Gretchen gathered the small boxes left in her room, they were filled with trinkets from her childhood, and last to be put in the carriage since she insisted upon holding them. On top, was the one which held the doll, Lilian, that once had been looked after, and protected by Helani. It had been saved from the furniture pyre their father created when the fourth daughter would not apologize the ninth, and it was brought back to its owner as a peace offering the day the sisters mended fences. There had been many bonds created between the siblings which involved Lilian, and she wasn’t trusting the box’s possession anyone.

Looking around, memories from the past came flooding back, and they caused a moment of pause and reflection. The wall near the door had marks from annual measurements of the little one’s height, it had been her goal to be able to stand eye-level to Azleal, and the princess made notches with her pocket-knife; in reality, she stood nine feet and seven inches, and he was eleven feet five inches tall, making him one foot and eight inches taller than her.

The sibling before her, Yuri, had always been a prankster, and wherever he went chaos was sure to closely follow. Though he did not physically harm anyone, there was generally a mess to clean up after one of his jokes, and it had been her duty to choose the switch their mother would use for his punishment from what was referred to as “the switch-tree”.

Gretchen was brought back to reality by a peculiar sound, one that is acquired when pebbles hit glass, and she knew that Azleal was signaling it was time to leave. She gently tugged on the chain dangling from the fixture which hung in the middle of the room that turned off the light, and pulled the door closed behind her. At the end of the hall was another window, and the young royal female used it to exit the manor; in her mind, this decision was better than having to walk downstairs, and it would cause the family less time to wait.

*****************************************

On the ninth continent:

The horse-drawn buggy came to a rest in front of the citadel, and everyone began opening the doors in order to exit. Immediately, there were stable workers who attended to the animals, and foot soldiers moved in to offer assistance to the females. The elves walked on red-velvet carpet, there were news cameras, and the Devereux family dodged their obscene questions. Once inside, Wenny and Werloni waited for their old friend with smiles, and the queen made apologies to everyone about the press.

“I knew you guys liked to greet guests with the carpet, but I had no idea the cameras would be here,” the professor said.

“Jazzi, you know me better than that, I’d never sic those vultures on you,” the queen said.

“I’d hoped our relations were on better terms,” Jasmine replied.

“Oh, they are, but you cannot be angry with me for someone else telling them you were coming,” she said.

“No, I guess, I can’t do that, and don’t worry about it. These kids deal with worse on a daily basis since they’re involved with search and rescue, and there’s even a doctor at East Zeerk, Regional,” Jasmine said.

“Wow! I had no idea your children were involved with the community, especially the princess,” the king said.

“What, you think the princess gets special privileges? Because, I can tell you she works harder than my boys, on most days. Plus, she has kids of her own. Now I ask, ‘who has time for anything special when you are a mother’?” The magix elder said.

“Oh, alright, well, around here, our royalty is treated differently,” he replied.

“I’m not having any of it, I will one day be the planetary queen, and you will not treat me or my sister differently than everyone else. We both enjoy our work, it keeps us grounded and level-headed, and neither of us is going to stop what we are doing to satisfy you,” the princess said.

“Yeah, I happen to agree with her, we don’t live that way at home, and I don’t want special privileges just because of my bloodline. I will not allow it, not even when I’m queen,” Gretchen said.

“Can I ask why you live the way you do?” Wenny asked.

“Because, we are only going to be queens for two hundred and fifty years, and some elves don’t forget when they’re treated differently,” Ecko replied.

“If you and your family chooses to live that way, I will not look down on you for it, however, I do not choose that for me and mine,” the future queen said.

“We meant no offense to either of you,” Werloni said.

“There was none taken, these are the things we talk about when we’re getting acquainted with one another,” Jasmine chimed in.

“You raised the planetary princess and our future continental queen without magix privileges, as well, professor?” Wenny asked.

“Mamma, don’t answer that, and I’ve got this one. No, yo your highness, she did not raise us without magix, but there’s nothing privileged in the community. Every time we use the craft, there is a price to pay, and when you’re talking about shaving years off your life, that’s not a special thing. We might know the ins and outs of the craft, but we cannot use it for personal gain. Whenever using magix, your intent is an unspoken vibe which is felt by the universe, it works the same way animals can sense your fear, and if that intention gets altered, the universe will pick up on it. The magix you attempt will not work,” the princess explained.

