hero of hurukon

8/14/2019 Hero of Hurukon

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Introduction

There are those who would deem the land of Hurukon unable to beunified under one leader. There are those who believed that thewarring land of Hurukon could, if that leader had the strength andcourage to rise up and take control. Some others believed that neitherwas possible nor impossible.

The Elder Races: the dwarves of the earth, the elves of the forest,the dragons of the western sun, and the goblins of the north tried tostay out of these hopeless wars, but of course, war would eventuallybe brought on them once the time came.

But who would this leader be? Everyone pondered this question,even those that did not think it possible to unite the warring lands.Who would be the powerful being who had the strength and courage tounite the lands? Who would be the one to raise the first standard of Hurukon and to lead a united army to battle the Yurakai who constantlyattacked and raided the land of its people for slaves and its crops forfood?

Indeed, that is a question to ponder, but this person, the Hero of Hurukon, as everyone had come to call this wonderful leader, has to befound, not by any being existing, but on their own. It is said thatwhoever this leader might be, must do this and rise up to the challengeof taking the title Hero.


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Chapter 1: The Council

Again, a soft voice commanded. The sword was tossed back and aslender gloved hand caught it gracefully. The owner of the graceful,slender hand was a young elf maiden named Araewyn. Her blue eyes,as blue as sun-kissed sapphires, gleamed fiercely under the helm asshe faced her opponent again. Long, flowing black locks of hairtumbled out from under the helmet and down her back. That waterfallof raven black hair rippled as she crouched down on slender butpowerful legs.

Her opponent approached, his own sword gripped tightly in hishands. Save your strength, Araewyn. Use your opponents weightagainst him. That is the way, her opponent instructed her in theirtraditional language, Elvish, as he crouched in the same position thatshe was in. Araewyn nodded.

In a blur, the two silver elven swords met with a clang and fasterthan the human eye could see, the two swords parried and attackedand nipped at each other. The two elves, graceful as dancers, foughtacross the leaf-covered stone floor of an open cave. Sunlight streamedthrough the open roof of the cave, lighting up the small fighting arenaas the two danced across the leaves.

Barely a few seconds had passed when one silver sword flew up intothe air. Araewyn reached up and gracefully caught the sword in herfree hand and gently rested both blades on the floor by their tips. Heropponent straightened. Good, Araewyn. We will continue tomorrow,he told her, pulling off his helm. She did the same.

The helm revealed a soft but strong beautiful face. The flawless facewould have had any human man falling onto his knees at its beauty.Sculpted lips were slightly parted to take in air as the nostrils on thesmall perfect nose flared slightly to do the same. The corners of thatmouth were turned up in a brilliant smile. Tapered ears picked up thesounds around her. Tired already, Cousin Lorn? her musical voiceteased her opponent.

Lorn couldnt help but grin at his beautiful cousin. He swept back along stray lock of white-gold hair. His eyes, as blue as his cousins,gleamed with laughter. No, your father instructed me to stop an hourafter noon. Apparently, some important humans representing thecountless little kingdoms around the land have arrived today to discusssome things and he wants you with him, he replied.

Araewyn smiled and handed his sword back to him, sheathing herown at her hip. Lorn, why do they even bother with us when we donteven involve ourselves in their wars? she asked. She followed hercousin from the cave and down the grass-carpeted path. We have toldthem specifically that we do not want to involve ourselves in humanwars but yet, they keep coming.


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Her cousin was thoughtful for a moment as they walked down thepath. The humans see the Sacred Forest as a place where the leadersof each group can peacefully talk without bloodshed. They see it as aneutral ground, for this land that we live in is older than they canimagine and have seen many things that they, as humans, could not

see in a lifetime. Their word for it is that this is a holy land. Theybelieve that we are messengers from their gods since we live so long.We do not deny them what they believe nor do we acknowledge theirbeliefs but we, as a peaceful race, let them continue in this way inhopes of stopping the bloody wars, Lorn explained to the younger elf.

Araewyn was quiet for a moment. Why can the humans not seethat if they are not united, they will only make things worse forthemselves? she finally asked.

Lorn shrugged. They are humans, Araewyn. Humans by natureare greedy. Each man wants more for himself and his people so theycannot come to a peaceful conclusion. Even if the lands were split up

into holdings for each group, eventually, wars will break out as onegroup tries to take over his neighbors lands, he told her.Araewyn glanced up at her cousin for a moment, searching his

emotionless face for any other explanation before finally looking at theemerald forests around them and up at the sapphire sky that shonewith the golden rays of the sun. Her sensitive hearing picked up thesound of a laughing creek in the distance and the sound of thecrashing waves of the sea.

They lived in a beautiful and old forestland called the SacredForests. The trees here were at least over two thousand years old, thecreatures that lived among the greenery were not frightened of

anything for no elves hunted animals, which they viewed as distantcousins, for food. Here and there in the forest were patches of dirt anda small cottage. Those had been left there long ago by the peace-keeping Dragon Warriors whenever they came to visit. Araewynremembered seeing dragons with scales that gleamed like rubies,sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, and all sorts of gems that landed inthese little clearings with their riders. But that was long ago. Thedragons had long since migrated off across the silver mountains tosome other distant land.

Araewyn sighed. Things had changed so dramatically since thedragons had left. The human race fell into despair as they started

warring against each other as the dwarves retreated into the ground totheir stone castles underground. The goblins fled to the mountains asthe humans began to despise them.

If anything, she blamed the humans for what happened. Thedragons left because they no longer wanted to endure the pain of having their eggs stolen by the humans to be raised as their ownsteeds to serve their selfish ways. The dwarves had retreated andbarred the doors to their gem and gold mines as the humans became


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greedier for more wealth in gems and gold. The peace-loving goblinshad turned savage when the humans attacked them just because theyfeared the goblins.

And the elves had to endure much of this worldly pain because theirlives were longer than anyone elses and they had seen much of what

had happened even though none of their people were harmedphysically through these events.Araewyn shook her head slightly. That was in the past now. She had

to focus on the present. The grass-carpet path had ended and they hadarrived in the forest-village of the elves. There was a sacred feel aboutthe village and it suited for the village was a sacred place. In all thehistory of elf-kind, there has never been any violence in this village.

