The Ageless One: Beginnings - The Ageless Author (fox in socks read aloud txt) 📗

dirt. When they were done they revealed a path. Doelan followed Tulbor down it, and behind him the trees started closing. All around him were more fairies, climbing in and out of trees, even fairy children. Pixies. That’s what the children were called, or so Tulbor had said a day ago. He thought in passing that they were adorable, but it wasn’t enough to make him feel better.
“I’m sorry you cannot stay here,” said Tulbor. “But as I said we fairies keep many important secrets. We cannot let outsiders in. Your circumstances were fairly extreme, but I must warn you, the chances of someone else getting into our forest are very unlikely, and as for someone getting in twice…start with unlikely and see where that takes you.”
Doelan followed sadly. They reached the edge of the forest. The trees parted to show a wide field, and a very surprised older bearded man who was halfway through his hair greying. He was pushing a cart, or had been. Doelan saw him and thought he looked nice enough, but didn’t know what to think.
“There is where we part ways,” said Tulbor. “Farewell.”
The fairy turned back and the trees closed behind Doelan, perhaps forever.
“Well,” said the old man. “How extraordinary. Filia forest opens up, and a young boy walks out. I’ve never seen an outsider in there. How did you get in?”
“That’s a long story,” said Doelan. He wasn’t sure, but he had no one to turn to except this man. So, as difficult as it was, he told his story.
…
Liri! Doelan heard his own voice inside his head. Liri! Where are you?! Liri! He saw the faint images of a cave and him standing in those horrible animal skins, when suddenly he was pulled from his thoughts.
“Are you alright boy?”
Doelan looked with surprise at the man in front of him. Doelan was sitting with his back against a normal, brown and green tree that was right outside Filia Forest. No fairies could be seen at the moment, and despite the pink it was somehow ominous; you just knew there were secrets in there. Doelan has a glimpse of the inside, something many from that world would pay dearly for, and yet he didn’t care.
He was too sad.
“I’m fine sir,” he said.
“You may call me Gafal,” the old man replied warmly. “And you don’t look fine.”
Doelan sighed. “I told you my story.”
“Yes you did,” he said with pity. “And I can understand how you would still be upset, but this is a different kind of upset isn’t it? What’s changed?”
Doelan didn’t answer immediately. In fact, he hardly answered at all, but rather asked a question of his own. “Why do you care?”
“Well, if the fairies told you truthfully, I am an appropriate person to take care of you. I don’t know about you, but taking care of someone who escaped from the goblin caves sounds like a big job, and I wouldn’t mind living up to that. Besides, helping someone in need is just good manners.” Gafal smiled and Doelan, as sad as he was, couldn’t help but smile back.
“Alright,” was Doelan’s reply, his smile passing. “Alright. I escaped from the goblins and their illusion, but it doesn’t feel like much of an accomplishment.”
“Accepting everything you knew as false was in of itself a remarkable thing to do.”
“I know, but...I couldn’t convince anyone else of that, and I lost my only friend who did know it. Add the fact that I barely escaped the goblins with my life and wouldn’t have without the fairy’s help...I just feel so...so...”
“Powerless?” offered Gafal.
“Yes.”
There was a pause, Doelan looked away from the old man and said, “I don’t want to just leave my people down there. I don’t want to leave Liri there either. I just don’t want to leave things as they are when they’re so bad.”
“There isn’t much you can do about it.”
“That’s just it. That’s my problem.”
Doelan saw Gafal from the corner of his eye, and the old man had a thoughtful expression. Gafal was also rubbing his chin, and Doelan wondered what he could possibly say that would make him feel better.
“Feeling you can do nothing,” said Gafal, “is a hard thing to deal with. I will admit. However, I think the only thing you can do right now is wait until you actually can do something about it.”
What?” Doelan looked at Gafal. “You mean do nothing?” He was a little angry.
“Think about it for a second. I don’t like the idea of the goblins using them either. That won’t bode well for anyone, but at least for now they are not in any immediate danger, being in the illusion and all. You just need to wait until you are ready to do something about it, and perhaps until you have help. Some problems cannot be dealt with until you grow up.”
