Private Tales To Belgrath and Back

[MJK]

She felt somewhat victorious at Erën's announcement that she would be coming with it. It was not like there was anything the dwarf could do to stop her from accompanying him - nothing she knew of at least - but the finality in Erën's proclamation instilled a sense of confidence in her.

The dwarf, thankfully, moved on as she had suggested. He delved into the location of the hammer, some of Valerie's victory dwindling as she learned it was with a relative of his. Not that I should judge, but I hope his relative is not like him in spending much time on topics better left alone. We've spent more time discussing my suitability than actually discussing Erën's mission.

The dwarf hinted at the brewing of a storm, a statement which surprised Valerie considering the drizzle outside was hardly falling hard enough to be called rain, let alone hint at the arrival of thunder-heavy clouds. However the male elf seemed to take the warning seriously, finishing off his beverage before making his way to the door. When he asked if she wished to stay she eagerly rose too. Not only did she wish to tend to her four-hoofed companion and ensure he was safe for the upcoming weather, but she would take any excuse to take a breather from the aged dwarf.

"I think some fresh air might do me good. My horse can also be fussy in nasty weather, It might be best I join you." She rose, needing to untangle her long legs from the ground with the shortness of the stool before pulling up her cloak hood. Joining Erën at his side she exited through the door, enjoying the patter of rain against her hooded head.

Making her way around the cottage she located her horse, unhitching him before waiting for the male elf to do the same with his mount. "Kurn is...everything you said he would be." Her voice was whispered, the she-elf looking around to inspect the forest as she always did out of habit.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Erën’s hand escaped the shadow of his figure, reaching down to grasp at his horses’ rope and unhitch her, just after Valerie. A faint smile crept across his lips.

“Yes, but I feel I should have given you more… appropriate warning. He means well.” Unlike her, whose eyes cast about to scan her surroundings, he only listened.

Whether he knew it or not, he felt the same curiosity about Kurn’s statement that she had. Kurn was an interesting person. Oddly, he shared in a gift that normally only the elves of Sharyrdaes possessed, and again in that he proved to be an oddity – reacting somewhat differently than Erën’s kind had. Kurn always displayed a wide range of gifts, though none so acute. Unfortunately, that forced Erën to sometimes guess at the dwarf’s meaning – even being so close.

What was more than this was his understanding of their surroundings. The two of them had rode all day, and not even a hint of a storm brewing, and showers like this were common here. He thought Kurn to be many things, but not clairvoyant.

His thoughts were broken when he heard a faint rustling in the distance, followed by a huff of uneasiness from the mare. He patted her neck, and instinctually he looked in the direction to no avail. His eyes were not as keen in the night. He looked to Valerie, who he only assumed did not suffer the same plight.

He spoke gently, “there is something near… can you see?” Quietly, his hand descended to cautiously grasp his sword.

 

[MJK]

"I'm sure he does mean well - for you at least. I get the feeling he might view me as more of a strange hindrance to your journey than anything else." The rain continued to shower them gently, more of a misted drizzle than any true downpour. It was refreshing really, the smell of rain permeating the air in a way that Valerie enjoyed.

Her eyes continued to scan into the forest, light-green hues seeking out shapes in the foliage and shadows. It was a lazy scan really, one which brought up nothing of interest to her....at first. Her focus somewhat at the indignant huff from Erën’s mare. A few seconds after that, her own stallion gave a stomp of his foot before his ears began swivelling on his head. Never a good sign, in her experience.

At Erën’s encouragement she forced herself to look again, this time trying to tear apart every shape, movement and sight with increased focus. Her own ears ticked and moved, seeking the rustling that Erën had picked up on moments earlier. She caught the movement of his hand towards his weapon from the corner of her eye, an action she mimicked while her muscles suddenly tensed.

"I can't see anything- yet. I do hear it though...." There was a sinking feeling in her stomach, one she had learned to associate with trouble about to descend. Valerie clenched her jaw, withdrawing the sword sheathed at her waist in a slick motion. "I think it's coming from the right."

