XXVI

"What?! No!"- Talvi's eyes widened in a frenzied expression. 

He jumped up, twisting his hands, tugging at his hair like a madman, pacing the small room in a storm of emotions. Elanor watched in astonishment and confusion. When he finally sank back to the floor in front of her, he looked at her with the face of a sad kitten. Lumi stood alert at the door. 

"No, it was not Winter King. What even made you think-" they both heard commotion and steps outside in the hall. 

Talvi listened for a moment, and his long, pointy ears must have been much more sensitive, because he definitely heard something she did not. His face changed to a chilling wrath she had never seen before; Lumi slid under the bed following his silent command. He stepped towards Elanor in one move, pulled her up, and whispered: "I'm sorry for this. Trust me, play along." 

And Talvi scooped her by the waist with one hand, tilted her face up with another, and kissed her. 

Wham!- the door swung open, breaking the latch, and two male faeries peeked inside the room. They seemed older, although it was always hard to tell a fae's age; each of them was holding a bronze cup, and they were stumbling in their steps and laughed loudly when they saw Elanor and Talvi. 

"Hah, too late!"

"Let's check the next-" they blurted out, barely able to make words, and continued down the hall without batting an eye.

Talvi immediately stopped kissing her, but kept his forehead pressed to Elanor's for a few long moments, until the sounds of the intruders faded with the distance. Then he pulled back and gently guided her to sit back on the bed. Lumi crawled out and snuggled to her side, while Talvi closed the door and locked it with a spell; he then returned to the human, squatted in front of her and silently watched her face. 

Elanor froze and did not move for quite some time. No thoughts were going through her mind; she just felt her heartbeat racing and beating out of her chest and her hands and feet getting ice cold, while her face was burning. 

"Lara... can you stay with Lumi for just a moment? I'll step outside and be back immediately," softly asked Talvi. He expected she would not answer, but she slowly moved her hand and grabbed onto the sleeve of his white shirt. 

"No. Please, don't leave me," she pleaded, starting to shake. Talvi rummaged through the sacks until he found her winter jacket, wrapped it around her shoulders, and sat next to her. She leaned her head against his shoulder, sitting between Lumi and the elf, feeling a bit more secure. When the shaking stopped and she felt warmth coming back to her limbs, she asked:

"They were?.. If you... "

What would happen if he weren't here?

She felt sick. Talvi pulled her in a hug and held her.

"Don't think of it," he implored, rocking her in his arms softly. "Don't think of it."

They sat like that for a long, long time. Eventually, Talvi leaned back against the cold wall when he felt that Elanor had dozed off, and he left her sleeping like this for the rest of the night. 

***

Very early, although it was impossible to tell in the windowless chamber, Elanor opened her eyes, and for just a few seconds, her mind remained in a peaceful bliss: she was warm, Lumi snoring cozily at her side, and Talvi held her in a comforting embrace. Then the weight of remembering where she was pulled at her gut like a bag of rocks. Still, sleep and friends at her side significantly improved her disposition from last night, and she slowly sat up to see Talvi dozing off in an uncomfortable position. 

She fished some energy bars and filled her mug with tea for a short snack; Talvi also woke up, disturbed by the crinkling of the plastic wrapper. She shared some tea with him and a bag of peanuts that had come from the magic pocket, and they discussed their plans for the day.

"Little lark, the ball will start at dusk; it is a masquerade, so once we get you a costume, I am much more confident you shall be safe. The queen will definitely want to speak with me, so after the first dance, I will seek her out to discuss business as soon as possible and conclude our conversation. After that, we can leave without breaking any etiquette."

"Sounds good, are we going somewhere to buy a dress?"

"No need, I will send a message to Hazel, and the gowns will be delivered before the event. However, I do need to leave you for just a bit to meet with someone. I will hide you in the gardens and come back in an instant."

They both fell silent, reminded of the incident and unable to put into words the dire state of the humans in Seelie, avoiding discussion of the reason why it would be best for Elanor to stay hidden and not leave his side.

"Can I go with you?" she pleaded. He shook his head gently.

"No, Lara. I really think you'd better wait for me. I will return very soon, I promise."

I wish he hadn't left me alone. But a faerie promise should be worth a lot. 

She nodded. She often thought about the fae's inability to speak lies, and how they must feel about it. She even asked Talvi once. His reply was one of the only times he wasn't fooling around and answering with banter. Instead, he looked at her seriously and said: "I view not humans as superior or inferior because they are able to lie. I view them as free. Lies must be what opens the door to freedom: fae can only be what we are, humans are free to become what they want." Seeing her confusion, Talvi explained: "When your friend has failed at his craft many times, and asks you whether you think he is a bad artisan, you might be dishonest, but you have the ability to reply like a good friend that you wish you were - "no, of course you are a great craftsman, just keep practicing", and leave both of you happier for it. Lies are a hammer that can forge beautiful things if used for good, or smash skulls if used for evil." And added: "Or smash a few heads for good at times, depends," bringing the conversation back into bantering. 

Together, they walked long, quiet halls of the Seelie residence. Only human servants were up at this hour, tidying and preparing for tonight's party. Outside, the preparations were going in full swing as well; countless poles with ribbons and lanterns were being raised along the full length of the central garden path. 

Elanor and Talvi went in the opposite direction, away from the crowd, Lumi hidden safely in a pouch at Elanor's pants. Talvi refused to give her back the belt for now, as well as refusing to explain the reason why. They found a tall tree, and Talvi helped her climb the branches so that she was so high from the ground that no one would notice. He then ruffled her hair and climbed back down, disappearing swiftly back into the castle.