The Veilbloom

Elwen absorbed the gentle coastal wind as it caressed her face from where she sat within the moors that lined her village. Stray whisps from her plaited brown gold streaked hair broke free as it was picked up by draughts.

Distant sounds of the nearby market where she worked were a pressing reminder that she had stolen extra minutes to escape work duties.

The red knitted hat protecting her ears played tug of war with the increasing gusts that rippled through the purple heather as she ran back towards the busy village, only looking down to ensure she did not step on any wildlife going about their day.

Without warning, a darkness encroached the sky and a slow thick mist curled around the young woman's path..

 Elwen became a static pillar of fear, watching the tendrils of mist reaching out and parting the heather, beckoning her to change her path.

Unable to sense beyond the darkness that strangled out the rest of the world, Elwen tensely focused her vision on what the dark magic revealed - something was glowing intensely.

Elwen tenderly progressed her nimble feet, feelings of fear and interest arguing with one other, she came upon a ruby red thorned bush, isolating an intense majestic amethyst glow beneath it.

A faint whisper trickled into Elwen's ears, the bramble peeled itself, exposing the velvet petaled regal-like flower bud glistening with crystal dew drops.

 "The tide obeys the moon..." a female voice sang - prompting the rose to bloom fully before Elwen's widened eyes, "...but not all who guide you wish you to sail true."

Before she could repeat the phrase in her head, the darkness sank away into the moors leaving no trace of its sudden presence.

The purple rose remained in Elwen's hand for only a second before she carefully stuffed it into her pocket as voices came booming from the village, indicating that she had indeed been away to long. Looking and finding no traces of the encounter, she fled for the market.

*

As Elwen approached her fathers stall, she could hear murmuration’s from the fellow tradesmen, shouting orders came from customers who barted prices on fabrics and fresh fish.

"Did you see the weather change?" Elwen hastily asked as she removed her hat and jacket - messily placing them onto the upturned veg crates in front of the stall.

"Never mind the damn weather, get peeling these damn carrots for supper", he tossed a knife to Elwen and kicked an empty bucket next towards her feet - he was only strict from the grief of losing his love and their newborn daughter in childbirth in recent years.

  Frustrated, Elwen perched herself on a stool and began carving at a carrot stump - even if she told her father, he wouldn't believe her.

The rugged orange skin tumbled into the bucket between her feet as her eyes fixed with intrigue on the powerful purple rose that seemed to glisten from the adjacent pocket.

"It's a veilbloom, if you were wondering", came a voice full of wisdom and assurance from the front of the tent.

Elwen glanced up to see a tall, thin yet toned male figure bent over, perusing at the cabbages, his eyes pined towards the purple veilbloom peeping out of the brown jacket pocket.

The flower's quiet luxurious vibrance seemed out of place, and would surely be noticed by a knowing collectors eye.

Elwen glanced quickly towards her father, hoping she would not be heard, but he remained engrossed in organising the stock in the back of the tent.

"What do you know of them" Elwen stopped peeling and fixed a softened stare at the male, her wide eyes probably revealed too much as she hoped for answers - had she been cursed?

She submissively looked toward the flower, phantom feeling it’s hard thorns against her fingers.

"Only what the legend states,” Vaske answered, “it's like finding a four leaf clover, just lucky.” He picked up a cabbage and placed it under his arm. "My name is Vaske, my family own a stall on the outskirts of the village...in my spare time I am not ashamed to say that I am an anthophile." Vaske took out a small pocket

sized leather sketchbook, he opened it to reveal small flowers pressed neatly between the pages, each one secured with a small bit of clear tape.

Elwen tentatively leered over to see sprigs of lavender and small bouquets of daisies married together between parchment, she returned her eyes to Vaske, his emerald eyes cut sharp against the copper curls that framed his softened jawline.

"I am only interested in where you found it, to satisfy the curiosity of a collector..." His eyes flashed to meet hers.

"I found it in the moors", was all Elwen offered, indicating that if Vaske was to hold the cabbage in the crook of his arm any longer, he was to pay for it.

Embarassed, he hastily put his hand in his pocket to search for payment, bringing out two silver coins he placed them on the wooden trade table that bore the produce. "Thank

you", Vaske smiled as he grabbed two more cabbages, "keep the change, and if you are into books, come by the stall tomorrow".

He kept Elwen's stare as he retreated into the market crowd.

"Oi!", shouted Elwen's father, "are we getting supper tonight or do I have to finally skin the cat?". Her father was stood holding up the rear tent flap, peering in with disappointment.

Startled, Elwen kicked the bucket back between her well worn leather boots and continued to scalp the skin from the carrot, stealing glances at the veilbloom in wonder of its true intentions.

*

The next day, Elwen laid out the vegetables onto the wooden trade table as her father stacked the emptied crates from behind the tent. After a night of being plagued by the whispers and visions of dark forests, she desired to know more about the veilbloom.

