Through the Eyes of Raven

Chapter 8

An Elfish Prince, a Truth Foretold.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, except for Forest Wanderer/Iren.

"So… you really are going to think about it?" Raven asked Iren, as they walked out of the Tower.

"Usually, when I say something in the Language of the Fair Folk, it's true." Iren said, taking long strides forward.

"What am I suppose to do to be able to block my mind?" Iren stopped walking and turned like one of royalty. He then looked Raven deep into her dark violet eyes, and Raven thought he would pierce her mind with his green eyes.

"To block your mind, you simply think your thoughts to yourself. You don't think out-loud, if you get what I'm saying. You are able, with the proper training, to guard your mind without paying attention to it. You could then feel when someone is trying to invade your mind, and you could then feel their intentions, and decide whether or not to let them in." When Iren finished, he turned very quickly and began to walk away. Then a wind came from the North, and blew his hair away from his ears.

"An Elf! I just can't get over that. And his eyes… Ravens… don't let your thoughts get out of control. Good. Now… I wonder where we are going." Raven thought, remembering to think to herself.

"Will you teach me?" Raven asked, the sound of hopefulness in her voice.

"All in good time, Raven. All in good time." Replied the Elf, as he continued to walk. Raven then looked up, at the clouds, but instead of seeing any clouds she saw a tall, bleak gray, mountain. As they walked into a cave entrance, Raven looked past the Elf and saw the statue of Terra.

"You didn't tell me we were coming here." Raven said, with slight anger on her voice.

"Well, I was going to tell you, in your mind, but you were blocking it, so I decided to let it be a surprise." Iren said, turning around and smiling.

"You mean, you actually couldn't read my mind?"

"No, I could have, I have the ability to, but since you were trying to guard your mind, I decided not to interfere. But be forewarned not all are as kind."

"Thanks… but why did you want to come here, to talk?"

"It is time." Iren said, drawing his sword. Now that Raven could see the blade of the sword, she saw that the sword was actually made for its bearer. The blade was a sort of white metal, almost the same color as his hair, but it faintly shone, even though no light fell on it. On the blade, were the blade meets the hilt, was a small insignia. The insignia was a tree, with five stars arched over it, with the central star, being the brightest.

"That blade is beautiful, but he pulled it on me. Maybe Cyborg was right, maybe he can't guard me from himself." As Raven thought this, she got more and more angry, because another person she loved turned on her. "But this time, I won't go down without a fight." When Raven drew her sword, Iren smiled and brought his sword diagonally down in front of himself. Then Raven stood in a defensive stance, her sword brought close to her body, held diagonally across her body, and legs bent.

"Defend yourself." Up hide the Elf swung, then down low. This continued on for hours, then Raven took the advantage of an open guard. As Iren swung, Raven brought her sword under his hilt, and cutting his hand, which Raven realized was his left. Then Iren, in one motion, sheathed his sword and pulled his bow off his back, stringing an arrow, and pulling the string back.

"Not everyone whom you fight will have one way to defeat, remember this. Raven, a little confused, looked down at the Elf's hand to make sure it wasn't cut to bad. What she saw, was a hand with not even a scratch on it.

"But I thought you were going to kill me." Raven said, sheathing her sword, and still a little confused.

"What are you talking about? I am here to guard you, not kill you. I will guard you as long as I can, until you release me, or death takes me. I will allow nothing harm you. I swear it. You are the one who I am supposed to guard. Now, shall we?" Iren asked, as he sat down on a petrified log. Raven, not wanting to be rude, and wanting to do this since they met, sat down next to him.

"That was strange…" Raven thought, "he didn't want to kill me. He just wanted to teach me."

"So… what did you want to talk to me about?" Raven asked, pulling her cloak around her legs to keep them warm.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about myself. Now remember, this isn't very easy for an Elf, I just believe that you should know a little about me. This is so you don't try and get me to do something that I don't feel that I should do. I was once told, 'A king may move a man, but the man's soul is his own,' you can not force me to do anything I don't want to do. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Yes."

"Good, now. I am an Elf, this you know, but what you don't know is why I was sent to guard you." The Elf said, as he placed his bow back onto his back. When Iren placed the bow on his back, something caught Raven's attention. The thing Raven saw was a silver circlet, which was made up of what looked like small twigs of silver, which caught the light.

"I wonder were he got that circlet? It kind of looks like a circlet that a royal family would wear."

"You're royalty!" Raven said, surprise coating her voice.

"So… you have finally seen my circlet, I was wondering when this would happen. Well… that makes one less thing for me to tell you. Yes… I am royalty, a prince."

"You're a prince!" Raven asked, jumping up.

"Yes… I am a prince. Will you please sit down… this is the reason I didn't tell anyone. I don't like letting people know that I am a prince because, then, people start doing weird things around me. And please… don't let anyone else know, at least until I am ready to tell them. Please?"

"Okay…" Raven said, as she sat back down. "So you are a prince, wow. So, putting that beside, why were you sent here to guard me?"

"I was sent to guard you, because of the part you play."

"The part I play?"

"What does he mean, 'the part you play'?

"Yes… the part you play. Someone brought you into this war.

"War?"

"Yes. There has been a war between the Elves and humans for the past five ages."

"So, if you fight the humans, then why are you guarding me?"

"We don't fight all humans, we fight the humans who try to take our hatchlings."

"Hatchlings?"

"What are hatchlings?"

"You forgot to guard. Hatchlings are the baby dragons in our possession. Currently there is only one hatchling in our possessions.'

"Then why did you say hatchlings?"

"I said hatchlings, because we have an egg, but it hasn't hatched yet."

"And this concerns me how?"

"There are two dragons, which have hatched. The Elves have one, which is a female. Our enemy has the other, which is a male. We have the only egg left, and once our dragon dies and the egg is destroyed, then there would only be one dragon left, and when that one dies, there will be none left. And I don't want to be alive when that happens." Iren said, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth.

"Yes, but how does that concern me?"

"It concerns you, because we believe that you are the one who will hatch the egg."

"Why do you think it is me?"

"We think it is you because of a legend, that was told for a very long time in our realm. 'When the Father of Darkness is no more, and the Bird Daughter learns to fight. The Son of Fire, death is brought. The dragons are even between Elf and man that is when we shall take our stand. The Daughter shall find the dragon, for good or ill, we shall not know. Until the day is come, for us to leave our land to fight against those who have ever stood against us. She shall stand against our foe, against us we do not know,' that is why we think it is you, or at least I think it's you. Your name is Raven right, ravens are a kind of bird."

"This is a lot… But I have one more question for you, where are you prince, and what does that emblem mean on your sword?"

"I am from the great Elf capital, Undian. The emblem on my sword is a Tree and five stars over top of it. The Tree is the emblem of my people. The five stars that is arched over it, stand for the five cities of Ulandia, the woods in which our country is sheltered in. The middle star is the capital, Undian." Iren said standing up. "Now, I think it is time to go back to the Tower, it is late, and your friends may start to worry about you." As Iren began to leave, Raven stood up and followed him, wondering about everything he said

Glossary

Undian- the golden city.

Ulandia- the golden wood.

Am I really the chosen one?

Now the story really begins.

May the Light guide you and shield you from harm.

Write Fast,

Write well,

Never stop wandering the Forest.

Forest Wanderer