Thirteen
I am in a soft bed. I hear people talking, but I can't seem to wake up. Voices sound familiar, but I can't place them in my head. I have no understanding at all what has happened. Vera. I am Vera. My name is Vera. I keep repeating myself. I begin to project it as if I don't have a mouth to make a voice with. “Vera, my name is Vera. I am Vera. Vera. Vera. Vera.”
“VERA!!! I hear you I am here I am here with you my little Vera.”
“Finley?” I ask the only voice I can hear.
“No Garrik. Who is Finley?”
“Finley saved me. Finley is my glue. Where is my Finley?”
“I don't know my sweet little Vera, but if you wake and come back to me I promise I will help you find him. Please come back Vera.”
Darkness overtook me again. I felt like I was left floating in the Human Realm again. The seasons passed by I was watching, waiting, and searching. I don't remember who I am. I don't remember who I was. I only remember Finley. There is no time. Everything is dark. I am Vera. Vera is me. I begin to repeat my mantra again. Trying to hold on to the only piece of myself I can remember. “I am Vera. My name is Vera. Vera is me. Vera Vera Vera. I am Vera.” I projected it, I have no mouth, “I am nothing, I am Vera. I am nothing.”
“Vera, I hear you. Do you hear me?”
“Who are you? I have no body. I am lost. I am Vera.”
“Echo. Vera I need you to listen to me. You have a body. You have a life. You have sparks.”
“Finley? Finley, saved me. Finley and I had no sparks. I remember. I am Vera.”
“Vera, listen. Find your energy. Feel your body.”
The voice in my head was strong. It wasn't Finley. I had no body. Darkness washed over me again. There is no time. Time is not real. There is only me. I am Vera endlessly floating.
I hear. Vera can hear. I hear a woman crying. I speed across a lake. The woman is sad. Vera is sad. Vera is alone. Vera wants to go home.
“Vera, Vera. Please Vera hear me. Echo and I are here. Vera. We beg you to come back to us. Garrik. Remember Garrik. Feel our spark.”
“Vera has no body. No spark. I am Vera.”
“Vera, I am telling you to feel your body. You have arms. You have legs. You have a heart and a flame. I am part of your flame.”
This voice was so pretty. Melodic. Washing over my body. Vera has a body. I have a body. Sparks I feel sparks.
“Vera has a body. Vera has sparks.”
“She can feel us!” I heard a deep voice. Baritone.
“Vera has ears.”
“Yes! Vera has ears! Beautiful little elf ears!”
“They stole my ears. They tore my soul. I am nothingness.”
“No no Vera, you are everything. Come back to us. You are EVERYTHING to me,” said a deep baritone voice. I feel myself drifting again and then sparks exploded on my lips. I have lips. I have lips.
“Vera has lips.”
“YES, Vera has lips!” I hear Garrik’s voice in my head. Garrik. Vera has a Garrik. Not only Garrik, Vera has an Echo, and a Finley. No no that isn't right. Finley is gone. Where is Finley? I search for my lips. I search for my eyes I find them both. I will my eyes to open and they listened.
“Goddess bless! Send for the King and Queen she is awake!” a tall man with teal eyes shouted. Garrik. That was Garrik.
“Vera, can you find your lips? Can you find your voice?” A man who looked like coffee with gold eyes spoke to me. Coffee. Vera likes coffee.
“You love coffee” Garrik's voice echoed through my head. Yes I do. I love coffee.
“Coffee,” My voice is dry. Everyone around me erupts in laughter.
“Of course her first word back is coffee.” Tomilson said in the corner. Tomilson. Tom Tom. I know him.
“Tom Tom.” I said. He moved forward at the use of his pet name. Violet eyes beneath dark hair. I recognize that face.
I looked toward the end of the bed where Echo sat. “Echo.” I whispered. Standing right next to me was Garrik.
“Garrik, my love. I don't understand what has happened. Where is Finley? I have lost Finley”
“Easy Vera, we don't know who Finley is, but we will find him. I promise you after this war we will find him.”
“War?” I asked. Then the darkness took me again, but this time I know. I have lips, I have eyes, I am Vera.
I am awake again. There is only one small dim lit lantern on my vanity. It must be night. I wiggle my toes. That is right. Vera has toes. I need to remember I have a body to use it. I wiggle my fingers. I sit up and feel my ears. I have ears!
