{ fight for orulia } -- comments welcome

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{ fight for orulia } -- comments welcome

Postby turtle » Sun Dec 22, 2013 9:34 pm

I've had this great idea for a story for about half a year now and so far I've finished about two chapters >.< I figured if I posted it and people liked it it might motivate me to actually sit down and work on it. Anywho for lack of a better title this is called Fight For Orulia. I would absolutely love to hear what you guys think of it so please don't hesitate to comment c:


Summary wrote:Many years ago the sacred Keepers were murdered and the capital city of the great elven realm Orulia was taken over by evil elves who call themselves the Unholy Providence. But before they died the Keepers each gave birth to a child. Two girls a boy. Who were taken to safety so that one day they would rise and take over what is rightfully theirs. Corona was sealed away and the Unholy Providence sealed with it but without the capital and it's Keepers can Orulia really be in balance. Eighteen years later the three children of the Keepers, Kahlisei, Aweon, Raylea, are finally ready to begin their journeys and complete their destinies.


Chapters wrote:Chapter [ - O N E - ] - pg1


Prologue wrote:As it always is, darkness was feared in Orulia. The dark often brought cold and loneliness and dark times. It brought troubles that nobody needed but everyone got. Light on the other hand was a treasured gift. It brought warmth and joy and happiness throughout the land. Everyone wanted it. And in between those two stood the power of the mind, fighting to keep them apart and in balance.

Elven law states that there must always be three Keepers to the throne of Orulia in order to have true balance among the people. One must be a warrior, a wielder of darkness, a second a scholar, holder of light, and the third a healer with the power of the mind. Only then will there be true balance. When the last Keepers died each gave birth to a child. Two girls and a boy that were supposed to rule the elven kingdoms into a new era of greatness.

Kahlisa, destined to be a great warrior like her mother before her, was taken to Dragon’s Tower in the west and given to an old adviser of her mother. Geliriel was told to teach the girl the ways of the warrior.

Raylea, the beautiful diplomat, was taken to the southern kingdom of Linhaven and taken in by Elyra and Revgorn, professors of the university and rulers when the Keeper was away. Their duty was to teach the young girl the ways of Orulia so she could one day rule alongside her fellow Keepers.

And lastly the great future healer Aweon was brought to the great kingdom of the east, Falcondell. Eruwen, a famous potions master, was to see that the boy learned the art of healing.

The Keepers were sad to see their children go, but they knew that dark times were coming. Back at Corona, the capital, a new group of dark elves that called themselves the Unholy Providence were slowly gathering in the shadows, preparing to strike. The Keepers knew what was coming and quickly sealed Corona from the outside world with ancient magic that could only be broken by the Keepers or their descendants. Corona was soon taken over by the Unholy Providence and the former Keepers murdered in cold blood, however when the Unholy Providence tried to leave Corona’s great walls they found themselves stuck.

The three other kingdoms of the elven world, each belonging to one of the three Keepers, were left to rule themselves. All tried to break the walls of Corona to aid the people inside, but none could. The only ones who ever could were growing up without any knowledge of Corona, the Unholy Providence their true origins, or each other.
But now, eighteen years from the day, the three rightful rulers of Orulia are finally ready to learn of their destinies and set out on a journey to find each other and free Orulia from the evil clutches of the Unholy Providence.
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Re: { fight for orulia } -- comments welcome

Postby turtle » Sun Dec 22, 2013 10:13 pm

[ - O N E - ] - Kahlisa

“A good warrior must always be focused,” Galiriel’s smooth as silk voice whispered in Kahlisa’s ear. She was crouched deep in the underbrush in the bountiful forests surrounding Dragon’s Tower with two other warriors in training, Raylind and Laegon. Kahlisa was crouched down low beside Geliriel and Raylind and Laegon on her right side. The senior warrior was watching all three of them with calculating eyes that made Kahlisa want to squirm, but she held tight. It was imperative that they made no noise as to not alert the creatures they were trying to hunt.

