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Prologue: Of Drianeil and Orlion |
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When the world was young and the days were new the great elven race dominated the land. The mortals did not exist, only those immortal and graceful beings that no longer wander our earth. The roamed our forests and hunted our deer and harvested our crops and thus lived out their lives. All this was due to the power of the celestial beings the elves called the Elements.
The Elements created for themselves an island, and into this small land they poured the greatest of their power. The Air was the cleanest and purest and even taking a breath would fill any being with a great sense of life. The Water was sweet and cold and refreshed even the weariest of travelers. The Fires that burned in the pits and hearths warmed all nearby on even the coldest of nights. The Land…oh the Land, it bore the sweetest fruit and the strongest trees and was home to the greatest of people. To complete their perfect land the Elements brought some of the elves from the main world, and thus graced them, and they became the Elders, the High Elves.
It was to these high elves that Drianeil was born, and in the great forests of the sacred land that she was raised. As her mother before her and her mother before that, Drianeil became a favorite of the Goddess Earth. She spent the days of her youth under the oldest of the trees listening to the Goddess’ tales of the birth of the world and the birth of the sacred land. She spent the nights dancing, twirling her way through the trees and singing a sweet sad song.
To the high elves was also born Orlion, though he was born to the elves of the sea and not of the wood. While his people held a respect for the land, they none the less felled many a tree in order to build their mighty ships. While the Goddess Earth forgave them, though the forest elves often quarreled with their sea dwelling kin, accusing them of killing the land. Orlion tried to stay out of these fights. A strong elf with sea blue eyes and sea worn silver hair, Orlion preferred to pour himself into his shipbuilding, and indeed his ships were the most elegant of the fleet.
Even so, Orlion often found himself yearning for more. While he spent his days building his ships and meeting his father’s approval he would spend most of his nights sitting alone on the rocky shores studying the twinkling of the night sky.
On the night of the new moon, when the stars shone the brightest, Drianeil lost herself in her dance and song and moved further from the deep woods then she ever had before. Without her realizing the trees thinned around her and with her eyes still closed, still lost in her song, Drianeil was dancing on the soft sand instead of on the hard ground of the forest.
On his rock where he studied the stars Orlion turns sharply, wondering firstly who would be about so late in the night and then who could create such a beautiful and un-earthly sound. When he saw Drianeil, her green hair and skirts swirling about her lithe form, he was instantly captivated.
When the forest elf that had strayed from her home completed her compelling song and opened her emerald eyes she found herself lost. Never had she ventured so far from her home, never had she set foot on the sandy shores of the island. Never had she seen an elf so handsome yet with such sadness in his eyes. Even though Drianeil found herself drawn to him, she knew she shouldn’t be so far from the deep woods and with that knowledge she had turned to leave.
But Orlion had been too quick for her and has seized her wrist before she could flee. Drianeil did not try to fight him!
“May I ask, Lovely Lady of The Wood, what name you bear?” he had asked her, seeming somewhat awed by the elfess before him. Drianeil’s eyes had cast down at his question, her mind racing. The names of those chosen by the Elements were known to all on the island, and once one was known they were treated differently from all the other elves. Drianeil had not wished this man to treat her as some great being. She only wished for him to treat her as an equal.
“Why ask my name? Are we not all equals without heavy names to burden us?” she responded. Orlion had sighed and looked at her with longing in those deep sapphire eyes of his.
“If that is the way you wish to be then I too shall keep my name a secret” he had answered with a twinkle in his eyes. “And so we can then regard each other as equals, and if I may, I would like to request your company on this lonely night”
Diandriel had laughed her clear bell like laugh and accepted his outstretched hand allowing him to lead her to the rocks. There she sat with him and listened to him tell all about his family and his life. Yet when the sun had begun to rise above the water Drianeil’s eyes had darkened and when she looked at him he stopped his speech.
“I must go” she had said in a whisper, and with those simply words she had hopped down from the rocks and begun to run lightly towards the trees.
