled by Rangers hovering.

Another boy stepped up and smiled at her and she stared up at him and his blue skin and dark hair. "Bray," he told her, his voice deep.

A girl stepped up next to him, her skin the same blue with dark hair. "I'm Olympia, his little sister. You two are forest, yes? I only know because Flora is already here and we spoke to them, else it would be hard to figure who was who."

"Not really," Bray shrugged. "We thought it would be, we wagered on it, but look at them. "Fleur is dressed all in pink with cherry blossoms actually blooming in her hair. Florian has vine tattoos in his skin that he can change to add flowers. These two... look at them Brown pants, green tunics, no embellishments at all. Just like a tree, but still, look at her. As beautiful and majestic as any tree even without the accoutrements."

"He fancies himself a smooth talker," Olympia grinned.

Elswyth blushed and nodded, but she peeked around to try and find the boy with the vine tattoos. She spotted him, smiling and talking to another man. He was mildly handsome, but he had a scar across his face running from his chin on the left to his eyebrow on the right. He had holes pierced in his ears and living vines growing through them and around his neck like jewelry. She didn't get a very good feeling from him, or the girl with the cherry blossoms in her hair. They deemed themselves too good to be here.

She looked at the boy he was speaking to and he was a pale boy with shaggy black hair. He wore only a black vest with his black pants, and no shoes. His pale skin was covered in black tattoos of feathers everywhere. Not in order, scattered like a bird had just been set upon by a wild animal. There was a beauty to the chaos of it and she found herself admiring the handsome youth. She was fairly certain he was fauna.

She was just considering going and introducing herself when a gong was rung.

"Everyone take your seats under your elements please!" a male keeper called. "We will have introductions, then a repast to allow for conversation. Tomorrow morning is the tournament and then the choosing. No commingling is allowed overnight, you all came to us and were tested when you came in as unsown, some even virginal. You will stay that way until you are paired with your new husband's tomorrow."

Elswyth blushed as she heard several rough jokes about who the virgin was.

"I'm betting the ice queen," Bray whispered to Beacon, who chuckled.

They all went and found their seats under their signs carved in the marble. Elswyth hated having to share a bench with Ranger, but he took full advantage of her having to be close. She looked around at the others and tried to put faces with signs, but immediately, the keeper spoke again.

"Starting with Sky, stand and introduce yourselves to the others."

Elswyth turned and watched as the two youths stood. They were both normal looking, but tall and Elswyth was shocked to find the girl taller than the boy by a whole head. She also had huge, feathered wings and he had none. "I am Celeste and this is Anil! He is a rider and I am a flyer. His eagle, Aurora, can bear the weight of him and any wife he takes with him."

They sat, the boy never speaking as he looked around the room darkly.

The next pair stood and it was Ice. They looked mostly normal save for the white hair. He had swirling tattoos down his arms and she was in armor that looked like it was made of ice. "I am Jack," the boy smirked. "And this is my sister Holly. Woe to the man who ends up with her," he laughed. The girl only smiled grimly and stared a challenge at the room as if she were backing up his words.

Bray and Olympia stood next and Olympia spoke for both of them.

A man with skin so completely black that it seemed to absorb darkness stood next and with him a woman with pale blue skin and white hair that glowed a blue color. "I am Luna," she intoned, her hand rising to point at the moon marker above them. "Hyperion and I worship the moon goddess. He does not speak, he has taken a vow." She sat and everyone seemed to go still for a confused moment

A man stood and Elswyth didn't have to see their sign to know he was fire. His hair was fire. It seemed made of fire, though it hung like hair and stayed still like hair, it glowed like orange and yellow flames There were veins of fire in his face and his eyes glowed like a hot coal as he looked around. A very normal looking girl stood next to him, looking bored with her bright red hair and luscious body. "I am Apollo and this is my sister Apollonia. Whoever takes her had better be good to her or I will find you and burn all you love to the ground."

He sat and Beacon immediately stood, smiling his beautiful smile. "I am Beacon, and this is the lovely Dawn. We are cousins, but I love her as a sister, so be good to her," he told the room, putting a hand on the sweet and shy girl's shoulder. Elswyth thought she was lovely. Not as stunning as Apollonia, but she liked her looks much more.