The blood red thorns pressed into the inner lining of of her coat pocket, the tips seeping through to the cotton of her workdress, nipping at her as she moved.

Glancing down, she could see the rich velvet petals longingly looking back up at her from within deep in her coat pocket. She rubbed her thumb over the veilbloom's soft middle, the tightly gathered corolla gently ticked the pad of her thumb.

"I'm just going to get a new recipe book", Elwen called to her father, before he could battle her decision, she broke out into a purposeful stride.

Her jacket rippled against the cool air as her arms straightened through the sleeves, she pulled her collar to secure herself against the chill, weaving in and out of tradesmen setting up their stalls.

Unsure of the faces that surrounded her in a familiar sate of work, she kept her head low.

Turning on her heels and accepting defeat trying to find Vaske, Elwen began to walk back to the southern area of the coastal market, smells of fresh fish and spices began to fill her nostrils, reminding her stomach of its emptiness

"I found it", called a familiar voice, Vaske appeared in her eyeline as she paused to see him run back into his tent and return with a large tatted book. "Veilbloom..." Vaske turned the book towards Elwen as her hands held the edges to support its weight with him. "Located in lands of enchantment, it amplifies one's desires and strength, even with madness", Vaske laughed gently as he impersonated a person riddled with madness and unbalance. Elwen rejected the book by letting go of the worn down leather edging and taking a step back from Vaske.

"It also says it sings lullabys, which probably explains the bit about going mad " Vaske coyly laughed, Elwens face turned to deep thought at the young man voluntarily helping her.

"I don't desire anything...", she paused, wondering if giving him the whole story would favour her or not, "...what does it say about lullabies?", her voice almost a whisper. The emerald in Vaske's eyes began to swirl with intrigue as he gestured for them to go somewhere quieter to talk.

*

The pair sat cross-legged underneath a large oak tree situated on the outskirts of the market, Elwen’s face buried in the 'Book of Hidden Blooms'. Each page so thinalmost translusent, gently flapped between her fingertips.

"It says in the legend that if the flower starts to glow, you become more powerful”. Vaske added as he looked deeply into at the island of dense forest on the horizon, isolated by small ocean waters the enchated banished lands leaked darkness. His soft curls caught the wind, his eyes in a thoughtful trance.

Elwen shuddered at the thought of the flower’s magic ending up in the wrong hands.

"I should get back", Elwen decided as she stood up, ready to face the wrath from her father upon her return.

*

Elwen woke suddenly in the dead of night, sweat dripped from her brow, her long brown damp hair that clung to her neck.

"Help us" came a faint whisper, Elwen held her breath as she looked around for the voice's owner, the vialbloom.

Picking it up by its thick green stem, the ruby red thornes pulsated as she brought it closer to her

ear, "help us, Elwen", it eerily beckoned.

Suddenly, moving images as if they were her own memories flooded her mind, she could see a vast forest that crawled with amethyst-coloured smoke...a fawn emerged in the clearing, eyes

wide with terror, trembling as it proceeded to lie down on the dark moss floor.

Elwen had feelings of blood rushing back to her limbs as she regained consciousness. Her mind

lingered with a defiant message, the banished lands needed

her help.

*

Her head swivelled around to the oak tree beyond the market border, to see an elbow bent from behind it as if someone was sat down with their back to it reading.

Elwen gingerly walked over to them hoping the white cotton shirt belonged to Vaske, and not someone

who would alert her father or challenge her in any way.

Reassuringly, Vaske sat with the heads of bluebells crowded on the bend of his knee as he pressed them into his sketchbook.

He looked up to see a panic-stricken Elwen, "What's

the matter?", his face matched her concerned look.

"The veilbloom showed me something", Elwen bleated softly under her breath.

*

"I don't know the meaning of the vision, or the dream", Vaske started after hearing the story from Elwen, he stared again at the island of trees isolated by small ocean waters, wondering if the legend is true of the banished lands.

"If we go there, do you think we will…die?", Elwen asked with hope of a good answer. Vaske didn’t respond, he continued his longing stare towards the banished lands.

"...I just know that this dream felt more real than any other I have had... “ Elwen continued, “the fawn seemed terrified...not

of me but of something I don't think I could see, I think we should try to help it...", Elwen removed the vailbloom from her pocket, its petals had begun to wilt at the edges, curling in as if it were ready to die.

" What I have done…?"

Elwen softly asked herself under her breath, had she stayed in the market that day, she wouldn't be having nightmares caused by florals.

"I don't think it's something that you have done" Vaske replied as his eyes glinted with what seemed like excitement , "I think it's more about what you could do…to help".

*

Once they beached their stolen rowing boat amongst the cold brown sand on the shore of the banished lands,

the atmosphere hung heavy as life drew to a whisper, and then to a flat silence.

