Prophecy's Twilight: The Guardians #1

["Cilia" <cilia@xxxxx>]

Hiya
This is the third new story in the Prophecy's Twilight section of the
Royalty/Two Worlds saga where Theris, that oh so cold and calculative,
High elf from Two Worlds, gets her own storyline, but fear not there are
some friendly faces around.
Catch you around 
Cilia
 
Title: The Guardians
Book: Prophecy's Twilight
Chapter: High Elf?s Tale
Author: Cilia
Beta: Cheryl
Summary: After the events of Prophecy's Twilight Introduction Theris
Forestwalker set out to seek aid for the coming war. 
Setting a course for the Isle of Ages, she must come to terms with her
separation and feelings for Angel, as well as facing her own past. But
she will be joined by two allies
 
PROPHECY?S TWILIGHT: THE GUARDIANS
 
Chapter 1: High Elf?s Tale
 
Theris Forestwalker, High Elf Guardian and Hero of Necris, emerged in
the small clearing not far from the city of Argon. She had told Cordelia
Moonwalker, her fellow Guardian, that she was returning to the Isle of
Ages to ask for help in the coming battle. Still she needed time to
gather her thoughts and plan. The Council was many millennia old and
very set in its way, so it would take solid reasoning to bring them
about.
 
She was born in a small village in the deepest heart of the Great
Forest, where no mortal thing dared to walk. This was long before the
humans arrived on the shores of the Land of Elves and the Unified
Kingdom of Elves was still a millennia away, its king barely a glimmer
in his father?s eyes and its mage queen generations away in another
world. There she had lived in a peace for close to two hundred years,
that?s when the recruiters from the Guardians came, this was at the
height of their power and glory, potential guardians were sought out
before their powers manifested and trained.
 
She had left her forest village for the Isle of Ages to be trained in
the arcane arts, combat and the history of the Guardians. In the process
of all this she had found faith in the goddess of the Forest, become a
Priestess against the orders of the Council that 'the Guardians must
remain neutral', but she had always been a bit of a rebel.
 
Then had come the time for her to head out and hunt down her first
primal that had gone over the edge. She had killed him of course, but he
had been a young human boy, possessed with vast magical powers that the
Council had deemed a threat. He had thought she was an angel when she
arrived, she had been swift, but she remembered quite vividly even now
centuries later throwing up after she had done the deed. Upon her
return to the Isle of Ages she had handed in her blade and returned to
the homelands of the High Elves hidden from the eyes of mortals. There
she had stayed until the war of unification, that brought together the
common elves under one king, broke out. Opting to stay neutral she had
watched from a distance. 
 
She had intervened once though, saving the life of a young human
mercenary name Al?x without his knowledge. Their paths would then cross
later as she was drawn back into the fray by the arrival of two women
into the Realm; Joyce, her friend and sister in arms and Cordelia
Moonwalker Guardian and high being. The events that followed had forced
her to see the world for what it was and during her journeys with Al?x
and his companions she had learned of what had become of the world she
had left behind.
 
She did not like what she learned, for many generations the High Elves
had tried to teach the younger species, but what she found was suspicion
and hate, but now they were considered myths. The Guardians who had been
a force for good and unity in their early days had become power hungry,
amassing lands and wealth through the power they possessed. They were an
empire now, owning lands in almost every kingdom in the known world.
This erased her doubts about not notifying the council about Cordelia
emerging as a Guardian.
 
Still it was at Necris that the most profound change in her long life
came. She had given her life to defeat a black dragon, ready to die she
lay in her own blood and waited for the Goddess of the Forest to come
and claim her. But in her stead came a young man, an Angel that came and
saved her. Merging into her and sustaining her they became one. So Liam
entered her life in a spectacular way. Long accustomed to strange things
she came to enjoy the constant company of her ethereal friend. Giving
him up to assist Litni in her quest had been hard and it made her heart
ache when she thought about him, perhaps it was love, it could never be,
but she had hope.
 
There was a break in her train of thoughts as she sensed two beings
moving through the forest towards her, not elf, but something akin and
very familiar. She drew her crystal blade and waited, a fight would help
to clear her mind and she was dwelling more on the past than the future.
She merged into the green and out of sight. She watched as two beings
entered the clearing. They were Drow, one a young woman, the other a
male of perhaps a hundred years.
?Theris we know you are here,? Tark said in his low and cold
voice as he scanned the clearing with his red eyes. "General Tark
Dragon, Leader of the Third House and adopted father to Litni Speed."
?We want to help you, join you,? Tare, former barmaid at the
Rose?s Honor current bodyguard to Tark. Litni?s friend and a person that
wanted very little to do with war.
?You sure about that?? Theris asked as she merged from the
green. ?The journey I?m taking will not be an easy one,? she explained.
?It?s the best chance Litni has,? Tark said.
?How do you deduce that general?? Theris asked sheathing her
sword.
?If she escapes and she will, she will seek you out through
Angel?s suggestion,? Tark said. ?Also I cannot let you go unprotected,
too much hangs on your mission,? he added.
?Shouldn?t you be leading armies instead of guarding
messengers?? Theris asked.
?One gets tired of setting young men to their deaths,? Tark
said.
?And you young Tare why do you want to join me?? Theris
asked.
?I? I want to help and I?m not a soldier,? Tare said. 
?Very well then you can come,? Theris said. ?But remember
that this mission has no guaranties and we won?t be welcomed warmly once
we reach the Isle of Ages,? she added.
?We understand the risk,? Tark said firmly.
?Perhaps,? Theris said and drew her blade, she then cut the
air and a rift into the sublime planes appeared. Tare?s eyes went wide,
but Tark was as stoic as ever. Theris just smiled and offered her hands
to them. ?You coming?? she asked. Tare looked at Tark, who nodded and
took her hand and they both took Theris', then the trio stepped through
the rift and into the unknown.
 
 
To be contiuned in Prophecy's Twilight: The Guardians #2