Private Tales In the Wake of the Raging Flame

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

"Not here..."

Not here.

"The Thirteen were called upon...An Aerai messenger arrived a moon turn ago asking for aid..."

In that moment, Erën found himself stilled. There was a weight that lingered over him then, a heaviness which cast his eyes downward and threw his mind into a maelstrom of thought and confusion. His mind went Aidathin and Te'leis, how they'd turned against him out of seemingly no where without so much as a word. Then, through the weeks following, on to their battle with the foe who'd before then had no face and no name - Arkhivom.

There was something that had happened during their altercation, and Erën only now found himself beginning to understand.

He turned away from the others, and thoughtful steps lead him just a few meters away as his eyes lifted up. He drew in a deep breath, enjoying the coolness in his lungs. He beheld the clouds passing by overhead, and he let his thoughts begin to drift past him as they did. Another breath, and he let his gaze slowly fall over the descending landscape, and then back down the path they had climbed.

Then he turned back to Caliane and smiled, saying to her as he drew near to her again, "come, let's get you home."

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

"The Elders are discussing whether to send more of us. They've been in Conclave for the last five days but I'm sure your parents will be allowed to leave to see y..." Shyae's voice became a background noise as Eren walked away to collect himself. Caliane worried at her bottom lip as she watched him silhouetted against the setting sun. She knew him well enough to read his fear, confusion, and painful hope simply by the way he held himself. It was a conscious effort not to reach out to offer him comfort and instead let him sort out his thoughts in his own time.

The two guardians seemed to sense the mood for Shyae had stopped speaking by the time Eren turned back towards them.

"We can go," Cali said instead. Exhausted as she was she would not deny him the opportunity to find out what remained of his people. She took his hand and threaded her fingers through his. "I can get us there within the week." Perhaps Zandeer would agree to help. If they could carry Eren between them... by the wing was the fastest mode of travel.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

"No Caliane," he insisted, almost abruptly. He stifled the anxiety that grew in him, and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and set a loving gaze upon her eyes, "no. Neither you, nor I, could be of any help as we now are," he lifted his eyes to the grand gates that lay before them, and on into the city, then back to her, "we are here now. Let us make ourselves as ready as we can be."

There was something in his eyes then. As much as it pained him to admit, he could not defeat this enemy, not as he was. He needed to become stronger, he needed his skill to be sharper. He needed to kill these monsters, quickly. He needed to end it. He could not try to fight them like he had before, and he could not expect Caliane to endure such a struggle again. Even she, with all the might of the Soulfire, had failed to bring them to their end. And, in truth, if either of them had any real chance of it, it was her.

He cast his eyes down for a moment, and then lifted them and said with a hesitancy in his voice, "I... am not ready."

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane slid her hand across his cheek to cup it tenderly, her thumb brushing his chin to tilt his face towards her. She didn't know what words to offer. She didn't know what hope she could give. So she gave him the only thing she had; her love. With deep tenderness she brushed her lips across his then leant her forehead to his, keeping her eyes locked with his. For a while she simply stood there like that, trying to show when she could not say that she understood and that she would wait. That he would be ready and she would be by his side when he was. So much to convey in the space of a few breaths before she pulled back and turned once more towards the gates.

The two guards were politely pretending to look elsewhere though there was concern in their eyes when they approached.

"Peace, friend. Forgive me, I did not mean to cause you upset," Shayae's wings drooped slightly with abashment.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Looking into her eyes, so closely placed there near his, clearly could be seen the sorrow in his eyes. But, as easily as fresh snow would melt beneath the heat of her fiery magic, his grief also departed. With a gentle sigh the tension in him assuaged, and a soft nuzzle against her conveyed what words perhaps could, but would take far too long. For it was as plain to him as the beauty he beheld on her, that without her love he would have been lost in the face of what he was now set against.

Only the voices of the others drew him away from her, and he did so with the caring caress of his finger beneath her chin, and a look of such fullness that he could barely withhold it. Then he addressed the guard, and shook his head and lifted his hand in a deflective way.

"There is nothing to forgive, you have made no mistake," he looked to Caliane and then back to Shyaendri, saying, "it is a complicated matter, but one of little consequence now."

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Shyaendri still looked unsure, glancing from Eren to Caliane for final reassurance. The fire avariel gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile before reaching out with her spare hand to squeeze her arm.

