A Light in the Shadows: Closed thread

[The_gladiator]

A light in the shadows

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Historians note: This story takes place in a world of fantasy loosely based upon forgotten realms or other such worlds or campaign settings. However as it is not set in any one created world things may be borrowed from many sources.
This is a land where elves are at peace for the first time in a long time. Between giants and humans and the ever greedy drow of the underdark, the elves have been plagued by wars on and off for centuries. However, the present peace has lasted near to 30 years now. In war things do not always go as planned. This is what brought about our current tale.

Peace year30 – year of the silver maple – Summer

He sat, his hands folded in his lap. He was supposed to be meditating, but today he couldn’t summon the focus. He blew out a sigh and tried to reassert control over his body, yet continued to fail at it.
He was in denial, the fact he couldn’t focus was due to his nerves. He was not meditating, he was awaiting. Today was the day someone from the village would come to resupply his small house, and for that small span of time, he wouldn’t be alone.
Banishment was the highest punishment that the elven council could dispense. Just below that was semi-banishment, and solitary confinement. Such was Veldren’s fait. He was not permanently banished from the elven lands, but he might as well have been. He was allowed no contact with his peoples, although he was able to still feel he life of the forest, he could not participate in its fertility rituals, not able to share and enjoy life with others. The only contact he was allowed was the visitation of an elf who would drop off supplies he couldn’t grow on his own. Veldren almost wished that the elves utilized the death penalty, that would be better than this solitude. Such were the consequences of his actions. He knew what he elves in the tree town thought of him. His high elven kin thought him a murder and rapist and worse, a dabbler in black magic. All but the latter weren’t true. He had tampered with things best left alone, for a good cause to help his people, nevertheless the elders considered it a mark of his evil nature. So he wore the black robes they’d given him marking his “Evil” nature, and lived alone on the edges of society.
He heard the soft sound of cart wheels and assumed that the man who brought his supplies had arrived. He did not bother to open his eyes, if it was Waylen, he knew where things went, he craved the company, but couldn’t indulge himself. If he let himself feel happy and enjoy another’s company, it would only make it more difficult when he was alone again. So he sat, his black hair obscuring the lines of his face, his eyelids closed over his green eyes. As he pretended to be absorbed in meditation.

[MadameNyx]

The small cart slowly made its way along the road, making quite a bit of noise as it carried it load. Eirian, though, wasn't riding inside of it but, rather, in front of it. Her petite frame sat atop a majestic chocolate mare with black hair, leading the small cart towards their destination. She was definitely not like a typical high elf young woman.

Eiri stood five feet tall, a couple of inches shorter than normal, her skin a dark tan color resembling deep bronze. Her body was toned, yet with marked curves on both her hips and chest, both covered in a soft white and gold dress, a gash starting half way to her thigh to allow her to ride properly. Delicate features adorned her face, crowned by smoky gray green eyes and full lips, her long curls as dark as a moonless night falling to the tops of her thighs, some strands teasing the exposed skin of her collarbone and a bit of the swells of her breasts.

Her mind wondered to all the rumors that had been going about the person that she was visiting today. That he was a murderer, a rapist... and evil man. She did not believe this, but was prepared, nonetheless, carrying with her her longbow and six slender daggers, hidden about her person as always. She may not look it, but she was an expert in combat, moving even with more agility and grace than most of the other elven women.

Finally reaching her destination, she stopped her mare, Chocolat, and dismounted. Giving the horse a grateful pat on the side and a small nuzzle against her nose, she made her way to the door and knocked.

[The_gladiator]

The footsteps were not waylen, and this caused Veldren more commonly known as Vel to look up. His door was open, and the figure had stopped in the doorway out of respect. He came to his feet smoothly, showing the liquid grace of their people, his right hand audomatically coming up to swipe the shoulder length black locks out of his face. He was talll for an elf, much closer to 5'8" or so. He was surprised to see his visiter was a woman. It'd been years since he had seen one, they typically only sent males. "What not afraid I will try to ravage you?" he asked, surprised at the raspy quality of his voice, out of practice from disuse. It still managed to convey a very bitter note, one that caught even him off guard. His first sight of a woman in 30 years, and they had to send the most beautiful wone too. She was not much passed the age of adulthood. This meant that she was over 99, but from there he couldn't guess her age. He did note she was younger than him though, that was all he could tell. He looked to be perhaps in his mid thirties for the humans, yet this probably ballparked his age at least 500. He was younger than this, but stress had taken its toll. "Come to take a good look at the dark one?" he asked his voice a bit less strained as he started to get used to talking once again.