“Are these belief systems or can they be proven?” The queen asked.

“No one in the community, whether light or dark, is brave enough to find out, because in order to know that you have to move onto the afterlife. The only beings who can truly answer that type of question exist there, and no one I know who has moved onto the afterlife can come back to life in order to share the answers. Therefore, these things are done by faith,” Jasmine explained.

“You are alright with handling magix, and going by faith? My friend, you are a lot stronger than I,” Wenny said.

“It’s not like we study the craft with our eyes wide shut, we go into it having our eyes opened to the truth about the topic. Those of us in the community who study the dark side of magix are fully aware of the consequences when it comes to its use, as well,” The professor said.

“If you don’t mind, could we stir the conversation in another direction for a while?” The queen wanted to know.

“Yes, ma’am, your highness, what would you like to discuss?” She asked.

“Not accepting privileges”, the royal one replied.

“I can tell you that way of life is something that does not come easily, it will take a lot of hard work, and dedication to it. Generally, it’s much less complicated teaching a child, but I’m sure it can be accomplished with an adult. Gretchen, Sopher I want you both to set an example, don’t try to change anyone’s mind, but help them when they come to you. Just behave the way you would at home, baby-girl, and everyone should follow suit. However, if they’re too stubborn, I’ll come help you sort things out,” Jasmine said.

“The thing is, I’d already planned to implement the behavior you have taught me, but to be honest, I know how influence can change hands, so to speak, therefore, if I send you a connection, you will know the shift has been made, and you will need backup. Until then, everything should be alright, I’ll just keep reminding them who my sister is,” the future queen said.

**********************************************************************************

Gretchen and Sopher lived their lives in the same way they always had, this was not something that was expected of them, but it was done because of many years of habit. At first, their efforts seemed fruitless, and Gretchen was beginning to feel like none of her distant relatives would get on-board with the concepts set in front of them; she’d grown weary of tying to teach something to a group of elves who wanted nothing to do with her way of life, and she was tempted to give up. Then, one morning, everyone awoke, and it was obvious everyone wanted to change, because none of them were dressed up in expensive clothes. Instead, they all wore clothes designed for working in, and they were all wearing appropriate foot ware for a day full of difficult tasks.

“I cannot tell y’all how proud it makes me to see that each of you is willing to put forth an effort to do these things, and at the end of the day, I hope you feel more pride for yourselves than we do,” the future matriarch said.

“Gentlemen, follow me, we’re going to work in the stables, today,” Sopher said.

“Ladies, come with me, our work isn’t as gross as theirs, but we are getting dirty working in the yard”, Gretchen said.

The males went with the future patriarch, the stables needed organization of the tools and cleaning of stalls, and these tasks had been left incomplete by the regular staff members as a favor to the young royal elf. The females pulled on gloves and were given tools to work in the yard. A rake was the instrument for Wenny, her daughters were issued bags to fill with the leafs raked by their mother, and they all worked well together. At lunchtime, everyone gathered under an oak tree, and they were fed sandwiches with drinks and fresh whole fruit. Nothing came from the kitchen for the second meal of the day that resembled favoritism, not to the queen nor the king, and the children noticed their reactions. Being a family of seventeen children and two adults, the children’s ages were widely varied, and the choices each of them made were based on the way mom and dad reacted. When the queen and king reacted by going with the flow, Wenny handled not having a napkin by wiping her hands on her pants, the young children laughed, but they followed the example set by their parents. The older children handled things differently, but none of them complained about the circumstances.

**********************************************************************************

After a few decades, a rumor began about the entire royal family, and Wenny became disturbed by what she’d heard. Unsure of how to handle the situation, the queen trekked upstairs to the fourth floor, and she spoke with the future queen. In her mind, there had to be a way to stop the lies being told, but only one royal elf knew what it would take.

“I know that you are busy, I don’t normally come up here during this time of day, but you are the only one I can think of to help me with the ugly rumor that’s going around,” the current ruler said.

“Tell me what it is that’s being said, and don’t leave anything out,” Gretchen said.

“That everyone in our family is financially destitute,” she replied.

