Elvenborn Fanfiction

Er-Lord Prastaran

Peace should have descended quickly on Kyrtian after his return home. Despite the trauma of his journey to the Gate, much had been settled, and now he was at home with his people.
He was currently dressing for dinner with his mother, Lynder carefully straightening his sleeves.
"Lynder, since we have been home, can you sense anything wrong?"
Humans had a magic which made them more sensitive to other's minds.
Lynder looked up at him, baffled.
"No, sir, not at all. 'Tis a great relief to be home, though it may be some time before I can sleep well at nights."
Kyrtian nodded. "Yes, I understand. Thank you, Lynder, I will not be needing any more assistance."

Lady Lydiell had seen something dreadful hiding in the green eyes of her son when he returned home. He had told her briefly of finding her husband's remains, but she could tell that he had left much unsaid.
She could also tell that something else was bothering him.
"What is it?" She asked, suddenly breaking the silence.
He did not pretend to misunderstand.
"Every night since I have been home, I hear a rapping sound at my door. I go to open it, but suddenly it is the Great Gate. I cannot help myself, I open it. An elven lady, or perhaps she is still a child, stands on the other side. I offer her my hand. She takes it, and we walk towards the front of the cave. Then suddenly she turns, and I see into Evelon. It is a bloodbath, and as I go to close the Portal, great Elf Lords rush through before I can close it. They awake the constructs in the cave, and as I stand watching, they dig their way out of the mountain and swarm over the land, razing all to the ground. The girl comes to me and takes my hand again. As if this is something that she sees every day."
Lydiell touched her son's sleeve reassuringly. "It is just a dream, Kyrtian. The humans have them all the time when they've been frightened. It stands to reason that you should, too. You've just never had it happen before because nothing frightens you in the way that humans are frightened."
Kyrtian looked keenly into his mother's eyes. "Have you ever dreamed, Mother?" he asked, shrewdly.
Lady Lydiell smiled mysteriously. "Have I ever had reason to be truly terrified?"
Kyrtian, after dealing with Aelmarkin, Triana, and the Council, could tell when he was being given a non-answer, but he did not comment on the ambiguous reply, simply smiled and changed the subject.

The days passed much as they always had at the Prastaran estate. Kyrtian drilled and trained with his men, staged mock battles and even began a cavalry unit. Things seemed normal on the surface, yet the dream continued to haunt him. The elf child in his dreams matured ever so slightly, to where he could tell that she was a young lady. She seemed different in a way from the Elven ladies he was used to. Somehow more like his mother, though she was very young.
Kyrtian could not shake the feeling of a hanging sword ready to drop. It dogged his footsteps until he knew deep in his heart of hearts that he would have to make the trip to the great Gate again before he could have peace.
The idea terrified him. The trauma he had experienced in that evil cave still sometimes caused his ears to twitch back and his hair to bristle. The very idea of returning to that accursed place made his knees feel weak. Perhaps, though, he could simply go to the location of the cave. The dragons had sealed it up firmly, and there was no way that anything could come out of that horrible place.

Kyrtian chose a gelding for his journey. They were calmer than his usual choice, a stallion or mare, and if it were lost, it would not affect the breeding program which his humans ran.
He rose early, before the light, and walked through the crisp misty air to the near barn. He did not take much, a blanket and a change of clothes. He laughed to himself a little, here he was, a powerful Er-lord and owner of all that he surveyed, sneaking out of his house like a child.
But he knew that his loyal servants would not let him go alone, and he would not let them return to that hideous place. Human minds were frail and he feared they could not take another trip to the scene of such devastating horror.
Kyrtian could go alone.