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Chapter 9 - A lesson to be Learned
- at the cave -
She didn't know how long she could take this all in this silence. There was nothing she could do. No books to read, no tools to create art or new potions, no patient enough being to play any games with. She wasn't used to such restrictions but here it was now... They barely spent some day in the cave but the wizard was already starting to grow restless. She was an istar, she needed to be on the move, to see the world, to discover... Oh and also take over the world with her undead companion. She almost forgot that small detail.
The orange wizard knew Ren was still angry at her for not taking action and letting him be locked in again with no way to escape. She heard him talk about the seemingly endless years he spent just shouting and trying to break from his prison. He didn't want to go back into chains again. It was clear as day. He was agitated, even if he was doing a good job in staying relatively calm in the outside. But there were those small twitches, the smallest sound of anger and the hasty fiddling of his fingers... The wraith did not communicate with words. She learned it in her years of keeping him company. There was a specific series of gestures, movements and sounds bound to any thoughts that went through his mind.
Of course, the Nazgul was too proud to acknowledge his own desperation to walk free again.
But it was there and she felt herself grow more annoyed at this. He didn't understand that she had no choice. It was this or the Void and she had no trouble to choose to follow her istar nature to survive. Despite their goal, she rather lives another day to try again.
But that stubborn son of a warg would kill himself first before he could take a step in this new world.
Hyano was lying on the cave floor, her eyes staring up into the vast sea of stars as she pondered. She was thankful this place lacked ceilings. She could at least enjoy something beside Ren's insanity with it like this. She absentmindedly pointed a finger at the sky and started to move it up and down along the lines of the constellations she was taught, not paying attention to her surroundings and more importantly the wraith in the cave with her.
For once, Ren had been sitting quietly, having pulled back from the annoying lights of the torches into his slightly darker little space, his solace and hideout from the magic. There was not much to do, either way. He already tried to get rid of the torches, climb out of his prison or even push the rocks at the entrance away...
None of this worked.
And ever since their talk, Ren has attempted to lay low and show as little movement as possible, seeming calm and yet he was boiling inside. In the end, the wraith was forced to move, if even only using his hand to draw shapes into the loose dirt in front of him, poking it and watching the trails and traces his fingers left. It was entertaining enough for a while, such simple things could draw a Nazgul's attention when not in use by a greater power... However, Ren's hooded head moved and gazed at the wizard once he saw some kind of movement from her direction and tilted his head to the side at her pointless activity of holding her arm up. He stared at her for a while, turning his head but eventually he could not take the cluelessness any longer. He stood up, letting the dirt fall from his cloak and leisurely walked over towards the center where Hyano was lying and looked at her fingers closer.
Hyano noticed him come into her field of vision and looked at him before smiling slightly, looking up and continued to do as she had before.
"Pretty, aren't they?" She asked him, nodding towards the sky above. Her finger was tracing from one star to the next. She mentally was creating star patterns. A nice way to pass the time that she had picked up as a little girl from Asteri, the star istar. She was sure all the wizards did this by now, though. They all loved to think of the space beyond here, though, Asteri was the only wizard to make it his life's work.
Pretty... Ren heard her say this in the past. She described objects or actions that suited her taste or entertained her just by looking at it. It was kind of a strange concept. By her description, anything that was shiny and attracted his vision would be counted as 'pretty' for him. He still did not fully understand the meaning behind this but he did not want to engulf himself into useless thoughts he could not quite grasp anyway.
The wraith instead hissed and looked up this time, folling her gesture upwards, tilting his hooded head to the side, letting his invisible gaze travel the hole that was above them and the darkness that greeted him from afar. At this point he wasn't exactly sure if she was sane. Though, he had to accept that the female would use her mind to draw or see images that were not there from time to time to pass the time or to look for a reason to argue with him -in his opinion at least. Showing some confusion, the Nazgul simply averted his gaze from the sky and looked at her, tilting his head to the side before looking back, trying to see what she meant, stepping forward a bit as if that would give him a closer view, only to return to stare at her again.
Hmm... She must be in her useless state indeed.
Hyano noticed the head tilt and raised a brow back at him, her arm coming down to land on her stomach.
"... The stars... The little balls of light up there?" She asked, giving him a similar look of confusion. Well, if Ren had a look anyway. Hyano somehow could make out expressions out of the little movements he made. The way he would tilt his hood, his shoulder movements, the curve in his back or if he was puffing out his chest. He was quite expressive actually but it was with everything beside his face which most people just couldn't get a grip on. Hyano was just a mild exception.
Ren just stared at her.
If he would be capable of feeling dumbfounded, he would probably be plagued by it. But all he could do was be confused and annoyed, so looked back at where she claimed she saw those anomalies. He stepped closer to her as if that would give him a better view, seeing she was looking at them from almost the center.
"Where?" Was his question after a few minutes of observing the dark sky above. Ren apparently could not see the stars above, what he was only the darkness but that he saw clearly, along with all the tiny clouds that formed on it. But stars? Balls of Light? Those were a mystery to him, his senses being unable to comprehend their pure existence. "And why?" His usual inquiry also left his hood. Why in the Nine would there anything be? It was no use anyway... It would be too far up, no?
"... Up there?" Hyano half asked as she pointed up into the night sky and looked at him like he was the crazy one. Then again, one can argue they were both crazy. He, for obvious reasons. He was an evil ghost in a cloak who would run head-first into the first brick wall if it dared to 'look' at him the wrong way. Can't get much crazier, honestly. And she... well... she was mated to the evil ghost in a cloak... Not much better. "... Stars are... Well... They are suns, only much farther away, so they are very small when we see them here and don't really provide a lot of light." She said, trying to explain it to him as best she knew how.
Honestly, Ren tuned out everything she said after 'stars are suns'. From there on, he lost her train of thoughts and was not interested in everything else she tried to explain, although his mind got stuck there for the simple reason that he couldn't quite grasp how he would not be able to sense more suns on the sky than what there was during the daytime. If suns are truly shining from above... then why doesn't he grow weak? To him, anything else was tiny detail he did not need to know. Why bother with additional information if he will never use it in the first place? The Nazgul attempted to look more closely, tilting his hooded head and staring at the sky for longer but in the end he returned to stare at her with the very same tilt.
"Did you consume one of those liquids made of plants again?" He asked, meaning the alcohol or the sugary drinks she would drown back at Middle-Earth. Both of them tended to make her hallucinate, if not go mad for a short period of time, the wraith concluded. Not once she also mentioned mushrooms of which there is plenty of in this cave.
"Noooooo. Not since the last time." Hyano said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm telling you, Ren, they are there. Maybe your spectral vision just can't see them or something. I mean, it does hate light quite a bit." She offered with a shrug, trying to make sense of why her slightly taller friend couldn't see something that for her was plain as day. "That is too bad, though. They can be quite useful." She added as she turned her eyes back up to the stars again.
"Your view of 'useful' is questionable." Ren simply replied, not thinking it could even be called remotely useful. As far as he knew, just because something is 'pretty' does not make it useful. "Can they be controlled to destroy our enemies? Can they be enslaved? Can they follow my command?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, listing all this just to be sure. Maybe he missed something. Maybe... just maybe... they are useful, he just has yet to experience it. Well, apparently his view of 'useful' was concentrated on anything directly being a servant to him...
"No... They are used to help you if you get lost." The orange wizard replied, finding his term of 'useful' to be very narrow at best. "The stars don't move and form patterns. It is kind of like having a map above you at all times. If you know you want to go north, you simply look for a specific set of stars and they will point you in the right direction." She explained to him simply, though, she was sure he would somehow still be confused.
