(Troll Land)

Within the quiet trees of the forest in the west, Iar Coilva, Fìorea stood by Iar Uisqua - the lake where the Sìthicris sought counsel from the great voice belonging to the one they called Illuminare-Trabem. He always showed his presence in the form of a beam of light upon the water's rippling surface, and there he was, ready to receive Fìorea's cries of woe.

"My beautiful child, what troubles you?" His deep voice was filled with a warmth that touched Fìorea's heart.

"Illuminare-Trabem, I am aware that you see all and know all. I am anxious about what I am to do tonight," she responded in her native tongue, her head bowed in respect.

"Why are you anxious? What you are to do pleases me, Child. Through learning about your neighbours, you shall bring peace and a new era to Dachan Terran." Illuminare-Trabem's words made Fìorea's heart pound in her chest, but it did not succeed in untying the tight knot embedded in her stomach. "What troubles you still, Fìorea?"

"Please, Bright Beam, I am worried if we are caught by others from either tribe, they will not understand, and their misunderstanding may cause strife." Fìorea's brow pulled together as she fixed her gaze on the bright light reflected within the undulating surface of the lake.

"Your concern is understandable and you were right to seek my aid, dear Sìthicris," Illuminare-Trabem's silky voice soothed Fìorea's mind as he told her exactly what she must do to ensure her and Vidurram's safety that night.

The memory of mere hours ago faded from the forefront of Fìorea's mind. Peering through the gap in the seam of her tent once again, she saw that the bright colours of day finally gave in to the deep shade of indigo that she was waiting for.

Once the shadows embraced her, bringing out the violet glow from her long, flowing hair, she smiled with delight and threw herself up off her futon. Reaching out her hand, she grabbed her dark-blue hooded cloak and draped it over her shoulders, hid her hair's glow and darted out of her tent into the still, silent streets of Chridocus. Using the light of the stars, she made her way to the surrounding wall, let herself out with her violet magic and ran through the trees to the clearing.

"Vidurram," Fìorea called out in a hushed whisper.

"I'm here," the Troglobha answered her, stepping out of the bush in which he hid the other night.

Fìorea ran to his side.

"You came!" she said with a relieved smile.

"Did you doubt that I would?" he questioned in his quietened baritone rumble.

"Well, a part of me did." A heat flushed to Fìorea's pale cheeks.

"Well, I'm -" Vidurram started but was soon interrupted with a sharp "shush".

"I heard something, someone may be coming. Quick hide!" Fìorea whispered, then pulled on his thick wrist, leading him into the bush, where they knelt down together.

"Are the Fairies looking for you already?" Vidurram questioned, looking through the gaps within the bush's branches.

"They might be. I don't know. I swear I was careful. I waited till the stillness of night before I dared to move!"

"What can we do? If they're out searching for you, we won't be able to leave."

The worry within the fires of Vidurram's eyes failed to reach the calm glow of Fìorea's. She knew exactly what must be done.

"I know a way we can stay hidden from both tribes," she said in a confident tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you trust me?"

Vidurram, not letting his confused gaze leave the Sìthicris' porcelain face, nodded his head.

He then watched her lift her now glowing hand, as she placed her extended index finger upon his chest. The violet light radiating from her skin trailed behind her every movement as she drew an eight-pointed star within a circle on him, and did the same thing to herself. She then grabbed his large, khaki coloured hands and made them glow with that same violet light. They both watched the magic dim and change into a deep autumn orange as the symbols on their chests sank under their skin.

"What was that?" Vidurram breathed.

"A protection spell," Fìorea replied, no longer feeling the need to whisper - despite the Sìthicris that stood merely yards from their hiding place. The sudden loudness of her voice made the Troglobha cringe. "Don't worry, no one will be able to hear or see us now. We are free to do as we please! Come on!"

Fìorea got to her feet; raising no alarms from her kin. She began making her way into the wilderness that lay between both of their homelands. Listening out for the heavy footsteps of the Troglobha, she halted when no sound came to her ear.

"Come on, Vidurram!" she called to him. "Don't you still want to show me your home?"

