On a sunny, quiet day in the month of Ronas, a young, white haired, Elfess sits on one of the chairs in the little house near Tol Vanima’s dock. In her hands she holds an unfolded letter. She has already read the words many times and sits now staring into the distance, a few tears run down her cheeks as she slowly takes in the content and the implications of the letter.
She was approached earlier that day by a stout human in the harbour of Gobaith who had inquired if she was one of the Elves of Tol Vanima. From his apparel she had deduced that the man must be the captain of one of the ships lying in the harbour. At her reply that she was, he presented her a letter and asked her to read its directions and if she knew the recipient. Upon seeing that the name written on the outside was Lhosseth, she had assured the Captain, with a small amused smile, that she indeed knew the addressee very well. Thanking the Captain for the delivery and wishing him many blessings by the Five on his voyages, the Elfess had turned to the ferry with the letter protectively held in her hands. Upon arriving at the dock of Tol Vanima she had found a seat and eagerly unfolded the letter, for she did not receive news from the main land often. The letter read:
Dear Niece,
Because foolish as you are, you are still dear to me. I have the gravest news to relate which cannot be softened by any words. Your mother has not been well and she is slowly fading away over something that she refers to as 'feelings of guilt over your situation'. My dearest sister has taken your desertion and presumed death much harder than our direct family had first realised and we now fear that she might leave us before even her 4000th year.
I know that your conscience will surely not allow for this, but fear that your foolish attachment to your new, misguided, life might prevent you from taking the correct actions. I therefore command you to, forthwith, end this youthful silliness of wayward behaviour and return to your family and community to do the duty you were born to fulfil, and with that reassure and heal your mother’s heart.
With Findari’s blessings for your journey.
Your aunt
Idhoriel
With growing sadness, tears in her eyes and a heaviness in her heart Lhosseth had read the letter and let its words sink in. Although she could not agree with some of the opinions expressed by her maternal aunt, without a doubt Lhosseth did concur with her conclusion: she would have to go back to the Emerald forest to save her mother from fading away into an early death and by doing that she would have to face the consequences of returning to her community.
After hours of alternately staring into nothing and crying softly, Lhosseth finally manages to drag herself from her chair and toward the main hall of Tol Vanima. She needs to start with the preparations for her journey and, more importantly, find her brothers and sisters, who had embraced her for the years she had been living on the Elven island, to say her final farewells.
Last edited by Lhosseth on Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
On her walk to the main hall, Lhosseth comes to the conclusion that to make the farewells least painful for all involved, she would do best to tell her brothers and sisters that this will be a short trip and that she would most certainly return within a few months. There is no need to burden them with the pain and anxiety that the full knowledge of her journey would bring.
Fully determined to make the preparations and farewells a quick affair, Lhosseth walks into the main hall and is directly stopped in her tracks by the sight in front of her. There at the table sits her dearest brother with his infant daughter in his arms. With one look at her face Drakon seems to know there is something terribly wrong and expresses his concern. All thoughts of deceiving him are immediately forgotten, as only the truth will suffice. Defeated Lhosseth sinks into a chair and taking a deep breath, she starts to explain to him, between sobs and tears, about her letter and what it means for her to go back to her community in the Emerald forest.
“I was never allowed to leave .... I ... left without them knowing that I did.” At Drakon’s silent encouragement, she continues to explain, ”Becoming a priestess was never a choice for me. I was chosen at my birth. It does not matter whether I chose that path myself, one can not walk away from it. I tried to convince the priestesses, my parents and the Elders that I was unsuited, but they would not let me go.” Lhosseth looks into the distance as she continues speaking, her eyes become unfocussed as she remembers the events of which she speaks, “Then ... there was a fire in the temple and I …. could leave. My aunt, who lives at another temple, told me later that they all assume I did not survive the fire, that the Gods had judged me that day and taken my life.” She looks back down to the letter, “But now it seems that my mother blames herself and cannot live with this knowledge ... I have to go to her, reassure her...”
By now Drakon’s calming presence had brought back some hope into her heart. Surely Brágon would not have led her here to form attachments and then tear her away again. Surely Ushara had not accepted her as a guardian of all living to see her leave and never return. “I must hope no one else notices my presence. If they do, they will force me to become a priestess or be judged again by the Gods.” Throughout the explanation Drakon listens intently, he brings his right hand up to cover hers, trying to reassure her and show her his support. At hearing her final words he starts to come up with ways for her to be able to evade the notice of the rangers of her community and to reassure her that some way she will be able to return.
Strengthened by his faith and suggestions, Lhosseth feels the small spark of hope in her chest grow and she is able to think again about possible solutions. “My best chance is that the rangers who protect the borders have not changed their ways. My brother is one of them ... I often ran away to stay with him, I know their ways.” Drakon seems to get a glimmer of hope in his eyes as her words are spoken, “Then you must train with me in the next days. To get you able to move more silently and to be able to detect things a ranger would know and see ... It won't be much but it will give you the best chance to return to us..” After her acceptance of this idea and some more encouraging words of Drakon, they hold each other close for a moment to find comfort and strength, before they get up to start preparing for her journey and training.
