Chapter 9- Song and Moon
Enarel rubbed his temples in an effort to stave off the headache he could feel lurking behind his eyes. He had been in the war room for most of the day listening to the others bicker and argue about which faction to approach. Cullen and Cassandra were firmly in support of the Templars while Leliana and Josephine were stanchly in the mages favour.
"Enough" he told the warring advisors "We need to take a break, all you're doing is arguing in circles" he told them with a frown. They looked at him a little startled as if they had forgotten he was there.
"Yes, that is an excellent idea" Josephine agreed and the others nodded, opening the door to the rest of the Chantry and filing out. Enarel left last, closing the door behind him and wandering out into the snowy streets. It was late afternoon and the sky was a clear blue despite the snowflakes that hovered in the air and the chilling nip that touched at his ears. He pulled up his hood and walked down toward the gate, hoping to get away from all the people for a while.
Out beyond the walls and the perimeter of the camp he paused, closing his eyes and breathing in the chill air deeply. It was so still here and he smiled, enjoying it, then his sensitive ears detected the faint sound of a harp and a woman's voice singing a strange song that seemed to evoke an ethereal quality to the mountains around him.
"A Elbereth, Glithoniel, Men echenim sí derthiel. Ne chaered hen nu 'aladhath, Ngilith or annún-aearath." The voice keened low and mysterious, the sounds of the harp twining with her voice like mist across the sea. He turned and followed the sound to a small grove of pine trees near the bank of the frozen river and he quietly pushed the heavy bows out of his way.
He stepped from the trees into the middle of the grove into a space over shadowed by the pine branches to form a pocket among the trunks. There was no snow here and the ground was cushioned with thick moss. The air was warm and filled with the smell of pine needles and curled up in the crook of several larger roots, sat Istaril.
Her eyes were closed as she sang and she was curled up in her silvery grey hood and cloak, a small lap harp in her hands as she plucked a haunting melody from the strings. The pattern of the light sifting down through the trees dance around her as if in time to her tune and, the branches curled protectively around her and the very air itself felt filled with a feeling of a strange wild power and peace.
Her hair had auburn highlights that gleamed softly and her skin seemed to give off a faint silver glow in the dim light, as he approached her eyes opened, and she looked at him with a happy expression "Enarel" she greeted him quietly, as if to avoid shattering the peace of the space. Enarel smiled at her use of his first name, everyone else just called him Herald or Lavellan, but Istaril always treated him like a regular person and for that he was grateful.
"Aneth ara Istaril" he greeted using the familiar elvish greeting with her and sitting down on the soft moss.
"What brings you here?" she asked him, still smiling and her fingers still plucking at the harp.
"I came for a breath of fresh air and heard your singing" he explained and she nodded.
"You have the look of one who has just escaped a meeting" she commented looking at him with knowing eyes. He nodded and leaned back against a tree next to her, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes and giving a soft groan.
"Yes, I've been in the war room listening to them argue about which faction to approach since after breakfast" he told her and she sighed
"still no decision?" she asked and he shook his head.
"I want to approach the mages, but we would gain greater acceptance in the Chantry's eyes if we approach the Templars he said unhappily before he leaned forward sharply and said explosively "I'm so damn sick of these Shemlen and their dread wolf be cursed Chantry. They oppress everything my people are, judging me because of my ears, they lock me up and prepare to execute me on circumstantial evidence one moment then revere me as a prophet the next. They then throw me into the position of making all the decisions, then judge me for them. I can't even sneeze without someone approving or disapproving of my technique!" he cried, shattering the calm of the grove.
He put his head into his hands "I just want this to all be a dream and I'll wake up in my aravel and just be Enarel the Keeper's First again. I want to be with my clan again" he whispered brokenly.
The harp stopped and a hand settled on his shoulder, he looked up, his eyes clouded with worry and desperation "what do I do? Please tell me what to do" he begged looking up at her.
She looked at him, her deep blue eyes filled with compassion and a sorrow, looking into their depths he saw that the pale blue of her eyes was actually a deep night blue on her outer iris that faded to glowing moon silver around her pupils, giving them an ethereal glow in the dim light.