The four unmoving bodies were surrounded by green as far as the eye could see. Tall, ancient trees swayed in the breeze around them making eerie sounds and the wind whistles through their leaves. The underbrush was thick all around them except for select places where it had been trampled down and turned into roads by many years of travelers walking by. The forest floor was dark; the tall trees did an excellent job of blocking most of the sunlight struggling through. Only in few places did the light win the struggle and touch the forest floor below. Dragon’s Tower was a silhouette in the background, barely visible through the green foliage. A few feet in front of the four hidden elves stood some of the most magnificent creatures that walked the earth of Orulia, dragons.

There were three of them in the small clearing, one for each of the trainees hidden in the underbrush. It was Dragon’s Tower tradition, one that the dragons knew well, that once warrior trainees came of age their last task before truly becoming a warrior was to fight a dragon. If they managed to defeat it, make it surrender under their blades, the dragon shall pledge their life to the warrior creating a bond unbreakable by even the strongest magic. Should they fail, they should hope they get eaten by said dragon otherwise great shame shall hang over them for the rest of their lives.

Orulian law states, as agreed by all inhabitants of Orulia in ancient times, that dragons should not be harmed during these ordeals. They shall only be subdued and in turn can do anything in their power to fight back.

“This is your last test younglings. After this, you will be warriors,” Galiriel said and a rush of excitement rushed through Kahlisa’s veins. Kahlisa was eighteen now, and after years of training with Geliriel alongside Raylind and Laegon it was finally time for her to become a warrior. The young woman knew nothing outside of her life at Dragon’s Tower and the day to day training that Geliriel put all her trainees through.

Geliriel was like a mother to her, for she did not know her real parents, and she loved the senior warrior dearly. Kahlisa had asked Geliriel many times who her parents were but the woman just shook her head and smiled, saying that when the time was right Kahlisa would know.

Before Kahlisa was brought into her life, Geliriel was general of the Dragon’s Tower army and one of the most respected warriors in all of Orulia. With a small child in the picture Geliriel realized that is was time for a less dangerous job. She had retired her position and took the training instructor’s job. Even with this change in position, Geliriel was still a respected warrior. The current General, a dear friend of Geliriel’s, consulted her in all matters and so even though the senior warrior did not hold the title, she still took on many of the General’s roles. Kahlisa had asked Geliriel if she regretted giving up her position because of her but Geliriel just laughed and looked at her in that special way she always did, like she was looking straight into her soul, and told her that she would never regret taking Kahlisa in. That was the end of that discussion.

Kahlisa was quickly brought back to the present when she realized that Geliriel was speaking again.

“Remember. Focus on the target. Dragons are hard to catch and only the greatest warriors can do it. Remember your lessons, remember what I taught you. Raylind, go first,” that was all the advice Geliriel was going to give them. The elf had never been very expressive.

As the words left Galiriel’s mouth the blonde haired elf sprung to his feet and stealthily headed for a green scaled dragon sunbathing on a rock in one of the few places where the sun actually touched the forest floor. His practiced steps made no noise as he practically floated over the leafy debris of the forest floor. Despite his imposing size the elf was very stealthy. Kahlisa used to be afraid of Raylind because of his size and his piercing blue eyes. He was one of the few elves she knew who refused to grow his hair out past shoulder length, this somehow made him scarier. However after Kahlisa had first spoken to him all those years ago she realized that Raylind was really quite social and bubbly. His personality did not at all match his appearance. His fighting style on the other hand did. When he fought Raylind was brutal and unforgiving. His strength was marvelous and compensated for his lack of speed. He held no mercy of his opponents. Kahlisa had always found it fascinating to watch him fight.

The dragon Raylind was trying to capture was unaware of his presence until the young male was on his back and working at getting the rope tied around its mouth and neck. But the smart creature wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Dragons were known for many things but being passive when attacked was not one of them. The strong being unfurled its unbound wings and used its powerful legs to spring into the air. One, two pumps of its wings and it was off, taking Raylind with it. The two broke through the trees and disappeared into the cool morning air. As the trees once again closed overhead they disappeared from view.

Kahlisa watched her mentor through long locks of her blonde hair for any signs that Geliriel disproved of Raylind’s actions. The senior warrior looked fairly pleased with the action, as pleased as Geliriel could look that is. She motioned with an armor-clad arm for Laegon to go on and pursue his own dragon. Clearly they would not be waiting for Raylind to return.