Lhosseth stands in front of the oven south of Vanima’s main hall. Absentmindedly she kneads bread dough into loaves and makes a few notches on the top. Her thoughts wander back to the past few days, after receiving her letter and starting on her preparations. She had found a ship that would take her to Ann-Kor. In two days the same ship and captain that brought her letter would take her back to the mainland. From there the fastest way to get to the Emerald forest would be along the Erenin river. Her course was set. Saying her goodbyes, it seemed there was much to say about her departure, or very little. Yet, ever since those first few moments of preparation with Drakon and Mel she felt a dull pain in her chest. As if she had lost something and she could not explain what it was. The gifts given, the words that were spoken, the things that were implied…
Her hands continue the work automatically, she carefully slides the loaves into the oven and lets them bake. Biting her bottom lip Lhosseth continues to think about the reason for her unhappiness. That potion that he showed her… She shakes her head sadly… Elder Shandariel was right; they could live for the dreams of a human. But what if those dreams weren't shared, fell away, or were fulfilled? More unhappy thoughts start to invade her mind, but she quickly pushes these away and concentrates again on the final preparations and her journey. She was now almost done preparing the soups and baking the bread. She would train with Drakon in the next few days to learn to evade the rangers. It had seemed a good solution to her predicament at the time, but after leaving his presence and no longer feeling his optimism, her hope had likewise disappeared. Even if she could learn enough in their training to pass the rangers undetected, she would still have to seek out her mother without being noticed by the Elders of her community. An impossible task, because her mother was never long separated from her father or kept anything hidden from him. He would not hesitate to act in his role as Elder to force her into her prophesised role. It was impossible to escape her faith…
Lhosseth checks the loaves in the oven and turns them around before sliding them back in. With a deep sigh she decides to not share this piece of knowledge with her brothers and sisters on Tol Vanima. The thought of a possibility for her return brought them such comfort in hope. And the training would be invaluable. It was highly preferable to be discovered by her father in his home then by the rangers in the woods. With another unhappy sigh Lhosseth takes the loaves of bread from the oven and puts them away to start a new batch.
Hearing the sound of footsteps in the main hall, Lhosseth turns to see first her brother Jerem and then her sister Elethua join her at the ovens. Jerem expresses his concern for Lhosseth’s sadness, trying his best to cheer her with encouraging words. When learning of her imminent departure Elethua throws her little arms around Lhosseth's waist and exclaims: “We'll miss you horribly.” Jerem adds: “You have to come back, …one day… we will wait...” Tears fill Lhosseth’s eyes at their heartfelt admissions and she lets her arm circle around Elethua's shoulders, pulling her a little closer. At hearing them focus their thoughts on her return Lhosesth’s mind is made up: it is indeed better to let them have hope instead of finality. Jerem once again shows the wisdom gathered in his long years by reminding her that she should not be sad because, he says, “You will meet your mother and aunt.” Lhosseth thanks him and finds much comfort in that thought and many other things that Jerem says in his goodbyes. The talk then turns to her preparations and Elethua manages to cheer Lhosseth further by offering all sort of things for her to take with her on her journey, including reading material. Lhosseth laughs through her tears at the idea of dragging heavy tomes filled with wisdom along in her bag on her way to the Emerald forest.
Soon they are joined by Drakon and Lhosseth can hand over the food she prepared for the members of the Tinechor. She also gets the chance to give him the thank you gift that she tailored for him; a red robe, similar to his old one which he gave to her almost a year ago and which she will take with her on her journey. Any hope of keeping her eyes dry during her farewells that day is lost when Caelianna comes walking into the main hall and Lhosseth rushes over to throw herself crying into the arms of her dearest sister. After calming down and between many tears and hugs Lhosseth manages to tell Caelianna a similar story to the one she shared with Drakon. She leaves out the impossibility of returning unnoticed by her father, because her sister deserves, and probably needs, the comfort of hope as much as any other. The knowledge that Lhosseth will train her skill of evading the rangers seems to bring the desired strength of hope to her sister.
Caelianna then gets up and opens her depot to add her own gifts for Lhosseth to take with her on her journey. Among them is one of her favourite belongings: a hand mirror. Lhosseth protests against taking it with her, but Caelianna quickly counters, “Please do… it will give you perhaps a stronger drive to return.” She smiles as tears fall quietly on her cheeks. Lhosseth takes the mirror from her and admires it for a moment before she looks back to the Elfess and responds in a broken voice, "What stronger drive to return would I need than the pleasure of seeing you again, sister?" In exchange Lhosseth leaves a few old gifts from Idrandal and Demelza in Caelianna’s care, to give comfort and she even nods at Caelianna’s suggestion of giving them back when she returns. Having said all they meant to say, their thoughts return to the planned training and Caelianna ensures Lhosseth that, “I would have taught you myself... but our brother is the best at this...” Lhosseth manages to grin at the Elfess' words, "I will allow Drakon to be the best in many things, but my real brother will always be the best ranger to me." With a much appreciated promise from Caelianna to watch over the animals and trees of Tol Vanima in Lhosseth’s absence, they say their final farewells with many more tears and hugs. Tired of saying these painful goodbyes Lhosseth hurries out of the main hall and wiping at the tears in her eyes, she turns into the woods and starts her search for Drakon to begin her training.