"And they are useful to me because...?" Ren asked, turning towards her, although he wished to return to his dark space. He did not understand why he should even listen to all this. He cannot see them apparently, so they won't help him for sure. In addition, why would he need to know any direction in the first place? He never needed and never had the help of the stars and yet knew exactly where he needed to go when following the scent and aroma of his prey.
"Ren... You may believe you are all-knowing... but I have watched you trip over your own feet on a good day. Knowing a few tricks may be to your benefit even if you can't use them right now." Hyano pointed out to him. She knew he liked to believe he was the most wonderful and smartest being in existence... She might care for him deeply but she knew way better. He could make bimbos seem smart sometimes!
"Right now?" Ren asked, tilting his hooded head to the side at her wording, finding it frustrating to say the least. "As if I would be able to use it ever. I am more than certain, that you would avoid spending time in training your sense of smell when you know you won't be able to use it to the extent I can. It would make no sense for you or me. It would be a waste of effort and time which could be spent more... useful." He trailed off at his last word, all of a sudden turning a bit... confused. Well, truth was, it was uncertainty but the Nazgul refused to ever admit to being uncertain. Confused and puzzled would be the most adequate word to use. He began to recall what he was doing for the moment. He was already wasting time with waiting and sitting around, doing nothing of use as he was unable to. So he either wasted his time with waiting or wasted his time with waiting while she spoke to him. Suddenly, this grew to be a difficult question.
"You could always tell someone to look for a particular group of stars for you." The wizard said, then thought before pointing to the ground. She then started to draw a set of stars. One looked like the little dipper and the other the big dipper. "They come in different groups like this sometimes and if you can have someone find them, then tell you where the one you want is, you can know where to go. If nothing else, it gives you an excuse to order someone around a bit. I know you just 'love' that." She half joked, then pointed to one of the dots she had made. "This one is the north star. If they find it you will know where north is and can find out where to go from there." She said, then looked up. "... We are... right under it, actually." She admitted.
Ren willed himself to take a look at the drawing which the wizard made on the ground. It was either waiting and doing nothing, while the seconds ticked by or he could actually listen to what she was babbling about and let time fly. There were not many choices. He tilted his hooded head to the side when she talked about the north star and actually looked up, only to be greeted by darkness. Well, so much for comparing. But there was one question burning in his mind after what she said.
"If we are right under it... then how do you know where north is?" The Nazgul asked, curious about her answer. She just said that it will show him where north was. But what if it was right above him? Does it mean that he was as north he can ever be?
"The other stars can help with that." The woman replied. "The north star is at the very end of this group of stars and you just go in the opposite direction of the rest of the group to go north." She explained. "So... if we were to follow the picture I made here..." She looked at it, then pointed. "We would want to go in that direction to go north." She said trying to give him a basic example of what she was trying to explain to him.
"This makes no sense..." The wraith exclaimed stubbornly, his mind unable to accept something so complex and yet there was something he started to grasp. So it wasn't the north star individually that spoke of where north was but a cluster of stars... So why was it called the north star if it isn't alone that speaks of where north was? He didn't understand. But maybe he shouldn't do so. It was not something he was supposed to apprehend anyway. "So, basically... this is all the use of the stars?" He asked. Well, it was good enough they can tell where north was. This way he could tell where the other directions were, so there was no other thing they could show him, right?
"Hmm, not only..." Hyano said, looking up at the stars. "As I said, the stars are suns just farther away but some are also other worlds that are reflecting light back at us... According to Asteri, these other stars and planets actually could support life out there too." She said, though, she felt Asteri likely knew this more by instinct than anything. "So to us, the best we get out of them is something to look at and help navigating but to someone else they are a home... Heh... According to another wizard, there are thousands of planets with thousands of options out there... There might even be a planet were darkness already won and is ruling." She said with a smirk, knowing this might be a refreshing thought after the hard lesson.
"Then maybe the Dark Lord left to one of these worlds to rule." Ren suddenly said, gazing upwards again, although the view did not change. Darkness awaited him still. "Maybe, once he established his position in one of those worlds, he would take us there as well to follow his command. Maybe my brothers are already there." He claimed, and although his mind refused to completely believe what she said, seeing he could not spot anything on the sky, there was no longer a Lord to limit his uncharted imagination, which was starting to flourish, trying its wings like a young bird attempting to fly for the first time. "Maybe the Void and nothingness actually is the darkness above..." After all, the Nothingness they always were threatened with seemed to be so alike of the blackness he saw above...
And this sky... if he remembered right... was so much darker than the one they had on Middle-Earth.
Hyano was a little surprised by these thoughts and smiled a bit.
"Maybe... Maybe that is the Void... and those little spots on light I see are just spots of light being slowly snuffed out by the void." She offered. It sounded so very morbid to anyone who didn't understand the person she was talking to. Negative things like this were in fact good in his mind. An odd way of thinking but a true effect of the ring that had worked its curse into his form and mind. "... Or maybe the lights are like little traps... pulling souls towards them like flies to a flame just to burn them away." She added with a shrug.
"That would explain why I cannot see them." Ren's logic dictated, so he voiced it. Truth was, he was right and wrong at the same time. He probably would not see a trap that was not designed to him. On the other hand... the Nazgul did possess a soul, no matter in what state. They were hovering between life and death, the soul did not yet pass on because without one, they could not exist. It is forced into place by the ring of power they wore. Even if the person they were was lost the moment they accepted the magical trap, the soul was still within, as damaged as it was. "I want to go there..."
"... I'm good here." Hyano said, understanding why he might want to go. "I mean... here isn't perfect or anything by far but... if it was perfect, then it would get boring fast. There would be nothing to shake things up and give us something to do." She pointed out with a shrug.
"How can something you like to do be boring?" Ren asked, clearly unable to imagine how anyone could get tired of things they like to do. For him, if he was pleased by an action, he could go on with that for years and years without ever growing bored of it. But it might be just the way his cursed mind worked. "Think about it... The many helpless cattle... Innocent, fresh souls, all ripe for the picking..." The Nazgul hissed and reached out one of his gauntleted hands towards the sky as if he could already feel them nearby, feeling the pressure build in his mind, the desire to feed upon a fearful soul rising within him. No matter the changed magic and the work she was doing, in the end, his darkness will never change.
These were the moments which always shook the istar back into reality. Yes, she can pretend he was her friend from all those years ago, that all this was a game or she could forget all the darkness he harbored within... He still remains what he was, though. A Nazgul. An evil creature hell-bent on murdering, infecting and trampling emotions into the dirt. Nothing else was on his mind. And she did not like it, no matter their connection.
"Because there will be no challenge to it." Hyano pressed on. "You can do it without even a single moment of a true challenge... That is what makes it interesting to me. Being able to finish a goal lacks any true meaning to me if there was no true work put in to doing the goal in the first place. It was the prize that much more sweet if you can think back on all you did to get it. If you can say without a shadow of a doubt that you earned it from start to finish." The wizard explained, though, honestly she believed this was likely only a way the living thought.
"If I claim a victim's death by either fighting or it being handed to me, it was still an accomplishment. As both are a result of the fear and terror I represent." Ren pointed out, not missing a beat. Sure, she might not like a life without challenges but challenges can be quite tiresome after a while. He rather boasts and brags with what he has than look for trouble that would not be worth it. Back then on Middle-Earth, he was perfectly content with his rank and would not have dared to challenge the Witch-king of Angmar for a power struggle. He knew the consequences and decided to avoid them. This didn't mean he didn't bicker with the others from time to time, trying to climb higher among the smaller group but other than that, he rather did not indulge into thoughts that did not concern him and his survival. "To me, it looks like it isn't challenge that you need but a purpose." The wraith hissed, recognizing her train of thoughts. His were so much like that when the silence in his mind greeted him but he stopped thinking so recklessly once he gained a new purpose. To establish his tyrannical rule upon this new land. Some of the steps might pose a challenge but he would not at all mind if everyone just so decided to bow to him without any kind of resistance. To him it simply didn't matter.
