“What did you have in mind?” The Matriarch asked.

  Tristan ran over to the jeweler’s workbench and grabbed the gold bar and the five sapphires. He began descending the pillar at the center of the Queen’s Wood, waving for The Matriarch to follow him. “Adamant Wood rivals steel, yes? Well, we don’t have anything that rivals gold, do we?”

  “No, but I fail to see where you are going with this.”

  “This Realm did not just appear without some will behind it. And, we know that you can make plants grow…what about infusing plants with properties of objects? For instance, if we took a sapling, and infused it with gold, and a starberry bush with sapphires, what if we could merge the properties? Create trees with wood that acts like gold – much as Adamant Wood has the same toughness as steel? And have a bush where instead of starberries, it produces sapphires?”

  The Matriarch’s face turned into a frown, “But that has not been done as far as I can recall.”

  Tristan looked back at her with a quizzical look, “People make spells, though. My grandfather had an essence-weaver make spells for his newly-minted bloodline – even designing spells my grandfather couldn’t use! All the way up to Tenth Order!”

  The Matriarch’s face drew back into a thin line of inscrutability, “Making spells is time-consuming, but I concede the point.”

  Tristan reached the ground floor and walked out of the Queen’s Wood, over to the edge of one of the massive roots that stretched out from the massive trunk. He dug a small hole in the ground, and called over a fairy dragon, “Dig up a sapling! Any tree with strong wood!” He pointed to another fairy dragon as the first one zipped off, “And a…shrubling? A baby starberry bush!” the other fairy dragon zipped off.

  As he began digging the second hole for the bush, The Matriarch came over to him and knelt. “Lord Tristan, I do not know how you wi-”

  Tristan spoke as his idea spurred him on. “What I do know is that this Realm is mine. I am the lord over it. And if I become one with it…I bet I can exert my will to create change – just as Zeltana possibly did when she first siphoned the essence from that tree on the mountain to make the Realm as it is now!”

  The Matriarch gave him a curious look, shook her head, and stood up before backing away. “It is worth trying, perhaps,” she muttered.

  Tristan looked up right as the first fairy dragon brought back a small sapling. He put the gold at the bottom of the hole, put the sapling on top – making sure to wrap some of the roots around the gold bar – and then covered the roots with dirt. The second fairy dragon brought back a small shrub with some roots on the bottom, and Tristan took the sapphires out of the pouch and put them underneath the roots before wrapping those around the gemstones.

  Okay, he thought. Now…I need to focus. He began breathing deeply as he envisioned his essence crucible and shut his eyes. He could see it, the sphere of silver within his chest. Black, icy-blue, and a crimson and gold line dashed across it. All right, now, he thought, reverse spin the top to suck in the essence of the Realm, and spin the bottom. He saw the lines shift until they merged into a single, white line on the center of the orb. Then, the two halves began to spin in opposite directions.

  Tristan felt the enormous surge of power through his whole body that was electrifying; it filled him up from toes to top of the head, and as he opened his eyes, he could see a flurry of ice, flame, and smoke that exuded from him before being sucked back in. There were waves of power flying through the air, and the essence-seeking lantern on his hip was vibrating wildly before it shattered. Shit, he thought. I can’t replace that easily.

  As the energy surging through his torso began to race faster and faster, the half-breed Broxtar began coming out of their tree houses to observe what was going on. Tristan felt a vortex of energy around himself, and spoke his intent in the language of his heritage. “K?sken sinua herranasi taipumaan tahtooni. Haluan, ett? n?ihin kahteen kasviin imeytet??n niiden juurissa oleva aine. Antakaa niiden kasvaa normaalisti, mutta samalla ne saavat aineen ominaisuudet. Anna niiden sitten kasvaa.” (I command you, as your lord, to bend to my will. I want these two plants to be infused with the substance at their roots. Let them grow as they normally would, while taking on the properties of the substance beneath. Then, let them grow).

  The energy surrounding Tristan arced into the ground before him, and he was bowled backwards. He rolled with the impact of the sudden growth of a massive tree trunk, and came to his feet as he let his crucible stop its two-direction spin. The tree had grown to full height; still far shorter than the Queen’s Wood…but the bark was entirely a bright, shimmering gold, and the leaves were also gold – just a slightly shinier, almost white-gold color.

