Snakes and Ladders-12
Chapter 12
*Harrow…
He stared at the battlefield anger simmered through his veins. The minions of Dorian The Pretender had been saved by the turn coat Shaya. Illian had been a knight of great skill under the rightful King Lyam and to do this…it angered him beyond measure. The fact that they were transformed into the stupid bitch that she was now was just more proof that Dorian The Pretender was dragging all that was pure and good of their race into the levels of the beasts that he was forced to work with.
He watched them leave, flying away and using more power than they should’ve been able to fly away with. It was the stranger, he felt her use power. He felt her buoy Shaya and because of her things had gone from bad to worse.
Tall with long hair and built like no female could be that he knew of she had joined the battle with his forces to slay this group of The Pretenders forces. They had found relics of power from the last war that his master had commanded him to take from them and to bring to him. But Shaya was not expected he had heard she had quit the field after a battle with King Lyam.
With her was this newcomer, this tall big titted whore. He watched as they were turning the tide of the battle. They forced his hand and he summoned forth two Nagas to slay them all and to burn things to the ground. Nagas were dragon-kyth and as such they were very dangerous, heavy armored scales and a hateful disposition they were more than happy to try and feast on anything they could but raced to confront the much hated Bhlaze and his bonded knight-whore Shaya. Even in death they should’ve won the day, the dragon and knight were too spent, too tired to lift them out of there and that busty whore had kept them aloft?
He stared at them vanishing past his view on the tree line towards to nearest fortress. He wanted revenge, he did not want to fail but failure was what he’d have to report to his master, his king.
He turned his head unless he could give do some thing more and deliver and even greater prize he’d be punished. He turned his nightmare steed around facing his troops and the goblins and hobgoblins and his orc troops…he hated to beasts, they hated him but they feared him like he was a god. He gave the signal to move off into the dangerous and shadowy depths of the forest that blanketed the Darklands.
*Dorian…
The silver doored archway in the hidden druids cavern sparkled and then opened revealing an opening full of fog. An elfin man walked his horse through and the smaller pack pony, his hair hung loose in his face as much as down his back save for two long braids that were done down in front of his ears. A simple green tunic and a buckskin jacket and pants he looked the typical elfin ranger, right down to the few hunting knives and the hand axe and his bow.
He carried several heavy bags and panniers on the horse and the pack horse. He was a bit dusty and sandy from his return from his secret trip to Shaelanni the desert moon of great sand oceans, obelisks and pyramids and lost gods.
He took the long way around to home. Out through the north pass and out of the King’s forest foraging along the way, hunting too. Time was something he had; no one knew he was away, because he wasn’t. He could move the armor of golden elm with his green majik. The same majik he used to find and gather berries, fruits and nuts calling them to where they’d grow to be as big and as ripe as the nature of the plant would bear.
He rode through the remoter farms and villages on the other side of the mountains. The lands here were those of other nobles and lords and knights. He was king when he wasn’t disguised and if he came through these lands things would be made to look healthy and happy. I truth there was perhaps one in four lords who took his vows seriously to provide for his people. The rest lived for themselves just thinking their lifestyles came out of no where and then there was the other nobles who kept taking away from the people in greft and taxes and because it was their right.
It was these places he rode through taking the long way back to the capitol. He was trying to change the laws and old customs. But there were many in power that didn’t want change. Many who hated the changes he had made already. He’d stop at a home, leave a brace of squirrels or a duck or a rabbit with bags of berries and nuts, in these bags he’d leave a handful of copper or silver small coins. He’d green majik the gardens to grow lusher and more bountiful over the times ahead.
He rode for five days until he hit the coast of the sea of stars and then he made his way into the city from the beach edge trails to the poor quarters. You see even in the grandest city of the elves there was poor. Not all were gifted with money or title or majik and like all creatures they had their vanities and flaws. They were just people. And like all high end cities there were those who didn’t fit the roles of the upper crust, but were the ones who did the everyday, the vital, the menial.
It was this area of town he moved through, Gryphon paladin to the Highfather met him there in his own beat up leathers and here in the wee early morning hours he wove his way through the houses of the poor. A list of those in need made way to his hands once every so often by his son Jaiden, Shaya’s twin brother.
There were things one can do with the right training with the green gift. He could spell a seed to by pass the plant stage and go directly to the yield. One date would yield the full crop of a palm, the same for oranges, and apricots and the other seeds and such he had brought back from Shaelanni, one seed’s majik per household dates, and nut’s and fruits all being passed out to those families in need. The energy drain was very hard and he used keystones majik batteries of power to help him feed his people. To spin cloth from cotton seeds and to make their lives as better as he could. He did this all at random, in stealth for his brother’s enemies and the assassin’s and older foes would love to catch him out without a full guard. Many of the nobles hated him for his charity, and some respected him for it. But every once in a while, King Dorian Highwood would walk among his peoples poorest and he’d bring with him the charity of his majik and feed and clothe those in need until his powers would drive down low and he’d have limbs like lead.