The villages buildings were all built into the trees by ancient magic. The suns light here was silver as it filtered in though the treetops. Atnight, the moonlight shone brightly the same way, lighting the way. Itwas the most peaceful place that Araewyn had ever seen in her entire

life. She sighed. It would not last long with the humans on the move.Lorn clapped her on the shoulder. I will leave you here, yourfather is waiting in the council room, he told her. Araewyn nodded.She headed up towards the council room, still deep in thought. Thecouncil room was a room that was located in the tallest tower in thepalace. It was so that whatever was discussed there could be discussedabove the sacred and peaceful village and keep the village untaintedby talk of war.

As she entered the palace, she paid no attention to the beautifulhallways made of woven trees and their branches, turning whateverlight that came through from the sun into a soft green light. She paid

no attention to the silver bark of the trees that rearranged themselvesand folded themselves back to form doorways to her destination.

She did pay attention the silver figure that appeared out of thegreen light in front of her. What ails you, my daughter? the womanasked in a soft whispering voice that reminded Araewyn of the windwhispering through the treetops when it blew. The voice suited thewoman for she was the Mother of the Forest. Humans have comethrough our home, the Sacred Forest. It has been a while since theyhave come through last and this time, they smell of blood and war. Isthis what ails you, daughter? the woman said after a pause whenAraewyn did not respond.

Araewyn finally found her voice. Yes, Mother, she replied. The Mother bowed her head in thoughtfulness after a while, her

head rose and she fixed her silver eyes on Araewyn. They have comewith their weapons of murder. Ask them to remove them from theSacred Forest and to remove their clothes that reek of murder andblood and don ones that have not been touched by war and grief. Thatis all I ask of you, daughter. Can you do this for me? the womanasked.


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Araewyn knew that the Mother did not always give the answer thatwas expected from her but whatever answer she did give lead to theanswer that the questioner sought. Yes, Mother, she replied, bowingin the elven fashion intricately twisted hand symbol placed on heart,other hand behind back, and bowing.

Thank you, my Daughter. Fare you well, she whispered before shedisappeared into the green light. Araewyn paused for a moment beforecontinuing on. She eventually reached the council room at the top of the palace.

Six humans and three elves turned to look at her as she entered. The humans could only stare at the beautiful elf as she made her wayover to her father, the king of the elves. She stood beside him andfaced the humans. The Mother of the Forest asks you to remove yourweapons and clothes from the Sacred Forest before proceeding withthe council, she told them in the human tongue, meeting each of thehumans eyes.

Each of the big men, all dressed in armor that shone in the softgreen light of the room bristled with annoyance. Who the blazes isthis Mother? one spat. Araewyn looked him over with those sharpblue eyes of hers and the man flinched.

I assume you are the leader of this....group, she said, pausing atthe end slightly when she did not know how to describe the assortmentof men. It seemed to fit and not insult the man because he puffed upwith his human pride and thumped himself in his muscular chest with abig powerful fist that Araewyn was sure could punch the teeth in of anybeing. Before he could say anything, Araewyn strode towards the man.The Mother is the Mother of the Forest, the Mother of the Sacred

Forest. Our forest has been untouched by blood and war for a long timeand now that you humans have brought it in, it is her duty to have thesource of it removed.

The man stared at the beautiful maiden. Araewyn met his eyessteadily. What does the king of elves say about this? he finally said.Araewyn was sure he was very reluctant to remove his weapons.

I have no objections if the Mother commanded this, which I amsure she did, Araewyns father, Typhen, said quietly. Youd best listento Araewyn, Im afraid. Shes one of our best. This council will hold off until all six of you have removed all traces of murder and bloodshed tothe Mothers content. Otherwise, you will leave the Sacred Forests

immediately. Araewyn will go with you. The six men grumbled but stood as ordered and filed out the door.

Araewyn followed behind the last man as he left and followed thegroup down the stairs. They stopped at the bottom to wait for her.Where? one asked.

This way, she replied, taking them down the hall. Six pairs of tramping feet followed along behind her as she took them out of the


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palace and out of the village and into the forest to the laughing creekthat she had heard earlier.

Your weapons will have to be taken from you just until you leave. This is nothing about unarming you, only to keep the village untaintedby blood, she told them as she walked.

You wear a weapon, one said, pointing at her sword.Araewyn nodded. Yes, I do, but this weapon has never touchedblood before and it is not used for warring purposes like yours, shereplied.

Ladies shouldnt carry weapons, another muttered.Araewyn stopped at the last remark. I am not like your human

ladies, to be weak and cowardly in the face of danger, she growled,eyes flashing dangerously. They laughed and formed a loose circlearound her.

Do you know how to use that sword, lady? one of them asked.Araewyn recognized him as the one who had spoken so scornfully

earlier of the Mother.Would you like to find out? Araewyn asked, turning on. Heimmediately backed up as he found the point of her sword at histhroat. He was amazed at her speed. He hadnt even seen her draw thesword at her hip.

We have no time, a quieter voice said, she turned to the man whohad spoken, lowering her sword. The man who had spoken was ayoung man who had soft green eyes and soft silver, almost white, locksof hair. He had a strong face. Like the others he was heavily muscled,but there was something different about this man. Araewyn, pleaseforgive Henrys rudeness. Hes a bit hot-headed.

Araewyns hand lowered, her sword along with it. She met thosesoft green eyes for a moment. Yes, of course, she finally said,sheathing her sword. She continued on towards the creek. The menfollowed her once more.

As they reached the creek, which she realized was not a creek but asmall shallow river, she stopped and turned to the men. You will washhere. Ill have clothes for you in a moment. Leave your clothes andweapons on riverbank. They will be kept safe for you until you leave,she told them. They nodded and started down towards the river. Theman with the silver hair was last.

Who are you? she asked him softly as he approached. He stopped.

A human, he replied with a playful smile. She had to smile at that.Can you really fight?

She grinned. Yes, she replied. She drew her sword and he drewhis.

They say Im the best, he told her.They say the same about me, she countered. Answer my

question: Who are you?


