The Guardian and the Traveller

Leyade gave her a questioning look.

“Why would going back mean leaving Silas?” she asked, puzzled.

Elindra sighed anxiously before answering.

“Because the Guardian of the Veil cannot leave, and no one can stay with her unless they take the same oath,” she explained hesitantly. “It is a sacred duty, meant to be carried out alone.”

“The Guardian of the Veil? What is that?” Leyade frowned in confusion. “And why can’t she leave or have anyone with her?”

Elindra glanced at her.

“You don’t know what the Veil is?” the dragon asked in surprise. “I suppose ordinary elves wouldn’t know about such things…” She considered this for a moment. “The Veil is like a magical mist that conceals, in this case, the kingdom of the fairies. If you deliberately try to enter, you simply cannot reach it. It’s like opening a door to a room, but instead of finding the room on the other side, you step through and find yourself outside again. The Veil diverts you, and you can’t turn, stop or leave the path,” she explained as simply as she could.

“Ah, I understand… That’s a good way of doing it. We had a sort of maze made by planting trees in a particular pattern,” Leyade replied thoughtfully. “But why does it need a guardian?”

“Normally, no one can stop the Veil from diverting them. But sometimes someone comes along with enough power to see it and find a way to open it temporarily or pass through… In other words, they can sneak in.”

Elindra huffed and narrowed her eyes, as though she found such situations terribly tiresome.

“I see… Couldn’t Silas stay with you and help guard the Veil?” Leyade asked, crossing her legs.

“For that to work, Silas would have to swear never to leave or reveal the Veil’s location.” Elindra shook her head.

“I’m sure he would be willing.” Leyade glanced at Silas, asleep in his sleeping bag. “And I imagine that’s one of the reasons you don’t want to go back, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. I know he would, but I won’t do that to him. If he ever settled down, it should be because he was tired of travelling, not because someone selfishly clipped his wings.” Elindra looked at Leyade with a resolute expression.

“I imagine he’s told you he doesn’t mind, and that he’ll do it if you want him to. Am I wrong?” Leyade tossed a twig into the fire and watched the flames consume it.

“Many times. He says it’s his choice, that he can decide for himself, that he’s certain, and so on… But come on, Leyade. You’ve only just met him, but tell me: don’t you think he would spend every day longing to travel?” Elindra turned towards her indignantly, folding her forelegs and fixing her with a stare.

Leyade considered it carefully, though she had little doubt.

“On the one hand, yes, he would find it difficult. But on the other, he wouldn’t regret it, because you would be happy and you would be together,” she replied calmly, glancing occasionally at the sleeping half-elf. “But, Elindra, the real question is: what do you want?”

The dragon fell silent, watching the fire crackle. Leyade had asked a question she did not know how to answer. She wanted to be with Silas, but neglecting her duty hurt. She was torn between the two. A long sigh escaped her.

“I don’t know.” She turned back towards the elf. “How can you be so certain of what you want to do?” she asked curiously. “You seem so determined… You set off alone to search for something when you didn’t even know what it was. You ended up exploring a hostile place, you were nearly murdered, and you survived a trial. And look at you: here you are… with a faerie creature and a half-elf you barely know, who was brought into your affairs whether you wanted him there or not. Yet after all that, there’s still so much determination in your eyes.”

Elindra watched her with a glimmer of admiration.

A wistful, honest smile formed on Leyade’s lips. She gently touched the marks on her neck, then looked at Kalindra and finally at Elindra.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how I’m doing it either,” she admitted with a soft laugh. “It’s true that an awful lot has happened in a very short time. I’m not especially brave, not one of those people who can endure anything through sheer willpower and resilience.” She gazed thoughtfully at the moon. “I’m the sort of person who tries, fails, runs away, feels stupid for leaving, comes back and does it all over again. But this time, I have no way to back out.”

The dragon listened closely as she opened her heart. Leyade’s words were sincere, and that meant a great deal to Elindra.

“You might not think it now, but I nearly lost my mind in that dungeon. I grew so desperate that they barely wanted to come near me with my food,” Leyade confessed with a quiet laugh.

“How did you manage to keep going? To stop yourself from running away?” Elindra leaned closer, concern in her eyes, and rested a forepaw on Leyade’s leg.

“By thinking of them.” A broad smile lit Leyade’s face. “I think about how, if I do nothing, we’ll lose everything. Generations of work to build a home, our families’ lives… All of it would be gone for ever, and I can’t let that happen because I was too afraid.” Her voice filled with resolve. “I volunteered. I have no right to give up like that. This isn’t like when I was little and offered to help my mother with the washing, then got bored and wandered off. There are no excuses this time.”

Leyade clenched her fists.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t express what you feel. Quite the opposite. I’ve cried, shouted and given in to despair… But in this case, the answer is to get back up.”

She was quiet for a moment, then smiled as she realised what she wanted to tell Elindra.

“That’s the answer, Elindra. Accept what you feel and let it out. Don’t be afraid to express yourself. It’s natural to feel frightened or ashamed. Accept that. Let yourself feel, remember what you’re fighting for, and find the strength to keep going.”

Elindra gazed at her in astonished silence. The elf’s words had touched her deeply. She looked at Silas for a moment, then lowered her gaze to her forepaws.

“Accept what I feel and remember what I’m fighting for…” she whispered to herself.

“You don’t have to answer now, but if you have to choose one day, will you return to Liarieth or stay with Silas? Or, better still, will you accept things as they are, or fight to change them?” Leyade smiled and gently stroked her head. “Queen Elira seems open-minded enough that you might be able to reach an agreement.”

Elindra’s eyes filled with tears. She took Leyade’s hand between her forepaws and began to cry.

“Thank you, Leyade.” She buried her face in Leyade’s palm and broke down completely. “I’m scared. So scared. Silas means so much to me. For a long time, he was the only person who understood me, my best friend…” Her words tumbled out between sobs and shuddering breaths, great tears soaking the elf’s hand. “I don’t want to lose him, Leyade.”

Moved, Leyade drew her closer, lifted her in her hand and held her against her chest, stroking her back between her little wings.

“You won’t lose him, Elindra. He would never let that happen, and neither would I. How could the best duo in the world split up? Elindra and Silas, the adorable guardian and the peculiar traveller,” she said, trying to comfort her. “Don’t worry. The future will come, but you have a say in what it brings.”

The dragon nestled against her, trembling and sobbing.

“Yes, yes, yes! Exactly! We can’t split up! We’re the most wonderful duo in the world!” she exclaimed, trying to stop crying.

Elindra cried for a little longer, until she was calm enough to look up at the elf.

“You’re my friend too, Leyade,” she said, her face wet with tears. She lifted her head and curled her tail around one of Leyade’s fingers.

Leyade smiled tenderly.

“And you’re mine, Elindra.”

The dragon nodded, still sniffling.

“Can I stay a little longer?” she asked, looking up with pleading eyes.

Leyade laughed softly at the sight and agreed.

“Yes, of course. You can stay as long as you like.”

Elindra settled against her chest without letting go of her finger.

Eventually, the dragon fell asleep in Leyade’s arms. Leyade carried her over to Silas’s sleeping bag, taking the opportunity to wake him for his watch.

As she gently laid Elindra down, Silas smiled at her and silently mouthed:

“Thank you.”