“Wait” Orlion had called futilely after her, holding an outstretched hand to her departing form. Before she disappeared into the trees he yelled “I will wait her tonight and pray you come to me again!”
True to his word the next night Orlion had sat on those same rocks with a look of apprehension on his handsome face as he watched the line of trees. As the sliver of a moon rose over the water he was rewarded by the sight of a lithe form clothed all in green walking towards him. Thus for many nights the two met in secret and spoke together of trivial things, simply enjoying the company the other provided.
Yet fate would not have left two such beings alone to meet in secret and never know who the other was. And thus as Fate would have it they were forced to meet during the light of day. Drianeil sat in the sacred gardens, those gardens created by the Goddess Earth herself, intently reading a book on the histories of the land. The Goddess Earth sat on a nearby stone bench in her favorite form, that of a tall and slender elf maid with fine soft features and green hair that cascaded down her back laced with buds and leaves. At the same time Orlion was wandering deep in the wood, lost in thoughts of Drianeil as he searched for new trees with which to build his newest ship. During this excursion he came across an odd path, one covered with shimmering white shells lined with flowers of astounding beauty. Unable to contain his curiosity he follows the path.
As he reaches its end he gapes at the sight before him and falls to his knees. The being before him was of immense beauty who seems to shine with an inner light. He deepens his bow!
“Forgive me My Lady for I meant not to intrude into your sacred gardens” he says in a flourish, keeping his eyes to the ground. Drianeil had been so lost in the book she had not noticed the appearance of the elf and she looked up, startled when he spoke. Her gold flecked eyes widen when she realizes who kneels on the path before the Goddess and she quickly looks back to her book.
The Goddess Earth studies Orlion with an amused glint in her eyes for a moment before speaking. “Orlion Loriand, first born son of the first family of the elves of the Sapphire Sea, am I correct?” she says after a moment. Orlion nods a quick affirmative as Drianeil looks up from her book once more. The Goddess turns to look back at her pupil, quickly noting the look on Drianeil’s face. “Dear do come and greet our guest!”
Orlion keeps his face down, knowing that he was about to be addressed by one of the four chosen by the Elements.
“Greetings Lord Orlion” the voice greets in barely a whisper. “Welcome to the sacred gardens of out Goddess Earth” Drianeil shifts her eyes to where the Goddess had been standing only to see that she had departed.
At first Orlion had kept his eyes downcast but as he listened carefully to the voice he found he recognized. Forgetting his manners and realizing they didn’t matter since the Goddess was gone he stared in shock at the elfess who he had known for so long, yet never known who she was. Drianeil was regarding him with hard eyes.
“I did not know you were a shipbuilder!” she says to him, betrayal seeping into her melodic voice.
Orlion regards her for a moment before speaking. “I did not realize you were one of the four” he says taking a step forward. Drianeil notes with sadness the awe in his voice. “Though I wish I know why you are so upset to learn of my heritage?”
“Because you are one of the ones who fells our trees and thins our forest. You are of the race that slowly destroys my home!” She replies after a moment, sinking back onto one of the stone benches. After a pause Orlion came and sat beside her.
“For that I am sorry…” he says after a moment, “and if you so wish I will leave.” Drianeil looked over at his bent saddened form and she instantly regretted her harsh words. As he made to leave she reached out and grabbed his hand.
“No…please…stay!”
***
In the months following that fateful meeting Drianeil and Orlion grew to truly know and love each other. They no longer met in secret! Orlion came to stay with Drianeil for a time and get to know the ways of the Forest Elves. Drianeil stayed with Orlion and learned to respect the ship craft of the Sea Elves, and in doing so they drew the two peoples together.
The new found closeness of the two people was only strengthened when Orlion asked for Drianeil’s hand in marriage. On the first day of spring, when the new buds had just begun to open, they wed in the sacred gardens, and though they did not know it, from this union the hope of their people would be born.
 Lady Diandriel · Wed Jan 03, 2007 @ 05:38am · 2 Comments |
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