In that moment she didn't look like a human, but rather some ancient and weary being who had seen far too much, like a nymph or goddess of old, glowing with the faint light and seemingly at one with her wild surroundings.
"It is not my purpose to tell you want to do Enarel. All I can tell you is to listen to your heart and know that whatever you choose I will stand by your side. Know that I will never judge you or your actions and that I will listen to all you have to say." She told him, squeezing his shoulder.
He gave a broken sob and she reached her arm around his shoulders. He curled up against her side and cried like he hadn't since he was a child. In between his sobs he heard her voice gently singing again
"May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How far you are from home
Mornie utulie [Darkness has come]
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantie [Darkness has fallen]
A promise lives within you now
May it be the shadow's call
Will fly away
May it be you journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun
Mornie utulie
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantie
A promise lives within you now
A promise lives within you now
Her song was gentle and filled with hope and as she sang she gently rubbed his back and this only made him cry harder, clutching at her soft grey cloak like it was a lifeline.
Eventually his tears were spent and he drifted off into sleep, still hearing her voice as she sang to him. He awoke sometime later still curled up against Istaril side. At some point she had folded her cloak around him and she sat with her harp in her hands again, a soft melody filling the air.
When he stirred she looked down at him with kind eyes and a soft smile "how are you feeling?" she asked and he sat up, feeling the salt from his tears flake of his face.
"Better" he admitted and she nodded
"I had a feeling that you needed a good cry. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone" she told him and he smiled uncertainly at her
"ma serannas Istaril, you're right I needed that."
He carefully stood and brushed himself off and bowed to her she smiled "Avo dhavo am môr [Don't yield to the darkness] Enarel, if you ever need to talk my door is open to you" she replied, returning to her harp as he left the small clearing.
It was early evening when he emerged from Istaril's grove and he took a deep breath, standing tall and striding toward the town with a new sense of purpose, he would listen to his heart, they would contact the mages.
Istaril stared at Cassandra with a resigned air "full armour" she repeated and the Seeker nodded
"we're heading back to the hinterlands, if you're going to be fighting up front with me then you need to be equipped, you said you have a full suit so go put it on."
Istaril nodded and headed to her cabin, not that she need to retrieve any armour, it's just she didn't want anyone to see her put it on. She closed the door of her cabin tightly behind her and check the room over to look for spies or spy holes.
Satisfied she was alone and unobserved she pulled on her usual armour including her mithrill mail and touched the silver metal disk that sat at her throat on the armour.
It unfurled and covered her torso in a Celestial Silver cuirass molded to match her muscles and melded with her pauldrons, segmented plates of the same metal curved around her hips in a metal war skirt both engraved with scenes form her adventures with Percy and Annabeth with a crescent moon embossed on the chest, a celestial bronze line marred the molded muscles of the abdomen where she had been stabbed by Kronos in her final battle, though she had not been wearing this armour at the time.
The armour was a gift from the forges of Hephaestus after her death he had taken her old armour and improved it, adding the breastplate and war skirt as well as a few more pieces with a self-repair subroutine. She bent down and press a winged sandal design etched onto her left greave and they extended in more of the divine metal around and up her leg and down to cover her foot, ending mid-thigh beneath the war skirt and with small designs of wings engraved on each outside ankle.
She straightened and tapped a hydra head engraving on her right arm guard which caused both to become full gauntlets that extended up under her mail with curved claws on the fingers, Celestial Silver melding with the mortal steel seamlessly. She paused and stared at the engraving on the inner portion of the left gauntlet before she turned and looked at her knight shield.
She sighed, her dragon shield was getting to old for its job and the enchantments holding it together were needing more and more strength as the centuries weighed heavily on the wood and leather. She regretfully put the old shield on her bed and stared at the engraving again before she tapped the gorgon head design. A silver hoplite shield unspooled around her gauntlet and she strapped her sword back around her hips and attached her silver tipped bow and engraved quiver to their and shrugged her shoulders as to settle everything.
