Private Tales What Calls the Tundra Home

[Elenwë]

The stairs seemed to go on forever and because they were so large Elenwë felt as though she were almost having to hop down each of them. She dreaded the thought of making her way back up them later on. It wasn't worth dwelling on that thought, she decided, choosing instead to focus on the adventure ahead of them both. Ninquë worked in such strange ways. Who would have thought she would stumble into such an important part of a humans life at a pivotal moment when she was doing nothing more than a routine medicine collection?

At the bottom of the curving stairs it opened up into a large hall. Down here the tombs seemed to continue but far more extravagantly.

"I did not think I would ever set eyes on one of the Great Halls," she breathed, eyes wide in wonder.

 

[Braum]

"Whats that?" Braum said as he came up to stand behind the elf.

There was expression on his face, not one that betrayed any sort of nostalgia. There was certainly a wonder in his eyes, but it was more the curiosity of a young man than anything else.

He knew precious little of the Frost Giants.

Their stories were old ones, and most of them rarely, if ever, came down from their mountains. Usually it was said that individuals marched, and that if a Frost Giant tribe were to descend fully from the mountains the whole of the Tundra would fall to their will.

Those were just stories though.

Braum had no idea of the reality of this place, what it was or even what connection he might have to it. Yet the fact that it was there seemed...undoubtable.

 

[Elenwë]

The Snow Elf blinked when the man spoke, remembering suddenly the reason for her even being in there.

"The Great Halls of the Front Giants are legends, even to us elves," Elenwë gave the young man a warm smile for a brief moment, the sun in the cold tomb, before returning her attention to what lay in front of them. "It is said that when a Frost Giant dies they return to the Great Hall, where they feast for the rest of eternity. They replicate the grandness of their belief in the mortal plain by carving from the ice its likeness and burying the greatest heroes inside of it," her eyes flickered to the tombs that lined the walls. There were four on each side and then a large alter of sorts at the end of the room. Gold and offerings had been placed around the dead warriors final resting places.

"It is a great honour to be allowed in a place such as this. They are sacred places."

 

[Braum]

Braum nodded his head for a brief moment in understanding. They stood in the middle of a memorial of sorts, a cast of what was the beliefs of...his people?

Is that what he was? A frost giant?

It would certainly explain his height, why he did not feel the cold as others did. Yet there was something...off about the idea of it. He was not as tall as these tombs, he was not even large enough to reach the top of one of them.

"And I let us in." He said quietly, a hand running up to softly touch his beard.

Slowly he looked around the tomb and the gold there, reaching out to touch one of the cups that stood on the alter like tomb. "I have more questions now than I did when I started the day."

Braum said softly.

 

[Elenwë]

Elenwë gave the man a sympathetic smile.

"That is a natural thing no matter what you are," she assured him gently. "Every person goes through a moment where they discover themselves and often it gets worse before it gets better," as she spoke she wandered quietly around the hall. Even with her feather light steps they echoed down the full length of the place.

"There is a saying amongst my people," she stopped in front of the alter and stared up at the large mosaic that hung above. "It is only by being broken we can be remade stronger." She paused, head tilting and turned back to him with a little smile. "It does not quite sound the same in your tongue."

 

[Braum]

"Mm." Braum grunted as he continued to pick through the offerings on the tomb.

He knew that the Elf was right. That such things were the way of the world. His mother had told him something very much the same once before, though of course the context of it had been all different. That fact made it mo less amusing that the Elf now mirrored the small Nord woman.

The giant mused for a few moments more, then suddenly stopped.

A frown pulled at his lips, and he cleared his throat as from the back of the altar he pulled out what appeared to be a large metal plate. For a man of ordinary size he imagined it would make a good shield, but Braum had no idea of its true purpose.

Save for the fact of the seal bore on the inside. "This symbol was on the cloak my father found me in."

Braum said as he looked up at the tomb above him, desperately trying to discern who it was.

