Illusen and the Silent Glade

     Illusen padded outside and looked around where she could see that there was the usual hustle and bustle throughout the Glade. She could see Dragoyles flitting through the trees, Symols burrowing their holes, and Mortogs that appeared to be croaking, floating on lily pads. Despite all this, Illusen realized she could not hear a thing. There was an absence of sound and it startled her. She had never experienced such quiet before in the forest that was so full of life.

     Walking up to a pair of Whinnies playing a game of tag, Illusen knelt down and said hello. She had a gift when it came to communicating with others, but even though she could tell the Whinnies heard her and were excitedly greeting her back, she could still hear nothing. The Whinnies ran off and continued their game of tag leaving Illusen confused and a little overwhelmed.

     "Something is wrong," she thought. "The Glade can hear me, but I cannot hear a thing from it." Trying not to panic, Illusen walked over to a flower that appeared to be wilting and attempted to use her magic to help it bloom again. The flower remained unchanged. Illusen was shocked. Never had her magic rendered her incapable of communicating with the earth around her. She was a notable Earth Faerie after all.

     A feeling of anxiety filled her as she continued walking through the forest. She came upon a tree that had a branch that was broken and sighed. Calling on her magic from within, Illusen attempted to mend the branch. It remained the same, dangling from the tree. If anything it looked worse off then it did before.

     Crouching down and placing her hand to the ground beneath her, Illusen felt the vibration of the earth's magic. She sighed in relief. It was still there. She could still feel it. Reaching out further, she felt the magic speak to her, even though she could still not hear a sound from the world around her. She knew the magic of the earth was trying to tell her something. She just did not know what.

     Illusen dusted herself off and continued through the Glade pondering what could possibly be going on with her magic. This was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Sometimes her spells were not as potent as others, but they had never failed her completely. Illusen was the guardian that maintained the forest. How was she supposed to do that without her magic? There was no way.

     Attempting to kick up a leaf in frustration, Illusen tripped over a hidden tree root. Sprawled out on the floor of the Glade, she felt a sense of hopelessness that she had not felt in a long time. She did not understand why her magic was failing to cooperate or why there was an absence of sound from the forest that had spent so much time in the past whispering its stories to her.

     Illusen frowned. She could still feel the magic within her, but it felt as though the nature around her was no longer answering to it. She tried so hard to call upon even a drop of her magic to make the leaves rustle in the trees above her and yet they remained unmoving.

     Just the day before, everything was normal and her magic was making beautiful flowers crop up in fields filled with golden light and clearing debris that cluttered the forest floor. Yet today she could not even shift a leaf.

     Thinking back and going over all that happened yesterday, Illusen remembered the quest King Skarl had demanded her to complete. The moody king had run out of potatoes for his soup and no more could be found in the farms beyond the center of Meridell. Illusen had used her magic to grow a month's supply of potatoes at his command. Even with his soup now able to be prepared for his supper, King Skarl had looked around still unsatisfied. His gardens were a mess he claimed. In order for Illusen to stay in her Glade living in harmony, she had to tend to his garden to his liking. He made it clear that bending to his will was the only way. At the time she had thought nothing of it. She had known about the king's moods for a long time and she was used to working on the earth with her magic.

     Then, a horrible realization came over Illusen. She had overdrawn her magic. Her reserves were depleted and, while the earth's magic was still there, she could not reach it. Instead of giving back to the earth that gave to her, she had used a good deal of magic trying to satisfy the king of Meridell. Fear gripped her and Illusen worried about when her magic would come back to her.

     Unsure of what she could do to replenish the store of magic within herself, Illusen decided she would walk her favorite path along the Glade. However, when she came upon the path she noticed that it had been blocked. The path she loved dearly was overgrown with vines and thorn bushes.

     Trying to reach out with her magic to clear the way, the path would not open for Illusen. Groaning in frustration, Illusen realized the only way she was going to be able to clear the path and her head was by tending to it by hand without magic.

     Grabbing a pair of gardening gloves, Illusen set to work removing the vines and thorn bushes in her path. She felt a slight pain on her arm and realized in shock that a thorn had scratched her. Her magic may have dwindled and she was sure it was temporary, but nature had never harmed her before. The magic of the earth had always been a source of protection for her, but now it was as if she was just as at risk as any other being who dwelled in the forest. Realizing the scratch was not that bad and that she could not rely on her magic to heal her, Illusen carried on cleaning up the debris.

     She got further through the covered path and noticed a slight movement in one of the thorn bushes in front of her. Pulling away some of the thorns, Illusen found an injured Miamouse. Seeing the sight made Illusen's heart grow even heavier because she knew her magic would not be to help her heal the tiny Petpet in need.

     Carefully, she cleared the thorns around the Miamouse away. The Petpet flinched as Illusen came closer, but with a few calming words of reassurance, it seemed to relax. She lifted the poor Miamouse gently. Although she was sure she could not use magic, Illusen knew that she had to do something. She would have to help the Petpet by hand and without magic. There was no other option.

     She took the Petpet back to her home in the Glade and gently laid it on a makeshift bed of leaves. Illusen rummaged through her natural healing remedies she kept stocked. Though she made them with her magic, she had a feeling a healing potion would still work.

     When she found the healing potion specially made for Petpets, she grabbed the small dropper and had the injured Miamouse drink some. The Petpet slowly started to perk up. Illusen wanted to make sure the cuts from the thorns healed without a scar, so she grabbed one of her tinctures and applied it tenderly while letting the Miamouse know it may sting a little at first. Illusen used leaves with restorative properties as bandages to finish taking care of the Petpet.

     In response to her kindness and nursing, the Miamouse thanked Illusen with a heartfelt squeak. Illusen gasped. She had heard the Petpet and understood its meaning.

     Illusen opened her door to listen to the Glade. She smiled as she could hear the leaves rustle in the trees, the Dragoyles flying from tree branches, the Mortogs croaking from their lilypads, and the Whinnies running along. The sounds of the forest gave Illusen a sense of renewed hope.

     Illusen removed her gloves, walked outside, and placed her bare palm on a nearby tree. Feeling the magic flow through it and into her, Illusen seemed to hear it whisper that just because she could use the earth's magic did not mean that she had to use it for everything or everyone. Understanding and a sense of calm washed through Illusen's heart as she now knew that although she was the guardian of the Glade, she was also one with the earth. One had to give in order to receive - even a powerful Earth Faerie such as Illusen.

     The End.