"I guess they come hand in hand, really. With purpose comes a challenge and with a challenge comes a purpose." Hyano said with a shrug. "You of all people know I can't sit around long... I can force myself if I truly have to but in all reality I am a being meant to be doing something. Maybe it comes from being an istar. We are born wanderers. Probably the only reason I am able to truly stay in one place at all is you..." Hyano admitted with a heavy sigh. "You give me enough reason to stay where I am and continue my life as I do. If I didn't have you, I probably would be just wandering the world like any other of my kin... I probably would also be child sized too now that I think about it." She stated, having realized a long time ago, that the only reason her age had been allowed to progress seemed to be because she started to use dark magic so many years back.
"Not every purpose is a challenge and not every challenge is a purpose." Ren corrected her, shaking his head with a hiss, considering her idea like that of a newborn orc. They have no idea about the world but walk around as if they did, then end up in trouble or killed by their betters. Despite her being aged many millenniums, she saw quite little of the world or at least understood less than he could. He had many tasks and duties as he served his Lord, however. "For example, what if my purpose is to pick up this rock?" He asked and demonstrated by picking up a random one, then held it up. "This was no challenge. Even though the rock could have any kind of valuable properties. Or remember at Moria, how you killed goblin after goblin, learning this challenge of subduing your foolish emotions. It was not your purpose as a wizard but it was a challenge."
"Yes but it was a challenge that came with a purpose." The orange wizard pointed out. "I couldn't have done what I needed to do if I hadn't done that. Sometimes steps or challenges must be overcome in order to get to the final goal." She explained, not even flinching at the topic of her murders. At some point during her stay in Moria she had grown almost numb to the fact of what she did... She remembered the day she walked in and tortured two orcs to death for hours and walked out again without batting an eye for the first time... It had been... a shocking experience when she realized it but one that she had to admit made her all the stronger for it. Although it came with the price of feeling broken after each day.
"The keyword is 'sometimes'." Ren pointed out, dead set on his belief. And as any other Nazgul, he believed that his own way of thinking was the only right one in the world. Everyone else was wrong and he did not care if they convert willingly by seeing the intelligence behind it or he makes them accept it forcefully. "On the other hand, knowing how to kill without it breaking your will was not your purpose. Your purpose was to serve me and my goal. Everything else was just detail." The wraith clearly did not think much of her accomplishment. For him and his thoughts, leaving emotions behind and murdering without a second thought was natural and he could not understand how it cannot be done by someone. It was a weakness. Nothing more. Breaking this weakness was no challenge, he believed. It was easy as he could do it as well.
Hyano rolled her eyes. As always, Ren was his usual stubborn self and there was no changing him even if one took a ten ton hammer to his head.
"Details are the most important part of any plan, I believe. Otherwise how can you ever get anything done?" She pointed out. At this point she was just making conversation... or arguing. Whichever one wanted to call it. Mostly anytime they talked, it ended in them bickering back and forth until one of them got violent, normally him, then a fight broke out until they both wore out or passed out.
"I let others worry about details. I execute the plan and succeed as my Lord would want me to." Of course, even after so many years he still seemed to believe within his Lord's survival. He had yet to hear a single word from his master and yet he stubbornly believed. Or perhaps it was just a trait of the curse that was upon him. They never truly could function without him, neither could they succeed without his command. And yet here was that single Nazgul, who seemed to have outlived his Lord and now that he was not there to command him, he was let loose into the world, like a young child into a playground with toys. "And let us not converse about your habit of over-complicating the smallest of thoughts and tasks. Sometimes detail is superfluous."
Hyano rolled her eyes like a teenager when he mentioned his lord.
"Would you please give up on him already? If he isn't dissipated in the Void already he will be soon enough. He is done for. You are still here. Simple logic says YOU are the next Lord. Not him." Hyano said in mild annoyance at hearing about Sauron again. The infernal being was gone. They did not hear anything of him for a very long time. Yes, she believed that his essence might linger, due to him being still there and the curse was intact but perhaps he was now trapped in Middle-Earth if he truly survived the last war. In that case, there was no difference for her. Ren had to understand this. Sauron could not help him and he will have to find a way to help himself instead of relying on a being that would never be heard of again by him. Yet for some bloody reason Ren just refused to wrap his head around that. It was best to tell him that Sauron died instead of giving him hope that would be placed in vain in his return. She herself did not believe in his demise but neither did she believe that he could ever return.
Her claim enticed a harsh reaction from the wraith. He shrieked in her direction angrily, not even wanting to hear about his Lord being gone forever.
"How dare you assume something like THAT!" The Nazgul hissed threateningly. The fact that Sauron was silent was already an impossible thought for him, despite having existed for so long without his voice. He was made, created to listen to him and his command, to follow his will and his mighty goal. Anything else was insignificant. While he had no doubt that he will become the new Lord of this world, the thought of him taking over Sauron's place was inconceivable. He still feared his wrath if he ever attempted something like that and the fact that he existed was enough proof for him about the truth he believed in. "There were times in the past when he ceased talking to us... Yet he returned each age to lead us again. He is the most powerful Maia you will find on Arda and you will learn to not doubt him in time." He hissed, stepping towards her. "He is everywhere... In the darkness that spreads wherever I go... In the gold that entices greed, in the selfishness of people, in the searing anger and blinding fury that drives your hand to deliver a killing blow. He is no mere person who can be banished from the living. He long surpassed death's power. Death itself fears him. He will stay in all things in the world and I will take it upon myself to help him restore himself as he did so many times before."
"Then you are winning a war for someone who is dead." Hyano said bluntly when he finished a rant not even trying to take back what she had said before. If anything with that simple statement she made the matter that much worse. "Dead. Dead. Dead. He is not in the darkness. He is not speaking to you anytime soon. He is not Morgoth. He... Is... DEAD." She said as clearly as possible, her eyes looking into his hood as she crossed her arms not looking afraid of him. She had lost much of her fear of him a very long time ago. How many times had he tried to kill her? Too many to count by now at this point she was sure.
This only made the Nazgul that much angrier. There goes pretending that the magic shifting was working. Anyone in the vicinity and above could feel the sheer darkness he emitted when his fury reached a certain point. He gave another hiss of warning as he stood in front of her stubborn form mere few feet away, crossing his metal-covered arms over his dark cloaked chest.
"Then prove me he is dead." He commanded. Ren didn't yet hear any feasible argument against his claim. Like right now, he has given enough good points, while her reply was the angering 'dead' a couple of times. This was not proof. It just served to make him furious, he was sure. She cannot be this ignorant, can she?
"Why? It's not like you would listen to any reason I give you anyway. Even if I make a good point you will either ignore it or say 'my lord is too powerful to let that stop him' or some warg dropping like that." Hyano pointed out. "You have perfectly good freedom and free will and you waste it all over some dream that he is still alive. Exactly what bloody good does that ever do anyone?" She asked him blankly.
