Changelings - Ch 4: Chrysobel

Ch 4: Chrysobel

It was quite fashionable nowadays to be human for a while, especially when there were problems in the elfin world, like now. And so when my father, the king of the E family, told me he thought I should be human for a while, I thought nothing of it.

Then he told me the punch line. When C family’s princess Livvy was placed, she was placed in a household in the aria I would be sent to. It was also suspected that she went to the same school I would be going to.

The king and queen of the C family where desperate to find their daughter. You see, they were placed by the king’s brother, without the king or queen gaining knowledge of their whereabouts, so that only one would know anything more than a general aria, so it would be heard to find the princesses. The C family prince had died.

That’s what the E family king, and my father, wanted me to do, though.

Find the princess Livvy, and bring her home to be my bride, for she was the one who had been born with the blessing of returning to her home.

The preparations were being made. A woman came, though, and claimed she had to see my father, and that it was of vital importance. I watched her enter the gate from my balcony.

A quarter of an hour later, though, the woman appeared in my room. Her hair was dark as midnight, and her eyes were hard to look at. They where bright as the sun.

“Prince.” She bowed. “I am Stella Astron, and I have important information for you.”

Stella Astron! She is a renowned astrologer and psychic. They say she was born from the stars themselves.

“Rise, by all means.” I said. “What is the information you wish to give me?”

“The princesses. You are meant to pursue Livvy, as it is her fate to return home. I must tell you, however, this is incorrect, though this is how Livvy was born. You see, Livvy was born unlucky, but with the fate to return home. Aubree was born Lucky, but with the fate never to return home.” She explained. Her head was still slightly bowed. Her dark hair put me in mind of something. They said the princess Livvy’s hair was black as the night. This did not really appeal to me.

“But that was wrong. Fate had set it the other way, and by some trick of Albumancy, it had turned out opposite of how it was meant to be. And so, I reversed them. Livvy would have good luck, but never return home, while Aubree would have bad luck, but regain her throne. The princess you will be pursuing is not Livvy, but Aubree.” She said.

“Aubree.” I repeated. A name from human literature. “But she will not go by that name in the human world. How will I find her?”

“I will tell you what she looks like. She was a babe when I last saw her, so I won’t know details, as she is almost your age, and her features must have changed a great amount, but I can give you a general idea.” She said. I nodded.

“Aubree had pale hair, though I’m not sure of the exact color. Her eyes where as dark, quite possibly black.” She told me. “She may look utterly different in her human form, though, of course.”

“Thank you.” I said. She turned to go, but I called her back. “Wait!”

She turned back to me. “Yes, prince?” She asked.

“Do… Do we know Aubree’s human name?” I asked.

“No. All you will need to do to turn her back to a elf, if you find her, though, is channel a small amount of Albumancy into her system.” She said. “Is there anything else?”

“No. Thank you very much for coming.” She smiled then. It was kind of creepy.

“Your very welcome, prince. Good day.” And she left.

All preparations were made. I would be leaving soon.

My first impression of New Jersey was that it is most definitely very cold. I suppose it was very cold in New York State, too, but our homes are made lovely all the time, by Albumancy.

The human house I would be staying in was huge, and old. An interesting place. There was a bit of residual Albumancy in the attic, making me wonder whether elves had lived here before.

It was January, so I was starting in the middle of the year. It would be awkward, but the story was that I had been in the hospital for a serious medical issue I didn’t wish to discuss.

Then, I was told I would not actually be attending human school, but joining a local home school group’s meetings and co – ops.

I would be starting the next day. I got settled as much as I could.

When no one was looking, which, admittedly, was often, the girl would put her hands to her ribs, letting her expression slip from one of mild pleasure to one of breathing through pain.

Whenever anyone glanced back at her, though, she smiled. I did not think the smile was real.

I came out of behind the tree I was hiding in.

She smiled.

“You’re new, right?” She asked. “Corbin?”

“Yes.” I said, smiling.

There was no doubt. She was gorgeous. Her skin was pale, and creamy, with a faint dusting of pink on her cheek bones. Her eyes where dark blue, and her hair was cream.

“Nice to meet you.” She said, stepping forward to shake my hand. Her stride was long, and graceful. Her hands where slender, ovular and flowing. Water hands. They were also very cold. She wore loosely fitted jeans, so you could see nothing of her figure, and a black boy’s shirt. Her coat was definitely a man’s.

“Chry!” Someone called. Where they cheering on someone who had been brought to tears? That seemed cruel, but the girl turned.

“Yes, Kamaria?” She said.

“Lola’s twisted her ankle.” The girl, Kamaria, informed the other, who, I could only gather, was named Chry.

“Show me where.” Cry moved forward, apparently ready to help.

The two girls left the covered pavilion where we were, and went down into the park itself. I followed at a small distance.

There was a young girl sitting below a tree, crying.

“Lola.” Kamaria said.

“Kami, did you get Cry?”

“I’m here.” Cry stepped forward, long hair swishing, spots of cream and grey in the dappled light. She knelt next to the hurt girl. “Where does it hurt?” She asked.

Lola pointed to a place on her ankle.

“Alright.” Cry laid her hand on Lola’s wound. Not really laid. More, she brushed it across. She gasped. Then, “Better?”

“Yes.” Lola said, getting up.

“Good.” Cry smiled.

“Kami, could you help me, please?” She reached a hand up, eyes closed.

“Allow me.” I said, taking her hand and helping her up.

“Thank you.” She said. She let go, but stumbled.

