JoMarie Laycock

There was a time long ago when the known world was ruled by one king. For generations unknown, king after king after king had always had sons. Never before in written history had any king ever had a daughter until King Veramon. Her name was Calypso and there was nothing extraordinarily special about her. She was no more smart than her brothers or her father, she was no great beauty, she was average looking with her long blond hair, fair skin and blue eyes. In all means of sight, she seemed to be no different from any other woman. Her mothers name was Nina, Nina like every queen was send over the mountains and said nothing of the land that they had came from. To the people this was normal and therefor nothing special was said about her. Calypso born at a time when no daughter had ever been born before and as plain as she seem she was very different. She had power that no one else in the kingdom seem to posses. Since birth she had been able to control (to an extent) the elements around her. Fire, water, earth, and wind, these where her defenses, these she could feel when she needed them. Nina died when Calypso was five years old and of course Veramon remarried and had many sons. Mostly she lived ignored, but to be looked upon when Veramon had guest and this was exactly how she liked it best. It gave her the freedom that she loved more than anything.

One day she decided she was going to go down to the small pond she named Salent, a word that she had remembered that her mother had called her many times when she was a child. She had been young and ever since that time she tried when ever she could to sneak away, for her it was a special place. Salent made her feel at peace, and she could feed the animals some of which would get up the courage and come to her, some would play and climb on her, other would steal her food and run back to the safety of the forest. She loved the forest, and on this day she knew she could go undisturbed for many hours. She played with a chipmunk that over many months had grown to trust her and would come for food and stay even after it had finished. So she fed it a little of what she brought with her, after some time of this she noticed the animals where quiet. Instantly Calypso knew something was wrong, suddenly she heard a twig snap form behind her. Startled she spun around to see was it was but she saw nothing. She turned back towards to pond and then her eyelids became heavy and she felt her limbs go numb unto unconsciousness

When she awoke it was to a man standing over her. At first she could not see much because there was a fogginess in her eyes, but soon they started to clear and she looked at the rest of the man. His face had marks on it, dark spiraling swirls and lines from his temple to his jaw. His eyes where rimmed with black and the eyes themselves were bright blue almost white, his ears pointed at the tops but his teeth are what scared her, they where sharp like a wolf's. Instantly alert she screamed and ran away from him. He quickly moved catching her in his arms, pinning her to a tree and made her look at him. Slowly he examined her, not sure what to make of her anymore than she of knew what to make of him.

" Who are you to come into my forest?" The man said gently. She didn't answer him. " Ah, I’m frightening you." He said and gave the girl a quaint smile. He let her go and she sank down and brought her knees up to her chest. Tears filling up her eyes, gathering some courage she answered him.

"My name is Calypso, and I am the daughter of King Veramon...Who are you?"

" I, I am the last of my kind thanks to your mother, you dont need my name." He said mother bitterly.

" And what is your kind." She said crossly.

" Elven" He stopped and sighed. " Our kin were wiped out after your mother went to live with your father, the people of the towns came and hunted us down." He said looking into the pond. “The stupid woman broke the code and told your father where our people where from.”

“Why would my father want your kind dead, women for generations have been coming here to marry the kings.”

“Fear, its what drives all men. The women are our sacrifice to keep your people off our lands.”

" Are you my kin?" She said rather unhappily.

" I am not related to you." He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes " but come it is getting late and there are things that dwell in these woods in the darkness that I will not speak of here, for speaking their names would awake them." He held out a hand for her. She slapped his hand away and stood up by herself. He laughed and went to the edge of the pond and got his bow and arrow. He took out a coat very long and made of dark brown fur and handed it to her.

" Take this it will keep you warm, we have far to travel and it will become cold." He said smiling, his canine teeth showing. Then over his head appeared a little light, like a firefly. It flew down to his ear and whispered something to him. He looked at her, smiled and said…

" I know."

"Im not leaving with you!” She said and backed away.

“Yes you are, you have seen me and I'm not have that get back to your precious king. You will go with me or I WILL tie you up and gag you.” He paused. “Its up to you which would your prefer?” Silently she frowned and put the long coat on and buttoned it up.

" It looks nice on you." He said smirking heavily.

" Thank you, I guess now that your being generous that you'll let me go?” She said gently and slowly.

" Guessed wrong.” He flatly stated, seeing the hurt look on her face, he said. "I am Sorry, truly." She did not respond to him. " I’m sorry but you have seen me and if I were to let you go home. Some time or another you would tell of an elf that lives in the wood still. They would hunt me down and surely kill me." He sighed. My name is Memnon."

“Its time to leave.” He said an then wistled. Minutes later a black horse ran out of the woods.

" This is Valumont." Memnon said. He jumped on the horse's back and pulled Calypso onto the horse. He set her in front him. He whistled to the horse and it a began walking. After some time Calypsp fell sleep, only to wake and become aware of his breath on her neck. Slowly moving her tiny hairs, making her shiver.

" Wake up." He said. She sat up they were still trotting along. Groggily she became away that it was almost night.

" How far are we?" She said still sleepily.

" Not far." He said, yawning " about a half a days ride."

" Maybe we should stop for the night." She said, looking at her breath as it left her mouth. Suddenly she felt cold.

" Yes, we should." He said. He stopped the horse and got off. He helped her down, then looked around at the woods around them.

" This will be fine for tonight." He looked at her. " I’ll be right back." A worried look came over her face. " Don’t worry I must get firewood." He turned to go, but turned back around and kissed her on the lips gently, then more passionately. He put his arms around her and pushed himself closer her. She didnt know what happened but suddenly an awarness come over her and she new that this man was hers and he knew she was his. Obviously shaken he turned and went into the forest. Calypso put her hands on her lips, while he was away she busied herself with taking the bed roll and blankets off the horse and laying them down. As she laid there she fell alseep and awoke to someone kissing the back of her neck. She sat up and looked at the fire in front of her.

" There, warmth." Said Memnon from next to her. She turned to look at him, and suddenly heard things in the forest many men, it sounded like.

" What are they." She said clutching her chest.

" Remember those, thing I said that dwell in the darkness."

" Yes."

" Those are it"

" Great "

“The fire should hold them away.” Memnon said but didn't sound completely sure.

“If they dont like fire, I have something for them.” She said and placed her hands on the ground, a huge ring of fire leapt up from the ground and circled them. Instantly they heard these beast shriek and fade back.

“You are like the women of our people, I had thought the human blood in you tainted and took what powers our women have.”

“Mother nature finds a way.” She said and laid her head on Memnon and in the morning they continued on the there home, Calypso was never found.