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The man grinned and attacked her. Her sword was there in aninstant. What surprised him the most was that she was wielding it withonly one hand. No matter how much of his brute strength he putbehind his sword, her arm did not waver. He suddenly felt a boot in hisstomach but it was more of a little nudge to get him to concentrate

than an attack.Araewyn broke away from him and in a blur, she had plucked hisweapon from his hands and they were in hers. She tossed both swordsaside as he ran at her, intending to tackle her to the ground. Her palmsfound his shoulders and she slid back several feet on braced feet asshe stopped him in mid-charge. Youre strong, he gasped, surprised.His breath came short to him.

Im an elf, she told him right before she grabbed his shouldersand twisted, tossing him spinning into the air. He landed on his back,gasping. Crouching over him, she peered into his eyes. To her surprise,he was laughing though his breath was knocked out of him.

Aragorn, are you all right? his fellows shouted. There was a splashas his fellows ran out of the river and towards them. Araewyn foundherself pulled to her feet, her arms behind her back. A knife found itsway against her throat.

She didnt struggle against her captor but she was angry at thecontact of the blade on her skin. The mans blade reeked of death andhe reeked of sweat. Aragorn was pulled to his feet but he waved hisfriends away and dusted himself off. Let her go, Henry, he told mycaptor. Henry didnt let go.

She attacked you, he protested.No, I challenged her. Now let her go, Aragorn assured him.

Araewyn found herself being released from the grip of the mancalled Henry. Go wash up, she told them, picking up her sword andsheathing it. She handed Aragorn his sword by the hilt and he did thesame. The men reluctantly obeyed, not wanting to leave her alone.Araewyn ignored them and leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree.Aragorn gave her a salute before going off to join his friends at theriver.

She watched the men as they leaped into the river after they hadstripped off their clothes. She watched Aragorn in particular, admiringthe way his white hair gleamed in the sunlight. But then she turnedaway. She had other things to do first. Straightening, she opened her

mouth and she began to sing an eerie song that only the elves knew. This was song magic.

The men stopped to listen and watch as light filled the forest andAraewyn rose slightly into the air. The forest was filled with beautifuland brilliant music that came from Araewyn. Before they knew it, themusic had stopped and the light had faded. But in Araewyns armswere piles of clothing. She strode down the riverbank and set theclothes down, separating them into different outfits. She took their


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things and arranged them into neat piles on the riverbank for theMother to collect later.

As she straightened, Araewyn found the men dressed. Their hairwas slightly damp from the river. If you are all decent, then we willgo, she told them. They nodded and she led them from the forest and

back to the palace.As they walked, the six men talked amongst themselves. Araewynnoticed that the things that they spoke of had nothing to do with thepurpose they were here. Araewyn pondered this for a moment but thenshook it form her head. It was none of her business. Aragorn was soonat her side.

Who are you exactly? she asked him again. This time, he answered. I am the son of the king of one of the

many nameless kingdoms that covers Hurukon, he replied, pulling hisfingers through his spiked white hair.

You are a prince?

He shook his head. No, I dont want to rule. Im a Ranger now. I likethe life of traversing through the forests and lands of Hurukon. It iseasier because I can see things that many of my people can onlydream of seeing all this madness of the wars that keeps them fromseeing the things I see, he explained. Araewyn nodded inunderstanding. There was a pause. What about you? Ive never metan elf before.

You know who I am, at least, she pointed out. His green eyesgazed at her steadily and she sighed. Im sorry if Im being a littleimpolite at all. I dont really like humans.

No one asked for an apology.

Yes, but I like to give one before something happens, she replied.He smiled gently at her and Araewyn found herself liking his smile.

He was charming and handsome for a human. She sighed inwardly. If only he were an elf. Tell me, forest maiden: why do you not like myrace? he asked in a teasing way.

I was alive when the Dragon Warriors existed and when thedragons flew our skies. I remembered the dwarves and their gruff butgentle ways and their skill of art in all sorts. I remember the goblinsand how gentle they used to be before they came to hate all thatexisted save for themselves, she whispered, not meeting Aragornseyes. His smile had disappeared. Araewyn didnt want to see what was

in his eyes.The human race was a young race then, and we made a mistake

by helping them. Eventually, they took power for their own and begantheir crusades and whatnots, she continued. The peaceful land thatmy people helped culture and tame for the humans became filled withchaos, war, violence, and famine. The dragons left as their eggs wentmissing by the hundreds every month. The goblins became savage andvicious as the humans raided their peaceful homes. The dwarves


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disappeared forever into their underground castles when the humansgot greedy for wealth and shiny objects that come out of the ground.

The elves, I would say, were struck with the most grief. They watchedwhat was going on around them but could not do anything to help.

My people did not know what they were doing, it seems, Aragorn

said quietly, almost to himself. What they have done....It is too terribleto imagine. To think that one of the four Elder Races fled the landbecause of my people....

Araewyn said nothing, only kept walking. She should not havespoken that much about the human race. Humans like Aragorn couldonly imagine. They would not have known or seen what had happened,which was worse.

She led the humans down the halls of the palace as they enteredand made their way up to the council room once again. Then she wentto stand behind her fathers chair as the humans took their seats. Thecouncil shall now begin, Typhen said, sitting up straight. We are here

to discuss the treaty to unite the human kingdoms of Hurukon underone standard to be raised on the field of battle by the said Hero who isto come.

Excuse me, sir, but how are we to discuss this when we have noHero yet? one of the men asked. Araewyn recognized the man asHenry, the big man who had spoken earlier. She didnt find it surprisingthat he was the first to interrupt and to speak in the council.

The Hero will come once he or she has discovered her or hispurpose. Do you remember none of this, Henry, son of Phalanphus?one of the young men said quietly. My fathers job was done. All he hadto do now was supervise the councils discussion to make sure things

didnt get too worked up and that they were on topic.We should find the Hero then and tell him his destiny, one of the

other young men said. I glanced at him. He had a vibrant look in hisviolet eyes. His brown hair was uncombed and hung to his shoulders.He seemed to be one of the more enthusiastic in the group, andprobably one of Henrys supporters. It was clear where his kingdomsloyalties lay.

My father, King Phalanphus, believes that this should be so, Henrytold the other man.

We are not here to discuss the Hero, young humans, but the treatyto unite the kingdoms. This treaty, when signed by each

representative, will be put away and presented to the Hero when he orshe appears, Typhen told them quietly, leaning forward.

