[Chie]: 227.Short stories.Stars are lit in the darkness

The girls hair was dark as a starless winter-night. She was sitting on a wide window ledge, her arms wrapped around her feet, and she was looking out of the window.
The raindrops drained down the bright glass like teardrops. The girl followed with her finger one of those raindrops but she could only feel the cold glass. Everything seemed so hopeless.
 The autumn was drawing in. The trees had already dropped their leaves and the nature was uncovered. It was third day in a row when rained, and it felt like the sun would have been dead for forever. The birds had moved to the south as big flocks already ages ago, away from the coldness. The forest nearby seemed to be empty of all life. Only the tall fir trees brought some colour to the gloomy yard and even that colour was a heavy dark green.
 
“Eleia.”
The girl turned around and saw a tall man at her doorway.
“Still sitting here and dreaming? Come to set the table ready for breakfast.”
“Yes sir.” Eleia stood up, sighed, and left her tiny room.

The house was big, nearly a mansion. The owner of the mansion was a wealthy noble family, VaMielon's. Eleia had been send to them when she was six years old for studying. Her parents had also been aristocrat, but when both of them had died, VaMielon’s had mercifully let the girl stay in their house. Eleia got food and drink from their table, got nice clothes and own little room. For all that she had to do little household jobs. She was not a servant, but she was treated like she would be.

Teoronel VaMielon, man who owned the mansion, was watching the girl as she started to set the table. Eleia was nearly sixteen, but short for her age. Talking about a girl still didn’t do justice to her, she was already a young woman. Her long, shiny black hair swayed as she walked from cupboard to the table and back again. In her brown eyes was the same dreamy look, like the spirit of the girl would be somewhere else. The pale hands were putting the silvery spoons next to porcelain plates. The girl was indeed beautiful, Teoronel was even sometimes amazed of how fragile and angel-like the girl was. That look in her brown eyes when she sometimes looked Teoronel, like a little shadow of huge wisdom made the influence even stronger. Like the girl would see something that was veiled from all the others. Sometimes Teoronel thought that the girl was not from this world.

Eleia was dusting a heavy, antique golden candlestick. She didn’t hear the steps behind her nor did she feel the gaze on her back. She became aware when she felt the man putting his hand on her hips. Eleia froze for awhile then she gave a scared scream and tried to turn around, but the male body pressed her against the wall. Eleia was gasping and she was very near of panicking. She tried desperately think a way out of that when the mans other hand gently cuddled her neck. The girl suddenly got strength from somewhere. She turned quickly around, pulled herself out of the mans grip. She could see a hungry flash in the green eyes of the man, before their light faded. Eleia did not know what to do nor where to go. So she ran out of the house.

She had never left the mansion except for few times during all the long years she had spent there.
Now she was heading to the little town called Lobon, which was nearby. When she stopped to drink
water from a little well at noon she realised that she was still holding the golden candlestick. Eleia continued her walking.

Dalan was walking the main street of Lobon heading to an inn where he had his room. The sun had set hours ago and soft darkness ruled everywhere. There was no other sounds than the footsteps. Dalan was scared as he heard a loud clink from a little alley ahead. Curiosity made him fasten his steps and he came to the alley. In the middle of the alley was laying a young woman. Her skin was very pale and her dark hair was veiling the ground. Dalan supposed that the girl had fainted for too much exhaustion. He hurried to the girl and found out a reason for that clinking sound. A heavy golden candlestick had fallen against the stones of the road. Dalan picked the candlestick up, took gently the girl in his arms and stared her angel-like face with enchantment. Without saying a word he carried the girl out of the alley. It seemed that he had company for this night...

