Where the echo of the broken willow is undermined by the cry of Wrath
1 Sing, azure songbird, the words of Elarion, son of Elerion, son of Enarion, as he wandered through the dark forests, barefoot and innocent. To his father, Elerion, he lay upon the slopes and with joy asked,
4Father Elerion, son of Enarion, son of the willows, who gave me life and raised me, whose smile was the broadest when I opened my eyes, why do the Mali'aheral, with skin as pale as marble, not resemble me, whose freckles are like reeds in the marsh and the swamp? Why do my friends, the Mali'ker, with dark skin and penetrating eyes like the night, not resemble me, who has brown eyes? Is it a spell that has fallen upon us that we no longer look alike?
10 Elerion, son of Enarion, whose wavy hair swayed with the wind and looked with solemn eyes at his son, having calmed his questions with gentle caresses on the face, the Mali'ame answering said,
13 Elarion, son of Elerion, son of Enarion, your curiosity has always been a blessing in our homes among the oak and the willow, among all the Mali'ame. The tale of the elves faded long ago. When Ibless, the great traitor, was banished from this land, and having dealt him a mortal blow, Malin, the first lord, his descendants scattered, as sheep on the mount scatter across the green hills where we dwell. When wrath cursed Malin, the first lord, with late descendants and long life, there were two of his sons who led a handful of elves far from their hosts, beyond where any sail can go. Now, Malin, the first lord, watching us from above, where he made the sky his home, now sits beside him those two sons, playing at dice and coveting in their way the throne of the first lord. Of their names, one was Larihei, the purest gem, whose hosts now have pale skin and clear gem eyes and platinum hair like their mother's, those who dwell in citadels, who no longer touch the Aspects and no longer proudly chant the name of the first lord, they are the Mali'aheral. Of the Mali'ker, dark as the night, and whose eyes are seductive like the glow of the moon, those whose hair darkened and buried themselves in the depths, they are the children of Velulai, the princess of the moon, and the cloak she threw over the day wraps the earth at night, those who no longer proudly chant the name of the first lord.
29 The young Mali'ame, whose gaze was amazed at his father's teachings, where his words sketched a fraternal affection and a small one, who had come wrapped in innocence, now gathered strength, with a nearby branch raised as high as the young body could have done, he put his cry to the sky,
33 I, Elarion, son of Elerion, son of Enarion, from where I came only by innocent questions, have now received the name of the first lord. Where his echo still resounds, the people of the Mali'me must remain captive under his teachings for prosperity, where fresh bread and berries are abundant and in my ebony bowls I have pepper, honey, oregano, and salt. If to the right is Larihei, the purest gem, and to the left is Velulai, the princess of the moon, Malin the first lord will be at the center, all playing at dice, spinning on a divine spindle, the threads and destinies of their peoples.
40 As he came, he returned to the forest, Elarion ran with the willows and the grass. Behind him, he left Elerion, with a dismayed look, for having given a life and a lesson, he seemed to have light feet, and a mind lighter than ever would come down from the clouds. The young Mali'ame, who could have trodden any soil, who could have found any branch as a game to play, or a destiny to fulfill, had opted to play at hunting and sight, a young deer eating the grass as a luxurious banquet, unaware of the gaze of Elarion, son of Elerion, whose arm threw the branch like an arrow piercing the air, until it passed by to nail a tree, having startled the deer in fright, it ran towards the forest. The young Mali'ame was now hunted, like prey, when his head resounded in the bowels of the forest and the voice from beyond the grave made itself present.
50You, who heard of me, came from me, and I have received only mere vestiges and poor imitations, now dare to offend me, Elarion, son of Elerion. There will be no leaf that falls in autumn, nor flower in summer that my children, and their children, will see, they will only be the executioners of yours, since you now, Elarion, will receive the title of the cursed, now that I, Malin, the first lord, whose blood has been diluted and my children who lost their faith now offend me, and your branch has damaged my trunk, I condemn you and all your people to suffer hunger, thirst, droughts, plagues, and the most divine scourge of stifling heat, just as the flames that now boil Ibless, the great traitor, you will now witness my power and my will. Your mere flesh, if you desire to stop this punishment, will be but an appetizer, for now I crave the death of the three peoples, claiming the pale flesh of the Mali'aheral and the topaz eyes of the Mali'ker, death of the three peoples will be what I claim.