 

[Elenwë]

Elenwë wandered over to stand beside the Frost Giant and gaze up at the tomb he stood in front of her. She hadn't been lying when she said her giant was rusty but rusty for an elf was very different to rusty for a mortal. El simply had only had a century to learn the language instead of three like she had had with many others.

"A woman," the snow elf said with a touch of surprise and squinted as she read on. "It seems she was one of their best soldiers, a mage of sorts. A healer," she corrected, eyes flittering back and forth. "She fell on the field, killed by a Nordenfiir."

 

[Braum]

Braum frowned at the woman’s words for a few seconds, looking up at the tomb and shaking his head slightly as he realized that it did not help him much at all. Uncomfortably he shifted, putting the plate back down and searching among the trinkets.

He found something else, buried within the treasures.

It was a necklace, smaller than everything else. Even in his palm it looked small, almost as though it had been made for a human. The same symbol as before appeared on the back of the amulet, and he attempted to open it.

For a few seconds nothing happened, and then that same odd flash of light flickered across the metal.

The Amulet popped open, and inside was a piece of paper. Braum looked at the woman besides him and cleared his throat. ”Umm. Would you mind?”

His fingers were not for...delicate things, and the paper was small.

Inscribed upon it, once the Elf opened it, was a map.

 

[Elenwë]

The snow elf watched curiously as he opened the necklace and then plucked the piece of paper out of it when asked. It had clearly been folded a great many times so it fit inside the small locket and it took a little bit of time for her to smooth it out to it's full glory. The paper was thin but not old, easily from the last 30 years.

"Perhaps she was your mother?" Elenwë theorized outloud. "A healer most certainly would bring a babe with her to a battlefield to keep nursing them if they were young," it didn't explain why he had been left though.

 

[Braum]

Braum looked over the Elf's shoulder, something that for him was actually rather easy.

Surprisingly, though he was none too good at geography, Braum actually recognized the region depicted upon the map. It was the central tundra, the Siruk Mountains they were called in Kjos. He had never visited them before, in fact he was sure no one had. The Siruk were tall, massive by any standard.

They had been one of the barriers to conquering the Tundra. Scaling those mountains was the equivelant to signing your death warrant. Not only because of their height, but also because of the constant storms that clung to them. "I don't know."

He said quietly, looking at the small mark left directly in the middle of the mountains.

"Perhaps there was no one left to take me home." The words were said so quietly that it was hard to hear the regret in them.

 

[Elenwë]

Elenwë glanced up at the mans face, studying the frown and subtle pain in the lines of his face, and decided to keep her thoughts to herself. She looked back down at the map and then found what she was looking for; a shortcut.

The elves had always suspected there was a way to cut down the journey over the mountains the Frost Giants called home, but they were a secretive sort and would never share it. Not to an outsider. Not to someone unimportant.

"Look, you can pass under them," El traced the faint line with her slender finger. "Even a human could make that journey."

 

[Braum]

"It seems so." Braum said with a slight frown.

Could he make it there and back in two months?

The Giant had always moved fast across the Tundra, had never tired much nor needed to stop for storms that would grind other men's marches to a halt. He thought he could take this path, he thought perhaps even that Ivar would delay if he asked him to.

Yet he would not tell his friend.

If he spoke of this to Ivar he would surely want to come with, and if that was the case then it would turn into a whole other affair. Best to just tell him he was heading south for supplies, and then head out from there. "I shall go."

He suddenly declared.

 

[Elenwë]

"That would be the sensible thing to do if you want answers," Elenwë nodded but her words sounded almost ... hesitant. The Frost Giants were not known for their welcoming nature in their own cities. They were protective and with good reason given their histories of being sought out and butchered. It was rumoured it was just as hard for the giants to reproduce as it was elves. It made homes even more sacred.

"You should go with someone," Ele frowned and after one more study of the map pointed out a few points of concern. "You'll have to cross the Wastes for one, and then the Drocnel Forest," the Tundra was never a nice place to travel alone but certain areas were worse than others.

 

[Braum]

Braum shrugged his massive shoulders.

