Fire, Ice and the Moon (Part 3)

Luna is finally going home. After a long night spent on the run with her Elf friend, Luna is ready to find out exactly where all the Elves are hiding. Will you join her?

Art by Simone Ford

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Okay, I'm back. One of the Guardians of the Door, Lilith Honorfallow, added her bit to the story. Hope you enjoy.

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"Once upon a time, there were magical trees. They looked exactly like normal trees, with hair made of leaves and bodies of strong wood and bark. But they had one tiny, tiny difference. At the heart of these trees, right in the middle, there was a green string that pulsed with life, so thin that it was almost invisible. These strings went from the bottom of trees' roots and up to the very tips of the highest leaves and could only be seen by those whose eyes glowed with magic. They were known as heartstrings and they contained the very soul of the ancient trees. Legend says that if you take exactly one hundred and one heartstrings out of one hundred and one different trees, which is very hard mind you, only a special few knew how, and say the right spell then the heartstrings would come together and form a huge, green door that floated with life, filled with moving engravings of little birds and trees. And, as the myth goes, if you are pure of heart and seek the truth, the door would lead to Zainphora, the Secret Land of the Elves. But if you had bad intentions and were cruel in the soul, the door would only lead to punishment worse than death.

Of course, this sacred door was sought by all who wished to find the Elves, last of magic kind. A dark Evil that came in the form of your deepest fears searched all over for it and came very, very nearly close to doing so. Only through the valiant efforts of the Elves and of the Good did they stop the Evil from finding it. After seeing the destruction and madness of Evil, the last Elves entrusted a family, a family of pure heart and soul, of keen bravery and kindness, to guard the door. Together they hid it well, in the depths of dreams and nightmares, behind locked doors and enchantments and in the middle of a labyrinth that only the Good could find. The Elves all disappeared, taking with them the last traces of all magic from the Earth. To this day, the family guards the door and its secret, passing the key through generations. They guarded it well, so well that the legend faded away from minds, another relic of ancient times. The Elves were never seen again, leaving behind only a door made of heartstrings, the very souls of trees."

The old woman cleared her throat and looked down at the keen face of the young girl sat below her. Her awed face glowed under the gentle light of fireplace, illuminating the oak paneled room filled with rugs and old, feathery sofas surrounded by huge book filled shelves that touched the ceiling.

"But- but, but will the Elves come back?" the little girl asked, her blonde pigtails shaking with fear as she bobbed her head up and down.

"Mmmmm my dear, hard to say. You would have to ask them, I reckon." the old woman answered, reaching down for the girl and placing her gently on her knee.

The girl snuggled up close, hiding her nose under the multitude of scarves her grandma always wore.

"Is it real, Grammy?" she finally asked.

"Oh no, Lilith, don't worry about such things. It's only a story." the old woman answered with a certain mischievous twinkle in the eye.

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I woke up with a start.

A doorbell was ringing, hard.

I rubbed my head groggily, trying to wake up. The moon shone brightly from my window, illuminating the usual darkness and stillness of the night.

I rolled over and checked my wooden clock.

"3 A.M? You have got to be kidding me." I murmured, getting up slowly.

The doorbell rung again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yelled back.

Pulling on my robe and bunny slippers, I walked out of my bedroom and down the hallway. As I walked through the multitude of doors, hallways and rooms to get to the front door, I could still hear the faint words 'Only a story..." fade away into the distance.

"Yeah, thanks for nothing Grammy." I said out-loud, running my hand through my short blonde hair.

Finally, after walking up, down, sideways and diagonally, I reached the front door. I unlocked the usual twenty chains, locks, latches and bolts and with a miserable groan grabbed the cold door-handle.

With a creak, the ancient wooden door opened.

"Alright, who is it?" I asked into the darkness.

I squinted hard, trying to see anything except the usual blurry shapes of the night. Out of the shadows emerged a familiar tall woman with a black and grey bob wearing black armor. In her hand she held an impressive sword and standing beside her, with a scared expression was young girl.

I grinned.

"Eliyen! Should have known it was you." I said, smiling hard.

"Lilith. Sorry for bothering you so late." Eliyen answered, her gold patterned black armor flashing lightly under the moonlight.

"Don't worry about it. I always have time for old friends like you." I replied, and with a grin I hugged Eliyen tightly.

I didn't see many people often, and Eliyen was one of the few I could trust.

"Come in, come in." I invited, and Eliyen stepped into my home.

The girl, who had dark purple hair (an immediate point in her favor, it looked so cool), followed her shyly. She smiled up at me.

"Hello! Welcome to my humble home, most ancient and stuffy building of all time. My name's Lilith." I said, shaking the girl's hand vigorously.