One last question, sir, about the Hero that is. Why do you keepsaying her? Shouldnt it be clear that the Hero would be male? oneof the other young men sitting next to Henry asked.

Well, my daughter, Araewyn, is one good candidate as a Hero, Typhen said, gesturing at me. I forced my face to remain blank andunchanged as the six humans turned to gaze at me. She has a


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warriors heart, a strong will, and a lot of courage. She has the want todo good and she believes that the land of Hurukon should be united asone. Not only that, she is an excellent warrior and has remainedundefeated by young elf warriors, all male, in her age group. The onlyone who could best her would be her cousin, Lorn. Speaking of Lorn,

he is also another candidate. He is wise and strong, he has a goodheart. He is very much the same as Araewyn. But Lorn is my heir if Araewyns brothers reject the position. Araewyn has revoked her rightto the crown of the Sacred Forest. Even though Lorn could lead youinto battle, he would not be able to be your leader for he has a dutyhere at home as my heir.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the wooden door before anyonecould respond to the kings statement. The door opened withoutwaiting for a reply and Araewyns youngest brother tumbled in throughthe door, almost falling onto his knees. Araewyn and all the other elvesin the room were immediately worried. Serafin, Araewyns brother, was

the fastest runner among the elves. He was not cut out for combat buthe was faster than all of the runners they had and they only had himrun messages if it was an emergency. Usually, he was situated inplaces in the Sacred Forest at different times of the day or in placesthat had been attacked before so that if any trouble came up, he wouldbe able to take a quick message to his father.

Serafin, Typhen started but his son sat up on the floor gasping andgestured for him to be silent. Typhen stopped and Araewyns worryincreased. The only reason that Serafin would dare to hush the kingwas that this was a serious bit of news.

The goblins.... he gasped. He gulped for breath.

Calm down now, my son. Youve done a brilliant job. Just calmdown to give us this message, Typhen urged, coming out of his seat toknee l down by his sons side. Now whats this about goblins?

The goblins have attacked the northern Forest! They needAraewyn! Serafin practically shouted in his fathers face before hekeeled over from exhaustion.

Serafin! Araewyn murmured, starting forward but her fatherblocked her way.

Go, Araewyn, what are you thinking! Go! her father urged her.Serafin will be fine, he just needs to rest. Fly, Araewyn!

Araewyn stopped and turned. Opening a window, she leaped out.

Any human would have broken all of his bones by the time he landedat the bottom but Araewyn landed easily on her feet and ran for thenorthern Forest. Troops of warriors followed her out and some of themhad brought her armor with them. Now as they ran, she donned thearmor and switched her untainted sword for another that was speciallyprepared for serious battle.

They ran on for at least another half hour. As they finally reachedthe northern Forest, Araewyn thought she smelled wood smoke on the


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wind. She was right. A moment later, a tree burst into flame and fellwith a crackling boom. There was guttural laughter around the fallentrees and screeches of warning as the band of elven warriors werespotted coming a full sprint down the forest path at them.

With a cry, Araewyn launched herself into the goblins without

hesitation. She slay one savagely, her face twisting with distaste as hotblack goblin blood splattered onto her hands and her skin but movedon. Goblins stopped burning the Forest as they realized that they werebeing slowly reduced in number by a fanatic elven maiden with fierceblue eyes and long twirling black hair heading straight for their mainattack group.

Pulling her lips back from her white teeth in a snarl, Araewynattacked. The elves around her struggled with two goblins at a time asshe slay one after another. Some elves began to fall as they goblins gotthe better of them but Araewyn was always there to stop everygoblins last strike at a fallen elf so many more elves were saved than

had she kept going on by herself.Finally, when no more than five goblins remained standing, theysurrendered. It had happened so fast that by the time the six humanshad arrived out to help, all they found were elves putting out the fireand goblins being tied up and marched back towards the village asprisoners. The dead goblins were piled into a pile for a funeral pyre.

The six humans separated to help the elves clean up but Aragornlooked around for Araewyn. When she appeared, he was taken back byher gristly appearance. Her clothes were splattered with black goblinblood, her sword was covered up to the hilt in the stuff and her handsand face were almost covered over completely.

Araewyn had found a spot on a stump of a tree to sit down and rest.She took off her helm as Aragorn arrived. I thought that elves did notlike to kill, he commented as he sat down next to her.

She flashed a grin at him. We dont but we do it when it isnecessary, none of that kill and hunt for sport kind of thing that youhumans like to do, she explained to him. She bent down for a momentand when she straightened, in her arms was a white rabbit with softwhite fluffy fur. She dumped the rabbit into his lap. The animals in theSacred Forest do not fear anyone except their predators. That is part of the reason why the Sacred Forest is so sacred it basically holds a pactwith the animals it houses. No one hunts here without our permission

so this place is also a safe haven for them as well from the hunters of the human world.

Araewyn watched as Aragorns rough calloused fingers stroked therabbits fur with surprising gentleness for a moment. She imagined fora moment what it would feel like to have those fingers being combedthrough her hair, tenderly caressing her skin and tracing her face. Shesmiled for a moment and then shook those thoughts from her mind.She was an elf and he was a human. It could never happen.


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She then turned back to cleaning her sword. Placing a finger on thebloodied blade, she whispered a few words in the Sacred Language,the language of all living things. Aragorn gasped as the blood alongAraewyns blade began to smoke and the blood began to fade away,like it was being burned away by some unseen fire.

After a few moments, the last tendril of smoke bore away the last of the blood and Araewyn ended the spell by removing her finger fromthe blade. Then she sheathed it at her side and stood. Aragorn let thewhite rabbit fall gently onto the ground before he followed thebeautiful elf maiden. You must show me more, Araewyn heardAragorn said as he caught up to her.

She shook her head. Your purpose here is because of the council,no more. That is the only reason why the Mother let you and the rest of the humans through. If you wish to stay longer, you must speak to myfather and then to the Mother to show that you are worthy of staying,she replied. Araewyn was genuinely sorry. She really did want Aragorn

to stay longer because he was the first human that had gone againstwhat she had thought about all humans but the Mother might not allowit. Besides, your father might want to know the situation with theother kingdoms.

Aragorn nodded sadly. But before he could say anything else, ahandsome golden-haired elf trotted up to Araewyn. Araewyn, Lorngreeted his cousin in Elvish. He paid no attention to the white-hairedhuman standing beside her.

