The Ceremony

"I cannot take these, no!" Aelanor said, "And where did you even get these dresses from? I thought shadow creatures don't need clothes?"

"I am a vessel for the worlds- the reason why I can change into a solid being, like yourselves, or shadow at will- which, I was sure you would have guessed if you were as clever as you look, Princess."

Aelanor had had enough. Curling the black dress into her fists and quite forgetting that she was a Princess, she threw the lot at Haz'th, who ducked.

"Aren't Elves supposed to be fast?" he laughed.

Nimuel entered the cottage to find Haz'th dodging objects in the room with apparent ease, as Aelanor ran behind him like a bull shown red. As Haz'th reached Nimuel, she put a protective hand on him and pulled him behind her, as Aelanor tried to grab the kid out of her hold.

"Stand aside, Nimuel. This midget..."

"No, sister. Step back. He's a child," she pushed her gently, still laughing.

"This child is getting on my nerves! Tell him to stop."

"You need to learn to face criticisms, Princess," Haz'th chanced a peek from his hiding place, "or you won't get very far in this journey."

Nimuel managed to push Aelanor away from him, and turned to Haz'th. "That's enough, Haz'th. Why don't you get us ready for the ceremony, and teach Aelanor later, on the journey?"

"Well, I was offering her this beautiful gown I got from the black market outside the Realm, and this is how she is thanking me," he pouted.

"Let me see."

The black fabric flown over her pale hands like water, and Nimuel had a flickering doubt.

"Where did you say this black market was? Because this fabric is not made of any elven means, or the shadow ones, for obvious reasons."

"There is a doorway behind the Palace which is frequented by a few of us who still need sustenance, like food and clothes and fire. The black market, or the Generals, is connected to a series of paths that are caved in, and it connects a few other Realms as well. I think this one might be a stolen good from the human world, but I can't be sure," he replied.

"This one is for you."

Nimuel reached for the flowy silk in Haz'th hands- a periwinkle silk covered in diamonds. Haz'th handed her a silver thread with a small diamond locked. The locket was engraved with the letters D.S.

"This dress and the locket were brought by my father on his journey, probably for his other wife or lover. But he had to leave them here when he met my mother, as she doesn't need clothes. This is probably from the realm of mortals as well," he said.

"I can't take these, Haz'th. This is yours," Nimuel said.

"I don't need it, Nimuel. And I don't want it. I have kept these for who knows why, but I never looked at them. I am just glad I didn't throw them out, for it would look beautiful on you."

Nimuel smiled at the child, and gave him a swift hug. Haz'th left them to change and went outside.

Once in the courtyard, Haz'th wheeled the wheelbarrow away. There was work to do, the souls of the dead would not move by themselves.

He left to dispose them off in the distance, thus making sure that the dead would not claim them again.