“I HAVE EARS!” I yelled out into the room. The main lantern in the room began to glow. I woke everyone up. There were three of them. Echo was laying across the bed at my feet. Garrik was next to me and Tom Tom was on the floor. I found myself sitting up in bed staring at them all. As soon as they realized what had happened they were wide awake. Garrik was the first to reach around me and hug me tight. I felt the warm sparks flow through my body.
Echo pushed his way in and sparks floated in the air around us. I remember now. I remember it all. Tom Tom exited the room before saying hi. I manage to move my mouth again.
“There was no time. I was lost. How long was I lost?”
“In this life or the last that you kept reliving?” Garrik asks as concern washes over his beautiful face.
“This life. There was no time in my last”
“Eight weeks give or take a day.” Echo's baritone voice caressed my ears.
“How am I here if I laid in bed eight weeks?”
“Parsley. He had dealt with comas in the past during the Elf wars with Faerie. He had a way to push food into you. Then Taryn was charged with keeping you clean, but we all pitched in. Life had to go on.”
Embarrassment flushed my cheeks. Who knows what my body did and they may have seen. That moment my Tom returned from the sitting room. He had a fresh cup of coffee. I gave him a grateful look as he said, “It is good to have you back Princess. I am not sure my back would have tolerated the stone floor much longer.” I chuckled.
“Well you could have slept in your bed.”
“And leave you with a Light Elf Prince and Dark Elf Prince alone? They would have killed each other in minutes and you know it.” Tomilson was always the voice of reason. He was probably right.
“Why is Echo here? I thought. I thought we were trying to avoid him?” Echo looked instantly hurt by my words.
“It is a long story Princess, but let's just say I came to terms with what is going on. I saw you dying in the training facility. I couldn't get you, but somehow Echo was able to with his shadow magic. He held you through the worst of the onslaught. When everything died down he refused to leave your side unless he was promised to have a part in your healing and in your life.”
I looked at Echo, I owed him the truth, “Echo, thank you. I can not promise you a life with me though. I am bonded to Garrik only at this time. I can promise that when I am ready, someday I am willing to give the thought of us a chance.” A look of contentment crossed his face. He was happy with that. He didn't need to say it he only nodded. I remember it was his spark after all that made me remember that I even had lips.
“Can someone get me sustenance. I am starving. I would also like to take a bath alone if that would be okay?”
Everyone nodded and quickly went about rounding up food. Garrik helped me walk to the bathroom. He refused to leave me there alone. Instead he moved the towels and sat in the chair to watch me. Garrik claimed he needed to be there in case I drifted off and was lost in space again. I agreed. I took that moment to ask what exactly had happened in the training facility. He started with everything that I remembered and then filled in the rest.
“You fought Toby and I on the last two strikes to your box. We should have listened to you, but we didn't. We thought you would have been better off complete. When the box burst open Toby and I were thrown into the wall and held there. Rose wasn't able to come near you. Only Echo was able to get through your ward using shadow magic, but even he couldn't touch you at all. You hung in the air for minutes screaming an awful scream. I will never be able to get the sound out of my ears.
Blood started to seep through the back of your dress and that is when you fell. Every few seconds you would scream again and again until your voice was so hoarse you couldn't scream any more. The blood was so thick and plenty it pooled onto the floor. I was still being held against the wall. Echo took his knife and cut you free from your clothing. Your back was mutilated and your skin had begun darkening. You then passed out, we wrapped you in towels and carried you to your room. Healers had to be in your room for the first week tending to your wounds. You should have healed the first day, but you didn't.”
“Probably the human blood slowing the healing,” I said as I dipped my head under the warm water.
“I promise you, you have no more human blood left in your body. You are all elf now.”
“I look fully elf?” I asked. There is no way.
“More than that my little Vera, you are every bit both Light and Dark elf now. Your eyes are the same but look at your skin. It's gold, almost the color of honey. You are the first ever mixed elf and you look it.”
I took that moment to look down at my body and he was right. I was tan and the color of honey. I sucked in my breath. “I think I would like to see a mirror,” I climbed out of the water. Garrik wrapped me in a robe. I flipped my hair over my head and tied it up in a towel.
Tomilson was eating in the sitting room, the door to my room was wide open. I strode through to my full length mirror. Holy Hell it's true. I look like me still, kind of. My hair is the same. My eyes, nose, mouth the same. My body? I dropped my robe ignoring the gasps of Garrik and Echo. Garrik ran towards me to try to shield my body from Echo.