Araewyn smiled in greeting. What is the current status of theattack? she asked in the same language.

Aragorn heard the golden-haired elf say something in reply in an

alien language that he did not understand. He waited patiently for theconversation to end. Apparently the north Forest was the only placeattacked. Thanks to you, we held them here long enough to keep themfrom spreading elsewhere, beautiful cousin, Lorn was saying toAraewyn in Elvish. He finally saw Aragorn at her side. Who is this?

Aragorn, she replied in a distracted manner. Her mind was, at themoment, thinking about the reasons for the sudden goblin attack.

There could only be a few reasons why the goblins would attack nowafter so many years. One of them could be that the war was on themove, causing the goblins to uproot themselves and start theirmigrations again. Either that or they had been recruited goblins were

fierce fighters when they were organized and made to work together.But recruited by who? She glanced at Aragorn for a moment who waswaiting patiently at her side and then gestured at Lorn. This is mycousin, Lorn, Aragorn, she said absently in the human tongue.

Lorn ignored the introduction and turned his attention to Araewyn.Beautiful Araewyn, would you like to go to supper with me tonight?Lorn asked, unaware that Araewyn was thinking of other things thansupper for that night.


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Even though Lorn had asked his request in Elvish, Aragorn knewvery well what he was asking by the way he had slightly bowed andtilted his blue eyes up to tenderly meet Araewyns. Immediately, hehad an urge to push the elf aside but then he resisted. He was ahuman. There was no way that Araewyn would like a human. She had

told him herself that she blamed humans for the disappearance of theElder Races.Lorn, speak the human tongue for the benefit of our guest

please, Araewyn murmured absently in the human tongue, gazing upinto the trees. Her blue eyes searched for something above them.May I borrow your bow?

Lorn unstrapped the impressive bow in the quiver on his shoulderand handed it to Araewyn. Three arrows, she said as she took thebow, her eyes never leaving the treetops. Lorn plucked the threerequested arrows out of the quiver and placed them in his cousinsoutstretched hand. She stabbed two of the arrows into the dirt at her

feet and put the other to the string of the bow.Lorn looked up with her into the treetops. How many? he askedcuriously.

Araewyn grinned, pulling the arrow back on its string until herthumb touched her cheek. Six, she said. She let the arrow fly up intothe treetops. In a moment, the arrow had disappeared into thegreenery. She lowered the bow and waited.

Both of her companions scanned the treetops blindly, not seeingwhat Araewyn saw there. Do you know what the elves call her? Lornremarked to Aragorn in the human tongue. He didnt wait for a reply.We call her Hawk-Eye. Araewyn Hawk-Eye. Shes the best archer of all

the elves because she has those special eyes of hers.What kind of eyes?Her eyes have the same abilities as those of a hawks. Its an

inherited trait passed down through the ruling familys bloodline.Hawk-Eye hasnt been seen for generations so we all thought that ithad died out with its last user, one of the princes almost two hundredyears ago one of Araewyns brothers in fact until Araewyn wasborn.

Araewyn is two hundred years old? Aragorn asked, looking withsurprised at the seemingly young maiden standing before him. Shedefinitely did not look two hundred years old.

Lorn gave a startled laugh that was partly amusement. No, shesactually quite young. She was born when the wars started in Hurukon,or rather, she was born around the time it started. She was alive whenthe dragons were still here but they left when she was ten years of age. It broke her heart because she had several friends whose parentswere Dragon Warriors and they were taken along with their parents towherever the dragons had decided to migrate across the mountains.She wasnt much but a baby then.


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Aragorn was still surprised. He thought that the dragons had leftonly a few years after the wars, making Araewyn sixteen years of age,but if they had left before the wars, around the same time the DragonWarriors had vanished from the lands, that would make her

How old is she exactly? he asked, not wanting to calculate, fearing

the answer.Before either of them could say anything more, there was a screechand two goblins fell from the trees, felled by one arrow. The elvesimmediately caught the goblins before they could run and added themto the string of prisoners. Lorn crowed with delight at his youngcousins accomplishment. Nice work, Araewyn, he complimented.Araewyn grinned and swiftly pulled another arrow from the ground andputting it to the string. Her blue eyes searched the treetops again.

Aragorn was perplexed. The arrow had taken at least three minutesto finally hit its target. Why did it take so long for the arrow to hit? heasked Lorn quietly, not wanting to distract Araewyn.

But Araewyn was the one who replied. Its because I was guiding itwith magic to the target. It was kind of hard with the goblins hoppingmadly from one branch to the other the whole time up there, she said.Could you two be quiet for a moment? Its hard enough locating wherethey are without the two of you talking about me.

How do you know we were talking about you? Aragorn teased.Araewyn grinned at him without turning around. Its hard to not

listen when it sounds like youre shouting in my ears, Araewynlaughed. Elves have good hearing and Im one of the few to perfect itto perfection.

Aragorn glanced at Lorn and he nodded in agreement. Araewyn is

amazing for someone her young age. But I guess that war does that toeveryone, Lorn said with a proud smile. And to answer your previousquestion, she is exactly seventeen years old. Shes still a baby amongus elves, but to me, shes pretty much all grown up. She has oneyounger brother, Serafin, who was the one who ran the message to theking about the attack earlier today. Hes only ten.

But you said-That the Dragon Warriors left when she was ten? Yes, that was

seven years ago. The Dragon Warriors left the warring human worldfifty years ago but they had been staying in the Sacred Forest for yearsuntil seven years ago when they migrated with the dragons, Lorn

explained with a grin. Your times and our times are different, younghuman, you must remember that.

Aragorn could only smile when he heard Lorn call him a younghuman. How old are you then? he asked.

Lorn placed his fingertips on his chest in a very overly-exaggeratedself-important and pompous way that Aragorn had to smile. I am aproud three hundred years old, he said proudly. I knew Rol when he


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was alive and he was a good person. He would be proud of hissuccessor to the Hawk-Eye inheritance.