After leaving Lhosseth to talk to Caelianna, Drakon ventures out to the woods near the main hall, walking to the woods just past the bridge to the north of it. He looks around seeing if it is suitable for Lhosseth's training, with a quick nod Drakon smiles mumbling to himself," This will do nicely." He then walks on farther into the woods looking for a dense portion with some trees to teach Lhosseth how to use them for cover. She already knows more then him due to her Elven nature but a refresher course won't hurt.
After moving deeper in Drakon comes to the clearing and moves west to where the deer normally stay, finding their trail he looks around at the density of the trees and the wildlife that is in the area. With another nod Drakon moves off to the smith house to forge a few bells. Taking them back to the deer trail he ties a few lengths of thread to one side of the tree, then ties the other side off to the other side so when it is touched the bell will ring. Drakon does this down the trail spacing them far enough apart making them harder and harder to see, in all three alarm traps line the trail.
In a soft voice Drakon speaks to himself trying to think of every possible thing she may encounter. " The Deer can act like the Rangers.... she will have to learn to spot them and only move when they are not looking. " Confident in what he has set up for her he walks back to the main hall to wait for Lhosseth. Drakon stops shortly after starting, his mind races to think of more things he can teach her before she sets out on her journey. As he begins to think he leans against a tree in the woods lost in though on what waits ahead for Lhosseth on her journey.
When Drakon sees Lhosseth, he tells her what he is trying to teach her and takes her out to the first spot in the woods to the north of the bridge. " Lhosseth I want you to try and walk as quietly as possible here in this clearing.." Drakon's hand motions out over the open area along the stream, Watch where you place your feet.. avoid stepping on branches and anything that can make noise.." Carefully he tries to show her but even he seems to have some trouble at first, he looks back to Lhosseth with a smile, " I seem to be out of practice as well..." trying to lighten the mood but after a few moments he regains his stealthy walk.
Slowly and carefully Drakon places one foot at a time stepping on the soft dirt, a bit of grass or moss avoiding the things that make noise. After returning to Lhosseth's side he smiles to her then says, " Alright it's your turn..just try a few steps don't go for distance.." Drakon's eyes watch her take her first steps they focus on her feet and what she is doing.
While Drakon demonstrates to Lhosseth how to walk she watches him attentively. Despite her sadness an amused smile forms on her lips. His movements very much look like... a human trying to walk like an Elf. It is rather endearing to watch really. It cheers her considerable, but her heart hurts as well at the thought of how hard he is trying for her and how much she is going to miss him. She nods at his words and then gives him a soft smile, “I have demonstrated my lightness of foot a few times before to you, brother, in the woods and in the snow.” She sets off to take the same route that he did through the forest with an Elven lightness that allows her to walk while barely touching the ground. Without having to think about it her feet evade all the little twigs and dried leaves that would give away her location. She floats elegantly through the trees in a light-footed dance and manages to make hardly any sound. Easily reaching the end she turns to Drakon with a large smile and notices his approval.
Together they walk a little further north and west to where the deer graze, there Drakon explains to her this part of the training, the bells that he placed and that she will have to move without the deer noticing her. She grins at the idea of tricking the deer, greatly enjoying the training and working together with Drakon, delighted at the opportunity to train with her brother in the woods. “You picked well brother, going unnoticed by the deer will be my biggest challenge, they will come greet me the moment they notice my presence.” She takes a deep breath and then readies herself at the spot Drakon points out from where to start. Thoughts of the reason and inevitable outcome for her upcoming journey are forgotten as she concentrates on the task. After some last instructions and encouraging words, Drakon steps back to let Lhosseth start the second part of her training. She moves along the deer trail with the same lightness of foot but a little less sure this time because of the added difficulties. Although the green shade of her clothing helps her to blend in with her surroundings, she often has to stop in her tracks and stand very still to go unnoticed by the deer. Keeping an eye on the deer she searches for the threads with bells. She notices the first bell on its thread only just before she walks into it, quickly stopping herself from tripping and setting off the alarm. She lightly steps over the thread and moves forward seeking the next bell.
After her near hit of the first thread, Lhosseth walks very slowly and carefully forward, scanning the ground. She suddenly freezes in her dance as a deer looks up from grazing close to her right. She stands very still, adrenaline rushing through her veins as she waits patiently for the deer to continue eating, hoping it does not notice her and then comes over to greet her. After some moments of silence the deer turns away unaware of her nearness and Lhosseth can continue on her path. She now enters a denser area of the forest, going unnoticed by the deer becomes easier, but locating the bells very much harder. Brágon’s blessing are once more with her as a shaft of light falls into the dark undergrowth of the forest and makes the bell of the second thread shine and stand out. She takes a moment to recollect herself before she moves forward, set on locating the last thread.
