novelxo Chapter Chapter Two
Daylight passes into night, and the days eventually become years. Young Tanis, the foundling raised by the elven royalty, was not immune to the passage of those years. As those years passed he grew from infant to child to adolescence. He grew not only in the physical sense, but also excelled in the arts, weaponry, archery, and magic as well. He excelled in all these fields, surpassing the young elves he studied with. And still the winds of time progressed and soon the child was a young man.
On his thirteenth birthday, his life became irrevocably changed. It was the night of his thirteenth name day that he met her. The young female elf was the loveliest creature he had ever seen and immediately fell in love with her. The only problem that arose was that he was adopted royalty and she was a commoner, the daughter of the local knife and sword smith. From the time the two young people first laid eyes on one another it was clear that they loved one another. She was a classmate in the same school of magic that he attended and was learning as quickly as he was.
Charina was her name, and was lovely as a sunrise. Her beauty was matched by none in the village and she was also great in intelligence. Many sought her hand but all were refused, even Tanis at first. Time and patience grew a friendship that the two used to try and hide the love they felt for one another.
“Charina!” cried Tanis as he ran to her from across the town square. “Charina, you are the smartest person in our class. What do you think of this assignment that I have just been given?” asked Tanis as he tried his best not to smile and giggle with delight. Charina’s eyes lit up with delight as they passed over the parchment, but quickly composure once more took over. “My lord prince,” said Charina in her most proper and bored sounding voice, “Your sense of humor and childish jokes are less than flattering, but I will accept your offer.” She tossed the piece of parchment over her shoulder.
Tanis looked at the parchment with fallen jaw and moved slowly out toward the library Childish thought Tanis as he moved toward the great hall of learning. He was so consumed with his own self pity that he failed to see Charina practically dive onto the paper as he turned his back. Carefully Charina straightened the paper and pressed it between the books she carried. The smile on her face would last for days as she slowly made her way to the library. No use to appear eager, thought Charina. After all, it was not like they were going to wed or anything. It was simply a study date. But then who could tell the future.
Charina and Tanis would spend hours in the royal library. The magical texts contained there where rivaled by none and none possessed more of them. Tanis would hunt out the titles that Charina longed to read and held them for her at eye level so she would not strain. One date on a sunny afternoon became two. Two became three. Then it seemed they were always with one another.
One was not often seen without the company of the other and Charina was often the guest of the royal family for meals and special celebrations. All spoke of the two of them making the greatest of couples, rivaling even the King and Queen for their perfection for one another. The sun seemed to shine brighter when their eyes met, the air warmer and fresher because they were happy and when the two quarreled it was as if the day became as night and cold as the worst of winters.
The few days the two had attempted to see others where miserable not only to the two but to the entire village and it was so no surprise to anyone that the two returned to each other. It also was of no surprise the day that Tanis asked Charina to marry him. Everyone had expected that the betrothal would have been arranged years since, but since it had not it had to be done the old-fashioned way.
It was coming time for her thirteenth name day when she confided in Tanis that she was going to request of her parents that she be allowed to wed. According to the elven customs it was only proper to request the permission of both sets of parents by both parties wanting to be wed. So Tanis and Charina worked out their requests and enjoyed the company of one another until the time came for them to make their requests.
Now if the parents agreed to the union, then the marriage would be held as soon as the arrangements could be made. If the parents did not agree then the couple had another option. Tradition held that a young couple could complete certain tasks and rituals and still be permitted to wed. The first of these was that the woman must spend two days and two nights in the Tree of Confinement. It was a hollow tree that had been transformed into a small cell. Its use in this custom was supposed to allow time for thought on whether the woman was making the proper choice or not. The only problem was that not all the young women who went into that tree ever came out again.
The second task was for the man. As the woman lay in the confines of the tree, he was to go to the cave of the great wyrm, the eldest of the dragons, and retrieve a scale from his lair. Though it may seem easy to retrieve a molted scale, you should come to realize that the great wyrm was not overly friendly toward his guests. It would be really easy to just pick up a scale, except that the dragon did not shed. This meant that the dragon was still rather attached to his scales and it pained him greatly to have one of them removed. To leave with the scale if you managed to get one was where the problems began. For the dragon could become rather sore at the brave lad trying to remove his scale and in the end would have a young man for dinner.
The third and final test was that the couple would both be bound together and purified by the sacred flames of Amon. If this may sound like the least of the couple’s problems, you must understand that not many people ever make it that far. The second consideration is that these flames are placed at the bottom of an active volcano. Once the couple is bound together, they are lowered into the maw of the crater and lowered until they started to scream. The couple is held there until the screaming stops. At that point the young couple is brought back to the surface and healed by the local druids.
If these tests are all completed, then the couple is wed as tradition dictates and their means of getting into that state are left unsaid for the rest of their lives. That is if they can pass one more obstacle. The families of the bride and groom line up between the loving couple who are by now bruised, exhausted, and sore, and the two must fight to one another. The fighting ends when the two’s hands meet. It is only then that the two can be wed.