Dorian was one of the only kings truly loved by the common man of his people. This morning would be talked about by noon, the strengthening of several poor harvest areas in poor and remote Soaks on Shaelanni would come to be known.
He rode out of there with a bag of fresh baker’s breads in exchange for a few green charms on yeast and some spells to prevent mold and rot. It was mid-morning and Gryphon’s men met them at an assigned area and he was leaving the city on way to the palace before anyone who could profit by it knew he was in the city.
It was a good two weeks away. It was good to be coming home. This was just topped off with them sharing out all but one loaf of the fresh bread among the knights still steaming hot and thanks to a green cantrip just like right out of the oven and just like the gods ever intended good bread to taste like.
He reached the stables and was greeted by Kailynn his 4th eldest child who was with a few knights of his own plus squires and pages headed out to do his rounds. Kailynn was a skilled knight but more so took after his mother in majik. A powerful and talented mage-healer he was going into the poorer sections of the city and the realms to bring free medical care to the people instead of them not being able to pay the fees of the guild of healers or that of the surgeons and such. Kailynn broke as many rules of society as he did. He had married outside his station to a mage-knight from Marahaesh the dark elven peoples. He took in the children of mid-wives and hedge witches as pages the squires to train them as knight healers and since these mid-wives and hedge-witches were the legal guardians of the estates of the pages and such they were granted higher legal status as minor nobility making what they did much harder to be taken interest with the guilds and courts of law. He was very proud of him. He was proud of all his children really.
Jaiden who had discovered Lucas’s plot and fled polite society under the guise of being an outlaw. Choosing to live as a thief and smuggler over a knight and crown prince. Still at large but a steady source of Intel from the darker sides of society.
Brennan who was the second oldest and a more arcane mage than any in the family. He was also responsible for the building and slow filling of the Republic Library and bringing the past and histories back to their people. He was also a builder of the few public schools that all could attend regardless of station. Most Sylvan education was based on the master and apprentice systems or learning in the guild ran houses for the trades. Public education and teaching of the trades to those not sanctioned by the guild was another hot button thing he had signed off on. Brennan was doing the work but as his father and King he was taking the blame.
It was one of the many reasons he had the problems they had. The conservatives were all high money noble, merchant, and guild families who wished for the status quo to remain the same. But it was this the rich having all the power that had sparked The Summoning War, the civil war that saw them nearly torn apart by his brother’s machinations. It was why his father had chosen him over Lyam. Lyam wouldn’t have changed anything for the better, Lyam wanted money and power and the prestige of the title of high king to do untold harm to their peoples. A true snob and an abuser. Dorian had suspected that their father had seen this side of Lyam during the war.
He was the youngest son. A green mage and a musician studying at The Holy City and even at The Great Tree with the druids, barely a knight really. His father had asked him to rebuild their kingdom and to mend their people.
He swore he would.
There was his youngest his daughter, well his youngest daughter Galadriel, A trysting girl she couldn’t stand palace and courtly life after her sexuality had come out and she had been left by several of her closeted women she had been amorous with and she went career navy. She was a ship commander in the royal space fleet. She defended Sylvan Space against intrusion and invasion by several of the hostile forces out there.
Then there was Shaya. Born to the wrong form and having lived centuries in that hell before the truth was found out and they had brought her home and healed her. As Illian she had committed vile acts her life twisted out of control or sanity by his brother’s abuses. After such a life you’d think that she’d have chosen to live a recluse. To hide herself away from the world and think she shamed her family. But no, Shaya once she had recovered a few years and had gotten back from the edges of madness and depression she came back with a vengeance and so much heart and not only did she come back to public life she traveled out to the remote mountains of the Stars on Skywood and returned ten years later a dragon-rider, the pinnacle of being a true knight. Bonded to a silver dragon she had proven herself above reproach.
People still talked and the conservatives and his brother’s terrorist Circle of Thorns hated her too. But to some she was a hero, to some she never hid what she did nor what was done to her and stood out now as someone for the different children to look up too.
He was glad that he had seen her find Wren. Wren was going to be good for her for so much and he’d already seen a huge change in her and in her convictions. He worried that she’d be alone for the rest of her days not finding the one she loved for fear she’d never be good enough or worthy to find love. But she found Wren and already he could see that Wren had fallen for his oldest daughter.
He wondered just how deeply that he’d see them fall in love with one and other. He smiled and wondered if Wren would accept him as family in time, marry Shaya and perhaps even in time call him dad…
He took one of the secret ways he used to go from the stables to his private living quarters and slipped in through the rooms and the hallways until he came upon his wife in the kitchen. They maintained their own apartments where they could live as close to a normal life as they could. High Queen Aeselani his wife was of old noble blood but like a lot of noble families fortunes faded and changed with various rulers and she was of noble rank but penniless. Aeselani or to those closest to her ‘Lani was a tavern waitress in a mercenary bar down in the low market of The Holy City. She wasn’t some little rich high house waif. True she was waif like, tiny and small but he was drunk with his father when he had met her. Pinched her bottom and she had belted him with her ale tray prince or not.
He didn’t know that she was the woman that his father had arranged him to marry until the next day.