She strode over to the door and paused before she walked back to her armour stand and slipped a leather and silver gorget around her throat the edges fusing at the back of her neck extending below her collarbone and up to her chin. This finished she reach up and pulled her white braid forward, running her clawed fingers down the ornaments until she reached a silver charm shaped like a crescent moon, she pressed the centre of the charm and a silver helmet unfurled out around her head, a stiff emerald green horsehair crest added another foot to her height and her eyes glinted through the slits and a crescent moon was engraved on the forehead with the scenes of the hunt adorning the rest of it.
The entire suit of Celestial Silver gleamed softly with the moon's light enhancing her own soft unnoticeable glow that was part of her birthright as the adopted daughter of Artemis. Her reward for holding the sky along with a particular proclivity for the more wilderness related pursuits, a love for moonlight and an ability to be an excellent midwife was coupled with a slight reddish tint in her hair, some silver in her eyes and a very faint silvery glow to her skin.
Grinning she opened the door and stooped slightly to leave, nodding nonchalantly to the stunned Solas who stared at her with an open mouth as she strode through the streets of haven looking like something that had fallen from her mother's chariot.
People pointed at her and whispers followed her as she walked. She ignored them and held her head high as she stalked through the streets with a pride that would have made her mother smile.
"You're insane!" Sera yelled at Istaril who laughed and continued to fire the blunted and wrapped arrows at the weaving elf.
"Oh quit being such a baby Sera" she called back catching the elf in the ribs. "The Shang who taught me this did it with real arrows, I need you to be able to dodge properly before you try catching them."
She laughed merrily as she hit the swearing elf in the shin, leaping to the side to avoid the rock that the blond threw at her, intercepting it with an arrow and hitting the outstretched arm that had thrown it. "Shit, friggin' mad tit!" screamed Sera stumbling and glowering as Istaril continued to laugh. Enarel walked over to join Cassandra on the far left of the field, watching the two figures.
"How long have they been at it?" he asked Cassandra who shrugged "around three hours now, She hasn't stopped except to get her arrows back" she said dryly as Sera continued to scream obscenities at the laughing archer.
"Ohh nice one Sera!" she called as the elf did a flying roll and dodged the trio of arrows that had been flying toward her.
"Ok Halt" Istaril called and Sera fell to the ground panting hard.
"Crazy Bitch" she gasped and Istaril shrugged "matter of perspective" she informed Sera who made a rude gesture. "Here how about you try with me" Istaril offered returning with her quiver full of arrows.
Sera scrambled to her feet with a slightly feral grin "Yes!" she cried in excitement, a vengeful gleam in her eyes.
"But I get to keep my bow" Istaril conditioned handing the quiver over to Sera and shrugging out of her cloak, moving to stand down the range, a smile on her face.
The Elf nodded and snatched the quiver from Istaril and ran over to grab her bow. "Go!" she shrieked firing off arrows as fast as she could.
Istaril watched the arrows moving towards her with calm eyes, waiting till they were almost upon her before falling to the ground and rolling away, popping to her feet and catching an arrow as it flew past her, spinning it into her own bow and returning it to sender before back flipping out of the course of more arrows.
"FUCK" Sera cried, jumping to the side as her own arrow whizzed past her, pausing in her firing for a moment before swearing as Istaril fired more arrows back at her. Sera snarled and began to fire again and the whole thing devolved into essentially Sera firing arrows ant Istaril who either dodged or caught them and sent them back most of the retuned arrows hit Sera causing her to curse even more.
All the while Istaril was laughing, calling out jokes and encouragement at the raging elf. Finally Sera ran out of Arrows and glared at Istaril who ran lightly over to her and grinned slapping the elf's shoulder.
"Thanks for that!" she said, her face so happy she was practical glowing to Enarel and Cassandra eyes "that reminds me of playing catch with my mother and the Hunt" she grinned at the muttering elf and she shrugged at her pupil's bad mood turning to look to look at Enarel and Cassandra.
"Wanna play?" she asked holding up the quiver, her face filled with childish playfulness and her eyes sparling with laughter and light, the other two shook their heads.
