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@Ethereal-Star _____________________________________________________________________________
Seridin Grayfeather stood in the forest, completely silent, his hands to his sides and his face turned up, the dappled sunlight falling gently upon his blue-gray skin. His eyes were closed and his blue-black hair fluttered in a light breeze. The elf was standing in a sparser part of Draconi Forest, though the tree leaves and branches still covered the sky.
Dappled light filtered through the leaves and onto the forest floor. Leaves covered the ground, and there was very little underbrush. The trunks of the trees around the elf signifying the age and serenity of this part of the woods.
Seridin was meditating, and he had been for several minutes. After a few more moments he opened his eyes and sighed as his life came rushing back to him. It wasn't as if he led a terrible life, just a lonely one. He hadn't had a close friend he could keep in all his life. He had met many humans and befriended them, some had even been very close, but he outlived them all. Even the children in the town where he sometimes stayed grew old and died.
Immortality was a blessing, some said, and many humans and other mortals wished for it, but living forever was also a terrible curse. Many elves rejoiced in their longevity, but not Seridin. He had been cast away from his kind, but even when he was with them he formed no lasting relationships, at least not good ones.
The Aether Elf cherished mortal lives, and envied them.
The elf was brought out of his thoughts by a noise not far off. Most would not have been able to hear the quiet noise, but Seridin's elvish ears picked up even the slightest of sounds.
It was the sound of a footstep.
Seridin could feel the vibration in the earth as the being walked. The footstep was far to light to be a human's. He heard the sound again. Definitely footsteps, and drawing nearer. Seridin did not move, but he was alert, ready for almost anything.
While the day itself was rather nice, the forest serene as always, Calabell's inner world was anything but. Her emotions raged like a ship lost at sea, but she made little sound as she walked across the forest floor back to her cave home. Having gone out to the very borders of Ketra, the bright elf wasn't sure what she had expected to find there. People for sure, human scum for certain, and other types of people. People not like her. Some stared openly at her, and Calabell wanted nothing more than to off them with the knife by her side, but the guards stationed nearby made her change her mind very quickly. Instead, she settled for giving the most intense glare of hate she could manage. It was enough to make anyone shrivel in fear and some in fact did, turning quickly away from the hostile elf.
Calabell did not stay long, she just needed a change of scenery and by the Dream Lords, she got one. It was safe to say the forest was far more pleasant. A couple minutes later, she began the trek back to the Draconi Forest. Back home. Her only home. By herself.
She was almost there, when she came upon something she never expected to see ever again. Or rather someone. It was another aether elf like her! Not the same sub-race, but all the same it was one of her kindred! At first, Calabell was too shocked to be excited but soon it began to set in.
Looking at the male elf before her, she noted that he was a mix of both Dusk and Shadow Elf. Her friend Greyden had been a Dusk Elf, while Calabell herself was one of the Bright Elves. Calabell had more or less come to accept she would never see her friend again, as he was dead. Had been for some time now. But this one before her was very much alive. And so at first all she did was stare in disbelief, not believing what her eyes were showing her.
When Seridin's gaze fell upon the elf, his blue eyes widened, his mind suddenly whirling. He had never, never expected to see another of his kind again.
But here one was. A Bright Elf. How had she gotten here? What turn of fate had brought them together? His feelings of hope were dashed as he realized that this elf was probably like all the others of his kind. Arrogant, ruthless. And this elf probably wasn't even in this plane to stay. She was probably here on some mission, soon to return to the Aether Plane. Still, he was intrigued.
"What are you doing here?"
He asked the question before he could even think about being polite, but he did not correct his mistake, he wanted to know why she was here.
Finally, her shock wore off and at his question, Calabell sneered. "What am I doing here?! I would ask you the same thing."