There was little in the Tundra that truly scared him, less in this world that he could truly say he would not face if put in front of him. Fear, he had always thought, was a simply trick of the mind. It could be ignored, it could be bettered, it could even be sundered completely.

He knew this, he had conquered his own fear more than once and he would do so a thousand times more before he met his end.

Ivar had always told him that it was something specific to him, that fear was not so easy to overcome for others. Braum did not know if that was true, but then again, he had seen other men break and run from situations that were nothing to him. "I'll be alright."

He told the Elf.

"I have walked many places." He was sure this was no different.

 

[Elenwë]

The snow elf did not look convinced as she ran her eyes up and down him in an openly critical manner. He might have been stronger than most humans and he might have courage but the Wastes were not a place for any sort of life. The type that chose it as their home were twisted beings who had adapted to survival through the toughest and often most barbaric means necessary. But she was no nurse maid so she kept her mouth shut and nodded her head instead.

"If you would like company I would be more than happy to accompany you a little while, my home resides further on to the East," she traced her fingers up the way to the Front Giants home and then a little further North and to the East. There was a clear, obvious way around that avoided touching the mountains that was clearly the path she would be travelling along.

 

[Braum]

The giant frowned for a brief moment, and then shrugged his shoulders. "Very well."

It was better for her to die alongside him than Ivar he supposed. His old friend would very likely have gone to the ends of the earth if he'd asked, but that wasn't going to happen. No, this was something that he could take on himself.

Well, at least mostly.

He supposed and Elven companion would not be too much, and at least she knew much more of the legends than he did. That would be incredibly useful upon this path.

"We should set off sooner." Braum said as he closed the necklace. "Rather than later."

He had but two months.

 

[Elenwë]

Time was a more fickle thing for elves; with hundreds of years spread out before them it was hard to see the urgency in most situations. Ele had already wandered over to some other artefact to examine with wide eyes and showed none of the urgency Braum was suggesting they inject into their travels. Who knew when she would stumble on another Frost Giant to let her into a place such as this? Oh how she wished she had her parchment and inks with her to capture all of this. It felt like such a waste. But she knew how time mattered to humans and so with a sigh she finally turned towards the door though her feet dragged.

"Very well. Do you have the supplies you require for such a journey or will you need to stop?"

 

[Braum]

He blinked for a few seconds, looked at himself up and down, and then shrugged his shoulders as if that were answer enough.

"I have everything I need." Many thought that the Tundra was barren and empty, but Braum knew this was not the truth. There was more life in the Tundra than in the Blightlands. At least that was what his father had always said.

A frown flickered across his features.

"Do you think we need more?" Braum asked with a frown. "I've never needed much."

The cold did not touch him as it did others. Hunger could be sated with a hunt. What else was there?

 

[Elenwë]

Elenwe shrugged as she too looked the Frost Giant up and down as if seeing him for the first time.

"Humans tend to pack so many things that they believe they need and as you were raised by them I thought to just ask..." it had been meant as a kindness not insinuating they were lacking in anything at all. As for the Snow Elf herself their people always believed in heading out of the Tower with the mindset anything might happen. Something like an avalanche or a sudden sickness. As such most of them left with everything they might need. It helped that she didn't need to carry it with Khel on the journey with her, though she would have to ask if the giant lynx wished to come with them on this adventure.

El gave the man another look and then offered a smile before hopping back up the stairs.

"If we have everything we need I suppose we best be going!" she called back over her shoulder, parroting his words.

 

[Braum]

Braum looked at the tomb one last time, then slowly reached out and righted the plate that he had put back earlier.

His eyes lingered on the sigil for a few seconds, and then he pulled himself away and slowly walked behind Elenwe. Within the small tomb every step of his was like four of hers, and he managed to catch up to her just as she reached the top of the steps.

As soon as they passed out of the doorway and back into the Tundra proper the sun cast slightly over them, it's bright yellow light cascading over the snows of the battlefield below.

"East it is." Braum said as he pointed, taking one big step to begin their journey.