[MadameNyx]

Her unusual eyes took in his appearance as her ears heard the rasp in his voice, wincing slightly at the bitterness in it. That was to be expected, though. The man had been isolated from the rest of the population for quite a few decades and he was bound to be angry or frustrated, among other things, especially with the Mid-Summer festivals that had already started, the time where most of her kind found their mate. Eiri, though, thought herself too young for that kind of thing. Besides, no one had really caught her eye quite like that.

Slowly walking inside the humble home, she shook her head and smiled kindly at him. "No... I don't believe those rumors." she said in a soft, musical voice "I've come to keep you company, actually. I have been granted permission to visit you during the festival. That is, if you'd like me to."

[The_gladiator]

he looked taken aback, "The elders approved the sending of a woman to me for the festival?" he said a bit of color actually coming to his cheeks. Surely she couldn't mean for what he thought she meant. "You're no girl, you're a full grown woman, you know as well as I do what happens on festival night." he said, "Hell our people are so promiscuous that night that many a child has been born that bares no resemblance to the husband, but to the man down the road." he laughed, "You cannot stand here in the flesh and tell me you have come to..." he trailled off and woffled his hand in the air, in a you complete the sentence gesture. This had to be a new torment cooked up by the elders. he shrugged, more likely she was just sent to keep him company, to apease their guilt at keeping anyone alone at such a time of togetherness. To taunt him with what he never could have. He actually turned away to pore himself tea to soothe his throat smoothe it out again, and of course he removed the cite of temptation from his vision. She was a vision of beauty, her skin tones suggesting a touch of sylvan blood in her heritage, for it contrasted with the paleness of his own skin that in bright colors would have almost gloed, but looked more like he was just overly pale against his black robes.

[MadameNyx]

Eiri could feel the heat rising on her cheeks as she listened to him speak, a light blush appearing on her tanned cheeks. She felt flustered at the idea that the elders would allow her to come visit to mate with him, a complete stranger. On the other hand, her chest tightened slightly at the fate of this man; to be alone for centuries, denied the caring touch of another.

"I'm here to keep you company and to be your link to the village, so to speak" she said in a quiet manner as she watched him move about, getting tea "This is an experimental approach on your sentence, so to speak."

"I'll start bringing in the supplies." Straightening again, she brushed a few stray curls from her eyes and turned, her knee high boots silent as she made her way outside.

[The_gladiator]

he smiled a little inwardly, he had embarrassed her. Why so shy, he thought, 'did she suddenly think that the elders had sent her to seduce him?'
hhe only nodded as she turned to start getting the supplies. He knew he had started this meeting off wrong, but now wasn't sure how to rectify the situation. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, he knew what others thought of him, and started to act the part. He knew it wasn't his nature to be so rude, however he wasn't sure he cared anymore. He pored a second cup of tea for her planning on offering it to her when she returned, maybe that was the right thing to do. Why was he acting like this? Was he so afraid of a visiter? was he afraid of then being alone again? Veldren took a deep breath and blew it out sharply, trying to send away his apprihension at the situation with it. He sought to restore his calm and poise. He would let things play out... if she had been planning on bedding him, it most certainly wasn't going to happen after what he said to her, how he treated this most obviously beautiful stranger.

[MadameNyx]

Eiri sighed as she made her way to the cart, patting Chocolat as she passed her. Deciding she need some time to relax, she set about the task of unloading the supplies, placing quite a few baskets filled with differing goods. Once she was done placing all the baskets close to the doorway, she led the mare to the side of the house, unhooking the bonds and easing the animals burden, giving her a grateful pat before placing a small bucket of water for her to drink from.

I have to remember to brush her she thought to herself as she returned to the baskets taking as much as she could carry inside and placing them neatly in an unoccupied table, since she didn't know where everything went. Once she was done, she lifted her eyes to see he had poured another cup of tea.