  The starberry bush fully sprouted and spread all around the base of the golden tree, and as it grew, small blue flowers bloomed before quickly being replaced by glimmering, cut sapphires. Tristan let out a laugh as he looked over at The Matriarch, who had a shocked look on her face. “I told you! This Realm obeys me!”

  She walked forward to the tree and muttered some spell that Tristan could not hear thanks to the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of the surrounding residents – including dozens of fairy dragons who flew over and began moving between the branches of the new addition to the area in front of the Queen’s Wood. The Matriarch moved her hand in a cutting motion as she took a sliver of the tree from its trunk, and walked back to Tristan with it. “I…it looks like gold.”

  A few fairy dragons plucked some leaves and flew down to hand them to Tristan, “Ever seen gold like this?” Tristan asked her.

  One of the new residents ran up. A younger woman, probably in her early twenties. “I’m a jeweler, m’lord! May I?”

  Tristan nodded and handed her the leaves, The Matriarch handed her the gold wood, and fairy dragons plucked the sapphires and brought them over. The young woman began looking at each item in turn. “This is gold, white gold for the leaves, and those are definitely sapphires. Rough, but they can be cut easily enough with jeweler’s supplies. Oh, a few are cut already. That will save time!”

  Tristan grinned and pointed at the top boughs, “There is a jeweler’s workbench up there. You may use it to master your craft.”

  She squealed with delight and bowed before sprinting into the tree.

  Tristan turned to The Matriarch, “Only you and designated pruners may access this tree and this cluster of bushes, are we clear?”

  She bowed and grinned, “Of course. Now I cannot help but wonder what else you could bring back and begin to grow.”

  “I’d imagine anything,” Tristan replied as he cackled with delight and clapped his hands. “This is fantastic!” He came down from his high and took in some deep breaths as the excitement faded. “I’ll look through your new First Order spells as I travel tomorrow. For tonight, I think a celebration is in order.”

  “One last thing, Lord Tristan.” The Matriarch gestured to the two new plants, “What shall we call these?”

  Tristan smiled as he saw the fairy dragons flitting about the new trees, and a handful took bites out of the sapphires – or tried to – before cursing and then laughing at others who had the same misfortune. “I’m not one for complex naming schemes. Goldwood and Sapphire Bushes work just fine for me.”

  The night was spent in traditional Elven cultural dance, and the new residents were slowly learning the moves. Tristan made sure to have the band slow down and he danced with Felicity, enjoying the night very, very much. The two took a breather underneath the new Goldwood, and Felicity turned into her fairy dragon form before snagging some leaves and flying back down, putting them in various spots around Tristan’s hair, giggling the whole time.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Tristan slept well that night, Felicity opting for her elfanoid form under the covers with him that evening. As with prior nights, he ensured that nothing untoward happened – they were two adults sharing the comfort of embracing another person during sleep. The next morning came soon enough, and Tristan geared up minus his lantern, feeling a pang of annoyance that it had exploded because he did not take it off before performing his nature-defying stunt.

  The duo got the horses from their tenders and left the Fey Realm, resuming their journey. Tristan continued to practice his grandfather’s First Order spells, and as they began to descend the mountain passes into the lowland on the other side, they spotted a line of smoke on the horizon.

  Felicity made a delighted noise, “Oh boy! People we could prank! It’s been sooo long!” She began making tippy-taps on his head from her perch.

  “First we talk to them. If they are travelers, they might be able to fill us in with going-ons in the region. Or directions, since I really don’t know where we are going at this point.”

  “Awww,” Felicity said, deflated as she put her head down on top of his and began batting his ears.

  “But…if you are good, when I depart with Midnight and Onyx, you can do something mischievous that does not harm them. Deal?”

  “Oooh, can I stea-”

  “Not their money or food.”

  “I was going to ask about their booze.”

  Tristan chuckled, “That’s fine. I don’t see the harm in that.”

