Valadel

Epilogue

A time long ago

"Ellawyn! Ellawyn, please, stay with me!" Said Tyren. He held his lover's hand in his as she cried from the pain. She took deep, rapid breaths, pausing only to shed the tears from her eyes. One of her children had already been born. A young boy, lying off to the side, wrapped up in soft linen. He had finally ceased crying, resting in a now silent sleep. Now came the next child.

Ellawyn arched her back, howling from pain. Between her legs, blood had coated the cold, stone floor. The torch light was dimming, and the library, once filled with countless numbers of books, had all but dwindled into a skeleton of cases. Tyren need the paper for fire, even if it cost the history of his people.

Ellawyn's grip had turned Tyren's knuckles to a ghostly white. It bothered him none, as he was only focused on his lover. Tyren rested his free hand on her cheek. He planted a kiss on her forehead, and she responded by kissing his lips. For a second, all that had happened in the past months was forgotten, as he focused only on her, and his newest companions.

"One more, Ellawyn...one more..." Said Tyren softly.

Ellawyn tightly shut her eyes. She nodded and propped her body upon her elbows. She drew a deep breath, and pushed with all the strength she could summon.

"Good, Ellawyn, good!" Tyren said. Ellawyn screamed from the pain. The crown of the head had begun to show, closer and closer to joining the world. The fire grew dimmer with each second past. Tyren, to his frustration, broke his gaze from Ellawyn and set it upon the fire center in the old library. From his palm, fire spewed and awoke the light. The room lit up and sent out a comforting warmth to the aching couple.

Tyren left her side and went to her legs. The young child slowly left the womb, and found itself in Tyren's awaiting hand.

"There....there you go..." He said, scooping the baby up. It was a girl, a young, healthy girl. Unlike her brother, whose veins glowed a pale blue, hers resonated a light gold color. He chuckled.

"She's going to be a healer...like my mother." Said Tyren. He pridefully smiled. The young baby didn't cry, like her brother. Her eyes were closed contently.

"What should we name her?"

His question was met with no response. "Ellawyn?" He asked, his eyes still trained on the young baby girl. "Ellawyn..." He called once more. He tore his gaze from the child. Ellawyn laid still and motionless, her chest not rising or falling.

"Ellawyn!" Said a panicked Tyren. He wrapped the girl in his robes he stripped from himself and set her next to her brother. He scurried to the side of his lover and held her head in his arms. A faint breathing came from her lips.

"Ellawyn, Ellawyn, please..." He said, gently shaking her. "Ellawyn!" He cried, louder. The breaths had stopped. Her chest was still and motionless. Tyren's tears had become a stream. He held her lifeless body in his arms, refusing to let go. He silently wept, kissing her wherever he could. He sat there for what seemed like hours. He didn't want to let her go.

His well of despair was interrupted by the crying of the young babies. He raised his dropped head from Ellawyn's shoulder, stifling his tears. The babies' cries were loud and piercing, bringing Tyren back to reality. He took one final look at Ellawyn. Her soft, brown hair fell to the floor. Her eyes were closed, covering her teal, wondrous irises. He brushed the brown strands of hair from her pale face, and they fell to the floor. He softly caressed her cold cheek with his warm fingers.

In a final moment of pain, he planted a kiss on her forehead and gently laid her on the floor. He absorbed the last he could of her, the last gaze he would ever have of her. He held her hand one last time and left her. He crawled over to the children. Their wailing was unrelenting, and thuds were heard along the doors. The noises of the screaming babies started attracting the cursed ones, and Tyren's fear had taken control of his actions.

He scooped up both of the elven newborns in his hands, and jolted up from the floor. The thuds were louder than ever, and synced with the thundering pulses in his eardrums. He looked around the room, quick to find any door that would lead him to refuge. As the doors bursted open, and the cursed ones charged him, a powerful surge of heat rose from his chest to his throat. As he shouted in terror, an inferno escaped his mouth, incinerating the cursed ones where they stood. Shocked by his newfound power, the young elf wasted no time relishing in his minor victory. He took off to the surrounding doors of his library, quick to escape and find safety for his children.

                                                                                   *****

The servants wing proved to be dormant, and accessible from only one entrance, which Tyren had sealed the best he could. There were many rooms, providing beds, robes, and furniture. Windows of a large size spaced between the walls, to which Tyren discovered water had not enter the magic barrier. Dead fish lay across the stone edges, supplying Tyren with a relief regarding food supply.

He had laid the twins upon a soft bed, bundled in silk layers and next to each other. He sat upon the bed with them, staring deeply at them, studying every feature and crevice of their infant frames. They both sported the golden eyes of Clan El, as well as the strands of black on their small, soft heads.

"Well, what to do with you now..." Tyren mused to himself. "A girl and a boy, as luck would have it...best of both worlds..." He smiled as the boy sneezed. "I suppose you'll need names..." he said somewhat awkwardly. "How about...Valyn for you, young man...and...for the lady here...Josel? Layna, maybe? No...thats not right...you're not a Josel, nor a Layna, are you...hmmm." He paused, thinking silently to himself as the young girl cooed, awaiting her name. Tyren's eyes lit up as a fitting name came to him.

"Aryanne...it's perfect...Valyn and Aryanne..." he said, stroking each baby's soft head. "Nice to meet you. I'm your Uncle Tyren." He mused to the babies. They both wriggled, wanting to escape the confinement of their silk prison. Tyren smiled at both of them, as if they were his own children. But he would not lead them to believe that to be so. He would tell them of their father, their mother, the sacrifice of their grandfather. He would tell them of their history, how the elves once ruled all the land. And he would tell them of his love for them as often as he could.

In his heart, Tyren knew these two were meant for greatness, despite their circumstances. One day, this castle would no longer serve to be their prison. And on that day, the men will pay for what they have done.

It is the men, not the elves, who will know the true meaning of extinction.

*****

(And that's the end of it! Hope you liked it! Any final thoughts? I'd love to hear them!)