 

[Elenwë]

Elenwe moved swiftly over to the large snow lynx and murmured quietly in his ear in a language that sounded like the Tundra itself. It was as soft and yet as harsh as snow, a pleasant lilt to it like the song of Mawmaws. There was an enchanting quality to it much like there was when staring out at the large wastelands. Magical. The Lynx gave some sort of rumbling response that sounded for all intents and purposes like a purr before Ele pulled herself up onto his back.

Without another word the cat leapt off into the snow towards the East.

For the rest of the day Elenwe was mostly quiet. It wasn't a bad silence but rather the silence of someone comfortable with not having to fill it with chatter. Occasionally she would smile at some internal thought or the Lynx would make a noise that might have suggested the two were communicating in some manner. As the sun began to set though she slowed to a stop.

"We should make camp soon," her eyes peered through the soft flurry of snow that had begun to fall. "There is some shelter over that way."

 

[Braum]

Braum looked over towards where the woman glanced, quietly observing the distance and only seeing more snow.

Ivar had always been better at finding his way through the Tundra. He had often relied upon his brother to sort through these sort of things. Braum wasn't unprepared for the world, he could survive on his own well enough, but Ivar could always do a little better.

A fact that worked out well enough, especially given the fact that he was usually better in a fight. "If you say so."

The Giant said as he shielded his eyes from the sun.

"Your eyes are probably better than mine." He said in jest, beginning to turn in the direction that she'd indicated.

 

[Elenwë]

Elenwë's lips curled up into a half smile at the innocent joke.

"Come," the lynx moved on through the freshly fallen snow. By the time they reached the rocky outcrop that Ele had seen a mile or two back the snow was falling so thick and fast it was hard even for the keen eyed cat to see where he was going. The little cave was small but more than big enough for the group as long as they didn't plan to spend much time standing. There were the old traces of a fire from many moons ago but other than that and a stale scent of mould suggesting there was running water coming on from somewhere, there was nothing much more to their shelter for the night.

Ele slid from the lynx's back and despite the fact it was freshly fallen her dismount barely disturbed it. The Lynx promptly rolled in the snow as though it barely felt the cold whilst the elf pushed the hood back from her snow cloak, ears twitching in an unconscious motion as snowflakes landed on them.

"I'll get some firewood," she announced after a moment and turned and left the cave, once more dragging her cloak up over her head. Once her dark hair was covered and she faced away from him it was almost like she disappeared into the snow flurry outside. However it wasn't long before she was back with enough firewood for the night piled right up to under her chin. It also, miraculously, seemed dry.

 

[Braum]

It was said, at least in the stories, that long ago the Tundra had been more than just now and ice.

There were of course more than a few forests scattered around the continent, some of them large enough to make entire cities disappear within their reaches. Yet wood was plenty even when not around those thick forests.

Petrified and ancient trees could often be found within the ice, old logs and ancient oaks that had been felled by one means or another long before anyone in living memory had ever seen them alive. That was what his mother had always told him, and Braum had believed it.

"I've stayed in worse places." The giant commented as he began to build a small tent of wood.

The cave kept out most of the wind, but every now and again there was a brushing gust which seemed to sweep through the icy crag.

 

[Elenwë]

The snow elf smiled graciously as the giant took her precious bundle and began to make up the fire. She probably could have done it quicker with a little spell but she understood that mortals liked the satisfaction of doing something with their hands. So whilst he was bent over attempting to coax a little flame into life, Ele turned her attention to their home for the evening instead. Steadily she walked around the perimeter, her fingers brushing over the cave walls as she murmured under her breath. It might have been closer to singing than speaking for some but the further around the cave she got the less and less wind made its way through the cracks and eventually it could actually be called warm.

Especially with the now roaring fire going.

Content the protections were in place she finally removed the snowy robes that had engulfed her entire frame until that point. Underneath she wore the deep, dark red and black protective gear of the priestesses. The Lynx shunned the fire entirely and lay across the entrance to the cave instead.

"Do you travel much then?" her eyes wandered over his form. She thought him perhaps a warrior of his people but work was hard in the frozen north, he could just as well have been a fisherman.