Insignificance

I made a decent living as a guide for those who wanted to pass through the wild yet breathtaking beautiful Elvish mountains. The 'Flumen' mountains, known for their namesake river were a series of steep summits covered heavily in thick vegetation that sprawled out lazily for hundreds of kilometres between the lands of the Fae and the Elvish Empire. Despite the majestic fauna of the mountains and the picteresque scenery, temperatures jumping from sub zero to over 50 degrees were the norm and deterred most travellers.

Flurried blizzards could occur simeltaneously with violent sand storms that seemed to appear out of nowhere, completely at odds with the lush green forests of the area. The only permanent occupants of this region were the thousands of wildlife unique to the ' Flumen' mountain range and the handful of Elves like myself that used the series of wild summits as a career opportunity.

Born and raised in the Elvish mountain village of Alcor, I spent my youth happily exploring the infamanous mountain range with my buddies whilst my parents attempted to teach me to take over the family produce store. Unfortunately for them, I was far from a natural at running a business and instead let my younger sisters take the lead whilst I made a living from doing what I had done my entire childhood...the only difference now was that I was paid to explore and navigate the untamed fierceness that was the Elvish mountains.

The specifics of my job description depended on who you asked and during which season. According to both the Fae and Elvish councils, my role was to maintain and build various hunting villages amidst the mountains for weary travellers, hunters or anyone that dared pass through the turbulent peaks without a guides assistance. 

My role in the scientific and magical communities was to collect flora or water specimens and to record the animal activity...stepping in when necessary to keep the fauna within the mountains and to not petrify the villages bordering on the wild peaks. One of the best things about my role was to safely guide those who wanted to pass through the 'Flumen'. These groups, or individuals usually consisted of various scientists, ambitious hunters or even the odd explorer who wanted a little help to get them started on their quest. The most unusual clients were those that came from upper class families or instituions that needed a guaranteed speedy and safe passage through the mountains. 

Today's customer was the perfect example of this. The heir to the Fire Court throne, the young female Fae sitting in the plushy armchair across from me was definetly one of the most unusual clients I had ever had. Normally, travellers who needed to cross from the lands of the Fae to the Elvish Empire...or vice versa travelled the coastal way via the sparkling sapphire waters of the headland. Crossing through the mountains took a third of the time...my colleagues and I were that good, yet it also added a tinge of urgency to my mission. 

Alaria Fireborn, Princess and future heir to the Fae's Fire Court throne needed to be at an ambassodor's meeting in less than 24hours, and the current blizzard outside was doing nothing to help the situation. Whilst I know we could both probably survive it...me having grown up in this place and her being a strong fire elemental, I did not want to risk it...especially with her being who she was. A large part of my role was knowing the mountains I had devoted my life to, they demanded respect...and I knew better than when to go out in the sporadic weather that could easily work itself into a frenzy. 

Alaria and I had kown each other for just over a day now, it took approxiametly 2 days to pass through the mountains if you had a perfect trip...unfortunately, it didn't look like this would be a perfect trip and with the deadline for her meeting looming closer with each passing minute I was feeling a little anxious. My life was so much easier when I could just be left to my job and not deal with pissed off Fae or exasperated elves. Delivering a Fae heir to an important meeting late...despite her being in perfect health was a sure way to annoy them.

Shaking myself out of my self pity, I studied the Fae before me. Perfectly symmetrical slender features, transparent gauzy wings and golden eyes that matched the extensive flowing hair falling neatly down her back all spoke of her heritage. She had been nothing but friendly so far...reserved yet polite, kind yet largely emotionless...she was the ideal specimen of Fae royalty.

I had done my best to make her comfortable in this cabin, the closest one to the Elvish lands, to my hometown. It was fortunate that I had done up this cabin the Summer before...freshly cleaned furniture, stocked cupboards and am abundance of cut firewood meant that we could at least wait out the storm in comfort. The fire crackling in the corner thanks to my hours of wood chopping the year before and her fire abilities meant that we were at least warm and comfortable...despite the lack of electricity and automated running water.

It was only when I got up to grab us an early dinner did she break the silence for the first time in hours.

" You need not to worry about getting me to the meeting on time. You see, I will explain and they have to listen to me. "

I met her unnerving pupiless stare as the gold in her eyes sparkled in the evening light filtering in through the whirling clouds of snow and leaves encircling the house. She gave me a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before she diverted her attention back towards the etheral beauty of the storm raging outside.

If I wasn't so stressed out about the approaching deadline, I would have been enjoying the storm alongside her. Despite their volatile nature and wild unpredictability...the mountains beauty was stunning no matter the weather. The ancient peaks had formed a deep kinship with me and I felt at one with them...I felt at peace. This blizzard wasn't an act of frustration or anger on their behalf but rather a cleanse between the seasons...Autumn to Winter. 

I couldn't blame them, the balance of nature was incredibly fragile and not even a royal's time sensitive trip could postpone the balance of the seasons. As I served us up a simple but filling dinner of vegetable pasta and freshly squeezed juice, I felt for the first time since the blizzard started a sense of peace. In the large scheme of things...a royal arriving a few hours late for a meeting was so minor. 

I know I must have looked like an idiot smiling away to myself as I tucked into my dinner, but I could not help it...she had reminded me...the mountains had reminded me of just how insignificant we were, and that was an incredible thing. A few hours late to a meeting that the person of interest insisted was of no consequence compared to the incredibly powerful, yet also intensely fragile balance of nature...it wasn't even a fair comparison, nature ruled out in the end...it always did.