Activity

Sry, this clip is quite a bit longer than the other. This is a flashback, basically. It’s about Nayandi’s father, Charles (yes yes, I know, terribly common name, but I can’t think of anything else, ha ha) and the events leading up to the sisters’ walk through the forest. 🙂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They [meaning Charles and Naldiel, Nayandi’s Elvish mother] had already had a son together. According to Elvish tradition, Charles named him first. He called him Runaha, which roughly translated into the common tongue means ‘land son’. Then Naldiel gave him his Elvish name, which was not to be revealed to him until it was time. The name was Nérelda.

When Runaha was only a year old, his younger sister came into the world. Charles named her Nayandi, while her mother gave her the Elvish name Lárawen. Naldiel died in an accident nine months later.

Charles grieved with his two children, but took up the responsibility of raising them alone. A year later he married again, this time to a human named Arianna. Together they had three more children. Their firstborn was a girl they named Rhea, then a boy named Thomas, then another daughter named Jade.

Many years passed pleasantly. Neither Runaha nor Nayandi knew they had any other mother than Arianna, nor that they were half-Elves, nor even that Elves existed outside of fairy tales and old legends. Still, Nayandi dreamed of crossing the wide ocean and finding lands beyond.

On Runaha’s twentieth birthday, Charles decided it was time for both of them to find out who they were. He took his oldest children aside and told them of Elves, of Naldiel, of their Elvish names. Of their choice.

“Children, as half-Elves you have a decision to make,” he said, his blue eyes icily serious. “To become a complete and mortal Man, or to become an Elf and never face death unless you grow weary of your many years or are felled in battle or another terrible accident, as your mother. Think carefully.”

Runaha stared into his father’s face, his own countenance a mixture of shock and disbelief. His reply came slowly, and Nayandi waited for it. “I believe we have another mother, Da. We look quite different than our siblings. But an Elf? They are myths.” His tone of finality made it clear what his choice was.

“You have your mother’s genes, do you not?” Charles countered. “Your sister has the long hair of an Elf-maid, and  you both have pointed ears.”

“It is nothing,” Runaha scoffed. “Our ears are more pointed than those of Men, but not enough to consider us Elves. Nayandi can have long hair, that doesn’t make her Elvish!”

“Nayandi?” Charles turned to his daughter. “What about you? Do you believe I speak the truth?”

Nayandi hesitated. True, her hair reached almost to her knees. True, her ears were pointed, though not as much as she had imagined an Elf’s would be. She longed to believe that the old tales were true, and that such races as Elves, Dwarves, maybe even creatures such as dragons existed. And yet she couldn’t just throw away her old life.

“I… I don’t know,” she murmured. She looked into her father’s eyes, trying to discern if he was telling the truth, teasing them, or if his aging mind had finally broken. Suddenly, a bright flash of an uncharacteristically reckless idea sprang into focus. “Da, if you are in earnest, then surely you know where the Elves dwell. Runaha and I could search for them. If they aren’t to be found, then we will choose Mankind, for if there aren’t Elves, how could we be Elvish? But if we discover the Elves, then we can make our own choices, knowing that this is indeed the truth.”

Runaha broke in. “Don’t be so hasty, sister. I don’t want to go trekking all over the world looking for a myth. Even if Elves existed in the past, they aren’t here anymore.”

“Exactly!” Nayandi cried triumphantly. A rare smile spread across her lips. “They aren’t here. Why couldn’t they be elsewhere? Do you know where they live, Da?”

Charles sighed. “Yes, but it is a difficult journey for a maiden – fraught with danger. Even with your brother by your side, I would fear for your life.”

“We can succeed. I must discover the truth before I make such a life-changing choice. Do you not think that wise?”

“It is to be considered, certainly, but not to go questing for. Change your mind, daughter. It is too dangerous for a lady.”

“Don’t be hasty,” Runaha said. “Who said that I’d go with her anyway? I don’t believe in Elves, and I don’t wish to waste my time, my resources, possibly even my life searching for them. It is foolhardy.”

“You wouldn’t go with me?” Nayandi asked, turning her dark eyes on her brother.

“No.”

That decided it, then. “I will go by myself.”

“No, Nayandi!” Charles raked his gnarled fingers through his graying hair, clearly agitated. “I don’t know if you would even find the Elves, for I  have never been to their domain before, only heard what Naldiel told me.”

“I know, Da, which is why I need you to help me. Just repeat to me what she told you. Please.”

Chalres sighed, knowing he was beaten. “You are sure?”

“I am.”

“Then…” He hesitated. Nayandi’s eyes sparkled. “The Elvish lands lie across the Sea. I must say that there aren’t just Elves there, but Dwarves, Men, and no one knows what other folk. I don’t know what you will encounter.”

“Where across the Sea?”

“To the west. But no Man  has ever set out on the Great Sea to cross it and returned!”

“Perhaps it is what they found there that made them long to stay,” Nayandi mused, turning her ideas over in her mind.

“Or perhaps they met with trouble on the sea and drowned,” Runaha replied bluffly. “I’m leaving. If you must go on this quest, Nayandi, then say farewell before you leave.” He strode off, whistling a jaunty tune as if nothing had conspired.

Nayandi was about to follow him when her father placed a hand on her arm. “Your mother gave you and Runaha Elvish names. Yours is Lárawen.”

Nayandi was silent for a moment, her face unreadable. Her next words came out as a whisper. “What does it mean?”

Charles shrugged. “I never asked. I do know that your brother’s name and yours are in the High Elvish tongue. Few still speak it, as it is used only with rituals and poems. I’m sure many Elves still know it, but no Dwarves that I know of and only a few of the Men.”

“Then why name us in that tongue instead of the Elves’ mother language?”

“I don’t know. Naldiel never spoke of it, but I wondered if she was a High Elf – one of the Noldor.”

Nayandi thought about this for a moment, then asked, “What is Runaha’s Elvish name?”

“Nérelda.”

“Nérelda,” Nayandi repeated slowly to herself. “Thank you, Da.” She gave him a small smile and ran to catch up with her brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kinda choppy, sry about that. Critiquing welcome!