The elf before her had to have been exiled as well, forced to come down here and live out his endless days among the mortals who dwelt here. There was really no other explanation. Calabell wondered what his reasons were, as to why he had been cast out. No doubt an affront of some kind done to the Aether Elves in general. Their kind were like that, ruthless, cruel and oftentimes acting on their whims, letting their emotions pull them wherever. While Calabell was no different in that regard, some of her ruthlessness had been tempered to a certain degree. Especially after meeting that one human and her hyena companion.
Whatever the case, here he was before her and now Calabell needed to give a better answer than what she had. "I was exiled, obviously. I am never to return, and if I try, well I'm sure you know exactly what will happen then." She sniffed scornfully at the old memory, an old wound not quite faded to a scar yet, and looked the other elf up and down.
"I live here in this forest now. Nowhere else to go, really."
Seridin frowned at her tone. "There is no need to be nasty," he said, but he listened as she explained. When she was finished he pursed his lips.
"I was exiled as well," he said. "For respecting others. They cast me out because I didn't preen myself excessively and let my life be ruled my my ego. And the punishment is the same if I try to return."
Seridin didn't really know what to do. After all this time of yearning for another like him, he realized only now that if he ever met another Aether Elf they would be just like the ones in the Aether plane. Ruthless and arrogant. But perhaps this one was different. She had to be.
"I wander around," Seridin said. "It's better, in my opinion, than staying in one place for so long. I've been in this plane for four hundred years."
He smiled at her hesitantly. "I'm Seridin, Seridin Grayfeather."
At his comment about respecting others not of the Aether Elves race, Calabell burst out laughing at this. It was a callous and arrogant laugh, that. Did he really get exiled for that? she wondered, still laughing. Finally she calmed down and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Respect others? Those worthless and witless worms?" Calabell almost began laughing again, the idea was so ludicrous. Recalling her previous meeting though, it sobered her enough to not do that. "Whatever would you find interesting and worthy about these people?"
Now she had a name to put to a face. "The name's Calabell." she said, looking him over again, before shaking her head. "Calabell White-Star."
Pausing, she continued. "While I haven't been here nearly that long, it has been long enough. One and a half centuries to be exact." She frowned at this though. "Although I've only really had to rely on the placement of the sun and moon in the sky in order to tell the passage of time. There are no sundials or calendars where I am staying."
Seridin took a step forward, sudden anger in his eyes, he pointed a finger at her. "You watch your tongue," he snapped at her before he could even think about what he was saying. "Most of these beings here are worth ten times as much as an Aether Elf. Yes, there are those who are less than honorable, but the majority deserves my respect, and yours."
He let his hand fall to his side, but his eyes still were lit with a spark of anger.
Calabell glared coldly at him. "I have had no reason to believe other than what I do already." She sneered at the other elf. "Most who have come here have tried to trespass into my home, and I will not allow that!"
Feeling her anger flare up greatly, she let it run its course. "I don't see why you would defend them! Or have you completely forgotten what our kind were taught?!" Hands clenched at her sides, she continued to glare at him.
"I have not forgotten!" Seridin said, his anger soft but fierce. "And that remembrance has made me even more respectful of other races! We were taught that we were the best, simply because. . ? Be cause why? Because we are immortal?" his anger disappeared, and then there was just sadness in his eyes. "We must respect others, can't you see that? We are no better than any other race, and no worse. Everything is born equal, it is our actions later in life that should define us. That should determine how others treat us. Not some abhorrent lies we were made to believe at birth."
He sighed deeply, and shook his head. "We are all equals, and other beings should be treated with the respect they deserve. And they deserve our respect."
Calabell laughed again. "How far you have fallen." she said, a hint of sympathy in her bronze-golden eyes. "But, go ahead. Enlighten me. What have these mortals or any other race not us have that they can possibly teach us?" Her words were scornful at best, rudely mocking at worst.
"Who knows, I might actually be amused."