Eleia opened her eyes. She did not know where she was, nor what had happened. All she remembered was a long walking, which has felt endless. She rose to a sitting-position and yawned. The room was little but comfy. There was a table and a chair, little bureau and a wide bed where she was sitting. She threw her legs out of the bed, meaning to stand up but her feet hit someone and she gave a scared scream. A blond haired young man rose to a sitting position. He had apparently been only half asleep. Eleia backed off to the other edge of the bed full of fright. Who was this man? What she was doing here? Hundreds of questions were floating in Eleia's mind.
“ Good morning, Fairy-girl”, Dalan said with a relaxing voice and smiled at Eleia.
“ Who are you?” Eleia asked with suspicion. “ And why you brought me here? What you are going to do to me?”
“ I am Dalan. Improper traitor of the whole family, who cannot even find a good appreciable job for himself... More shortly, I’m a poet.” he grinned. “ I brought you here because I had found you as fainted from pure exhaustion from one alley. I just couldn’t left you out there. I will watch out that you have a place to sleep and you will get feed and after that you may continue your journey... I even took your candlestick with.”
Eleia glanced the golden candle-stick which was shining in the light of just risen sun. Like straight from invitation the pinching memory images flashed in her mind. The cold, hard hands and the hungry look...
Eleia began to cry. Her cry was desperate and it didn’t get any better even when the warm arms wrapped around her pulling her to a comforting hug.

Girls long nails clang to boys shoulder but he was so confused that he didn’t even notice the pain. Now he sure was interested in her story. It could be easily seen that nothing was fine. How had the girl ended up on that alley in that kind of a bad shape? Why had she been so scared as she had noticed the man? And what had the heavy candle stick to do with that all?
Suddenly the girl started to make resistance in his arms and Dalan swiftly released her. The girl pressed herself against the wall and was sitting as far from the boy as she could. She was looking a way out the same look in her eyes that a trapped animals often have. The same desperate look.
Without saying a word she quickly grabbed the heavy candle stick and was holding it like she was ready to hit him with it.
“ I know what you are going to do to me.” She said her teeth clenched. Her brown eyes had darkened and they seemed nearly glowing of all the emotions which flashed in there: hate, disgrace and desperation... And above all them a helpless rage. Dalan carefully backed off from the bed. She clearly was not fine. Before he even could think stopping her, the girl had rushed to the door.
The sound which was born as the heavy antique candle stick hit the floor haunted in Dalan's dreams for years.

Eleia was running again. She was still weak of hunger, but she did not care. She knew she would now on be an outlawed. She ran, ignoring the pain and everything else as well, just ran forward until she sank onto the ground. She slept there, where she had fell of exhaustion. As the sun cast down its first rays upon her she woke up, sore on her feet and continued her running, her eyes spread wide. The big, bitter tears filled her eyes and her world blurred. She wasn’t able to see the tree root on her way until it was too late. She lifted her hands automatically up to protect her face as she fell over.

Melys did not need anyone’s help. During his childhood he had been independent and had stand on his own feet without any help from the others. Melys had grown up on the streets and been only eleven as he ran out to the forest nearby. Alone. Now, after eight years of that day when he had found abandoned cave and decided to stay there had his character changed.
His originally brown hair had lighten in the sunshine and they had grown little over his shoulders. He had grown taller and the strict diet and surviving in the forest alone had shaped him fast and athletic. He could have been a very good thief, but his moral stopped him for sinking so low.
Melys was heading to the river to get some water for cooking a rabbit he had caught by his traps in the morning. Suddenly something attacked him. That something knocked him over his back on the path covered with fir needles. He cursed. He couldn’t see anything, black hair was all over his face. Melys realised that that something was a human. Human? In the middle of a forest? Melys cursed again. If that was really a human, why couldn’t it move? Melys pushed easily the body away on him and watched closely his disturber. He noticed he had been right. It was a young black haired pale girl. Totally exhausted of hunger and was now in some kind of drowse. She seemed to be fully asleep but she whispered wild words with a voice that thirst had got hoarse. Melys was confused. What was she doing in the middle of a forest? In a condition like that? He lifted her up on his arms and carried her away.

Hazy imaged flashed again and again in Eleia’s mind. Candlestick. Hard wall. Little well. Soft bed. Comforting arms around her. Tall fir-trees. Falling through the air. Crash with something. In the last image strong arms lifted her up to light from the darkness all over. And those words! They ran down on her lips like an endless stream, as a call of some kind.

Eleia, Feliaw na wilitha. Thiro reynaw wil’...... Eleia, Feliaw na wilitha. Thiro reynaw wil’

Again and again the words ran down like there was no end to them. And Eleia couldn’t even understand the meaning of those words.
Her eyes threw wide open. After sleeping two days she felt much better. She realised she was inside a cave of some sort, laying on a warm soft pelt. She could not see anybody, but something she noticed as she turned her head. That something was a plate. A plate full of food: The last lingonberries of the autumn, meat from some animal, salad made from wood sorrels and in a wooden cup was fresh cold water. Eleia began to eat greedily and she didn’t even notice that she wasn’t alone in the cave.

