"Elven Secrets - Chapter 4" by Nancy Kelaria Chamberlain

When Liona arrived in Eldamar, she demanded to know where her daughter was. Telumendil walked out of the palace, heading towards the woman. When she saw him, she gasped and then put her hands on her hips, a stern look on her face.

“You left us!” she whisper-shouted, angrily.

“For that, I am sorry, amin a’mael.” he said, a look of genuine sorrow on his pale face.

“You have not the right to call me that anymore!” she told him, but her heart wasn’t in it. A crowd had begun to gather around the two. Just then, Ceria came running out of the palace calling,

“Atara!”

“Ceria!” the woman cried out. Her daughter came running up and threw herself into her mother’s arms, “Where did you learn to speak Elvish?” she whispered into her daughter’s hair.

“Calen and daddy are teaching me,” she whispered back. Telumendil had made his way up to his daughter and his love.

“I am truly sorry I left you,” he told Liona quietly.

“Why did you leave?” The woman asked, sighing exasperatedly.

“I panicked,” he began, “I never told you, but I am the Elvish King. When I found out you were with child, I wanted to take you back with me, but I feared that the Elves would not allow a human Queen. So, I left.” Liona lowered her eyes, and whispered,

“I understand.” Telumendil walked up to her and lifted her chin with a finger.

“But I never stopped loving and missing you,” he said, softly. Liona searched his eyes with her own. Ceria had walked over to stand by Calen as her parents talked.

“I wouldn’t mind a mortal queen,” Calen whispered, “as long as our King is happy.” Ceria looked up at him and smiled.

“Love is the most important thing,” she whispered back. Calen looked into her eyes. Being an Elf, he could see deep into her soul, but Ceria did not know this. The Elf smiled at her.

For the next few days, Liona stayed with her daughter in the palace. She and Telumendil did not see much of each other during that time, but Ceria and Calen took many walks together in the forest. They talked about many things or Calen taught Ceria more Elvish. Being half-Elf, and in the Elvish realm, her Elvish blood took over and Ceria only had to be told things once.

Today, they walked in the forest again. Ceria was asking about the creatures that lived in the Elvish realm with the Elves.

“Other than the Ulundo,” Calen began, “there are other creatures, such as the Mori’ksh.”

“What are the Mori’ksh?” Ceria asked, curious.

“Their name means dark evil,” Calen told her, “they are big and muscular, and dark in color, like brown or black, and they have no fur. They are very good at forging and using most weapons. Like Elves, and the Ulundo, the Mori’ksh are immortal. They have pointed ears, like most of the immortal creatures here, and they have sharp fangs. They can be very dangerous because they are a very good shot with a bow and arrow and they rarely miss. The Mori’ksh almost always travel in groups of at least 10. Luckily for us, they do not come close to our cities very often.” Calen finished explaining, and breathed in deeply.

“Sounds scary,” Ceria said, after a few seconds of silence. Calen nodded.

“They are.” Suddenly, he turned to Ceria and caught her hands in his. He leaned his face close to hers and whispered, “Promise me that you wont go wandering in the woods at night.” His clear blue eyes met hers. They pleaded and Ceria nodded, unable to speak. She saw relief flood into his eyes as he released her and continued to walk. Ceria stood there, unmoving, for a moment. Then, she ran to catch up.

The next day, Ceria and Calen met in the front hall of the palace and went for another walk. This one was unusually quiet, neither Ceria nor Calen spoke. Finally, after they had been walking for a while, Calen turned to Ceria.

“Do you remember the first day we met?” he asked her.

“I do,” she responded, looking down. Calen grinned.

“I am glad we did,” he whispered, his face, once again, close to hers. Ceria smiled and blushed.

“Me too,” she whispered back. Calen reached up and cupped her face in his hands. Then, without warning, he kissed her lips. When Calen drew away, a blush stained his cheeks. Ceria laughed, the musical sound that her mother loved so much. The two laced their fingers together and continued to walk.

Soon after, they walked into a small clearing. The sunlight shone on the trees and made them sparkle. Calen stopped abruptly, just ahead was a lone Mori’ksh. Calen tensed up and took the bow he always carried with him off his back. The creature turned and saw them. It grinned and took a black arrow from its quiver. Before Calen could react the creature had put the arrow to the string of its bow. The Mori’ksh aimed right for Ceria’s heart. With a cry of rage, Calen jumped in front of her just as the creature let the arrow loose. It hit Calen right in his chest.

“No!” Ceria screamed. As the Elf fell to the ground, Ceria snatched up his bow. She put an arrow to the string and let it fly. Her arrow hit the Mori’ksh in the forehead. It fell, and Ceria knew it was dead. She dropped the bow and knelt by Calen’s side. His eyes were closed and his breath came in short gasps. Ceria, tears coursing down her face, put a hand on his cheek. Calen’s clear blue eyes opened.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice strained. Ceria nodded.

“You’ll be just fine,” she said, “you have to live!”

“No,” Calen replied, slowly, voice still straining, “I am dying, but at least you are safe.”

“N’uma! Lle kaiv’il- gurtha!” Ceria cried out, pain in her voice and tears in her eyes.

“Amin naa gurtha, amin mela,” Calen replied, softly. Ceria looked in his eyes and knew that he was not lying.

“N’uma,” she said, weakly, closing her eyes, “n’uma…” Calen reached up a hand and touched her cheek.

“Amin mela lle,” he whispered. Ceria opened her eyes and gazed into his.

“Amin mela lle vithel.” Ceria leaned down and brushed Calen’s lips with her own in one last kiss. He held on to her, and kissed her back. When they parted, he looked deep into her eyes.

“Amin mela lle,” he whispered one last time. The Elf’s eyes closed and Ceria knew he was gone forever. She laid her head on his chest, tears soaking his shirt.

“N’uma, amin mela,” she said, between sobs, “uma’il lemba amin!”