Winter

by

IrishCreme

Inspired by "Winter" by Tori Amos

    Elaine Stuart dashed from her house to the winter wonderland outside.
The frost nipped her skin, tingeing her pale face a rosy pink. Despite
the temperature that required her to wear long underwear, two pairs of
wool socks, Wellington boots, corduroy pants, a turtleneck shirt and
cashmere sweater under her heavy parka, Elaine’s soul was warm as hot
cocoa. She loved winter!

    Elaine’s spirit soared as she ran toward the forest a few hundred yards
from her house, kicking up snow along the way. Her speed slowed as the
drifts deepened, and soon she was trudging through the blanket of snow
with great effort. Elaine approached a hollow tree trunk that marked
the entrance to the forest. The white fluffy powder hadn’t entirely
covered the trunk, and its chocolate bark contrasted severely against
the pure precipitation. She was admiring the splendor around her when,
suddenly, Elaine found herself face down in the snow, a melodious voice
laughing behind her. She pulled herself up and dusted off, glaring
smugly and the prankster.

"You should watch where you’re going and you’re late, Lani."

Elaine stood up and swatted at the air. "Come here, you little imp."

"I’m not an imp, thank you very much," returned the voice, dodging the
mittened hand grasping for him. "I am a faerie. There is a
difference. Would you quit swatting at me?"

When Elaine’s attack didn’t cease, the faerie began spinning in a
circle, turning into a blur, and his size increased from about six
inches to six feet, but still looking about 25 years old. His long
chestnut hair waved unbound in the light winter breeze and his gold eyes
twinkled like stars. His skin seem to be luminescent, as did his whole
aura, and he was devilishly handsome, even by human standards. His
chiseled face smiled kindly at Elaine and he then grabbed her hands.
"There. That should stop you."

"Oh, Ulan, you’re impossible!" Elaine shrieked giddily, pulling her
hands free. "I got here as fast as I could, and you know it, so don’t
badger me." She skipped ahead of him, the heavy snow not fazing her a
bit anymore. "Well, are you coming, Ulan?"

Ulan stuck a foot out to begin walking, but quickly decided against that
avenue of transportation. One set of tracks was all that was necessary
outside the forest. He floated behind Elaine, watching his mortal
friend plod her way to his beloved forest. Ulan had known Lani since
she was 5 years old. She was fifteen now and had grown up quite
nicely. Although stuffed inside the parka hood, Ulan knew exactly what
her hair looked like. It was the blackest black he had ever seen, so
long, thick and straight. Lani had gorgeous hair, and he loved to run
his fingers through it. And her eyes were as green as the forest canopy
and always entrancing as a firefly’s movement. Lani’s skin almost
matched the snow except for her pink cheeks, nose and lips. She had the
face of an angel—no, the face of a faerie! Elaine was the most
exquisite woman Ulan had ever seen, mortal or fae, and her beauty only
seemed to grow with each passing year. It was such a shame that he
could not have her for himself…

"Hey, Ulan! Would you quit lagging behind? I don’t have all day, you
know." Elaine stood on a large stone with her hands propped on her
hips. Once she had caught the faerie’s attention, she darted off the
rock toward Ulan’s village. He was close behind, finally using his feet
instead of his wings. As the duo came closer to the fae village, the
snow on the ground began to disappear and the temperature began to
rise. Soon, Elaine and Ulan ran into a clearing.

The bright sun, the same one that had blinded Elaine as its light
reflected off the snow on her way to meet Ulan, smiled warmly upon the
faerie village, greeting each green leaf and each colorful flower with a
prosperous kiss. This village was unaffected by seasons and knew no
Winter, Fall or Summer. Here, it was always Spring! Faeries bustled
about their community doing their daily chores, oblivious to Elaine’s
presence. Of course, she had been there so many times before that her
humanness had lost its novelty. The fae saw Elaine as one of them. But
she wasn’t.

Elaine began taking off her winter clothes until all she was left
wearing was her long underwear. "I bet this will be too much as well,"
she sighed.

A young fae lad pummeled Elaine with peaches. Her eyes pleaded with
Ulan to save her from the onslaught. He lunged toward the ruffian, who
immediately ceased fire and retreated, afraid of the punishment he might
suffer at his lord’s hands. "You must learn to stand up for yourself
because I can’t always be around," he stated seriously. Elaine’s
expression showed understanding but indifference.