Laegon didn’t let what Raylind had done phase him. The dark elf broke out of the shadows almost as if he was a shadow himself. With his almost grey looking skin and long mane of black hair that was an accurate description. His red eyes flitting between the two dragons left as if trying to process which was the better choice. Laegon may have been a dark elf, distrusted by many, but he had proved himself on numerous occasions to Kahlisa. Laegon was not a bad person. To those who did not know him the dark warrior could seem very cold and distant but if Laegon cared about you enough-and Kahlisa liked to think of the two of them as friends so she assumed he cared about her-he would stop at nothing to protect you. He was a formidable warrior and an excellent friend and overall, despite his dark elf origins, a very caring person.

Laegon finally chose a large, deep red dragon currently weaving quietly through the trees at the far side of the clearing, hunting down a deer. The dragon was so engrossed in the task that it did not notice it was being hunted while it hunted. Laegon could easily encircle the rope around its neck and pull it tight. He was about to reach back for his dagger to hold it to the dragon’s neck, effectively capturing it, when a green blur fell from the sky. Raylind and Laegon and both their dragons tumbled through the forest. Each elf was trying to regain control of the captives while the dragons were doing their best to escape their grips.

The two dragons were entangled with each other and rolled in a tumble of wings and claws through the forest floor. The large bundle of powerful muscles and chainmail like scales powered through the underbrush and knocked down a few saplings struggling to reach the light in the dark forest floor. The bundle hit a few of the older trees too but their strong trunks held strong and, while swaying a little at the force, managed to bounce the tumbling dragons away. The two elves were trying their best to not end up pinned under their dragons as they worked to detangle themselves and their dragons.

Laegon was the first to pull his red beauty away from Raylind’s dragon. He and the dragon tumbled away with Laegon landing on top. The dragon tried to fly away but Laegon had its wings pinned to its sides with his long legs. His pale face had a look of concentration on it as he tried to hold his struggling dragon in place. He pulled out his dagger and this time, without any interruptions from the struggling pair a little ways away, he held it to the dragon’s neck. With the slightly curved, shining blade firmly placed there the dragon instantly seized its struggling.

Laegon let out a whoop of victory and slid off the red scaled body. He quickly and effectively released the dragon from the bindings, all the while apologizing for hurting it. Once the dragon was released the giant stood on its clawed legs and bowed deeply to Laegon. The dark elf returned the bow and once again climbed the dragons back. The two stood to the side to give the other struggling pair some room.

Raylind wasn’t so lucky with his dragon. The blonde was having some trouble gaining control of the wild beast. His dragon may have been small but it put up quite a large fight, throwing him into trees and rolling him to be squished under its body. Kahlisa watched with interest as Raylind held on the dragon with all he had and waited as the dragon struggled. Soon the green beast was far too exhausted to fight anymore and Raylind held his blade to the creatures throat. Like Laegon and his dragon before them the two bowed and stood aside to wait.

“Very good, both of you,” Geliriel said, sounding content with what had just happened. “Kahlisa it is your turn now,” a pang of worry shot through the long-haired elf at her mentor’s words. Galiriel’s face was as hard to read as ever but Raylind and Laegon both gave their friend encouraging smiles. Kahlisa stood taller and walked out of her hiding place. She was going straight for the largest dragon in the clearing, also the last one. A black scaled muscular being with long claws and twisted horns. It was covered in many deep scars including one rendering it obviously blind in one eye. To many the dragon would seem unbeautiful, perhaps even useless with its blindness but to Kahlisa the dragon was strong. The scars just showed that it had been in many battles and had come out victorious in all of them.

Kahlisa made certain that the dragon had seen her coming and as she had hoped it would do, it fled through the trees. The dragon was on wing but it flew at a level that Kahlisa could easily reach. With its large size the dragon was having trouble maneuvering through the tight trees but Kahlisa had spent many afternoons exploring these woods. She knew every nook and cranny, ever twist and turn, every leaf and stone that made this forest what it was. For this reason alone, catching up to the fleeing dragon was an easy task. The greenery flew by in a blur as she perused the creature. Her mind built her a map of her surroundings and her feet carried her though it with practiced ease. The light armor she was wearing allowed her to fly through the forest on foot so fast that soon she was neck in neck with the dragon and even sooner still she had ran ahead.

