{Trigger warning- Rape mention, it's towards the end.}
(Have I ever mentioned I love elves?)
The golden light filtering through the forest canopy cast an almost magical glow to everything. The trees, the ground, everything was glowing. I couldn't contain my excitement any longer and let out a squeal of delight.
This was a rare opportunity and I couldn't pass it up. I wouldn't. In these woods, it's rumored an old Elven temple stood. By now, it would have to be centuries old! I quickly started my trek, looking at landmarks, various maps and just listening to the words of the elves I encountered.
Unfortunately, not many knew where it was... The area of the forest where it was located was overgrown due to years of neglect, it's path closed. The forest seemed to have swallowed the temple whole, from what I've gathered...
I'm going to find it. I must. So many years of tradition, of knowledge...The magic that must exist there..
I need this. The elves deserve to know. They deserve to have some part of who they were given back to them...They deserve everything they had stolen from them returned.
Their land, their power, their pride, their magic...but most of all, their freedom. The humans had taken everything from them...their villages destroyed, entire cities sieged and enslaved. Their women and been raped and slaughtered...
Humans deserve to pay for what they did.
I sighed deeply, shifting my travel pack onto my other shoulder. A few of the dalish elves that had been guiding would drop away after certain points, too afraid to go on further. By the time I reached the Elder Tree, a long dead oak that has stood since the fall of Arlathan, my last guide was gone. Totally alone, I trekked forward, watching for signs of anything that could be considered a sign of being close to the ruins.
This temple would help me find the truth, it had to. Otherwise elves all over would continue to be abused and traded like cattle in place like the Imperium.
The sun was starting to set when I stopped for my first break. My legs ached from the constant walking, careful jumps and ducking under roots. I set up a small camp, careful to not disturb much of the flora. This deep into the woods, so much was untouched by anyone, in centuries.
As the moon rose, I could hear the sounds of various animals calling into the night. I laid back against a tree, looking towards the canopy. I was tired...but not wanting to sleep in case something happened or an unknown animal could come and devour my soul.
However, I succumbed to my body's needs and soon fell into a restless sleep. When I did, I dreamed of cities made of crystal, intertwined in ancient trees. Of a noble people whose very presence seemed to exude magic. I dreamed that I was there, walking among them….yet I felt so out of place...Like I shouldn't be there, seeing them. Then, the sky and everything around us started to crumble, the people went running for anything they thought could save them..
I awoke in a cold sweat, shaking. As I blinked the sleep away, I was aware of a soft blue glow around me. Sitting up, I took a careful look around, awe filling me.
The woods around me were glowing as small blue wisp like creatures floated around it. One stopped in front of me, before fading into away slowly. All around me, the wisps pulsed in a relaxing way, lulling me to sleep once more.
A bright light woke me up, and voices filled the air. I groggily stood, taking note of how hard to floor was...clearly I was no longer in the woods.
The voices were getting closer, one distinctly male and sounded very angry. The other, I couldn't place..But they sounded calmer. They spoke in a language I didn't understand. It sounded vaguely elven, but I couldn't place the dialect.
A door on one of the walls of the room caught my eye, as the engraving on it was so delicate, so...very familiar. Where I had seen such engraving escaped me. Walking over too it, the voices seemed to have gotten farther away now, perhaps walking past me instead of to me.