"You did no wrong," the other avariel let out a shuddering sigh that made her wings quiver but eventually she nodded in acceptance and glanced to her companion. At the silent sign, Haelindor turned to the large doors and set his hand to the ancient stone. Intricate gold light radiated out from his hand in every direction, lighting up all the motifs carved into the rockface so the true beauty of the craftmanship could be appreciated. From deep within can a deep boom and then slowly they swung inwards to reveal the sight beyond. Even Caliane sucked in a breath.

The last time she had been home the Lower City had been little more than ruins. Now, it teamed with life. Market stalls had been set up amongst the buildings that were beyond repair, whilst those that were salvageable looked to be under repair. New rooves had been erected, windows replaced, and doors painted. In the distance The Bridge that connected the Lower city to the Sky City loomed like an artists fantastical imagining.

"It has... changed a bit," Haelindor chuckled and Caliane raised her brows at him.

"Your mother has been a big advocator for the change," Shaey chimed in, a proud look her face. Caliane felt an ache in her chest even though she smiled at the bustling crowd, even this late in the day. Life. Life had returned to her home. Giving Eren's hand another squeeze she looked to him, eyes shimmering with that inner flame.

"Welcome to Thyasari," she whispered, then tugged him inside.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

And in those moments, the storms of his mind became quiet and the oceans of his thoughts became calm. In her eyes he found hope, that here in this place they may, for a time, find some peace. And so he followed after with his hand in hers, and he kept his eyes on her as she led him in. He found his own comfort in Caliane's delight, and he found the strength to put his worries aside.

As he studied the city, he was actually quite astonished. But it was not the craftsmanship of the architecture, it was not the beauty he could see, but it was those intricacies that were so familiar.

As he stepped forward he felt a haze cast over his mind. His perception became skewed. As his eyes traveled from place to place, the image before him changed. The city, and all that was there remained, but the people, and state of the surround, even the time of day, flickered between two different instances. In one breath he saw what was before him in the moment, he felt Caliane's hand in his and he followed her, and in the next he was there, in the very same place, taking the very same steps, but he was...

... elsewhere.

But there was the same warmth in his hand, the same guiding tug. A look. The same red, the same greens, the same smile...

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane savoured every moment of the walk through the re-emerging city. How many times had she and Zandeer played in these ruins, pretending to be humans who had stumbled on their lost civilisation? How many times had they pretended to have epic battles across that broken bridge? How many times had they laid below that very oak tree and dreamt of this future? Her footsteps became lighter with every inch of pathway covered.

"I can't believe they allowed this," Caliane confided in a low murmur of awe. She raised her hand in greeting to two Avariel who were carefully lowering new rafters onto the top of a building. Once in place they paused to return her gesture. Her wings flared briefly as though she ached to take to the air and see it all from above but she kept close to Eren, her hand never leaving his.

"The last time I was here they were still arguing about letting me leave the city again," she shook her head as though doing so might clear the sight before her and return it to what she knew.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

As they carried on into the city, the discrepancies he experienced seemed to subside, although they did throw him off for a short while. He lost track of how far they'd gone, and it wasn't until Caliane was waving to some others that he'd finally grounded himself enough to register what was really going on around him, and he heard clearly what she said to him next.

"The last time I was here they were still arguing about letting me leave the city again,"

He started to slow down a bit, enough to tug on her arm. And then he said something as his eyes drifted off in some seemingly unimportant direction, coming out as more of a mumble, "the last time... I was here..."

He slowed to a stop, and he looked another way, like someone finding their bearings, and then he turned around in place and his eyes tracked across the surround and then up, "...you sang for me there..." and he pointed into the Sky City above, "...in a tearoom..."

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane's steps slowed to a stop as Eren spoke. She was aware she was staring and her mouth was slightly ajar but what he had described fit so perfectly...

"It's real," she breathed. "The Dreams... they're... real memories." There had been doubt in her mind after sharing their Dreams the other night that it was some odd coincidence brought on by the trauma they had suffered in the days before, or even some curse brought on by the demons taint. But this... An odd contentedness settled over her as though she had known the truth all along. He was her mate, in this life and the ones before. And the ones after. The Soulfire seemed to hum in agreement as though it too remembered. Caline tried not to dwell on the greater implications that brought up.

A brilliant smile bloomed across her face as she took his in her hands and pulled him down into a deep kiss.