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

In tandem with her, he too drew his blade. Even in the absence of light it seemed to shimmer with its elven steel and mystical gemstone entwined into a beautiful, and deadly weapon. He stepped out from before his horse and brandished his weapon. The mare remained still but kept her uneasiness.

A cool breeze swept across them, rustling all that rested around them. He winced to see better and cursed his awful affliction. To be an Elf, with no better sight at night than a Man. Shameful. But he'd made do, for six long centuries and more.

Then before them emerged a great wolf, wounded and weak. Erën paused, unsure of its intent. It stayed its ground and did little more than behold them – equally unsure he imagined.

Erën examined the creature as best he could. Its side was matted with blood, with several great gashes near its neck. It took a step, little more than a limp. From how lethargic it was behaving he imagined it was far worse off than he could see, and its disinterest in charging them told him it was simply far too tired.

“Odd…” he murmured, just enough for her to hear “there’s none who live close enough for it to carry wounds like that this far.”

Cued by his observation, chaotic shrieks emerged from the night. The wolf reacted with a look and a whimper before moving just into the shadows again. Erën found the far-off noise much more unsettling than the presence of a wounded wolf – one whom even would likely find the presence of elves comforting. He hurried to the door and swung it open. Kurn was standing just inside.

“A storm?”

“Get the horses inside, I will handle the rest.”

He shot around and motioned to Valerie, sheathing his blade and taking hold of his horse’s rein. He began round the hut down a beaten path, and down a small hill, surrounded by large trees, was a stable. And not much of one, hardly enough to hold a hard rain let alone whatever sorcery came their way. He made for the shelter, guiding the horse inside before turned to Valerie to usher her in as well. Behind her, he watched as a strange light erupted from the dwarf’s hut, and like an eclipse is stretched out over all that the dwarf would have called his – from just there in front his home and what Erën guessed to reach just behind the stable.

Yet still, the horrid shrieks drew closer.

“Hurry, whatever it is, its close,” he beckoned, eager to close the door.

 

[MJK]

He withdrew his blade, the elegant weapon catching her peripheral sight even as she kept her gaze closely focused on her surroundings. Her pointed ears flicked to and fro, mimicking that of her steed as her steely gaze tried to piece apart the shadows around them.

The great wolf seemed to melt out from the darkness, his appearance making the elf's muscles become taut and her eyes narrows. Raising her blade she planted her feet more firmly in the dirt, the sudden chill of the cool drizzle making goosebumps rise on her skin. However, the wolf did nothing, the sheen of the blood already matting it's fur catching the female's eyes. Strange....what creature could do that to a wolf this size? The fouled fur perturbed her, the girl blinking in confusion as the wolf disappeared back into the forest with the sudden piercing shrieks that filled the air.

The sound made her blood ice-over, the girl's sensitive hearing making pain pierce through her skull as she folded over at the waist to cover her ears with her arms.

Still reeling from the assault on her senses, it was only the motion of Eren's arms calling her over that got her going. Taking her horse with her she rushed down to the poor excuse for a stable, all too eager to follow Eren inside after ensuring her horse was beneath the shelter.

Just before heading in though, the light that exploded from Kurn's hut was hard to miss. She blinked rapidly, mumbling to Eren even as he was trying to get her inside. "What....what is he doing? And what is making that god awful sound?!"

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

He slammed the door behind her, closing the way between they and them. Little more than a rickety door, it was hard to believe it would do anything, let alone guard them from these wailing wraiths.

Storm... well that was one way of wording it. Blasted dwarf.

“They are the spirits of those long dead, doomed to linger here in these woods…” he paused, listening as the sound became quiet, “Kurn is a powerful sorcerer. He will stay their evil until the Sun’s light returns, where they cannot be.”

He pondered; concern cast plainly across his eyes. That they followed all this way… He had not known these wraiths to travel beyond the veil cast across his lands. This was a troubling development, that they sought to hinder them here. He feared that rather than fade, the curse may in fact be growing stronger.

