Forest deKelli.
As the Party followed the elf through the woods to return to their journeying, Paris moved up to speak to him. "Pardon me, Thalian? Um, is 'Thalian' an acceptable way for me to address you, sir?"
Lightly jumping a bit to cross a root, the childlike voice laughed briefly. "Un. Better, if you want to pronounce it as we do. Thalion," he said, stressing the slight difference in the last syllable. That's my human name."
"I know that I am very young and so do not know very much, but, it seems to me likely that -- in human terms at least -- it has been a very long time since any humans ventured into your realm. Would you know if this is so? Do you know when last a human had contact with your people? Before myself and my friends, of course," Paris added somewhat hastily.
He never stopped moving, glancing from side to side, but he was thoughtful for a few moments as he pondered the question. "It does not seem long at all. No more that a moon, I think. Is Prolerian still your Emerald?" He noticed a quizzical look on Paris' face. "Sorry, Emperor."
Paris shook her head. "Thalion, I do not know of Prolerian. My country has a king. I do not think there has been an emperor over this land in a very long while. From what I have learned in the past month, a great many things have changed in the last moon. Magic is now possible where it was only a tale for many human generations. The lands of orcs -- wherever they are -- and the evil dark spider woods and the woods of you elves now join our human lands. Such boundaries, too, have been but a thing of legends. But -- as I asked questions of your queen and not of you -- it seems to me that, to you and your people, these things are nothing new. But to the humans of the nearby lands from which I and my friends come -- from the east and north, these things are new and very strange. This, I think, is not merely because I am young and know little. My teachers and leaders in our city some three days away from here also find these changes new and inexplicable. It is to gather knowledge for them that I ask so many questions."
[During the on-camera discussions, when you were trying to figure out Thalion's age, it was mentioned that Genelle knew of the emperor of Thalion's birth and 400 years worth afterwards, but there have been no emperors recorded since then. You know you have a king, and even that you are a part of the Kingdom of the Isles. And, yes, I'd give you the Royal devices on a spot obvious heraldry roll. :) But King is as high as it goes; no one has discussed Empire in any of your heraldry classes. ]
Genelle frowned. "Prolerian...that's the last emperor that I know about. He had a twelve-year reign. And he had at least one son, so I assumed that there were other emperors after him, I just didn't know about them."
Paris thought for a bit. "Perhaps the explanation lies in something the Magician said. About there being both lands of Tarot and Torat. That they have been separated and are now connected again. I do not understand it."
Thalion took a hop again across a rough branch, putting him momentarily a couple of feet ahead of Paris. "Understanding is key," he said.
Paris said softly, "My prince said something like that." She paused just a moment. "Understanding is a key to almost anything, but is understanding the connection between the two places The Key. Is finding this knowledge my goal and the guarding of that knowledge, once found, my duty? How can knowledge be guarded if I must ask everywhere just to find the knowledge?"
Thalion smiled in amusement. "How can you find knowledge without asking?" [No help, is he? :) ]
Paris replied forthrightly. "I can't. Not really. I could observe and I could read but -- not so far as I know, is there aught to observe or read concerning these Keys of knowledge. The impatient part of me hoped that I could find the right questions to ask of you elves. It seems that you live so long that even the oldest human is but a youth to you, and so you must know a great deal." She paused then started again, hesitantly. "But -- from what you have said, I would guess that humans and elves do not often have reason to work together? I may have misunderstood. But I would guess that human goals may tend to seem -- somewhat short term to elves...?"
Again Thalion gave his childlike laugh. "Do I look as slow moving as a tree?" he said as he flitted from root to root. "I don't fire my bow any slower than you. Aren't your goals to build a better world for your kind?" He moved alongside her, matching her pace, as they moved through a relatively clear area. "Most humans want only to make a better world for themselves. Those we do not work with, and turn away from our forest. Those who look up from their next meal, those we can work with." He smiled. "Although, it's usually just the young ones who leave the forest."
Another slight pause, then Paris spoke. "I -- I am curious as to what sorts of goals elves and humans have worked together on. Is -- is the evil that has suddenly brought orcs and goblins and gargoyles and giant spiders and who-knows-what other 'fell creatures' forth to threaten the lands and the lives and souls of the people I grew up among also a threat to elves? Or are elves immune to evil? Or do you fight some Evil as far beyond what we are fighting as your age is beyond mine?" Paris shook her head ruefully. "So many questions. Please forgive me if my curiousity is rude."
Thalion looked at her in puzzlement. "I still don't understand what you mean by the orcs being 'suddenly brought forth'. The fell creatures have been here as long as you have."
