Restoring the holy lands

The old nursery rhyme echoed off of the lips of the small figure, hooded and cloaked in white velvet. Strains of the rhyme's melody fluttered across the desolate landscape, giving the hooded figure's procession an eerie and somewhat unique feel. This aura was only enhanced by the fact that the petite figure was riding on the back of an enormous white tiger. The beast was huge, far bigger than any other tiger ever seen; centuries of being in the presence of his faerie companion had caused that. He was loping along at a ground-eating pace despite the burden on his back, but this was to be expected when such a burden consisted of only a faerie and a select few of her belongings. The huge animal leapt along, however, crossing the barren landscape with his little rider singing the old nursery rhyme in a voice that made the very wind seem to sigh with contentment. The tiger's ears were pricked back towards his rider to pick up on every sweet note that poured from her mouth as he loped along, until his eyes seemed to pick out a differentiation on the flat, dusty horizon, and he came to a stop.

His rider stirred ever so slightly, and she stopped singing, her voice fading off on one high note. The moment of silence following the end of the song seemed unbearably painful without her voice to fill it up, but at last she spoke. “Rikhter, dear. I take it there is some reason for you to stop?”

The tiger tilted his head towards her, and their eyes locked. The two seemed to communicate for a few brief seconds; then the figure straightened and one dainty hand appeared from the folds of her white cloak to sweep back the hood that had been concealing her features. Hair the color of liquid amber tumbled from confinement in loose curls, falling over narrow shoulders and framing the slender, beautiful features of the girl whose face had just been exposed. Faeries, as a general rule, were gorgeous creatures, but this one was particularly striking and dignified. She had long lashes and full lips, with flawless skin that was too light to be considered tan but too dark to be considered pale. Golden eyes flecked with emerald surveyed the horizon just before her, and she pursed her lips, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She squinted into the horizon, putting a hand over her eyes to shield off the rising sun, and sighed in her musical voice, “You can see Esterley, Rikky? Where?”

In return, the tiger let out a slight rumble, and her gaze shifted over to the west. For a few long moments, the female blinked into the sun, before suddenly straightening and letting out a cry of triumph. “I see it! I see it, Rikky! Oooh, look! You can even see the faint haze of the mist surrounding it! That old children’s tale was right, Rikhter…but then again, those old tales usually are.” She smiled, laughing to herself in a voice that sounded like bells ringing in the distance, “And you, Lara, should know all about the power of the old tales.”

Lara Faye, one of the most talented singers in the land, had been making a name for herself for centuries now as a renowned and wonderful singer…and powerful Songstress. Her profession was all but extinct in this day and age; bards had swept through a century ago and taken over the entertaining careers. Songstresses nowadays were legends, myths, stories passed down from generation to generation...stories of exquisitely beautiful beings with the voices of angels. Voices that could, it was rumored, command the elements and creatures at will. Voices that could sing shut wounds and cure ailments. Voices that could lull people into a deep sleep or drive them mad.

Of course, these were all legends and myths.

But legends and myths weren’t entirely untrue.

Lara smirked charmingly to herself; Rikhter had already begun running towards the ruins of Esterley, the once-famed temple of healers and physikers that had been corrupted long before even Lara’s time. As they neared it on the horizon, Rikhter’s ears flicked back, and he glanced briefly towards Lara, slowing into a brisk trot. His rider’s brow furrowed, and she stared at the steadily approaching form of Esterley for a few moments, before blinking and straightening suddenly. “You’re right, Rikky,” she chimed, tilting her head ever so slightly. “That’s not mist. It looks more like…dust.” There was a pause, and then she nodded. “Yes, we’ll continue as planned. Leave it to me; I’ll make sure the dirt stays away from us.”

With that, the tiger surged forwards, a white wall of muscle streaking towards Esterley. On his back, Lara fell into the rhythm of his strides and began to sing. A different melody poured from her mouth this time, one that seemed more alive than the last one. Vibrating with a power of its own, Lara’s song grew stronger, remaining clearly heard even through the wind that was picking up behind her. First, it was just a small breeze, but within moments, it had grown to a blustering wind that seemed to slice past the faerie and her companion. It spread out across the landscape before her, sweeping away all the dirt in her path. Content with the effect her song was producing, Lara’s eyes sparkled as she continued to sing, watching Esterley get closer and closer on the horizon.

