Galatea: The Last Whisperer

The world is mysterious, and so is life.

After spending two days in a foreign, magical land, Gala realized a lot of things. There is a plethora of incomprehensible things that most of us are inept to elucidate. Things that we thought we knew, things that we believed to be true but were proven otherwise. We sometimes sleep on things that have become normalized, only to realize the next day that they should not be. We awoke each day with new questions, and they piled up as time passed; some were answered, while others were not. We woke up each day. Every day, we are confronted with new information, and it is up to us to decide how to deal with it: to seek answers or simply go with the flow.

And that is exactly what Gala is up against right now, as she faces the king and queen of Aelfrey for the third time. She has probably met the king and queen compared to more than forty percent of the kingdoms entire population of fayes.

The fayes might have called her lucky for being in their noble presence a lot of times.

Gala, on the other hand, does not consider being scrutinized by a couple of probing eyes to be lucky. She sighed deeply as she sat straight in a single velvet-cushioned seat in front of the king and queen. Alvaro and Deviro were firmly planted next to her, the weight of their stares pressing against her back. Elderifrey and the other elders of the kingdom were also present. Each was carrying massive, tottered books, the pages of which were already dark brown.

”Oh, dear Lord! I don want to be rude, but your silence is scaring me. ” Gala could no longer hold back, her eyes fixed on the king, whose expression was still insolent as ever.

Gala continued, unable to elicit a response from them. ”Fine, it was that creature that talked to me first. I just replied and I have no idea… no idea that I was actually conversing in a language I didn even know. ” Gala stated as she crossed her wrists in front of her chest.

Gala could only hear their breathing and the pounding of her chest.

She sighed once more. ”Can you all at least talk to me? Im as confused as you all are. I would appreciate your answers to my questions right now. ” Gala leaned in front, almost pleading with the elderly.

”That is exactly the issue right now. We do not have the answers to your questions. ” Elderifrey replied calmly.

Gala let out a loud what, and everyones attention was drawn to her. Shes still reeling from what shes just heard. How will she then discover the truth? She grew up completely normal and had never had any strange experiences like this, except on the day she encountered Puffhill and Duffhill in the forest back home.

”Aeyalafreyn was Aelfreys sacred language, long forgotten by the fayes of this land; no one knows where the language originated except that it was the language that our Dylareia used to converse with the lands first Whisperer, ” Elderifrey continued, her gaze never leaving Galas puzzled face.

Galas head ached as she processed the new information. It didn help to solve some of the mysteries surrounding Galas ability to communicate and understand Aeyalafreyn.

”What are the Whisperers and why do they seem to be important? And does this mean that only they can communicate with your sacred spirit-frey? ” Gala inquired, hoping to fill in the gaps in the puzzle she hoped to solve.

Gala noticed Alvaro shuddering next to her, clearly interested in the subject, while the king and queen sat in silence watching Gala and the kingdoms chief elderly.

”The whisperers are Aelfreys most important fayes, second only to the King and Queen in importance; each faye was endowed with one specific magical ability, which we call a gift. ” Elderifrey walked towards a cushion next to Gala and positioned herself there.

”Land fayes gifts help cultivate the land, grow crops, bloom the flowers and care for the land animal-freys. Water fayes work most of the time alongside the land fayes in growing crops as they manipulate rain and create dew every morning. They are also the ones in charge of the welfare of water creatures living in our rivers, swamps, springs, and seas. Fire fayes, as the name suggests, are gifted with controlling fire elements, and winter fayes are the ones in charge of everything during the winter season of Aelfrey. ”

Gala held her breath. The rush of new information nearly overwhelmed Gala, but she fought against it. Gala squared her shoulders as she leaned against the back of the cushioned chair.

”A single lineage of fayes, however, is endowed with a powerful gift; in fact, they are Aelfreys most powerful beings, and they are known as the Whisperers. Their gift is primarily focused on the spiritual aspect of Aelfrey, and they are able to converse with nature: earth, air, fire, and water. ” Elderifrey paused, helping Gala to follow through.

Galas eyes bulged in amazement, obviously thrilled at meeting one of them.

”On an account, like the land refusing to bear crops and fruits, it is their duty to speak to the land and hear their demands, such as letting the land breathe for a month before planting another crop or complaining that they
e overworked for some reason. The Whisperers do the negotiating with the spiritual aspect of the terrain. Were they talking to spirit deities? We have no idea. On top of that, whisperers are the only abled-fayes to directly speak to our sacred spirit-faye, Dylareia. ”, said the elder faye.

”Wow, these so-called Whisperers are so cool. ” Gala exclaimed, her face beaming with a thrill. ”So, where are they now? Can I meet them? ”, she asked, leaning more towards Elderifrey, whose expression changed.

”Aelfrey currently has no Whisperer, ” Elderifrey lamented. Her face is filled with disappointment and despair.

The king, who had been completely silent the entire time, stomped his foot so hard on the floor that it almost shook them. ”Enough! Remember Elderifrey that I forbid anyone speaking about the Whisperers, especially to these inferior beings! ” The king was clearly irritated, if not enraged.

Gala stared at the king with equal intensity. Unable to hold her tongue, she retaliated in a polite manner. ”We are not as weak as you believe, Your Majesty; we may not have these special abilities, but we take pride in our strength that exceeds our limitations; we may appear weak to your kind, but we are not inferior in any way. ”

The king did not answer further but still kept her disdain looks on Gala that confuses her to a large extent.

Elderifrey, who was still not finished, spoke up. ”I strongly believe, Your Majesty, that Dylareia has shown herself to this human for a reason, ” the elder faye said, turning to face the king, who clearly despised the possible outcome of this conversation.

Everyone in the room, except Gala has the inclination already behind Elderifreys words.

Especially Alvaro, who was just silently listening to the exchange of conversation between Gala and the elder faye. He mentally agrees that theres something special about Gala, and the incident with the Neighfrey this afternoon only solidifies Alvaros intuition towards Gala.

”What do you mean, Elderifrey? ”, the king impatiently inquired.

”Gala breaking into Aelfreys barrier, seeing Dylareia, and eventually speaking the language thats been forgotten are no coincidence. I believe, Your Majesty, that Dylareia has appointed Gala, borne of human descendents, as Aelfreys Whisperer. ”

Gala jolted up from the chair and looked at everyone in disbelief, utterly speechless at the sudden announcement from Elderifrey. A what? Me? Aelfreys Whisperer? No way!