Anya's studies under Queen Kiridian were progressing smoothly, leisurely. Thankfully, the young girl was a fast learner. Within the first few weeks of her instruction, Anya had already mastered the basics of the fairies' runescript. Even though the runes she wrote were still somewhat blocky and uncoordinated, at least she could now communicate to a certain extent with others. The Queen had instructed her so that she could emit a small amount of light magic from her fingertip to write in the air, which excited Anya immensely.

The news of the human's arrival in Emmeralde Verthaven had spread, and everyone had an opinion about the Queen taking in a being of the same race as those who had taken their king, so very long ago. Rumors about the human girl had not yet quieted down, but then, it seemed most unlikely that they would ever quiet down. Queen Kiridian had been protecting Anya by preventing her from leaving the palace, but both the queen and her disciple understood that this was only a temporary solution and could not continue forever.

Thankfully, the queen informed Anya of an upcoming event that would provide her with experience outside of the palace.

"It's a festival called the Wairua Cruin," the queen began. "Every year, the elves visit the fairies to receive guidance and blessings. The elven royalty view this with great importance, as they consider us their ancestors. Because of that, we fairies have quite a bit of pressure on us. We cannot have any missteps. The elves revere us. To them, we are nothing short of immaculate beings created by the gods, and their own pride stems from this, since their magic was bestowed upon them by us."

The queen smiled somewhat bashfully as she explained. It seemed that the elves' innate reverence of fairies was somewhat embarrassing to her.

In the subsequent two weeks, Anya watched Emmeralde Verthaven transform from its tranquil and peaceful demeanor to one of elegance and grandeur. Silver and gold decorations and ornaments were hung from the trees and leafy green banners were draped across the streets, catching the light like glass. The streets were cleaned until each stone on the ground shone as bright as a mirror. The signs of every shop were touched up and painted by professionals until they looked brand new. The verdant haze that enveloped the city had become rich and beautiful, while still refusing to overshadow the natural beauty of the city. 

As the festival neared closer and closer, the city became more and more ethereal. If Anya had been introduced to this Emmeralde Verthaven, she may have been too intimidated by its beauty to dare set foot in it. This place felt sacred, and certainly not a place that should be defiled by the presence of humans.

After some of the longest weeks in Anya's short life, the first day of the Wairua Cruin festival arrived. The beginning of this festival was marked by the arrival of the elves in the city. The royal caravan had arrived, with several tens of ornate wagons and gorgeous horses forming the procession. Flags were waving from every carriage and horse in the caravan, informing the fairies that these were the Draiochta elves by the pale green circle on a silver background. Supposedly, the pale green circle was to represent the Siol Draiochta, and the silver which surrounded it was to demonstrate the nobility of their race.

Queen Kiridian stood in front of the palace, wearing a green gown glistening just a shade lighter than the trees. Behind the queen stood the other royal fairies, Anya standing furthest behind them. She wore a pale green ring the same color as Queen Kiridian's dress on her right index finger, and she was wearing a green gown similar to Queen Kiridian's, but some shades darker.

At the head of the elven procession was a small elven woman wearing light armor. She had a gem-encrusted dagger on her waist and a delicate tiara nestled in her light blue hair. Her face was cold and proud, and her demeanor was aloof and reverent. Her tapered ears were adorned with cuffs that twisted like vines across the edges of her ears.

They reached the palace, and this small, blue-haired elf gracefully dismounted from her horse. She knelt to the ground and immediately kowtowed without a moment of hesitation. The elves behind her did the same, dismounting and kowtowing before the queen.

"Greetings, Fairy Queen!" The blue-haired elf exclaimed. "The elves under the rule of this one, Ceris Draiochta, have arrived for this year's Wairua Cruin. Please accept this demonstration of our respect."

Queen Kiridian smiled and nodded with the dignity of a ruler, not a trace of embarrassment on her face. "Rise, Ceris Draiochta and subordinates."

The elves stood up at once and faced the noble fairies. As Ceris's eyes took in these noble fairies, her gaze fell on the child behind them. This girl was small and thin, with curled black hair and eyes the color of her dress. Her ears were thin and tapered, but she had no wings.

Ceris said nothing as she observed this child, though her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I invite the elves of Draiochta to join us in the palace for a feast in honor of your arrival," The queen clasped her hands together and suggested elegantly. She turned around and entered the palace, the noble fairies following her one by one.

Anya was at the end of the line of noble fairies, and Ceris was at the beginning of the line of elves.

"You are not a fairy," Ceris told Anya quietly, taking advantage of their close proximity to remark.

Anya's steps faltered in surprise, but she somehow managed to continue walking. Is there something wrong with that? the young girl wondered to herself.

Noting Anya's lack of response, Ceris felt indignant. She had clearly seen Anya stumble, so the elf was certain that this non-fairy child had heard her. Did the girl think herself better than Ceris and her subordinates because she was living among them? How impudent.

This girl was not a fairy. How dare she act superior!