Euindale

Euindale​

This is a novella that I am writing and the thread will be run in a similar fashion to An Ephemeral Memorandum, my poetry thread, in that I'll be adding new chapters to this, the first, post and updating whenever a new chapter is added by making a reply.

As usual, any and all feedback is welcomed and appreciated, whether negative or positive (as long as you aren't mean XD) and I do hope that you'll post your feedback in this thread itself! In any case, without further ado!

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Spoiler: Chapter 1 | The Dance of the Stars

The Dance of the Stars​

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At first there was nothing, nothing but the Stars that looked upon the void, no light within them. The Stars were silent, unmoving, locked into a slumber in an eternal twilight, their minds unknowingly searching for the reason to arise. For millennia, the Stars slept. And then, at the precipice of the edge of the night, they awoke. Light filled the void and the void was no more, the Stars moving, greeting one another, like old friends meeting after a long time apart. The movement of the stars fell into synchrony, slowly, and the paths they traced across the heavens a trail of all that is beautiful and majestic, and brilliant and bright. And thus began the Dance of the Stars, the skies shimmering with light.

The Stars, in harmony, danced around each other and so, in its utter radiance, came into being what the Children would call the Universe and therein the brightest of the Stars, the first, devised a theme for unison and so, the Stars, dancing to the theme set upon them, created that which they would call Euindale and it was in Euindale that the Stars found great pride, their light shining upon the new world.

The Stars, in their excitement and pride forgot where there is light, there is shadow. As bright as the lights that shone upon Euindale were the shadow formed behind it. The shadows, linked to each other by the void that once was, joined together in a dance of their own. A dance of chaos and discord called forth the Darkness that would plague Euindale for millennia to come and from the void came, like the gales of the winters to the far north, the Creeping Darkness, faceless and soulless, darker even than the void.

War was coming. The very earth upon which the thunder of marching feet resounded felt the presence of death approaching. The trees awoke to the trembling of the ground and the Sun, the day, melted away leaving behind it a moonless sky illuminated by the light of innumerable stars engaged in a celestial dance across the heavens. This light, brilliant, bright, is a deception. The light is brightest when it fights the hardest, fighting the Darkness that creeps over the land as would the cold winters of the north. The discord, the chaos that follows descends upon the world in power and majesty greater than the stars that fight it.

As the Creeping Darkness slithered across Euindale, the Stars grew anxious, their hearts plunging into the depths of fear. The brightest of the Stars proposed a war to vanquish all Darkness forever more and so, as the Stars prepared, there was war. The years that ensued were of tumult and turbulence unlike any the word had ever seen. The war, written in the Books as the War of the Stars, spans centuries and many a star fell from the heavens to Euindale until there were all but a few, and where there was once life, there was void. The skies wept for the perishable, its sorrow felling the final stars. The light that once guided life collapsed into the Darkness so binding, so complete, and then there was naught but the eternal silence that consumes all. The World suffered, empty and lifeless as the Dark Ones consumed what little life that remained.

In the millennia that followed, a light, brighter than any Star ever to have danced, rose from the heart of Euindale. It, known to the Children as Euli, the Unwavering Light, conscious and ever evolving, gave forth its light and once again the stars danced across the skies and illuminated the World below. As the years passed, the Darkness wherein lied the World, dispersed as the stars rose and their light spread with the warmth of spring, over Euindale. Life was returned to the realm and as they beheld their victories, they rejoiced and thus ended the War of the Stars.

The Stars, weary from battles past, could no longer protect Euindale from the remnants of the Darkness and so they set forth on the creation of a theme, a dance, of creation itself, more powerful than any before it. The earth shook and the heavens trembled as the stars beauty and majesty, wherein lies their power, filled the void with light, brighter, in unison, than Euli itself. They called upon the heart of Euindale, from whence came the Unwavering Light, and thus, on the earth, Euindale, were born the Children of the stars, the guardians of the world.

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Faerin lifted his quill from the paper, his hand weary, and gently closed his book. The first of the Children, Faerin had learned the history of the Stars from the Stars themselves and upon their request and permission, begun to transcribe it, for the Children yet to come. He lifted himself up, off the chair, careful not to let his robe get caught on it, and walked, in long strides, to the entrance of his home, a small hut, a cabin, at the centre of Euindale. Looking out, he saw the other of the Children, running about, busy on their own. With a long sigh, Faerin strode forth, towards the largest building, at the time, the Shrine of the Stars. He was to pray, to talk, to the Stars and ask for their guidance for the times to come.