“Tomorrow we will reach they edge of the forest and be rid of these foul beings.”

Though it pained him to speak of his fallen people in such a way, they were not at all near what they once were. Even in death they were the corrupted, devoid all hope of redemption – the cost of a terrible transgression, a travesty left yet unclear after more than a century.

“We will remain in here, as Kurn has said.” He approached a bucket, flipped it over and sat as comfortably as he could. The magic from outside crept through cracks and separations of the wooden exterior, lighting their shelter just enough to see.

“Come Valerie,” he grabbed another item close-by, a wooden crate – at least a little better than a bucket, “there are some other things I wish to share with you, which I think if you're to come with me you should also know.”

MJK

 

[MJK]

(I am officially back!)

Another shriek pierced the air, making Valerie curse as her ears tilted downwards in a sad attempt to listen the sound she was hearing. The she-elf cursed under her breath as the door was shut behind her, unable to feel much hope for their predicament at the news of Kurns hidden abilities. "The dwarf is a sorcerer? Next thing you'll tell me that the goblin I met on the road a few days ago sprouts fairy wings..." The shock in her tone was a evident, but she still did not voice any opinion that she didn't think he spoke the truth.

She felt like pacing, the female bouncing on the balls of her feet and acting as a spring would....winding up tighter and tighter until ready to explode. If not for the small space she might be running a path into the floor, Valerie needing to be content with just waiting for what might come.

The sound had unnerved her. She had faced plenty of monsters, some of which had made children cry and men run screaming from their barns in the middle of the night. However, the sound that still rang in her mind had been damned unearthly. Whatever creature the sound came from must be a wretched thing indeed and it made her blood cold to think of what they had managed to do to a creature like the wolf.

Eren spoke, his words a small comfort considering that it was not yet tomorrow and they were not yet out of the woods....both figuratively and literally. The matter of needing to stay the night was still rather uncomfortable.

He gestured her over, flipping over a crate as his next words quickly dashing any comfort he had given her away. Reluctantly, she sat, One ankle crossing over the opposite knee before he foot began bopping up and down nervously. "What is it you wish to speak about?" She queried, encouraging him to speak openly.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

He waited until she sat herself, and then he replied.

“Yes, Kurn is descended from a very old line of dwarves – a line which for much of known time had resided with we of the Order and been a part. Only he chose to remain when the final dwarves left. He was hardly more than a child at the time…” an amusement washed over his face, “…but just as bull-headed. And rude.

“But more to what I wish to share… there is one of our kind, who has chosen to walk the dark path. I fear it may be he who beckons these specters to hinder us, and that he will continue to do so throughout our travels by whatever means he can conjure.” His eyes narrowed, “he is very dangerous Valerie. He will kill us both without hesitation or remorse… I will do all I can to prevent such a fate but know that if you should decide to part ways once the path is clear I would think no less of you.”

His eyes wandered around the stable a bit. Despite the apparent safety from the wraiths, he felt as though neither of them would get much in the way of rest. For Erën, if it was indeed the one who he spoke of, Kurn’s power may yet fail. But then again… he was very stubborn.

He looked to her again, “this task… this trial has claimed very many already. I would suffer to see you cursed with a fate like those things out there by my account.”

 

[MJK]

Getting the strange insight into the great mysterious Kurn was surprising to her. Valerie couldn't help but chuckle as the image of the child-version of Kurn - still bearded however, even at a young age - crossed her mind. Her chuckle died in her throat though as Eren's voice took on a more serious tone.

His words initially sent a shock through her. She had heard tales of dark elves, ones which stole the breath from your lungs and made children cry in the night. The she-elf had only ever thought them to be part of tales meant to scare young ones into behaving. The possibility that everything she knew of them might be true sent cold shivers along her limbs.

He was offering her a way out. A simple and easy manner in which to part ways with him by sharing the apparent threat they faced. Valerie considered it for a second. Although the digesting of the decision was swift and fleeting, the seriousness with which she made up her mind was not equal in the time taken for the decision to be made.

