Elfhunter

by C S Marks

  Two bright springs arose from the center of the realm, flowing musically along to the southeast and southwest before disappearing beneath the rocks. Outside they emerged as two mighty watercourses, enlarged by the melting snow, crashing down the mountainside to be reunited into the clear but always-chill river Artan. Within the influence of Mountain-home the air was warm and the stars were bright, despite the cold mists of winter still clinging to the mountains outside.

  Rogond found Ordath relaxing in one of her light, airy courtyards surrounded by flowering vines that filled the air with their fragrance. She looked up from the manuscript she had been studying, for she knew of his approach almost before he did. "Come and sit with me, Tuathan, for I would speak with you awhile." Rogond bowed, and then moved to sit across the small table from Ordath, who watched him intently.

  After a moment, Rogond spoke. "It is well that you wish to speak with me, Lady, as I also have matters I would discuss with you. However, I am not certain how to broach them, as they are… somewhat delicate."

  Ordath smiled to herself, as she had always favored Rogond and found his awkward manner in the present situation rather disarming. "Perhaps you would do better to wait until I have brought up my own concerns, as they may be closely tied to your own," she said. Rogond looked hopefully at her and nodded.

  "I have always been fond of you, young Aridan, and have taken a special interest in you since you were first brought to the Sanctuary. I have heard good things about your exploits since you left us years ago, and I am pleased that you have done so well in the company of your own people. I would state that I take some pride in having had a hand in your education. Therefore, if I see you going down a path that I would deem unwise, I must at least make you aware of my concerns. Do you understand?"

  Rogond nodded, though he was beginning to worry that the "unwise path" to which Ordath referred was precisely the one he had come to inquire of himself. Abruptly, Ordath startled Rogond with a very direct question:

  "Exactly what is the nature of your desired relationship with Gaelen Taldin?"

  Rogond drew back from Ordath’s straightforward gaze, dropping his eyes for a moment. He had been hoping to lead gradually up to this sort of question, but the Lady was obviously unwilling to allow him that luxury. After collecting his thoughts, he looked again upon Ordath’s very perceptive countenance.

  "I’m not quite certain how I should answer that," he said. "Then allow me to put it another way," said Ordath gently. She did not wish to make Rogond uncomfortable, but she needed to get to the truth. "Is Gaelen merely your friend, or are you enamored of her? Is she but an attractive plaything, or are you hoping to make her yours, so that you might be bound to her forever?"

  Rogond thought for a moment. Was that really what he wanted? Did he love Gaelen enough to bind himself to her?

  "She is much more than a plaything, and yes, she is my friend. But I cannot now imagine life without her. You ask if I hope to bind myself to her. I love her more with each day that passes, and the more I learn of her, the stronger my attachment becomes. So I suppose the answer to the question is, yes, I think."

  Ordath’s mouth twitched in a suppressed smile. "You think? Are you uncertain of this?"

  Rogond looked flustered for a moment. "I am only uncertain because I have been trained well to never consider the possibility of such a union. I…I was hoping for some insight from you into such matters."

  Ordath nodded thoughtfully. "Rogond, will you tell me how this love for Gaelen came to be, and how it has progressed? What has drawn you to her, such that you would consider binding yourself to one of Elven-kind, against all the advice you have ever been given?" Then Rogond told Ordath all he could about his attachment to Gaelen, from the moment she first sang to him as he lay in the deadly grip of fever, to the journeys they had taken together and the perils they had faced.

  "When I thought Gaelen might be lost in her effort to save Nelwyn, I felt the life drain out of me, as though my heart would be wrenched from me. I want to be with her always, even if it means keeping my feelings hidden."

  His face had flushed bright red by then, and he dropped his eyes.

  "Just being there to protect and defend her would be preferable to being without her. The worst fate I can imagine at that moment would be…to be sent away, never to see her again. And she will need protection! I love and admire her spirit, but she…well, she must have someone to moderate her. She will need my strength and my spear and blade, as well. Please do not counsel that I must leave her, for I will not, at least not without her command. And having sought your wisdom, I shall not wish to gainsay it."