The day of Charina’s birth came and the two young people went as custom demanded to each of their parents. Charina sat at her parents’ feet and made her request to be wed to the foundling prince. Laughing her father lifted her from the floor and hugged her close.
“If love has made you make this request of me than you have my leave daughter. I cannot however speak for your mother. I leave it in her hands to decide whether your request comes from love, or ambition.” Having said this he hugged his daughter once more and walked from the room to give the two women their privacy to speak on the matter at hand.
Charina’s mother’s face slowly grew red. The young people feared the worst as she looked with hatred at the pair. Just as quickly as her face became red it settled back to its normal hue and a great smile spread upon her face. “My child, my only child. I wished you would one day know the love that your father and I enjoy. The boy you have selected will care for you and provide well for you. I could not be happier for you.”
At the royal residence the scene was quite a bit similar to the girl’s response. When he asked the royal couple hugged close their adoptive child and heartily agreed to the choice of a wife the boy had made. The whole royal family gathered to escort their child to the home of the smith to congratulate the young woman and her family.
Upon arrival the welcome received was a warm one from the girl’s mother. Charina and her father greeted happily the royal family and the young prince that came to court the young woman. The couple looked at each other as if nothing else mattered in the world. As far as they were concerned nothing did at that moment. The families of the two looked at each other with obvious gratitude. The king went to the smith and began discussing a deal for many suits of armor for his new recruits in the elven army. After all family must aide family. The mother set about planning the wedding that would come in the following days. The two had never really cared for one another but now giggled and plotted like best girlhood friends.
As the plans progressed and the date of the wedding came closer the whole village became elated with the joy of the coming wedding. Nothing in the world could spoil the village’s glee for their favorite children. It was when the whole place was high on the love in the air that the disaster struck. As the festival was being prepared in the great square before the palace, a great beast settled on the roof of the couple’s favorite place, the library. The beast of fur, feathers, and scales resembled the great beasts of Greek legend. The body of a lion with the head of one, the head and wings of an eagle, and the head and tail of a dragon looked down on the villagers. A great roar gained it the attention of the entire village. “You choose to allow a bastard child to marry one of your own?” asked the great lion’s head. “Feed the boy to us and we shall leave and your village will not be corrupted with stench of him any longer”, said the eagle head. “Beware of one amongst you! For one amongst you intend you all and your children harm. Beware!” cried the head of the dragon as it tried to pull the others from the rooftop and away from the village. “Send them to the trials before the wedding or I will not restrain my brethren from destroying everything here. Force them to the trials or all will be destroyed!”
At hearing the words of the beast, the queen of the elves broke into tears. The girl’s father and the elven king began shouting in a loud voice for assistance. Had there been some crime committed by the girl? The thoughts continued and were shouted for just a few moments when Tanis stepped between the warring sides of the discussion.
“I leave at dawn for the great wyrm’s lair. I will return within twenty-four hours. By that time Charina’s trial in the Tree of Confinement should be completed. Be waiting for me as the sun rises over the bluffs there.” Tanis said in an almost quiet voice.
At saying this he strode away and returned to his rooms to try and get a good night’s rest before he would be called upon to go and perform the tasks of marriage. All the thoughts in his head were of Charina and how lovely she would be in her new wedding gown.
The elf king had other thoughts on his mind as the young man walked away. The girl’s mother had just entered her home when the king approached the smith. The smith led the king into a large storeroom and gave the king a tied bundle. The king gave the smith a pained smile and assurances that the materials would be paid for. The smith looked at his daughter and told the king that if his young foundling survived to marry his daughter they were paid for.
The king brought the bundle to the sleeping Tanis’s room and laid it at the foot of his bed. After a long loving look at his only child, though a foundling, the king went to his own chambers to try and find some rest that he knew would never come.
That morning Tanis came down with the large bundle in his arms and inquired as to whether or not anyone had left the package at his bedside the previous night. The king smiled at the boy and told him to open it and find out what the forest spirits had left him to help him on his way. What lay inside the bundle surprised even the king. The chest plate of a suit of mail and plate armor sat on top of a large collection of items. The chest plate was engraved all over with protection wards to protect the wearer against hunger, fire, and steel. When he lifted off the chest plate underneath sat the Holy Avenger. This blade was assumed lost to the world with the death of the first elven king so many years before, and yet in his hands sat the Avenger. All the armor and weapons were soon properly strapped to the young man and each bore the wards of protection. Tanis had no way of knowing this at the time, but he would own the armor, shield and sword for the rest of his life.
At seeing the items in the cloth now fastened to his rapidly departing son, the king grabbed the boy and held him to himself and cried as if the man were dead already and faced the final walk to the gallows and the hangman’s noose. Tanis smiled at the only parents he had ever known and turned rapidly toward the lair of the great wyrm. The last thing he heard as he walked away was his adoptive father calling after him, “Don’t look back!”
At the same time Charina’s mother locked the Tree of Confinement’s door. It would be a long two day stay for the girl. Witnesses later told that the woman had a smile upon her face as she turned the key.