"Fallen?" Seridin laughed humorlessly. "I believe I have done just the opposite. And I know one very important thing that many other beings can teach us. Kindness. That is one very important thing that Aether Elves lack. They lack compassion and love. They will do anything, and I mean anything, to achieve their own goals, never truly satisfied. I have never, in all my years, seen an Aether elf smiling with pure happiness at something other than personal gain or selfishness. There are people, humans, in a town not three miles from here, and just this morning I saw a father playing with his daughter. They were both smiling and laughing, happy simply because the other was happy. There was nothing malevolent in their hearts. With many Aether elves, a daughter only looks upon her father wondering when he will die and when she will be able to gain the family fortune."
The bright elf crossed her arms over her chest. "That is just the way things are." she said simply. "And kindness is not what will get one far in life. Ambition and planning do. Cunning and looking out for oneself will."
Calabell shook her head. "Kindness is what got me cast out to begin with. I supported my friend Greyden in his attempts to overthrow the next-in-line ruler of the Aether Elves. Neither of us, some other aether elves included, wanted to see that pathetic half-wit sit on the throne and command us as he saw fit. He was not fit to be our ruler and Greyden and I understood that. So in my kindness to him as well as all our people, I gave my aid where needed and where did that lead me? Here. Here in this place full of lesser beings. Beings beneath both you and I."
Staring evenly at him, chin lifted up high. "Kindness is a fool's errand."
"You are a fool indeed," Seridin said. "Yes, kindness got me banished, as well as you, but I am much happier here than I ever was in the Aether plane. And kindness is not always what you would hope to be, but life isn't fair, you just have to try your best. And many people who act with kindness are rewarded beyond what they could have ever imagined. They are not rewarded with money, or power, but with happiness, and without happiness money and power mean nothing.
"You were cast out for defying a ruler you knew would be terrible, and you failed, but I can, right now, think of at least ten people, not Aether Elves, who have disagreed with a corrupted king or ruler and overthrown them, making everyone who had been under that person's rule happier and better off in life."
"If only that had been the way of things for Greyden and I." Calabell shook her head ruefully. "Then none of this would have happened. And that filth would not be sitting on the throne of our people."
Sitting down on a tree stump, she exhaled loudly in frustration. "Things would have been very different to how they turned out. As it stands, I only have a forest cave now to call home, surrounded by basilisks and dire wolves and who knows what else."
Scowling a bit, Calabell looked up at Seridin. "What has being kind ever done for me?"
"Done for you?" Seridin said. "Possibly nothing, but that's not the point of kindness. Kindness is never giving up, never failing yourself or others, at least not intentionally. Kindness is not something to try once, and, finding it does not work out, throw away. You have to keep trying, keep pushing on. I have lived here, in this plane, for so long, and if I wanted, I could have shunned the world, hated others, locked myself away, but what good would that do me? It would make me miserable, as it seems to be making you. Why don't you try being someone who other people will like? Someone who can live happily. You may never be as happy as you would have been with Greydon, but don't make yourself miserable because you cannot have your ideal life."
"Greyden was just a friend, a good one but still just a friend. He was not my betrothed." Calabell pointed out.
Considering his words somewhat, but then the elf scoffed again. "I would never get involved with someone not an aether elf. They are beneath me. Whether they be friend or lover, I would never stoop to befriending someone not like you or me."
Her expression was firm and unyielding on this front. It would obviously take more than mere words to convince her of this. "So what other choice does that leave me?"
Seridin sighed, seeing that this elf was not only arrogant, but infuriatingly stubborn.
"You're not swayed by my words," he stated, not a question. "But perhaps I can prove to you, prove to you that other beings are not as lowly as you seem to believe." He bowed his head. "Yes, I do admit that some beings are purely evil, but not many races are like that, and even within those few races, there always, always, can be exceptions."
He stepped forward opening his hands towards Calabell as an invitation. "I know I just met you," he said softly, "but will you let me at least try and show you that other beings are wonderful and just as deserving of respect as any Aether Elf?"
