Official Ceremony
Gala fidgeted in her seat as the king and queen sat across from her. Alvaro summoned the majesties shortly after they arrived from Spîcolion to report on their mission and, of course, the warning that the barrier had given to her.
"So, how did it go, Alvaro?" The king asked Alvaro, who was settled on her right side, before taking a sip of the tea served by the servants.
Alvaro waited for the king to put down his teacup before he responded to His Majesty's question. "We arrived a day late in the region, your Majesty, due to unforeseen events, but we have accomplished the mission, nonetheless. The villagers' predicament regarding the wild beasts is now resolved." Alvaro shifted to his seat and took a glance towards her. The gesture made Gala flush with a slight embarrassment as the king and queen's eyes probed into her. "Gala made a significant contribution to resolving the region's problem," Alvaro said proudly.
Contrary to the kind queen, who was beaming with an affectionate smile towards the girl, the king took a while to react. Gala was pleased to see that the queen was delighted with her progress.
Instead, the arrogant king looked into Elderifrey on her left, his eyes glinting in obvious displeasure. "Tell me about the girl's alleged contributions then," the king asked, shrugging his shoulders and questioning Alvaro's report.
The queen, along with Gala and Alvaro, was taken aback by the king's petulance. "Are you seriously doubting Alvaro, my king?" The queen inquired, her voice tinged with disappointment.
The king chuckled half-heartedly and vigorously shook his head. "I do not doubt Alvaro, my queen. I just wanted to know everything in detail." The king gave an excuse, which Gala believes was partially true. The king is skeptical of her abilities, to say the least.
The queen, seeing that she could not do anything about the king, urged Elderifrey to respond. The elder faye took it as a cue and relayed everything that happened in the region during that night, leaving out the pixie and the barrier, as those are different matters.
"So, you're saying that this human can consistently speak the sacred language to converse with our land's wild beasts and it wasn't just by any chance with the Neighfrey?" The king asked apprehensively, his hands massaging his unkempt beard.
Elderifrey and Alvaro both nodded quickly. "Certainly, your Majesty," Elderifrey replied. Before opening her mouth again, the elder Faye cast an anxious glance at Alvaro and Gala. "In fact, your Majesty, there was a lot more you needed to know about her ability to speak Aeyalafreyn."
The king and queen shifted to their seats and leaned towards them, sensing the agitation in Elderifrey's voice. "What do you mean, Elderifrey?" the queen asked.
Gala's knees quivered in her seat, agitated by the possible reaction of the king to the barrier's warning. 'Will the king believe me?', she thought.
She dared to suggest that the king might simply accuse her of making things up, knowing that the king regards her as inferior to their kind. And if the king is unlikely to believe her, how will she persuade him? It is easy to just disregard the warning and not be bothered by the king's choices as she did not come from this world, but she could not shake the barrier's pleading voice.
Elderifrey took a sip of the hot, invigorating tea before she answered the queen. Her beady eyes sparkled in distress. "Apparently, on our way to Spîcolion, we discovered that Gala could communicate even with our barrier."
The king sat upright at the sudden news. His eyes widened in disbelief. "But, that's impossible! There was no record of any of our past whisperers being able to talk with our barrier. Even the first whisperer!" His voice thundered throughout the private room where their meeting was held.
Elderifrey agreed with the king, nevertheless, and continued on. "I know that this came out as a very shocking one. Your Majesty, Alvaro and I were equally appalled when we heard this from Gala, but allow me to proceed. I do not think Gala would blatantly lie to such an extent."
"Pray, tell us then, Elderifrey." The queen urged Elderifrey to proceed on behalf of the king, who remained silent in his seat, eyeing Gala from time to time.
"The barrier initiated the communication in the guise of Gala's mother. When Gala searched for it, we discovered a part of the barrier was weakened; while Alvaro was fixing the barrier, we were unaware that, at that very moment, the barrier was communicating with Gala already through her mind," Elderifrey explained, her fingers clinging tightly to the helm of her robe.
Gala's back stiffened against the chair, anticipating the king's reaction, but the king remained unresponsive. The queen was the first to react, her face puzzled as she tried to figure out why the barrier had to trick Gala into talking with her. "But why did the barrier have to go to such lengths to talk to Gala?" the queen wondered, blinking into space.
"I believe that it is only right that it should be Gala that must relay the news to the king and queen." Alvaro suddenly interjected.
Gala turned aggressively towards the young warrior, but she knew deep down that Alvaro had a point. The barrier had entrusted the information to her, but she was afraid of how the king would react to the grave news she was bearing.
Gala mustered all her strength before she spoke up. "The barrier has instructed me to tell you, your Majesty, that someone in Aelfrey is using a forbidden magic to deliberately poison the barrier."
The king jolted in surprise, his loud gasp echoed throughout the chamber. "That is ridiculous! Who in Aelfrey would do such a thing? How are you going to assure us that this is true and not just something that you just made up?"
The king, as Gala predicted, will not believe her. Gala broke out in a cold sweat as she looked at Alvaro and Elderify, silently asking for their advice on what she should do next.
"This is really shocking news, Gala. We can't just suspect any fayes in the land that would do such thing." The queen, who was clearly shaken by the news that Gala bore, asked apprehensively, the concern for the entire fayes' welfare and for the land visible on her face. The queen suddenly aged in Gala's eyes.
"I am aware, your highness, and I understand that this is difficult to believe, but I swear with my life that what I said is purely true. The barrier has only told me to relay the news to you, but how you take it and what decision you make after that is up to you and the king. I am only a vessel on their behalf and have no ulterior motive other than that," Gala explained, referring to the barrier.
In fear, she clenched and then unclenched her fingers; the king did not appear to believe her. "The pixie I met and the barrier both told me one common thing: they both spoke of betrayal."