"What does your love of flowers tell you now?" Elwen asked Vaske with a tint of amusement at the moss strangled rocks that decorated the forest floor, not even the twigs beneath their feet made a noise as they progressed deeper into the darkness.

"Nothing yet...", Vaske gently replied as they decended deeper...deeper, into the towering forest.

Elwen tripped on a rock, twisting her ankle slightly, "careful!", Vaske panted as he grasped a hold of her elbow, prompting a powerful vision into Elwen's mind causing her to spiral in between memories not her own.

A hushed murmur echoed in her ears as she saw sights of a large wolf with emerald eyes stalking and hunting on the outskirts of the forest, as if unable to enter beyond the first row of trees, many moons passed in the sky as it returned night after night.

A clear voice embedded deep in Elwen's veins, "The tide obeys the moon, but not all who guide you wish you to sail true" , the vision of the wolf disappeared into smoke, shifting into flurries of flashbacks - the first time she met the veilbloom flower, the look in Vaske's eyes as he also saw it for the first time that day in the market, as if he pined for it, she remembered.

The book, thrust into her face that day in the market as if Vaske knew she would come looking for answers…

The veilbloom let out a breath, glowing intensely in agreement - Elwen had not realised she was now holding it, squeezing it, in her paper thin hand, seething from an anger rooted deep within.

He had led her there purposefully, knowingly.

"Help us..." came the wispy echo, it repeated with each turn louder than the last, more voices adding into the chorus of pleas from wildlife.

Elwen fell to the floor as the visions and voices ripped away from her, breathless and her mind aching, she looked up to see Vaske's face of worry, "what did you see?", he hastily asked, his face tense with pressure.

"E-everything..."

Elwen tried to continue when a creature in the clearing approached, a fawn.

*

An amethyst smoke seeped in from behind the fawn, encasing everything in its wake in a building

chaos. Turning to face the fawn properly, Elwen could see the thick smoke tendrils once again clearing a path, this time around the fawn who was whimpering but showing a quiet strength trying to stand.

Elwen had seconds to think, she turned to Vaske, his emerald eyes were gleaming with anticipation at the flower as he turned toward her, "it's ...working" came Vaske's voice, a rasp with a hint of excitement at the veilbloom glowing intensely, he snatched it from her fingers, contorting his body in obsession and glee.

He threw his arms in the air "I…am…the most powerful!", but only silence sounded over the whirring mists.

Elwen felt a burning in her veins, her body acted automaticaly as she turned to face Vaske, her back to the trembling fawn in protection.

The veilbloom turned to ash in Vaske's trembling hand, his face mad, auburn curls bounced around with every frantic move he made, searching for the bloom.

He turned to see Elwen , her arm outstretched in retaliation towards him. A push at his shoulder from an invisible force, turned his face from confused to pure rage at seeing the veilbloom

reforming itself in the powerful young woman's pocket, siding with her instead.

"Clever girl...but I don't need you, " , Vaske hissed, "just the vailbloom now that your kind heart woke it from slumber", his teeth began to form into sharp fangs, his face shifted into a recognisable wolf with emerald eyes. He lunged for Elwen, jaws agape in blind fury and jealousy.

Elwen darted to the side, a fire of purple light erupted through her veins, streaming out from her fingertips into the wolf's beastly body, knocking him backwards. He steadied himself and leaped high into the air to plant another attack, aiming true to Elwen and the glowing veilbloom.

At once, she coaxed the power from the veilbloom causing the ground to quake against the sheer force, gripping against the weight of the power, she lifted and hurled a fatal blow

towards the wolf, smashing his limp body against the strongest and tallest trees.

Elwen panted as she looked at the purple illuminations in her veins trickle out and into the fawn behind her.

She looked up at the wolf, but only to see his body disintegrate into smoke, and disappear into the sky, an escaped curse.

Elwen ran to the fawn, hoping to help it to live, to answer it's plea.

The soft curve of the fawn’s head cupped Elwen's hand, opening its eyes tenderly, the land around awoke in harmony. The fawn gathered to its feet, bowing proudly to Elwen, as the gentle

black nose touched the floor, a sweep of purple brushed through the land.

A once cursed land started to return to life as animals crept out of deep burrows and birds took once again to the sky.

The fawn transformed into a majestic stag, concluding the awakening of the misunderstood lands, his aura glowed in the same pearlescent magic that once flowed through Elwen's veins. She looked down to see her bare arms, and back to the stag who nodded at her before bouncing off into the thriving atmosphere.

Smiling, Elwen knew her calling now was back to her grieving father, she could never leave him on his own.

A thorn dug into her side, the veilbloom remained in her pocket, clasped tightly in a sleeping bud, its

messages sang deep in Elwen's head as she stroked its velvety casing.

It was the flower's magic that gave her the power to connect and calm the land, but it was her kind heart that ultimately saved them all.