He smiled at those memories as he slid in and wrapped him arms around her. Moved her hair and kissed and suckled on her ear. “Mmmm, I’m glad you’re home safe. How was things on Shaelanni?”
“Busy, and needed. Lyam’s monsters have made appearances, There’s been several oasis’s destroyed, wells poisoned, and the Salt-Landers are raising their prices to exorbant levels.”
“They still support him?”
“Not openly. But their attitudes march with his and they’re strict conservatives.”
“I’ve good news.”
“That’d be welcome love.” she turned round and he hoisted her up to the kitchen counter and they kisses some more.
“Shaya and Erendae have made a good impression at Steadfast fortress they’ve conducted themselves with dignity and honor. Wren was pushed hard by the commander and others and showed herself to be a woman who doesn’t give up.”
“Good, good she had strength in her when Shaya brought her to us. The way she faced down Shai-tan even if it was to cost her their life.”
“She’s a good girl D. I saw that in her when I worked her healing.”
“How are you feeling after that?”
“Still tired, it was harder to changed her to who she should have always been because she was human. Her age as a human was like trying to shift stone. There was so much damage she had done to herself because of never being able to be who she really was. Gods Dorian the toxins in her from her environment…It’s a miracle there’s life at all in her.”
“You care about her?”
“How can I not? She’s bonded to Shaya, they’ve become public lovers and she makes Shaya happy…I’ve been so scared of Shaya ending herself in battle doing something foolish to redeem herself. Wren’s part of my daughter and there’s so much power I’ve given up to change her it like I gave birth to her in my own way…”
“That much power?” He kissed her concerned.
“It took close to two hundred years off my final tally…” She kissed him again.
“You should’ve told me. Something like that we should have talked about.” He kissed her back. Nuzzled her face.
“Dorian…I couldn’t say no, not looking into their soul and seeing that girl there who never had anyone, never got her chance.”
“You’re a soft touch love, I thought healers were supposed to hardened their hearts?”
“That’s on the battlefield Dorian, this was different, it wasn’t triage. This was me as a mother seeing that little girl in there screaming in silence. I couldn’t turn her need away, not even if Shaya hadn’t bonded herself to her.”
“That’s what I love so much about you…”
“What’s that?”
“Your heart.”
***
It takes me some time before I wake after falling asleep in Shaya’s arms, and legs…(grin) I can smell us and still taste her. It’s an odd thing to wake up to. What is awesome though is the feeling of her snuggled into me. Shaya’s cooler skin just so right against mine, the scent of her body, her hair all blending with the scent’s of outside. Pines and spruce trees from the forests, dry hay but fresh cut as well, wood smoke and the lingering scents of horses and wood and stone.
I just lay there trying to sort out everything in my head a bit like being in combat, and how much different that was to the fight’s I’ve been in. Getting out from those dragon snake things. Arriving here after that hard flight and burning off all that power to get use here. Even being with the healers and my wounds. I keep remembering the bloody boot, the blood pouring out of it and squirting out from my wound.
I rub my leg and look at it. Long, smooth, shapely like I’ve always dreamed and not a scar, just this paleness where the skin is new. I run my hands over it and then over the rest of me gently. It’s soothing like I can say to myself, yes, I’m okay this is really me and I’m really like this. It clicked something in my head again and I yawn and very carefully roll over onto my belly and enjoying the feel of my Large breasts pushing into the mattress and the sheets. I pull my pillow into my arms hug like and actually let myself drift back into sleep. What makes it perfect is Shaya moved just right and her arm slides over my back and her pert breasts pressed to my sides.
It was beyond bliss falling back asleep like that.
It was really nice to feel Shaya slip from where she was onto the small of my back and settle there. I was woken up to feeling her starting to massage my back working her way up from the small of my back to my shoulder blades and then my shoulders. There’s the lightest of her breasts brushing my skin, her hair too and she hums. I almost fall asleep again when her fingers snake through my tangled mess of hair and she massages my scalp.
“We should make out appearance known shouldn’t we Wren?”
“Mmmm, Y’huh…we should get to our gear, clean it and that stuff and check on our boy.”
“Yes, and deliver the messages to the commander as well. But first we take care of ourselves and get cleaned up, have something to eat?”
My stomach sounded like there was a pack of hungry wolves in it. I was good, really relaxed until that point then her mentioning it made my body sit up and pay attention. I blush and hide my face in the pillow. Bear was a really big guy, that was something I wanted to not see about myself again.
Shaya grips my shoulders. “Hey…It’s not that, it’s a side effect of using your majik, and fighting and getting healed it all comes from your body, it’s natural…” It’s like on cue her own stomach starts to growl and I can’t help but to laugh at the small sort of cute sounds coming from her. I roll over underneath her and smile, sit up and kiss with her. My hands holding myself up by the grip on her waist as she straddles me. I love this….the sight of her naked body, the feel of her alive astride me, that sleep and sex mussed hair of her ravens wing black against alabaster skin, the way the points of her ears peak through her tresses. I kiss her and kiss her and then take her nipples into my mouth and suckle her until she gives up this little… “Uhgn..ooohh…” of pleasure and I kiss her on the lips again.