  "Does she know anything of this?" asked Ordath. "She is obviously fond of you, but does she have any idea of the depth of your devotion to her?"

  Rogond considered. "I don’t know. I haven’t told her, but I don’t know what she may have guessed already."

  "My suspicion is that she is still fairly naïve concerning you, gentle Aridan. Otherwise she might have left you already. She is wise and experienced in the way of the wild, as you are aware, but she knows little of the intricacies of the heart. Gaelen tends to see everything as either right or wrong. She may have some difficulty seeing this union as being ‘right’."

  Rogond nodded, but his expression indicated that he did not think Gaelen would leave him, at least not without explanation. After a brief silence, he found the courage to ask the question that had prompted his visit.

  "Magra has indicated that I would be quite unwise to involve myself with Gaelen, and I sense that this warning goes beyond the obvious. He will not explain, but tells me I should inquire of you if I wish to learn more. Will you enlighten me?"

  Ordath raised one dark, elegant eyebrow. "I am not certain that all should be told here. Galador has also expressed concerns to me of this. Apparently, Magra and Nelwyn have spoken to him concerning your attachment to Gaelen. Do not be wrathful! Galador is a true friend, and he wishes to stay his friend from folly. He did gain some enlightenment from me, though not as much as he would have wished for. I will tell you now that you will need to learn much of it from Gaelen herself. Magra was also acting in your behalf, for he thinks well of you…despite your shameless effrontery!" She paused and shot a stern look at Rogond, though there was amusement beneath the surface.

  Rogond flushed at the gentle rebuke. "It was not entirely shameless, my lady, not by morning, at any rate. But though I regret the affront, I would not take back my action. I would still have risked denting Magra’s pride for a dance with Gaelen."

  "Admit it, my friend. You were marking your claim. Your demeanor made that clear from the first. We all took note of it. In your situation it is understandable; men live for such a short span of years that patience and forbearance may not number among their virtues. Yet this is so unlike your usual comportment…it was this that concerned Magra. As to your request for enlightenment, to you I will give that which I feel it is my right to give. But first, I would speak plainly with you concerning the Elàni and the Aridani, and why it is that the union of one with the other is ill-advised. I know that you may have been told of this already, but hear me and take heed." Ordath then told of those unions of Elves and men that were known to her and of the devastating results. None could deny the fate that awaited every man, and Rogond would indeed pass out of the realm of reckoning when death took him. Gaelen could not follow him, and she would be forever apart from him with no hope of reunion. Should she give up her life before him, her spirit would go to Elysia, the eternal realm set aside for the Elves by Aontar.

  Rogond would never see her again.

  "One of the things that makes death bearable is the hope of being reunited with those we love who have gone before," she said. "To bind yourself to one of Elven-kind may mean happiness for your brief span of days, but loneliness and longing on the part of both for eternity. You shall be separated beyond hope. Ask your friend Galador about the agony of such a loss, and you shall be enlightened. And I judge there will b
e no exception made for you, or for Gaelen." Her eyes filled with deep sadness as she continued. "Not even the mightiest Asarla can gain entry into Elysia."

  Rogond knew that this simple truth had doomed her father, Shandor, to an eternity of longing for his beloved Liathwyn, such that he had lost his reason. This had no doubt grieved Ordath greatly, for she had loved her father. And what fate had been ordained for Ordath herself, who was both Elf and Asarla, upon her passing? Not even the wise could say.

  Rogond could not hope to escape this eternal parting, for Gaelen could not follow him into death. But neither would she choose to do so, no matter how much she came to care for him, said Ordath. "There is one who awaits her on the shores of Elysia—one to whom her heart has already been given. He will await their reunion until she can follow him, or until the End of Days. Her heart has been given."

  The color drained from Rogond’s face, and he fought to maintain the steadiness of his gaze into the eyes of the Lady. The pain of being the deliverer of this news was clearly written there.