"My purpose." The wraith hissed, leaning slightly closer to her and tilted his hooded head to the side. "I know what I have to do because I know what he wishes. Only because of him do I know what I must do. Otherwise, I would be but a wandering spirit with a vengeance. You name it. But my tie to my Lord is what made me to what I am today and will make me to what I become. No matter what it will be." Ren said, clearly using the possibility of his Lord's survival to help him find his path. Perhaps, it wasn't free will that he yearned for. He was not made to think like that. Oh no. He was to follow the command of his master and he doesn't know anything else. "I embrace his eternal lordship, be it silent or worded. Because his last order was to conquer, I shall still follow his command. It still lives in my mind as if he said it just a moment ago."
"Your purpose is what 'you' make it. You could very easily do all this for yourself or do whatever the Void else you wanted. Who cares? The fact is we have several wizards who saw the downfall of Saruman and Sauron. He imploded in on himself! You can't get more bloody dead than that! For crying out loud you were there, weren't you? Were you bloody blind to what was happening around you or something?" She asked him, her eyes looking right into his hood as if she was looking into his eyes.
For Ren, even the mention of him being his own master was foreign. He couldn't comprehend it or understand it how it would be possible. How could he or should he change the purpose he was created for? His sole duty is to serve his Lord and conquer the lands in his name, hunt those who doubt his might and feast on the fear of the living. What else would there be? His mind basically froze whenever he tried to push beyond these purposes. Simply, there was no experience or thought in connection to freedom.
"They thought he was vanquished several times during the ages, each time claiming that he was gone forever. But he always returned, with greater vengeance than the last and now, his fury will shake the land, flood the waters and make the sky fall. There will be no mercy for those who doubt." He warned Hyano with a sharp hiss. He served the Dark Lord, she served him, which makes her serve his master as well. Why does she dare to speak ill of him? Does she not know his power? Does he need to show her?
"I serve you. I don't serve some dead being that isn't even coming back. Dreaming doesn't do a damn thing to get us anywhere in our goals so I'm not about to dream that he is coming back anytime in the future." She replied, waving him off and crossing her arms stubbornly. Likely why they fought so often was because they were both so stubborn when it came to what they did and did not believe in. It was just in their nature it seemed.
"You serve me! I serve my master! This makes you serve the Dark Lord! I thought we were over this at Moria!" Came the angry shriek from the Nazgul as he stepped forward, lashing out with a gauntleted hand with the very intention to push the wizard back and maybe knock some sense into her. How dare she speak so ill of their master! She will see! Once the red eye opens again, she will have no choice but to kneel in front of his eternal gaze, like all those who doubted his survival did each age. "I accept no argument about this. Because all you keep repeating is that he is dead but you seem to not be able to give me any kind of proof that he is gone!" He hissed sharply and pushed his metal-covered hand against his cloaked chest. "I am still here, existing and carrying out his orders. That is all the proof one needs. Darkness stems from him and I am darkness. And I will do all it takes to make his return worthwhile, if this will be the last thing I do in my existence, then so be it."
"Actually, I am going to give your Lord a bit more credit than you. He was a creator. I will admit that he was a being less about destroying everything he touched and more about controlling it. I have read the old texts. If Sauron had control of something he was more than willing to go by the old saying of 'live and let live' as long as it was of use to him. He was a being of progress and power. He just pissed everyone off in the process and that led to his untimely downfall." She admitted willing to give credit where credit was due. While Sauron was admittedly a manipulative bastard, he was a damn smart one. He just let his pride and greed get in his way.
"Of course he is greater than me or you or anyone else on this wretched land. He created us. He gave us our power. He is indestructible as he already proved us." Ren hissed, although he wasn't certain where she was going with this now. First, she kept telling him that the Dark Lord was dead, then, she was praising him. Or maybe the light magic which she is slowly forcing into him was making his mind confused, unable to see some connections. "But no matter. What you must know is that he is there and waiting. In the deepest recesses of the memories of his deeds, in the flickers of darkness that still remains. In the greed and fear that plagues the minds of all. And I will be the one to restore him. He will be pleased."
Hyano raised a brow ready to point out that Sauron didn't make her but thought that would be pointing out the obvious.
"I doubt he is waiting. I doubt I would care if he was. In all honesty if he is waiting somewhere it is likely on the last earth we left behind where he will stay until it too is renewed then MAYBE he might just come back. But here? I don't think so." The wizard replied, giving Sauron only the slightest bit of hope for his return, if only to stop this argument. But not on this earth.
"Then why am I existing here?" Ren asked, pointing a hard gauntleted hand towards himself, tilting his hooded head to the side. "If my Dark Lord does not provide me with darkness, then how can I exist?" He questioned and stared at the wizard in front of him. Sure, they have this connection between them. She is giving him magic, which then he converts for his own but he needs more to exist and back on Middle-Earth many years ago they were not connected. The curse is still intact. It still keeps his soul between life and death. If his Lord truly perished -which of course he did not- his curse would lift and he would be no more. So his Lord must be around. One way or another, his presence is real in this world. If by nothing else... then by his cursed existence.
"You don't need the original caster for a spell to still exist Ren." Hyano pointed out. "Take the spell book Saruman left behind back in the caves. The spell he cast on it to help him keep his secrets still exists even today and he has been gone even longer then Sauron had. Curses live far longer than that. They are not based on the existence of the one who made them but on who or what they are put on. As long as the person or thing exists the curse can go on for all of time." She explained to him. "And darkness... it exists with or without Sauron... You don't need him for that. You just needed him to make you into what you are really. After that he simply had control over you but that does not mean he truly had control over the materials that made you. He simply put them together like one puts ingredients in a pot to make a potion."
"But what kind of spell are we talking about?" Ren asked, tilting his hooded head to the side. "Some could linger because they don't require too much coordination and work. But one that holds a creature tied to the world need something to keep going and not fade away. I exist for many thousand years after the disappearance of my Lord and yet here I am still. There is..." The wraith trailed off as he walked past her slowly, hissing as he looked within himself, searching and looking for that specific feeling, that sensation he wished to describe. "...something holding it together... The ever present iron grip... A mute shadow..."
Hyano watched him.
"So, you feel something holding you together but... you are not sure what it is, so your first thought is to call it Sauron?" She offered, actually trying to help make sense of her mate's thoughts for him. He seemed a little confused to her but in a way some of what he said made a little sense. Honestly she knew he knew very little about spells and how magic worked but she also knew that every time she tried to explain such things to him he would always just get bored or more confused by the time she would finish.
"Well, who else would it be, then?" The creature asked, tilting his dark hooded head to the side as he met the wizard with the ultimate question. None of the Valar or even Eru Illuvatar would have it in their best interest to keep a corrupting being like him around a fragile world. At least so soon. Who else would want him to exist? What would they gain from it? Because just saying that 'surely there must be someone' isn't enough because there is the question of who this being might be.
Hyano took a deeper breath and held her index finger up, opening her mouth to explain in detail what she thought when she found... there was nothing to say. She blinked and lowered her hand, staring at the dark cursed creature in front of her. This was a tough question. Simple, short, to the point but impossible to answer without bending truths that have been spoken by both of them.
She knew it was not Sauron.
However...
They know of nobody so powerful and well versed in dark magic who could hold such a curse in place.
And if indeed there is anyone who can...
Now that would be bad news...
- Elsewhere -
"Lord, you big meany! Give it back!"
Lilly called out while giggling and running after the elven elk stag, who was dragging a blanket after himself, snorting, then raised it from the ground and hopped around, jumping away from Lilly, not letting her get the blanket back. He wasn't of course stealing it, was just playing around, holding the object just out of her reach.