Shaya smiles as we kiss and slides off of me. “No, no…later Wren, food, bath, duties…” I slip out of bed padding after her as she walks backwards. She turns and runs for the door laughing and I chase her. I hold her and kiss and tickle her as she tries to open the door and laughing ask for some food and a bath from a very wide eyed squire who I think got and eyeful of both of us. He stammers out a reply and I pin Shaya to the door and keep tickling her before settling, sliding down between her legs and put my mouth to her sweetness. “Food isn’t the only thing I’m hungry for Shaya.” I say as I take that first taste of her this morning. Her knees end up getting weak and I shove up into her taking her legs on my shoulders, her back riding the door and me.
We’re making love on the floor no blankets or anything just us, mouths and lips kissing each other and other things, fingers touching and stroking places that feel so good, so right and I could go one but, what can’t be explained about our link and the loop we slide into so much making up for so much loneliness.
We stop only for the knocking on the door. We grab a few sheets and cover ourselves as men at arms carry in two tubs for us and a table on which Pages are setting food down for us. The tubs are interesting, I’ve never seen leather bathtubs before and they’re big too. I smell something odd in the water and another set of people come in with a smaller table with stuff to get cleaned up with. They leave and through the door we can hear one of the young voices. “Sir? Are they trysting?”
“Aye lad, they’d be a coupling I’d say.”
“But sir, what of the way that a man’s to set to a woman, it’s this wrong? My fatha he says such things are wrong.”
“Wrong’s got little to do with anything on the battlefield youngling. Beside’s with the way they saved the men they saved and put themselves in harms way. I’ve no problem with them if their tastes run to women.”
Another voice says. “Aye, all good smelling and soft and sweet it’s just good sense to me lads.”
And another voice accented this time. “Truth in that, hells if they’d take it as thanks I’d give them the hand of my sister for what they did and what they faced.”
It’s interesting and a bit embarrassing and Shaya and I look at each other a bit blushing at the same time. We drop the blankets around us and both take trays for the food like breakfast in bed. Shaya’s staring at the food. “I’ve heard things about Rymoran food but…” she honestly looks lost about some of it. I look the food over and I see rye bread, herring in three different ways, sausages and kielbasa and sauerkraut as well as other fixings, it’s all very Northern European food, a little German but mostly Polish, and stuff like that. I’m a Detroit girl…I can remember eating at Sabina’s over in Oakwood a good cheap diner, and pretty much everything is here even a dish of perogies. It’s a nice change to actually show something of one of her cultures to her.
It’s strange that they even have cultures and ethnics but really when I think on it there’s been stories of elves or something like them in most cultures in the world. I think that my people might have known Shaya’s a long time ago.
We’re tempted to bathe together but that’s be a waste of the hot water. I’m having hot tea while Shaya’s drinking all the beer. I’m nor much of a drinker and not a fan of beers, even most wines. I’ve never been a drinker really, but if I had a choice something hot and yummy or cool and lemony, or citrusy.
It’s nice to soak but I also find out that hot water right after making love stings a little, there’s also just a bit of honey in the water to scent it and soda crystals. It’s strange with the honey though, but I’ve heard of baking soda in the bath. I does smell divine though. It mixes with the soft, soaps that are made of beeswax and I enjoy the time to just soak in the tub and relax in a way that I never really got to. I mean I’ve thought about how good it just would feel to be soaking in the tub from as a girl. I wasn’t even close as there’s water that sort of invades me, moreso when I let it which stung at first. But it’s my breasts and my body fat, that subcutaneous layer that women have and the water sort of enfolds you, cradles you in a different way. I get to do something I love to do, to feel and even before my change this tied right into all my being a girl aches and wishes.
I just lean back a dip my head into the hot water until the hot water touches the top of my forehead then sit awhile before sitting up. There’s that pull of the weight of the water going down my back and even back then it lights something female in my brain, the image of a girls wet long hair either from the shower or the pool or ocean. Back then I’d just close my eyes and for an instant…I’m almost crying happy tears of relief of this being real as I ease into the water and feel my breasts lift from the buoyancy.
I look over at Shaya who’s looking at me then does the same with thing look of Oh…I get it on her face. I get seriously cleaned up and wash my hair and run majik through it and my fingertips conditioning it and styling it while either clipping off or healing the split ends. We dress and I’m in my dusty yellow rose training clothes after slipping into my pink lacey bra and panties. Shaya in blue and she and I belt on our swords and slip into our boots and head out into the halls.
Ironspire is a real fortress, not at all like Steadfast that’s almost a city. No Ironspire is a really big octagon fortress and has huge walls but not just that but three distinct sections/or levels the first is a octagonal building that’s the base level, this is 50 feet high and holds four floors of all the stuff you’d expect to find in an knights base. Then there’s a wall five feet tall on top of that and a space forty feet from the edge of that to the next section this is used for archers, and siege weapons. The next section of the building is another four floors and is where we are staying. The roof of that is for archers where there’s also spaces for airships to dock. The scheme repeats itself twice more with the command levels and the final being for a burning mage light and the message centers. The end results a fortress with a spire rising two hundred and fifty feet in the air made of metal framing in that Islandic/Nordic way of decoration and stone and mortar so well done and worn their as smooth as any click flooring.