Thinking about this for several seconds, Calabell finally nodded. "Oh, what the hell." she stated. "It's not like I have anything to lose after all. As that's already happened." Referring to her exile, of course.
Walking up to Seridin, she met his eyes then. "Alright then. Show me what you will. I can see for myself if your words hold any truth to them."
It was now late morning, so there was plenty of light to be had still. If they were going to go somewhere, now would be the best time to do it.
Seridin smiled as she accepted his offer, though it was clear she didn't think she was going to get anything out of it. "Let's start at the town I just left," he said. "There you will be able to see what I mean, I hope." He started to walk, motioning for Calabell to follow.
"As I said before, the town is only three miles away, so it should not take long to get there."
As they walked, Seridin saw a squirrel run across the forest floor and up a tree. "I must ask you," Seridin said. "Do you think that that squirrel was below you? Do you think that it is a price of scum?"
The Bright Elf followed him, taking her time to walk but not getting too far behind either.
At his question, she snorted. "That's absurd." she stated, an eyebrow raised. "It is an animal and part of nature. You should know that our pride is based on our people and therefore our belief only extends to other races as being beneath us."
Calabell knew what he was trying to do though, and commented further. "I see what you're trying to do here, and it's a foolish endeavor. Don't think you can change my mind so easily as that."
Still, the encounter of meeting the ranger girl and her hyena had not been forgotten by Calabell either and she wondered for just a moment if others were like what she had been. She supposed she would just have to see.
"So you say that we, as elves, that humans, and dwarves, and other beings, are not part of nature?" Seridin said, turning around to look at Calabell. "I am as much a part of nature as that squirrel, I would expect you to know that. And you think that that squirrel is not a being? It is a sentient being, an intelligent animal. Are you and I not animals as well?"
He shook his head. "All beings, be it a squirrel or an elf or a human, are part of one whole, all part of nature and life. Even undead things are a part of life, part of the force, the lifeforce, that binds us all together. We are not so different, you and I, from other beings. At least not as different as you are lead to believe."
"Stop twisting my words into something they're not!" Calabell snarled at him. Looking down at the golden ring on her finger, she twirled it idly, going over the description engraved upon it silently in her mind. The flowing script was inscribed in the Aether Elf language, more specifically the dialect that the Bright Elves spoke, that of Clarion.
"Bright Elves of golden sun,
Dusk Elves of grayish moon,
Shadow Elves of night's blackness.
Superior above all others."
These were the words engraved upon it, the only real indication of her home plane and people that she still possessed. Calabell read the words again, as she had done so many times before. Even though she had long since committed the inscription to memory, the gold band was a precious piece of home that she would never give up. Ever.
Looking back up, she said to the other elf. "You may have forgotten our people's motto, but I have not. I know that we are above the other races. Not just because we are ageless, but because of who and what we are at our core. You may try to show me that this is not true, that things are not what I believe, but it is an ingrained truth common to all our kind. It is not so easily forgotten or pushed aside as though it were meaningless. Perhaps one day you will remember this and come back to your senses."
Calabell sighed wearily. "As for being miserable, it....cannot be helped. My fate has been delivered, the cards have already been dealt. And I will continue to deal with it as I have. It is a shame that more of us are not down here, perhaps then we could create our own community together, our home away from home. Things could be normal again."
Her eyes hardened to look like steel. "But it is not to be."
Seridin could see that Calabell was very set in her ways, and the Aether elf knew it would take a lot of time and effort to sway her.
"I believed the motto once too," Seridin said. "But then I started to walk down a different path. For that, our people threw me out. Does that seem right? Shouldn't a superior race be forgiving and understanding? Kind and giving? Not throwing out their own flesh and blood simply because they think a little differently.
I once heard a saying, 'All beings are different, all are the same, but if one does not embrace differences and change, then there will be no evolution, no growth, personal or communal. All will be forever frozen in time.' That, I believe, would not be a bad rule to live by. Of course, there are some exceptions. It is hard to accept differences in others when the other is evil, but as long as the difference does not harm, then it should be accepted, I think."
