Any comments or suggestions are welcome. In fact, they are heavily encouraged. My poor ego needs the attention :-)
And to those of you who have already written me, Thank you very much. -- Corey
PART III
History is a funny thing. It's both Constant, and Fluid, and like understanding.. it's a Three-Edged sword: Your side, Their side, and the Truth. The Elves have always understood their fundamental philosophy, and have gone through a great deal of trouble to correct the problem in their Great Library. Using magic's powerful enough to shake the foundations of the world, they made a collection of books.
The Great Library of El'Analon, the Elven Capital, has a single wing dedicated to the Tomes. The Tomes record the passage of History, noting each and every event that passes in the world. The Tomes dispassionately records all that the Elven Historians see, hear, smell and feel, and the Historians are everywhere. These noble beings gave up their lives to become recorders of the truth, wandering the world experiencing everything to that the knowledge in the Tomes will be complete.
Every Historian is aware of EVERYTHING anywhere within 10 miles of himself. They record Thoughts, feelings, motivations, actions and reactions. They are inviolate, completely immune to harm, and their awareness cannot be barred by any means. They have no need to sleep, or eat. They do not age, and never die. They, like History, are forever.
These beings do not move at random, or waste their time seeking out the meaningless fluff that fills life. They are drawn by Destiny, always going to places where important events are about to unfold, or Decisions made. The mere presence of one of these Historians fills a population with Fear, awe, and humility... for they know they are near history in the making, for good or ill.
Knowing the affect they have on people, the Historians have found was to hide their presence. Moving silently, invisibly, they observe and record, but do not alter what they witness...
The Historian who followed Erin and Andy calmly noted the growing affection between the two. He noted how Erin did all he could to make Andy as comfortable as possible in his new surroundings, and began telling Andy the information in the Tomes.
"Before we had the Tomes, history was rather uncertain." Erin explained to Andy. "We could never be sure if what was written was truth, Interpretation, or an outright lie. What we knew was incomplete, and so was our understanding."
"UM... what do you mean?" Andy asked.
"We Elves believe that the purity of knowledge is sacred, and important to one's understanding of Creation." Erin smiled "Our devotion to the Truth is what allows us to be honest with each other. Elves do not lie, save to protect the honor or life of another, and because of our openness we have relatively few internal problems."
Andy nodded "Back home, everyone lies. Even our leaders lie to us. There is so much hatred and distrust..." He sighed "And when the truth does come out, your life is usually ruined by the lies you were built on."
Erin patted Andy gently on the back, ending with a slow rub to his shoulders. "I will not lie to you Andy, and I will accept you for who you are. It is the Elven way."
Andy nodded in quiet acceptance of this statement. He felt he could trust Erin, but he was still very confused. That's why he had asked Erin to describe to him the History that he knew.
"But to continue." Erin said "My ancestors worked hard and sacrificed much to create the Tomes so that they could record history in a pure fashion." Erin smiled "Reading them is almost like being there yourself."
Andy nodded "Maybe we could go to the Library together and you can show them to me."
Erin frowned. "I'm afraid that is not possible." He held his hand up as he noticed the Disappointment on Andy's face. "I will explain to you why.. it's all the fault of the Orks."
Erin took a deep breath. "Over 1,200 years ago the Elven and Human kingdoms allied together. Our alliance was sealed by the Marriage of the heirs to both Thrones. The Orks learned of this alliance, and were worried by it. For many years they had raided both our peoples, and worked hard to keep us at odds with each other. Fortunately, a couple of noble families from both sides had discovered the Orks manipulations, and arranged the Alliance. "
"So Humans and Elves are allies?" Andy asked
Erin nodded "Yes, despite what the Orks did to try to end the Alliance. The Ork shamans and Warlords came up with a plan. They would murder the two Princes, and blame the assassination on both the Elves AND the Humans and start a war..."
"Wait a sec." Andy said blinking "Princes? As in two guys.. Married to each other?"
"Yes of course." Erin said "Such marriages are quiet common when two noble lines wish to ally and not have one 'Subservient' to another." Erin smiled "Each would inherit the throne of their people, and the two Kings would be married to one another. Unfortunately the Orks succeeded in the murder, but not their treacherous attempts to frame us."