I’m enthralled actually, I’m getting more and more open to this world and I can get a feel of the age of the place. There’s a plaque over the doors to the main hall if I read in right this fortress has been a working military base for over two thousand years their time. I’m noticing women dipping to us and men touching right fists to chests at her and I in this gesture of respect? It’s serious too. Like actually getting respect from real fighting men back home.
We make our way through towards the stable hall they’ve cleared and readied for Bhlaze. On the way the soldiers on duty that see us knock weapons on shields, some are faces that we’ve rescued. It’s one of those lump in your throat kind of moments. I can feel Shaya’s sort of stunned disbelief. No…no…she…this couldn’t be for her? I slide up and lace my fingers of her right hand into my left. I whisper into her ear.
“Yes you. We air lifted out over a dozen and a half guys in heavy shit and took those things out. If we didn’t then they’d have hit here love. Even back home getting people out of that situation, fighting for them like you did would be a big deal home, it’s a big deal here.”
“But…But…”
“Yes Honey, you have a nice butt.” Shaya blushes and gives me this that’s not funny kind of panicky look. I feel her want her armor, to hide behind, to protect her from being respected like this.
“Wren..! This isn’t some joke, I did some very bad things, I was a horrible person…I…”
I kiss her, long and deep and holding her face in my free hand I kiss her, the weapon on shield banging get’s louder and I raise our joined hands together into the air. The sound becomes noise.
“Shaya, it’s you they see not Illian, it’s you they respect and love for this. Just like I do.”
Comments
That Wren girl is so smart!
And sexy and good looking and...Oh, she's just wonderful! I'm glad she's helping Shaya to understand that she is different from that Illian-guy that she used to be. I was kinda hoping to see Bhlaze, too. I'm concerned that he may have pushed himself too far.
Big titted whore, indeed! He should be horse whipped! (Or is that Dragon whipped? Whatever!)
Wren
She Sure Is!!!...
[email protected] ...and gorgeous and talented and amazing and...
Giggles And Huge HUGS,
Jonelle
[email protected]
Gonna agree with my sweetie;)
Erendae's a great character, I like writing for this story because it's fun. I'm always glad it goes over well but I'm with Jonelle, the original Wren is more than awesome.
*Big Hugs Too*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Nice to see this story again,
and even nicer to read it. =) The villain interlude was interesting, and the steamy bits were ...steamy. ^_^
They were taking baths
so of course it would be steamy.
-- snicker --
Nice chapter. Steamy good fun without it getting gynecologically explicit and losing all the sensuality in the process.
You let us use our imaginations and ...OOOOOooooooooh! I have a naughty mind.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. Waiting for that duel. She is soooo going to kick that bit**'s ass, um tush. And your chief villain was, well villainous.
P.P.S. I get the impression from Shayla's history and that of other such as her mom, these Elvin people must age at say, one-tenth the rate of humans. So that in human terms Wren and Shayla are in their twenties, thirty at most yet Shayla was an unhappy and twisted male for several hundred years until her brother transformed her and saved her.
Now that we know more of her history it is all the more remarkable she lived to bond with Wren. I remember her mother warning her that their bonding might shorten her life but I never realized the mother voluntarily gave up 200 years of hers to make the transformation and bonding successful. How did her brother the fake *rebel/thief* manage to change Shayla without hurting himself or was it magics he learned in other worlds/realms that made it possible? Knowing what we know now I would have thought they'd have changed Shayla before he went all but insane?
Her dad the king is a kind person. No wonder so many of the old-line rich and powerful hate him.
John in Wauwatosa
I'm glad you liked it so much.
I'm trying to leave the sex a little more to the imagination rather than the anatomy/porn descriptions. I found writing the description of Shaya straddling Wren and how she looked as erotic as the sex.
You all might have to wait awhile for the official duel. Wren is being sent around the different fortresses of The Darklands to get her used to things here and to get her seasoned. This is a dangerous zone so there's that whole frying pan/fire thing going on. Dorian's hedging on Wren being tough enough to get through this. All the court training and practicing isn't the same as real field experience.
That being said who say's that Lady Kite won't get tired of waiting too.
The Sylvan elves age very strangely due to their fae and majik natures. From birth they age just like a human does until the age of about ten years old, then they slow to one tenth human aging like you said. A sixteen year old elf will actually be about seventy years old.
This changes after their second century. Then it slows again to 1/20th, after their third century to one thirtieth and so on. This is also modified by majik. Certain majiks promote longer lives than others and of course the stronger the majik the longer they live.
It wasn't Jaiden who changed Shaya it was Kailynn who is the healer-mage after his mother. He did pay a heavy price to heal his sister though. Illian was in the closet a long time before it came out and he still had to be brought back in order to be changed/healed. Jaiden's been dodging Lyam's hunters and Assassins ever since he fled and it was his word against Lyam's and Illian was denying any such abuse happened.