To say the least the two were the best of friends if one didn't include Silentbranch. However, Lilly couldn't go see the young ent whenever she wanted. There were times when he would just be too far away to visit. She didn't like this but she had come to accept it and had a lot of fun play with Lord anyway.
Lord and her father still didn't get a long but no one saw that changing anytime soon. It seemed that they were simply tolerating each other for Lilly's sake.
Lord snorted again and as if to tease her he lowered the blanket just in her reach before raising it again and hopping away from her. He continued this game until he finally stopped and threw the item on her head, then taunted her playfully, pushing out his chest with pride.
The little girl gasped as she was hit by the blanket before falling over. She pushed it off of her head before sticking her tongue out at him, then smirked and held the blanket out like a Mexican bull man. "Alright then, Lord. Let's see if you can get it now." She said challengingly.
Lord tilted his head when she did this, before answering the challenge, mock-taunting, scratching the ground with a snort, before charging forward but unlike a bull he didn't aim his antlers at the blanket, instead he wanted to grasp it with his teeth.
Lilly smirked, then in the last minute she spun, flicking the blanket from in front of him.
"Ole!" She shouted with a laugh and held out the blanket again, ready to go another round.
Lord stopped in his tracks when the blanket was pulled from him, then turned around to face her again, shaking his head in disbelief at the game she was playing before mocking, scratching the ground and flaring his nostrils playfully huffing, breathing out through his nose as if angry, then charged, again wanting to catch the blanket with his teeth.
Lilly laughed as she dodged him again, then took off running.
"Ha! Slow poke!" She teased as she ran around the clearing.
Lord huffed and flared his nostrils before he started hopping after her, running, of course catching up with her very easily. He might be old but he still had some moves left. He reached down and grasped the blanket with his teeth, taking it from her and reared up playfully briefly and started backing up but did not hold it out of her reach this time, giving her a chance to grab it if she could get a good grip on it.
Lilly raised a brow, then smiled before running up and making a move to grab the blanket, wondering what the elk had in mind now.
The moment she tried to grasp the blanket, the stag raised it from her reach and pulled it to the side, snorting once. He was mimicking what she did, now playing with her the way she played with him. He didn't know this game but it was amusing. He hopped a little distance away and held the blanket again low, waiting for her to go for it.
Lilly gasped as he did this, then blinked for a moment before realizing what he was up to. She grinned, then got down on her hands looking like a track runner and pretended to be Lord huffing and scrapping at the ground before she took off running at the blanket trying to get it. She liked this game too. She liked to play pretend, though, so that was no real surprise.
The elk rolled his eyes in return at the rather 'overdone' display and simply pulled it from her reach the moment she came close enough, then raised his head in triumph before standing on the other side, waiting for her to do the same again. It was fun to change roles sometimes, especially now. Surely every elk in Middle-Earth only can dream of playing with a human like this. They would be delighted to do this.
Lilly pouted cutely, then looked at him and got an idea. She grinned then took off running into the house. She came back with a small hand-made pump and a deflated ball her mother made from plants at the lake. She took a moment to inflate it. She grinned at the ball before looking at Lord.
"Try this game, Lord." She said and dropped the ball, balancing it on her foot before kicking it about. Then she kicked it over to Lord, sure he could find out how to play this game. Lord was basically all leg and no hands so he was perfect for this game!
The elk tilted his head to the side at the round object and perked his ears when she kicked it towards him, watching as it rolled closer. He made a curious sound, then stepped forward with blanket still in his mouth, then raised a foot and lightly touched the ball, pressing on it, testing it, then bent his neck down and lowered his head to sniff it. He grimaced at its not so pleasant scent and shook his head, snorting in displeasure but that didn't put him off from looking at it more. He watched it for a few more seconds, before lifting a hoof again and kicked the ball lightly, tilting his head to the side when it started rolling, even if just for a short time, seeing he didn't kick with enough force. With his inner fawn waking up at the sight of something so simple yet amusing, the elk perked his ears and hopped a few times before kicking the ball again. The moment the ball moved he hopped again playfully before kicking it now with more force with a hoof, watching as it rolled back to Lilly.
Lilly giggled, stopping the ball with her foot and kicking it from side to side before bumping it up into the air. She caught it on her head, bouncing it once before kicking it back to him. She loved football. Back home she had been on a football team. It was only for little children of course so it was hardly considered a serious sport to her yet but it had been fun all the same and despite her lack of balance she was very good at it. Her planning skills came in handy when thinking out ways to beat the other team.
Lord hopped around when the ball came back at him and started messing with it, then simply dropped the blanket he dragged around all this time and lowered his head to taste the ball. Of course he didn't harm its surface, just a little bite at the outer layer and licked it a little. Elk were simply like that. They were curious just like anyone. But because they lack hands and the fine feel of them, the only way they can test an object and find out more about it by their mouth and tastebuds. Instantly he regretted it and snorted, sticking out his tongue at the strange taste, shaking his head before kicking at it more and sending it back towards her.
Lilly laughed as he liked it.
"Well, duh, it tastes bad. It is for playing. Not eating." She said as she caught the ball, then got an idea. "Hey, let's go to the city and see if any of the children want to play with us. There has to be enough children to get a good game going." She said, grinning at the idea of having a real football game again. She kicked up the ball so she caught it, then pointed towards the city just in case he didn't catch all that she said.
Lord tilted his head to the side and perked his ears, frowning as he tried to understand what she said. But it only got clear what she meant when she pointed towards the city. Oh yes! She wants to go there? The elk looked at her and nodded, then simply stepped forward and started towards their destination.
Lilly squealed, then ran after him. This would be fun. As they walked to the city she dropped the ball, kicking it along in front of her. She wondered for a moment how she should ask the children to play. Not only that but there didn't seem to be many of them in the forest and the city either. Where are they?
Lord followed her of course, but only for a while, then lowered himself to the ground, laying down, finding that he needed to rest. He wasn't a young stag anymore and he spent the whole morning playing with her. He needed his rest.
The debate within her mind quickly vanished as Lilly walked into the city and saw the first child that looked near her age if not a little older. He seemed to be way taller than her but had a childish appearance like hers. He had a light brown long hair and the matching brown eyes that went with it. She grinned, then ran up to them without putting much thought into it.
"Hi! Do you want to play?" She asked outright.
The elf who she noticed was actually doing something. He was picking at a few flowers he saw near a tree and having paid attention to what his mother taught him, he knew that this flower is very delicious when eaten. Of course, he made sure to pick only a few from the batch, leaving most intact to reproduce and survive. He just then stood up when she came around, and looked at her, remembering her from the celebration not long ago. The young boy smiled and let his eyes fall to the object at her feet. He knew it was a ball. But he never saw one this... large.
"Well... sure. Why not?" He said, although silently, shrugging. He was about to go home and share the flower with her parents but otherwise he would be just sitting at home, probably reading a book.
Lilly grinned up at him, then looked around expecting Lord to be right behind her. She was a little disappointed when she saw he wasn't there but easily found out why. This had happened before. He would just get tired. A drawback of their age difference. She looked back at the boy before kicking up the ball and catching it. She noticed the flowers and her eyes widened.
"Woooow. They are so pretty." She said like they were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She was so young that small things like these were the best thing in the world to her. She doubted that would ever change, though. She loved the simple things. It made it all the better.
The boy gave her a smile and held out one flower, offering one to her.
"They are called Elven Honey. They are pretty, indeed. And taste rather nice. Try it." He offered, then took the flower from its stem and put it into his mouth, chewing on it. It had the taste of honey with lemon, something the elves liked among many things. At first when they came in the new world there were not much of them but after planting and a little care, the flower started to spread. But they still need to reach all the forest... The flowers and the plants one would need grow the slowest... Everything else spreads like wildfire...