I caught her.

“Sorry.” She said. “But could you help me?”

“Of course.” I said. “But, may I ask, what happened?”

“Oh.” She said, limping along, clearly trying not to put too much weight on my arm. A pointless gesture. I was an elf. I could lift most of her scant weight with just that arm.

“Oh,” she said. “It just takes a lot out of me.”

“I see.” I said. I set her on a bench at one of the tables.

“Thank you very much.” She thanked me again.

“I assure you, it was my pleasure.”

She just smiled serenely.

“You’re hair is like mine.” She said, after a while.

“What do you mean?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen hair of more different colors.

“I don’t know. Just the same… I don’t know. Thickness?” Not thickness. Her hair was elfin, it showed. Like strands of silk.

“I see what you mean.” I said.

“Lola.” She said, unexpectedly. “Could you please tell everyone it’s time to get supplies?” She asked.

“Sure.” Lola said, and ran off. Cry opened several boxes, and started taking out brushes and sketch books. She sorted them into piles for each student.

“How…. How do you heal others?” I asked.

She looked up, thoughtful.

“This is how what little Magick I have manifests itself.” She said.

“Enough Magick to heal other’s injuries?” I asked. “That cannot be called small Magick.”

“That it cannot.” she said, and she went back to her sorting. Her hair was paper thin, and rod straight, down past her waist.

“Then why do you claim to have little Magick when clearly you have great power.”

She looked up at me. “How much do you know about Magick?” She asked me.

“More than a little.” I said. She merely nodded.

“I can sense you have a bit yourself. Are you trained?” She asked.

“Not in the least.” I said.

Then people started crowding around, and Cry was busy giving out supplies. She had changed the subject very effectively.

I was going to have to figure out who the princess was, or if she was even here. I wondered why they had sent me for this task. Probably so I could woo her before telling her she was an elf, to increase her chance of acceptance.

But whatever. I needed to find her. The thing was, though, in human form, I didn’t have any Albumancy to test whether anyone was an elf or not. I could not transform in public, nor could I risk the princess being transformed in public.

At least I had an age range. The princess was born two years after myself. She would be thirteen or fourteen. She would not, of course, know her real, exact birthday, as she was a changeling.

So, now I had to get to know all the girls here within that age range, and try to figure out which is most likely to be an elf.

Slice of apple.

Not.

At least there where only half a dozen girls to interview.

I drew up a list in my native tong on the second page of my notebook, hoping it could pass for doodles, at least.

Cry

Kamaria

Ashley

Bri

Heather

Heather was looking at me funny. I decided to start there.

“Hello.” I said, plopping down next to her on the asphalt floor of the pavilion.

She didn’t respond. I looked over at her. She had heard, right?

Ooops. Elf.

“Hello.” I said again in English.

“Hi.” She said, looking up. Humans could not hear elf. I was surprised I could even speak it in human form.

“My name’s Corbin.” I said.

“Heather.” She said, smiling and looking up from her drawing book. She froze when she saw me. I was in human form, right?

I looked at her questioningly.

“All right, everyone!” The teacher had arrived.

“Hi mom!” Cry said. I was surprised by this. Cry’s mother looked nothing like her.

Cry’s mother had wavy, red hair. Normal red, almost brown. Her eyes where a very dark green, and she was tanned, and freckled. It was hard to believe they were related.

“Today.” She said casually, walking in holding a book on her shoulder and with a small snow leopard behind her. “We will be drawing nature. It is the first class of this session, I will review.”

She looked around at us.

“Last year, we covered conte and charcoal. We drew life, as we will now. Our new medium will be ink. Use your brush or your pen, your choice unless I specify. I suggest trying out both.”

“Take your ink, book, and implement, and go out into the park and find a natural object to draw. Remember, draw what you see.”

She plopped down in lotus position in the middle of the semi – circle, opening her art book and shooing us away with her brush.

The class rose. I decided it would look funny if I only talked to Heather. Also, if I chatted with all the girls, I might be able to put them in order of how likely they were to be the princess.

“Wow, nice.” I looked up to see Ashley peering over my shoulder at my art book. “I wish I could draw like that.”

I looked down at my book. I was good, yes, but not incredible. Not among elves, at least.

“Your style’s so whimsical. I like how you can make the scene look like it’s moving, even with a quill pen.”

She plopped down near me. Her hair was brown, thin – ish, and soft looking. Her eyes where truly grass green. She was in the top half of my list already.

“Thank you.” I said. “I’m afraid you exaggerate, though. I’m merely passable.”

“On what planet?” She asked, looking a bit indignant.

“Oh, this one.” I said. This one, but in such a different culture it was almost a different world.

She laughed. A sound like wind chimes. She really seemed to be the one.

So far, my list was as follows.

Ashley

Cry / Heather

Not very extensive. I would have to do more research. I had to talk to Bri and Kamaria.

Bri was a small girl, with a red pixie cut and small, delicate earth hands. She was a Gemini, she told me, and wanted to know if I was a Libra, because they get along well.

I said I was not, and she didn’t seem overly interested after that.

Kamaria was rough, down to earth. A Taurus. I could tell she and I wouldn’t get along too well. Nothing personal, just our personalities.

“I’m going to be honest.” She said. “I don’t like you.” She patted me on the arm, and walked off.

My list, so far, is;

Ashley

Bri

Cry

Heather

Kamaria

Ashley first, then.

Over the next few days, I eased myself into a relationship with Ashley. I didn’t do it obviously, because then, if I had to switch, it would look odd.