The Creed of the Archangel. Sara
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she was crossing; she was about halfway to the woods. She slept that night, her wings carefully tucked around her body like a blanket, protecting her from the cold.
She awoke with the sunrise, and continued her journey to the woods. She didn't need food or water, but she could feel her feet beginning to ache beneath her. She finally reached the Southern Woods at dusk, at the end of her second day of the journey. She stretched out her wings so that they stood up behind her, and she marched into the woods along the dirt path.
She could hear rustling in the trees, and she knew it wasn't the wind. She knew that there was a kingdom of Elves that dwelled in this forest, and she figured that there were Elven spies in the trees, watching her every move. Suddenly, faster than Remliel could even blink, there was a small group of Elves in front of her on the path.
She stopped, looking down on the majestic creatures. Their silver hair all went down to their torsos, their golden robes shined even without sunlight, and their light blue irises sparkled. One Elf walked forward, outstretching their hands. “You are not from the world of Akkolon. You have come to answer our prayers?”
Remliel nodded, surprised she understood their language. “I am an Archangel. One of two.”
“We know of your brother and the destruction he has caused,” the Elf said. “You've come to stop him?”
“I've seen it. I have come to do what I must.”
“Then we welcome you. Your name?”
“Remliel.”
“Here, Remliel, take these robes.”
Another Elf walked forward and handed the Archangel a golden robe to match theirs. It shimmered as it was placed into her hands, and the fabric was light and soft. Remliel knew she was much larger than the creatures of Akkolon, since she was Divine, so she shrunk herself down to the height of the Elves. She hid her wings from sight and mind, appearing only with brown hair that matched the length of the Elves and her white eyes.
She put the robe on, thankful for the warmth of the fabric on her still naked body. The Elf that had spoken to her before stretched his arm to gesture down the path, and the group of Elves began to lead Remliel through the woods.
“Our King and Queen will be thrilled to meet you,” the Elf said, walking next to the Archangel.
“What is your name?”
“Taylodrin.”
“That is a fine name.”
They walked in silence until the dirt path began to turn to cobblestone. The sound of a fountain fluttered in the distance, along with the harmonious singing of Elves and the laughter of children. The group of Elves led Remliel through a village, with sizable houses made of wood. There were two rows of houses with about five yards between them, and they made a circle around a large fountain made of quartz. Water poured out of the top of the fountain and gathered into a rather wide basin at the bottom. The water poured out of a column with the shape of the sun at the top. There were a few buildings scattered around the village, like an inn, a pub, and a few small shops.
Elven women were washing different colored robes in the basin of the fountain, humming and singing together. When they saw the golden-clad Elves leading the Archangel through the city, they stopped their washing, stood, and bowed until they completely passed. They then turned and went back to their chores.
“What do the colored robes mean?” Remliel asked Taylodrin.
“We wear gold because we serve the King and Queen,” the Elf replied. “Since the sun is sacred to us, gold represents the color of the sun's light. The King and Queen wear white to show that they're pure and royal. The different townspeople wear colors to represent their family's jobs and status. Purple is the highest, then blue, then brown. Those who wear brown work in our crop fields and help feed the entire kingdom. They're also shopkeepers and such. Those who wear blue are soldiers, and those who wear purple are the knights, generals, and High Elders."
Remliel nodded in appreciation. “Are all Elven kingdoms the same?” she asked.
“As far as I know.”
“And this isn't the only village you have, is it?”
“It is. We have a few browns that live near or on the fields they work on, but other than that, we all live here. There are more houses a few miles away from here, but they're considered to be a part of this village.”
Up ahead, to the East, there was the silhouette of a large building. “What's that?” the Archangel asked, pointing.
“You'll see tomorrow," Taylodrin answered. For now, we all must get our rest. We will stay at the inn here in the village.”
The Elves led her to one of the scattered buildings, and upon entering, she felt as if she were intruding into someone's home. There was a front desk with an Elf standing behind it in brown robes. He smiled at the visitors, then bowed reverently. Behind him, there were about 30 crevices with small numbers engraved above them. To the right and left were two staircases that led up. “What can I do for you, servants of the royalty?” the Elf behind the desk asked. He rose from his bow.
“We need a room for our guest, Remliel,” Taylodrin said, gently pulling the Archangel forward. The brown Elf nodded and turned happily behind him, grabbing something from crevice number three.
“Your room will be up the right staircase, third door on the left,” the brown Elf said. He handed her a small iron ring with a wooden “3” hanging from it.
Remliel thanked him and looked unsurely at Taylodrin.
“We'll be back for you tomorrow morning," the Elf said. "Rest well, Remliel.”
The Archangel climbed the stairs, lifting the robes up from her ankles so that she wouldn't trip over the long fabric. She entered the room and was taken aback by the beauty of it. There was a queen-sized bed on the right wall, a bay window right across from the door, and a large fireplace on the left wall. To the right of the fireplace, there was a door leading to a small room with a wash basin and waste bucket, which was surprisingly clean. On the wall adjacent to the door there was a small wardrobe that could hold up to a weeks worth of clothes. On a shelf in the wardrobe, there were three or four soft, white towels folded neatly.
Remliel closed the door behind her, isolating her in the grand room. She went into to the small adjacent room and stripped out of the golden robe, filled the basin up with water from the tap that was attached, and picked up a bar of soap that was resting on the edge of the tub. She dipped the robe into the water and scrubbed it with the soap, making sure to rid it of any dirt from her journey to the inn. She then drained the water and refilled the tub, stepping in and bathing herself. She allowed her wings to come forth and she massaged them with the soap. She felt the tension in the wing muscles relax as she softly rubbed them. Dead feathers fell into the water, and she felt renewed.
When she was done with her bath, she once again drained the tub and walked over to the wardrobe and retrieved a towel. She patted her wings dry, then her body, and crawled into bed. It was more comfortable than she'd thought it would be, and once her head hit the pillows, she realized how tired she was from her day's journey. She fell asleep, dreaming of nothing but darkness, and slept soundly until morning.
****
The next day, she was awoken by a soft knock on the door. “Remliel?” a voice asked.
She groggily answered. “Come in!”
The Elf from the front desk, still dressed in brown robes, entered the room. He saw the white towel and golden robe on the ground, and then his eyes turned to the bed. There, Remliel was sitting up, holding the blankets up to her chest so that she was covered from the stranger's sight. Her wings rested softly behind her.
“I was just here to help you clean up the room and bring you some breakfast," the Elf said. He stared at her wings for a moment before he asked, “You're not an Elf? I mean, I thought you weren't last night, since your hair is brown and your eyes are white, but I figured maybe you were just