Lilly held the ball in one hand and took the flower with the other cupping it like one would glass. One could eat flowers? The idea had never even crossed her mind. She smiled up at the boy before putting the ball back down and plucked off a petal and closed her eyes before putting it in her mouth. She had honestly expected it to taste strange but... it was living up to its name! It tasted like honey if not better. She opened her eyes, blinking in surprise before grinning and plucked another petal but instead of eating the rest she put the flower in her hair.
"I really like it! I will save the rest for later. I think it would taste really good with some rice cakes." She said, a little eager to go home and try the idea.
"Rice cakes?" The boy asked, frowning at the name of the dish but decided to not push it further, instead, let his brown eyes wander to the large ball, then met her gaze once more with a curious glance. "Well... What would you want to play?" He asked, unsure. Of course he can pick a game but then again... she surely brought this large ball because she has an idea and this one will be their tool for it. And as it is natural for his kind and for a child, he was curious about it and felt no harm in trying.
Lilly giggled and assumed she would give him one later. When he asked what she wanted to play she looked to her ball. "Football. I was going to start a big game but..." She looked around. "It looks like a lot of the elflings vanished... so we can play one on one if you like." She said with a smile, not even thinking to ask why this boy was still here when so many of the children were gone for who knows how long. Well Rosa knew but Lilly didn't. "It's really fun... Do you want to put the flowers away first though? They might end up crushed if you play with them in your hands." She suggested. Even though football was a 'no hands' game the flowers still could end up dropped, crushed or who knows what else while they were playing.
"Well, there are still others about. I can call them. Wait here!" The young elf offered and ran off but before he did that he stopped in his tracks and quickly ran over to the stag, giving him the remaining flower in his hand before running towards the city.
Lord of course didn't mind the 'treat' and happily munched on it, closing his eyes in pure bliss. It was so rare that he could get a flower like this. They always seem to grow thicker and bigger near the trees of the city.
It only took ten minutes and the girl was surrounded by ten children. All of them in different ages, all of them lean but quick and seemed excited when they heard about a new game.
Lilly was caught off guard as a whole bunch of elven children were brought. She got a wide grin though as she saw them all. Before she explained the game, she ran and made two places that would be the goals. She then looked through the elflings, picking the two that would likely make the best goalies and told them to go where she had made the goals. Then she explained to them the objective of the game. Unless one was protecting the goal one was not allowed to use your hands. The ball starts in the middle and both teams are trying to get the ball into the other team's goal. The team that gets to ten points first wins.
"Alright. Then let's play." One of the elven girls said and simply stood in position just as Lilly told them to stand in. By this time some adults' gazes were attracted to the site, their curiosity not letting them be and wanted to watch what will happen. The children were planning rather intensely and didn't pay them any heed, instead stood in their places and waited for Lilly to start the game, the last boy putting the ball in the middle.
This will be fun!
- a little later -
Lilly waved as all the elflings left.
She had not expected the game to go on for so long, however the children were surprisingly more competitive than she could have realized. Despite her not actually playing, she got a very good workout by running from one end to the other, making sure no one broke any rules. Every so often she did have to stop the game in order to show the other children some moves that would make things easier or instruct them on what they were doing wrong. Before she knew it, the elflings were very good, taking her instruction rather seriously.
At one point Lord had even started in on it, running back and forth and when he saw something he thought was out of place he would get Lilly's attention to it. They made good referees, working together like that.
The little girl smiled. Today had been a lot of fun. She hoped to play again tomorrow.
She walked over to the ball and kicked it up, catching it before turning and yelping as she was caught by surprise by the boy right behind her. She knew him. he was the one she met first and gathered all the others for the game.
"Ah! Oh uh. Sorry. I thought everyone went home." She admitted sheepishly.
The boy was tired by now as well. This game required quite the work and stamina, which he sadly lacked. He watched as the other children went home but he decided to stay.
"It is quite late and dark. I can bring you home if you want. You know... just to be sure." He uttered, although he didn't have as great confidence but still offered to escort her back, despite Lord being around. He was just polite and thankful for the game she showed them. It was the least he could do. "I am sure your parents are worried... They would feel safer if they see you didn't come home alone."
"Awwww!" Lilly said, then dropped the ball and hugged him. "You are so sweet! Of course, you can walk me home. I don't mind at all. If anything it's a good thing because then you will know where I live so you can come visit." She said excitedly, displaying far more confidence than the boy seemed to. She let go of him and kicked the ball up again before catching the boy's arm and tugging him along. "Come on! I live this way! This is perfect. I nearly forgot I wanted to show you what a rice cake was." She said eagerly as she started for home. Her mom was sure to have dinner done by now. Maybe the boy could stay for a meal.
The boy tensed and blinked when she suddenly hugged him, having not expected this to happen. Well, he did smile in the end. He didn't even get to say anything, confirm or deny what she offered but she dragged him right along, making the boy gasp but followed her nonetheless, running, matching her speed a little easier than that of his friends. She was slower by nature.
Lord huffed as she ran off, rolling his eyes before hopping after them, running behind them, his ears fully perked to listen for any danger. Night was the most risky time of the day. When the predators lurked...
It wasn't long until they got home.
Lilly smelled the air and grinned.
"Yey! Its curry night!" She shouted happily as she ran up to the door and ran right in still with the boy.
Lilly's mother looked up from the pot she was working with. She smiled when she saw her daughter and a what she could best guess was a friend she had dragged along with her. She was quite delighted to see her finally making friends. Hyano promised them it would be easier in the new world. And here she was, having a friend along already.
"Hello sweety. Who is your friend?" She questioned curiously as she got a large bowl and filled it with some food for Lord before placing it outside for the large creature. A treat for being so kind to her daughter.
Lord in the mean time inclined his head in thanks to the mother as she put out the bowl for him, then grasped the wooden item with his teeth and put it farther away to munch on the content peacefully, knowing the father was nearby...
Lilly blinked.
"Uh..." She looked at him, giving a sheepish smile. "What is your name?" She asked him, realizing now that she had not asked what his name was.
The boy was about to suggest to slow down and knock because that was the way to be polite when arriving, no matter if it is home but he didn't get to say it because she dragged him right inside. Of course he could smell the scent of food. Strange but seemed interesting, then looked at her when the girl finally realized she doesn't yet know his name. Actually, he already said it, she must have forgotten it during the game.
"I am Naril." He simply said, giving the woman a graceful elven bow as they all greet each other, then looked at the girl, unsure what to do. He wasn't that determined, learned to be quiet from his younger age. Well, she surely knew why she brought him in...
Lilly smiled.
"I'm Lilly and this is my mommy." She said with a grin.
Holly laughed lightly.
"You may call me 'mom' if you like. It does not bother me. Any friend of Lilly's is as good as family anyway." She said and patted his head. "Are you staying for dinner?" She asked and Lilly jumped up and down.
"Yes, please! Mom makes the best curry. You will love it! Oh, mom can you make rice cakes? Naril gave me this tasty flower and I want to try them together." She requested eagerly, plucking the flower out of her hair and held it out for her mother to see.
The mother smiled.
"Of course. I will start them now." She said with a smile, then looked at the elf, giving him a look that said he could leave if he wanted. She knew her daughter could be rather pushy.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am." The boy -now known as Naril- said politely, then stood back a little when the little girl talked to her mother. Well, he already knew her name, having heard of her and her family. However, he was sure he will not and cannot call her mother his. He has his own and it would be inappropriate if he called someone else his mother. It would be also offending towards his own. It was just... wrong. He watched the exchange silently, not saying a word. He didn't answer to the look, mainly because he was already invited and having come along... meant he accepted. It would be rude to back out of it. Also, the scents were indeed... strange and interesting. He never ate such food.