The Stars had built the Shrine for Faerin, the only among the Children they permitted their communion. No sound could penetrate its walls, made of the strongest substances, and no darkness could enter its halls. Its entrance was just tall enough for Faerin, the tallest of the Children, and the insides of it were lit by an eerie glow that seemed to emanate from the walls and ground themselves. Faerin approached the building, his dark black hair, which fell to his neck, flying back in a gust of wind, and paused in front of it. With a deep breath, he continued forward.

Faerin entered the Shrine, an empty building with naught but the air inside it, and lowered himself on to the ground, cross legged. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift into a state of subconscious and then, as his mind melted away into the very essence of Euindale, he saw nothing but light, and he could hear, but not see, in the distance, the voices of the Stars. These voices grew louder and then, as if the world had ended in a fraction of a second, all became silent. The Stars then spoke in unison, their voice loud and clear and indescribable in beauty and bliss.

"Ah, it is you, Faerin."
"Yes, it is I, and I have come to ask of you your blessings and guidance."
"You are of the Children, Faerin, the first among them. You're prayers are heard. However, the years ahead will not be so easy, and we will not be beside you."
"Has the Darkness returned?!"
"Not yet, it has not, but it will, soon, and you, the Children must fight it in our stead."
"How are we to fight the Darkness alone? We are but mortals, mortal in our bodies and our power."
"The Darkness is weak. It is much weaker than strength it had in the first great war, as are we. In their weakness, to survive, the Darkness is forced to take on mortal bodies, fashioned from the void itself, we have seen it. The Stars, we, will light your path and guide you but this war is yours to fight, for your homes and for your lives. You will find arms in the east, inside a cave of earthbound star light. Do not let them steal your light, you are of the Children of the Stars."
"Will we win?"
"That, Faerin, not even the heavens know."

Faerin snapped into reality, his mind fatigued and weak, and collapsed, unconscious. He awoke, minutes later, the weight of the Stars resting upon his shoulders. A war, another one, was coming, and this time, it is the blood of the Children that is to be spent.

He rushed outside and walked, almost running, to the Bell and struck it, harder than he ever had. The noise resonated about the village and the call was heard by all the Children. In but a few minutes, Faerin beheld the hundreds before him, his face one of panic and of fear. The Children were curious, some perturbed and some frightened.

Among the crowd, one called out, "Why have you called us here?"
"I," A long, silent pause followed, the crowd looked at each other, now in confusion.
"What have you done?" yelled another.
Faerin gathered his thoughts, for his people, "I have talked to the Stars in prayer."
"What did they tell you?"
"War is coming, the Darkness will soon return," Faerin saw fear growing in his kin, "and the Stars will not aid us in our battles. We must fight the Darkness, now mortal, for our lives and Euindale."
"We will die!" screamed one.
"We will die if we do not!" yelled back Faerin, his voice crackling.
"How can we fight that which destroyed Stars?!"
"It is much weaker than the first war, it is in the form of mortal soldiers and we can fight them! We must fight them!" and with that, Faerin turned around and walked back to his home, his stride crippled and weak.

He was stopped, to his surprise, before he could enter. The hand on his shoulder, strong and firm, belonged to Griedan, the second of the Children and his closest friend. Griedan nodded and gently pushed him on, following him inside. The entrance of the home of Faerin was thin and he, being quite bulky, had to pay attention to the space around him, something Griedan rarely does.

Sitting down on a nearby chair, Griedan look up at Faerin, who had not sat, his mind disturbed.

"So, the Darkness is coming. Do you know how long we have?" asked Griedan, his voice hoarse, laying a hand, large and rough they were, upon his own knee. Griedan's voice was much deeper than Faerin's and full of strength and power. The voice of a warrior, a fighter, who had endured much in the past, even though he had not.
"Soon," was all Faerin could muster up, lightly.
"Speak up, Faerin. You must lead us, as the first, and you cannot show weakness. Especially not to your own people," said Griedan sternly, his fist clenching and his eyebrows converging.
"We need to prepare for the coming war. The Stars have stocked us with weaponry, in a cave due east. I shall go, with a dozen horses, to collect it. Will you come?" Faerin spoke, his voice stronger and louder, and looked at Griedan for the first time and saw in his eyes not fear, but confidence.
"We can leave in the morning. It is late now and you must rest."
"As should you. Thank you, Griedan."

Griedan stood up and bowed, and, receiving a bow from Faerin, in one swift motion, turned and walked to the entrance. He looked up at the sky, the ethereal beauty of its light calmed his mind and he said, "We must defeat the Darkness." Faerin moved closer and the light of the heavens fell upon him as well, "We must." Their eyes shimmered in the star light, Faerin's, a deep black and Griedan's, a light blue, as the very Stars they adored seemed to sparkle within them.