Much like a monkey, Kahlisa quickly climbed the nearest tree and paused until the dragon was beneath her before jumping down onto its massive expanse of a back, locking her knees around the creature and reaching for her dagger. The dragon let out a defiant roar and rammed into the nearest tree, clearly it wasn’t giving up just yet. Kahlisa struggled to keep hold of the dragon but she was thrown off down to the forest floor. She was glad that
Geliriel and the others weren’t there to notice this as she was sure she would have died of embarrassment. Kahlisa however did not have time to dwell on such thoughts seeing as her dragon was quickly getting away. In a matter of seconds Kahlisa was in hot pursuit once again.

The young girl decided to do things differently this time. She quickly tied a long rope to the end of her arrow and once again ran after the dragon. Once she was a head of it again she planted her feet and skillfully shot the arrow in a tree ahead of her. The dragon realized to late what was happening and quickly became entangled with the rope, pulling Kahlisa with it.

Kahlisa maneuvered her way into the dragon’s back and tied the rest of the rope around, creating a sort of harness. She held on to it as the dragon continued to ram into the trees around it, trying to knock Kahlisa off. The girl-or woman for after this she could no longer really be called a girl-held on the reigns for dear life as she tried to reach around and hold the dagger to the dragon’s neck. After a bit more struggling she finally managed to and the dragon surrendered.

Feeling triumphant Kahlisa slid for the back of the dragon and released it from the ropes. As the dragon rose to its feet a deep voice ran through Kahlisa’s head. The ancient voice sent chills down her spine and caused excited goose bumps to rise on her arms.

Hello there young elf. By the ancient laws that dragonkind agreed to long before you were born I now pledge my life to you. Kahlisa, elven warrior and future Keeper of Orulia, I am now bound to you. With that the dragon bowed low in front of a stunned Kahlisa. It took her a few moments to snap out of her shock and she bowed low in front of the dragon, completing the bond.

My people call me Fayd, use this name is you wish. Or create your own. I do not mind,” Cell spoke as he rose from the bow. Kahlisa smiled.

“Fayd is a beautiful name. We should head back to the others. We were planning to fly our dragons together for the first time. I did not hurt you did I?” Kahlisa spoke quickly out of excitement, burning through many topics as her lips moved a mile a minute. Usually calm and controlled the rush of adrenaline still pumping through her veins made Kahlisa’s brain buzz and her words speed up. Fayd did not reply for he could not easily decipher the human’s quick words, instead he chuckled deeply and crouched down so the elven warrior could climb onto his back. It hit Kahlisa then like a sack of stones, she was truly a warrior now. The thought made her smile brightly.

Fayd quickly ran through the forest on foot, as to not spoil the girl’s first flight, back to the others waiting in the clearing. The dragon wasn’t as fast on foot as he was on wing but he was by no means slow and the pair quickly arrived back to the group.

“Kahlisa! Congratulations!” Geliriel exclaimed as the two broke through the trees. “Congratulations to all of you. You are now truly warriors. Go on, fly your dragons and then get ready. Tonight we will celebrate! I will let the General know of your triumphs, be sure to return to Dragon’s Tower by nightfall,” Geliriel smiled at each of them in turn, pride clearly shining in her eyes.

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Raylind asked, confused.

“No young one. This is for you to do alone. I will meet you three back at the Tower later,” Geliriel nodded her farewell and the warrior bounded away through the forest. Moments later her retreating figure on her own dragon, Naceron, could be seen high in the sky.

“We finally did it!” Laegon’s excited voice broke the silence and the three new warriors all beamed. It was rare that Laegon ever got excited but the prospect of finally being a warrior had all of them grinning like fools. Even Kahlisa, who often tried to keep her emotions hidden, was bursting with excitement.