Lilly's mom stood up and made her way back to the kitchen to get the dishes and start setting the table.
Lilly gave the elf boy a playful shove.
"You don't have to be so stiff. We don't bite." She teased, then put the ball by the door.
At that same moment the door opened her father, brother and older sister all stepping in. Her older sister was coming home from working. It had been a long day. With the days getting colder Rosa had suggested to her mentor that they start making hoodies. Her mentor had no idea what the items were, so she was now showing her the new item and they were finding out how to make it.
Her father and brother had obviously been out training. They were covered in sweat.
Lilly grinned.
"Papa!" She squealed, then ran up to him.
He lifted her up with one arm easily before looking towards the elf as if asking who he was.
"That's my new friend, Naril." She answered the unasked question.
He gave the boy a nod while Cane waved as he walked by, heading right to his room to get changed and cleaned up for dinner.
Rosa went right to the kitchen to help her mother set up for dinner but made sure to give the boy a wave as well.
All the quiet boy could do was nod in respect and greeting, wave back, not wanting to disturb the peace and silence within this cozy home. It seemed to contain more personal objects than a normal home of the elves. He gasped when the girl shoved him, who stared back at her and gave her a nervous smile. He wasn't the most confident among his kind and that showed. He shifted in his stance uneasily, not sure what to while they wait for the dinner. He was invited but then again, as a guest, he has no say in the ongoings of their lives, so waited for Lilly to suggest something. His train of thoughts of course broke when he took a better look of the father. He was... big and strong, quite proud and demanded respect just by standing there. But he didn't seem to be as talk-active. The boy made sure to nod in greeting, unable to say anything. He noted the muscles... This was strange for the boy's eyes. He never saw anyone with that many muscles, it almost seemed... unnatural and abnormal but didn't note any of it. Elves are all tall, thin, slim in build, just like him. But well... that trait means less for him.
The father put Lilly down and left to go get cleaned up as well.
Lilly smiled, then reached out and tugged the boy over to the table.
It was a low made table so everyone could sit on the soft cushions on the floor. Lilly sat down and smiled. Since her family had an odd number of people in it Lilly was used to sitting on her side of the table alone while her sister and brother sat on the other side and her parents sat at the heads of the table. Once the table was set and her family had all sat down, Holly started serving everyone their meals.
"So, Naril, tell us a little about yourself. Do you live in the city?" The ent mother asked as she finished serving the curry and rice.
Lilly debated on warning the boy about the fact that that the curry was spicy but she was kind of curious about his reaction. From what she had noticed elves didn't eat spicy food.
Naril found their way of eating familiar. Elves sometimes have such tables but most common are now the higher ones with lower chairs. Depends on the preferences of the elven family itself. Seeing there was only one empty spot, Naril sat down next to Lilly, opposite of the two older siblings. As he made himself comfortable, he saw as the mother brought in the food. He couldn't help but frown a little. The scent was strong. Very strong at that, which means that the food must be very spiced. But he didn't yet know the taste, so he will have to judge it after.
"Well... Yes. I live at the northern side of the city..." He trailed off, looking down at the food that was placed in front of him before meeting the gaze of the mother. Seeing she asked, she will get his reply. "There is not much to say about me. I have a simple family with no siblings. My life is yet short and uneventful." He finished. It was clear he was not only quiet but also humble, not liking to talk about himself. He thought it was... kind of selfish to do so and give them a whole hour-long tale about his life from his birth. "I have been around here before and this house was empty. You moved here not long ago?" He asked, addressing anyone who wished to answer his question. "The family that lived here moved out a while ago and went to the southern lands. The southern cities."
Holly nodded.
"Yes. It is similar to a home we had back in Middle-Earth and it is far enough from the city that we can have some peace while also being close enough that we can go and be among the elves if we like." She explained as she started to eat. There were two options for utensils in front of everyone. Metal chopsticks or the simple knife, fork and spoon. Lilly and the mother both were using chopsticks while the rest used forks to eat. Lilly liked using chopsticks because it was more fun and sometimes made eating some foods a challenge.
"Just because your life is short does not mean it isn't worth telling." The father stated, speaking up for the first time since he got there.
Lilly grinned. "Yes! Like what is your favorite color? Favorite games? Do you have any funny stories? I could give you a million. Like this one time Rosa spilled her coffee and ah!" Lilly was about to go on but Rosa had reached over and hit her upside the head.
"Shut it, you little brat!" She said, blushing as she too remembered the story. Cane snickered while watching his sisters.
The elfling nodded in return at what was told him about their home, understanding their point of view. They still consider themselves as 'outsiders who slowly wish to be part of the city with time'. Maybe this way of thinking wasn't so bad... The elves can get used to their presence and with time they can meld them into their society without trouble. Well, with their moving to the city, it already happened. They are now part of the elven city and have an impact on its life. But then again, about what he heard... he always imagined them as loners. Families living on their own separated from civilization, doing what they liked to do. Sounded interesting, actually. But elves usually don't long for extended travels. Soon enough he looked down at the food again and let its scent reach his senses, noting the strong scent. He felt something... foreboding but decided to give it a try. First things first... He had to figure out... which utensil to choose. Elves usually ate with the more fork-like utensil, so it was just natural for him to choose the fork. He looked up again when the father spoke up, hearing his intimidating voice but managed to smile, knowing he was right. There are many things one can tell but he simply... wasn't someone who liked to tell tales about himself. He also wasn't one to speak. He liked to listen more than anything. He couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of the siblings, shaking his head.
"Well, those are rather small things... Insignificant. And I don't truly have any funny stories to tell. I normally don't go out much and my family is busy all day." He stopped, thinking, trying to come up with anything to talk about that would be worthwhile about him. "Oh... My mother said I should take the profession of a mage. I am... not truly that good with a bow or at running..." Naril trailed off, clearly he wasn't all that comfortable to talk about this subject. "So... they think it is best I did something else. Magic is fun. Well... sounds fun. I didn't yet have any luck in it..."
Lilly stuck her tongue out at her sister before looking towards the boy. She noted that despite what he was saying it didn't sound like this was what he wanted to do.
"What do you want to do?" She asked outright before continuing to eat.
Will also seemed to take notice, stopping his eating for the moment and looked towards the elfling curiously. Rosa and Cane had started talking among themselves. They were speaking in the olden language that their mother had used when singing at the festival. It was a home language which is why they never used it among the elves. Now that they were home among their own besides the boy, they used it freely jumping between the language of man and their own like it was second nature. Every now and again Rosa would say an elvish word. She was teaching her brother and telling him about her day at work. He was less talk-active than her but it showed in his face that he was curious.
The elf looked up briefly, now poking the food with his fork, not because he wasn't hungry or didn't like it but because he was in deep thought.
"I... want to do what everyone else. Shoot a bow, climb trees with speed only our kind can do... Handle the sword... Or a spear..." He trailed off with a sigh. "But I cannot. I lack the stamina and balance for it, let's not even talk about speed. I don't know why. The others say because my family is native elves. Created here in this world by the Main God to refresh the blood of those who came from Middle-Earth." He explained and leaned back slightly, raising an eyebrow when he heard foreign words being spoken and averted his attention to the talking siblings. Of course there were a few words spoken in his language as well, which was clear was used for education. The way she said it, she was trying to teach the other the language. But from how things look and sound... she could use a little teaching as well. She was just learning. Shrugging, letting them speak as they wished, Naril finally scooped some of the food into his mouth. Only a small potion though... The scent was strong and the elves know to only try little as a first bite from anything foreign. And the advice was... rather useful as he just now learned.
