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Screams.
They were all around, some calling to rally together and take up arms, others to flee.
Some were in agony. Others, the most horrid among them, were in revel.
They came swiftly, they were brutal and without mercy, and they... they were lead by one of their own... The bard... she had come to their settlement so often, and always in friendship, but now...
An army of demons... How she got them there without any of the sentries noticing was beyond him, but they were there, and they were wreaking havoc.
A shout, his name... His mother was calling to him. His sister holding her hand, and his father looking around cautiously. The settlement was lost, and they all knew. The time had come to scatter to the wind like leaves.
And so they ran. Father first, him last. The smell of fire was apparent before the smoke or flames were. The first tents had been torched, they had little time now, if they had any.
Out of their tree house, down the stairs grown from the tree... As by a miracle their house stood, while the two next to it were slowly turning to ash.
Then again, these were demons... they would burn them on a whim, not actually caring which ones they took down, he knew that much.
Dashing between trees, burning, torn down, some standing, some merely hacked at, they made their way to the south of the camp. Luckily, the enemy only came from one direction, it would seem chaos was their plan more than anything.
Yet the loss of life and the loss of beauty to the woods was indescribable. The Rawlins would never be the same after this.
They reached the end of the camp, and he believed his family to have escaped, but then his father suddenly stopped.
No words were needed, the boy knew what his father was doing. Why?
For the love of... Why!?
He could not speak, he would not. He knew that his father did only what he believed was right.
When his father turned to leave, so did his mother in the opposite direction.
She called after him, and for a moment he was torn.
Then he ran, after his father. He would not let him go alone to what he was surely facing.
He came upon his father holding one of the demons at bay with a spear... His boar hunting spear... his father had known he would be doing this at the first sign of trouble, for it to have been so near...
He dashed towards him, he had nothing but a wooden training sword, but at that time, it made no difference.
Too late.
As he ran towards his father, one of the trees fell in between the two of them. He narrowly escaped it. He tried to climb over, but he was too late.
He heard his father scream.
------------------------------------------------------------------
And he awoke.
He stared up at the ceiling, then looked around to make sure he was where he thought he was.
He heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, then sat up on his bed, looking around and taking in the world around him. The faintest streak of gray was visible above the canopy to the east. Dawn was still a few more hours away.
He did not know why he kept trying to sleep... Reverie was all an elf needed, and each time he slept the nightmares came.
No matter.
He walked out onto the balcony and looked over the trees. How long had it been?
20 years or so, now. He saw a few lights flicker down among the trees... Travelers, nothing to be worried over.
He watched them as they made their way to the nearby town... Lyrabar...
His mother and sister lived there, still. Five years he had lived alone now, but he liked to be near, in case they had need of him.
His sister often had... After that fateful night, she turned her attention to her harp as never before, seemingly pouring her entire being into her music... She had soon become a renown bard, and was invited to local playhouses, and soon after noble houses.
A fair amount of travel was involved, and Aelfin had gone along on every single one of them, to ensure her safety.
He had learned a lot on those journeys, he had been able to study a lot of legends and texts on elven histories and religion, sometimes taught by her, sometimes taught by her mentor, sometimes even by those who would teach the children of the nobles.
Going along with her had greatly improved his social graces as well.
But now their journeys together had come to an end.
She had finally chosen a companion... He smiled. The half elf was a good choice. Strong, quick of mind, reliable. He would take good care of her.
Now it was time to move on, then.
West. Away from this place and these memories. Sadness filled him at the thought of leaving his family, as part of him believed they would still need him.
Nevertheless, come morning he would set off.
Once more on his way to unknown lands. Somehow, the prospect excited him.
To move on and leave this all behind...
They were all around, some calling to rally together and take up arms, others to flee.
Some were in agony. Others, the most horrid among them, were in revel.
They came swiftly, they were brutal and without mercy, and they... they were lead by one of their own... The bard... she had come to their settlement so often, and always in friendship, but now...
An army of demons... How she got them there without any of the sentries noticing was beyond him, but they were there, and they were wreaking havoc.
A shout, his name... His mother was calling to him. His sister holding her hand, and his father looking around cautiously. The settlement was lost, and they all knew. The time had come to scatter to the wind like leaves.
And so they ran. Father first, him last. The smell of fire was apparent before the smoke or flames were. The first tents had been torched, they had little time now, if they had any.
Out of their tree house, down the stairs grown from the tree... As by a miracle their house stood, while the two next to it were slowly turning to ash.
Then again, these were demons... they would burn them on a whim, not actually caring which ones they took down, he knew that much.
Dashing between trees, burning, torn down, some standing, some merely hacked at, they made their way to the south of the camp. Luckily, the enemy only came from one direction, it would seem chaos was their plan more than anything.
Yet the loss of life and the loss of beauty to the woods was indescribable. The Rawlins would never be the same after this.
They reached the end of the camp, and he believed his family to have escaped, but then his father suddenly stopped.
No words were needed, the boy knew what his father was doing. Why?
For the love of... Why!?
He could not speak, he would not. He knew that his father did only what he believed was right.
When his father turned to leave, so did his mother in the opposite direction.
She called after him, and for a moment he was torn.
Then he ran, after his father. He would not let him go alone to what he was surely facing.
He came upon his father holding one of the demons at bay with a spear... His boar hunting spear... his father had known he would be doing this at the first sign of trouble, for it to have been so near...
He dashed towards him, he had nothing but a wooden training sword, but at that time, it made no difference.
Too late.
As he ran towards his father, one of the trees fell in between the two of them. He narrowly escaped it. He tried to climb over, but he was too late.
He heard his father scream.
------------------------------------------------------------------
And he awoke.
He stared up at the ceiling, then looked around to make sure he was where he thought he was.
He heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, then sat up on his bed, looking around and taking in the world around him. The faintest streak of gray was visible above the canopy to the east. Dawn was still a few more hours away.
He did not know why he kept trying to sleep... Reverie was all an elf needed, and each time he slept the nightmares came.
No matter.
He walked out onto the balcony and looked over the trees. How long had it been?
20 years or so, now. He saw a few lights flicker down among the trees... Travelers, nothing to be worried over.
He watched them as they made their way to the nearby town... Lyrabar...
His mother and sister lived there, still. Five years he had lived alone now, but he liked to be near, in case they had need of him.
His sister often had... After that fateful night, she turned her attention to her harp as never before, seemingly pouring her entire being into her music... She had soon become a renown bard, and was invited to local playhouses, and soon after noble houses.
A fair amount of travel was involved, and Aelfin had gone along on every single one of them, to ensure her safety.
He had learned a lot on those journeys, he had been able to study a lot of legends and texts on elven histories and religion, sometimes taught by her, sometimes taught by her mentor, sometimes even by those who would teach the children of the nobles.
Going along with her had greatly improved his social graces as well.
But now their journeys together had come to an end.
She had finally chosen a companion... He smiled. The half elf was a good choice. Strong, quick of mind, reliable. He would take good care of her.
Now it was time to move on, then.
West. Away from this place and these memories. Sadness filled him at the thought of leaving his family, as part of him believed they would still need him.
Nevertheless, come morning he would set off.
Once more on his way to unknown lands. Somehow, the prospect excited him.
To move on and leave this all behind...