Many quiet steps further she is still unable to detect the third bell. She knows she must be near and focuses even harder on finding the final trap. A rustle in the leaves to her left alerts her to an animal nearby in the forest. She stops walking mid-step, her right leg silently hanging in the air. Suddenly the head of one of the deer emerges from the bushes to her left as the deer moves closer to greet her affectionately. Severely startled Lhosseth moves her right leg and hits the last thread, making her stumble and setting off the alarm. Waving her arms in the air she tries to keep her balance but eventually she tumbles forward. In a very inelegant, and unelven, motion she lands in a heap upon the forest ground. The other deer that were alerted by the jingling of the bell quickly rush over. At recognising the laughing Elfess laying sprawled between the trees they come forward to greet her by nudging her with their heads. This causes Lhosesth to laugh even harder, increasing her enjoyment while she mumbles something about “falsifying the myth of Elven elegance”. As she looks up she sees the laughing face of Drakon as he comes toward her through the trees.
Slowly Drakon walks up to Lhosseth, his eyes quickly check her over to make sure she is not hurt. With a big grin on his lips he offers her his hand to help her up, the only words he speaks are, " That was very good except for the last part, but very good indeed. " He hopes his words distract her from the fact that she got caught, because right now it was only the deer and himself that caught her. Not the Rangers of her village or the one he fears most of all, her brother. He pulls the Elfess to her feet, seeing the dust fall away from her and her clothes as she stands up, still laughing softly.
Drakon then takes Lhosseth out to the northeast corner of Tol Vanima, where the trees are dense and the woods have not been touched, only the wild animals roam this part of the island. The only thing that can be heard is the birds chirping and singing around them or the scurrying of a rabbit or deer that picks up their scent as they draw nearer to the Human and Elfess. Drakon begins to explain why they are here and what he expects to teach her. " Lhosseth I want to teach you how to tell if someone is following you..... Listen to your surroundings as we stand here take in all that you hear. The way to tell if someone is near or following is to listen to the noises around you, a sudden crack of a twig or the crunching of leaves beneath their feet as they watch you and not their footsteps." He then goes silent so she can hear everything.
Lhosseth closes her eyes and stands very still, listening concentrated to the forest around them. A small smile plays on her lips as she brings up her hands as if to touch and feel the air in front of her. Her smile becomes larger, she tips her head to the side and whispers, "The trees are at peace today, swaying gently in Tanora's wind. The birds tell us that all is well in their song.” She pauses and takes a slow breath before she continues in a soft calm voice, “My druid teacher has taught me to ‘feel’ nature and all living creatures, especially those that are familiar to me. I can ‘feel’ the young rabbits playing in the forest about thirty paces to my left. Míwon is watching them."
Drakon seems amazed at what she tells him, his eyes widen as he listens. With a silent nod and still in thought he begins to speak slowly as though unsure if his training will help, " I see, then you should do well with what I am going to tell you." He takes a breath and looks around for a moment taking in the sounds trying to figure out how to explain it. In a hushed voice so as not to make too much sound he begins to speak, " When you travel in the woods you may notice the birds may call out as you near them or an animal may break into a sudden run."
" You have to listen for that sort of thing as you’re going through the woods.. walk in a slow and even pace, taking say ten steps the first time and then stop. Listen for any noises around. You will want to change your number of steps to keep anyone from following you by learning the pattern you’re using to listen for them. " The Elfess nods her head at his words and bites her bottom lip. She looks around and listens to the forest as thoughts of her journey come back to her. In a quiet, almost frightened, voice Lhosseth asks, "Do you have advice on what I should do when I notice someone is following me?"
Drakon goes quiet for a moment thinking about her words. " The best thing to do first is to keep your head, the next is to find a hard surface to walk on that can hide your footprints and to help limit the noise you make even more. Avoid climbing into trees or running...try to find some animals that are near and move to them as quietly as you can. " After a short pause Drakon continues, " The closer you can get to the animals the better your chances are to escape.. they will think it’s an animal, not a person.”
A new smile comes to Lhosseth’s face, brightening her features, “And they will think it was an animal all along! That is simply brilliant, brother.” She takes a moment to think over the words, standing silently and then nods to herself, she turns again to the man, “But the most important thing is not to be noticed in the first place… Can we try the deer trail again? If you reposition the bells, I shall give it another try, this time using my ears and feelings as well as my eyes.”
After seeing the smile form on her lips Drakon nods motioning his hand for her to lead the way back to the deer, " Sure, we can try again till you feel more comfortable doing it." When they get near the deer Drakon smiles to Lhosseth. " Alright go wait in the smith house and give me a few moments to set up the bells again, this time I will make them all hard to find to really test you. I will also add something new to help you. I know you will do well and I will be watching." with that said he moves off to the woods to once again set up the bell traps, but this time he adds a few more threads tied off to a few nearby branches to be pulled on to make it appear someone is there close to the trail. Having made his preparations, Drakon climbs into a nearby tree with the thread in his hand where he sits waiting for Lhosseth to appear.