"You played this with your mother?" Cassandra asked and Istaril nodded "I got adopted a few years back, she helped me through a rough patch. Mom is really into hunting, she has this group that she leads that run around hunting pretty much everything, I got to run with them for a while before I had to leave, but I still get letters from them" she smiled and it made her look her young age rather than an ancient soul in a young body.
Enarel and Cassandra smiled at her infectious enthusiasm and Istaril waved at them as she bounded off, her bow in hand, swinging her cloak over her shoulders. "I'm off to go shoot something warm blooded and furry, so I won't be at dinner, Cheers!" she called, sprinting away into the woods surrounding Haven.
The reflection of the sun off the snow made it look like she was glowing with silver light and Cassandra looked at Enarel with a perplexed expression "something warm blooded and furry?" she deadpanned and Enarel cracked up, snickering at the Seeker's expression.
"At least she's in a good mood" he told her and Cassandra nodded "true" she admitted as they turned and walked back to the tavern.
"That shield looks heavy" Varric noted as they strode through the forest of the hinterlands.
"Oh it is, but I don't feel it" she told him hefting the large circular shield with ease.
"How are you able to lift it?" Cassandra asked and Istaril shrugged
"maybe I was a dragon in a past life" she said with a smile and Cassandra made a disgusted noise, while Varric and Enarel shook their heads.
The elf's hand sparked and flared "rift ahead" he told them and the smiles vanished as they brought out their weapons, they crouched and peaked their eyes over a rise to see the rift in question sitting in a small crater that had been blasted into the trees.
Two terror demons and several shades wandered around the perimeter chittering and moaning to each other. "Ok Istaril, Cassandra I want you two to go in together, keep them distracted while Varric and I take them from a distance." Enarel commanded and the two warriors nodded to him, shifting their weapons in the grip before easing over the rise and standing in the shade of the trees near the edge.
They looked at each other and nodded, charging forward swords drawn. "For the Maker!" Cassandra bellowed smashing into a shade, knocking back as she drove her blade into its shoulder before beheading it.
"Alalalalalalalalala!" shrieked Istaril using her friend Xena's signature cry as she slashed a Shade across the chest and smashing the boss of her shield into its face, crushing half of its skull and causing it to disintegrate with a wail.
Istaril spun and caught the downward sweeping claws of a terror demon on Silivegil bringing her shield up and crashing it into the creature's chest, driving it back screaming and smoking from coming it's contact with the divine metal, her sword followed like a silver snake, piercing its throat and dragging up, killing it.
She leap away from her kill and spun, charging at another shade, stabbing it through the abdomen and bashing her helmeted head against the shades. It stumbled back screaming as it clutched its head which was smoking and she followed up with a kick to its chest. Istaril grinned and pursued the injured creature backhanding it with the cross guard of her sword and swiping low, bisecting the wailing smoking creature.
She turned and caught up to Cassandra as she battled with the other terror demon, both of them attacked the demon on either side, dividing its attention by attacking on both sides.
The terror demon fell beneath their blades and they paused for a moment before throwing themselves into battle against the new arisen rage demon that tried to catch Cassandra from behind. "Die you Bastard!" she heard Enarel shout and she turned her head to catch sight of a greater Shade with a large crest rushing up the hill, shrugging off bolts and spells.
"Go help them!" Cassandra told her and she nodded, sprinting across the intervening space. But she knew she wouldn't make it, she grinned savagely and pulled off her shield, hurling it like a discus at the demon. It hit with a satisfying crunch, throwing the monster to the ground. She sprinted up to the struggling abomination and brought Silivegil down in a shining blur beheading the shade.
As she was recovering from the swing and yanking her shield from the ground when a shade caught her on the side, its large claws striking against the Celestial Silver and dragging across the surface with a sound of nails down a chalkboard. The breath was knocked from her body but she heard the shade screams the metal burned it and she spun, sword first to decapitate the offending shade.
Looking around she saw no other foes as she gasped, trying to pull air into her collapsed lungs. "Are you alright?" Cassandra demanded moving over to her in worry, but Istaril waved her off
"Fine… Bastard just got in a luck shot" she told the Seeker.
