What a tangled bundle of emotions I am today! I went to a place I’ve dreamed of my whole life, and saw someone I have been looking forward to meeting, as well as someone I never thought I’d meet!
Once Alexander went in for his exams this morning, Lorenz told me he had a surprise for me. “There’s some place I think you would very much like to see.” He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, and when we got out of the carriage, it was in front of what looked like a gray castle, or series of castles. “This isn’t the palace, is it?!” I whispered half in awe, half in fear. He assured me it was not; “No, the palace has been renovated and is not as old as this. I’ll tell you when we get inside.” We entered though the archway, passed a green courtyard, and walked down a long hall. It reminded me a bit of Baron Rhodes’ manor house, or even the Well of the Green Sister. There were a few people walking about, some young, some old, all carrying large bags stuffed with papers and books. Finally Lorenz led me to an ornate wooden door and invited me to open it.
When I did, I could not believe what lay before me! From floor to ceiling, row after row of dark shelves, and each shelf was laden with books! Hundreds, maybe thousands. So many books it made the baron’s library look like a closet. So many books it would take unknown lifetimes to read them all! I almost sank to the floor right there. Lorenz walked me to a wooden table and sat me in one of the chairs. “This is my old university,” he chuckled, “and as you can see, this is the library.” He looked so pleased and I simply stared at him, completely overwhelmed… a cathedral filled with all the knowledge of the world. “I thought we could do some research on Old Olkarian,” he whispered, but oh goodness I was so dazed I didn’t know if I could move; so he told me he’d be right back and wandered off into the forest of shelves.
It was quiet; the only sounds I could hear were of soft whispers, muffled footsteps, and rustling pages. Dusty light streamed in through windows high above and poured out onto the checkered marble floor below. I gazed around at the shelves closest to me. The books were all different shapes and sizes, bound in a rainbow of hues, but one in particular caught my eye. It couldn’t be… I looked around, unsure of what I was allowed to do, but certainly just looking would be alright. I softly crept over to the shelf, and sure enough I recognized the cover and spine. It was my book of faery tales! Well, not my book, but it was a copy: Olkarian Faery Stories by Olrik Alfaro, volume two. I giggled to see what felt like a familiar friend in this amazing place.
“Do you enjoy faery tales?” came a voice from behind me. I jumped in surprise and turned about. It was a little old man, with the largest sideburns I had ever seen, a balding head, and big, round glasses. We took each other in, and he laughed out loud as he beheld me. “My, you look like you came right out of my faery tales!” His face was full of kindness and cheer, and somehow he put me instantly at ease, but I got caught on his words. “Your faery tales?” I asked in confusion, and he shook his head. “Oh, how rude of me!” Then he whispered, “Let me introduce myself. Young lady, I am Olrik Alfaro.” Oh my goodness, I was all amazement!
We took the book back to the table and began a hushed but enthusiastic conversation. I asked him about his stories and how he had come to write them, and it seems that he was a scholar not only of folklore, but of history, and language too. He traveled around the kingdom, and sometime beyond, collecting stories, organizing them, and publishing them. “Faery stories are fascinating! I think they must have some basis in history, but there are so many different versions. They overlap and conflict, depending on who is telling them and where they are from. And sometime you get a tale that is completely unique to one location, like The Green Children of Woolden. Forgive me for saying, but you so remind me of it. Are you familiar with the tale?” I so longed to tell him about Greenwood and Lorenz’s family, but where was Lorenz? He must be back soon. Oh, and then I saw him standing by a shelf. I begged Mr. Alfaro to excuse me for just one moment, for I was sure my companion would want to meet him too, and hurried over to the shelf.
“Lorenz, I—” but as I touched his shoulder and he turned around, I realized that, in my excitement, I had made a terrible mistake; this man was not Lorenz! His build was slightly taller and larger, the face older and more stern, but even as I stepped back, there was something uncanny, something familiar. “Sonya?” Again I jumped to hear a voice behind me, and when I turned, Lorenz was there too. He looked at me, then he looked at the man… and after a deep breath he said, “Hello father.” I anxiously glanced back and forth between the two. They looked so much alike; it was plain now that they must be related, but as Lorenz’s father gazed at us, his face… dear reader, I, I don’t know. Perhaps I was imagining things, but it seemed so cold. “Miss Sonya,” said Lorenz, “may I present my father, Lord Leland.” I curtsied and bowed my head low, but spoke not a word. Lord Leland nodded curtly. “I did not expect to meet you here, Lorenz,” the gentleman said in a polished voice. “I have other business to attend to at the moment, but perhaps we might arrange to speak more at your aunt’s upcoming ball.” Lorenz swallowed and replied, “Yes. I think that would be wise.” Then the man bid us good day and took his leave.
I was left with a dull ache in my stomach, but when Lorenz clasped my arm and showed me the books he had found I remembered why we were there and who else I had just met. I introduced him to Mr. Alfaro, and the two of them jumped into an excited discussion. When he heard that the man was also a scholar of history and language, he grinned from ear to ear and asked “Mr. Alfaro, do you know what the word ‘aumbra’ means?” I held my breath. “Why yes! It is of course the name that is given to the forest along the kingdom’s eastern border, but as an enthusiast of folklore and faery tales yourselves, I’m sure you’re familiar with the rumors of magic about the forest, especially in certain areas, for instance down in Woolden. So ‘Aumbra’, yes, while the meaning of the word has mostly been lost in modern usage, the sources I’ve studied apply it in several ways. Sometimes it means shady or shadowy, even implying hidden or arcane; dare I say, even magic knowledge. But the simplest usage I’ve found of the word literally uses it as the color green.” At these words, I could not stop the startled sound that escaped my lips! Green, shady, secret, and magic! He seemed to literally be describing the Greenwood forest.
Mr. Alfaro looked confused, and I apologized for the interruption. Then Lorenz told him he had been most helpful and pulled a set of notes from his pocket; I recognized them as the speech given by the green figure in the magic mirror. “If you are interested, Mr. Alfaro, we have been working on a little project. The words are spelled out phonetically, but perhaps you would enjoy trying to translate this as well. Oh, and I’d like to invite you to my aunt’s ball this season. Lady Leland is hosting her annual party, and Miss Sonya and I will both be in attendance.” Olrik Alfaro said he wasn’t as spry as he used to be, but that he still enjoyed a dance. “Come and dance with us, and if you do, we’ll share a version of The Green Children of Woolden that I’m certain you’ve never heard before.” Lorenz checked out the books he had found, and we cheerfully parted ways with our new friend!
So dear reader, you can understand why I am all a big jumble of nerves. How incredible it was to meet Mr. Olrik Alfaro, whose stories I have read since I was a child! And to have him be a master of all that we are trying to understand about Old Olkarian and the Well of the Green Sister! But, what of Lorenz’s father? I don’t feel that went well at all! Hopefully I can make a better impression at this ball. Goodness, the ball! George said she and Alison host one every season, and by that time Alexander will know if he has passed his exams, and then all he will have left to do is to give his speech, and… and… goodness. I must try to breath. Lorenz told me not to worry, that everything will be alright. Surely it will… For tonight I will focus on what we learned from Mr. Alfaro. The Aumbra Forest… Greenwood… Funny that they almost mean the same thing, and yet, how deep that shady, green, magic goes.