The people of Trayson were descendants of the druid people, staying true to the natural tones of the forest. They all had varied shades of brown hair, with rich tan skin and brown eyes. Some had reddish or golden tints to their hair while others had green flecks in their eyes. But mostly they were all the same, making Raven stand out like a sore thumb. The door opened, and a woman entered casting her eyes about. Raven smiled at the long honey brown curls as Clair looked around the space.
"Ah! There you are. Really, haven't you read all of these already? Aren't you bored?" Clair asked as Raven rolled her eyes making Clair chuckle. Clair was as warm as sunshine and as sweet as honey. Caring very deeply for her family and friends. She was also an herbalist. Always smelling faintly of lavender as she mixed bundles for medicinal and edible purposes. She would often come to the village to drop off orders and collect new ones, making a decent living. She was in her late thirties, but Raven always felt more like Clair was an older sister and less of a doting mother. Not that she would ever tell Clair that.
"Yes, but every time I read them; I notice something I missed the first time around. Like this book here, it mentions a great war requiring all the races to be joined together to fight as one against the darkness. Races like druids, dwarfs, elves, fairies, mermaids, and even something called golems... they were all there. But even though we know druids, elves, and dwarfs exist because of our trading with the two neighboring kingdoms, there is no other writing on any of them in these books. No legends or cultural history!" Raven exclaimed, waving her hand about to encompass the whole library. Clair smiled knowing that Raven was a curious child, though that was most likely because her heritage remained a mystery. Even to her.
"Aren't you learning about any of that in school? I never gave it much thought before you came along. I think most of Trayson is content in our peaceful little forest of the world." Clair told her with a bright smile, leading her out onto the wooden streets. She huffed when a passerby scoffed at her daughter's strange looks. "Most of them." Clair growled softly making Raven smile a little.
"Well, sort of, I guess. We are learning about the neighboring kingdoms of Welpion and Salvino. But they don't really explain anything other than their elven and dwarven heritages. I did find a book that explained how the first rulers of the three were all close, and that's why the kingdoms remained close." Raven told her softly as she followed Clair through the market. She tried to avoid the cool gazes of those who felt she was an outcast and didn't belong in their natural world. Clair huffed looping her arm with her daughters.
"Ignore them. You are a Trayson citizen, just like them. You belong here. Even if they say otherwise." Clair told her with a firm nod making her curls bounce. "Besides, they aren't even druids living in the druid kingdom." Clair huffed making Raven chuckle though the humor wasn't quite there.
"You have been reading my books again." Raven accused. Clair smiled brightly winking at her as they continued their brisk walk.
"Curious minds want to know too." Clair admitted making Raven release a genuine smile despite the stares from others. "Speaking of curious minds, I heard a rumor." Clair told her as Raven glanced at her surprised. Clair wasn't much for gossip and hardly ever listened to rumors.
"That is very unusual." Raven muttered as Clair grinned mischievously. Raven didn't consider herself tall, reaching almost five feet and three inches in height. But Clair was even shorter at a solid five feet making Raven smile when her mother glanced up at her with impish grins.
"Well, I can't help it. The source was as convincing as he was sexy." Clair sighed as Raven giggled.
"Geeze, does dad know you talk about him like that? What sort of rumor was it?" Raven asked, thinking of her adopted father Hankard Everfon. Hank, he preferred to be called, served the castle in the mother tree as one of the captains of the royal guard. His unit mostly dealt in border patrol, so he could work closer to home most days, in the farming village in the far-out skirts of the kingdom to the west of the castle.
Like most of its village counter parts, the farming village made their homes up in the tree's. However, they also used the open meadows in the thick forest for farming. Being an herbalist like her father, Clair had taken over the small cabin on the forest floor. Raven always loved walking down the spiral wooden staircase that separated the unwelcoming villagers and her home. Especially after school when bullies tended to linger.
The main kingdom was focused around the mother tree. The mother tree itself sat on the edge of a sheer cliff, so the kingdom only built itself towards one side of the castle, avoiding the steep rock face. The kingdom branched out creating a sort of funnel of villages, becoming more congested towards the mother tree and more spaced the further out they got. It would take more than a few days to travel the length of the kingdom on foot along the forest floor, between the furthest points. Clair giggled as she shook her head, bringing Raven out of her drifting thoughts.
"Oh honey, I doubt Hank would mind hearing the love of his life talk about him in such a loving manner." Clair decided confidently as Raven continued to smile. "Now, Hank is at the castle today for his monthly report. So, you know what that means. To Trayson we go!" Clair exclaimed moving forward. Raven giggled as she watched her mother weave around the crowd, smiling at everyone as they passed. Clair, their neighbors liked, because she looked like them and was friendly most of the time.