  "Oh. I see. And who is this fortunate one for whom she holds her heart in reserve?"

  "That I cannot tell you, as Gaelen herself must reveal it. But I will say this—do not count him fortunate, for much of his life was hard nearly beyond enduring. And he did not become acquainted with Gaelen until the very end of it. They had precious little time together—a matter of hours, I would say. He died a hard death, Rogond, for many reasons." Ordath looked into the distance for a moment, her face drawn with the painful memory.

  Rogond looked bewildered. "Hours, you say? How could a strong heart such as Gaelen’s be given so quickly? How could such a brief bond be so unbreakable?"

  Ordath sighed. "Have you not heard what I have said concerning her? She sees all things as right or wrong. And he was much the same. You should know that such immediate attractions occasionally happen among the Elàni. They bonded forever by the end of their first meeting, though neither of them intended or wished for it. He, in particular, was filled with both joy and regret, for he had foreknowledge of his impending doom. She would have followed him then, had he allowed it." She shook her head. "As I have said, do not count him fortunate. He lived most of his life in grim solitude only to find the one he would share it with in the last days. Imagine the knowledge that you would have such a short-lived relationship." To this, Rogond answered: "But it was not short-lived—she carries him in her heart even now! I would sooner have her for a brief while, knowing that one day we would be together for eternity, than never have known her at all."

  Ordath lifted her chin and raised both of her eyebrows. "Ah! Hear your own words, my friend. They speak more to the wisdom of this choice than I could ever reveal. For you cannot be with her for eternity. If you choose to bind to her, knowing that she is already bound to another, then so be it. We will not interfere. But you will have to content yourself with whatever time you have in this world, for beyond that you shall be forever apart. Do you now see that it is not concern for Gaelen that drives us to question your wisdom, but concern for you? And unless I am mistaken, she will not sanction this union for your sake. Consider carefully your choice."

  Ordath rose and extended her hand to Rogond, placing it on his shoulder. "I must leave you now with your thoughts, my friend. I do not envy you the decision you will have to make. But I will give you one gift ‘ere I depart. If you would know the identity of He Who Waits, look for the small, flat pouch she wears always across her heart. It contains a token given to her upon his death. Take notice of the design upon it, as it once belonged to him. You may then learn the truth." She turned, and left Rogond alone.

  His thoughts were in turmoil; he had not expected anything like these revelations. More than anything he wished that he had not heard them, as he honestly didn’t know how he would address them. His despair welled at the thought of Gaelen’s heart being given irretrievably to another. He felt at once the desire to confront her, and the desire to turn from her forever. He did not yet know in which direction his choice would lead.

  Gaelen sat once again atop the wall overlooking the peaks to the west, weighing her choices in her mind. She had grabbed an early meal from the pantry before going out and had now settled herself on her stony perch. She had a sense that something of importance was about to happen, a sort of anticipation rather than foreboding. Something compelled her to take this vantage point, and she kept scanning the approach route to the north, as her sense was that whatever was coming would first appear there. She had already eaten most of her meal, which had consisted of a small loaf of fresh-baked bread that she had cut open and stuffed with a mixture of butter, honey, and cream. This would sustain her until tomorrow if need be. She chewed thoughtfully, relishing the taste of the wild honey, and considered her course.

  There was much that could be done. Someone would need to travel to Tal-sithian, to the Verdant Mountains, and to the lands west to warn the Elves there of the existence of Gorgon. His next path was unknown to all save himself—he could go anywhere.

  She thought of her promise to Ri-Aruin. In truth, they should return to the Greatwood, and the thought of going there was very attractive to Gaelen, as she missed her friends, especially Wellyn. She did not like the thought of Wellyn worrying about her, and though they were quite accustomed to being apart, she would ease his mind. The circumstances under which she had left him were far from ideal.

  And what of Rogond’s desire to travel to Cós-domhain to learn more of his origins? She would want to accompany him there, should he choose to go. She shuddered at the thought of walking willingly into the greatest of all dwarf-realms, but as long as Rogond walked beside her she would not fear.