Aeselani burned off so much life force though because Bear was human and everything else that was wrong with him and had to be fixed. She just couldn't leave her there trapped and dying inside of Bear not after what her own child had went through.
Thank you for reading and enjoying, great comments.
Bailey Summers
what can you say...
"This was me as a mother seeing that little girl in there screaming in silence."
“Shaya, it’s you they see not Illian, it’s you they respect and love for this. Just like I do.â€
you say it so very well, its a shame hollywood cant tell a story as well sometimes. they just mess this genre up so bad.
thanks again for a great story.
They way too often screw it up.
And you can almost say on purpose. I like to go along the lines of some of the Japanese stories without going all Japanese culturally. I like the respect they pay to the genres and characters. The north American and other markets would just mess with something TG based.
I'm glad you liked those parts.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting Lonewolf.
Bailey Summers
LoneWolf
That line, "This was me as a mother seeing that little girl in there screaming in silence.", move me too. It speaks so well of Shaya's parents that they couldn't ignore the sound of crying in the dark. Wonderful tale here, Baily.
Hugs
Grover
Thanks Grover!
I'm really glad you're still enjoying it. It was a really good line and true to Aeselani's character. I'm glad that part added to the story didn't take away from the story.
Thanks for commenting:)
*Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Hm... Illian ^^
Hm... Illian ^^ I have my doubts that Illian from warcraft is transgendered... His problem is rather that he is a the end justifies the means person.
He's my favourite character though... And those assholes killed off poor Illi in BC :(
I kind of wonder where Wren got her magic from. I mean she's human she shouldn't have magic, but she has. The King has some serious problems... He has a halfway corrupted aristocracy and need to do some reforms. The elves are completly inefficient imho. They still use the master apprentice system, which is good, but leads to the fact that half of the populace has no real education. They'd need to build schools and univerities and start their own enlightenment to end the rule of the corrupted aristocracy.
If I were the king I'D probably found a very strong secret service to ferret out those traitor aristocrats find prove and execute them. Or just assasinate them.
He needs to be utterly rutheless, but I doubt he can really do that. It just doesn't fit his personality. Shaya might do that with the help of Wren though...
If they don't they might end up with a french revolution in the elven kingdom... "Decapitate them"
Thank you for writing this awesome story... It started as somekind of wish fullfillment thing and now it is an awesome fantasy world story.
I can't wait for the next chapter - gimmi more :P
*hugs*
Beyogi
Wren's majik
So far the most obvious use is self-grooming. And majik can be described as imposing one's will on the reality. So Wren having this particular trick is more than understandable.
Then again, the question is where did the energy for it come from. Good questions Beyogi you ask.
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
I made Illian's
name up years and years ago and I've never played warcraft and likely never will, elven ears are not space antennae.
I'm not sure who decided humans don't have majik. It's more like they currently don't have majik. as far as anyone knows. She's been exposed and belief is the primary key to majik.
Dorian's got a lot on his plate for sure and he's trying to do things right but ten or fifteen thousand years of traditions and stuff in the old way of doing things. I might have Wren try to bring some of the better ideas humanity has. And not some of the worst ones, it seems they already have those.
Thanks for reading and commenting Beyogi.
*Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Lol, I just figured you used
Lol, I just figured you used that name, because Illian is the major anti-hero of warcraft 3. And he's an elf... Well whatever, I guess that name is not unique to the game ^^
Well she saw elves do magic, but then you see magic on television too... Just because the elves are doing magic that doesn'T mean a human can do magic too.
The worst ideas of humanity? So they have the same opinion about sacrifice? It is ok to sacrifice millions to achieve your random run of the mill utopia?
They do genocides too? And how the hell were those elves defeated by some cave dwelling human tribes?
Major case of disbelieve deactivates technology/magic?
Those are some good questions
as for the majik and stuff. Honestly seeing majik on TV wouldn't cut it. There is a huge difference between TV and seeing it done right there, feeling a real dragon and all of that.
In my writings all living things have majikal energy, the more belief you have the stronger your majik flows, the more majik you can do the more majik becomes a fact of your life and belief in facts make things even more complex and powerful.
The Elves here have many different beliefs. Dorian's ways would so differ from Lyam's and Lyam would plunder and then destroy earth for no other reason than Wren being human. He would have few problems with genocide.
The Summoning wars were horrible insane times.
The elves left, not because they were defeated. There were other reasons.
Disbelief to the point of shutting down majik is a form of majik.
Good stuff.
*Hugs*
Bailey
Bailey Summers
Disbelief to the point of
Your story plays pretty much in reality... So this disbelief has to be a collective thing working on the whole planet and not a individual choice. I mean there are enough people believing into magic, but that doesn't mean they can do magic.
That might also explain why the fighgt between the dragons happened somewhere out int the nowhere and not in a major city. The magic they'd needed to arrive just wouldn't have worked because of the accumulated disbelieve.
