A Near Miss
Harrison opened his eyes and saw Fingarel looking down at him. His back was numb but not in too much pain. To his left, Harrison saw Eon.
"Thank the gods, you've made it!" said Eon "You had a pretty close call there my good friend. That arrow would have killed any man."
"Why am I still here?"
"Elves are much sturdier than men. You are lucky that arrow didn't go through a lung." Added Fingarel
"Can you walk?" asked Ivan "I don't want to have to carry you!" he said with a grin.
"Well, I guess there is only one way to find out." Said Harrison, starting to stand
Slowly, Harrison got to his feet. He was surprisingly nimble; the wound gave him no trouble at all.
"It appears as if I weren't wounded at all. I feel like I can take on a one legged orc!" Exclaimed Harrison
Good then, we must make haste if we are to make it to Lauriel in good time. It will be a two day march to the river. When we get there, it will be another two weeks journey to the city of Mallorn."
"Mallorn? I never said I was going to the wooded realm!" shouted Grissle.
"I am going to Mallorn, if you don't like it, just march back to the mountain realm." Said Ivan "Though I advise we go through the city of Lasnarch. We should receive aid from my people."
"I have had relations with the barbarians of the north, I would advise that as well." Added Eon
"Very well, we will go to the city of Lasnarch. We must be moving thought, I sense orcs are drawing near." Said Fingarel "Come, let us find Avariel and get moving."
"She said she was going down to the creek to get some water last I heard." Said Ivan
Eon started off but Harrison stopped him.
"Don't bother, I will get her." He said
Harrison moved in the direction of the sound of water. He came to a line of vines and could hear the water on the other side. He parted the vines with his hands ad walked through. What he saw was beautiful. There was a large oak tree fifteen feet in front of him that reached into the sky like a skyscraper. From its high branches there hung down many vines which creating a large enclosed area. Through the cracks of the vines came brilliant beams of sunlight. In the middle there was a spring, clear as crystal with a few large, gray rocks jutting out of the surface of the calm water. Sitting atop a very small waterfall there was a patch of wild flowers. Kneeling down, softly singing was Avariel. She sounded like an angel and looked beautiful. She was so pure and innocent. Harrison just stood there for a minute looking at her. Hearing him clear his throat, she stood up and turned around. Immediately, a smile came across her face and she ran to him.
"Sullendesslar! You're ok!" she jumped up wrapped her arms around him.
"Yes, yes, let's try keeping me that way..."
"Oh yes, I'm sorry!" She let herself down. She landed on her feet but kept her arms around Harrison's neck. "I'm so glad that you are ok!"
She stood there, looking into his eyes, smiling.
"I thought for sure that arrow hit your heart!"
"No, far from it, gladly."
Harrison looked back into her beautiful green eyes. He could feel it, there was something there.
"We are going to make for the city of Lasnarch. From there, we will head to Mallorn. I came to get you so we can set off."
"Oh." She let her arms down and turned back to the spring
"Is everything ok?"
"Yes. It's just that I've never been out of Urrûn..."
There was a silence.
"This is a beautiful place here." He said
She turned and smiled.
"I've been coming here since I was a little girl. It really is beautiful here, isn't it?"
"Maybe you can come back here some day."
"There's nothing left for me here. There never was really anything here to begin with."
"What do you mean?"
"I hardly every left the houses of healing. I spend most of my time in the library, reading books when all the children of the men were sword playing. I never really had any friends. I'm sorry; I must be boring you..."
"No, not at all, I enjoy talking to you, even though I haven't much."
"Tell me about you, where were you raised?"
"Well, that is a long story. I was raised in southern Urrûn in a city whose name I still can't pronounce."
"Well, you are obviously an elf so I know you weren't born there. Where were you born?"
"All I know is what I've been told. I was born in Mallorn. I was sent to live in Urrûn for reasons I don't know." Harrison started to lose his muse
"Do you have a special friend in southern Urrûn?"
Harrison thought of Kyle.
"Yes, his name is Kyle. He is my best friend."
"Kyle? That's an odd name. Although, I meant a... special friend. A woman..."
Harrison laughed.
"No, I'm single."
Avariel smiled.
"Single? That is a neat saying. I guess you can say I'm single too."
There was an awkward silence. In the distance they heard Eon calling.
"I guess we should be going now..." said Harrison
"Yea, I think so."
Avariel looked around as if saying goodbye and they turned and walked through the vines. Not knowing what to say, Harrison walked in silence.