As Lhosseth walks the trail a second time she tries to do as Drakon told her, alternating the number of her steps and listening often to her surroundings. She does not detect all the bells the first time and is severely startled when the bushes beside the trail suddenly move when Drakon pulls the thread. But slowly, after many attempts, she becomes better at spotting the bells, keeping an eye on the deer and reacting to any disturbance. The day wears on as they continue the training. Finally, just before the sun sets in the west, Lhosseth manages to make it passed all the bells and threads without hitting them or being noticed. Tired, but also with a feeling of satisfaction about the progress the Elfess made, Drakon and Lhosseth end the training session. They exchange of a few last words of encouragement and gratitude, before they each head their own way to find some much needed rest.
The last two days before her departure Lhosseth spends her time walking around the island of Tol Vanima to say her goodbyes to the trees, the animals and any brothers and sisters she meets. Making a tour of the island she first watches the cows and pigs scurry around near the main hall, happily digging in the mud. She walks father north and enters the forest where she thinks about her first lesson into druidism as she sits cross legged on the forest ground. She closes her eyes to feel the forest around her and smiles contently for a moment at the balance she feels. The forest is whole and complete. It makes her a little less ashamed of leaving her tasks as forester of Tol Vanima, knowing the island is well balanced. While sitting there Lhosseth listens to the birds and with a smile she reaches into her right boot to pull out a beautifully decorated flute. She puts it to her mouth and tries to imitate the birds’ song, but only manages to produce squeaky sounds until the birds grow tired of the noise and fly away. With a soft sigh she stops playing, putting the flute back in her boot; she prefers the birds to stay close and not flee from her 'fearsome weapon of self defence'.
Walking eastward Lhosseth hugs each of the deer that comes to greet her, laughing once more as she thinks of her training and their participation. She passes the clearing and fondly remembers the night she was chased around by a real fire-spitting dragon. Then she turns to the north and passes the smithy. All is silent inside, none of her brothers and sisters is working too hard today. She smiles to herself as she continues walking north to the pier where she sat talking to her sister Nin’Rasyel, while letting her leg cool in the water. A wonderful remedy for the bruises she had gotten from being the target during target practice. Entering the forest again Lhosseth visits with the rabbits and feeds them fresh carrots and greens. One of the rabbits, a dark, brown coloured, little one, comes to sit in her lap, snuggling close against her belly. While she affectionately pets his brown little head, Lhosseth speaks softly to the fury little animals, instructing them to always make sure they are inside the burrow before the snow blocks their way in.
Leaving the rabbits Lhosseth walks east and south and there heavily sits down on a log in the forest, still in the north east part of the island. Deep sighs come from her as she gazes down at the forest ground. Here she had been the happiest and the saddest in all her time on Tol Vanima. But she could not regret any of it, not the words spoken or the pain they had caused, because it had led them to better understanding and also to her greatest joy, the reacceptance by Ushara. At least she was sure of Her blessing, when she would have to beg for acceptance of the other Gods in the near future. On her way back to the garden Lhosseth pets the sheep and thinks with a smile about the day she tried to make them a very unneeded shelter. Another demonstration of her Elven elegance which both the sheep and the Gods seemed to appreciate very well. In the garden she looks at the trees she planted here and thinks of the many others they planted in other places of Tol Vanima and Gobaith. For a moment she sits down at each of the tables while she thinks of the many good conversations she had here. It is another of her favourite places on Tol Vanima where she learned so much, about others but also about herself.
She slowly walks back to the main hall through the woods with her arms outstretched, lightly touching every tree she passes, spreading Ushara’s blessings among them. She bends down to pluck a few flowers, not caring for their quality or use now, just enjoying their scent and colours. When it rains later in the evening Lhosseth sits at the empty table in the north west corner of the upper floor, gazing outside, enjoying the wind on her face and silently remembering more conversations. So many memories to take with her, her heart, and bag, are full of them.
To finish her goodbyes Lhosseth takes the ferry to Gobaith on her last evening. She walks through the forests on the west end of the island and hurries to visit the shrines of Ushara and Brágon to pray for safe travel and for their mercy when the time comes for them to judge her. Late in the night, on her way back to the harbour she passes the little house near the Bane arena and hears someone at work. She steps inside to see if it is someone to say goodbye to and runs into Mel, Elethua and Drakon. They are making bottles and gathering grapes to make their own wine. They urge her to come with them and have one final drink.
Elethua’s songs are very enjoyable and the company is in good humour as they sit in Vanima’s gardens, toasting each other and their good times together. Lhosseth listens attentively to remember the songs as she slowly sips her wine. The night and good humour pass swiftly and Lhosseth’s desire to leave increases rapidly. She already lingered too long, the ship was waiting, it was time to go. Her brother, sister and niece walk her to the pier and there they say their final goodbyes. As Lhosseth walks to the ship, Elethua takes off her gloves to send Lhosseth off with some fireworks. Little sparkling green stars fall all around Lhosseth, making her laugh softly at the wonderful farewell. Waving one more time to Elethua, Drakon and little Ryiah, Lhosseth boards the ship with an elegant jump. The ship’s captain stands on the deck, watching her and the farewell stars around her with an amused smile on his lips. He steps forward to welcome Lhosseth on board before turning to his crew to give his orders and the ship takes off almost immediately. At this Lhosseth holds out her hand and calls in a clear, singing voice, “Lagr!” A snow white dove comes flying to her immediately and settles down on her shoulder, rubbing his white head affectionately against her cheek. Watching the island disappear in the distance, tears come to Lhosseth’s eyes. She would miss her brothers and sisters and the life she lived among them terribly.
