Chapter 1
"We welcome you to the Order, Idril," Nienori said. Her skin was tan, and her sleek black hair fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were dark, and carried hidden sorrow.
There were four of them, three sitting in a circle around one. Among the three there was a young Asian girl and two blonde girls. They were each of fourteen years, but in their eyes carried a burden beyond their years. Nienori sat on the tip of the triangle, and the other two, Inwë and Alatáriël, sat on the two bottom corners. Alatáriël had dark blonde hair and doe-like blue eyes. Inwë had lighter blonde hair and gray blue eyes that shifted color. Her skin was fairest, and she was tallest.
Idril sat in the middle, cross-legged. She had long, light blonde hair and warm brown eyes. She was silent, while the other three said their welcomes.
"You are now of the Fae," Inwë said solemnly, her eyes downcast. A single tear fell down her face, into the ground below, where it disappeared into the mossy dirt. "You carry a burden that the world does not understand, and at your own cost you keep the world oblivious and happy." Alatáriël looked up.
"In order for happiness to be there must also be grief. In order for hope, there must be despair, and for health there must be pain. The scales must not tip; the balance must not be disturbed. So, for the world, we hold the sadness and pain of all who do not feel it. Are you sure you wish to share this with us?" Her eyes held no emotion as she said this. Her heart was of ice.
"I am sure." Idril whispered, closing her eyes as though grief was a mortal blow.
Though only of fourteen winters, the girls held wisdom that most did not achieve in a lifetime. Through their unbreakable bonds of friendship, they had discovered the key to emotion, balance. Some people were light hearted and joyful and lucky, and this made the scales uneven. So that the world could continue to stay balanced, Nienori, Alatáriël, and Inwë sacrificed their own emotions. The world did not know that they silently cried in their hearts, and that they held knowledge unattainable. The world continued turning, while The Order of the Fae balanced it.
The name had not been decided, merely given. There had been no arguments. Each of the girls had a love for the fantastic, and in order to keep sanity in their darkness they often journeyed to other worlds in their minds, their most-loved being Middle-Earth. For hours they would lock themselves up in their rooms, reading the great works of J.R.R. Tolkien. So, in honor of their salvation, they were the Fae.
Idril was the last of their group to be accepted into The Order. So, now they were complete. The Order did not have members, they were not a club, nor were they a cult. They simply were, and that was enough for them. Now Idril joined the outer triangle, and it became a square. They were sitting in the woods by Inwë's house, which were often used for hunting. Since it was the summer, the woods were not being hunted in, so the girls met here, discussing what they did not want their family and friends to hear, and doing what the world would mock or exclude them for if they were seen.
The night was upon them, so they headed back towards Inwë's house. She lived with her father; her mother had died when she was young in an accident that was never discussed. She had a brother, but he was never around. Though he was only ten years old, he hung out with people older than Inwë, and he usually didn't come home until after Inwë was asleep. He would sneak in through his window and fall asleep, sleeping until one in the afternoon. If Inwë's father noticed, he didn't care, and so her brother became more and more withdrawn into himself when he was home, which was less and less often.
"How will we bear this burden, mellonea?" Asked Nienori, using the Elvish word for friends. Neither Inwë nor Alatáriël answered. Over the past month, their souls had slowly been eaten away by sadness, their sanity ebbing away from pain and suffering. Ever in their minds could they hear the cries of the world, and it seemed as if joy was swallowed up inside of depression. Idril was new, and she did not totally understand the task that she had taken on, though she may have said otherwise. She would be tested against the darkness soon enough.
How they would bear it none of them knew, for even for the small amount of time they had carried the weight of the world on their shoulders had shaken them to their cores, destroyed their thoughts, and built a temple to destruction in place of their minds. They did not feel as other girls did, and they did not sympathize with anyone, not even themselves. The rest of their school and community dismissed them as particularly moody teenagers and did not think anything of it. Some friends noticed the change, but did not think anything of it. The popular people of their school sorted them into The Depressed Clique, and didn't think anything of it. No one cared, and they might have been saved had someone helped them now, but soon it would be too late.
They continued the walk home in silence, each hearing her own thoughts. The cold of night seeped through their sweatshirts and jackets, but they bore it stoically, not mentioning the cold even though they were visibly shaking. When they reached the house the warmth was a shock to their bodies, and they wished to be back in the cold.
