Into the Confluence by Maria Falce

Chapter One In the magickal space between thought, between breath, lies the Confluence. A mystical crossroads of all realities, realms and dimensions What lies in wait for you in the Confluence? My name is Riethwael; I am an elf. I guess that is a bit of a broad understatement but I am rather modest you know and I dont like to brag. I consider braggarts of weak mind and character, who you are should stand on its own, speak for itself if you will. If you have to shout it from the rooftops for people to know chances are it is a load. So, anyway, since I am new to your realm, I will tell you a bit about myself and why I am here. I am Riethwael, Elf King of the realm of Killemitore. I have been King for I guess around 100 of your realm years, we do not measure time the way you do so it is difficult for me to quantify. Suffice it to say, it has been a while. Its not that I dont enjoy being King, I love my land and my people, its that my Queen is uh, not here, she is there in your realm and I have been brooding so long on it that my people decided that I needed to go to her. They feel that Ive wasted altogether too much time pining for this frail human woman when I could have hand fasted a nice Elven girl and produced numerous Elven children by now. I dont really see how this can be true however since I have only been pining after this woman this her present lifetime and OK the last one as well but seriously, its not that long and she is descended of Fae so it is within my right and power to call her home. And call her home is exactly what I intend to do. If only it were that simple. My realm is a beautiful and peaceful world. All member of the Fae live here in harmony and we decided many many moons ago to have open elections every 200 years (your time) to elect a King and or Queen who would rule over all of the Faery folk. This is not typical in the Fae realm as it is generally unheard of that a troll would willingly bow to an elf or an elf to a goblin etc but it works for us. We realized long ago that just because we look different doesnt mean we are different and our goal is one and the same. Love. That is what we are about. Sounds simple I know and kind of sappy but it works, it really does. Everyone has a function in our realm; each does what they do best. Now everyone knows that no one builds better bridges and roads than the trolls and that the faeries hands down

have the greenest thumbs. So every tribe contributes their strengths and everyone has what they need. Well, except for mebut well, now I am just whining. We are a magickal people. In our realm and in others beyond we can change form at will, perform general acts of magick like changing a cat into a flowerpot or making trees appear, we have the gift of sight to varying degrees among us as well as the gift of healing. We know the planet, the plants and roots that live in it, we communicate freely with all of life. And, when the moon is full, we can find a portal in the veil between worlds and walk through it. It is important to understand that we cannot be nourished in realms other than our own. Literally, I cannot eat your food; its not that it is so different from ours, its more a dimensional thing, I think, because our foods are very similar in many ways. We grow many of the same food crops as you from seed that we have saved over many lifetimes, we have orchards with abundant fruit and we bake delicious cakes, breads and crackers. We rarely eat meat but have been known to on occasion when the trolls or the dwarves are hosting, out of respect mainly. I am not sure how this began, as we are animists, meaning we believe that all things have life and connection to Spirit. So a deer hardly scores more than a turnip but I have to say that I have probably eaten my weight 1000 times over in turnips and have only tasted deer once when Torgot the Dwarf was hosting a feast. Well, anyway, why an apple here is different from an apple there, I am not sure. This has been a challenge for me and it has kept me from being able to stay long enough to find my Queen, meet her AND convince her by the next full moon that she wants to return with me. I really like to eat and I am not some slight elf. I am considered strong and am tall and lean, so I usually only last the day and return when the moon is still full because I am so hungry. Seriously, it is starting to really aggravate me. Plus, I cant seem to find the portal close enough to her. Its almost impossible to tell from here where you are in relation to your world. Its kind of like the time thing it just doesnt sync. One time I walked through a portal I was certain was right in her meadow but when I walked through I was in a marketplace in France. I took 2 steps out and just turned around and went right back. There certainly has to be a better way. I went to see Ingwe, our gifted elder for advice. She is one of the oldest living elves in our realm and she the most beautiful elf you will ever see. As

I approached her forest glade in the mountains, I caught the glimmer of her hair in the trees like spun gold hanging down and pooling around her feet. Her hands like porcelain with fingers long and slim, eyes sparkling green like jades and of course, the aura. We all have the aura, which according to otherworlders looks like a bubble of opal, sparkling rainbows and milky moons swirling and dazzling around us. We just see it like energy, some big some small, some damaged some pulsing you get the idea. She fixed those jades on me and knew in an instant why I had come. Cant find the girl can you? You cant heed an old womans advice and leave well enough alone, have you looked any more closely, you know she has a child. I know So, this does not concern you? I will deal with it when I am there, even if I only get one moon cycle with her, it will be enough You say that now, dear one, but once you have tasted her you will leave us with out our King. I knelt at her feet and bowed my head please, Ingwe, can you help me find the portal? She laid her hand on my head and showed me with sadness in her heart. I will return, I said with wavering confidence. In one way or another, dear Riethwael. Go now and gather your things, the moon will be full in 2 days. And remember this By ground and by land, sustenance at hand, not man but elf the form command Thank you, Ingwe, may the Great Spirit shine love on you. And on you as well, young Riethwael. As I ran back to my home in the forest I repeated the verse over and over in my head. What was she trying to tell me? Ive never liked riddles much By the evening of the full moon in June I was ready to pierce the veil. News had spread of Ingwes advice so many had come to see me off and wish me well. I tried to hide my nervousness but I dont think it was working too well. Dont forget to cloak your ears! called a sweet little flower faery. And your aura, dont forget how they see the aura! came another voice. Dont approach her right away, study them first so you dont act weird. Thanks everyone, really I tried to keep from rolling my eyes but I hardly had to be reminded to cloak my ears! Really. Well, they meant well. I smiled and waved goodbye as I walked toward my destiny through the veil. I could hear them for a moment wagering how long it would be before I

returned, then silence as the veil was pierced. I stepped out into a moonlit meadow To be continued Copyright 2013. Contents may not be used in any way without written permission of the author.

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