Private Tales Clipped Wings

[Celestia]

It had only been a few weeks since she had been wandering aimlessly on the surface world. She avoided the local dwellers as much as she could, unaccustomed to their nature. She had decided to make an appearance and finally reveal herself. She had been eyeing a village near the Spine for some time now, and she was determined to meet the humans in it and ask for help for her injuries.

Though her intentions had been good, the results had been disastrous. One of the more outspoken villagers decided she was an ‘angel’ and needed to be captured. The other villagers were convinced of the same, and they came out with their weapons and ropes to imprison her.

One of her wings had been severely injured from when she had gotten caught in battle, and she couldn’t fend herself off.

And so, she was chained and contained in a large cage in the middle of the village. People came by to gawk at her from other villages and paid coins to see her. The chief of the village was thrilled about this, and he had convinced everyone they had captured an angel. Celestia was made to be a zoo animal, and she was too weak to break out.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane's fame had grown and spread as violently as the fire over which she had dominion. After her battle in defence of the Orcish city of Bhatharik it had been hard to hide her identity; with scarlet red hair and wings that set themselves aflame she stood out no matter where she went. It had gotten her in trouble with the Elders of Thyasari who wished for the Avariel to remain hidden from the world but after a heated vote they had decided her work in trying to prepare their people for returning to the world was still the path they wished to take. It would be a long battle. It had nearly cost her her life three times but Caliane would continue with it.

She wanted her people to open their doors once more to the world.

The Avariel had been resting at a local Monster Hunter safe house when one of her fellows had burst through the door spluttering about an angel. Cali's ear twitched as she finished off her mug of ale and slowly made her way over to the man who was trying to explain what he had heard to a group of his friends.

"... they gots 'er locked up in a cage like some kinda animal. Oh," he spluttered when he saw who was walking towards him and blushed, taking off his hat and wringing it in his hands. "Miss Caliane, I didn't see-"

"Where, Leon?" she had been kidnapped, caged, experimented on. A cold anger flared in her at the thought of another suffering in a similar fashion. It took a lot of courage for an Avariel to leave the safety of their people, if this was their first experience of Groundlings it would damage her chances of convincing the Elders to open the doors. Caliane listened calmly to the instructions then she was gone in a hurricane of wings.

It didn't take her long to reach the town, it was only a little way away and for someone with wings that could carry her miles within hours it wasn't long before the shadows of her wings darkened the small town. It was easy to spot the cage from up above and the crowd gathered around it. Her wings angled down and soon she was coming to a soft land behind the group, her arms folded over her chest and eyes narrowed.

"Would someone like to explain to me why you have one of my kin in a cage?" she raised a slender eyebrow.

 

[Celestia]

To say that Celestia was shocked to see another of her kind was an understatement. Her opinion on the surface dwellers tanked since she had come down, and there was a deep sadness in her heart from what she had experienced. She had been a healer, but healing magic would deplete her of too much energy to heal herself, and she had been left weak. For now, she remained silent, watching with wide eyes as the Avariel woman stormed into the throng of shocked villagers.

The chief shoved past the others to see what the commotion was and came to a stop before the Avariel. He was clearly afraid, but tried to put up a front regardless, “Look er… uhh… we went to great lengths to capture this beast! Economy is booming and people are coming from all over to see her! We’ve been feeding her twice a day, so what’s the problem?!" He crossed his arms over his chest, "Seems like you outta be minding your own business before you end up there next to her!"

The villagers were curiously staring at the angry Avariel, the tourists that came from other villages excitedly chattering to one another. There were whispers on whether this newcomer could also be captured. Celestia weakly gazed up at the fellow Avariel.

"Don't...hurt them..." She whispered in their tongue, not wishing harm upon the people despite what they had done to her.

Caliane Ruinë

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane's eyes narrowed every so slightly as the chief pushed his way forward. Even in the high afternoon sun there was an unmistakable flame that appeared in the depths of her emerald eyes. They were using one of her people as a tourist attraction? She briefly wondered if this was in part her fault; the stories of the Angel of Orcs had raised now a desire to see more of their kind up close. A lump formed in her throat. White wings that faded into scarlet red spread then closed against her back much like someone clenching a fist.