A gleam of white reflected the light of the stars as the Troglobha gave her a small, nervous smile. With clumsy movements, he got to his feet and ran to Fìorea's side - leaving deep footprints in the dusty ground of the wilderness.

They walked together side-by-side. The wind made swirling patterns with the loose earth before them and played with their hair as they took each stride.

"Why would you have such a spell at your disposal?" Vidurram asked the question that squeezed at his insides. "I mean have you ever used it before?"

"No," Fìorea answered, not picking up on his accusatory tone. "No Sìthicris but myself knows this spell even exists. I only learned it earlier today."

"How did you come to know it?" Vidurram questioned her further.

"Illuminare-Trabem." Vidurram looked at Fìorea with a raised brow that spurred her to jump into a better explanation. "Oh, sorry, Illuminare-Trabem means Bright Beam in your tongue, that is the name of the wise power who shines upon our lake."

Vidurram gave her a silent nod, and moved his focus back to the journey ahead.

"Do you have something like that at Troglobha Terran, erm Troll Land?"

"Indeed," Vidurram answered in a monotonous voice. "Something like it."

His demeanour was hard to read, Fìorea looked at the hardness within his eyes as he walked - such an intimidating look made her heart flutter.

"H-have I offended you?" she queried with a tremor in her words.

"Not at all," Vidurram answered in that same tone that didn't sit well within his walking partner.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, an awkward silence that crushed around them both. Until Vidurram finally spoke up.

"Here we are, here is my home."

As soon as they stepped onto the lush grass within the giant gate that allowed them access to Troglobha Terran. Vidurram's demeanour calmed and he let out a deep sigh. He turned to Fìorea with a wide smile upon his face. The excitement inside his amber eyes seemed to banish all the silent anger they were harbouring only moments ago.

"I know exactly what to show you first!" he said with glee.

Fìorea, deciding to leave the awkwardness she felt behind in the wilderness, matched his joyful manner with a beaming grin of her own.

"What? What will you show me first?"

"Shh," Vidurram placed his large finger over his lips and Fìorea quietened down in obedience. "Listen," he whispered. "Do you hear that?"

The sound of a gentle trickling reached Fìorea's ear. It sounded full of life and brought a soothing coolness to the night air. She nodded her head, with a pleased smile.

"That is the River of Life. Where we get our fresh water and our food. We live off fish mostly, fish that nature has given us freely to survive on." Vidurram explained, then added. "Come with me."

He then led her towards a great waterfall that towered above them. Fìorea marvelled at the rushing water that glowed with a magic of its own.

"You carry magic upon your being," Vidurram began. "Our magic stays within our water and land."

Fìorea sighed as she drank in the beauty of her surroundings. Flowers of many vibrant colours dotted the ground surrounding the gleaming waters, the grass was lush and green under their feet. The air was fragrant with aromas that perfectly complemented each other. This was the last thing she was expecting to experience when visiting the land belonging to the Troglobha. Her gaze fell to her sandalled feet as she felt her heart plummet into her stomach.

"What's the matter?" Vidurram asked.

"I - I don't know. I just... I feel so ashamed."

"Ashamed? What for?"

"I didn't expect to see such... such..." words evaded her and she couldn't bring herself to look towards the Troglobha who focused on her with only warmth in the hearth of his eyes.

"You didn't expect that we'd have magic did you?" he guessed, and watched the Sìthicris shake her head.

"I don't know what I expected. I mean, you wear such basic clothing and react strangely to our magic, I assumed..." Fìorea's desperate explanation ran out of steam, she then found the courage to look up towards the Troglobha who towered over her. She was met with a look full of understanding. A silence took over them for a minute, then Vidurram finally decided to banish the looming awkwardness with a clap of his huge hands.

"Would you like to see more?"

"There's more?" Fìorea's eyes pulled wide with excitement.

"Of course!" Vidurram chuckled, then took the Sìthicris' delicate hand.