  A few hours passed and they had fully exited the mountain pass and were in the lowlands. Out in the far, far distance Tristan saw the reflection of light from the sun off of some enormous, horizon-encompassing line of blue. Must be the Tripoint Shallows, he thought. That area of ocean between the continent Gvand where we are currently, Klaktol to the west, and Maladonia the massive island to the south.

  The smoke they saw did, indeed, come from a campsite. It was set up in a small dell just off of the road – a natural defensive space where they could put the fire in the bowl to reduce how much it would ruin night vision, and how visible it would be seen at night. Plus, they had reinforced the edges of the bowl with a few sharpened stakes. Due to his Elvish heritage, Tristan could make out the figures.

  Six of them, he thought. Two men whose heritage is Human or that side is dominant. A pair of Demihumans that look like they take after wolves – one male, one female. Another Demihuman with bear-like traits – also male. And…an Elf? A female Elf. Huh. He sat back in the saddle.

  Felicity looked down at him, “What did your Elf eyes see?”

  Tristan glanced up at her, “Wait, I thought you had as good of vision as me?”

  She shook her head, “Nope! You got better vision, hearing…pretty much everything.”

  Tristan described the group, before finishing with, “We are outside of the kingdom’s borders, so I’m not bothering with my Disguise Form. Plus, I can order the other Elf around if needed to get information. I…I never met any aside from my mother, so I don’t know what type.”

  “Describe her for me,” Felicity said with some slight caution in her voice.

  “Looks like dark, black hair with a little bit of brown mixed in? Not as long of ears as I have, and slightly brown skin.”

  “Fallthorn,” Felicity said with a little bit of a growl.

  “Why the aggression?” Tristan asked her.

  She turned invisible, “Because I heard they are the type to do anything to get their way. They are sneaky! That’s our job as fairy dragons!”

  Tristan gestured at the camp still a few miles off down the hills, “Go ahead and scout, then.”

  Felicity lifted off and flew into the slowly growing darkness.

  She returned as Tristan was about a mile away, “They are talking about who is going to cook first. Outside of that and a little bit of banter, I didn’t notice anything special.”

  Tristan nodded, “You take Midnight and Onyx,” he said as he dismounted. “And get to the other side of the road. I’m going to have a chat with them.”

  “Be careful, especially around the Fallthorn Elf,” Felicity said as she shifted forms and took both of the mounts.

  Tristan left the road and went over towards their camp, making sure to wave his hands in the darkening night, “Hey there! I’m a traveler! May I share your campfire?”

  He saw bows being raised by the two humans on guard and saw arrows knocked. One of the two Humans shouted back, “Keep walking forward until we can see you! No clue how you’re stumbling around in the darkness.”

  “I’m an Elf!” Tristan shouted, “I saw your camp from way up in the hills.”

  He saw the Fallthorn Elf’s head pop over the slight berm of the dell. She had a narrow, angular face that struck Tristan as very beautiful. “He’s not lying, guys. Put the damned bows down.” She waved, “I see you out there! You’re not like any of our bloodline I’ve seen!”

  “I’m recently awakened,” he stated, using the term that commoners used when half-breed traits manifested. “My mother’s side is Elvish, and really strong. Pushed my father’s side right out.”

  He reached the slight incline leading up the dell, and the archers trained arrows on him. “You’re heavily armed and armored. Sword, maul, bow, arrows, knife…no travel sack, though.”

  Tristan gestured to the road, “My traveling companion took our horses off to the side. No sense risking two people’s necks at once, eh?” He glanced down at the Fallthorn Elf and smiled at her, “I’m no threat to you all, I promise. Just hoping to get some information.”

  The woman smiled, “I’m Shandra. You have the privilege of meeting The Calling Crew; a group of misfit bards traveling the world collecting stories to turn into song!” She waved him into the bowl, “Come on down and I’ll introduce you.”

  Her voice was melodic and Tristan followed her down into the bowl, waving politely at the others who were sharing a meal from a cauldron at the campfire. “The two on watch are Conner and Kelly. They get first watch since they have the worst senses. Also, our string players.” She pointed to the two Demihuman that took after wolves – Wolfkin. “That’s Vord, the girl, and Ford, the boy. Both brass players.” She pointed to the other male Demihuman – a Bearkin. “That’s Trenton, our drummer.” She gestured finally to herself, “And I’m the singer. What’s your name, stranger?”