"I will not," Cali met the other's eyes then and lifted her chin slightly. She wasn't one of the Warrior Discipline that much should have been clear to the other even if she didn't know who Caliane was. On her sleek green leather tunic was the brazened crest of the Hunters; the Discipline of Avariel who kept the monsters out of their territory. However, in that moment, she was very much her fathers daughter. The Elder of the Warrior Discipline had not raised a weak daughter.

Switching to Common Tongue she turned back to the Chief.

"Well if you are treating her as a magical creature then I assume you know about the amount of tax that needs to be paid to the Monster Hunters for keeping such a creature? Seeing as though it'll be one of us coming to hunt her down if she escapes. Oh and there's also all the paper work. Of course, you must be aware, otherwise you're keeping a sentient being locked up which is illegal," her eyes swept the crowd then came back to the chief.

"If you don't I'm afraid I-"

"It's her! It's the Angel of Bhatharik!" came a sudden cry from one of the humans nearer the back of the crowd. There was a sudden commotion and several people took a step a little further back from her with a mix of awe and terror. She shuffled her wings again.

"It would be much easier, if you simply let her go."

 

[Celestia]

Celestia silently watched the scene play out, surprised by how much the Avariel knew about the laws and customs of the Groundlings. Had she spent a lot of time on the surface?

The chief’s face went from red to a lovely shade of purple as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. After a moment, he cleared his throat, “Ehehe well...um.. Obviously there has been some sort of misunderstanding-”

”It’s her! It’s the Angel of Bhatharik!”

There was visible shuffling and unease, and some villagers outright ran from the scene. Celestia stared with a mix of wonder and confusion as the chief rushed to her cage and quickly undid the locks. He ran away with the rest, leaving Celestia alone with her kin.

She stared down at the red marks on her wrists and feet from being constrained, and her wings ached from the wound and being forcibly cramped. Celestia slowly stepped out of the cage, glancing at the woman.

“You’ve...been living among them,” It was a mixture of a question and a statement at once, wonder in her eyes. She had only known those that strongly opposed making any contact with surface dwellers, and to see one of her own that spoke almost as if she were a native was mind boggling.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane watched the others run off with a calm expression on her face. Probably the correct reaction considering her magic had razed nearly the entire city to the ground and destroyed a monster that had levelled the rest of it. She waited until everyone was gone before her face relaxed into one of concern and she stepped forward to take the woman's hands in hers and help her from the cage. Healing had never been her strength and her eyes ran over the other Avariel's with a worried frown.

"For nearly a year now," the redhead nodded, green eyes as vivid as a jungles tree tops looking into hers. She wondered, briefly, if she would have heard about her kidnapping by mages right on the edge of the Avariel territories. It had sent ripples through the community but not everyone could know everything. "My name's Caliane," her eyes roved over the others wing. "Let's get you somewhere safe," with care the woman picked the other up like she were a princess and with a crouch and a strong push of her wings they were airborne.

 

[Celestia]

Celestia found it hard to balance on her feet, yet she managed a faint smile as she gazed at Caliane, “Thank you...I’m Celestia,” She said quietly, feeling faint as she spoke. She was surprised when Caliane closed the distance and effortlessly grabbed her, pushing off from the ground.

Celestia had always wanted to help others and had been too proud to ever accept help. However, she was too weak to protest this time, her body slightly limp in Caliane’s arms as she took to the air.

“Are they always like that?” She asked sadly, glancing away and withdrawing into the confines of her mind, “Do they only know greed and inflicting pain? I was taught about it...I just didn’t want to believe it.”

Had all the warnings been true? Was the decision to completely isolate away from the surface world the right one?

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane's face softened and she glanced briefly down at Celestia as she thought how best to answer the question.

"No, not always and not all of them are like that either," her wings had grown strong over the past few months of fighting in the air and carrying the lighter Avariel was not too cumbersome. She knew how the girl felt. She had been the same after her imprisonment too. It had taken her months to get over her fear of these people and realise, like with Avariel, there were both good and bad. Much like on her journey there it didn't take her long to get back to the safe house she had left.

"These, for example, are some of the good ones," when she landed she folded her wings tight against her back then nudged through the door. The crowds from earlier were gone and Caliane was slightly relieved for it - she hadn't wanted to distress the girl any further.

"Alison - we're just going to use one of the rooms upstairs," a portly woman with rosy cheeks poked her head out from the kitchen door behind the bar of the small tavern.

"Alright dearie, if you need anything just give me a call," the woman looked at Celestia with concern but she trusted the other Avariel to do what was best. Caliane wasted no time in taking her up the stairs and into one of the rooms there. Gently, she lay her on the bed.