“Shall we?” she asked her companions and the three took to the sky on the back of their dragons. If Kahlisa thought running through the forest was exhilarating she knew nothing yet. Flying was the most amazing thing one could ever feel. Sure she was scared at first but once Fayd reassured her that he would not drop her and no harm would come to her while she was on his back, she relaxed and began to enjoy the ride. The wind was blowing her blonde locks out behind her and she closed her eyes and breathed in the pure air around her. The mid-autumn air was frigid, especially this high, but the warm body of the dragon below her helped warm her up. Besides, cold was the last thing Kahlisa was thinking of as she tried to take in everything around her. The ground was a blur below them as they flew at high speeds through the air. Kahlisa could hear her companions letting out whoops of excitement around her and she joined in on their excitement as Fayd did loops in the air. Kaleth, Raylind’s dragon, and Syrralen, Laegon’s dragon were soon trying to pull each other out of the sky and Fayd, not wanting to miss out on the play fighting, quickly joined in. The three spiraled through the sky, nearly missing a few trees, laughing all the way.

However there was one thing that kept plaguing her thoughts. Fayd had called her “future Keeper of Orulia” back when they had forged the bond, but the Keepers had been gone from Orulia for nearly two decades now. In fact, nobody had heard from them or anybody at the Capital for years. Why would Fayd call Kahlisa a Keeper? She made a note to ask Geliriel about it later.
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Re: { fight for orulia } -- comments welcome

Postby turtle » Wed Jan 01, 2014 12:29 pm

[ - T W O - ] Raylea
Miles to the south, surrounded by treacherously cold mountains so high their tips were swallowed by the clouds, stood the hidden kingdom of Linhaven. An extravagant castle surrounded by small and large well-constructed houses was nestled into a valley enclosed by these mountains. The Torcoa Mountains, as they were so dubbed, were so uninviting that not even the bravest warriors straight out of Dragon’s Tower would dare to brave them. Only the scholars of Linhaven, the ones who spent many days as children playing in the shadows of the mountain had built up a resistance to the bitter cold of the mountain.

The kingdom of Linhaven had never been breached in the thousands of years that it has been here. It’s location in the mountains and the high wall surrounding the city made sure of that. The kingdom was inhabited mostly by scholars seeking the ancient books stored in Linhaven Palace library and attending one of the many excellent universities that Linhaven had to offer. There was very little need for guards and muscle inside Linhaven’s walls, for the scholars were a peaceful people that rarely went out of their way to cause trouble. Peaceful or not guards still wondered Linhaven’s streets, protecting the people and maintaining the only way out of Linhaven, the large gate located at the farthest point from the palace walls.

Golden feathered Griffins-Linhaven’s sigil- flew freely around the palace walls, squawking at each other in a series of long calls. The noise the beasts created was nearly unbearable but the scholars wondering the streets took no notice of them. In fact, Linhaven’s people were so used to their unlikely companions that the noises they made rarely even bothered then anymore. In fact, the elves and griffins had evolved to peacefully coexist with one another. The griffins offered the select few that could understand their language ancient knowledge and in turn the scholars allowed them to live and hunt off their land. Griffins had coexisted with the people of Linhaven for so long that at the moment of their acceptance into the Linhaven University each young student received a baby griffin to care for and to serve as their companion. This assured the students of the university, who would one day become scholars, were well protected against the dangers of the world.

Linhaven had once been under the rule of one third of the keepers, the wisest of them all who controlled the mystical power of light. After Corona was sealed off nearly two decades ago Linhaven was left under the care of the oldest scholar in Linhaven. Revgorn, once a good friend and worthy advisor the Keeper, took over handling the business and day to day activities of the University. His wife, Elyria, much better at politics that her husband, took over running the kingdom. The two kept order in Linhaven, patiently awaiting the day that would change their lives forever.
Inside the walls of the castle that also doubled as Linhaven’s major University, Revgorn sat at a large oak desk with Elyria sitting on the opposite side. The two were poring over old, yellowing papers, likely scouring for a piece of Orulia’s history they did not yet know. Revgorn’s face was pulled into a permanent glaring scowl from years of teaching unruly and disruptive elf children. The wrinkles on his face were prominent and clearly told of his age. Elyria, in stark contrast to her husband, had kept the ageless beauty most elves held even in old age. Her face was friendly and open and it was no secret she was liked more than Revgorn. Both sported nearly white hair acquired in old age and were dressed in green tunics embroidered with golden thread in forest-like patterns, as was the custom dress of the teachers of the college. Revgorn wore a heavy looking dark cloak with a quiver full of arrows he had himself crafted and fletched with bright red griffin feathers. His bow was leaned against the large desk, within his reach if he needed to use it. Elyria had no fancy clothing on besides her custom tunic but also sported a silver blade attached to her right hip. The hilt was made of a fine gold metal engraved with an intricate pattern and the rest of the blade was smooth, elegant silver. Despite the arsenal the possessed the two seemed entirely at ease in their office.