“I don’t grow up.”
Gafal gave a sly grin. “Not in body maybe, but in mind you learn more and become wiser. You do grow up, you just don’t know it, and when you’re ready, I’ll wager the goblins won’t know what hit them.”
At the mention of the goblins a shudder passed through Doelan, but only briefly. The truth was, he didn’t like the idea of waiting, but this man, this Gafal, seemed confident about him. Somehow, after a moment, he did feel better. Maybe he this man was right.
He looked timidly up and Gafal. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and I hope I can continue to help you through this as long as you stay with me. Now, I believe we’ve stayed here long enough.” He walked around Doelan and behind the tree to a sort of peddler’s cart, filled with various odds and ends and decorated with a simple star. “Coming?”
Doelan stood up. “Coming.”
Doelan followed, but carried nothing, for he had nothing to take with him.
However, as he took one last look at the forest, he still hoped that someday he might just do it, and go back for what he left behind.
From a distance a figure watched him leave, a beautiful woman in a red dress with jet black hair. She had watched him with her mind while he was in the illusion, and grinned in satisfaction. You wanted to leave my illusion Doelan. You escaped my goblins, but now you are alone. Again. Just try to come back. Unless you see reason, the cost will be your life!
“But your version of reason is purely…superficial, isn’t it?” said another woman’s voice.
“Ah yes,” said the woman turning. “Queen of the Twyla! I thought I sensed you watching him.”
But she turned away instantly from the figure behind her, “Ugh! Why do you appear in that form!”
From behind her the other woman said, “You know I put myself on equal ground with those I speak with. This is what you really look like. The form you have here is another illusion. A mere thought you have projected to watch this boy.”
“Liar!” the woman in red shrieked. “I am as beautiful as I ever was! Take this form away!”
“Fine.”
The woman in red looked back. Now she saw an equally beautiful woman with red hair, green eyes, and a dress fit for a princess.
“There,” said the woman in red spitefully. “That’s better isn’t it?”
“I much prefer beauty of the heart.”
“The heart is ugly. The only hope for that is to hide it under fair skin.”
“That’s not what I mean. Take Doelan for instance. He doesn’t really feel a connection to the people he lived with, except one, and it is because of that one that he feels as strong a connection to them as he does. That’s heart.”
“Hmp. Useless. Like that underground prison you have for me. It won’t hold forever.”
The queen of the Twyla just grinned. “Perhaps not. You do have your servants, like the goblins. Creatures who follow you blindly. But for me, I rely on agents with a good heart and strong will.” She looked at Doelan, walking away. “One of them is more powerful than a hundred of your creatures.”
“You really think that boy could stop me? Why don’t you do it?”
“I fell for the trap of doing everything for mortals before. It won’t happen again. The best way is not to do everything for them, or to enslave them against their will, but empower them to fight their own battles.”
The woman in red smiled mysteriously. “That’s still a hard road for mortals isn’t it? You’re making things easier for me.”
“Then I have the advantage, for the right way is never the easy way. That boy will return, and he will have my help. You want all worlds to rule? We’ll make sure you only get the one we put you in. A dark, dank, cold cave of a world. It’s the perfect fit for you. It matches your heart.”
Then she disappeared, leaving the other woman scoffing.
“We will see,” and then she disappeared.
Little did Doelan know, as he walked off, that he was in the middle of something greater than he could imagine. All he knew was that he had a job to do. Get stronger and come back for his people. He looked back to Filia Forest in the distance. There were many ways to enter the goblin caves in his world, so why not this one? There must be other caves. He shuddered to think of it, but he vowed.
He would return.

To be Continued
In The Ageless One: Book One, Fate of Worlds

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Publication Date: 09-02-2011

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