Page 32 of Golden Queen (Idrigard #1)

So, the faerie First went away, crying tears that fell upon the shell of the silver turtle who carried her through the water.

And then one day the First of the tribe of the dwarves came.

"Brother," he said. "The world of humans and faeries has fallen.

Evil turned the will of the beasts, and they devoured the faeries down to the last two fae.

All the world has gone to ruin. My people have had to delve deep into the earth to escape the darkness that now cloaks the land.

Won't you send your fine Elysium warriors to save us all? "

But the Elysium First would not listen. He did not believe that anything could turn the great siren whales away from their yearly migration around the island.

He did not believe that anything could turn the monkeys away from the ripe moonflower melons that fell to crack open upon the forest floor.

And he did not believe that the beast who lived deep in the heart of the Mother could be awakened from its slumber by anything but the might of the gods.

So, the dwarf First went away, shaking his warhammer high in the sky above the water bear who carried him across the waves.

And then one night when the moonflower dust glowed on the waves, and it was time for the passing of the siren whales, the people gathered on the beaches with their friends and loved ones and waited.

But the whales did not come.

When the moonflower melons ripened and fell to crack open on the ground, the people stood in wonder, seeing that the monkeys did not come.

And when the Mother awakened and smoke began to hiss from her open mouth, and fire began to rain down on the people, the beast who dwelt within her to quell her rage, did not come to save them.

The moonflower dust languished upon the waves with no fine, sleek whales to come and carry it away.

The melons rotted upon the ground with no sweet monkeys to feast on their fruit.

And the Mother poured her wrath upon the islands, burning and destroying half the people.

And then one night, while the Elysium First sat with his only remaining daughter beside the Pyre that burned the rest of his family, the First of the tribe of Angels came.

"Brother," she said, her voice sad and forlorn. "Why have you forsaken the world and allowed it all to fall to ruin? Why have you not sent your fine Elysium warriors across the Sorn to save them all?"

The Elysium First was ashamed. He fell to the ground and cried tears of regret.

He had not believed the siren whales could be turned away from their migration. He had not believed the monkeys could be swayed from their feast. He had not believed the beast that tamed the Mother could be lured away from her duties.

"Sister," the Elysium First said. "I have forsaken the world, and I am the last of the fine Elysium warriors.

I will go now and fight for my brothers and sisters.

I will go now and save the world. But I beg you to protect the daughter I leave behind.

Protect the remaining people of these islands while I go to fight. "

"I admire your bravery and your warrior's spirit, so I will do as you ask," the angel replied. "I will create a wall around your people that only you may pass through—only your blood can return. And when you do, your people will know you as the true and rightful Elysium First."

Tatana acted out the last part of the story, sweeping her arms around in a wide arc as though she was the angel crafting the wall of impenetrable fog around the islands. And then she pretended to fly away, flapping her arms gracefully and stretching up on her toes to mime ascending into the sky.

When she had finished, she looked down at Taiger and Set. "Many, many years passed, and the world was eventually set to rights. The Elysium First did his duty down to the last of the evil that stalked the land.

The tribe of the humans recovered, and they spread across the land as human tribes do.

The tribe of the faeries flourished, and they returned to their forests to live amongst the elderwood trees.

The tribe of the dwarves were saved as well, but by then, they had gotten a taste for gold and gems, and they continued to delve into the earth.

But still the Elysium First did not return.

Some say he died as he slew the last of the evil creatures.

Some say he is still hunting that final foe.

But the wall still stands, protecting the people and damning them to live in solitude.

..since only the blood of the First may pass—only the descendants of that daughter he left behind. "

As always, her captive audience was enthralled by her words.

The few times she told the story to anyone but her brother and me, the listeners had always been left with the knowledge that she, Tatana, had crossed the wall.

Just as she always intended, as she let the last of the words echo into the silence, they would know that she was the blood of the First.

Of course, it was all a fable meant to teach Elysium children the value of helping and not hiding your head in the sand when your friends were in trouble.

Since all Elysiuns could pass the wall of mist, the fact that Tatana could meant no more than any other person who had ventured outside the protective barrier.