They were technically already in Trayson since most of the forest on this side of the river was within the kingdom's borders. But Raven knew her mother meant the heart of the kingdom, where most of the shops and taverns were at. The market near the trunk of the mother tree was more diverse than anything this far out, hosting merchants from the other kingdoms. With exotic foods and exotic goods, the market at the heart of the kingdom was the best place to kill time while waiting for Hank to finish his duties in the palace. Somehow Raven liked it best when she was surrounded by other foreign oddities such as herself. Though she still longed for a day when a merchant would come bringing books from distant lands. What was elven literature like? Or dwarven? Did they all tell the same tales? Maybe she should travel instead...
Raven shook her head to clear away her thoughts as they made their way over to a carriage service where Clair could get seats for a swift ride into the main hub of the kingdom. The carriages were a god send for those living on the kingdom's outskirts.
Riding along a track built in the treetops, even higher than the houses and shops, the carriages glided along the wooden rails, transporting many people at a time quickly. They sailed along the outer rim, making frequent stops to drop off people and pick up others.
Raven leaned out the window staring at the massive tree as she enjoyed the gentle breeze on her face. Still a little chill as spring fought to win over winter. Though she would suffer the cold as she glimpsed her favorite view of the kingdom breaking through the treetops.
Looming above her forest, the mother tree dominated the sky, backed by the grey of the mountain. Only parts of the castle becoming clearer the closer they got. Clair sat by her, patting her knee while other passengers went about their business. Luckily at this time of day there were very few travelers, trying their best to avoid them as they sat as far away as possible, staring out at the village as they went past.
"So, remember how I told you, your father told me a rumor? Well, here it is. Princess Ivy will be throwing a ball now that she is come of age to take the throne and marry. A royal ball! It's been forever since we had one of those." Clair mumbled happily as Raven frowned. She had never been to a ball before. Though she was aware of the last druid princess, she wasn't sure Princess Ivy would be interested in her. Clair paused seeing Raven's hesitance.
"Raven, the only reason why your father would tell me something like this is because you might be interested in attending." Clair started as Raven frowned. Clair, she could understand, but why would Hank think she would want to attend? He never seemed interested in the palace or royal functions. Or even parties really. That was more of Clair's thing with her best friend Clover.
"What? Why? Don't get me wrong, I have never been to a ball before. It might be fun, but why would dad think I might be interested?" Raven asked pushing her long black hair behind an ear. They were trying to keep their conversation quiet since this gossip wasn't meant for everyone to hear. Clair pat her knee nodding her head in thought.
"This ball is for Ivy to choose a suitor. She will be inviting people from all over, including the neighboring kingdoms." Clair told her as Raven's frown deepened. "Maybe we could find someone who knew your mother." Clair suggested as Raven pouted at her.
"You are my mother. Why would I need to find someone who knew you?" Raven asked, smiling gently as Clair teared up. It was a sensitive topic for Clair because she couldn't have children of her own. But Raven was happy that Clair was willing to help her find the answers she wanted. About whom her birth mother was and where she had come from.
Raven knew the story of when she showed up on her parent's doorstep. Her biological father had appeared late one evening in the pouring rain, begging them to take her in. He had wanted nothing to do with her and according to him, her mother had died giving birth to her. Hank and Clair had accepted, taking Raven as their own. She never met the man who would be her father. He had left Trayson, never to return after the fall out with his wife for sleeping with Raven's mother. Though Hank had told Raven some things about him, she knew she got her uncommon attributes from her mother. Afterall, she looked nothing like her druid father.
The carriage paused at a checkpoint as Clair showed the man her pay slips, proving payment to their destination. The soldier frowned at Raven, but simply let them through, into the heart of the Kingdom. Clair grumbled quietly to herself though they both knew it wasn't a fight worth their time.
The soldier had only asked them for their tickets. More specifically her. Clair could rant about the discrimination Raven faced for hours based solely on her looks but after almost eighteen years with little change, Raven just got used to it. And unwillingly so did Clair.
Raven turned her attention to other things, glancing back out the window. They would talk more when Clair worked out her anger and guilt. The carriage bounced as they neared their finally destination. Raven loved watching the bustling markets as they cruised overhead.
They were so much livelier than the sleepy markets of their home village. The carriage vibrated as it hit the wooden bumpers to slow its descent. They got out at the platform with the other passengers as Raven kept her eyes to herself, weaving through the marketplace with her mother.
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