“What IS this stuff?!” Exclaimed Mirka, holding out her hands throwing her head back to the sky. Maeve laughed in astonishment. “What do you mean, ‘what is it?’ It’s snow!” she giggled.
“Snow?! I’ve never heard of such a thing! It’s absolutely wonderful!” Mirka replied before falling right backward into the soft white bed beneath her. Even without heavy clothes, she was so fascinated that cold didn’t seem to bother her. Maeve smiled to herself at her friend’s wonderment of this new type of weather, and thought to herself how incredible it must be to experience something like this for the first time. “It must be similar to how I felt about the glowing trees, or the castle, or the dragons,” she pondered. After a few more moments of thinking, she joined her friend on the ground by tackling her.
Laughing until their abdomens were sore, the girls enjoyed a much needed break from the heavy tasks at hand. Mirka had shown Maeve how to mix up the right herb to stop the bleeding of a wounded soldier, and now Maeve was teaching her how to make a snow angel. Mirka had taught Maeve how to shoot an arrow, and now Maeve was teaching her how to build a snow fort and stick up on snowballs. For every weight that had been laid on the two young girls over the past year, the snow allowed Maeve to finally give them back their childhood - even if only just for a day.
“But how on earth could I possibly be of help? I’m just a girl!” protested Maeve.
“Well, that’s precisely it,” replied Jolly. “If we were on earth, there would be nothing you could do. But remember, we’re not on earth. On earth, magic is hidden. On earth, teenage girls put on makeup and play sports. On earth, horses don’t fly. But here in Elysian, trees flow, boys wield swords, and teenage girls can become queen of an entire land.”
Maeve did not know if this was liberating or terrifying to know. Most likely it was a little bit of both. She was against terrible odds, and she knew it. An entire world, divided against its lands, continents of peoples fighting against their own. Those were often the worst battles; the ones that started over petty differences as where one’s magic was stored - in one’s wings or in one’s skin. When matters of appearance are the cause of strife, all reasoning and logic has already been abandoned, and there can be no easy avoidance of war.
Still, Maeve knew she had to do this. She was the chosen one. She was to lead a people into battle; not to conquer land, but to bring peace upon all the nations once again. What would happen after that, she had no idea. Would she be crowned queen after it was all over? Perhaps. Would she fall in battle? More likely. But she learned over the years here, that despite her young age, she was meant, at least in this land, for greatness.
Last Christmas was a wonderful holiday. I spent it with my dearest family, despite the absurdities of the year. My beautiful daughter joined us outside of the womb only a few weeks prior, and it was delightful to be able to share it with her! I am terribly exhausted tonight, however, and that is as much as I have the energy to write.
The beautiful night ended, and despite the journey ahead, Maeve still felt and almost overwhelming sense of peace washed over her. Perhaps that single night of normalcy was enough to calm her. Perhaps one best friend was all she needed to keep her grounded.
“You ready?” Jolly asked. “Not quite,” she replied. She took one last deep breath out towards the city and the sea, not knowing when - if ever - she would see them again.
“Okay, now I’m ready.”
Finn helped her load her things onto her back, which were lighter than any of the other burdens she currently carried. Mirka smiled at her and gave her a wordless hug and a kiss on the cheek. So many things she wanted to say, but she saved them for later, in hopes that there would indeed be a later if she had words in waiting for it.
Finn then gave her a strong, warm hug and nodded. She turned toward the wood, and with a deep breath, began walking out to the path that led through the forest. The path that led to adventure, to danger, to war. But ultimately, the path that would hopefully lead to peace.
In just a few moments, Maeve and Jolly were out of sight. “I’m gonna miss her, that girl,” sighed Finn. “I’m not,” replied Mirka.
“You’re not? But she’s your best friend!”
“I know,” she answered with a smirk, “What? You think I’d ever let her leave off alone like that? No sir. I’m going with her. She doesn’t need to know it, but I’ll be there. I’ll always be there for her. Now, are you in or not?”
That evening was one of the first in a long time that Maeve had felt so happy, so calm, so at peace - and it would be the last for some time. In the friendly woodsman’s home, drinking hot tea and chatting away with her best friend, she felt like a normal girl again. The sun set and it seemed as though all of her troubles were setting away with it. No more battles. No more war. No more sides. No more danger. No more prophecies, or responsibilities, or thrones, or bloodlines to worry about. Just two teenagers giggling over the silliness of boys and men they were way too young for. There was no armor - literal or otherwise - and there were no swords drawn. Just a warm glass and some sweet cookies and no ogres or faeries or unicorns in sight. Maeve soaked in every last drop of this last perfect night. For she knew that in the morning, a long journey awaited her, to an unknown end about a rather unnecessary war - in her own opinion anyway. She did not know if that made it easier or harder to fight, to know that lives were being wasted over trivial matters and nonsense. But she knew nonetheless am that she had to go. She had to go for the sake of her family, for the sake of her country, and for the sake of the whole world.