On the ocean between Illarion and Gobaith a seaworthy ship steadily makes its way to the east over the waves of Tanora. The captain of the ship walks around the deck pretending not to notice the strange passenger that sits on the bow of his ship. Ever since meeting the elegant, white haired Elfess in the harbour of Gobaith and seeing her enchanting smile at his request to deliver a letter, he had been her servant and unable to refuse her anything. To his delight she had come seeking him a few days later and requested passage on his ship to the mainland. Of course he would take her anywhere she wished to go. But her smile had been strained and her eyes had not shone with joy as they did the first time that he met her. She had been a quiet and solitary passenger, spending her time sitting on the stern of the ship with her white dove on her shoulder, staring back at the islands of Gobaith and Tol Vanima. The captain had always been fascinated with the elven kind and had spent many hours observing the Elfess. Captivated by her appearance, her white hair blowing in the wind, he had wondered about the sadness that was now in those pine green eyes of hers. She had hid it well, but he knew that in the mornings, when the ship was moving away from Brágon’s sun, her eyes were sometimes filled with tears as she gazed back at the disappearing islands in the light of the rising sun.
Before they reached the harbour of Ann-Kor, she had come to him and asked him if he would return to Gobaith and if so, if he would take her dove, Lagr, back with the ship. The pleading look in her eyes would have made him sail all the sees of Tanora to do her bidding, but her request was a far easier task. The dove did not come in a cage or needed to be watched as he had suspected. No, this white dove, with a few green feathers in his tail the same colour as the Elfess’ eyes, sat on the bow of the ship with the same patience as she had sat on the stern. So very much like her in appearance and behaviour, it was uncanny. It was not visible now, but on his left leg she had attached a neatly folded note before leaving the dove in the care of the captain. Just before stepping off the ship in Ann-Kor, the Elfess had left the dove on deck for the return journey with a few whispered words and one final kiss on the top of his head. The captain wondered to whom that note was addressed; her parents..., an elven brother or sister..., a close friend...?
Unable to ignore his silent, feathered passenger, the captain notices that the dove becomes more alert and starts to scan the horizon for the first show of land as the ship nears the shores of Gobaith. When the coast of Gobaith finally comes into sight, Lagr starts to move around restlessly, but stays on the ship because he obviously knows it is still too far to fly. In the morning light of the next day, when the ship finally rounds the tip of Hellbrair, the captain sees Lagr take off. Ascending swiftly into the air, the green feathers in his tail are only visible for a few moments before he flies too high to make them noticeable. The captain watches the dove set course due east, straight for the island of Tol Vanima. "To her brothers and sisters," he thinks to himself and smiles as he watches Lagr disappear in a similar way as he had watched the Elfess disappear a few weeks before, walking inland from the harbour. "It is as if she sends herself in another shape to stay with them…."
Lhosseth sits with her bare feet dangling in the water on the bank of the Erenin river, a few hours walk from where the Andabar river joins it from the north. She leans back on her hands and closes her eyes, breathing in the scent of the flowers and a small corpse of trees on the river bank. Her sea journey had gone without incident, that captain was a very nice human. She knew he had kept his eye on her and probably wondered about the silent Elfess sitting on the stern of his ship, but he had been polite to a fault and even promised to take Lagr back to Gobaith. The letter she had written was a final goodbye to those left behind, although she could not take away all their hope, it was a warning to not expect her return. Her journey over land had, so far, gone without incident, if she did not count that rude sailor in the harbour that had tried to steal her bag, without success. Or that wild boar in the fields the day before that had chased her into a tree after being startled by her. She ended up hiding in that tree for hours before he had forgotten her offence and trudged away, allowing her to climb back down and continue her journey. She would have to do better walking unseen once she entered the Emerald forest.
Watching her feet make circles in the water, Lhosseth enjoys the refreshing feeling of the cool water on her tired feet. The past days she had walked almost without stop; she was anxious to get to the end of her journey and while walking her progress was rather too slow for her liking. Luckily she had been able to find a Halfling merchant in Ann-Kor who would be travelling to the west along the river until the mouth of the Erin river where he would turn south to go to the Old Willow woods. He had been simple but nice company and she had made great progress in her travels. Her payment had been blueberry muffins and as many Elven songs as she could think of. In the end the young Halfling had been much more interested in asking questions about Elves to impress his sweetheart at home with the answers than in hearing Lhosseth sing. Maybe he did not have the patience for listening, or maybe it was her singing... Grinning Lhosseth pulls her bag a little closer and takes a loaf of bread from inside. A few birds land beside her on the river edge and she shares her evening meal with them, breaking some pieces from the loaf and dropping them to the ground. Looking to the west she notices that the sun is no longer visible behind the trees. By the reddening of the sky she can tell that Brágon’s light is leaving them to enjoy it’s reflection on the moons. She turns a little to the west and bows her head in a silent farewell.