"Sing, oh azure songbird of the Forgotten Oath, how the young Elarion, with brown eyes and marsh freckles, raised his branch like a scepter of innocent wrath! Tell how the echo of his cry pierced the veil of the heavens, and even Malin, the First Lord, felt his eternal roots tremble! What deity wove in his breast the longing to unite what the gods had parted? What divine laughter sowed in his soul the seed of sacrifice? Reveal, azure songbird, the mystery of the weeping willow and the burning branch!"
62 For nine days, the lakes dried up, the crops of wheat, apples, and grapes perished, and only mere traces of their green and brown tapestries remained, and the curved trunks, homes of the Mali'ame, were now devoid of all vigor. Thus, on the tenth day, Elarion, the cursed, gathered the artisans, the elders, the weak, and the sick, and while the first lord continued to lash the lands with an iron fist, he pronounced,
67 Brothers Mali'ame, from where we have come from the dense forests of oak and willow, and shared the wine and the fruits of the harvests, I must have committed the worst offense towards you, for in my innocence and my sorrow, I have offended Malin, the first lord, and from the lashes of his staff of roots and his will, now his wrath and the wound keep our stomachs hungry, our homes devoid of all virtue, and the light of the candles does not feel the same.
73 Among all, Thalion, he who harms from afar, making a gesture, calmed the furious crowd that, intent on claiming justice, lunged against Elarion, the cursed, restrained himself from blaspheming the first lord, and with solemnity said to the furious people,
76 Brothers, how much blood we have shed in countless wars, in countless years, what good would it do now, I ask you, to kill my friend Elarion, the cursed son of Elerion, so that our wild berries may grow again. If Malin, the first lord, lashes our lands with pestilence, it is he whom we must satisfy his demands for blood and sacrifice so that our houses may regain their green.
81 The Wrath of the first lord did nothing but increase, and now manifested in an earthquake, from the bowels of the arid lands, causing panic among those present, with disdain exclaimed,
84 Such offense, from you, my children, who carry my blood, one of you has offended me. Now the death of the three peoples is what I claim, and Elarion, the cursed, will be the one to offer me on that platter the eyes, the bones, the entrails, the fat, and flesh of all those children of whom now sit beside me.
88 The earth cracked like broken bones. The sky, once blue, turned a furious red. The Mali'ame fell to their knees, crying out to Malin, the first lord, with voices torn by fear, and dust and horror, Elarion advanced, the leaf-scar on his chest glowing like an ember, which when touched seemed like a borrowed heart.
92 Hear my words, my brothers, if blood and sacrifice is what Malin, the first lord, claims, then blood and sacrifice I will make to appease his wrath, although being the most selfish act to conquer, I would not allow the three peoples to be sacrificed, there will still be another way of which presages Malin, the first lord, has not yet given us notice.
96 While the Mali'ame, proud against the wind and the terror of the people, the sky split and a lightning bolt crossed the sky, like that branch that had given Elarion the fame of being cursed, setting the ground ablaze with ethereal fire, and from it rose a figure, from a separated people, and of a lineage to dispute, of whom the first to point to the mortal was Larihei, the purest gem.
101 What a proud and challenging demeanor before the first lord, first you should try to convince your superior, I, the purest gem, sit to the right of the lord and hear him babble about the mortals here on earth, but I have not come from so far to belittle you. If you want then, the alternative of who cursed you and cursed you remained, then here I am. The Thorn of Light, anciently carved, and a symbol of the purity of the Mali'aheral, from whose hair I now inherit and skin polished by the stars, is the alternative. If you are capable, you perfidious Mali'ame, that my children, begotten in the golden pools, bestow upon you, impure, I will intercede before the first lord and remove the miasma that has lashed this place.