"Where should I place all the supplies, mister...?" she trailed off, remembering they hadn't introduced themselves to each other yet.

[The_gladiator]

He watched her return with the baskets. He actually approached helping to set them on the table, before handing the cup of tea to her before offering her his hand in time for her to pause to ask his name, to which he smoothly incerted his name, "Veldren." he said. "You are Eirian," he said smiling just a little, "I knew Lydian very well." he said before his face darkened with sadness as he mentioned her mother, "May the spirits cradle her soul forever." he said in ancient high elvish. before switching back to the modern form of the tongue, "You look just like her." he said before offering an appology, "I appologise for my rudeness." he said as he clasped her hand in his before letting it go. It felt almost strange to feel the touch of another even in such a small way. he had been alone for so long. "Alone save for reina." he said unaware he'd spoken this last aloud his eyes sweeping the house for his cat, who was as he suspected sunning herself on the window. His house was small with one commonroom with a kitchen in one corner, and two small rooms off it, presumably for his sleeping chamber, and the other seemed to be a combination lab/library from where she stood.
Almost as if sensing his gaze, the cat climbed down and moved to twine around her master's legs. "They told me I had to be alone, but she won't leave." he said a sad smile on his lips, "Unless they were willing to kill her, she'll keep being loyal to me." he said smiling down at his one and only true friend.

[MadameNyx]

Eiri was rather surprised when she saw him help her with the baskets and even more so when he offered her some tea. Taking the offered hand, she gave it a small squeeze her eyes widening as he mentioned her name and, later, her mother. Her eyes immediately turned sad, something she scrambled to hide as her hair moved to obscure them, tickling her cheeks as she pulled her hand gently away and guided the cup to her lips, taking a small sip.

"You knew my mother?" she asked quietly as she watched the small cat curl around his feet. Her mind wondered back to her mother, feeling her chest tighten. She missed her... and it made her a bit angry that their time together was cut so short.

[The_gladiator]

"Yes, I knew her well." he replied softly. "Years ago." he said his face reflecting sadness as he picked up the cat and held her in his arms, stroking her black and gray fur absently as his gaze turned inward. "It was elder aidwyn's idea of a cruel joke sending you to me." he said softly. "Sent me one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and knows I wouldn't touch her. Sent you to grind the knife in a little deeper." he seemed to shake himself, "Forgive me and my babbling, I seem to have forgotten all of my manners." he said softly. "This is Reina, my dearest companion." he said, holding the cat out to Eiri with a small smile. He seemed to be avoiding the subjects at hand, focusing on something simple, his cat and the introduction of her to Eiri.

[MadameNyx]

Eiri bit her lower lip, looking down at the teacup in her heads, feeling it warm her hands slightly even as she heard him talk, almost to himself. Why would sending me be a cruel joke? Why would it hurt him to see me, if we've never met? And why didn't he tell me how he knew my mother? she thought to herself as she felt a very light blush color her cheeks.

Lifting her gaze to him again, she smiled at the small cat, placing the cup in her hands on the table closest to her. Walking closer, she slowly stretched her arm and scratched gently behind the cat's ear, marveling at the softness of her fur "Hello Reina. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[The_gladiator]

"We were once close friends." he said softly as if realizing he hadn't told her how he knew her mother, "I was with her when she died." he said, "What ever you might have been told, I did all I could for her, I did not leave her side, I tried to save her." Tears glissened in his eyes. "Forgive me, I tried to save her." he said turning his back to her as if unable to keep looking at her when she looked so much like her mother. It was obvious there was more to the story, things he hadn't said, couldn't say, but he had made a start, and at least he wasn't being rude to her anymore.

[MadameNyx]

Her chest tightened as she continued to listen to him. She had never really known her mother, having spent most of her years living with a surrogate family while her mother traveled with the elven army through their world. The news of her death had arrived just as she was turning the legal age, making her throw herself into her weapons and magic training. Even now, thirty years later, she didn't know much about her, just that she had been beautiful and a very skilled fighter with both magic and weapons.

Clearing her throat softly, she summoned her voice to reply "It's alright. I'm sure you did all you could..."