"I knew I would find you in every life," she whispered when they parted and at the back of her mind a memory stirred of the last time she had made such a promise.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Is... it?

His hand almost trembled before it finally fell to his side, but his eyes remained upward toward the Sky City. There was a rush of thought and confusion, and though his mind was jumbled it did seem to center itself once again. Weight pressed upon him as the beginnings of realization dawned upon him, and the depths of it was vast. But before he could be pushed down, he felt the warmth of Caliane's touch on his cheeks. Their eyes met, and his lips fell against hers.

And everything became still, everything was at peace.

When they finally pulled away, he looked at her with an almost pained relief, with disbelief and confusion but also clarity and rest.

"Then my soul is blessed beyond any measure," he said as his hand rose to caress gently against her cheek.

And then, casting plainly across his features, exhaustion fell over him. It was almost dizzying but he remained composed, drawing in a deep breath.

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane's expression turned from one of awe and love to worry in the blink of an eye.

"Come on, the tour can wait until tomorrow," she glanced about them to ensure she had space before her wings spread and she wrapped her arms about his waist. There were parts of the Sky City that could be navigated on foot but she had no idea the state of the bridge given it had sat unused for so long, and it would take a good half an hour on foot at a quick pace. By the wing it would be minutes.

"Hold on," she warned softly before her wings gave three powerful beats and thrust them into the air, tiny embers floating back down to the ground on which they had stood. There was an audible gasp from a few onlookers - groundlings who had never seen Caliane before - but the avariels never paused in their work so accustomed they were to her signature flame.

Up past the bridge they flew in an almost straight line towards the clouds that swirled above them. Droplets of water clung to her lashes and hair as they broke through to the blue, clear skies beyond which revealed the city in all its glory. Reminding him to set his feet against hers to brace himself, Caliane levelled out then soared across the various floating clumps of land. Past the gardens and the aptly named rainbow quarter to the honeycomb like aviaries beyond. Avarials flittered to and from on a multitude of different coloured wings. Some raised a hand in greeting as they passed. Eventually, Caliane landed on one of the wide semi-circle balconies that seemed to differentiate each home. She seemed almost shy as she let him go.

"Welcome to my home."

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

The exhaustion that beset him was heavy. The weight of their journey here, as arduous as it was, fell over him as neatly as a draped cloth, settling over him as the waking visions fell away. And though he was eager to see all of the place Caliane called home, he was relieved that he could be made more familiar at a later time. Hold on, she said, and he braced himself against her as well as he could. It was always a little awkward in the first few moments when she flew with him. But once her wings lifted her feet from the ground, the two of them could more easily get situated and then they were off.

As ever when she flew with him, he was lost in the scene that took shape before his eyes. He watched as objects on the ground grew smaller, people looking like little more than specks before his eyes cast upward as they moved through the clouds. He looked one way, and then the other, and he was simply amazed at the sight: a city reaching high into the sky, and winged elves flying to-and-fro. He even idly waved to some as they flew by, waving their own greeting to them. And in these moments he felt as though all that had beleaguered him down there on the ground had been left there, far too slow to follow after the wind in Caliane's wings.

They came to the balcony, and Caliane set them down. Erën reached out with one foot, and when its sole found solid ground once more he stepped forward and away to allow Caliane the space to land herself comfortably. He took a few steps forward, his eyes glancing over the details in the archway and along the rail.

"Welcome to my home," she said, almost meekly.
​

His eyes found her in their travel, and he approached her. He set his hands on either of his hers, and lowered his face, setting his forehead against her. And this is my home, he thought, smiling at her. And he forgot about what tricks his mind had wished to play, and instead lost himself in the depths of her emerald eyes, dwelling on the words she had spoken to him...

...I knew I would find you in every life...
​

"Your home is beautiful, it suits you," he said, though unable to truly appreciate it.

All he could see was her.

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

The hints of shyness faded away like clouds before the summer sun. She could have stayed locked like that with him out on the balcony forever but excitement and a deep desire to show him more of her world, her life, made her unable to linger in the moment for long. Instead she threaded her fingers through his and tugged him onwards.