At that moment, Araewyn swiftly brought up her bow and shot thearrow almost without aiming. This time, the target fell immediatelyafter she shot at it. Be quiet you two, one got away, she growled in

annoyance, yanking out the last arrow. Aragorn watched as a darkshape fell from the treetops and sure enough, there was only onegoblin instead of the two before. The elves saw that this one was dead,shot through the heart by Araewyns arrow, and tossed him onto thealready-burning pyre in the small clearing after pulling out the arrow.Lorn, find the one who got away. Stay out of my eastern view. Theremaining two are there.

Lorn nodded and then ran off. He beckoned to a few of the otherelves and together, they ran to the trees and scrambled up the trunksso quickly that soon after, they had already vanished into the thickgreenery above. Araewyn shot the arrow again and this time, two

goblins came crashing down onto the ground. A moment, later, Lornslid down the trunk of a tree a little farther off, something thrown overhis shoulder. He came trotting up and tossed the last goblin onto thefuneral pyre.

He wrinkled his nose with disgust as he saw that some of the bloodhad gotten on him but he left that alone and was Araewyns side asshe turned to leave the clearing. Aragorn dropped back to his humancompanions as they followed the elf maiden from the forest. She likesyou, I think, Tristan said in a teasing way. He punched his friend gentlyon the shoulder.

Shes an elf. She couldnt. Besides, she told me herself that she

despised humans. She blames them for the disappearances of theElder Races, Aragorn said defensively. There was a laugh behind himand someone slung their arm around his shoulders. He looked up tosee that it was huge Henry with his outgoing ways. His merry face withits fiery hazel eyes and his brown-streaked black hair tossed back withflips of his head.

Keep telling that to yourself and youll never get a lover, Henrytold him with a grin, poking him in the chest with a stout finger.Aragorn pushed Henry away in a playful and gentle manner.

He didnt listen to what his friends were saying as he kept walking.He was deep in thought. Aragorn watched Araewyn ahead of him as

she laughed at something that Lorn had whispered into her ear. Henoted the way that her cousin tenderly put an arm around her waistlike a lover. His heart sped up as his anger rose. He didnt know whathe was angry at, but he was just angry. What do you know aboutLorn? Aragorn asked Tristan quietly, nodding at the golden-haired elf in front of them.

Tristan gave Aragorn one of his small smiles but said nothing totease his friend about his sudden question. Lorn is the brother of the


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Araewyn had chosen to stop and change. He moved as far as he daredcloser to the clearing, just in view of Araewyn, and stopped, crouchingdown and ready to move if something happened.

Araewyn pulled her garments off, unaware of her watchers. Hersmooth flawless body, the color of honey, appeared. In the bushes,

both watchers were taken back by her breathtaking beauty. There wasa rustle as she tilted her head up to sing and she was on her feetimmediately.

In three great strides, Lorn had made it across the clearing andhad taken the beautiful elf into his arms. There was a small gasp of surprise as Lorn kissed her. Aragorn watched her struggle against hiscousin who was undoubtedly stronger than her as he bored her downto the ground.

He knew what would have come next. He bolted to his feet,appearing in an explosion of leaves. Without thinking, he charged atLorn, knocking the elf off of the elf woman. He hauled Araewyn to her

feet and held her close to him, protecting her, the elf that had seemedso strong compared to him just a few moments ago. She clung to himout of shock of her cousins actions as Lorn clambered to his feetangrily.

What are you doing, human? Do you think you could go againstme? Lorn asked, a sly gleam in his blue eyes.

Aragorn, Araewyn murmured against his shoulder.He pulled her even closer. He would have touched you, Aragorn

said to her. He was almost weak at the thought of the elf pressedagainst him. He could feel every curve of her body against his side. Hecould smell her sweet scent: the scent of all of the most wonderful

things in the world. But yet, he held his own feelings in control.Araewyn trembled on her bare feet. She knew what Lorn had been

intending to do. Had Aragorn not been here at the time he was, itwould have been too late and she would have been his forever. Shehad to return the favor and turn Aragorn away from the thoughts of fighting with her infallible cousin. Aragorn, she said again, grabbinghis hand. His green eyes shifted to her. She met his beautiful emerald-green eyes steadily with her sapphire ones. You cannot fight withLorn. Let us go.

Her words seemed to bring him to his senses. He nodded andturned completely to her, shielding her from Lorns sight. She still

clung to him but he was a decent man. He politely looked off over thetop of her head as she sang her magic and clothed herself with theclothes that appeared. She pulled soft knee-length leather boots ontoher delicate feet and straightened. With a gentle guiding hand onAragorns back, she turned the two of them away from Lorns scowland disappeared into the Forest once more.

Why would he do this to you? Aragorn growled angrily as theywalked.


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Araewyn sighed. He wants to make it secure that his position asthe heir of the throne of the Sacred Forest goes unchallenged. Hewants to make sure that he would be the one to take the throne. At themoment, he is the sole heir but when Serafin comes of age, my fatherwill ask my brother if he wants to be the heir. After all, the blood family

comes first, she replied quietly.So he would do anything to assure that he will marry you and thenhave claim over your rights, Aragorn said bluntly. Araewyn shifteduncomfortably beside him for a moment then looked away but notbefore he saw the hurt in those sapphire eyes.

This is none of your business, she said coldly, turning back to him.He saw not the hurt that he had seen earlier but the flashing coolnessof her gaze and the realization that she was angry, but not at him.

He bowed slightly. After all, who was he to delve so far into herbusiness? He was only a mere human to her, a mere human who hadsaved her from shame, but a mere human no less. I am sorry, my

lady, he said quietly to her after he had straightened. I did not meananything by it.She bowed her head slightly but refused to meet his eyes. Of

course, she said, the coolness gone from her voice, replaced by whathe could tell was weariness. They were silent for the rest of our walk tothe village.

Araewyn saw him back to the council room and left him there. Shedid not go up and instead, made her way back to the rooms that herfather had given her for her use during her stay. Locking herself in,Araewyn rested her back against the door and slid down until she saton the floor. She rested her arms on her knees and put her forehead

down against them.What was Lorn trying to do to her? She asked herself this question

over and over again though she knew the answer. She knew that shewas in danger from her own family while she was here so she had togo. Maybe she would go with the humans to their lands to see thecondition of the lands that were once peaceful and united. Either way,she knew she had to leave.

Grabbing up her pack, she proceeded to pack her clothes up intothe bag.


