Ruh Roh (One on One)

She nodded, even though he wouldn't be able to see her.

"Each colony of pixies settles based on their Alyndars of the time. According to our faith, the First Alyndar was named Fae'dylei. It means 'cricket' in the old language if I remember correctly. Anyway, she lived in the Dark Ages, a time when pixies lived separately, isolated from any sort of community and vicious as a result."

She stood by her bed, hesitating as she gazed out the window.

"Fae'dylei dreamed of a world where pixies were united and mutually dependent on each other. She had a benevolent nature, and she truly believed that all pixies had goodness within them, but that it was simply concealed by the necessity of surviving."

She sat down lightly on the edge of the bed, watching the sun approach the horizon.

"When she was young, she fell in love with another pixie named Elodae. He was sly and his heart was unkind, but he managed to conceal that from Fae'dylei, instead supporting her ideas of unity and peace. She began to dedicate her life to sharing her beliefs and building communities within the pixies. She built a land deep in the forest, a sanctuary for a species that had previously been wanderers. She created a world in which mutual responsibility was the central idea; taking care of others while knowing that they will take care of you in return. Under her guidance, the pixies began to flourish. Our lifespan extended and our general knowledge grew, including our understanding of our Enryli."

 

The bedsheet made a soft whumph as she fell back on it, looking up towards the ceiling.

"During this whole time, Elodae bided his time. He wanted to unite the pixies, it was true, but his intentions were to unite them under one leader. He wanted to take control of the community that Fae'dylei had created and use them for his own need. He was clever, and he knew that his closeness with Fae'dylei gave him power and respect. One early morning, when the mist was melting away from the sun's first rays, he brought her to the center of the land she had created and stabbed her, hiding his tracks and leaving her for dead. Fae'dylei knew her life was fading from her rapidly and for several minutes, she sat and stared blankly into space, reflecting. Gradually, as the numbness began to fill her brain, she placed her hand flat on the ground, drove her fingers into the soil, and closed her eyes. Her skin turned to earth and her heart became the seed and from her body a tree began to grow."

 

"Well, Elodae took over quickly. He wasn't caught initially and he began to command the pixies to obey him. At first, the pixies agreed. I mean, he had been a well-known object of affection to the first Alyndar, the closest we have to a prophet. Surely he was someone we could trust. However, as time went on, his orders became darker and darker. He would send scouting groups into the towns of other species and cause mass chaos and hysteria, purely for his amusement or... I don't know. Anyway, the pixies began to realize that this future he had created was not what Fae'dylei would have wanted. They turned against him, stripping him of his powers and banishing him from the community. He was captured shortly afterwards by humans and put to death by his crimes against humanity."

 

"Yes, well," Eden said slowly, looking up at the ceiling, "he was good to her in a time when pixies generally weren't. She thought he shared her faith in humanity."

 

She turned her head to look at him, giving him a small smile.

"Of course."

 

She beamed, her hand coming up to rest on the side of his face.

"Of course. Thank you for coming."

 

She considered him, her thumb brushing his bottom lip.

"Are you staying here for the night, or do you have to go back?"

 

She beamed before wrapping her arms around him.

"That would be great."

 

She buried her face in his neck before hesitating, biting her bottom lip.

"I have to teach tomorrow morning, though. I might be gone when you wake up."

 

She nodded slowly, kissing his neck lightly.

"That's a good idea."