Griedan lowered his head and, looking back, and saw Faerin's face lightening, the Stars curing his mind of the troubles he faced. He turned one again, to face the outside, and closing his eyes, smiled.

"I'll see you in the morning, then," he said.
"Very well," replied Faerin, his voice, now in its natural form, deep and rich in its wisdom.

Griedan walked away, his large frame momentarily eclipsing the heavens. Sighing deeply, Faerin prepared for the night, and for the dreams, that lay ahead.

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Spoiler: Chapter 1 | The Earthbound Starlight

The Earthbound Starlight​

Faerin awoke to the streaks of golden sunlight crashing onto his face, his mind still not completely conscious as his dreams had been vivid and beautiful, and blissful and magnificent. He dreamt of a time when the Stars would descend upon Euindale and dance among the Children in a harmony so perfect that Faerin found it to be a shame that he had to awaken, leaving behind the worlds he yearned for.

Preparing for the journey ahead was not an easy task. The Stars had told him little of how far the cave was, holding the weapons of freedom, let alone how difficult the journey will be. He gathered a week's worth of rations and supplies and placed them neatly inside a sack, each perishable separated by a thin cloth, and strapped it to the horse that he would ride to the cavern.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Griedan, like a shadow in the night, however inaccurate, slip behind him and appear on his other side. His horse trotted along lazily a few moments later and came to a halt next to him.

"Ready, I take it?" inquired Griedan, his hand reaching for Faerin's shoulder.
"Yes. Why is that your horse is not carrying your supplies?"
"It's a short journey, is it not?"
"The Stars did not tell me where the cave lies. My mind was not powerful enough to maintain the connection."
"It cannot be far. After all, the Stars are on our side."

As Griedan grinned, Faerin turned to his horse and in one barely noticeable push, found himself gazing out over his people, his chin held high by the winds that blew from the east. Griedan, following suite, mounted his own horse and moved past Faerin, beckoning him to follow. Faerin followed him closely, edging ever closer involuntarily, until they were beside one another once again.

The piercing light of the Morning Sun made their eyes ache as they rode towards the great ball of fire rising into the heavens from within Euindale. Faerin, unable to tolerate any more, raised his hand to cover his eyes. Griedan, mimicking the action, scoffed at the empty, barren land ahead.

"Do we head due east, into the Sun, as far as we can?" asked Griedan, a frown forming across his broad face.
"I do not know."

Griedan scoffed again, "Very well," lowering his hand and then, after a moment's pause, raising the other to resume its duty.

As they rode towards it, the Sun rose higher and higher up until before they realised it, they were directly under it and their hands could no longer provide cover. Griedan and Faerin travelled further east than any of the Children had travelled anywhere before. They passed, in time, the points they had reached before, then only to turn around in concern. They rode until the Sun, tired of illuminating their path, fell back into Euindale and the Stars themselves awakened to greet them.

They continued east, determined to follow the guidance of those they held in such reverence, until their bodies and their minds could take no more, and then they stopped. Faerin unmounted his horse and pulled off the sack that carried his items. He pulled out two large, rolled pieces of cloth and gave one to Griedan.

"Unravel that cloth and lay it on the ground. We can rest on it," explained Faerin, rolling out his own cloth and laying it gently on the earth.

Next, Faerin, from within his supplies, retrieved two large loafs of bread and once again, he gave on to Griedan. Feeling that an explanation is unnecessary, he began to eat, Griedan joining him but moments later. Once he had finished, he opened his bags one final time and found found for the horses that had brought them further than they needed to, for staying loyal to them even when their loyalty was tested the most, under the heat of the Sun and barren earth beneath them.

Faerin and Griedan, and their horses, no longer troubled by the distances they rode, or the pain in their bodies, lifted their heads to the skies and let the beauty of the Stars embrace them and their minds, which seemed to dance as well. As their minds escaped their souls and joined the skies above, they drifted off to sleep.

Griedan awoke Faerin when the morning arrived and the Sun merged the heavens with the earth in an image of a divine blend of colours. Collecting their belongings, they set off once again, riding into the Sun.

When the Sun had risen enough for their hands to be of no help, Griedan turned to Faerin.

"Are we going on the right path?" Griedan's voice quivered slightly with an obvious uncertainty.
"We are going due east and that is what the Stars told me to do. We don't have any other options, do we?"
"I suppose you're right. I don't like it though, not knowing where we are going, following blindly like sheep."
"If we cannot find the cave by the end of this day, we will turn back and I will return to prayers, seeking a different solution."
"If you say so." Griedan turned forward once again and placed his hand on his thigh.

They rode further, till the Sun once again began to fall and then, suddenly, in unison, they stopped. They stopped because in front of them was what they've been searching for, the destination they've been looking for, the entrance to a cave, the insides of which were darker than the deepest abyss.