  She would go and seek counsel from Ordath and Magra as soon as was practical, as there was some urgency in the need to warn as many as possible of this dark threat. Perhaps she and Nelwyn could travel to Tal-sithian, though it had been a very long time indeed since they had carried messages there. It was a long journey, and these days the more perilous.

  Gaelen also wished to make use of Magra in the best possible way, as he might be a match for Gorgon should they meet. He was as tall as Rogond, but of greater substance, and he had seen more of battle than perhaps any Elf yet living. She remembered Gelmyr, who had been taken so easily despite his experience, but Magra had the greater power, and he was aware of his enemy. Gaelen felt quite certain that he would not find himself sharing Gelmyr’s fate.

  It was with such thoughts turning in her mind that she first heard the horns of the scouts who patrolled the rim of the mountains to the north. They announced the arrival of strangers, but not of enemies. She strained to see the tiny path leading down into Mountain-home, and her keen eyes quickly spotted five horses: two ridden, one laden, and two led. There were two tall men astride the horses, but they dismounted when the going became treacherous, turning the two other horses loose to make their way carefully before them. These two looked familiar, especially the dun, who stopped and lifted his head into the wind, then gave a loud whinny.

  Eros! Gaelen whispered his name, then stood up, balancing atop the wall, and called out in a loud, clear voice. Eros and Réalta both heard Gaelen’s call as it carried to them on the wind, and they broke into a careful trot, taking the difficult path without hesitating. Gaelen was very happy to see them, and she knew that Rogond would want to be told right away.

  She looked carefully at the two figures that now led their mounts and pack horse. Even from here, she could tell that they were men, Northmen most likely. Both had dark hair and were unshaven. They looked hale, but were probably travel-weary. Gaelen would go at once and find Ordath and Rogond, as well as Galador and Nelwyn. She rejoiced as she sprang lightly from the wall and sprinted back down the twisting, narrow path to Ordath’s dwelling. Here, perhaps, were more allies! She would count three hardy Tuathar as a definite asset. "Vile, black-hearted creature, you will spill no more Elven blood before long. Gaelen and her army are coming for you!" She entertained an amusing
thought of herself, clad in kingly armor and brandishing every sort of weapon, leading an army. By the time she reached the lower courtyard she was laughing out loud.

  She found Ordath in the upper courtyard, and ran up before her, flushed with excitement. "Two Rangers are coming down into the valley from the north! They have Rogond’s horse with them. He will no doubt want to be there when they arrive—do you know where I may find him?"

  Ordath held up her hand in an attempt to calm Gaelen. "I will summon Rogond. Why don’t you find Nelwyn and Galador?"

  Gaelen seemed not to hear. "So, where is Rogond?" she asked, literally bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet with suppressed excitement.

  Ordath placed a hand on her shoulder to quiet her. "Please, Gaelen, you are making me dizzy. Perhaps you would do me the favor of alerting those in the stables, and I will fetch Rogond. It will be an excellent use of your apparently boundless energy."

  Gaelen started to protest, but Ordath held up her hand again. "You are in my house, Elf of Greatwood. Here, you will do as I request." Gaelen flushed and dropped her eyes in submission. Ordath did not tell her that she had an excellent reason for keeping her from Rogond just now. When Ordath had last seen him, he had been in no condition to confront Gaelen.

  Nelwyn and Galador were first to arrive in the lower courtyard, followed closely by Gaelen, who had practically flown to the stables to inform the caretakers of the five new arrivals. She ran breathlessly up to Nelwyn as Eros and Réalta first made their appearance. Eros trotted right up to Gaelen, ears forward, nickering softly. Réalta nearly knocked Galador down, shoving his head under the Elf ’s right arm. Galador accommodated him, scratching the base of his neck at the withers, while Réalta nibbled affectionately at Galador’s back, an expression of bliss on his finely chiseled face.