✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

7

Mia's POV

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Knox picks up his pace as the darkness approaches. I would be annoyed at how fast he is having me walk to keep up, but it's keeping me warm from the night chill.

"So tell me a little about this Queen," I say to Knox as we wind our way through this city of trees. 

"Ummm... Well, we elect Queens or Kings in certain situations, much like how you elect a president. So she was elected 11 years ago."

"11 years? Don't you re-elect or something?" I ask as I pull the hood of my cloak over my head. The darkness is bringing on another wave of cold.

"Well, usually the next Queen or King is from the same family as the previous one, like how a usual Monarchy will go. But when the last king died..." Knox catches my gaze, his eyes sad. When he turns back to face the path ahead of us he finishes: "...There was no family left to take over for him, so that is when we elected a new leader."

I nod, following Knox as he takes a left down another path. The glow from the lanterns lining the path shed a warm light across the path and make the snow all around glitter.

"Oh, and what about the trees?" I ask, once again enthralled by their size. "How are they so big? And why are they bigger inside than they look outside?"

"It's basically the magic of the forest keeping them big, and there is some of Earthe's magic that makes the trees bigger inside. And the windows."

I'm about to ask another question when a howl cuts through the air. It's raspy, loud, and more then creepy. Enough to have goosebumps working their way up my arms. Instead of stopping I speed up, hoping to get inside faster. Knox speeds up with me, easily, but doesn't look concerned.

"What was that?"

"Just a wolf probably." Knox glances around, then shrugs. "Of course we can't see them here though. That's why we have a wall surrounding Bhailewood. So the... worse creatures can't get in."

"Hold on. I thought this was Earthe. What's Bhailewood?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to explain. Bhailewood is this city, kinda the capital of Earthe. We'll explain more later. But we're almost there, so I think I should tell you something before."

My mind swirls with possibility of what could be so important that he has to announce it like that, but I force myself to focus on his words as I nod, signaling him to go on.

"The Queen, she's my mother."

I almost laugh, but one look at Knox tells me he's serious. I raise my eyebrows at him.

"You're a prince?"

"Yeah, that's the official term I guess. I prefer to just be like any other elf here though."

Pretending like this knowledge isn't making my mind run in circles, I just nod for-like- the millionth time.

"We're here." Knox's voice refocuses my tired brain to the tree ahead of me.

Holy huge.

This tree is significantly bigger than the others, and even though it's winter it still has a plethora of orange, red, and yellow leaves blooming way at the top. The trees' bark is mostly normal, with a few swirling carvings here and there. In front of me is a small wooden bridge crossing a stream to get to the tree's green double doors, which are carved with designs of leaves and clouds and mountains. It's beautiful.

Stationed on either side of the bridge are two guards dressed in armor, holding spears and carrying a bow with a sheath of arrows on their backs. They look quite intimidating, but one foreign word I don't understand has them moving aside, one giving a bow as Knox passes through. Knox speaks to the one who bowed in a fast, elegant language I can't even hope to decipher, and the next thing I know they're both laughing. I can't help but smile as I watch.