~This is my longest chapter so far, I hope you like it J I'll try to update soon since its spring break. It's my b-day so please review and make me happy!!!~
The heavy footfalls of her companion were something Carya was unaccustomed to. She was so used to traveling with those like her who could move as silent as the breeze. When they first set off the sound had made her nervous and jumpy but now they were soothing. His ragged breathing was worrying her however. Finally she turned around. "We can stop if you need to."
Agraelith shook his head, "I'm alright." He smiled weakly
"Saying it does not make it so," Carya said softly.
"I'll be alright, don't worry about me," he attempted a grin.
Suddenly Carya realized who he reminded her of. She had pushed the memories out of her mind for so long that she had forgotten. Galder, the name of the druid flashed through her mind. She had tried to save him; instead she had only watched him die.
"Let us rest here, even if you do not need to, I do," it was a lie of course and Agraelith knew. He did not protest however and they sat down under a tree. She was silent for a moment wondering if she could tell him. Finally she spoke, "I had a friend by the name of Galder. He was a druid…" a thought crossed her mind, "Humans are no friends of orcs are they?" Agraelith shook his head vehemently and she continued. "Neither are the Night Elves. We tried to befriend them, we truly did. They like us are outcasts. They did not want friendship though, only our lands. So we fought, we mostly had skirmishes. One day the orcs began pressing in on us, I was excited because it was my first battle. They did not attack in great number and so we thought it would be an easy victory. We were wrong. Thousands and thousands of orcs suddenly poured through the trees and soon the small skirmish turned into an all out war. Outnumbered though we were we managed to defeat them, but our victory was grim. Our people had been for the most part slaughtered, I was one of the lucky ones who survived…about Galder though. I found him like I found you, half dead. I remember it so clearly, lifting his head into my lap crying. I had promised that I would watch out for him, that I would allow no harm to befall him. He was younger than I and the youngest of the druids. I remember thinking that it all was not real, that he would not die; I told him everything would be alright. He looked at me with his soft brown eyes and told me that saying it does not make it so, that he knew he would die."
Agraelith stared at her shocked, "I'm sorry..."
"I did not say that to scare you, only to let you know that it is okay to admit that you are hurt."
"I don't mean to be rude or prying but…did you love him? Galder?"
Carya looked him straight in the eye, "Night Elves do not love. We learned long ago that love only ends in despair."
He shook his head, "Even if love does end in despair it's beautiful while it lasts."
"And what about you human, have you ever loved?"
"Not really loved. There have been girls that I've liked but I'm not sure about loved."
"Oh, I suppose
love is a strong feeling. Sometimes I
think that love is not so bad, but I can not know."
"Why not? Just because your ancestors had bad luck
doesn't mean that you can't."
Carya shook her head, "I can not because I do not know how."
Agraelith had no reply to this and silence fell between them once more. It was not long before he succumbed to his exhaustion and fell asleep. Carya leaned back against the tree, deep in thought. Love. It was not a word common to Night Elves; even her parents had not loved each other. Night Elves married not out of love but out of necessity. She knew that it had not always been so, her mother had told her stories of long ago. Somehow it had all changed and the Night Elves stopped loving and had become cold warriors. Carya wondered which way was better, to love and have to feel despair, or to be cold and feel nothing.
The sun had risen further and Agraelith sat up rubbing his head, groaning as the familiar pain shot through his side. He saw Carya beside him curled into a relaxed ball, her breathing even in sleep. He smiled; it was about time she finally slept after being awake all last night guarding the camp and taking care of him. He lay back down his arms under his head and watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful and content, no worries shown in her face as they did when she was awake. After a while he decided to wake her, reaching over he shook her shoulder gently. Catlike, she stretched and sat up as did he. "I don't know how long it is to your home but we should probably get going," he said softly.
Carya looked around, "If I traveled alone I could be there in perhaps an hour but with your wound it will take longer," she looked up at the sky, "We will reach there before the sun begins to set."
As they neared her village certain changes were noticeable. The forest became quieter, chirping of birds ceased, and the rustling leaves stopped. The most noticeable change however, was the sunlight. It had shone brightly through the trees then suddenly there was almost none trickling through. "Be careful," she whispered to Agraelith. He nodded and followed closely behind her. Her eyes seemed to glitter strangely and she crept through the trees and she breathed in deeply the sweet tangy sent of the pine trees, and the woodier sent of hardwoods. She grabbed his hand suddenly, "Step only where I step." Her eyes scanned the ground and she found the path she was looking for, anyone else but a Night Elf would have missed it. She walked slowly, careful not to step off, traps were set everywhere. They were nearing a strange clump of trees. As they neared Agraelith realized, surprised, that the trees seemed to be pulsating with. Carya stopped a few feet from them, "Say nothing unless you are asked." Then she walked forward and placed her had on a tree trunk and whispered something, then stepped back quickly. Two trees groaned and creaked until they formed an arching doorway. Together Carya and Agraelith stepped through, entering the home of the Night Elves.
Before them was a soft carpet of lush green grass and strewn around were Elves lounging and cats playing. All together it was beautiful, Carya stopped to watch them with a smile on her face. She was home. None seemed to notice them and she stepped further rather nervously, uncomfortably aware how out of place Agraelith was. Stepping forward she grinned as a small blur of fur shot towards her. Agraelith stepped back in surprise as the small fur ball shot its self into Carya's arms. She laughed and stroked the panther cub's silky fur. "This is Star," she said turning towards Agraelith, "I guess she missed me." She held Star up so Agraelith could pet her but a harsh voice suddenly cut through, "How dare you break the laws of our race sister!" Carya whirled around to face the speaker and Star leapt from her arms and wound herself around her feet. The Night Elves who had been lounging were now forming a semi-circle around them. "I brought the human here because I found him half dead on the river bank. He needs healing. Was I to leave him to die?"