"We welcome you to the Order, Idril," Nienori said. Her skin was tan, and her sleek black hair fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were dark, and carried hidden sorrow.
There were four of them, three sitting in a circle around one. Among the three there was a young Asian girl and two blonde girls. They were each of fourteen years, but in their eyes carried a burden beyond their years. Nienori sat on the tip of the triangle, and the other two, Inwë and Alatáriël, sat on the two bottom corners. Alatáriël had dark blonde hair and doe-like blue eyes. Inwë had lighter blonde hair and gray blue eyes that shifted color. Her skin was fairest, and she was tallest.
Idril sat in the middle, cross-legged. She had long, light blonde hair and warm brown eyes. She was silent, while the other three said their welcomes.
"You are now of the Fae," Inwë said solemnly, her eyes downcast. A single tear fell down her face, into the ground below, where it disappeared into the mossy dirt. "You carry a burden that the world does not understand, and at your own cost you keep the world oblivious and happy." Alatáriël looked up.
"In order for happiness to be there must also be grief. In order for hope, there must be despair, and for health there must be pain. The scales must not tip; the balance must not be disturbed. So, for the world, we hold the sadness and pain of all who do not feel it. Are you sure you wish to share this with us?" Her eyes held no emotion as she said this. Her heart was of ice.
"I am sure." Idril whispered, closing her eyes as though grief was a mortal blow.
Though only of fourteen winters, the girls held wisdom that most did not achieve in a lifetime. Through their unbreakable bonds of friendship, they had discovered the key to emotion, balance. Some people were light hearted and joyful and lucky, and this made the scales uneven. So that the world could continue to stay balanced, Nienori, Alatáriël, and Inwë sacrificed their own emotions. The world did not know that they silently cried in their hearts, and that they held knowledge unattainable. The world continued turning, while The Order of the Fae balanced it.
The name had not been decided, merely given. There had been no arguments. Each of the girls had a love for the fantastic, and in order to keep sanity in their darkness they often journeyed to other worlds in their minds, their most-loved being Middle-Earth. For hours they would lock themselves up in their rooms, reading the great works of J.R.R. Tolkien. So, in honor of their salvation, they were the Fae.
Idril was the last of their group to be accepted into The Order. So, now they were complete. The Order did not have members, they were not a club, nor were they a cult. They simply were, and that was enough for them. Now Idril joined the outer triangle, and it became a square. They were sitting in the woods by Inwë's house, which were often used for hunting. Since it was the summer, the woods were not being hunted in, so the girls met here, discussing what they did not want their family and friends to hear, and doing what the world would mock or exclude them for if they were seen.
The night was upon them, so they headed back towards Inwë's house. She lived with her father; her mother had died when she was young in an accident that was never discussed. She had a brother, but he was never around. Though he was only ten years old, he hung out with people older than Inwë, and he usually didn't come home until after Inwë was asleep. He would sneak in through his window and fall asleep, sleeping until one in the afternoon. If Inwë's father noticed, he didn't care, and so her brother became more and more withdrawn into himself when he was home, which was less and less often.
"How will we bear this burden, mellonea?" Asked Nienori, using the Elvish word for friends. Neither Inwë nor Alatáriël answered. Over the past month, their souls had slowly been eaten away by sadness, their sanity ebbing away from pain and suffering. Ever in their minds could they hear the cries of the world, and it seemed as if joy was swallowed up inside of depression. Idril was new, and she did not totally understand the task that she had taken on, though she may have said otherwise. She would be tested against the darkness soon enough.
How they would bear it none of them knew, for even for the small amount of time they had carried the weight of the world on their shoulders had shaken them to their cores, destroyed their thoughts, and built a temple to destruction in place of their minds. They did not feel as other girls did, and they did not sympathize with anyone, not even themselves. The rest of their school and community dismissed them as particularly moody teenagers and did not think anything of it. Some friends noticed the change, but did not think anything of it. The popular people of their school sorted them into The Depressed Clique, and didn't think anything of it. No one cared, and they might have been saved had someone helped them now, but soon it would be too late.
They continued the walk home in silence, each hearing her own thoughts. The cold of night seeped through their sweatshirts and jackets, but they bore it stoically, not mentioning the cold even though they were visibly shaking. When they reached the house the warmth was a shock to their bodies, and they wished to be back in the cold.