Not believing her Cassandra examined the location the demon struck "There's no damage" she said "not even a scratch, how?" she demanded and Istaril straightened
"Celestial Silver, doesn't scratch that easily, besides that shade was a pussy" she told the seeker shrugging and sheathing her sword as Enarel closed the rift with a dull bone jarring thud. Cassandra looked at Varric who shrugged before they all followed Enarel on to the next rift.
They camped out in the hinterlands that night, their tents sitting in the crook of a stream around the small fire. Istaril smiled as she listened to Varric tell a story, gesticulating wildly with the ram shank that was supposed to be eaten not used for dramatic effect.
She rolled her eyes at one of his exaggerations and stood, excusing herself politely and walking over to the forest edge around their camp, lifting herself up into one of the trees with practiced ease, climbing high until she was nestled in among the branches.
The light of the twin moons sifted down through the branches and she smiled, letting the light of the silver moon wash over her and smiling at the feeling of love that came from it.
Her mind wandered back to the night almost six hundred years ago now when she had been adopted by the maiden goddess of the moon, she had woken in Apollos temple so weak she could barely breathe. Artemis and her friends had been waiting for her to awake and when she had they had pestered her with questions, apparently Zeus's award ceremony had been postponed till she awoke.
She had been too tired to speak but she had made a gamble and used her mind to communicate with them. This had led to Artemis nearly blasting her until she had explained. This had led to more questions until she had simply given up and shown them all of her memories. It had been a desperate gamble but she was so sick of holding it a secret away from those she considered friends and family.
There had been gasps and tears, anger and uncertainty until she finished and had passed out again. When she had awoken she had been surrounded by Artemis and her hunters, they had an offer, since she could not join their group due to her other "job" as they called it, they offered her adoption by Artemis.
Miranda had no godly parent, she was a "blank slate" demigod, all the power but not focused into a certain domain, the reasons had been relatively simple: she had nearly died to allow the goddess to retain her strength for the battle, she had no godly parent, she was a hunter in her very soul, she was a woman and although she did not hate men and they knew that it was necessary sometimes for her to be a lover to fulfill her job they still wanted her in their group.
The only way was adoption and she had gladly accepted, making her the first daughter of the hunt, child of the moon and all the perks that came with. She had spent all of her spare time with the hunt except for her quests with Percy and Annabeth and they had helped her get over her depression of being immortal and never stopping, forming a tight bond between the whole hunt.
After she had died she had found out Artemis and the hunters had managed to get a dialogue with the Powers who had agreed for continued contact though her journey and to also to retain her demigod status. Also when she was finally released she could have her choice of underworld or the hunt.
She did have some more odd urges every now and then, such as the longing to go hunting often, preferring nature over civilization, sometimes a desire to castrate men she didn't like and being nocturnal with a love of moonlight.
She smiled gently to herself and heard the others calling her name, with a sigh she dropped soundlessly out of the tree and approached the fire again, her movements blending with the forest perfectly. She stalked up to the camp and slid back onto her place.
"You rang" she drawled, causing the others to jump.
"Andraste's Knickers" Varric gasped sagging onto his seat again "how do you do that?" he demanded and she simply smiled and winked turning to Enarel with a raised eyebrow, the elf was staring at her with a slightly confused look before he shook his head.
"we were wondering about shifts, which one do you want?" he asked.
She smiled and shrugged "I can take the mid watch" she offered and the others nodded in relief that she had taken such a difficult shift.
They banked the fire and all but Varric walked to their tents and prepared for bed. She lay down and felt her eyes droop shut as sleep took her.
She sat on her horse looking over the field before her. The massive grey war horse snorted and pawed the ground, champing at his bit, she leaned forward and stroked his neck with her gauntleted hand sending feelings of peace to the charger.
The others of the army shifted uncomfortably behind her and at her sides rode a man with dark hair and a silver crown. "Soon now Ed" she told him her eyes watching the dark forces approaching.