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Chapter 2: Departure from the Sacred Forest

After the council had concluded, the humans had no obligation tostick with each other any more except for those newly allied withsomeone else so most of them had decided to leave for home as soonas possible to bring the news back. But of course, they did not havetheir clothes and weapons and only Araewyn knew their location sothey sent Aragorn to go fetch her to bring their things to them.

He strode down the beautiful hallways, hands tucked in his breechespockets. The soft green light streaming in through the leafy canopyabove made his silver-white hair shimmer in the light. His green eyeswere thoughtful as he strode down the hall. As he turned the corner, healmost ran into Araewyn. The two of them stood there for a moment,staring at each other. He recovered first. Araewyn, he greeted her,adding a slight bow for her. He noticed there was a pack slung over hershoulder.

She nodded in return. I hear that you are to leave this evening,she said, moving out of his way. He nodded in reply.

Yes, the men are anxious to bring news home, he explained.I see.And they have asked me to come see you to get their things back,

he added hastily as he remembered the reason why he was here. Shenodded absently and turned to leave but then paused for a moment.

I cant them back for you. If the Mother doesnt return them to youbefore you leave, then someone must have done something wrong andthey must find out what they have done wrong and correctthemselves, Araewyn said softly. Then she left down the hall and wasgone before Aragorn could stop her.

It still made him wonder why she was carrying a pack. He thenrealized that she had also been wearing traveling clothes. Like she wasgoing to leave soon. Did her father send her away for some reason?Shaking his head, he returned to tell his companions of her answer.

What! Henry exclaimed as soon as he heard, grabbing fistfuls of his own hair in frustration. His big hands came down and grabbedAragorn by the shoulders and Aragorn pushed them away impatientlyand made to leave but Henry had caught onto his sleeve. What doyou mean?

Aragorn sighed. Exactly what I said. The Mother of the Forest is notgoing to give them back until we leave unless you did something towrong her. If you didnt, then you might as well be patient and wait forthis evening. If you did, you should correct what you did to get yourthings back, Aragorn growled and pushed the other man away.

And where are you going? Henry demanded.No where you need to know, Aragorn snapped back in reply.

Tristan followed him out the door as he left. As soon as they were out


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of earshot, Aragorn sighed and lost his annoyed tone and expressionand instead, turned a weary face to Tristan as he fell in step with him.Hes annoying. I am glad that this will be the last time we will ever seehim unless our monarchs plan on having another council here.

Yes, Tristan agreed with him. There was a momentary pause.

There is something wrong is there not, Aragorn?Aragorn only shrugged and his friend stopped him with a gentletouch on his shoulder. Tell me. Itll do you no good if you keep it allbottled up, he told him gently. Aragorn couldnt help but smile at hisfriends gentle tone. He was about to refuse but the kind look in hisfriends hazel eyes made him decide to tell him.

I have not been able to sleep, I have not been able to eat, and I amalways constantly restless. I can not find anything to settle my nerves,Aragorn said with a sigh. It has been like this ever since I came intothis place.

Tristan nodded. I know what you mean, son of Lionel, he said

slowly, his head tilted in a thoughtful way. His long shoulder-lengthgolden hair tumbled over his shoulder, spilling down his back as hishazel eyes turned green as he thought. Have you had any hauntingvisions?

Aragorn closed his eyes and thought. He and his companions hadarrived a few days ago, earlier than they had expected, and they hadexplored the forests that were the elves home. They had arrived twodays before the council meeting yesterday. I have had visions eversince I entered the Forests, he said slowly, remembering the vision of a beautiful elf maiden in his dreams that caused him to wake at nightand prevented him to sleep. It made him restless for his mind

desperately wanted to find the owner of the maiden in his visions. Nowthat he had seen Araewyn, he realized that it had been her. Araewyn,was all he said out loud but his friend seemed to know what he meant.

Tristan smiled. Aragorn, I believe you are in love with a being fromanother race, he said to his friend in a teasing way. His friend punchedhim on the shoulder and he winced in pain. Ow.

Serves you right, Aragorn said to him and the two friends wentdown the hall again. At the sight of the first elf he saw, he stopped theelf and asked, Pray tell me where Araewyn is.

The elf glanced at him in surprise and started to say something intheir native language but then cleared his throat and switched to the

human tongue. Our princess is in our stables, he said with a slightbow of his head. They watched as he twisted his fingers in a mannerthat made them even more intrigued and said, Fare thee well.

Then the elf left and they were left still confused in the hallway.Where are the stables? Tristan wondered with a laugh.

Aragorn only smiled. They have stables? he asked with a grin. Heran his fingers through his messy white hair. If we knew that then we


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could have gone through rides through the forest and covered moresights then we had.

Tristan only smiled and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his breeches. They asked for directions to the stables and headed thereonce they received them. As they entered the area, they realized that

elven stables were much different than the way humans have set uptheir stables.Elven stables allow each horse its own open little pasture to graze in

and a little shelter for harsh weathers. The horses were free to roamaround the area that was called the stables. The two young men gazedin awe at the peaceful scene in front of them, so different from thechaotic bustle of the human stables. They only saw a few elves tendingto the horses instead of the hundreds of stable hands that usually tookcare of the horses at the human stables.

Then Aragorn spotted Araewyn. She was at the far end of the field,stroking the muzzle of a pure-white horse with brilliant blue eyes as

blue as her own eyes. Her lips moved and Aragorn realized she wastalking softly to the horse. The words that her lips formed told him thatshe wasnt talking in the human tongue but either in the AncientLanguage or in Elvish. Either way, the horse seemed to understand her.

At their approach, the white horse flicked an ear at them andAraewyn turned and gave them a polite smile. The horse blew gentlyout of its nose and shook its mane out a little and walked lazily awayfrom under Araewyns hands. She locked her hands behind her backand watched them approach. Aragorn immediately spotted the pack onthe ground in the grass.

Going somewhere, Araewyn? he asked her with a smile as

cheerful as he could make it. He thought her smile grew a little largerat the sound of his voice but it was for sure that it became warmer.

Araewyn knew that Aragorn had already spotted her bag in thegrass so there was no use denying that she was going anywhere. Yes,I am, she said, choosing her words carefully. She did not want topromise these young men that she would be riding with them yet foreven her father did not know about the struggle in the woods after thelittle skirmish in the northern Forests. I have chosen to ride out withEwyn to see a few things around the land.