"I'm afraid I'm a Hunter so I don't know much in the way of healing spells... Where does it hurt the most?"

 

[Celestia]

Everything felt and smelled so different here, and everything felt so small. The tavern and the rooms within felt tiny compared to the tall halls she was used to, along with the open skies and mountain ranges that surrounded her at all times. She eased into the bed as best she could, throbbing pain still pulsating from her wing.

“I’ll manage..With a little bit of rest, I can heal my wing,” She said quietly, still finding it difficult to accept help, “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. I’m indebted to you,” Celestia smiled warmly at the woman, gazing into the emerald eyes that were vibrant with tenacity. There was a spark in the woman that spoke untold tales of both despair and victories.

“What were they calling you back there? The angel of...Bhat…” She couldn’t recall the name, but she knew that city was quite prominent on the surface world. She had obviously done something to earn the title, and Celestia couldn’t forget the terror on the faces of some of the villagers.

“I think I made a mistake coming down here,” Celestia shook her head, “I’m way out of my element. Our elders spoke of never trusting the Groundlings and this is what I get for trying to prove them wrong,” She sighed and looked down at the ground.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane quietly picked up the wooden chair that sat in the corner of the room and dragged it over to the side of the bed so she could sit with the other Avariel. Her eyes wondered over her body with clear worry, wishing she could do something more than just watch her suffer in pain but wings were complicated things to heal. She might end up just making it worse.

"The angel of Bhatharik," she smiled and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. It wasn't a name she was particularly keen on and it seemed to be a real hit and miss situation as to whether she met people who revered her or feared her for it. "It was a battle in a city a few leagues from here. There was a large creature who was attacking it and thousands were dying. My powers..." she spread her hands and looked at them. Well. The Soulfire was a difficult thing to explain even to an Avariel. "I ended up blowing it up with a large amount of energy. I thought I was going to die but it seems the Fates have other ideas," she lifted the corner of her lips into a slight smile though it faltered at the girls next words.

"No, you didn't," gently, Caliane took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "The Elders are why I am here. I am trying to convince them to open the doors. We have hidden for too long, Celestia."

 

[Celestia]

From the sounds of it, Caliane had done the Groundlings a great service by ridding the city of the creature. Why, then, did they fear her so? Celestia remained silent as she spoke, pondering on her mission to convince the Elders. She felt Caliane grasp her hand, but Celestia drew it back when she spoke about convincing the Elders.

“Have we?” She met Caliane’s gaze, a bit more of her emotion seeping through without her intending, “Look what they do to us. Look what happened to me,” Her gaze lingered on Caliane’s for a moment, “And I know they’ve done you wrong as well. I can see it in your eyes without you saying a word about it.”

She had believed she had been raised in isolation and with Elders that refused to open their eyes. However, the sting of betrayal hurt worse than any physical injury she sustained. The feeling of being treated like a caged animal to be viewed for profit was never going to leave her.

“Why do they deserve our help when they treat anything they don’t understand so carelessly?” Celestia couldn’t help but have bits of anger seep into her words. She may have been a healer, but her father was a warrior that had little patience for betrayal. If he ever found out what she had allowed…

“Why have you come down here anyway?” She asked with a softer tone. Regardless of how much Celestia disagreed with her for now, she had saved her life. Caliane had been nothing but warm and Celestia felt a pang of guilt for lashing out about the Groundlings.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

It was like looking in a mirror of her nearly ten months ago, soon after she had been liberated from the shackles of that demented prison. Her back and the scars that sat there stung at the memory even though they had long since healed to leave behind scar tissue that would take further centuries to disappear, if they did at all. It must have played on her face for the girl called her out on it, startling a rueful smile from her lips.

"It was not choice that initially brought me down here," a soft sigh escaped her and she turned her face towards the window. In fact, Cali realised with a start, this was where she had been brought when she had passed out after the ordeal. "I was kidnapped on one of our Hunting trips, experimented on, tortured for months. It was the people here who rescued me though and nursed me back to health," her fingers tapped against her knee. "I owed them a life debt so I decided to stay, to learn. I cannot explain it but the thought of returning home after they showed me just a bit of what the rest of the world had to offer... it felt like going back into a gilded cage."