"You have broken our laws! You know that no human is to set foot upon our sacred land!"
Carya scowled, she had never liked the woman speaking, her name was Rina. "I can not remember ever learning of a law that stated any such thing. As far as I recall, anyone can set foot in our grove, but no one has ever chosen to."
Rina ignored Carya's last statement "You know I speak the truth Carya. You shall pay for bringing this human here!"
Carya reached back and grabbed Agraelith's hand; he tightened his grip reassuringly. "Shall we call Lyra Silvermane and see what she has to say?" Carya said calmly.
One of the Elves standing nodded, "I will fetch her," she said with a clear voice and ran off.
Rina was glaring, "You know Carya that you have betrayed your own race. You have brought a filthy human upon our lands; he dirties our grass and contaminates our home with his very existence."
Carya felt Agraelith stiffen and she squeezed his hand gently, "Seeing as how grass grows out of the dirt I doubt he can dirty it any more and I do believe it is your tongue that contaminates and not his existence."
A murmur went through the crowd and someone else spoke, to her dismay it was one of her closer friends, "What is this sister? You stand up for a human and insult your own kind."
Carya's frown deepened. This was not going at all how she had hoped. She felt Star rub her leg and knew she still had at least one friend. "I stand up for him because he has no one else to, and I insult because he was insulted first."
"Still, he is a human and we are your own kind. Why did you help him in the first place? Do you believe he would have helped you if you were the one wounded?"
Carya had not thought about that, now that she did she was not sure she wanted to know the answer. "What does it matter? Besides I helped him because I could not simply leave him when I knew he would die."
"You always were to compassionate Carya," it was one of the elders that spoke.
"Is that so wrong? Is caring for others so wrong?" she asked almost pleadingly.
"No it is not," a booming voice called out. Everyone turned and sank to their knees as Lyra Silverman approached; she was a figure that commanded respect. Her skin was not painted the violet color of the rest of the Night Elves; instead deep blue designs covered almost her whole body. Her dark hair was long and hung in shining ringlets and her face looked like it had been chiseled from stone. Her dark green eyes were filled with hope and kindness. Carya kneeled, pulling Agraelith down with her and bowed her head. Lyra nodded for them to rise. "What is this Carya, I have been told that you brought a human on our lands."
She nodded and Agraelith stepped forward bowing his head with respect. Lyra sighed, "Carya you know our rules as well as everyone else. No outsiders are permitted especially one of the other races," her voice seemed weary.
"He was wounded! I brought him only to be healed. His town was attacked by the undead and was destroyed. It was only by luck that he lived, the river carried him away and I found him."
Lyra's head snapped up, "The undead?"
"Yes," Carya replied.
Lyra shook her head, "This is bad news," she studied Agraelith for a moment. Her eyes took in his pale face and his pain filled eyes and then his bandaged side. The white cloth had turned a dark red. "I will heal him since you have brought him here." There was surprised whispering from the other Elves. "However, bringing him here was against our rules. Therefore I must banish you both from our lands. After he was been healed you must both leave and never can you return again Carya." Her voice was filled with sadness. "Follow me human." Agraelith looked at Carya; she nodded her head then turned away as he followed Lyra to the healing waters.
She walked around silently, taking in for the last time the only home that she had ever known. The large trees surrounding her were her home. She watched the bright figures of the wisps floating eerily around, and saw the dark figures of the panthers lying in the grass. She heard soft ever steady sound of the water trickling into the wells, and she smelled the fragrance of the fruits and herbs surrounding her. A hand rested on her shoulder and she turned, her friend, Elenna, was standing there, tears in her eyes.
"I will miss you Carya. I hope that you find happiness in the lands of light, I almost envy you in a way," she hugged her and Carya felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks.
"I will miss you too," she began sobbing, "This is the only home that I have ever known and now I must leave it with a man whom I know almost nothing about. I must go into a world so different from ours. A world in which I am not wanted!"
"The world is not so bad Carya. I have never seen it but sometimes I imagine it. Remember how we used to dream about leaving this 'haven', remember how we used to talk of all the adventures we could have? Think, you will no longer have to live in darkness, you will be able to see the sun everyday."
Carya wiped her tears away and hugged her friend one last time, "The night is my home, but perhaps I will come to love the golden sun."
"Look!" Elenna said suddenly.
Lyra was leading Agraelith back towards them. Every single woman was staring at him. He was rid of the bloodstains and grime and was now wearing a clean shirt with a cape so blue it was almost black that had been woven by the Night Elves. He strode behind Lyra, brushing his shining blonde hair out of his gray-blue eyes. He looked strong, stern, and rugged, with a prominent chin lightly covered with blonde stubble. He glanced at Carya then looked away. Lyra stopped when she reached them and took Carya's hand, "Come daughter," she led her and Agraelith to the arching trees. "I'm going to cast a simple spell on you that will make you forget your way back here," she paused a moment then spoke, "I am truly sorry Carya, but I must do this," she raised her hands and placed one on Carya's forehead and the other on Agraelith's. She said nothing but closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly Carya felt dizzy she staggered backwards and opened her eyes. Lyra's voice broke through her haze, "Once you have left here you will no longer be able to remember the pathway back." She wrapped Carya in a warm hug, "Goodbye my child, may the goddess of the moon protect you." She then turned to Agraelith, "Thank you for telling me the details of the attack, I know it was hard for you to relive it again. Please take care of Carya; we know nothing of the ways of the outside world."
Agraelith nodded, "She has helped me at her own risk and I shall repay the kindness she showed me. Thank you for healing me," he bowed and together he and Carya walked through the archway. The trees closed gently behind them and as they walked away Carya knew she would never again be able to walk to path to her home.
