The Dark Crystal Part 8

Much to their great surprise, Astelna and Einar did not encounter Geud the Dragon. He simply just let them go. The two suspected something was up, but they decided to keep quiet about it and walked along the hallway.

Then they stopped, for in front of them was a doorway that had stairs leading up.

"Over there," said Astelna, pointing to the door, "is the way to get out. I've been there before. It is long, but it will lead us out of Chema Cavern. Follow me."

As they went up the stairs, the air felt heavy and the narrow walls made Einar a little claustrophobic. You are being led into a trap. She is evil; do not trust her. She murdered your brother. You will soon share his fate, one part of his conscience said, while the other part said, Trust her and you will get out and save your mother. You have the Crystal in your hands. If she were evil, then she would snatch it from you and most likely kill you. Something is hidden beneath her cloak. You just find out what it is. Trust her!

After they had walked up the stairs, which were very narrow, the two had entered another cavern. It was very small and closed in, yet stalagmites and stalactites dotted the walls. Cold water dripped from the ceiling. The water was the only thing that disturbed the quiet.

"Einar," said the elf, "stay here. I will go look for supplies. Stay here!"

Einar sat on the cold floor while Astelna disappeared in the dark. He sat there in thought. What is my conscience saying about the cloak? Is she hiding a weapon ready to kill me, or what? I have no choice but to follow her. Mother must be saved, but I don't know if we have time. I have to leave before it is too late. But only she knows the way out. I could get lost and never get out. What do I do? There is no time!

At that moment, Astelna returned carrying with large logs in her hands. She also held a bag. Einar got up and helped the elf carry the logs.

"Thank you, Einar," she said with a smile. That was the first he saw the elf genuinely smile. "Just put it down. I am going to create a fire."

"How? The floor is wet."

"The logs came from the wood of the Aquerine Trees. They are low maintenance trees and can burn even when they are on wet floors." She put the logs in a circle and, taking out flint and steel from her bag, created a fire from it. She and Einar sat down and began to warm their hands.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "You should eat. Never travel on an empty stomach."

"Of course I am. I do not know when was the last time I ate."

"I have no meat, but I do have herbs and berries. I got them from my supply room. Here." She handed him the food and gave him a canteen of liquid. It tasted like spiced wine.

"It is very good," Einar said.

"Thank you," said Astelna. "You know, helping me with the logs was one of the few moments that anyone helped me."

"How come few helped you?"

"I was abandoned when I was a little girl."

"What is your story? It would be interesting to know." 

"I do not want to reveal the story of my past."

"You can tell me. Don't you trust me?"

"No one outside the Cavern must know me."

"I know you."

Astelna gave a small laugh. "All right. My mother and father were very noble people. They were the royal vassals of our elf king, Trintar, who is the ruler of Chema Cavern. He is dead, though, along with the rest of my people. You see, every single Ullyn elf died except for me. They were an ancient race, and I am the last of them.

"My parents were married when they were very young and they had very much desired to have a child---a son was their greatest wish. But they were very much disappointed when I, a female, was born. I was their only child, yet they showed little love for me." Astelna frowned at those words. Her eyes became sad. "They would seldom be around me. They thought I was a useless little thing, that I was of no worth. They would never take care of me when I was sick or hungry. I would cry and scream and get angry a lot of times. I still have my anger even to this day.

"I did not understand anything that my parents said about me, because I was so young. But I did remember my mother once saying to my father 'Astelna is just a burden on our shoulders. We must get rid of her.' This they did. They abandoned me to the most remote parts of Chema Cavern, and there I dwelled there lost and alone. I learned to take care of myself in time, though. I was found by Geud when I was in my teens, and appointed his men to take care of me. I learned about the ways of fighting. I am particularly skilled with a blade.  I was also educated by them, learning about the philosophy and arithmetic of this world. I was taught that violence solves all problems. That was key, according to Geud. I was also taught to not trust anyone but myself and Geud and his men. And then I became a woman and I became worthy enough to be Geud's chief guard. Since the Crystal is very precious, many travel long journeys to take it. I was commanded by the dragon to be the guardian of the Crystal. My job was mainly to punish any trespassers of the Cavern, whether it was by death or prison. And then you and your brother came along, and now I have no choice but to run away from my master, who will surely kill me if he finds me."

"What made you help me? I thought you were against me." 

"I think the Crystal spoke to me, and his soft words convinced me, I suppose. From that moment, I finally realized that Geud was using me. He was never fond of me, despite his care. I should not stay here, but I don't know where to go."

"Astelna, it is a good thing that you are away from Geud. You would like the outside world. You would, trust me."

"I wouldn't. I killed your brother. You must be irate at me. You are probably plotting revenge against me."

"Despite the fact that I must accept Uinar's death, I forgive you, I really do. I think it was your past that made you a fierce warrior. I think you are worth more than a fighter. I don't think you were meant to be one. In order to find out your true destiny, you have to look at your options. Being in a cave for the rest of your life isn't a good idea. You must experience different things and then you will find out."

Astelna smiled. "Well, I think we should go now. We rested enough. Come on." She put out the fire  with sand from her bag, and with that, she and Einar walked through the cave.

^^^^^^^^^^^

It was tenebrous and quiet. It felt as if some horrid creature was waiting for the right time to attack them. Astelna held out her sword, expecting at any moment to be attacked. Although she knew this way very well, she had encountered goblins and other creatures in the past. She wanted to make sure that Einar was protected.

"Since your weapons are gone---I gave them to Geud---I am responsible for your safety."

As they walked along, Einar noticed a change in the elf. She was not the fierce warrior Astelna, who killed Uinar. She was a princess of spring. She became more joyful than ever. She would sing jubilant songs of her people. Einar was captivated by the words and, particularly, her voice. It sounded sweet as honey, he thought. Her strong, clear voice reverberated through the cave. He had never seen her so changed.

He had this unexpected feeling inside of him that he just could not explain. Part of his conscience was speaking to him, but he could not understand its words. Even though he could understand the words, it made him reach out his hand for Astelna's.