Lara tugged her new companion towards the nearest building, now wanting to get out of the dirt more than ever because she was scared of him getting dirty. She snuck a peek or two at him as she towed him along, each time totally bewildered by his perfect beauty. Not even fae males could compare to his looks, and she smiled at that thought. She would have never thought anyone else could be so perfect. Each time she looked at him, she had to consciously remind herself to keep singing, lest he be covered in dirt. But even if he was covered in dirt, Lara doubted that it would affect his perfection.

Rikhter, though, was not tolerating the new male’s presence as well as Lara. His growling was insistent; it was his way of letting Lara know that he did not appreciate the physical contact between them, and wasn’t trusting enough of this new male to allow him to be so near to her. Lara turned her head when Rikhter purposefully brushed up next to her, his nose brushing her ear. She blinked at his concerned, protective expression, and smiled. While she could not stop singing to tell Rikhter it would be all right, she winked at him and then put her free hand on his huge muzzle. The touch calmed him ever so slightly, and he remained silent as they entered the ruined—but still standing—Spire of Esterley.

As soon as they entered, Lara turned around and briefly let go of the other male’s hand, pushing the door behind them closed and then looking for open spaces where the dirt might be able to get in. Seeing none, Lara’s eyes twinkled and she brought her song to a close, ending on an incredibly high, crystalline note that seemed to make the very walls of the Spire resonate with her song. Then and only then did she let out a musical sigh and then look around for a place to sit, finding a smooth rock that she placed her small frame on. Rikhter shot the male a suspicious look and then turned around to circle around Lara’s rock, settling his huge bulk at her feet.

Now that her singing had stopped, the only force keeping the dirt away vanished. Almost immediately, the few windows of the Spire were suddenly coated with dirt, as the storm raged around Lara’s chosen shelter. It made an eerie pattering sound as it hit the side, but not one speck of filth was able to enter the enclosure that Lara had chosen. She glanced around at the walls with concern clouding her expression, wondering if they would hold, inwardly debating whether she should add her voice to the defenses of the walls to make certain that they would stand against the dirt storm.

Then the male spoke, in a voice nearly as soft and calming as her own, causing Lara to glance up at him, her forget-me-not blue eyes opened wide with surprise. She almost missed what he said, she was so concentrated on the tonal quality of his voice. Rikhter raised his huge head off of his paws and blinked at the male, as though he, too, had been calmed by the voice. The very air—which seemed depressed and heavy—lightened up, and Lara could not help but smile at him, with joy at his own voice and appearance, and with joy at the calming presence he’d created.

“What is true, exactly?” she responded in kind, her voice elevated and clear, ringing like bells in the wind. “Forgive my asking, but you seemed to be thinking aloud, and I’d like to know what you were thinking of.” Rikhter’s ears were flicked back towards her, and the tiger let out a contented sigh, resting his head back against his paws. His tail curled reflexively and protectively around Lara’s stone, but she suddenly jumped up with liquid grace, lightly stepping over Rikhter’s tail. The tiger cracked open one eye to watch her, and—miraculously—didn’t growl as she reached forward to take the stranger’s hand once more. “Come,” she purred, “sit with me. You must be tired, after walking all this way to Esterley.”

The faerie led him back to the stone that she’d inhabited, ignoring Rikhter’s plainly upset look he was shooting her way. “Rikky,” she said sternly, “don’t you growl at him now.” Even when her voice contained irritation and annoyance, it was still as magical as before, only giving her a slightly powerful aura. The tiger, however, just huffed in annoyance and stretched his neck out towards the male, scenting him. That was his way of submitting to his mistress’s will, and his way of declaring a mutual truce with the newcomer. He’d be good…provided that the stranger was good also.

Satisfied, Lara turned back to the male and noticed the way he was looking at her, with a kind of innocent fascination…in the same manner that she’d openly gawked at him earlier. His expression was so joyous and hopeful that Lara couldn’t help but break out into tiny, dainty peals of laughter, which bounced off of the walls and dispelled the eerie feeling of the Spire. “Would you like me to pose or something?” she giggled, having the grace to blush ever so slightly and brush back a golden curl from her face. Eyes the color of burnt amber regarded him with amusement, and Lara took that moment to openly stare at him, taking in the absolute flawlessness of his looks.