The food... It was... extremely spiced.
His skin did go red a little but thanks to the very small amount he tried it wasn't so bad as one would expect. It was still strange... and not as pleasant.
"This is... unusual..." He commented, not wanting to offend anyone. Spices were always used little in elven foods, this is why they are more sensitive to it. They feel them better. But seems like the family likes to use them excessively. He grasped for the cup that was set before him without much hesitation and drank a little water to ease the strong taste. "Wow..." He said with a chuckle, despite everything, he found it funny. He didn't expect this.
Lilly giggled at her friend's reaction, she did expect it after all. Not many humans could take their food either. The two siblings also laughed a bit at his reaction but nothing too much not wanting to embarrass the boy.
The two parents were quiet, though, looking to each other as if they were having a silent conversation. The mother said something in their language which seemed to catch the siblings' attention before the father nodded. Lilly's mother smiled and looked at the elf boy.
"There is no reason why you still can't even if you are different. It just means you will have to work a little harder... and maybe a little differently than the others. Have you ever considered strength training?" She asked him calmly.
Lilly grinned, liking this idea already.
"Strength?" The elf frowned, of course blushing a little when the family started to giggle at his reaction to the food but he didn't let this hold him back from eating. He was invited for dinner, so will not offend them by not eating anything. Besides... it wasn't so bad, once one can look past the very strong taste. But one has to concentrate much on that. "My kind has no true strength... In the way you suggest." He pointed out, not understanding why they would suggest something like that. It was obvious that his kind was lean, slim, their true strengths comes with bows, swords, their speed and agility. Strength would be the complete opposite, right?
The mother smiled.
"The body is a fantastic thing. It will adapt to whatever training you put it through and grow that much stronger if treated right. You already admitted you are not quite like the other elves. Maybe it is better you treat your body as not like theirs and find other means of making yourself stronger like you want. Strength training is different from the others but it might be exactly what you need." She explained. "It won't end in you using a bow and arrow but it would be useful in sword play and hand to hand combat." She added.
Naril cleared his throat, understanding what she meant of course. However she seemed to misunderstand him as well.
"I mean... Elves might by naturally unable to strength training..." He added and let his gaze wander to his hand which still held the fork. "We don't have much muscle... by nature." He made sure to note this as well and waited for a reply. He never saw an elf with more muscle than what was necessary for wielding their weapons and he never saw an elf with excessive muscle. He didn't see elves with one either... They didn't seem to be... fit for it or naturally capable of having such strength.
Holly laughed lightly and was about to explain herself but Lilly beat her to it.
"When was the last time one even tried?" She asked bluntly. "Besides most of those elves are from Middle-Earth. You just said your family isn't. Maybe yours is different from them. For all you know you could be as strong as my dad if you tried." She added with a grin.
Lilly's mother nodded.
"It is true. Though, you can't have the same hard structure as we do, you very well could be just as strong. If you wanted, that is." She stated, though, she wasn't really trying to push too much.
"Well..." The elf trailed off, trying to find the right answer.
"They might have tried once. But they don't anymore because they know they can't..." He guessed. Surely an elf or two decided they wanted to see how much strength they can get from an elf and they didn't like the result. This is why the elves don't work with muscle. They must have tried. "Well... I am guessing this all because I have the same body build as them..." He explained with a shrug. "But... I think I might give it a shot..." He finally said, looking at Lilly and her mother, although he didn't sound too convincing. "Trying is at least better than sitting inside all day studying for the arcane arts... I don't like sitting inside."
Lilly squealed happy, he was going to try and even went to hug. However, she stopped instantly when her father spoke up.
"No." He said bluntly.
Holly looked at him confused before realizing what he was doing. The father was actually quite willing to teach the boy. However he wanted to test something first. He wanted to know the boy's reaction and see what his mental state was like. There was more to strength training than just the physical. He needed to know how he was going to need to train the boy mentally as well.
Naril didn't exactly understand what he meant, so frowned in confusion and tilted his head a little, letting his eyes rest on the father.
"What do you mean?" He asked, unsure. Well, he talked about many things in the past few seconds, so he could have meant anything... Unlike the family, he wasn't synced with them, so didn't know what he meant just by a gesture or a word.
The father looked towards the elfling.
"I don't think you can handle it. So I refuse to train you." He clarified simply.
Before Lilly could protest, her father gave her a look that made her go quiet, though, she did pout. She didn't understand what her father was up to, so it annoyed her.
Will then looked back at the boy, keeping his eyes training on his. He continued to wait and see what he might do or say. He was calm his face, showing no true emotion at all. If he was thinking anything the boy would not be able to tell.
"I didn't expect it." Naril said, blinking. Well, the family offered that he trains in strength but they didn't offer the training itself, so he found nothing bad in the refusal and neither did Naril ask for training. "I am sure I can train myself. Somehow." He added, then simply went back to eating, trying a new bite of the strong and hot food. Of course he didn't know what a training of gaining strength held but he had the slight idea how to start it. Building muscle would be his primary goal, strengthening what he had so far perhaps. He will have to research in the library for a proper way. Because surely they have something.
The father leaned over and flicked the boy on the forehead.
"First lesson. Don't be a fool. Use what you have and push for what is right. So far you have allowed others to tell you what you can and cannot do, which has made you unsure of yourself. You have a resource in our family, teaching you yet you were willing to give it up so easily when you were told no. Strength without wisdom and the will to push for what is right is like building a wall in the middle of nowhere. Useless." He told the elf, his voice rather harsh. "Be here before sunrise tomorrow. If you are late you will run. Got it?" He said but it wasn't really a question. The boy either made it or he was running. No real question to it really.
Naril frowned right after this. He didn't understand the father. Or more like... he didn't understand him.
"No. I think you misunderstood me." He pointed out, still staring at the father quite confused, almost offended at the harsh words. "I meant that I didn't ask for training, neither did you offer. You just suggested. That isn't equal to offering the training, neither did I expect it. This is elven nature." He said, then simply shook his head and resumed eating. He wasn't used to harsh words or... commands. Especially when they misunderstand him. While maybe it would be expected from normal people in Middle-Earth to expect and demand such things, he was an elf. And elves were humble, they don't expect or demand. They ask or don't even expect help for free or without it being suggested. If someone doesn't want to help, then they don't, they don't take it to the heart.
"Does that not equal out to the same thing?" The father said bluntly. "Your 'elven nature' is something that you will have to work with as well. In your own words strength training is not elven. So the ways of the elves -while a part of you- will have to be monitored and you will have to find a new balance in them as well. It is not just a physical change but a mental one." He said, then flicked the boy again. "And don't correct your elders. It is rude." He added as if it was a secondary thought.
Cane snickered lightly. He would have to work with the boy too. His father could be... harsh and it took some getting used to. Even he had a hard time with it sometimes. He was sure Naril would find it out though if he was stubborn enough anyway.
Naril frowned, especially at the handling he got. He didn't like it of course. Also, not the snicker of the other boy. He was already left behind by the others, he didn't need another helping of mockery. If this is how it is going to look, then he might as well reconsider his choice.
Lilly grabbed up the boy's hand.
"He will be here, daddy, I promise!" She said quickly, then pulled the boy, running out the door before the conversation could continue any farther.
Now. Things will change from the next chapter.
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