The king turned to Gala, who appeared to be at a loss for words for a moment. "You met a pixie?" The king couldn't believe what he was hearing because pixies are known for their solitary lifestyle and generally try to avoid the fayes, so the girl's statement came out as a shock to him.
"She did, your Majesty. As a matter of fact, the pixie went with us to Spîcolion." Alvaro chose to answer for her. Gala glanced at Alvaro thankfully.
The king rose from his seat and walked over to the window. Gala heard him sigh several times. She can't help but feel bad for the king. Running an entire kingdom is an arduous task, that's for sure.
"What would you do if you were in my position, Elderifrey?" The king asked, his gaze fixed on the elder faye. All eyes turned to the elderly faye, who remained calm and collected in her seat.
"I've spent enough weeks with Gala to know that she was speaking the truth and that we should believe her. After all, there's no harm in taking precautions. Lastly, I am certain that Gala is indeed our land's whisperer, your Majesty. It's about time for Gala's anointing."
--
For the first time in a year, since the frost had started, the palace's courtyard was once again filled with the jovial chatters of the fayes, everyone dressed in their best ball gowns and tunics. Every wing sparkled as bright as the moon that hovers above the buoyant atmosphere. Everyone was ecstatic to witness the anointing celebration for the whisperer.
Long tables draped in creamy colored fabrics with gold embroidery were set up in every corner of the courtyard, piled high with a variety of delectable foods, drinks, and snacks—enough to fill everyone's stomachs.
The special group of fayes assigned for the night's music performed a melodious Aelfrey's folk song to set the mood. A small platform stood just in front of the gatehouse. The king and queen silently sat in the center of a high-back chair, observing the festive mood of the fayes. Meanwhile, three other empty chairs were placed behind the king and queen. One of which was already occupied by Aelfrey's eldest faye, Elderifrey.
When the clock struck 9 p.m., the king rose from his seat and moved closer to the podium's edge. The fayes' loud chatter came to an abrupt halt when they saw His Majesty preparing to address them. Everyone was thrilled to officially welcome their land's whisperer, as they fervently hoped that the frost would end soon.
"A great evening to all our dear fayes who came tonight to celebrate this special point in time. The past year has been cruel to us. We were suddenly stripped off of our normal lives in Aelfrey and battled throughout for our survival. However, our sacred spirit-faye, Dylareia, has proved to us that she will never fail her people, and tonight, after waiting for a long fifty years, Dylareia has finally chosen our land's whisperer. We've waited long enough. Without wasting any more of your time, let me introduce to you, Aelfrey's Whisperer: Galatea!" The king roared and went back to his seat.
The courtyard erupted into a loud cheer and applause from the fayes. Those who lived on the outskirts of the palace exchanged puzzled looks with one another as the name called by the king was unfamiliar to them. Nevertheless, they cheered on.
Gala, dressed in a big white ball gown on a lacy fabric, stood nervously next to Alvaro, who was exquisitely handsome in his black and gold tunic, his sword sheathed on his side. Gala's platinum white hair was braided, and a dainty flower crown sits atop her head. Gala moved restlessly, feeling like her bladder was about to burst in apprehension. She felt a little bit envious of how calm and collected her escort was beside her.
"Can you calm down, Gala?" Alvaro could no longer hold back, as he was starting to get dizzy with Gala's restlessness.
Gala shot him a glare. "Easy for you to say," she retorted. It's so hard to believe that tonight, she is officially Aelfrey's whisperer. A lot of things happened after she reached eighteen.
She was not nervous that she had to appear before the fayes of Aelfrey on top of that platform. What vexed her was the responsibility awaiting her. Will she justifiably perform her tasks as duly the land's whisperer? What if she fails? And what if Elderifrey was wrong?
'You are bound to do great things.'
She recalled Ejonna, the barrier, and the Arimehc's words.
Gala stood frozen when the king finally called her name. It was their cue to climb up the podium. Gala's eyes widened with mixed emotions when Alvaro extended his hands for her to take. Alvaro's grip on her tiny hand was surprisingly gentle. Gala would have tripped on the first step of the stairs if Alvaro hadn't done such a good job of supporting her; his other hand was just a few centimeters behind her back, ready to catch her if Gala's clumsiness struck.
Gala gave an awkward smile to the large audience that was staring at her. At times like this, Gala couldn't help but be silently grateful to Alvaro; at the very least, she was sharing the spotlight with the young warrior. Her joy, however, was cut short when Alvaro left her in front of the cheering fayes, who were chanting her name at the top of their lungs.
'Dear heavens!'
Gala just stood there like a frozen trunk, having no absolute idea what she should do next. Should she give a speech? Should she wave her hands like royalty, as seen in movies?
As if to answer her questions, Elderifrey approached her with a small, gold cauldron in her hands. She looked at the elder faye, clueless of anything.
"Gala, born of a human descendant, do you promise to do what is right and serve the fayes of Aelfrey with honesty?" Elderifrey asked her in an audible voice, enough for the fayes to hear her.
She stopped for a moment and looked at everyone who was waiting for her response. She was afraid to fail them, but she knew deep down that this was the right thing to do at the very moment.
A genuine smile broke out from Gala's lips. "I promise."
"And thus, I, Elderifrey, announced you, Galatea, as Aelfrey's Whisperer; may Dylareia guide you," Elderifrey said as she dipped her hands into the cauldron. Elderifrey then marked her forehead with a symbol she didn't understand, and a sweet vanilla aroma emanated from it.
Everyone jumped in elation; some were even tearful; others broke into laughter. Tonight was a symbol of victory for the fayes of Aelfrey, as finally, after fifty years, Dylareia had finally granted them a whisperer.