Beside the two sat two large looking griffins that possessed many battle scats. Kirya, the larger one of the two is sprawled at Elyria’s feet, clearly sleeping and clearly at ease. There is no tenseness in her body and yet it is obvious the griffin is still aware of everything going on in her surroundings. Slightly smaller than his female companion, Krock is perched on a large chair at the opposite end of the room and busily grooming his feathers. The two griffins seem totally at ease with the indoor environment and each other, having been with Revgorn and Elyria for a long time.

“Revgorn,” Elyria’s silky voice carried effortlessly through the room as she tried to get her husband’s attention. Her dark green eyes were focused on his face; a concerned frown graced her lips. The professor grunted to show he had heard but otherwise did not look up from his work.

“Do you know what day it is?” Elyria’s eyes drifted to the door as she posed the question, as if suddenly expecting somebody. Before Revgorn had a chance to answer a blonde bubble of energy burst through the door and approached the two. It was clear the young elven woman had just woken up as her hair was a rat’s nest and she was wearing a nightgown in the university’s colours, green and white.

“Professor! Guess what today is!” Revgorn thought it a bit odd that two people would ask him the same question, today must be important indeed but the scholar couldn’t quite place his finger on it. He shifted the pile of papers on his desk, knocking some over to his wife’s displeasure, trying to find a calendar.
Clearly impatient with his sifting the young elf bounced up on her toes with a bright grin on her face, “It’s my eighteenth birthday!”

Revgorn didn’t quite register the sentence at first but once his brain had processed it he froze. Leaning back in his chair he studied the woman in front of her and smiled sadly, “So it is.”

Eighteen years ago the previous Light Keeper had brought Raylea to Revgorn and made the professor swear to protect the child with his life until she was ready to go on her quest. Revgorn had kept all this from Raylea for he felt she was not yet ready for what the outside world would bring her. Every time the girl would inquire about her origins Revgorn always provided the same answer, I will tell you when the time is right. Eventually Raylea grew tired of hearing it and in turn stopped asking.

“I sure hope you are ready for your Test my dear,” Elyria thought of Raylea as a daughter she never had. Having to raise the child from newborn to adulthood, Elyria felt she knew Raylea better than anyone. While buzzing with excitement on the outside she could clearly tell her adopted daughter was nervous on the inside.

A long-standing tradition in Linhaven was that once a student of the university turned eighteen, and had received the proper education, he or she would take the Test. The Test was a full day examination which tested the students on all the things they had learned during the time of the studies. Each hour the student was to move to a different room to be tested on a different subject. Subject ranged from practical things like sciences and maths to magical things like history and alchemy. Each test held a certain score and at the end the scores were added up and the student was given a pass or fail. If the student should fail, they were given the option of redoing their schooling. Most chose to run from the shame and leave Linhaven in pursue of another profession.

“And are you ready for the Test, my dear?” Revgorn asked his animated student seriously. Raylea had been spending the last moon or so studying for the day when she could finally take the Test and finally graduating after seven years of study. Even with months of preparation and the best tutors Raylea was terrified. The Test was one of the hardest of the three kingdoms. While it didn’t hold the physical exhaustion of fighting a dragon as was Dragon Tower’s customs or the quick thinking necessary to pass Falconreach’s medical examination the Test was on another level all together. It was a full day’s worth of writing tests at a mental level that had been described as utter torture by those who had taken it in the past. The tests were magically tailored to fit each student and test them lightly on their strengths and vigorously on their weaknesses. It wasn’t a rare occurrence that people went mad after taking it and that fact alone terrified the young woman.

All Raylea could do was nod her head in response to Revgorn, suddenly losing all ability to speak. Her previous excitement had been smothered and in turn replaced with nervous energy. Revgorn didn’t reply, neither he or Elyria said anything to comfort her nerves for they knew from experience that nothing would work. The professor just reached for the hand crafted schedule sitting at the corner of his desk and handed it to his pupil and adopted daughter. On it was a complete schedule of when and where each test would be located.