Aragorn broke into a grin. Great! You can ride with us. If you wouldlike, you can be our guide back out into our lands, he said before

Tristan could stop him. But to his surprise, Tristan did not do anything.In fact, he was no longer there at his side any more. Tristan hadapproached a white horse almost identical to Araewyns Ewyn andwas stroking the white muzzle as its pink lips lipped his jacket ingreeting.

Araewyn only smiled and picked up the pack off the ground. Sheturned to Ewyn and the horse silently came up to her, ears turnedforward and head held up high. As she slung the bag over the horses


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withers, Aragorn realized that she never spoke a word as the horse didthis.

Have you ever ridden an elven horse before, Aragorn? shesuddenly asked, turning to him. He shook his head and her smilereturned. Then I will have to teach you.

Is not riding horses the same in the humans lands as it is here?he asked her. She only gave him a mysterious smile before she turned.She called something in Elvish and a great horse, all black, trotted

up to them. She put her fingers out for the horse to sniff and the horsenosed it for a moment before scratching at the ground idly with onefront hoof. This is Niman. He can teach you, she said. She called herown Ewyn to stand beside the great black horse and beckonedAragorn over.

He gently smoothed a hand along the horses flank and soon foundhimself flat on his back, staring straight up into the angry golden eyesof the elven horse. The great black horse reared up and Aragorn began

to crawl as fast as he could away from the angry horse. Araewyn wasbeside him in a moment and she stood over him and spoke softly toNiman. The horse pawed the air for a moment and then came downsoftly on all fours again. Aragorn clambered to his feet, dusting himself off busily to hide the fact that his hands were shaking from the shortordeal.

When he straightened, he found Araewyns laughing blue eyeswatching him. To answer your question, elven horses are very muchunlike the horses that humans own. In fact, they are more intelligentand have a mind of their own. You must ask them permission toapproach and if they grant you that honor, then it is suggested that

you stay in their sight. After the horse has relaxed, only then can youtouch the rest of its body, she said. As if in response, Aragorn felt afirm muzzle give him a little push and he turned to see that it wasEwyn. Maybe you should start with Ewyn. Shes gentler andfriendlier than young Niman here.

He held up his fingers just like how he had seen Araewyn do andEwyn sniffed at them for a moment and then allowed him to strokeher muzzle. Beside him, Araewyn nodded in approval. Try mounting,she suggested. She ran a hand over Ewyns back and the mareseemed to arch in pleasure under her touch.

Aragorn eyed the horses back with doubt for a moment. He could

see no way how to get up onto the mare. The top of her back was atleast almost as tall as his nose. As if in response, Araewyn was on thehorses back in a flash and he blinked. How do you get up when thereis no saddle or anything to grab onto? he asked her. She laughed, abright, pleasant sound the reminded him of gentle ringing bells.

She gave him a hand and he took it and within moments, he foundhimself astride Ewyns great back, sitting behind Araewyn. Let ustake a ride around the village for a start, she suggested. Before he


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could reply, Ewyn jumped forward at a silent command and broke intoa trot. He had to hang on tight to Araewyns slender waist to keep fromfalling off. Though he knew it was only a trot, it seemed to be a hardgallop for the scenery around them flashed by so quickly that when hetook in another gasping breath, he found that they had already

returned to the stables.He slid off of Ewyns back on shaking legs as Araewyn watched.Elven horses use magic to travel great distances in short times. Thatis why humans never see us when we travel cross-country to somegreat destination or another, she explained, leaping off gracefully andlanding just as gracefully on her feet.

He gave a shaky laugh. I would rather ride human horses. Theyreprobably best, he said with a laugh. She gave a suit-yourself shrug tohim and turned to her horse, murmuring things in her own language toher. Why do you talk with them?

She paused for a moment and turned, one hand still on the mares

shoulders. So that we can maintain a relationship with our mount,she replied. Her hand slid off the mares smooth shoulder. In order toestablish a connection so that if I ever need help on a battlefield,Ewyn will be there for me. She will be able to sense my mind and mycall for help.

He nodded thoughtfully. That is a good connection to have, was allhe said. Tristan appeared at his side with a smile. He bowed toAraewyn and she nodded in reply.

If it is all right with you, lady, we have to leave to do somepacking, he said to Araewyn smoothly. It was kind of you to showAragorn how to ride an elven horse. It is, after all, a rare opportunity.

She nodded. You are welcome, she said before she turned back toEwyn.

The two young men left the stables and she breathed a sigh of relief. Well taught lesson, Araewyn , a merry little voice said in hermind. She smiled at Ewyn. We taught him well that he could never match up to us, didnt we?

She nodded at Ewyns question. Yes, we did, my friend , she said.She scratched Ewyn behind the ears and her friends eyes closed inpleasure. When should we leave ?

One of Ewyns blue eyes opened. As soon as the humans leave.You could take on the offer of escorting them to the edge for the

forests and then we can go on our own way after we see them off , themare said, closing her eyes. Araewyn leaned against Ewyn and thehorse shifted on her feet to be able to support her friends weightagainst her.

I never thought that Lorn of all people, would do this to me anddrive me away from my beautiful home, Araewyn whispered out loudto the mare, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the


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mares neck. Ewyns head swung over and affectionately lipped atAraewyns hair for a moment.

It would have happened eventually. Even you should know this , themare chided her. Araewyn smiled and threw her arms around thehorses neck. Besides, with me around, youll be fine. Ill protect you,

kleine.Araewyn smiled at her friends words and at the affectionate name.Ewyn had been her companion ever since she had remembered andshe had always called her kleine, or little one. She rubbed the maresshoulder affectionately with one hand. I know I will be , she replied.

The mare pushed her away gently. Go and eat your evening meal.Then we will leave. Do not forget to tell your father of your departure. Iwill prepare spare mounts for you , she told her.

Spare mounts? The mare would have grinned wryly had she been human or elf but

Araewyn could sense that grin in her mind. I cannot carry you forever. I

will need to have breaks so you will need another mount. Maybe wecan take Niman with us , she explained. Araewyn nodded and with awave, she left the stables and made her way to the palace for theevening meal.

hero of hurukon

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