Melys watched amused the eagerly with what Eleia ate the food he had put up. When she was finishing her lunch he decided to show his existence.
“ I hope you enjoyed it, because you ate also my food for today. Chase can not be found so easily from this close winter it is now.”
The girl turned swiftly around to see who was speaking and as she saw the young man she stood up.
“ It was you who brought me here?” she asked.
“ Yes, that would be me. I think it was my responsibility to do so. I was about to go to the river to get some water when you decided to fell on me.”
“ Tree root..”
“ Well, that must be why you fell down in the first place.” Melys shrugged. “ Anyway, you were exhausted, alone and weak of hunger. You know, I have a heart and brought you here. Now you have been sleeping for two days and you ate well everything I brought here for you.”
“ I appreciate your help.” Eleia nodded lightly. “ But I guess now I better keep going.”
“ No your not if it depends on me.” Melys said calmly.
“ What?! You can not keep m here like a prison!”
“ You wanna try that?” Melys said raising his eyebrow. “ I would not want to do that but you leave me no choice. First, to where you are supposed to go? I can’t let you wander off alone just like that. You know, there’s winter coming every day possible.”
Eleia gave a quick look on her pure white dress. The leaves were wide and the neckline left her shoulders without any veil. Eleia felt irritated but she new the boy was right. Eleia sat down on the pelt and the boy came and sat close to her. Yet not too close.
“ I’m Melys.” he introduced himself.
“ My name is Eleia.” she said quietly.
“ Right.” the boy nodded. “ Now tell me how did you end up here?”
Eleia watched the boy for a long while. On the way he looked out she thought the boy had been living here for a long time. He did not seem as a threat. She noticed a slight flash of interest in his eyes. Eleia decided she could confide her troubles to him and so she told everything. When she finally had got the chance to reveal her thoughts and feeling and her whole story to someone, the healing started. Though it took long to gain back her physical condition it took the rest of her life to fully heal the broken heart.

After Eleia had stopped her tearful flood of words Melys felt himself confused. He look the girl as he had now seen her for the first time. Surviving from experiences like that proved already something. From that moment on he respected her. Despite her weak appearance she had survived through much more than many of other people. Melys wanted to say something, something to comfort her, but he could not find words fitting to that situation. He doubted if there even existed fitting words. So the boy told story of his own. It was not so exiting but it was enough to make Eleia raise her face and stop the tears rolling down from her eyes.

Eleia was listening in enchantment when boy draw the images from his younger days to Eleia's mind. He had grown in a poor family living in the town. After his parents had died during one very long and freezing winter he had no choice but to move to the streets. By begging he could not always get enough food so he had stolen few times.. But only food, never money. And only from the people who had enough food to share it. From the streets the boy had wandered to the woods to live in loneliness, his own thought for the only company. And now, after nine years spent years in the forest just by himself... He wasn’t alone anymore.

And from that moment began Eleia’s learning. Not only learning all the things helping her to survive the coming winter and survive the ascetical life in forest, but learning how to build up trust and friendship. Friendship was unknown thing for Eleia. It had been mercy, not worship, fro which the VaMielon’s had let her stay in their home. Her trust for other humans, for men especially had broken on that day our story began. Now the trust started to heal back. Though it was more like Eleia started to build up trust like the first time in her life, because there was nothing left to be healed. Eleia was grateful for all the help and teaching Melys had given to her. She was only delighted for making a new friend.

Melys honoured Eleia a lot. After being alone for so long he admitted himself that company cheered him up and made him happy. And who would have made better company to him than Eleia?

Weeks passed by the little cozy cave.
Eleia gave a little laugh, she was so happy when he noticed how the ground was veiled by pure white snow. When Melys came out from their cave he saw Eleia, taking spinning dance-steps as snowflakes floated in the air around her. The sight was so beautiful that he nearly forgot to breathe. Eleia’s laughter brought him back to reality.
“ Oh Melys, look! It’s snowing! How lovely!” Girl smiled, grabbed his arm and pulled him to dance with her in the middle of the snowflakes.
“ But... Aren’t you cold?” Melys wondered. He watched her bare feet against the cold wet snow.
“ Cold? No, I’m not cold. The snow feels as a soft friends for my feet. It won’t freeze them.”
Melys found these words strange. His feet were cold and so he returned back to the cave and started to make breakfast for them both. He was just boiling water for tea when Eleia came in and sat down next to him. There was still snowflakes in her black hair and her brown eyes twinkled.
“ So you finished your dance?” He asked and smiled.
“ Yes, I finished it.... And I now I want a cup of tea.”
“ Well, young miss may wait the tea water to boil...”
They both laughed.