The man nodded to her "signal them" he commanded and she pulled out her horn, made from the horn of the Grecian Minotaur polished with silver mouth piece and decorations.
She blew the horn and felt satisfaction as the horn blast echoed over the field, a returning horn sounded across the field. King Edmund nodded to her and they urged their horses forward across the field, the king's standard bearer galloping behind them.
The three of them advanced to the centre of the field and met the trio that rode from the opposite side. Their dark skin and turbans marked them as Calormene.
"Come to surrender Narnian?" the foremost rider taunted and she recognized as Rabadash, prince of Calormen.
"Leave Rabadash, Susan has rebuffed your offer, let there be no war between us" he said in a strong and commanding voice.
The Prince laughed at this and sneered at the king "I think not Barbarian" he spat before turning to look at her "Ahhh the lovely Dianna, radiant as the moon, like always. Surely you do not wish to die here, it would be a shame to mar that pretty face any more. Perhaps I will take you as my concubine I'm sure you will appreciated me, after I finish with your Queen." He purred at her and she glared at him through the slits of her helmet.
"I will remove you balls for such a comment, southern dog. I am the princess of the moon and the hunt, your soul will be mine, Boy." She spat silver light beginning to gather around her so her glowed with the moons power, her pupils became Draconic and she snarled at the prince.
He yelped at the change in her before he dragged his horse around and spurred back to his forces. Dianna and Edmund galloped back to their forces tense with he prospect of the coming battle.
There was a moment of stillness before the Calormen forces charged forward with a roar. "Archers Fire!" bellowed Edmund, Dianna grinned and pulled her bow from her back and began to pick of enemies with pinpoint accuracy.
Horses fell, men tumbled from their saddles, claimed by her grey fletched arrows and she grinned in savage glee, rejoicing in the death of such pigs.
"Knights!" the king yelled and she stashed her bow back over her shoulder in the sheath for it, shrugging her dragon shield into place, drawing her sword and barring her teeth. "Charge!" came the cry and she spurred her horse forward with a scream.
The two forces met with a crashing of steel and she growled, her elven blade cleaving through their segmented armour with ease. The king galloped at her side laying waste to his foes before he was lost in the melee.
A spear jabbed up at her side from a downed lancer and she wove to the side and signaled her horse. The charge pivoted of his hind legs and struck out at the man, bashing his helmet in with its iron shod hooves. More swarmed at her and they tried to drag her off her horse, she snarled at them and felt her horse scream in pain, buckling under her.
She leapt from her dying charger and landed among her foes. She duck a scimitar and came up under his guard her sword leading. He fell with a gurgle and she smashed her way through the men surrounding her.
From the corner of her eyes she saw to young boys and she cursed, throwing the men around her away like they were rag dolls. She sprinted through the mess of blood and weapons until she reached the more competent of the two.
"You Foolish Imbecilic child!" she screamed at him as she beheaded the Calormen about to kill the clumsy one next to him. The two boys looked up at her and their eyes widened. Her silver armour was almost completely crimson, she was glowing silver in her rage and her dragon eyes stared at them furiously under her helmet.
"Corin I will skin you once this is over now stop being such a fool and help your brother, he should not be here!" she shouted at the prince who paled and looked over to the boy who shook near him, clutching his sword awkwardly. She snorted and turned back to the battle, staying near the two boys and laying into those around her with her sword.
Blood spattered around her, flicking off her blade as she swung it, her arm had long gone numb from the blows her shield had taken and the blows she had dealt out with it. There was a horn and she knew that King Lune had made a sorte to join them.
A Tarkahn with a crimson beard attacked her and she sneered at the man "Anroden, I will have your head for your treatment of a Narnian citizen" she screamed at him, attacking with blinding speed, appearing little more than a silver and crimson blur as she attacked. The Tarkahn held up for only a moment under her blade and she shrieked triumphantly as his head was separated from his shoulders.
The battle was winding down but she continued, lost in a haze of rage as she slew the foes that neared her. She began to sprint around the field with a maniac gleam in her eyes until a woman's voice pierced the thick haze.