The glass doors did a surprisingly good job of blocking out the noise of the city leaving them in the quiet oasis of Caliane's home. At a first glance what was most striking - especially no doubt to a person without wings - was how clear care had been taken to accommodate beings with wings. The doorways were far wider, the chairs had low backs or none at all, and the second level appeared to also have a platform where it would be easy enough for an avariel to fly up rather than take the stairs. The second most striking thing about Caliane's home was the colour. Artsy watercolour paintings adorned the walls, luscious throws and cushions were strew across the couch in colours ranging from deep maroons to brilliant yellows, and plants added deep greens. It was almost easy to forget the entire space was carved into the rock it was so filled with life.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked, moving to the kitchen area and the shelves of different liquor.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

As was often the case, he was all too willing to follow after her without protest, despite however much he too had wished to linger there. And so as they entered in, he studied Caliane's dwelling, finding that he agreed more and more with his own statement. It suited her quite well with its vibrant beauty and elegant comfort, so nicely and ornately made for her. As his eyes moved here and there, he reached and loosened his sword-belt, and he took it in his hand to set it somewhere.

He turned and watched her walk off toward the kitchen, and replied, "yes, I think I would."

It took only moments for him to feel quite comfortable, and he found himself a place to hang his belt and then sit to start at undoing his boots.

"I can see why your people have been able to remain hidden for so long."

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Something had always felt as though it were missing from her home. When she was younger Caline had naively thought that it was freedom. She had filled the walls with colour, the shelves with odd artefacts older Avariels no longer wanted of the outside world. It had never been enough to stifle the itch that there was something waiting for her beyond these walls. Yet now, with Eren here, a strange comfort and righteousness settled in her bones. She smiled as she realised it had never been a thing she had been missing, not adventure or fame. She had been missing him and her soul had always known it.

She fished out two crystal cut glasses and unstopped a bottle of Ambrosia she hadn't got around to drinking on her last visit home.

"It's pretty easy I suppose when so few creatures have wings or can survive in these altitudes," Caliane chuckled and came to sit beside him on the low backed sofa. She set the glasses down then poured them both a drink. "Thyasari has always been set up to withhold a siege from the dwarves, so resources were never a concern when they decided to retreat from the world. I suppose the signs were always there that our people were headed towards reclusion."

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

He'd made himself more comfortable, but it wasn't until Caliane came and joined him that he truly settled himself in, taking the glass she had poured for him.

"Its a shame your people and the dwarves have had such misgivings. They and the Aerai have been good friends in times long past," he thought for a moment, remembering that not all dwarves were made equal. Far from it, "but I can see why it might happen."

It was almost uncharacteristic of him to joke, but he was well aware that dwarves, a lot of the time, inspired quite a bit of frustration in others. Even his friend Filn had rubbed him the wrong way a time or two, but he'd always dismissed the brashness as part of their nature. It was not without possibility that this trait would generate more than one conflict.

"I'm glad you decided to bring an end to that reclusion. I know your path hasn't been easy," his eyes cast down a moment, "but, meeting you has changed me in ways I could never have before." He leaned toward her and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, and then said as he settled back, "I'd go through it all again if it always brought me here."

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane settled back amongst the cushion's with a warm smile after his chaste kiss. There was a lightness to her that she lacked when out in the world that came from the security of being home and the knowledge here, at least, no ill could befall them. It was a feeling the two rarely got to enjoy together. She draped her legs across his lap as she nestled down.

"Every life will bring me to you," Caliane said with the certainty of belief. Soulmates were a rarity amongst the Avariel but it did happen. Souls that found one another every life they lived. Her parents were one such example and though she had believed she had found it with Eren too, the revelation of their past lives being so entwined had removed any lingering doubt. With her free hand she gently trailed her fingers over his arm in lazy affection.

"How... are you feeling?" concern furrowed her brow and she raised her eyes to his. Even if he did wish to stay here to rest for a while, it was hard to ignore the earth shattering revelation of his people still being alive.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

He smiled quite warmly, finding that as she became more relaxed, he too was comforted. He rested his hand lightly upon her, a subtle caress with his thumb. There was a distant ache then that welled in him, as if anticipating her next words.

Her question traveled through him like a gentle shudder, slowly growing into an invisible, trembling quake. His soul roiled and his heart tensed, and it felt as though his stomach had fallen into oblivion. Yet not lump rose into his throat, no tear welled in his eye as his gaze slowly slid away.

There then, for a moment, sat the Erën who cast his steeled eye into the face of hell itself. There sat the Erën who came to meet war. But in this war, he was no master. His ability to survive and kill could do nothing in the face of himself.

"I am confused, Caliane," came his quiet reply.

She knew well enough.