As the light begins to fade the soft yellow glow of the pure fire in the little, pyramid shaped box on her belt aluminates Lhosseth and her immediate surroundings. Another of those precious gifts, this one to help her see in the dark woods, but without having to use a lamp or lantern that would give away her presence. She takes the box from her belt and holds it close to the water, thinking of all the Elves that would be dancing and singing all night tonight, for it was the 24th of Brás, the Feast of Fire. Elves all over Illarion would celebrate the longest day followed by the shortest night by letting small candles float on the rivers. A sight that had delighted Lhosseth ever since she could remember. She used to dance and sing all night without stopping, honouring the Gods and the life they gave through the fire that burned inside each of them.
Lhosseth had also danced with abandon at those feasts to prepare herself for the month to come, for after the shortest night comes Eldas, the month of peace and contemplation. It is said that those born under the blessing of Eldan are of a quiet kind, studious, givers of good counsel and best suited to serve their people and the Gods. Therefore tradition in Lhosseth’s community was that all girls born in the month of Eldas were chosen to become priestesses to the Five. Every year Lhosseth was reminded of her birth, of her duty and her path in life and every year she knew she failed at being the priestess they expected her to be. Ever since starting her training as a young child of twenty Lhosseth had struggled with the life of an apprentice priestess. The endless days spend within the walls of the temple studying, memorising the lengthy texts on the deeds of the Gods throughout the ages, the rites to be performed per day, the hymns to be chanted. Knowing she would pass most of her life inside the rocky walls of the temple, without daylight or life around her, had made her want to run away many times. Especially on the days that they were taught patience. She would sneak off on those days and run into the woods to spend a few weeks with Earaidon, her brother by birth, scouting the forest. Breathing in the fresh air, watching the birds in the trees, smelling the flowers and hearing the animals scurry around she had wondered why priestesses must live in the rocky mountain, disconnected from all life around them, shutting themselves away from all the Gods had created.
With a sigh Lhosseth takes up some sand from the river bank and lets it run through her fingers. Of course the time always came to return to the temple and she would be reprimanded harshly for running off. Lecture upon lecture she had heard about patience, about her role and duty to her community, about being chosen and feeling honoured and mostly about her having to work even harder than the other apprentices. For she was of the house of Tinwhen and millennia ago it had been prophesised that the next daughter of Eldan born to the house of Tinwhen would be a great priestess. One who would guide the Elves of her community through dark times to new balance and inspire Elves throughout Illarion to follow her path and the path of the Gods. And with those thoughts always came the feelings of guilt, she wasn’t trying hard enough, they were depending on her to become that great priestess, to learn how to guide her brothers and sisters and she was unable to fill that role. That day when she had left the temple and her community, not entirely by her own choice, she had known that she walked away from the life the Gods had chosen for her, she had failed her community and the Gods and with that she had also lost their blessings.
Deep in thought Lhosseth stares at the reflection of the yellow fire on the river as she swings the box above the water. Two curious fish come closer, attracted by the light held so close to the surface. When one of them tries to eat Lhosseth’s toe she startles from her thoughts and quickly pulls her feet from the water. She reattaches the little box to her belt, puts her now almost worn down boots in her bag and gets up. A few steps into the corpse she finds a large tree. Deciding to sleep off the ground, she jumps up and grabs hold of the lowest branch and then easily and with elegant movements swings her body to the next branch. Climbing a little higher she finds a suitable resting place and settles in for the night under her robes. Looking up at the stars she thinks of the Feast of Fire. In two days it will be her day of birth, the second of Eldas. It will also be seven years since she left her home, running from her duties and life as a priestess. The life to which she would return in a few weeks; she was almost there.
About a week after passing the mouth of the Andabar river Lhosseth traverses a hill in the early morning light. She stops her walk as she looks up to the western sky. For the first time since leaving her home seven years ago she beholds the peaks of the nameless mountains, its snow covered summits shining orange in the morning sun. Rising before them, looming over the western part of the Emerald forest is the Ganthra Aegas mountain, on which slopes the temple to the Five stands; Her temple, her home. In front of her at the foot of the hill she can see the first trees where the forest begins. With a deep sigh Lhosseth squares her shoulders and descents to start the last part of her journey, through the everlasting spring of the Emerald forest. While walking toward the trees she thinks of the things she learned in her training and travels and what she remembers of the rangers. Rangers and guards from different Elven communities scouted the entire forest at times, she would have to be watchful from now on and leave no trace of her presence. And she would have to travel by night, using the soft glow of the pure fire to guide her path.
The first two nights she stays close to the river, walking on the bank where she can move faster than through the trees and bushes of the forest. Knowing that another days walk an Elven community is situated in the trees close to the river’s edge, Lhosseth decides to leave the river bank, where she is vulnerable and easy to detect. On the third night she turns north, into the heart of the forest, to then later go west through the thicker woods. During her walk the night after turning north she smells the smoke of a campfire, a scout must be camping nearby. This reminds her to pay more attention to where she walks, she continues on quietly while scanning her surroundings. The forest is very still and feels balanced, but as she stretches out her feelings, she becomes certain that rangers and guards are posted throughout the area.