“Your test will be at the end of the week, take the next three days

-----

Three days later Raylea was found pretending to be patient in a room fool of students around her age awaiting their Tests. She was absentmindedly playing with a beaded bracelet on her wrist, staring blankly at a wall.
The room they were in was rather large with stained glass walls and a dome ceiling. Instead of torch light found in most classrooms and homes in Linhaven the room was lit by spheres of light guided by old magic. Any amount of sound made echoed thought the room and not even the stealthiest warriors of Dragon’s Tower could move through it soundlessly. The room was built in a spot that allowed it to be lit by large amounts of natural light by day and artificial light by night. There was only one desk in the room, a long one at the farthest end with three high backed chairs. The rest of the room was furnished much like a mess hall with dining tables that could seat around twenty people each in the center of the room.

Before the disappearance of the Keepers the room’s purpose had been to allow the citizens of Linhaven to hold audience with the rulers of Orulia. There was a magic around the room that prevented anyone who entered from lying. After it was made clear that the Keepers would not be coming back for the time being Revgorn finally allowed the professors of the University to hold Tests in the room. It was a surefire way to make sure nobody would cheat during the ordeal.

Currently Raylea was one of thirty other people in the room. Some looked brave, others looked utterly nerve wrecked while some even showed no emotion but Raylea knew from her own experiences with the days prior to the test that despite the emotions being shown not one person in the room wasn’t worried about what was about to happen. They’d all heard the stories of people going mad, retreating to the mountains and harming anyone who came near. The Test had magical powers that would knock down anybody who wasn’t worthy of passing it. There wasn’t one elf in the room who could honestly say they knew they would pass. Even if they tried, the room would prevent them from lying.

Raylea didn’t recognize every face in the room but she knew some from previous classes. The most familiar one would have to be Fell. Raylea met Fell through his older sister Gwyneria who at a young age had quickly become a role model and older sister figure to Raylea. Gwyneria was poised and respected and one of the few born in Linhaven who had chosen to travel to Dragon’s Tower and become a warrior. She returned four years after leaving with the news that she did not in fact pass the final test needed to become a full warrior. She was constantly teased for that however Gwyneria refused to let anyone bring her down. She held her head up high and fought through the harsh comments until the eventually just stopped. Gwyneria was the strongest person Raylea knew and represented everything she wanted to be. Her brother on the other hand, was complete opposite. Fell was brash and arrogant and got into fights for no reason at all. He wore his ginger hair that Raylea admired on Gwyneria but hated on Fell in a ponytail and was always found with a smirk on his face. The two had been rivals for as long as Raylea could remember.

Fell was currently seated beside her and giving her the nastiest look he could possibly master. She was about to return one when the doors to the room flew open and the professors began handing out the tests.

----

Mentally and physically exhausted from a full day of test writing all Raylea wanted to do was take a very long nap and then wake up to her test results. She was halfway to her private rooms at the university when one of the professors had approached her with a letter from Revgorn asking her to join him in his office.

Cursing him more than a little for making her do this, Raylea trudged up to the highest point of the castle and opened the heavy oak doors to her father figure’s office space. She was so tired Revgorn and Elyria’s smiling faces swam in her vision as she sat in front of them. “Did I pass?” she managed to get out, curious to know of her results. She was sure that was what the two had called her up here for, what other reason would they have.

“I’m sure you did my dear, but that is not why you are here,” Elyria answered smoothly, leaning forward in her chair. That caught Raylea’s interest and she sat forward in her chair.

“We called you here so we could speak to you,” Revgorn began. “About your parents.”

If that didn’t successfully wake Raylea up she didn’t know what would. The two had always refused to speak to her
about her parents, always telling her she would find out when the time was right and blah blah blah. Raylea had eventually just given up on the thought that she would even know and now she was presented with an opportunity to get answers to questions she had been asking for a long time. The possibility of getting any sleep tonight flew out the window and Revgorn’s last sentence.

“What about my parents?”


Last bumped by turtle on Wed Jan 01, 2014 12:29 pm.
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