  “Tristan,” he replied. "I'm a dragonslayer." He smiled, but inside he thought, I’m only using the name to keep my affiliation as a Winterbloom secret. Note to self, I should start using my Disguise Form to change my hair and eye appearance. Oh, but the hair will be difficult because wind might move it all different directions. Maybe a hood…

  He was roused from his thoughts as the Bearkin, Trenton, stood up. “You dressed fancy for a traveler. And no travel rations?”

  “As I said, my companion is nearby.” Tristan looked at Shandra, “I’m looking for some information. I’m completely new to traveling outside of the kingdom of Bhant’s borders.”

  “The heritage-haters?” Vord, the female Wolfkin asked.

  Tristan nodded, “I got kicked out when my heritage awakened. Banished from my family.”

  “Wait a second…” Ford mumbled in a deep bass, “Didn’t we come across another dragonslayer?”

  “Oh yeah!” Shandra said as she turned to Tristan, “A few Seasons ago we met someone claiming to be from a prestigious line of dragonslayers. Got a good tale out of him – how he fought an enormous dragon in Schlarz!”

  Tristan asked, “Where? When?”

  “A few Seasons ago,” she replied, “Like I just said. The southern capital and trade-city of the Sapphire Coast; Jewel’s Point.” She pointed to the southeast, “If you keep following this main trade road you find yourself upon, you will eventually reach a fork. Take the eastern fork, and it will take you through a couple of smaller towns and cities, eventually meeting the capital.”

  “Related to him?” Conner, one of the Human archers, asked as he glanced back.

  Tristan nodded, “I’m looking for him. He’s my half-brother.”

  “Ah, did he get kicked out because of that arm-candy?” Kelly, the other archer asked as he added to the conversation.

  “Yes,” Tristan said. “Can you tell me more? I was on a dragon hunt elsewhere for a few years; so I haven’t seen him since he left, and when I left there was definitely not arm-candy.”

  Shandra nodded and patted a small rock next to the fire pit. Tristan sat down as she talked, “Well, he was with a gorgeous Drakonid. Elemental Realm of Light, judging from her bright, yellow scales. Very pretty.”

  “She was,” Conner added.

  “Absolute beauty,” Kelly also added.

  Shandra nodded, “Anyways, the two Pathfinders were at Jewel’s Point, spending coin from their recent quest in Schlarz, slaying that dragon I mentioned. Want to hear the song I wrote about their story?”

  “Not now,” Tristan said almost impatiently. “I need to find him – did he mention anything about where he was going next?”

  “Across the sea to Klaktol. Those Pathfinders with their super-secret teleportation network. Well, to lodges in capital cities, that is. He was complaining about the cost, but the woman with him said it would be worth it for their next quest…some type of ancient tomb?” Shandra shook her head, “No clue what that is about. We are on our way into the kingdom of Bhant to perform.”

  Tristan looked around, “You…you shouldn’t go there. They are very anti-non-Human.”

  Trenton, the Bearkin, nodded. “We know. But we need coin enough to purchase passage to another land, and we have already played in every town on the Sapphire Coast.”

  Tristan frowned, “I can’t in good conscience let you all travel into Bhant. How much would it cost to travel from Gvand to Klaktol via boat?”

  The group glanced amongst themselves and there was some chattering regarding prices, accommodations, and the like, but they eventually came to a conclusion. “Ten gold pieces per person.”

  Tristan reached into his coin pouch and pulled out sixty gold pieces, handing them to a wide-eyed Shandra. “I propose a temporary arrangement. I will pay for your group’s passage via ship to Klaktol. In exchange, you will allow me to travel with you lot, and you will provide entertainment.”

  The whole group moved in to a small cluster together, including their two men on watch, whispering to each other. Tristan could hear what they were saying, but the voices overlapped, so he gave up trying to determine their decision. Eventually, they seemed to come to an accord, and Shandra turned to curtsy, “We would be delighted to, Tristan.”

  Tristan smiled, “I’m going to fetch my companion.”