Chapter 3 – Part 4
_________________
Aerin woke up with the warmth of the sun beating on her face and, as soon as she opened her eyes, still half asleep, she gasped in fear at the sight of a strange creature squatting in front of her, staring at her curiously. He looked like an elven child, but had blue skin and also strange shining blue eyes. He seemed like a being from another world. Aerin instinctively recoiled, sinking into the middle of the leaves and pleading with wide eyes: “Please don’t hurt me.”
The creature seemed surprised by Aerin’s request. “Hurt?”
Galadel appeared, bringing some fruit for breakfast. She was still asleep when he left to look for something for them to eat. “Don’t worry. Pip won’t hurt you. He’s a friend.”
“Pip?” Aerin repeated, never taking her eyes off the creature. Is he a fairy?
“Pip Bluebells, that’s my name. At your service.” Pip smiled, showing a row of sharp, white teeth. “I’ve known Galadel for years. I live in this forest and I usually help him on his patrols. And you are?”
Aerin hesitated for a few seconds. “Aerin…”
And then Pip makes two cups and a bottle of wine appear with a simple wave of his hand. “Wine, Aerin?” he offered, with a mischievous smile on his lips.
The girl was stunned by what she had just seen. How was that possible? Fairy magic? And what had happened to her in front of Maeglor? By the gods, she was half-fairy! All of this was so new and confusing. Was her true mother a fairy? Why had her father lied to her? So many questions without answers.
“Aerin?” Pip’s voice brought her back to the present. She hesitated for a moment, but then took the cup and took a sip of the wine. She needed some time to process everything that had happened.
Galadel sat down beside them, and the three of them began to eat in silence for a few minutes. Then Pip looked fixedly at Aerin, with an intrigued expression. He took a sip of his wine and, to the girl’s surprise, he sniffed her closely, as if trying to identify a specific smell.
“What are you doing?” Aerin asked, confused.
Galadel, who knew his friend well, noticed that he was suspicious of something.
Pip looked at Aerin with a thoughtful expression and said: “You are a little half-blood, walking between two worlds, with the light of one race and the darkness of another.”
Galadel raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Are you a half-fairy?”
Aerin’s jaw dropped as she listened to Pip’s words. She stuttered for a moment, trying to find the right words. “Yes… I-I am a half-fairy. This is all so new to me. I only just found out recently.” She let out a deep sigh, running a hand over her face as she tried to process everything that was happening. “I don’t know what this means or what to do now. My father always told me I was an elf and that my mother was an elf he met on one of his business trips.”
Pip smiled, as if he had solved a mystery. “I suspected it when I first saw you. I recognized the gleam in your eyes and the scent of flowers in your trail. “
Galadel was surprised at Aerin’s revelation. “Do you have any idea who your mother could be?”
Aerin shook her head negatively.
He furrowed his brow, concerned. “You should talk to your father about this,” he said thoughtfully.
Aerin nodded, looking even more downcast. “He’s traveling, as always,” she said, sighing. “I don’t know how I’m going to talk to him about this.”
He gave her a kind smile and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I understand that this may be difficult to process, but I’m sure you’ll get used to the idea. Don’t worry. And perhaps you’ll even discover some interesting things about your mother.” He tried to cheer her up.
Aerin sighed, feeling a bit calmer with Galadel’s comforting words. “I just don’t understand why he would lie to me,” she said, looking down at the ground.
Pip looked at her with compassion. “Maybe he had his reasons,” he said gently. “But now you have the chance to find out the truth and learn more about your fairy mother.”
Aerin nodded, thoughtful. Perhaps he was right. There were still so many things she didn’t know and had to find out. But she didn’t know where to start.