The party set out over the plains towards the city of Lasnarch. They moved at a medium pace, faster than walking but not so fast as running. Harrison moved as if the wound was not bothering him at all. He jogged through the long grass, amazed at his stamina and stealth but the gnome was very loud, he noticed. It seemed that his hearing was very sensitive. Harrison just dismissed it as another way elves are better than men. He looked all around the plains; he could see very far in each direction and even make out sparrows that seemed miles away. He looked at the rest of the party to see how they were holding up. Ivan, in the lead, was still moving swiftly, not burdened by the weight of Eon. Fingarel seemed as if he was as fresh as when they left. Avariel was the same but Grissle seemed to be becoming winded.
"I think we had better take a small break here, Fingarel!" yelled Harrison
Fingarel looked back and then at the sun.
"Sounds good, go easy on the water and lembas though, we don't know how long we'll need them."
The party settled down and Grissle went straight for his water. Harrison sat down against a rock and started eating a lembas. To his surprise, Avariel came and sat down next to him.
"You are a very good runner, you move like a ranger." She said
"Thank you, that's surprising because I really don't run that much."
A few feet away, Eon approached them.
"Sullendesslar, my dear boy, might I have a word with you?"
"Certainly Eon." Harrison rose and started walking with him "What do you want to talk about?"
"Avariel, she's a very special woman isn't she?"
"Yes, she is a very strong willed woman."
"Yes she is. You like her, I can see it in her eyes." Harrison smiled "you are a good person, I can tell. I have raised her from when she was a baby and I have tried to shelter her from any sort of pain, be it physical or emotional but she is reaching a point where I will no longer have control over her. She needs some one strong to take care of her for I am afraid that I won't last forever. I assume you and her would like you to be that person. Now I'm not asking to spend your life with her but at least to protect her so long as she has no one else. Will you do so?"
"Yes, I would watch over her like a bird watches its nest."
"Good, good, I thought you would say so." Said the Eon, patting him on the back
"I was wondering if I could have some insight into her past."
"Very well, I was in Calahorn on business when the city was attacked by dark elves. I was in the houses of healing there when I was approached by a soldier carrying a baby. He said that a farm house was attacked and her parents were killed. So I took her into my care and brought her everywhere with me. This was all before she could remember. We eventually settled down in the city. She really knows nothing of her past. She never has expressed and interest in it. Why do you ask?"
"I just wanted to understand her better." Harrison replied
Eon laughed.
"Just don't break her heart my boy."
Harrison opened his eyes and saw Fingarel looking down at him. His back was numb but not in too much pain. To his left, Harrison saw Eon.
"Thank the gods, you've made it!" said Eon "You had a pretty close call there my good friend. That arrow would have killed any man."
"Why am I still here?"
"Elves are much sturdier than men. You are lucky that arrow didn't go through a lung." Added Fingarel
"Can you walk?" asked Ivan "I don't want to have to carry you!" he said with a grin.
"Well, I guess there is only one way to find out." Said Harrison, starting to stand
Slowly, Harrison got to his feet. He was surprisingly nimble; the wound gave him no trouble at all.
"It appears as if I weren't wounded at all. I feel like I can take on a one legged orc!" Exclaimed Harrison
Good then, we must make haste if we are to make it to Lauriel in good time. It will be a two day march to the river. When we get there, it will be another two weeks journey to the city of Mallorn."
"Mallorn? I never said I was going to the wooded realm!" shouted Grissle.
"I am going to Mallorn, if you don't like it, just march back to the mountain realm." Said Ivan "Though I advise we go through the city of Lasnarch. We should receive aid from my people."
"I have had relations with the barbarians of the north, I would advise that as well." Added Eon
"Very well, we will go to the city of Lasnarch. We must be moving thought, I sense orcs are drawing near." Said Fingarel "Come, let us find Avariel and get moving."
"She said she was going down to the creek to get some water last I heard." Said Ivan
Eon started off but Harrison stopped him.
"Don't bother, I will get her." He said
Harrison moved in the direction of the sound of water. He came to a line of vines and could hear the water on the other side. He parted the vines with his hands ad walked through. What he saw was beautiful. There was a large oak tree fifteen feet in front of him that reached into the sky like a skyscraper. From its high branches there hung down many vines which creating a large enclosed area. Through the cracks of the vines came brilliant beams of sunlight. In the middle there was a spring, clear as crystal with a few large, gray rocks jutting out of the surface of the calm water. Sitting atop a very small waterfall there was a patch of wild flowers. Kneeling down, softly singing was Avariel. She sounded like an angel and looked beautiful. She was so pure and innocent. Harrison just stood there for a minute looking at her. Hearing him clear his throat, she stood up and turned around. Immediately, a smile came across her face and she ran to him.