"Follow me, Lani," Ulan said, tugging at her luxurious tresses.
"There’s something I want to show you." As he led Elaine toward his
cottage, Ulan took off the long white velvet and ermine cloak he had
been wearing and handed it to a passing maiden who would, no doubt, have
it cleaned before returning it to Ulan. Under the extravagant cloak,
Ulan wore white tights and boots and a pale gray tunic. He looked
regal, as always, and Elaine couldn’t help but be drawn into his
magnetism.

Elaine had always seen Ulan as her best friend, for he had been her sole
playmate when she had moved out into the middle of nowhere when she was five. As time passed, things began to change…mostly things with
Elaine. She was growing up physically and mentally and began to see
Ulan as a young woman would see him and not as a young girl would. He
was the world to her. Elaine had never doubted her place in the world,
not since Ulan. She knew that, once she was old enough, she would live
with the faeries, and Ulan, forever.

Elaine followed Ulan into his cottage. He went to a hope chest in the
corner of the living area and pulled a blanketed bundle from the
inside. He sat at the dining table and motioned for Elaine to join
him. Ulan smiled and pushed the package across the table to Elaine.
"For tomorrow, Lani. Happy birthday."

A delighted grin lighted her face as she unwrapped the blanket to
reveal…a small box? Elaine gingerly removed the small lid and peeked
inside. Her eyes widened and she pulled out a long silver chain with a
gold sun pendant dangling from it. Ulan stood and took the necklace
from Elaine to place it around her neck.

"You are going away to that—what did you call it—magnet school soon, and
I wanted you to have something to remember us by," Ulan stated stroking
Elaine’s silky hair. "Whenever you look up to the sun, Lani, you’ll
know that I’m looking at the same sun too."

Ulan and Elaine abandoned the sad thoughts of good-byes and dashed out
of the cottage to play in the eternal Spring sun. The sun pendant on
Elaine’s silver chain caught the sunlight and seemed to be glowing
itself. The faerie and the mortal frolicked in the glen, laughing and
singing, pretending that things would never change. But things always
change.


    Elaine emerged from the car and surveyed the landscape. Everything
looked exactly the same as she had left it three years ago. It even
looked like the same snow that she had marched through the day before
her fifteenth birthday to visit Ulan for the last time for many years.
Well, today was her eighteenth birthday and she had come home solely to
join Ulan in the land of Fae.

Her parents had moved from the house in the country a year after Elaine
had been away at the conservatory. Although no one lived there, the
Stuarts’ never sold the house in hopes that Elaine would take it when
she began a family. No such luck, she thought.

Without entering the country house, Elaine began the all-too-familiar
trek to Ulan’s village. The drifts didn’t seem as deep now that she was
an amazon-like 5’11" and had a fairly athletic build. She made it to
the forest in no time at all, and a great wave of nostalgia flooded over
her. Elaine began running to the hidden, magical clearing, stripping
off her extra clothing as she neared it. Standing at the edge of the
clearing in only a black slip, she let the warmth of the sun bathe her
chilled skin. Her green eyes scanned the village and found that, for
the first time in over a decade, the entire village was staring at her
in awe. Elaine moved slowly into the glen. Many faeries gasped as they
realized who she was, and one ran off, probably to fetch Ulan, who was
shortly thereafter thrown into the circle of fae, quite unaware of the
situation. His back was to Elaine, and he slowly turned to face the
direction of all the faeries’ gazes.

Before him stood a vision of loveliness whose bright green eyes were
level with his. She smiled genuinely, and it lit up her face. Her onyx
hair fell over her pale bare shoulders and seemed to blend effortlessly
into the black silk garment she wore. This beauty looked so familiar…
"Lani?"

Elaine nodded and ran to hug Ulan. He was still in shock and barely
held onto his long-time friend.

"I’ve graduated, Ulan, and am returning to join you in the land of Fae!"

"What?" Ulan was amazed. Elaine wasn’t supposed to ever return to the
village. He shooed away all of the bystanders so that he could speak
with Elaine alone. "What do you mean you’ve come to join me?"

"It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, Ulan. Since I was five years old."

"But…you can’t."

Ulan’s words were short and cut Elaine like a knife. "Why not?" Her
voice was almost a whimper.

"Humans can’t just join fae like we’re some sort of sorority," Ulan
explained. "Besides, you have greater dreams, if you choose to follow
them. You’re not meant to be with us anymore."