Would he be able to do so? I mean it's not like humanity is the most defensless race in existence. The elves heavily rely on their magic and this magic would be weakend by the human collective disbelief aura.
Sry I overanalize your magic, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Wren instantly got magic. How would anyone be able to forget magic... It seems to be pretty easy to do. (might be an idea for a future storyline :D)
This story isn't set in the same universe as evenescence and they do have another magic system?
Thank you for writing,
*hugs*
Beyogi
More interesting stuff.
Earth Humans don't USE majik would be more appropriate I think. The majik levels there took a huge hit when the primary majik users left then again when the ancient cultures like the old egyptians stopped using majik via conquest, then religion came, then science.
The disbelief aura has made it so you'd be getting drained of power very slowly on earth but you'd still be able to do most majiks. Most battle majik uses your perceptions and power to alter the laws of physics. A fireball spell would be just as real once manifested as a grenade or RPG.
If you look up the actual area of the dragon's fight it's located on a reputed mystical place of power. A Ley line nexus point if you will.
As for them attacking earth and it being a fair fight? Not a chance, If Lyam had ships he'd just pound earth into submission from orbit. Even if not a focused extinguish flame spell would take out anything using internal combustion, like tanks, jets, missiles ect. Heck he could stay away from earths inhabitants and summon earth elementals and mess with the faultlines. And once Earth got shocked by majiks power and devastation the aura of disbelief would shatter.
As for Wren suddenly getting majik, she's bonded to Shaya which helped her awaken her latent powers and Shaya's bonded to her dragon plus she was saved and remade by extremely high powered majiks. She has had exposure to it enough. She still raw and still learning though.
No one other than earth's own culture has forgotten their spells but most real practioners would be so very, very, rare. Wren has had a few lessons though at Steadfast.
And Finally, yes Evanescence is set in an entirely new universe.
Bailey Summers
About the dragons
It was said that Shaya, when she bonded to her dragon, supposedly became the pinnacle of knighthood, above reproach. Shai-Tan is also a dragon, of Lyam.
I find this hard to reconcile - that both the major villain and Shaya have dragons bonded to them, and Shaya is praised for it while Lyam, not so much. Did I miss something from the early chapters?
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
No but I should address that point.
Dragon Rider's are rare and the case with Lyam is even worse, his dragon is called Shai-Tan which in Arabic and Sylvan Shaelanni is the word/meaning of Satan. Shai-tan's background and stuff I'll have to do in an upcoming chapter but as there are not so good elves there are rogue/evil dragons. But comparatively to most evil dragons if they were decepticons then Shai-Tan would be Megatron.
There are two separate camps of dragons just like in dragonlance for example. Good dragons don't even consider Shai-tan a dragon but a demonic monster. He surfaced went Lyam was uncovered to be plotting to take over. Coming to rescue his master when Dorian sent the guard after him.
Hope that helps a little.
*Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
That still has matters complicated
Because of the following:
---The good dragons despise Shai-Tan
---The elves consider dragon-riders as worthy of praise
-->and because of these, the elves ought to know that Shai-Tan is bad news.
---Lyam escaped on Shai-Tan
---and the guard had to be witnesses
-->and therefore Lyam's association with Shai-Tan is supposed to be known
->>and from the first two blocks we can conclude that it's supposed to be known that Lyam is evil, guilt by association with Shai-tan.
And yet, Lyam still has supporters, following at the court (and in other places too) IIRC. Now, are they ignorant of the facts, or do they disregard them as hearsay and somesuch, or they just do not care either way?
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Aristocracy means trouble
As far as I understood it the elven aristocracy is wary of their king. They want to be in power themselves and probably see Lyam as a tool to end the king. I guess their plan is to wait and see the royal family finish off each other. They probably figure that once the king and his family are dead they only need to unite to strike down Lyam.
They don't support him because they particularily like him, they support him as a means to an end. Shaitan is probably seen as Lyams means to win his rebellion and therefore they don't worry to much about him. I mean Shaitan is something like a dragon, but what can a single dragon do against the power of the elven aristocracy?
As I wrote before, the King needs a secret service. He needs a shadow power he can use to control his aristocrats. If they won't do as he wants, they can be assasinated or thrown into prison. He needs to know what they're planing to keep the control of his kingdom. Beeing the hero of the population won't help you against assasination attempts. We know that since Cesar.
Beyogi
Beyogi is right on the money here
Lyam has supporters because Dorian is bringing charity and the ideals of freedom and equality for all as best he can to the common people. Since his rule there's been free hospitals set up, and his son making free schools for all. Educating the masses leads to the loss of power in the nobility. Educating people in trades undermines the power of the guilds who old boy the trades and stuff.
They have just no idea about Lyam and his powers and those of the Shai-tan, the bulk of them never served long into the summoning wars.
To take from star wars the seperatists have no idea just what the Sith are.
Dorian has a limited secret service but he's far to honorable a person to comptemplate dirty work. Jaiden on the other hand has been doing just that and his actions have been why he's still an outlaw.
That might change with Wren.
Bailey Summers
Dorian has a limited secret
It seemed to me that Jaiden went out and infilitrated the outlaws. Whatever they are... Another rebellious force, or some criminals?