With a simple shrug to her shoulders, she replied to him. "Dark elves, ghostly spectres howling for our blood, a wizarding dwarf keeping the screaming monsters at bay... they all don't seem too much too handle when in company with someone to share the load. I could use the distraction if I'm honest, considering my situation. Think of this as a favor you're doing to me - if I die in the process, then I won't have to live with the guilt of abandoning my father." She offered him a certain smile, unable to sit any longer as she stood and stretched.

"Tell me everything. Knowing the enemy is as good preparation as learning a new sword maneuver."

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Erën watched her as she stood, measuring her in a sense. He hadn't guessed her age, but by now with all he'd learned he gathered her to be quite young - at least in comparison to himself. Far too young to be handed such misfortune, dealt with such malevolent injustice.

The thought sent a sharp ping through his chest. Memories washed over him in droves over the course of an instant, and with all his might he quelled the pit that circled within, and focused on the matter at hand.

"My people... we are many. But we are - were, one. It is a bond we share, here" and he pointed to his head, "but when the tower fell, it began a time we have called the Eventide. Something changed from that time on. Voices that had long been heard fell silent - others were twisted into something... else."

"Among them, were the Aelondrael, the most powerful of my kind: scholars, leaders, teachers, wizards. One such individual, named Anur'Ephal... changed. He along with many others but he, he was once Arbiter, a title given to only but a few."

"We slew them."

He fell silent, and unwavering gaze fixed upon a face like stone. The images flashed through his mind: brethren; kin; all turned into the very things they sought to undo and worse. Monsters, terrifying and brutal, and frightening in their power.

Many died, to end what became of them.

"Save for he," he continued, "where the others were twisted into something they were not... he became what he truly was. He is evil. And I tell you, I could not stop him then. While I have grown since those days, he surely has as well."

Erën also stood, and wandered over to peer through the cracks in the shelter's shell. Outside, the sparkling light persisted, and he could see the wraiths hung motionless in its midst. Beyond, some circled beyond the light's reach - their screeching intermitent, and quieted.

A foul fate, one he was anguished to observe.

 

[MJK]

Her pacing began anew, the small room seemingly minute in size as her anxiousness of being stuck there for some time grew. The last time she had been in a place that felt this tight, she had almost died. Cowering in a secret space within her father's estate, heart pounding and spiderwebs caught all over her while enemies had been searching for anyone who shared her father's blood. The elf shivered, goosebumps growing on her skin as her lips parted like a spring flower bud to let out a shaky sigh.

He expanded on his people's history, the distraction offering Valerie a chance to focus her mind on something other than the surrounding walls. Ears flicking up and swiveling towards him as he spoke, her eyes narrowed with the mention of a name. She paused for a second, looking to him.

"Anur'Ephal. The name itself sits uncomfortably in my mouth. I wonder how horrid the person bearing it must be." A shiver ran down her spine, questions popping into her mind as she continued again with her pacing. "How long ago was this? You said you've grown since then - do you mean physical growth or just personal development? How did you try to stop him before? Did anyone try and help you?" She knew the talking was helping. If she could keep herself busy, then the time spent in the small shambles that counted as a shelter around them would go by quicker.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Indeed. The name was not his birth name, it was given to him after the crimes he had committed against his own people. It declared him a servant of evil. Cursed Son. Erën could still recall the memories with intricate clarity, the trauma of that day having been seared onto his mind and indeed - all of the Aeraesarian people. Through the Shoraes, they would never forget.

​

"How long ago was this? You said you've grown since then - do you mean physical growth or just personal development? How did you try to stop him before? Did anyone try and help you?"

"No no... this occured over a century ago now. I myself will be 650 in a few short years," he smiled wryly, "Personal growth you say? Yes I suppose that is what it would be called."

Did anyone try and help you?
​

Oh Valerie...