A beautiful pregnant faerie with curly waist-length auburn hair and
bright blue eyes fluttered into the clearing. "Ulan, what’s going on?"
Her voice was sweet like honey. She slid her slender hand upon his
shoulder in an affectionate manner. "Who is this mortal?"

Elaine’s heart seemed to be dissolving as Ulan’s golden eyes turned a
bit guilty. "Aisling, this is Elaine. You remember me telling you
about my dear friend Lani, don’t you?" Aisling nodded, a warm smile
painting her angelic face. "Lani, this is Aisling…my wife."

Elaine could have sworn she heard her heart break into a million
pieces. She involuntarily grabbed the charm around her neck. "Nice to
meet you, Aisling. You are very lucky to have such a wonderful
husband."

Aisling’s smile turned darker as she accepted the compliment. She said
nothing in return, only turned and floated away as if in a trance.

"She’s not long for this world," Ulan explained, reading the confusion
in Elaine’s eyes. "She’s gives birth soon and won’t survive. It’s been
fated already."

"That’s awful! It’s not fair!" Elaine protested, feeling the pain and
despair in Ulan’s eyes.

"No, its’ not, but that’s the way it is," he replied solemnly. "But
that’s not what we’re here to talk about. You have to go back…to your
world."

Elaine shook her head. "I must be here for you and your baby."

"You have your own life to live, Lani. Do not concern yourself with
mine. I’ll be fine."

She was hurt by his words, and Ulan saw this immediately. He took her
shoulders gently in his hands. "Lani, when are you going to love
yourself as much as I do? You have to take control of your life and
live it. Things are going to change so fast—"

"I’ll always want you near," Elaine interrupted. "That will never
change."

Ulan shook his head in disappointment. "You don’t understand, do you?
Our lives can no longer co-exist. You were not fated to be a faerie,
Elaine. You must go home and never return here."

"This is my home!" she objected. "Please, you have to understand—"

"No." Ulan put his hand up, and his eyes were misty with welling
tears. He didn’t want to do this, but… "You are forbidden to return to
this village and will no longer know the way. Be gone!"

Before Elaine could respond, a bright light flashed before her, and she
found herself in the living room at the country house in only her slip,
her winter clothes piled in front of her. Without dressing, Elaine ran
outside and into the forest. She ran for quite a while, oblivious to
the cold and her freezing tears. All at once it hit her that she
wouldn’t be able to find the village. Ulan had said she wouldn’t know
the way. Broken, cold and tired, Elaine quickly returned to her home.

Ulan stood at the edge of the forest watching Elaine make her way back
to her house. Tears streamed down his cheeks, turning to icicles on the
way down. "I’m sorry, Lani," he apologized softly. "I wanted it
another way, as you did, but it is not meant to be…" He turned away and
headed back for his village, his heart slowly breaking.


    Elaine sat on the hollow tree trunk before the forest. A small fire
blazed in front of her, lending quite a bit of warmth. Her long, gray
hair fluttered lightly in the small breeze. The sparkle in her vibrant
green eyes had faded over the past fifty years, but the passion in her
heart had not. On her birthday every year, Elaine sat in front of the
forest in hopes that Ulan would come for her as he had so many years
ago. But he never did.

Ulan sat hidden among the trees watching Elaine as he did every year on
her birthday. While she had aged all of her sixty-eight years, he still
looked twenty-five. But his soul felt every bit of its 699 years. How
he wanted to reveal himself and take her back to his village, especially
after Aisling had died, but Ulan could not defy the Fates. Ulan had
kept himself busy with his daughter, Aoife.

"She’s put all her dreams on a shelf," he said sadly.

"You were all her dreams."

Ulan turned to the sweet voice to see Aoife. She appeared about
eighteen years old with long, wavy black hair, piercing green eyes and
the face of a goddess. He had never figured out why his only child
looked so much like his true love. Maybe it was the Fates way of
comforting his aching heart. But how to heal Elaine’s?

"Come, Father," Aoife called, pulling at his tunic. "It’s no use
depressing yourself any more than necessary."

"I just want to see her one more time…"

She placed a loving hand on his shoulder, her eyes smiling although her
face was not. "She’ll be here next year."

THE END

--
ÐÏࡱá

*Please Email any publication or copying requests and comments to IrishCreme tatertot@neosoft.com . This is entirely her work, so please be courteous. Thank You!