That is kind of heroic but not really smart. I mean he's a prince... If he wants information he should sent minions and not become an outlaw himself. Or does he create a secret service while being outlaw? So that his outlaw status is just camouflage to hide that fact from his family and the aristocracy... That would make kind of sense.
I can see that the rules of the game will change with Wren...
Jaiden ran and left Lyam.
In a story that I promise will be written. Lyam basically framed him and Jaiden couldn't prove Lyam's intent until he was found out. In between that time Jaiden has broken laws and even some pretty nasty things to protect his family. Some of them were dealing with enemies other than Lyam and are separate crimes so he's still wanted for criminal acts and it gives him a certain amount of street credit.
I'll Have to Write a Jaiden story.
Thanks for helping me flesh out some of these things Beyogi.
*Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Even more questions :P
Ok, I get that. Once you have created the magic you can aim it at something and it'll run its course.
About the aura, lesser magics are still possible, even battle majik.
Well... they stopped believing in magic when people who were believing in monotheistic gods were more succesfull in battle than them. The legend of Constantin the great for example, who let his soliders paint a cross on their shields and won the battle for Rome.
Seriously if you can believe those Vita of some saints, they were even greater sorcerors than the egypts. Making a cross in the air and a dragon will explode. That's serious power.
And last, a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I've read in another story before that technology is only working because humanity wants it too. The idea is we use our belief to make the rules stick that power technology. Well I don't really believe in that theory but I think it is quite fascinating.
Shit I forgot the spaceships... I don't know if I understood that correctly, but do your elves really have an idea how their technolgy works or is it somekind of relic of the ancients? So that they have a similar relationship to their tech as the humans in warhammer 40k.
It seemed to me that most elves have their magic, but they don't really understand their technology, since a human of earth comes and tells them how to use some technology more efficiently that they were using for over 15000 years. You'd think they'd have found every possible use and improvement by now.
If you say so I'll believe you... But how will they power the spell... I mean an extinguish flames spell over the whole surface of a planet needs some serious power. It imposes rules over the rules of nature. There is a constant drain of power by the disbelief Aura of humanity. How could they sustain earth elementals or rule spells when they have to start them outside of the aura and have to sustain them within?
Beeing bombed by aliens wouldn't make people start believing in magic, they'd just believe in beeing bombed by aliens. I guess that is a hypothetical situation... Doesn't seem like you want old bastard lyam to win.
Btw. will we see a chapter out of the perspective of shayla? It would be kind of interesting to see her side of the emotional link. How she reacts to Wrens problems. She is very fearful of Wrens reactions, whil Wren doesn't really have a problem with her past.
I guess she might have done really horrible stuff, which Wren doesn't know. Was she Hitlers (...Lyams...) organisator of genocides or what horrible deeds did she do that she fears so much for Wrens love?
Illian must have been a major asshole... It would be nice to hear his (her) story.
I just love your diverse characters. I hope I didn't distract you to much of your writing ;)
Thank you so much for this,
*hugs*
Beyogi
No disruption
As for the Vita and belief if you believe the things they've claimed to the power of the church to have then you'll be in big trouble. The elves majik is fact not legend based propaganda.
The elves have kept a lot of the technology within the royal family for certain reasons but no one has of yet told the elves how to use their technology. The comments where made about that pertaining to social networking and media mostly, things culturally the elves don't have yet. They aren't humans and have different sensabilities. They wouldn't understand the need for a dishwashing machine for instance. Why would you send an electric message when you can send a message by spell or by a more elegant letter with all it's nuances. Elves live so long everything is art and everything has social nuances.
The extinguish fire majik you took wrong these would be focused attacks or castings not a global effect, they couldn't do that.
As for the elementals all they'd have to do would be majik to effect the vulnerable areas and let natural effects take their courses away from human anti-majik all people would know is that earth was going through massive natural disasters.
I'll give the aliens thing and given that a lot of elven military weaponry combines the two of majik and technology the bulk of their weapons might be seen as tech and not be as effected as raw power casting would.
It's looking like at some point I might have to write a prequel story at some point. That's for all of this though it's giving me lots of Ideas.
*Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Just wonderful
I really can't say more than that... It is fantastic to see another chapter and as others have said I want more. You have a wonderful talent that allows us to "see" what you share and in some cases we can imagine the sensations and experience the passion that you write with. You are just wonderful and your story is Outstanding. Too bad the people in Hollywood can't seem to direct movies like this, as this would make Avatar seem like the Goonies.
Jayme Ann
The answers to all of life's questions can be found in the face of a true friend
The answers to all of life's questions can be found in the face of a true friend
Thanks Jamye Ann
That's pretty huge praise. I really like how much you're getting out of this story. It's one of my favorites to write for. But Like several people have said and I agree with Hollywood wouldn't get the TG nature of the story. I'd like to think it's work good as an Anime series though.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
I Love the line at the end of your comment, really true stuff.
Bailey Summers
"it’s you they respect and love for this. Just like I do.”
lovely.