Not that she didn't love her home or her people but... there was so much the Avariel were denying themselves. Her green eyes were soft and full of empathy as they returned to Celestia's.

"I have experienced my worst moments here but also some of my best. I believe we need them, not just the other way around. The world is changing and I truly believe if we don't at least connect with the other elves again when the time comes we will be worse off," her brows pulled down into a frown.

 

[Celestia]

Celestia’s jaw tightened as Cali described what had happened to her. The mere thought of it caused her knuckles to whiten as she gripped the sheets. This was exactly what the Elders warned about, and now there were two instances of that being the case. However, Cali went on and described how she experienced the good. Did the good justify the bad? She didn’t ask it out loud, but she did see the conviction in her eyes.

“You know what will happen if we return to Thysari?” Celestia asked quietly, “They’ll try to keep us there and be appalled that we ever came down to begin with,” She could practically see her father’s expression. The thought of a gilded cage was quite real, and she half wondered if they’d both be thrown behind bars.

“How do you see us coexisting?” She asked softly, some of the anger abating, “I foresee them attempting to utilize our strengths for their wars and battles.”

A few moments later, Alison returned with her eyes wide, “Beg pardon,” She glanced at Caliane, “It’s the chief from the other village. He’s trying to rally together a mob to come after you and…” She looked over at Celestia, “He’s furious about what happened and is spreading rumors about ‘demons with wings’.”

Fear. It was the easiest fuel to ignite fires within humanity.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane was about to answer her questions, assure her that their people would let them back into the city and wouldn't punish them. Well, she didn't think they would. Caliane came and went now but she did have express permission to do so but if necessary she would vouch for Celestia too; perhaps she could explain she had even asked the Healer to come with her in case something has horrific as Bhatharik had happened again.

But the words died on her tongue when Alison appeared.

"Thank you, Alison, I'll be down in a bit," the Avariel offered the woman a smile that could have broken a thousand hearts and then watched as she went. Cali then gave a soft sigh and ran a hand through the thick tumble of red locks that currently sat at her waist.

"There is good here... I wish you had had a different experience to the one you had had, the same one I had, but they are the minority. They simply do not understand what we are, that we pose no threat to them," she gave a sad little smile. "I've learnt so much here, Celestia, more than I have 200 years in Thyarasi. I can't give up on the possibilities of what else I will learn here."

She gave the other avariel a smile then stood up and stretched her wings.

"I'll be back, rest."

 

[Celestia]

Celestia was hit with pangs of guilt, and she uttered a curse under her breath as Caliane quickly rose to leave.

“I caused this, I’m not staying behind,” The fire in her eyes showed that there was no room for debate. Celestia ignored the pain that shot through her wing. She was entirely too stubborn to put everything on the woman that went to great lengths to rescue her.

She followed Caliane out of the tavern, feeling uneasy about what she was causing. Almost at once, she could spot an angry mob of villagers, many of them actually brandishing farm tools as weapons.

“Enough is enough!” The man Celestia recognized as the village leader that bound her shouted, “We will not tolerate beasts like you coming here and meddling in our affairs!”

“You are unnatural!”

“Go back to where you came from!”

The people were fueled by hate and rage, some with fear clear in their eyes.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane didn't protest but she did show clear concern for the woman as she struggled out of bed, offering her hand should she need it. Once they were outside she watched calmly as the townsfolk approached and stood with her hands clasped politely in front of her as they shouted and jeered and yelled. For a while she simply let them get it out of their system then, after a while, she raised her hand and the noise quietened.

"We have been living here for a millennia, it is simply that we haven't revealed ourselves to you for a long, long time. We're here to continue living peacefully side by side, to help. All we ask is that we are treated with the same respect you would show your other neighbours," Cali's voice was as sweet as a birds song and naturally a few weapons lowered simply as they admired it. Those who were more unsure on what they were doing here began to look at each other. She let the words settle on them for a moment before she stepped forward.

"You took my Kin here with the intention of profiting and making her suffer, but I raised no hand to you though I would have been within my rights," she stood in front of the chief now.

 

[Celestia]

The men and women surrounding the chief calmed, but the chief was stubborn. He remained standing where he was, the others receding slightly. He was holding an ax in his hand and he pointed it directly at Caliane.

“Don’t use pretty words with me, monster,” He spat at her, “They say you caused the chaos at Bhathairk!” It was clear he only heard things second hand. He looked around for some more support, though he was having a harder time, “That’s how it starts. You ‘reveal yourselves’ and then you try and take over. You say nice things to get us to trust you,” He spat on the ground, “Well I won’t let you do that here!”