"Hi. I'm Luna." The girl answered, smiling widely.

She seemed to relax slightly and finally looked up from the floor. Her eyes widened as she took in all the glory of good old Honorfallow House. The building always seemed to have that effect on first time visitors.

The outside of the home resembled more of a castle than anything, with a brick bridge surrounded by plush flowers and plants, majestic towers that reached into the sky, ancient stone walls filled with moss and secret doors, large glass windows surrounded by wooden frames of intricate patterns, columns covered in vines, floors upon floors with roofs and chimneys that loomed high above you and a deep forest that stretched as far as the eye could see surrounding the building, covering it in shadows. The front door, which was an oak beast that towered high above, was only accessible through a marble archway and was covered by a roof held up by columns that portrayed carvings of strange animals and beasts with three heads and soaring wings. Leafy vines and bushes of roses were wrapped around the columns, and many exotic flowers and plants covered much of the home, adding to the mystic air.

The inside did not disappoint. With oak staircases that reached to the stars and hidden places, marble floors and fountains that sprouted clear water that seemed to glitter with the brilliant colors of the rainbow, floating windows and doors that opened into secret rooms, libraries and wonders, shelves and bookcases filled with old volumes and strange trinkets like human skulls, flutes made of glass and jars of eyeballs, mirrors that reflected lands never seen before, chandeliers made of upside down trees lit up by captured fireflies and indoor balconies that looked down on ballrooms decorated with flowers and plants, the Honorfallow House could only be described as magical.

Luna looked around herself, awe on her face. I grinned.

"Here come. Let me get you something to drink and eat." I said and guided her through the hallways and rooms and into the kitchen.

Eliyen was already there, standing, looking up at the wall covered with my family's portraits. The most recent, was a glistening painting of an old woman wearing a multitude of colorful scarves, an old beaten cane in one hand and a chameleon with an eye patch in the other, its washed out green tail wrapped around her arm. Eliyen turned as we walked in and smiled at me sadly.

"Fia was a great friend. The day she passed, we lost a true gift, but I'm glad the painting truly shows who she was." She said, walking over towards me.

I looked up at the painting, noting the familiar mischievous twinkle in the painting's eyes, a promise of adventure, trouble and secrets.

"Yes. Grammy really was special, in her own strange way." I replied, slowly walking towards the kitchen counter, an ancient round stone with drawers and shelves carved in.

"I miss her." Eliyen said, sitting down heavily on the mushroom-like chairs that sprouted from the floor around the stone.

Luna followed, sitting down, awe still shining on her face as she stared up into the depths of the tower roof that seemed to glitter with forgotten stars.

"I miss her too." I said softly, sadness stirring in my heart.

"She would be proud of what you have done. Taking on the burden at such a young age is not easy, especially after the loss of a loved one. But the door remains hidden, even more secret than before. Thank you." Eliyen paused, bowing her head slightly, "Now, I would love to catch up, but we must go. More time has passed than was planned and I am tired." She continued and got up.

"Whatever works for you. You sure she doesn't need anything though? Must have taken you a long time to get here." I answered, looking at Luna, who, despite her awe and curiosity, obviously looked drained and tired.

"Fine. Give her a drink I suppose. But be quick." Eliyen agreed, sitting back down heavily with a grumble.

Not very patient.

I grinned and swiveled my body so it faced Luna.

"So what would you like? I have some warm wine, fizzy water, the last plum juice I think from my October stock, um what else? Oh yes, hot chocolate of course. Unless you like more exotic drinks like firefly champagne and a monster smoothie, although Eliyen is the only person I know who actually likes that stuff. Whatever you want." I listed while crouching down and sorting through my fridge.

I got up, dusting the spiderwebs that had got caught in my hair. Luna stared at me for a moment.

"Umm, hot chocolate, please." She said quietly, a lock of purple hair falling onto her face.

"Hot chocolate it is. An excellent choice." I replied, taking on a fancy bartender accent.

She laughed and I grinned at her.

With a flourish I took out all the ingredients I needed and placed them on the counter-top. I quickly mixed in the chocolate powder into a glass of warm milk (unicorn I think, but best if she didn't know that. It's excellent for recharging after a long day). I took out some sprinkles and added them, making sure the milk was extra foamy.

"Voilà. Hot chocolato." I said and slid the drink across the counter-top and into her hands. She smiled and took a sip.

"Ooooh. Yum. This is good! Thanks." She announced, drinking some more.

"No problem." I replied.

"Took you long enough Lilith. Let's go." Eliyen said and got up.

I rolled my eyes at Luna, making her giggle, but followed Eliyen out of the kitchen. Luna stuck to us, clutching her drink in her hand.