The forenoon passed peacefully by as they both did their jobs. The snow kept coming, big flakes quietly floating through the air and finally reach the ground.

In the evening Eleia and Melys were sitting in the doorway of the cave. They watched how snowflakes danced in the cold air. Right on that moment the nature coloured everything with soft deep blue colour. And when that magic moment was gone, Eleia leaned her head against his shoulder. Girl was exhausted. Though they had not been in a hurry there still had been many things to do. Surviving in the forest was not easy in winter Not even for two.
Melys got nearly scared of that warm feeling that rose in his heart when he thought the trust and friendship that Eleia felt towards him. He realised he loved this tender girl. He knew he had to hide that feeling. Melys did not want to hurt Eleia. She was so young and all her experiences about men, except for Melys, seemed like a nightmare.

Weeks passed. Eleia did not have a clue how Melys now felt towards her.

On that day the winter was on its middle. Eleia and Melys had been living in the cave for over two moths. The snowfall which had felt endless finally settled down leaving the ground pure.
The day went on pretty usually. It was already an evening when it happened.
Again the blue shine hid away all other colours. Eleia, who was standing on the doorway, turned to look at Melys. The time spent in the nature outside had coloured her pale cheeks with mild rose-like red. Her warm smile flashed in her gentle brown eyes. In that moment Eleia looked more beautiful than ever. He could not keep all the feelings inside him anymore after suffering quietly for over five weeks.
Eleia smiled at Melys. She saw like slow-motioned how the boy walk over to her, gently put his hands on her shoulders and bent forward to give her a kiss.
At first she froze. Old memories filled her with panic. Then, she woke up. It was useless to stay in the past. Those moments were gone now, and remembering it only made her worse. This moment was important. Blue shine around them, the warm cave and Melys... Melys was important. The kiss did not felt wrong. She raised her head and watched Melys deeply in his eyes.
Melys had released Eleia from his grip as he had felt the girl petrifying. He should have been able to control himself. Now everything was ruined. He wouldn’t be able to see her anymore... But when Eleia lifted up her gaze Melys couldn’t see hate, fright nor despise in her eyes. The only feelings he could see was understanding and love.
Eleia smiled at him. Then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They stood there in each others arms for a long time, until darkness had swallowed the light and starts were lit on the night sky.

Eleia woke up. The feeling inside her was odd. Like someone would be calling her. She left his side from the pelt and dressed. She gave a little kiss on his forehead and left the cave. White snow reflected the pale silver moonlight. It was full moon and the stars smiled at her from the dark sky. She stopped on a little hilly clearing the fir trees circled. Se raised her gaze up the sky. It felt like the warm wind would have carried whispered words, words, which Eleia had heard before.
Eleia, Feliaw na wilitha. Thiro reynaw wil’....
And then she finally realised everything.
“ Me reynaw... Na lem”, Eleia answered quietly and the wind around her blew stronger. Like strong hands would have lifted her up in the air and carried her up towards the stars... Towards the home.

Melys was starting to get worried. Eleia had left already half an hour ago. The boy got up and dressed himself warmly. He got out of the cave and started to follow the little footprints on the snow. They lead him on a little hill. There the footprints suddenly stopped, like the girl would have vanished. A warm wind surrounded him. The wind whispered silent words in his ear. The language was the most beautiful he had ever heard but he couldn’t understand it. Still the words calmed down his mind and filled his heart with love.

Eleia was sitting on a little hill which was in the middle of that clearing. She did not feel the coldness around her. Though the decision had been really hard she knew she could not have stayed there. She belonged here. Here she had been born. And now, she had received her wings back. She was watching the night sky and thinking about Melys. He was there somewhere... One lonely bright tear rolled down her pale cheek, but that tear was a happy one. It represented all that love Melys had given to her. In silence she watched how the stars were lit in darkness.