"Sullendesslar! You're ok!" she jumped up wrapped her arms around him.
"Yes, yes, let's try keeping me that way..."
"Oh yes, I'm sorry!" She let herself down. She landed on her feet but kept her arms around Harrison's neck. "I'm so glad that you are ok!"
She stood there, looking into his eyes, smiling.
"I thought for sure that arrow hit your heart!"
"No, far from it, gladly."
Harrison looked back into her beautiful green eyes. He could feel it, there was something there.
"We are going to make for the city of Lasnarch. From there, we will head to Mallorn. I came to get you so we can set off."
"Oh." She let her arms down and turned back to the spring
"Is everything ok?"
"Yes. It's just that I've never been out of Urrûn..."
There was a silence.
"This is a beautiful place here." He said
She turned and smiled.
"I've been coming here since I was a little girl. It really is beautiful here, isn't it?"
"Maybe you can come back here some day."
"There's nothing left for me here. There never was really anything here to begin with."
"What do you mean?"
"I hardly every left the houses of healing. I spend most of my time in the library, reading books when all the children of the men were sword playing. I never really had any friends. I'm sorry; I must be boring you..."
"No, not at all, I enjoy talking to you, even though I haven't much."
"Tell me about you, where were you raised?"
"Well, that is a long story. I was raised in southern Urrûn in a city whose name I still can't pronounce."
"Well, you are obviously an elf so I know you weren't born there. Where were you born?"
"All I know is what I've been told. I was born in Mallorn. I was sent to live in Urrûn for reasons I don't know." Harrison started to lose his muse
"Do you have a special friend in southern Urrûn?"
Harrison thought of Kyle.
"Yes, his name is Kyle. He is my best friend."
"Kyle? That's an odd name. Although, I meant a... special friend. A woman..."
Harrison laughed.
"No, I'm single."
Avariel smiled.
"Single? That is a neat saying. I guess you can say I'm single too."
There was an awkward silence. In the distance they heard Eon calling.
"I guess we should be going now..." said Harrison
"Yea, I think so."
Avariel looked around as if saying goodbye and they turned and walked through the vines. Not knowing what to say, Harrison walked in silence.
The party set out over the plains towards the city of Lasnarch. They moved at a medium pace, faster than walking but not so fast as running. Harrison moved as if the wound was not bothering him at all. He jogged through the long grass, amazed at his stamina and stealth but the gnome was very loud, he noticed. It seemed that his hearing was very sensitive. Harrison just dismissed it as another way elves are better than men. He looked all around the plains; he could see very far in each direction and even make out sparrows that seemed miles away. He looked at the rest of the party to see how they were holding up. Ivan, in the lead, was still moving swiftly, not burdened by the weight of Eon. Fingarel seemed as if he was as fresh as when they left. Avariel was the same but Grissle seemed to be becoming winded.
"I think we had better take a small break here, Fingarel!" yelled Harrison
Fingarel looked back and then at the sun.
"Sounds good, go easy on the water and lembas though, we don't know how long we'll need them."
The party settled down and Grissle went straight for his water. Harrison sat down against a rock and started eating a lembas. To his surprise, Avariel came and sat down next to him.
"You are a very good runner, you move like a ranger." She said
"Thank you, that's surprising because I really don't run that much."
A few feet away, Eon approached them.
"Sullendesslar, my dear boy, might I have a word with you?"
"Certainly Eon." Harrison rose and started walking with him "What do you want to talk about?"
"Avariel, she's a very special woman isn't she?"
"Yes, she is a very strong willed woman."
"Yes she is. You like her, I can see it in her eyes." Harrison smiled "you are a good person, I can tell. I have raised her from when she was a baby and I have tried to shelter her from any sort of pain, be it physical or emotional but she is reaching a point where I will no longer have control over her. She needs some one strong to take care of her for I am afraid that I won't last forever. I assume you and her would like you to be that person. Now I'm not asking to spend your life with her but at least to protect her so long as she has no one else. Will you do so?"
"Yes, I would watch over her like a bird watches its nest."
"Good, good, I thought you would say so." Said the Eon, patting him on the back
"I was wondering if I could have some insight into her past."
"Very well, I was in Calahorn on business when the city was attacked by dark elves. I was in the houses of healing there when I was approached by a soldier carrying a baby. He said that a farm house was attacked and her parents were killed. So I took her into my care and brought her everywhere with me. This was all before she could remember. We eventually settled down in the city. She really knows nothing of her past. She never has expressed and interest in it. Why do you ask?"
"I just wanted to understand her better." Harrison replied
Eon laughed.
"Just don't break her heart my boy."