"Hah!" Calabell let out a sound that was somewhere between a snort and a growl. "Should I be kind and giving to those whom trespass into my only home I have left? Should I invite them over for tea and share stories of old? I think not. I would never stoop so low."
Calabell shook her head. "This forest is the only peace for me now. Despite all the basilisks and dire wolves hereabouts, it is my sanctuary. I doubt the humans whom dwell so snugly in their despicable dirty cities could truly understand that."
Thinking of Kirl and her hyena Oax, she went on. "And even if some of them could, it would only be a fraction of their race and even those cannot fully fathom our connection with nature. Other elves may have a similar bond, but it is a known fact that those of the Aether realm are superior. We have a far more direct connection to a plane whose beauty can only be seen with one's own eyes and not simply told in mere words." The bright elf glanced at Seridin as she said this. "Try to counter that with your so-called logic."
"Perhaps not giving," Seridin said. "I understand how you feel you need to defend this place. But taking a stroll in the woods and stumbling across your cave defiantly doesn't deserve rough treatment. And this forest is not the only place where you can stay. There are many races who are Immortal or near-Immortal. Many of them would be accepting of you.
"You say it 'is a known fact' that Aether elves are superior. A known fact to who? The Aether elves? Of course, they are so arrogant that of course it is a 'known fact' to them."
"You speak as though you are not one of us Aether Elves. You are. So why do you refer to our race as 'them'?" Calabell shook her head.
"Other immortals....I have not met any other immortals, those who have come into these woods are usually human or some other shorter-lived race. As for being accommodated by these immortals, that depends if I am able to tolerate them. Some of them may not want another living in with them. But for now, let us continue to head to where we're going. It won't change anything though."
The bright elf muttered under her breath at his earlier statement about those taking a stroll in the woods didn't deserve rough treatment from her. Perhaps he was right, but better safe than sorry. It was better them than her the way she saw it. Once again, her mind returned to that meeting between her and the human ranger. Just mentally examining all the facets of what had happened then. Calabell still wasn't convinced that humans and others were deserving of her respect. As far as she knew, Kirl was a rarity among her people. Humans were still scum in her eyes.
"I was born an Aether elf," Seridin said. "And I am still one of them, in flesh and blood, but I have traveled so far from their path that, while I still feel kinship for Aether elves and other elves in general, I am not the same as the Aether elves whom I have left."
Seridin continued walking in silence, the town was still another few minutes away.
The two Aether elves continued their walk in silence. Calabell did not feel the need to chat any longer so was content for the most part with the quiet and scenery around them. It was still nothing like home though. It never would be, she mused thoughtfully.
Finally, they reached the edge of the town. Various people milled about, some children playing in the streets, while a drunkard stumbled lazily about, after having one too many drinks from the nearby tavern. Calabell scoffed at the drunk man. "I do hope that is not the kind of people you wish to show me." she said in disgust.
The drunkard had a terrible body odor that the golden-haired elf could smell even from here. He kept tripping over his own two feet and even fell face first into a pile of garbage. Several guards were posted around the perimeters of the town, two of them eyeing the newcomers with suspicion at first, but then they seemed to relax and went back to their rigid watch. Calabell ignored them and instead looked to Seridin.
"Well?" she prompted, tapping her foot on the paved road. "What of it?"
Seridin chuckled softly as Calabell looked upon the drunk in disgust.
"I must admit, not all beings are angels, but most humans are good, though there are many unsavory types." Upon reaching the village, Seridin's manner had changed completely, he had seemed to perk up, his eyes were brighter and a smile twitched at his lips.
He motioned over to two children, a boy and a girl, playing with a ball in front of their house.
"How can you say they are lesser than any Aether children?" he asked, smiling genuinely as the little girl laughed out loud.