Private Tales The Sound of Footsteps on the Grass

[Leander Urahil]

Liriel looked around herself, seeing nothing but darkness. The sort of pitch-black darkness that was far, far darker than black. The sort that Liriel had felt all her life, for as long as she could remember. It had once frightened her, or rather, it still frightened her but not as much now that she understood she was dreaming. She had no idea what the Mauerbauertraurigkeit wanted to show her now, but she shouldn’t resist. She waited, waited for a clue to appear.

Usually the subject would step out, twisted and disfigured and so not what they appeared to be in real life. Or an item would be thrown at her, like a monkey’s paw that cursed more than the wishes it gave or a shiny golden lamp that housed a spirit more crafty than any living being.

But this time, there was nothing. Pure, utter blackness. Maybe there was no sign this time? Liriel spun around, her lilac eyes wandering around, straining to make out any shape or to see some sort of light.

Then she felt it, a pressure right behind her eyes, a feeling like lightning splitting at the center of her forehead. She gasped out, hardly one who could handle this sort of intense pain, her hands immediately going up to her forehead and cradle her head into her small, dainty hands. Liriel whimpered, and then, somehow, almost instinctually, she felt it. The need to look up. Slowly, despite the splitting migraine, the elf looked up.

Above her was a bright full moon. Incredibly large, as if Liriel could reach out and touch the ethereal surface. The most frightening part of all however was not the close proximity to the moon, but what was on it. A chimera-human… viscous blob-thing… whose bright blue eyes bore right into her own. Then, without warning, her eyes popped, causing Liriel to scream.

---

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Liriel screamed out, whisper-soft but a scream nonetheless as she shot up, sitting straight up. Her chest was heaving, rapid short breaths that caused her shoulders to slump and shudder as she drew a sheet up to cover her unblemished skin. Her soft blonde hair shifted and it caused the elf to tense up, as if that strange creature had just caressed her bare back. Soon enough, she caught her bearings.

She was in a inn— yes, because she had insisted to get a hot bath at least once a month. Liriel looked over, and the gooseflesh disappeared the moment she caught sight of Duvanion. The elven beauty reached over to place a soft yet clammy hand onto his shoulder, gingerly touching him.

“My love?” She whispered out, almost hesitantly.

Duvanion

 

[Duvanion]

Duvanion stood atop a fortress wall, his bowstring snapping against his bracer with urgency as he rained arrow after arrow down atop their foes. Each time the string snapped, it was followed by a pained and guttural bark. Hate filled his eyes for his foe and with each glance along the ramparts, more of his kin fell.

They warded off the siege towers with the strength of their blood. But to begin with, they were few, and their foe was many.

"Duvanion!" A female voice cut over the din of battle. Verryl. "Fall back to the keep! The gate has nearly fallen!"

He turned to nod to her, before leaping from the walls and down to the courtyard below. Duvanion would spring into a rolling recovery from the landing before running for the keep.

An explosion would rock the walls where Verryl and her husband Ecthelion had been. Even his Elven eyes couldn't find them amidst the chaos. Another explosion shook the fortress, this time the gates fell. Two rows of solemn Elves would make their stand before the enemy. Several of them blasting the first few waves of foes with powerful magicks.

*****​

Duvanion bore his own nightmares, yet these weren't born of magick. These were born of failures long past. A battle long forgotten to the world, luckily for him, he was a light sleeper and of the only two hours he needed to rest, he was freed from such images for the remainder of the day.

A light touch upon his shoulder would pull him from his nightmare. One hand instinctively reached for the dagger on the nightstand, only to pause before grabbing it as he heard the words, her voice.

My love?

He then turned in the bed, the tone of her voice giving him some alarm. "Yes, my Undome Nénar?" His hand would lovingly cup her cheek as his thumb caressed her unblemished skin. He could sense the evil of her dreams, but he needed her to speak of it. To give it form, so that he could banish it for her.

Liriel Amathuilos

 

[Leander Urahil]

No matter how scared she was, no matter what could be happening around her, Liri always felt a sense of peace and protection when she was beside Duvanion. As long as she was at his side, there was nothing for her to fear— even death paled at the utter comfort she felt in his presence. Of course, she couldn’t be comfortable always. And she knew that, really she did. Their current circumstances prevented them from being comfortable, but every now and then she deserved some respite from their work, did she not?

After all, she was still getting used to walking around so much and solving so many untimely mysteries in the world.

“I dreamed of another in need. Another curse that needs to be dispelled.” And so she recounted her dream to Duvanion, although this time it was a dream that did not given many answers or clues. “I should at least use my scrying mirror to at least point us in the right direction.” She offered. Finding solutions, she had to be better at that than to just give up and wander around aimlessly, right? “But other than that, I am not sure what we’ll find.” Cat-like, she stretched before slipping out of the bed.

Another curse. Another person in pain. She frowned, selfishly wondering when it would end, when her visions and dreams would finally be put to rest. Getting dressed swiftly, something she had most definitely copied from Duvanion, the only thing Liriel took time in was brushing out her hair and beginning to braid her long blonde tresses. Sure, her title no longer mattered, but one’s appearance was important to her!

Even if she just seemed like every other elven adventurer.

Duvanion