Drinking the rest of her tea, she brushed some curls behind her ear as she continued to speak, trying to lighten the mood "Well, I should go outside and finish making the small camp and tent..." her voice trailed off as she had an idea "Would you like to help me brush my mare?"

She hadn't seen any horses around there, so she assumed he hadn't seen or touched one in a long time. If he liked animals, maybe that would help ease the sadness that seemed to have taken a hold of him after speaking about her mother.

[The_gladiator]

"Yes I did all I could... including some things I shouldn't have tried." he said color creeping into his cheeks. "Forgive me." he said after a pause. He nodded to her words, "Yes I would love to meet your horse, And. I will not hear of you sleeping outside. I know our people like the outdoors but I sense rain is coming. You can stay in the common room, or I could even give you my room." he said kindly seeming to be much more pleasantly disposed to her now than he'd been before he realized who she was. "She loved you child." he said gently resting a hand on her shoulder before removing it and walking past her towards the door, knowing touching her had been a mistake. He had been there at her birth and he should regard her like a daughter, however she was a woman, a beautiful woman, who resembled strongly a former lover, and he couldn't keep his thoughts fatherly. He moved out of the small house, heading down towards the stream where he refilled the bucket she had watered the horse from, before approaching the mare slowly, offering her his hand to smell. "You're beautiful." he murmered to the horse, "Like your owner." he added in a low tone almost blushing, hoping that her keen elven hearing wasn't that sensative and she'd missed that comment.

[MadameNyx]

Eiri bit back a chuckle as she watched him blush, her smile turning grateful at his invitation. "Are you sure I wont be a bother?" she asked softly before her eyes turned soft, feeling his hand rest on her shoulder. Her eyes watered and she stood still as he moved outside, allowing herself some time to control the sudden sadness.

Stepping outside once again, she managed to hear his comment and blushed slightly. Walking closer to him, she watched as Chocolat smelled his hand before nuzzling it with her nose, clearly allowing him to touch her. Pulling out a brush and a comb from a satchel, she handed him the comb and patted the side of the mare.

"Can you untangle her hair for me? When you're done, I can show you how to brush her, if you like" she said with a smile as she moved to carefully clean her hooves, her white dress bunching around her legs like liquid silk.

[The_gladiator]

He nodded as he began to comb out the horses hair. "WOuldn't a pair of pants be more practical for riding?" he said eyeing her clothing, and then noticed the slits in the sides. He yanked his gaze away, highly eaware he could see glimpses of her legs. "What's her name?" he asked to cover up his lapse in self control.

[MadameNyx]

Eiri chuckled at his question and at the way he was suddenly very interested in her horse "Her name is Chocolat. And you're right, pants would've been more comfortable, even if this dress has slits at its sides." she said before biting her lip "The elders gave me this dress and asked me to wear it for you. They said something along the lines of, and I quote, "It's been a while since Velden has had the opportunity to glance at a female, so give him the whole show.'"

"I'm sorry..." she said softly, feeling guilty that she hadn't thought about it hurting him, or making him more sad about the fact that he couldn't mate at all. Her hands deftly brushed up the mare's legs as she said "I'll change into pants as soon as we're done here...."

[The_gladiator]

He reached out his hand touching her shoulder again this time brushing her long thick hair, as dark as his. "No, you do not need to. I err. Was trying to make a joke." he said softly blushing. "That sounds like your father." he muttered, "Never did like me." Veldren said as he stood up to brush higher on the horses body. "I think you're very beautiful." he admitted his green eyes steadfastly avoiding her gaze. Inwardly he wondered, just what the full show included, and whether he could turn her down if she offered, if he even should.

[MadameNyx]

Chuckling softly at his blushing cheeks, she frowned a little at the mention of her father. He must mean Elder Aidwyn she thought to herself. She knew she had been rather lucky to be taken in into an elder's home while her mother was away, but she really couldn't see how that was so. The elf was cold, unemotional... she had actually avoided him as much as possible through the century that she lived in his house. About her blood father, well, she knew nothing about. Not a name or a whisper, much less a description though, judging from her unusual skin tone he seemed to be one of the Wood elves. Blushing at his compliment, she bit back a shiver at the soft touch of his hand, walking around the horse to show him the proper way to brush her.