"Where are we going?" Luna asked as we walked up some stairs and through a hallway made of black stones with strange bones and creatures fossilized in them.

"Home." Eliyen replied, pressing a small shell in the wall of the hallway.

A door swooshed open to my amazement, and we walked into a room covered in plants.

"That's a rubbish answer. We're going to your home, the Secret Land of the Elves, or Zainphora. Eliyen here is leading us to the secret door that only Elves can find." I answered, slowing down so my pace matched Luna's.

"So the door is in your house? But you don't know where it is?" Luna asked, curiosity shining in her face as we followed Eliyen by jumping in the air to reach a floating red door with a lion head doorknob.

It roared at us as we passed through and I patted it's head gently before answering Luna.

"Yup. Perks of the job. I'm the Guardian of the Door, even though I don't know where the door is. All I know is that it's somewhere in this house and that it moves around. It's been the task of my family, the Honorfallow, for generations, to guard the door, you know." I said, letting my hand run against the silver railings of another stairway made of a white stone that looked like it was filled with starlight

"Cool. Can I sense the door?" Luna questioned, her purple hair gently glowing from the stairs' light.

"You must first enter Zainphora to awaken your true form and unlock your powers. Then you can sense the door, among other things." Eliyen answered before I could, turning her head slightly towards us, a lock of hair uncovering her pointed ears.

Luna didn't answer, seeming to digest this new information. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, our steps echoing through rooms, hallways and stairway, each one unique to itself. There were some I didn't even know existed, and I made a mental note to add them to the continuously expanding map of Honorfallow House.

Finally, after around fifteen minutes, Eliyen stopped. She was standing in a huge ballroom made of natural stone, with gold, diamond and colorful lines of crystal veins creating patterns on the ceiling and floor. Giant columns of crystals dotted here and there and in one corner a black ivory piano proudly stood, surrounded by moss and white flowers that grew in the dark.

Eliyen cleared her throat and began chanting, spreading her arms out. I didn't understand anything she said, as it was all in Ancient Elvish, but it sounded like clear music. Luna stared at her in wonder, obviously understanding what Eliyen was saying.

Suddenly, out of thin air, a door started to materialize. It was enormous, and towered high above us. It was made of what seemed like hundreds of tightly woven green strings, each one a different shade and size. Along the edges of the door, where the greens became more gold and solid, engravings of flora and fauna, some that I knew and some that I had never seen before, shone with life, moving slightly. The dark tendrils of flowers stretched into the air, and the trunk of an elephant seemed to trumpet out-loud. There was no doorknob to be seen but Eliyen managed to push it open anyway.

Luna gasped.

A bright forest, filled with every color imaginable, glittered under a full moon. The forest was filled with flowers and mushrooms that sprouted from the ground, and the trees seemed to speak to one another with their gently swooshing branches. The colors were so bright and clear, making the room we were standing in, once tall and fair, seem dull in comparison.

Little flying salamanders with delicate wings flew by the door, closely followed by two small dragons who roared in joy. Their pearl white teeth shone brightly and their wings snapped with the increase of speed. They zipped by as a group of mushrooms near the door moved. Two tiny girls with orange mushroom caps sprouting from their heads yawned at us, stretching their arms wide under the stars. They looked at us curiously.

I looked sideways to Eliyen, who seemed to have finally relaxed. Every tense muscle melted and she finally smiled widely, closing her eyes to breathe in the moonlight.

Luna stood there in shock, grinning with wide eyes.

"Every time I bring an Elf home they have that same look on their face." Eliyen said, she too looking at Luna.

"It... It's amazing" Luna replied, clutching her now empty glass tightly.

Eliyen and I chuckled.

I love seeing Elves reactions when seeing Zainphora for the first time. It still fills me with wonder every time the door opens to reveal such magic.

"It's your home now." Eliyen announced and stepped through the door, her feet landing silently on the grass covered ground.

Luna looked at me nervously.

"Go on. You belong there." I said, taking the glass gently from Luna's fingers.

She turned and taking a deep breath, stepped through the door. She seemed to glow for a second, silver light bouncing off her skin.

"Thanks." She said and with a grin twirled, following Eliyen through the thick foliage of the forest.

Eliyen turned.

"Until next time." She said and with a grin, ran into the forest, her feet seeming to fly in the air.

Luna stumbled after her, awkwardly trying to keep pace.

I smiled at myself and looked down at my watch.

4:00 A.M on the dot.

With a yawn I closed the door, cutting off the bright moonlight of Zainphora. The door vanished, it's task now done. I managed to stumble back to bed, a hallway seeming to lead me straight into my bedroom. As soon as my head touched my pillow I was gone, dreaming of fairies and elves and magic.