During the days Lhosseth sleeps high up in a tree, covered by her green robe to camouflage herself between the always fresh green leaves. One evening as she wakes up from a deep sleep, while stretching her arms and rubbing her eyes, she hears a rustling in the leaves beneath her and quickly lies back down. Turning to look down to the ground, Lhosseth sees an Elven ranger make his way across a track that runs very close to the tree she slept in. Staying very quiet her heart beats faster as she realises that she had not noticed the track in the dark the night before. She lies very still and holds her breath out of fear while she silently watches the ranger pass below her, scanning the forest to all sides. Had she slept on the ground he would undoubtedly have found her. And if he were to look up now, he would surely see her white hair falling around the tree branch she lies on. Spring blossoms protect her as he continues walking without once glancing up to peer at the roof of leaves.
Taking care not to be caught or come too close to any of the Elven settlements, Lhosseth passes the larger part of the forest without further danger. Eventually, on her eighth night of travelling in the woods, she comes to a clearing; one she recognises well. She knows the tracks that lead into this clearing, one to the north that will end at the foot of a small hill with very high trees that offer a good lookout. Southeast there is a track that leads back into the centre of the forest and to the other Elven communities. The southwest track leads to Mirsgal, the Elven town where she was born. Quickly Lhosseth steps back into the dense bushes to hide herself from the light reflected off one of the moons that travels high up in the sky. This clearing would be crossed very often by rangers coming and going to the lookout post, or on their way to scout the surroundings. Carefully she circles around the clearing to continue on her westward journey, to later approach the town from the north.
Her progress is slow that night, as she takes great care not to make any noise or leave any tracks. Alternating the amount of steps that she takes and often standing still to listen to her surroundings as Drakon instructed her to do. All the life forms that she notices are new, because she never tried scanning the Emerald forest in this way before. Yet she feels an oddly familiar presence between the trees. Late in the night, just after passing a stream of water, Lhosseth makes one of her stops to listen to the night time sounds of the forest. As she closes her eyes she suddenly realises the familiar feeling is not that of the forest, but of an individual that is constantly near her. Listening intently she hears something else crossing the water and with a start wonders if someone might be following her. Crouching down to hide in the undergrowth, she covers the box with the pure fire with her hand to hide its light. Glancing around in the light of the moon, Lhosseth sees a glint of grey hair some 50 paces behind her in the forest, there was indeed someone close by, standing as still as herself. She squints her eyes to see better what the grey hair is doing, until she realises that if she can see grey hair... the owner can see her white hair even better!
Ducking down immediately and taking a few steps, she finds a hiding place under a low hanging tree branch and kneels down. Sitting silently she waits and listens, while trying to remember what to do when she is noticed. She thinks about finding solid ground and animals when a bird call comes from the location of the grey hair. It is not a normal bird call, it is a bird imitation, as made by a ranger calling to another ranger. She recognises the sound, but the tones differ from when Earaidon taught her to make them herself, she does not know the correct answer to this call. While debating with herself to either stay silent and hope the ranger would pass, try to find protection of animals, or make the old response to the bird call with her hands and mouth, she suddenly hears something move from the location of the call.
Lhosseth freezes for a moment as she recognises the sound for what it is: someone suddenly breaking into a run and darting through the undergrowth. The ranger clearly decided to come and check out who or what she was. Reacting in the next moment, Lhosseth turns and flees away from the sound. She runs as fast as she can, not caring how much noise she makes, her presence was known already and there was no time to look for animals or solid ground now. Ducking trees and evading bushes she rushes through the forest, jumping a stream and changing direction whenever she notices an easy path. She can hear that he is coming closer, moving quicker and more securely through the forest that must be familiar to him. Using the little distance she still has, Lhosseth suddenly stops running and darts to the side, behind a large tree. She lets herself drop to the ground and lies hidden in the bushes and leaves. The ranger passes her only moments later to her left, running away from her hiding position. Quickly Lhosseth gets up and takes off in the opposite direction. As fast as her legs can carry her, she runs back to the north, away from the ranger and the town. She can no longer hear anyone following her and after a while she slows down and begins to take care to move without sound or leaving tracks. Her heart still beats wildly, but the fear of being caught slowly lessens. She had been lucky again.
Then suddenly out of nowhere someone emerges from the bushes and runs directly behind her. Turning her head to see, Lhosseth only notices a stream of grey hair very close as she tries to run faster. Her only thought is to get away from this ranger. Now so close that the ranger can touch her, a strong hand grabs her upper right arm and she is pulled to a stop and feels herself being twisted around. Unable to get free or keep her balance her foot slips on the forest ground. As another hand takes hold of her left arm, her feet slide away from under her body and she lands on her back on the ground. Lhosseth closes her eyes as she feels the strong hands pin her down. She lets her head fall back as all hope is lost. She was caught.