Paris smiled slightly. "If I took those words literally I think there would be even more misunderstanding. 'Understanding is key,'" she quotes softly. "Thalion, something strange has happened in the last moon and I am not sure I can explain it well enough for you. But I will try."
She took a deep breath. "My friends and I grew up in the village of Jouet about a day's march west and north of here. We have come into your forest from our Duke's town, about 3 days east of here. It would seem then, would it not, that the people of our village and that town might have heard about your forest and might have heard about elves? Nonetheless, we had not. In my father's father's time and, perhaps, even farther back -- if I understand what the Magician said -- we had forgotten that elves exist. We had never seen or even heard of an orc. We did not even know the words: 'elf' and 'orc' .. or 'goblin' or 'gargoyle'. We knew tales of tiny magical fairy creatures who sometimes made friends with a human or played wicked tricks, but those were just stories, made up to entertain children. There has been no magic in our kingdom for many many generations -- until a moon ago. We don't even have histories saying that there used to be magic many generations ago. Which is why I can say 'suddenly'. The magic suddenly appeared. The orcs suddenly appeared. And, as far as we can tell, the elves suddenly appeared."
Paris looked solemnly at the elf. "This -- to the best of my knowledge -- is true. And yet you have known of humans and your people have apparently worked with humans within the span of time that I claim we have known nothing of your people. I cannot help but believe what you say -- and yet it seems incompatible with what I have said. If we both are speaking truth then I hope you can see why I say that something very strange has happened to both our lands in the last month."
"This may be beyond my ken as well," Paris continued, "but I am curious about the other Guardians. I know very few such. But I was wondering .. given that the Guardians of the Key of Nature seem to share with your people an affinity for the forests, could you tell me -- are only humans Guardians? Or are there also elves who are Guardians of the Key of Nature?"
"There are all kind of guardians," the child's voice said. "But the Keys are only for the humans, so they need to Guard them. There have been elves and men who have worked together before, but I don't know if any of them became Guardians." He smiled at her. "I guard this forest."
Paris smiled back. "I have a forester friend who guarded a human forest -- well, it used to be used by humans before the orcs came -- a day or so behind us. Protected the forest from misuse and tried to keep bad humans from sheltering therein and preying on innocents. I think that is a sort of guardian, right?"
Thalion chuckled in his high child voice. "A good kind of guardian indeed. Who is this forest friend?"
Paris smiled. "His name is Kivan. And he works with three other forest friends: Ralf, Georges, and Claude." Her expression turned pensive. "I do not know what forest the Duke will set them to guard now, now that the orcs have moved into the one that was their charge. For men are not many against the large bands of orcs that seem to come out of nowhere, judging by the tracks we found."
Paris paused for a moment. "Like many other things, Thalion, knowledge of the Keys that are to be Guarded seems to have been lost to humans in my lands. I wear the symbol but understand very little about what the Key is. And I think the same is true of my friend-who-is-elsewhere who wears the symbol of the Key of Nature. What I know is that I must guard my behavior, and that I must protect the innocent and those who cannot protect themselves against injustice. But where and how I am to protect the Key, I know not. I did not even know that my kind of Guardian generally stays in cities. I do not even know what the Keys are. Do the elves know or is this knowledge only significant to humans?"
Thalion was quiet for a moment. Paris was just about to repeat her question when he spoke, quietly, still with the voice of a child. "You are young, and you speak of things that would take a lifetime of yours to speak of. Elves know of how the Elves and the trees and the world relate and are one. Humans have the humans and the keys and the gods and the world, and it is significant to them, but it is not the way of the elves. It takes a long time to learn, and young humans always want to know all immediately." He looked over at Paris for a moment. "And, I think you misunderstood my poor language again. I did not mean that you stay only in cities, but you go where people are. I think you would find it hard to be alone."
"My apologies, good Thalion. I am willing to spend my lifetime learning. I think I understand that much. But I do not even know where to begin to start learning the things you speak of. I know I am impatient, wanting to know where to go to ask questions and even what to ask. I did not mean to be as a child whining for that he does not have. My apologies." She breathed deeply. "As for being alone, I think you are right in that. It is good to be able to help others, to be needed. There is no one to be of service to if you are alone." She looked up at the sun- dappled leaves. "But I do think solitude is one way to appreciate nature -- when there is no pressing human need." Paris smiled at the elf. "But I do like having people to go home to."
"Thalion" copyright 1999 P. Shea & S.Knowles. The contents of this site are copyright 2004 Sheryl A. Knowles unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.