Blood Wolf: A Blödhgarm love story
Summary:
Blödhgarm, a powerful and intriguing elf spellcaster, once altered his appearance to match the eyes of an eagle, the coat of a forest cat, and the fangs of a wolf to conform to his ideas of splendorous beauty. Now assigned with his eleven elven spellweavers to protect Eragon and Saphira and living among the peoples of the Varden, Blödhgarm encounters a young women, named Aeryn, who has an usual kind of sight. Blödhgarm soon realizes that Aeryn cannot see him as he is, see his beauty of which he is so proud and vain. Through the turbulent times of Alagaesia, she teaches him the value of life, no matter how long or short of time, and how to love unconditionally beyond what is on the outside.
Names of Blödhgarm's eleven spellweavers:
Finnén (m) fair
Fionúir (f) ghost, spirit
Fionnbharr (m) fair haired
Étaín (f) jealousy
Cearbhall (m) brave in sword-fighting; valorous in battle
Garbhán (m) rough
Ivar (m) yew tree
Lasairfhiona (f) Lasairíona flame wine
Ríona (f) queenly
Samhradhán (m) summery person
Nuala (f) short of Fionnuala (white shoulders)
Prologue
Blood Wolf
Deep in the mystical forests of Du Weldenvarden, a beautiful elf and her young son walked among the towering trees. In the growing twilight, the elven woman's beauty sharpened to an even greater degree. Among the elves, she was considered to be one of the most beautiful to have ever graced the land of Alagaesia. So beautiful was she that the elves referred to her as Ildrid the Beautiful.
"You are so beautiful, mother," the young elf said, gazing up at his mother with deep admiration.
Ildrid the Beautiful turned to look down upon her son. "You are very beautiful as well," she remarked.
"But not like you," he insisted. "I'm quite normal and unspectacular."
"Not unspectacular," she countered, a sharp edge in the tone of her voice. "Your natural skills with magic already show that you are anything but unspectacular."
As she spoke, she marveled at her son's yellow eyes. Bored with his common elven beauty and finding his brown eyes unappealing, he had altered them with the great magic he possessed. Now, yellow eagle eyes peered out from her small son's head.
"One day," he began, "when I am stronger, I shall also take up the blue pelt of the forest cat and the sharp fangs of the wolf. Then, I will be wild and beautiful."
Looking down at her son, she could imagine the alterations and how handsome and fearsome he would look. Indeed, he would be beautiful. But more importantly, he would be immensely powerful, for only a very few elves could alter their appearance so easily. He would rise, she was sure, to be one of the greatest spellweavers the elves had seen for many centuries.
Her son smiled at her then, exposing his perfect white teeth. Already his incisors were more pronounced and slightly longer than what was common.
"Remember this, though, Blödhgarm, beauty will not bring you happiness," she reminded him, as she often did. However, her admonishments were useless, for the elves deeply admired beauty.
"No, but perhaps beauty may attract one who can bring me more happiness," he countered with a grin that looked almost feral. As he spoke, his voice held the peculiar purr of the wild forest cat.
Still looking down at him, Ildrid the Beautiful was reminded of how well she had named her son. Blödhgarm meant Blood Wolf in the Ancient Language. And a blood wolf he surely was. Any elf who stared into his mystical eyes and heard his melodic howl would surely follow him, entranced, forever. And any elf maiden lucky enough to be caught in his teeth would be helplessly and lovingly his forever.