Placing her hand over his on the brush, she slowly guided them across the mare's side, feeling herself blush at the closeness of their bodies.

[The_gladiator]

He let her guide him for it had been too long since he'd had such contact. He didn't want to tell her he'd been brushing mares when her mother was her age, but he didn't. He smiled down at her. He was taller for their people and stood at least half a head taller than her, if not more. "He took you in because he didn't have a choice. Your mother was dead, and he wanted me locked away..." he said, knowing he shouldn't belittle her worth, he would have cared for her, but he couldn't stop himself from insulting Aidwyn. He had no idea what sort of a relationship she had with her adopted father, so he should respect the man more... but couldn't.
"So, can you use those weapons you carry?" he asked, "Or are they just for show?" his expression was lighter again, almost challenging.

[MadameNyx]

"You would've taken me in?" Eiri asked quietly as they brushed the mare. Her thoughts whirled, many different questions jumbled in her mind. Why would he take her in like that? Had he and her mother been so close that he would've been the first choice to take care of her with her mother gone? She chewed her lip as she thought, wondering if she should just ask him.

His teasing question reached her ears and she chuckled, turning around and lifting her face to look into his eyes "Which weapons? The bow I have stowed in the cart, the swords next to it or the daggers that I have hidden about my person right now?" she asked with a slightly innocent voice "Or do you mean magic?"

[The_gladiator]

"The daggers you have, here, here, here, and here." he said tapping each in turn, guesturing to them more than touching them for he was reluctantly to touch her anymore, afraid of what that might lead to. "I also thought I caught a glimps of sheath on your upper thigh, you might want to wear it just an inch higher to conceal it more fully." he said smiling. He nodded, "Yes so tell me how skilled are you with all of them?" he asked his green eyes gazing down into hers, suddenly, aware of how close they were, her turning put her almost in his arms. He took a step back not wanting to crowd her against the horse. "As for magic, I would love to sense your orah, feel your power." he said, "I'm surprised Aidwyn sent you to me, I would have thought he would fear I would instruct you in magic, I did not even realize you were a practicioner." Many fighters were also mages in the elven people, but he hadn't realized that Lydian's daughter might cary on her tallent.

[MadameNyx]

Eiri grinned and finished brushing the horse before taking off the reins and seat and allowing her to roam free. Turning to look at him, she found herself quite close to him, his body almost brushing against hers. Her eyes glinted mischievously as she heard him talk.

"Hmmm well actually... you missed four" she said as she slipped a finger into her boot, showing him one of the handles even as she showed him a flash of thigh. Straightening, she chuckled "As for magic, I'm afraid I'm an oddity. I have two affinities, fire and water, and both are opposites, as you know. I'm quite a good with blades as well as magic."

Remembering his request, she relaxed, allowing her orah to run free, feeling it tease her skin, filling her being with power. "Aidwyn was against me coming when he discovered the amount and strength of my magic. He was too late, though. The decision had already been made." Feeling her hair start to move lightly in an unseen wind, she looked at him with shimmering gray-green eyes filled with power. "What about you? What type of magic are you skilled in?"

[The_gladiator]

He felt the sense of her power, and was indeed surprised to feel the dual combination of elemental afinities. It was common for one to have a major element and another ninor element, but this mastering of opposites was intriguing, and in fact he had seen it only once before. "Curious." he murmered. "My energy is with the element of force." he explained as he continued to feel her strength, which was still strong yet untrained in many areas. As he made mention of one of the rarest of mages. For one who worked with the element of force, or energy, could often show control of the other elements, for example he could create fire by exciting and heating air particles by causing them to ignight. "I was originally an adept of air... but training adapted my gift for force, and energy." he explained, "Unlike you, I do not have control of my opposite element, and even with the gift of energy, the earth will never come to my call. I can never summon a creature from the elemental plain of earth and have a hope to control it." he explained, he withdrew his senses back within himself, "I can teach you to manipulate energy, which will allow you to go beyond the limitations of water and fire, and even all the elements." he said. What he left unspoken were the darker sides of his tallent he had explored. She did not need to know of these at this time, at least not outside rumor that is.