“Are we financially destitute?” The future queen wanted to know.

“No, we are not,” Wenny answered.

“Then do not worry about what anyone else says, forgive me for saying this, but you care too much about what others think. I’m not being disrespectful, and I have not forgotten my manners. However, someone needs to tell you the truth, and not be afraid to do it. The reason you came to me was because you wanted a solution, and you have one. Stop worrying about the lies others speak,” the royal one said.

“Yes, you are right, I know what the truth is, and none of the rest is anyone’s business. Right?” Wenny inquired.

“Exactly, it’s no one’s business whether our family has money, and to be quite blunt, you are not to discuss finances outside of the immediate family,” Gretchen said.

“I know that you’ve been super busy, and that has kept us from growing as close as I would have liked, but for the most part, you’re pretty good at anticipating others’ needs. However, your mind is off-balance if you think that was all I wanted to talk about,” the queen said.

“Apparently, I’m not as good as I thought or I would have known that, but now that you’ve brought it up, let’s talk about the other topic you wanted to address,” the young elf said.

“I’d like it if we could work together, and change the way I’m treated by my family,” she replied.

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard you say since I got here, and yes, I will help you with whatever it is you need,” Gretchen said.

Eventually, after working diligently around-the-clock to accomplish their goal, the queens threw a suareé in celebration of Wenny; she’d regained the respect lost many years before, and Gretchen suggested having a party for that occasion specifically. In preparation of the upcoming shindig, each of the royal children visited a hair-stylist, and they remembered to wash behind their ears. As guests began to arrive, all of the queen’s offspring stood by her side, and they used their manners when greeting the citizens.

Ulysses, the oldest royal son, invited Denati, his girl friend, to the ballroom floor, and she took his hand to be led out. The young couple bowed to one another, his hand wrapped around her waist, hers was placed on his shoulder, and they kept time with the rhythm. In order for the twenty-year-old royal elf to make his plan to work, he wanted all eyes looking in their direction, and a waltz around the dance floor would garner that attention. As the concert piece closed, the royal elf dropped to one knee, the time had come for his marriage proposal, and the ring was purchased the week before; the female citizen’s eyes were wet with tears, she’d been hoping for that moment for a while, and the diamond was placed on her hand.

*********************************************************************************

Royals and citizens and dark elves alike gathered for the wedding of Wenny and Werloni’s oldest boy, at night Kulkkuk Bay glistened by the light of the moon, and the young couple’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the water’s reflection when they posed for pictures. One of Gretchen’s hobbies was photography, she mostly shot rolls full of nature and her creatures and her spouse, but knew the tools of the trade well enough to produce professional quality photos for their special day.

The mermaid, Queen Kylee performed the ceremony with oxygen provided to her through a breathing apparatus, and everyone who attended the reception had a four-hour limited supply. The king’s heart felt as though a vice had been applied to it whenever the bride-to-be revealed that her father passed away not long after her birth, and Werloni graciously accepted her invitation to be the stand-in for that part of the ceremony; when it was time for the father-daughter dance during the reception, the royal once again took her father’s place, and spun her into Ulysses’s arms for their first dance as husband and wife.

A week after the wedding of her great-cousin, Gretchen began to process the rolls of film from the blessed occasion, and she began to examine them for the purposes of creating a photo album for the newlyweds. The first one to finish had several unruly children whose mothers were trying, unsuccessfully, to wrangle them, and she was inspired to never have children of her own. The next image to completely develop was one of the couple, she recognized it as one that was taken before the ceremony, and upon closer inspection, the royal one saw something which restored her faith in parenthood; both of the elves in the picture had their hands on the female’s stomach, which was generally a child was on the way, and it touched her heart to know that, in spite of the fact that she could’ve been disowned, Denati married her love, anyway. For the future Aztirian queen, the second photograph was a symbol of hope, and she smiled as it was placed in the book, first.
*****************************************
Ten years later, the royal elf was told by Doctor Alderman that she and Sopher were going to be parents, and they began to prepare for their first baby. After a series of discussions, she was capable of convincing her husband to move back home in order to be closer to both families during the pregnancy, and their Royal Dragon took them to the Afertin citadel.
© P. L. Watson-Atwell