"Dianna Halt, they are beaten!" She shook her head and turned to see a golden haired woman with a bow nearing her. "Heed your queen, cease your fighting!" she called again and Dianna felt her words penetrate.
The adrenaline faded from her system and she sagged under the weight of her armour she shook the blood off her blade and stumbled over to her friend.
"Sorry 'bout Lu, just got angry" she panted leaning down and wiping her sword on a dead Calormen's turban and sliding it into its sheath.
The woman shook her head and put her gloved hand on Dianna's blood drenched shoulder "I know you have an easier time fighting men, but that was disproportionate even for you" the young queen told her friend, her blue eyes worried.
"Rabadash insinuated raping me and Susan" Dianna reported, her eyes still glowing silver and draconic and Lucy made a small gasp of understanding before she gestured over to where the prince was hanging by his mail. "Well he's beaten at least."
Istaril woke up and shook her head, looking up to see Cassandra standing at the entrance of her tent "your turn" she said and Istaril nodded crawling out of her beadroll.
Thinking back she smirked, Aslan had changed from turning Rabadash into a donkey into a Jackalope, she had laughed so hard that she had cried and had thanked the lion for the gift, hauling the confused prince up by his antlers and laughing at its terrified expression.
They had shipped the prince back to Tashbann and she had promised to hunt the bastard down if he tried anything.
The terror on his face was priceless and still made her smile to this day. Sighing she pulled on her mithrill and grey cloak and hood, grabbing her bow before slinking out into the night for her watch, nodding to Cassandra and climbing a tree to wait through her shift.
A/N- Ok one thing I want to say. Istaril's background is just as much a mystery to me as it is too you. I am literally making this up as I go. I like the idea of her being an adopted hunter because think of it. She really likes the hunters and being an ex dragon loves to do so. not to mention she was semi nocturnal anyway and excellent in terms of stealth.
This does not change her abilities at all, she was already a superb archer and ridiculously fast, stealthy and all the rest save for the virginal thing but she has a pass for it because sometimes it is require that she become the hero's lover if only to lend support. She draws the line at doing that too often though so its not a very common thing.
This was more of an emotional support thing for her. Artemis and even Zoe are older then her, she was at a really low point during the Olympian adventure so she broke down and told them everything.
Artemis admired her strength and independence but also recognized how lost and alone Istaril was feeling, lost maidens are her specialty and because the powers never made her a specific demigod Artemis claimed her.
The letters from home help her a lot and she spent a lot of time bonding with the hunt and her adopted mother. She even has claims to being princess of the hunt and moon because she is Artemis's only child.
I want Istaril to be realistic and I think that anyone who has done what she has is bound to end up depressed or jaded because she has to restart over and over and over again, always leaving loved ones behind, so the Powers relented and let her have a form of connection back to those worlds, usually through the gods and their domains; this and the promise of an eventual release keep her going.
The hunters are immortal so they still remember her and contact her even though its been several hundred years, so they are probably the best group along with the elves to let her remain in contact with, the dead can only send impressions. So she has spent six hundred years interacting with Artemis and the hunt as a daughter and sister, so she is really tight with them, even if only through letters (mental ones) and sometimes the occasional dream hunt with them.
When she hunts she can get impressions of the others in the hunt are doing and vice versa, the moon allows her to send messages to and from so it helps her have consistency.
The silver glow when she was fighting was because she was enraged at a male, the glow is based on her emotions and when she's happy its brighter and when she's furious or working in one of Artemis's domains it get stronger.
Hence the killing of men makes her mildly satisfied when she feels they deserve it. Consider it a bit of a bleed over from the adoption.
She needed heavy armour so I made the gift as it was the most plausible scenario, and I will note that she is slightly insane, she keeps it at bay with the help from the hunt but she has been tortured, abused, killed and a been in many, many wars. She is Scarred. so she can flip flop between childish, and mature a lot of the time. listen Enya's let it be, the passing of the elves and Legolas's song of the sea, they were my inspiration for this chapter
Hope you still enjoy.
Cheers! Mystborn!