"If... what your kinsmen say is true, then I must know what has become of them, and what that... thing, did to them."

He held his gaze at some unseen point that was somewhere, other than there. It was distant, and for a moment his hate was thrust upon it through his firm stillness. And then a breath, his eyes down to his glass, and then he sipped from his cup and began to relax a little more once again.

Then he turned his eyes to her, and the warmth in his eyes rekindled, "and then we kill it."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane said nothing as Erën gathered himself. Instead she let her hand drape along the back of the sofa and let her fingers trail gently through his silken tresses. Touch was the only comfort she could offer for she knew no words would help him make sense of the turbulent emotions he was no doubt attempting to sort through. Patiently she waited for him to speak, and when he did she listened intently. For Caliane would do anything he asked of her to heal this hurt, to rebuild the nation he had lost and the kin he had thought dead and gone. Returning home only solidified that. She could only imagine how she herself would feel if she thought this piece of herself destroyed forever.

The only flicker of hesitation came when he announced they would kill this great evil. Her mind wandered back to their last battle, the scars even the Soulfire couldn't heal even now, and to the premonition she had glimpsed all those moons ago.

"We could speak to my parents," she offered quietly then sipped at her wine as her heart fluttered at the thought of them meeting him, he who was her everything. Caliane had to rarely spoken of them she felt almost shy now in bringing them up. "They are both Elders, they would have heard what your kinsman had to say first hand."

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

"I may have been the Order's First Sword, but I am far from the finest of our warriors. If they are truly still alive, and as they should be, not like... not like Te'leis and Aidathin were..." sorrow gripped him then - they had been his closest friends, close when he had even cut himself off from all of his people. Still they hearkened to him, resolved in their dedication to him... he'd been forced to slay them, and now in these days he knew without doubt it was this Arkhivom who was to blame.

A softness then fell over him, and he, for the first time, found peace in this. Though he had slain them, for the first time he realized that he had freed them, and as bittersweet as it was, there was solace in this.

"Then frankly whether or not we are there matters little. He is beaten. It is over. Yet," he sipped from his drink, "while I would not have my brethren take all the glory, first..." he leaned forward and set his glass down on the table, and then settled back into his place quite a bit more comfortably, "I would stay here with you a while, and if I could... I would stay here with you forever."

---

Caliane Ruinë ​

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane's worried brows unknitted at his tender words.

"Of course you can stay," she wished for nothing more, had wished for nothing more since the moment she had known with such certainty her heart was his and his alone. For now, she had had her fill of wandering and adventuring. She could see herself quite content to sit here and fall back into domestic life for a century or two, but the vision she had seen on the cusp of death pressed down upon her. She had been trying to avoid telling him lest it upset him but now...

"I would love nothing more, but...." she took a deep breath to steel herself. "Erën... When I nearly died that day, I had a vision." Slowly, she recounted it all. Every detail had etched itself into her mind like an oil painting and she described it to him now as best as she could aside from one small secret, one secret she would keep lest it might not come true. "I... I don't think this creature is defeatable without you, Erën. You do something to him. I couldn't tell exactly what but he was frightened of you."

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Erën sat quietly for a moment.

The battle with Anur had been something he had pushed far from his recollection. But for a moment, he was back in the midst of those ruins, wyverns threatening overhead, Anur's taunts echoing through long forgotten streets.

And then Light, and Fire.

Echoes of the past, together once more in the present... but while they had been successful against their foe in Anur, they had been shown a greater threat to them. In truth, it hadn't been until encountering the monster for himself did he see any truth in those visions... but now, after all this time...

She spoke of it. She had seen as he had seen... and beyond. And like him, she had far from forgotten it.

With her, and with the others, he was shown in that time his own powerlessness, that despite everything he was he could still and even in his most determined moment, fail. He felt a sting in him then, not of the piercing darkness, not upon himself. But it was fear, fear of his death. Never before had he feared for his end as he had in what Caliane spoke of, but not for himself as one might think. But for those that he left behind to deal with his failure. And then, for another, new moment, he was elsewhere once again...

There in the fields of the Spine, facing against his then greatest foe, and to this day, his most shaping. Father, he would call out, end this madness! But some things, he would say, could not be undone.

"Light, and fire," those were his final words.

Erën looked to her then, and said, "not alone... but together," and he breathed a quiet breath, "let us rest here a day... we have earned that much."

---

Caliane Ruinë​