He thought for a moment... perhaps there was a way she could understand. There was a good chance that it would not be possible. But there were those of his Order - from the Sphere of the Ertie - they likely shared a closer ancestry to Valerie's bloodline than his, and some of they could be joined. Though in her case, in this way - if it worked - would be a temporary joining.

But it would likely change her all the same...

He looked to her, the sides of his eyes crinkled just so.

"There may be a way for me to show you..." his words were hesitant, "it could be dangerous. But you would know what I know, see what I have seen.

I can control it, but there is still a risk."

MJK​

 

[MJK]

Six hundred and fifty years? He is far, far older than I perceived him to be. Older even than my father was when he died. She gulped quietly, a bit taken a back at the news. I must appear so young to him, so foolish and weak. Like a child. The realization discomforted her, the girl's standing up straighter and squaring her shoulders with a locked jaw.

"You are much more aged that I realized. You carry your age well, compared to others I have met who are much younger than you. I myself am only reaching my eighty-third year. Nothing but the blink of an eye for someone who has lived as long as you. Six centuries has been kind to you...as appearances go, that is."

He offered a chance to show her. It was a strange phrasing and the choice of words did not seem a coincidence to her. In the little time she had known Eren, she had learned that when he spoke, it was never frivolous or wasteful. She would have to trust him and his promise of control.

A distant wail brought another cold shiver down her spine, the air in the room suddenly growing cold and thick all at once. She wanted to leave, see the canopy of leaves above her head but knew that was impossible. He offered a chance to keep her thoughts occupied and with the growing tension in her body she realized she was eager to take it despite the risks.

Valerie approached where he stood, arms folding across her chest. "We're surrounded by wraiths being kept at bay by a grumpy dwarf who knows magic. Can't be much worse than the danger we're already in. If you say you can control it, then I don't see the harm in trying whatever you're suggesting. "

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Erën allowed a smirk to cross his lips, "yes, well. We Aeraesarian's are indeed blessed due to the Shorai, and our joining with it. It grants us lifelong youth and vitality. Our eldest are known by silver hair a greying complexion in their final decades - a waning light."

​

Valerie approached where he stood, arms folding across her chest.

A brow rose, and he was impressed at how willing she was to undertake this thing. True, the pair of them had formed a bond of trust - one he did not seek to undermine, but he felt that perhaps she might not understand quite what was about to transpire. Perhaps less than a century was indeed too young? The Order would likely agree. His eyes examined her caringly for a moment, and then he nodded.

His head turned down and he closed his eyes, and when they opened once more there was a light behind them. He lifted his head to see her, and then he stepped too closer to her. A blue mist seemed to roll from him, and twirl around his arm as a gentle hand reached up, and out toward her face.

"Do... as I do..."

And if she'd allow him, his hand would come to rest gingerly on the side of her face with his thumb hooked under her jaw, pressed against her neck, with his index finger ran up along the underside of her ear, and each other one pressed strategically along the bones in her neck.

Once his hand found its place - and after she too mimicked his actions - his voice could be heard, but his lips did not move.

Do not fear...

MJK​

 

[MJK]

He seemed to hesitate at her agreement to whatever he was suggesting, the female wondering if he would indeed follow through with what he was offering to show her. The moment of hesitation passed though, the elf instead lowering his head with eyes closed.

When he opened them again, the light that seemed to emit brightly from within his hues startled her greatly, Valerie actually back-stepping with raised hands at the strange sight. His aura though was still a calm one, this being the only reason she allowed him close one more and for his hand to cup her cheek gently. She flinched as the smoke swirled in her peripheral vision, the female struggling to stay still as his voice echoed in her mind and his fingers found placement along spots she knew were carefully located.

Do as he does....do as he does? She felt fear rising in her, but also a sense of force driving her forward. Despite the unknown, vast and terrifying experience Eren was putting her through, there was a sense of no going back now that she had committed to seeing what he wanted her too.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, lifting her hand slowly to mimic the position his on her own head. She watched him carefully, hearing him once more even though his mouth did not move. It was a disorientating thing to behold, the girl nodding once slowly to show she understood before she closed her eyes.