He took a few steps forth, and that’s all it took. Celestia had been standing near Caliane for the entire tirade. She saw how calmly the woman handled things, but anger began to roil within her. She was angry at the chief, angry at what was done to her, and now she was furious at how the person that rescued her was being treated.

Before the chief could get another word out, Celestia kicked off the ground and rushed directly at the man. She moved in the blink of an eye, colliding harshly against the man and sending him flying far across from where he stood. It was hard enough that several villagers toppled over, and it all happened before anyone could do anything to stop it.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Monster, demon, creature. Caliane had been called a whole host of unsavoury things but she didn't mind. There had only been one time she had felt so low she had wanted to carve off her own wings but Eren had made her see the errors of her ways. He loved her unconditionally, made her see the parts of herself that she had lost after the traumas. So when the Chief through her accusations at her she wrapped herself up in that feeling and ignored the hurt it would have caused her in the past.

Instead she smiled and was about to respond when Celestia shot past her.

"Celestia - no!" She rushed forward, hurled the Avariel back before she could go in for another strike and held her gently but firmly in her arms. "I'm sorry, please all of you, just go home. What I did in Bhatharik was to save a whole city and it nearly cost me my life. Twice. I would do it again to save any of you but you see here that we feel emotions the same as you. Just leave, we have no quarrel with you."

 

[Celestia]

Celestia could only see red, and she was violently struggling against Caliane’s grip for a few moments. She had tapped into a wholly different part of herself that she had never experienced before. Having been completely sheltered, she had never felt true betrayal before. She had never felt such anger, never felt so many earthly emotions at once. All of them admixed at once to unhinge her.

Her eyes were blinding white at that moment, her normally light powers turning into something twisted. Her blood burned hot, and she trembled for a moment after she calmed down. It took her a long while for her eyes to return to normal, and she took heavily labored breaths.

Celestia hadn’t heard any of the screaming from the villagers. They barely heard Caliane’s words, terrified beyond belief at everything happening. A few of them threw their weapons at the Avariel, but they all turned and dispersed. The chief was the last man standing, his eyes wide as his jaw hung slack. He weakly pointed a shaky finger.

“I….I told you..” He could only choke out a whisper. He said nothing else, turning and bolting into a run like the others.

Celestia finally recovered and moved to stand again, breathing heavily and reeling from the dark place she had been lost in. She looked around, and she caught others from the tavern standing around them. She saw the look of utter dread in Alison’s eyes as well.

“What have I done…” She could only whisper quietly through the deathly silence that hung around them like an icy blanket.

---​

After some convincing, Celestia was allowed to spend the night at the tavern. She had enough strength to heal her wounds by then, and the first thing she did was seek out Caliane.

"Can you show me?" She asked quietly, still reeling from the riots and her outburst the day before, "Can you show me this world?"

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

It took a lot but Caliane had left pretty soon after she had ensure Celestia was actually asleep to seek out the townsfolk and apologise. She had only actually been back in the tavern for half an hour at the most, nursing a cup of coffee, when the other avariel sought her out. Dark green eyes raised at her words and glittered like emeralds despite the tired lines around them. The corners of her lips curved up into a smile that dimpled her cheeks.

"I would be honoured, Celestia," she pushed a plate of muffins towards her and motioned for her to sit down at the table. "Let me start by introducing you to something called chocolate," it had become Caliane's favourite food in the whole world after Willis had introduced her to it in Alliria. "How are your wounds?" she asked as she picked up her own chocolate muffin and tucked into it.

 

[Celestia]

“Cho..colate..” Celestia repeated slowly as she reached out to grab one of the muffins. She took a small bite and her eyes lit up, “These are exquisite,” Celestia gobbled it up quickly before reaching for another, “Did you make them?” She savored the sweet taste, and also one that was slightly bitter. When mixed together it was absolutely perfect.

She inhaled a scent then and looked down at the cup in Caliane’s hands, “What’s that drink?” Celestia pointed to the coffee, leaning in close to take a sniff, “It smells wonderful,” She was fascinated by these new unfamiliar sights and smells.

“And what is that potion they drink downstairs? The golden one that suddenly makes them… happy or makes them forget how to talk sometimes,” Celestia asked with wide, curious eyes.