For a few seconds, the two of them basically just stared at each other, but then Rikhter’s tail flicked against Lara’s cloak, startling her so that she jumped ever so slightly, breaking the trance she was in. Embarrassed, she glanced down at her tiger, scowling in annoyance, only to have him gaze right back at her. Lara paused, as if listening to him, and then nodded. “I suppose you’re right, you primplepuss, you.” The tiger wrinkled his nose at her at the nickname, but Lara had already moved her attention back to the male. Gently grabbing his hand and admiring the alabaster tone of his skin, Lara pulled him down so that he was sitting on the stone and then pointed to herself. “I,” she announced, “am Lara. Lara Faye.” She curtsied to him before also sitting down on the rock. “May I have the pleasure of knowing who I’m talking to?”

Lara glanced up at him now that his goggles were off, and tried not to openly stare. He had the most beautiful eyes, a deep jade color, that seemed to glisten and sparkle without him even trying. It was only Rikhter’s warning paw on her foot that made her glance down, embarrassed, though she felt oblige to comment with, “You have the loveliest eyes.” It was a stupid compliment, and Lara could undoubtedly have done better, but her lilting voice made up for the absence of eloquence in her words, and she left it at that.

However, she had to smile lightly when he sat down next to her, and she tilted her head in inclination when he spoke his name. “Haldir Lost,” she repeated, feeling the name seem to resonate with newfound power when it was spoken by her. “Haldir. That’s a stunning name. Powerful, too. Be grateful you have one like it.” She shot him a brief smile, and then heard his comment about Rikhter begin a most beautiful creature. The tiger understood and straightened, flicking his hears back towards Haldir and giving the male a haughty look as if to say, “Of course”, which, in actuality, was exactly what he said…in Lara’s mind.

But Haldir’s next comment, the one about Rikhter being worthy of protecting a being of perfect beauty, Lara had to break out into giggles, her laughter bouncing off of the walls and filling the Spire again with life. “Me?” she managed to giggle. “A being of perfect beauty? I think not. Yes, I have my good features, but—but look at you before you make a comment like that.” She patted Haldir’s hand, winking while adding, “It’s you who is perfect, Haldir Lost of Mori’ana. I am just a little faerie.”

However, what Haldir did next managed to stun both her and Rikhter. The male leaned over near the tiger, extending his right hand to Rikhter to sniff. Lara blinked several times just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things; no one she had ever met had been brave enough to try and make peace with Rikhter. Several had thought about it, but when Rikhter had showed them his teeth they’d all scurried off. And then he asked her Rikhter’s name.

“Uh—” Lara began, not quite sure how this would all play out and, over Haldir’s shoulder, shooting Rikhter a direct glare while sending him a mental warning not to so much as scratch this man’s hand. Rikhter’s eyes narrowed in Lara’s direction, and he snorted at her before slowly craning his head towards Haldir’s hand suspiciously, taking in Haldir’s fruit-like smell with a kind of aloof tolerance all cats seemed to possess. But he did not make one offensive move towards Haldir, and Lara visibly relaxed. “His name,” she replied with obvious relief, “is Rikhter. He’s a very high and mighty cat, and sometimes all you need to do is give him a sharp rap on the nose to shut him up.”

Inwardly, Lara was amazed. She’d been expecting her companion to leap up and try to rip Haldir’s arms off as a response, but instead here he was, sitting quietly at her feet and politely sniffing the stranger’s hand and taking in his scent. Up until today, if someone had asked Lara whether Rikhter would do that, she would have responded with a sound no. Her smile seemed to return as Rikhter finished taking in Haldir’s scent, gave the male a look that meant he would tolerate Haldir’s presence, and then rubbed his great, furry head against Lara’s leg, whuffling and purring and acting very much the cute, good little kitty that he most certainly wasn’t.

In response, Lara lifted up the hem of her cloak and slid one bare foot out from under the white, velvet folds. She placed this foot on Rikhter’s back, using him as a footrest. That done, she returned her gaze to her beautiful new friend, blinking at him curiously. “So, Haldir,” she began, absently twirling one lock of hair around her finger. “What brought you here to Esterley, if you don’t mind my asking? It’s hard to imagine that someone as perfect as you would just be taking a stroll around this darkened place.”