Griedan moved closer to Faerin and said, "Is this the one?"
Faerin didn't answer but instead strode forward, towards the darkness, Griedan following him closely. Together, they left behind the warm rays of sunlight and entered the cold depths of a great cavern, feeling it as a shock as they passed through the entrance of it.

The inside of the cavern was dark at first, no different from what they anticipated but soon, as if the roof and walls had ascended beyond the skies in the blink of an eye, Faerin and Griedan saw before them thousands upon thousands of Stars, Earthbound Stars, around them. They littered the cave from the highest corners to the lowest depressions, their light illuminating all, exposing even more of themselves.

Faerin wrote of the Cavern of Earthbound Starlight, in the Books, and the many Stars contained within it and he compared it to the heavens, "As many Stars as had created Euindale." and they welcomed them embracingly into their home upon the earth. Faerin and Griedan looked at each other, brothers, and yet neither could find words to utter. It is said that no man can describe, in words, the beauty of the Stars and their light and Faerin too, though he tried desperately, could not.

Hours passed within what seemed to them like minutes, bathed in the Earthbound Starlight, as they tried to grasp the beauty, and the bliss, and the magnificence, and the utter radiance they beheld and they drifted off, once again, into sleep, this time one of great depth, their minds filled with the dreams of the Stars.

When Faerin and Griedan awoke from their slumber, they cried, as the Earthbound Starlight had vanished and instead, the walls now glowed as if the Sun illuminated them from the outside. The wept like they had lost a dear friend, their hearts filled with sorrow of that which has left them. They wept for what they knew they'll never see again and for the beauty that had come to pass.

Many minutes passed and when their souls had calmed and their minds made peaceful, Griedan approached Faerin.

"We need to find the weaponry," he said, his voice sore.
"The cave goes deeper, let's go further in." And so the two walked, beside each other, deeper into the darker parts of the cave.

The light became dimmer as they walked further and when the light was almost gone, the darkness almost engulfing them, they entered a giant room, a cavern, and within it they found a single golden chest, decorated with the jewels from the heavens, surrounded by the empty nothingness of air. Faerin moved towards the chest, feeling the power it emanated and faltering briefly, and noticed a note, one whose very paper seemed to tingle and crackle with energy. He opened it and, in handwriting that transcended the words it transcribed, it read, "To be opened when you return."

Faerin bent forward and placed his hand on either side of the chest. He pushed forward and heaved as mightily as he could and to his great surprise, the chest lifted off the ground effortlessly. Together with Griedan, he attached the chest, lighter than either of them, to Griedan's horse and they prepared for the journey back and then they were off, this time with their backs to the Sun and heading towards their homes and the Creeping Darkness that approached.

However, their return took more time than they had estimated, the added weight of the chest proved to be a burden great enough for the journey to take many days. Upon reaching their homes, albeit exhausted and sore, Faerin could not contain his excitement. He climbed off his horse and strode up to the Bell and once again, he struck it and once again, within minutes, he stood in front of all his kin, his heart racing for that which lied ahead.

"Griedan and I travelled to the far east in search of arms to wage war on the darkness that approaches. We found a cave, indescribable in words, and within it, we found a chest and a letter from the Stars above." Faerin explained what he read and he then jumped down off he platform and made his way to the chest that Griedan has placed on the ground in the middle of the courtyard.

As he approached it, his mind started to stray and his thoughts refused to be chained to reality. Standing inches from it, he reached out and grabbed the handle on its lid and then, without a moment of hesitation, lifted the lid off the chest. A brilliant light pulsed from within it, and it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and Faerin moved closer, looking into the chest. What he beheld then he wrote as the Abyss of Silver and Steel, a unending supply of weaponry, rows and rows of silver and steel lances, swords, arrows and bows and armour. An abyss of metal that seemed to stretch down into the heart of Euindale itself and Faerin, try as he might, could not see an end to it.

Before long, the entire town, all those capable of fighting, were equipped with the equipment of war, as bright as the Stars above them, shining in the light. They were ready for the war that was to come, the Darkness that crept relentlessly, mercilessly towards them. They were ready to fight for their homes, their lives and for the Stars that guide them forward and thus began, as the Books have named them, the Years of the Precipice.

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Chapter 2 - The Earthbound Starlight has been added! I had it written for a while now and I guess I just forgot to put it up in the thread. Sorry about that! xD

I'll also take this opportunity to tell you that there will be no more chapters for a few months. School is drawing to a close and I'd like to focus all my attention to my studies. That said, once that's done, I'll get back into writing if, you know, I remember. Remind me, yeah?