“Stop it Garrik, I don't care. I need to see!” I was hairless, with exception to what was on my head. I had gotten leaner since coming to the Elmora, but I still was soft around the edges. Wide hips, ample behind, small perky breasts, but they were all a supernatural gold color. It dawned on me that I would never be able to go back to the Human Realm like this! Tears welled up in my eyes. Why does it bother me so much? I didn't have a great relationship with anyone, yet having it all cut away forever hurt my heart.
“I need to run.” I said. Echo shook his head, “You need to eat. Run after you eat.” My head was going to explode. I was no longer Vera.
“You are Vera.” bounced around in my head in my voice. I nod. I am Vera. I am now a golden Vera with green and gold eyes. I looked back to the mirror where I saw my skin reflecting the light. I am almost shiny. Shimmery.
“Will the other elvish still be willing to treat me like their Princess?” I asked.
“If you were in a Dark Kingdom you would be worshiped,” Echo's deep voice washed over me. I looked up at the giant of a man standing before me in his typical light tan leather pants, tall boots and his dark brown tunic. The only difference in him is this tunic had sleeves. Winter must have arrived while I slept. I found myself liking this Dark Elf-man.
“I am not sure how you will be seen here. I think the best we can do is try to explain to the people how or why you are this way.” I nodded. Fingers crossed it goes over well. I began to move the full body mirror in front of the vanity.
“What are you doing, Vera?” not looking up from my task I let him know that I want to see my behind as well. I wanted to know what all of me looked like. It is new and I am curious.
“NO!” both Echo and Garrik shouted. I stopped and stood.
“Why not? Is my back a different color?” Echo steps forward and grabs my hand. Sparks. Golden Sparks. I pulled my hand away roughly. “Why?”
“Remember the blood I told you about in the training facility? Remember the healers that had to come to help you, but you were not healing properly?” I nodded, “ Well you have scars.” Garrik shot his eyes to the ground. Scars. It couldn't be that bad. Every human has scars. I must have thought it loud enough because Garrik responded, “Not every elf, and you are an elf.” I stared at him like he had two heads.
“Seriously? No one will even see them unless my hair is up and I have a backless dress on. Is it so disgusting to you that you are making it a bigger deal than it is?” Men. Elf-men. Vain. I go back to moving the mirror. When they tried to counter my remark I held my middle finger in the air and gave them both a big, “Fuck you guys.”
I turned to stand just right and held my breath. I need to see this. I look into one mirror seeing the reflection of the mirror behind me. Yes, it was bad, white scars laced my back. They stood out stark against my golden skin. I am not a monster from what has been done to me, but I wish we would have left that box alone. I miss my porcelain skin. What will my babies look like?
“Babies? You really want to have babies with me?” Garrik's smile was giant.
“Fuck, you don't have to listen to everything I think.” I snap back. I am not in a good mood. I just woke up from an eight week coma. I am angry, I am changed, and it's all the fault of elves who thought I needed answers.
“If it makes you feel better I didn't hear anything,” Echo said sending me a sly grin, his eyes darkening in lust. I guess my scars have no effect on turning Echo off.
“Remember what I said, Vera. The Dark Elves would worship you and rejoice in your scars. It is a sign of your strength. You are survivor.” I roll my eyes at Echo and Garrik groaned loudly shooting dagger eyes at his competition. I head to the wardrobe and grab a long sleeve silk dress. It didn't feel like it would be warm at all it was the first one I saw and we all know that I am not picky. It was a midnight blue all over complimenting my skin nicely. Good random choice. I went back to the vanity and rubbed oil through my hair. I decided to do the twisty thing Taryn did to my hair the night of the big dinner where I became a recognized Princess.
Walking back into the sitting room Sir Tomilson was still sitting there.
“Good dress, Princess. You need to stand out the first time the others see you. Make them look at you in awe rather than fear. A black dress might have been too dramatic.”
“Thank you, Sir Tom. I really needed you to point out what I am going to face upon leaving my room. Has anyone told the King, Queen, Rose, and Toby that I am awake?”
All three men shook their heads no. Well, I guess that means we are going to be surprising the Palace all at once. I knew that everyone who matters will be aware of my changes. It is the ones who were already uncertain of me that I am worried about. I have no choice now. Tindril is my only home now. I won't be accepted in any other realm as I am. Hiding ears is one thing, glamouring an entire body is a bit beyond the magics I possess. I would like to get back to training. My protection magic and shadow magics are pretty strong. I want to work on my realm walking, earth and persuasion magics.