He took her back the way they came, to a mighty tree that stood beside the river. This tree was huge! It was the size of three of the other trees together. Fìorea wondered how she didn't notice this tree beforehand. The very leaves that grew from its tall branches glittered with magic that she could see coursing beneath the trunk's bark as she looked closer.

"Incredible!" she breathed. "What a powerful tree!"

"Indeed. Now, this tree is just as, if not more, important to us than the waters in the River of Life. This tree is sacred to us. It is the birth place and the home of the tree creatures."

"Tree creatures? Like the one you showed me with the pollen of the Strelle fo Bhlàth in my homeland?"

"Yes! It is the tree creatures that make our clothes, bless and collect the plants they allow us to use as sustenance. They help us build our homes and they teach us how to care for the nature that grows around us." Vidurram spoke with great passion and Fìorea took in every word with a willingness to learn.

"We have nothing like that at Sìthicris Terran," she said as she analysed the tree closer. "We do all the work your tree creatures do ourselves."

"I didn't know that. We Trolls always assumed that you must have tree creatures on your land too. Rumours went around our tribe that you offended your tree creatures with your meddling." Vidurram explained with no acknowledgement of how tactless his words may be.

"Meddling?" Fìorea turned on him with a scowl.

"But after I met you yesterday, I saw that that could not be the case, for when you saw the tree creature in that magic pollen, I noticed that not a spark of recognition came to you," Vidurram continued with an amused smirk and a shrug.

"Troglobha have many wrong assumptions about us it seems!" Fìorea began, her voice rising with each word as she entered into a rant. "We do not meddle. We work the earth and grow plants with our magic. We aid nature. We nourished our land. We saved it. It was once as barren as the wilderness we walked through!"

"Woah, alright! Didn't I just say that I saw that the rumour was not the case? We got it wrong, that's all!" Vidurram said, with his hands held out in front of him in defence once he saw the violet glow in the Sìthicris' eyes flare. "Remember you and your kin made wrong assumptions about us too, you said so earlier."

"Yes, and I felt ashamed at that, you saw how badly I felt. Yet you come out with such offensive terms, not caring at all how they would affect me!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that you and your tribe are so sensitive over what words we use!" Vidurram's eyes lit with flames of fury to match the anger in Fìorea's, then added with an aggressive hiss to his voice, "This was clearly a mistake! Trolls and Fairies are too different. We were made to stay apart. We were made to be enemies!"

"Maybe you're right! How could I ever have trusted a mindless beast such as you!" Fìorea bit back, which caused a sudden burst of flame to fire from Vidurram's eyes. The Sìthicris only just jumped out of the way and the fire hit the trunk of the mighty tree, leaving a searing spot within its bark.

"What have you done?" Fìorea gasped, looking at the burning hole. Curling smoke began to twist from the glowing embers.

Vidurram fell to his knees and stared at the rising smoke.

"I'm sorry..." he said quietly.

"Well I'd think so too! You were aiming for me!" Fìorea snapped.

"I'm not talking to you!" Vidurram muttered back.

"No, Child, he was talking to me," a booming voice echoed through the air - it was coming from the smoke.

"Illuminare-Trabem?"

"Yes Fìorea, it's me."

"Great Power? You speak to them too?" Vidurram asked with confusion plaguing his eyes, as they darted to and fro between the smoke and the Sìthicris' chief's daughter.

"Indeed I do. Did she not explain that to you whilst you were walking in the wilderness? It was I who taught her the protection spell, so that you both may learn about each other in peace."

"I - I thought that she spoke of another voice, a stranger's voice..."

"You made an assumption, rather than being open to the truth." The Great Power's words hit Vidurram hard in the chest. "Something you must no longer do."

Vidurram gave a silent nod and bowed his head in shame.

Fìorea let out a deep breath and bent down to Vidurram's sunken level.

"We both made assumptions, both of our tribes have done so, for far too long," she said with a gentle hand upon the Troglobha's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Vidurram."

"I'm sorry too, Fìorea," Vidurram looked up at her, his lips curving into a slight smile.

With that the smoke disappeared, the burning hole in the bark of the mighty tree closed up and the trunk looked just as it once did.