"The two kingdoms rallied their forces and drove the Orks out of their lands, and salted the earth to make them pay." Erin smiled grimly "Neither Elves nor Humans appreciate being used and betrayed."
"So if the Orks were driven off, why are they such a problem now?"
Erin sighed "We Elves, long ago had allied ourselves to the Dragons. They helped us drive out the Orks, and make sure none of them returned. Unfortunately, the Ork shamans discovered a way to enslave the Dragons."
Erin paused as a tear dripped down his face. "Those ancient and noble beings were twisted and warped by the Orks magic, made evil and hateful they now serve the Orks. They poured into their lands and invaded both the Humans and us at the same time. With the Dragons gone over to the Orks, we were overwhelmed, and only with the help of the Humans and their trained griffins were we able to slow down the Ork and their twisted allies."
"We saw at that we had no chance to win, Our magic was not meant for combat, and the Human knew no magic at all." Erin grimaced at the thought of his people at the mercy of the Orks. "Fortunately however, They came. Two young Human men were pulled from the River of Dreams, the very river I drew you from, a thousand years ago. They were Sorcerers."
"They taught the Humans Battle Magic, and the secrets of summoning. Though no human Mage ever approached the power of the Sorcerers, their magic was enough to allow us to push the Orks back into the Lands they inhabited so long ago. Their son, a product of their love and magic, married the Elven Prince after they had been named Kings of Humanity. And every 5th Elven Generation one of our Princes is to marry a Human Prince to make sure the bond is kept strong."
"How long is an Elf Generation?" Andy asked
"About 200 years or so..." Erin said quietly.
"That means that the time has come for the Marriage right?"
Erin nodded, but said nothing.
"So what's wrong?"
Erin sighed. "The Human King and Queen sent their son to marry the Elven Prince, but he, and the Elven party who met him were ambushed by Orks and Dragons. The Human prince, the ONLY child of the king and queen was killed... And at the same time the Orks mounted a major strike on our lands."
Andy stopped when he noticed tears forming in Erin's eyes.
Erin's tear filled eyes looked at Andy. "They took the Capitol, our King and Queen were captured, the Prince fled into the woods with the last of the Royal Guard and the Heart of my homeland is under the thumb of the Orks."
Andy reached over to hug Erin close as the Elf started to cry. He could feel the pain and loss that his new friend was feeling, and realized how hard he had worked to hold it back so that he could help one lost boy. Andy was overwhelmed by Erin's quiet courage, his gentleness, and his pure heart. Without even thinking he pulled away from Erin and leaned over to kiss him.
Their first kiss had been almost an act of Mercy. One person had reached out to show another how he cared. Their second kiss was, in a word, Magical.
Erin felt a deep soothing warmth fill his soul when Andy had begun the kiss. Now he felt that he could spend all eternity in this boy's arms. Lost and alone, Andy was showing HIM love and compassion. Erin realized that he loved the gentle soul who stood kissing him, and he would do all he could to stay with him for all time.
Andy was surprised by the intensity of his feeling. He has never felt this way before. He knew with total certainty that he had never been complete till he had met Erin, he was the other part of Andy's soul. He broke the kiss to lean back and look deep into Erin's beautiful eyes, and reached out a hand to wipe away the tears and brush back some of his hair.
"I love you E'RinAsane'ta. With all my heart and soul." Andy said quietly "I don't know how it happened, but I know that I cannot live without you."
Now the tears that ran down Erin's cheeks were tears of joy.
The Historian calmly watched as the two confessed their love for one another. He noted also the presence of two others. Unnoticeable to the two boys, the Spirits of two human males stood behind them. Each one placed a hand on the shoulder of one of the boys and smiled softy.
The Historian felt, for the first time in over a thousand years, Surprise.
The souls of the boys and the men who stood behind them were the same....
That's the End of the Third part, Sorry if anyone was waiting for it, but I was on vacation and couldn't send it in :-)
The Fourth Part will be here soon, this weekend I hope, and I REALLY hope you like it.
Please tell me what ya think of it, and feel free to offer any suggestions.
Corey: Blade_singer@go.com