110 Like the split sky, the figure of the purest gem disappeared, and as if by happy coincidences, from the abysses and cracks of the earth, the second figure wrapped in shadows and veils of faint glimmers with moonstones appeared before the Mali'ame.
113 You have seen my sister, who since she embraced her gifts of purity has not stopped looking over her shoulder at those who do not share her purity, now she offers you to be an intercessor before the first lord. So be it, I also offer you the same, before you, cursed by Malin. If you manage to have my children, the Mali'aker, children of the night and the moon, gift you the anciently gifted Thorn of Darkness, carved in tungsten and harder than any other sword, I will be the one to respond before the first lord in your favor. I promise you that I, Velulai, the princess of the moon, whose seat is to the left, and whose caution made the prosperity of my people, you have my word. 153 The figure wrapped in shadows, like smoke carried by the wind, vanished, and when the voices and the skies calmed, the voices were contradictory among themselves, as if in a forced march debate, among shoves and shouts, to see which petition to heed, whether that of the first lord, that of the purest gem, or that of the princess of the moon. Nyrra, daughter of Nirion, long dead, whose figure stood out for her garments made of cobwebs and blind in both eyes, approached, as if she were an autumn leaf falling gracefully to the ground, approached Elarion, the cursed, and with one hand, extended to him, wrapped in a cloth, the Thorn of Blood.
129 Three thorns, for three gods and three tears for three peoples. That if not, Elarion, son of Elerion, you who must undertake and accept any divine proposal so that the prosperity of the Mali'ame people returns, and that your sacrifice of carrying the three thorns be a song that no god shall sing.
"Sing, oh azure songbird of the Forgotten Oath, how the young Elarion, with brown eyes and marsh freckles, took the thorn with conviction! Tell how the promise he made captivated the people, and even Malin, the First Lord, felt his eternal roots tremble! What deity wove in his breast the longing to unite what the gods had parted? What divine laughter sowed in his soul the seed of sacrifice? Reveal, azure songbird, the mystery of the weeping willow and the burning branch!"
133 And with a gesture, the crowd chanted in chorus the name of Elarion, the cursed, and he embarked on the long march towards, from where Kheltior, a friend of his, gave him a willow branch, knowing that both friends would never play with it again. With only a hollow gourd with a little water, and a pair of dry and stale breads, he set out on his journey to the lands of light and darkness, without first being taken by both shoulders by Thalion, he who harms from afar, who expressed his wishes to him,
139 My friend, with whom we have shared for centuries the same joys and sorrows, with whom I have lived the hunt and the fishing like never before, and whose destinies had forked due to my duty as a warrior, allow me once again to cross paths and destinies, now that the weight of your journey has called you to adventure and the desperation of the peoples, I will be your right hand so that your burden may be lighter than the feather of the bird that will sing our ballad.
145 And so it was that Elarion, the cursed, and Thalion, he who harms from afar, crossed the dry river Asris, once the border of the Mali'ame people, towards the desert horizon that awaited them. To the side, a twisted willow, on whose branch bloomed a small white flower, and both adventurers did not make astonishment their only response. From the burning sun, Larihei observed from her cloud balcony, and ran towards the first lord and the lunar princess, where she mocked them both.
151 You have been witnesses, father and sister, how an impure mortal dares to challenge the will of the first lord, against my people, the Mali'aheral, whom I drew from the pools converted into marble, now that mortal heads to claim the thorn believing they will bestow it upon him without asking for treasure or task in return, believing that Kaelthor, son of Kaelthion, son of Kaelthier, dragon hunter, and lord of the Mali'aheral, will let him take it.
156 Velulai, the princess of the moon, always distrustful and cautious, pointed at her sister with one finger, while with the other hand she held her whip of fine and strong threads, lashing out with strong blows behind her.
159 Be careful with your words, sister, your haughtiness as well as your words, for what you offered to that mortal is also what I will grant him in claiming my thorn. If you are going to be, or rather, continue to be the one who carves in the marble that you boast your name as the winner, for now Malin, the first lord, from all the babbling I have heard coming from him, now lies here, and his cries of wrath disturbing the veil of the night that I have worked so hard to achieve, only for you to keep agitating it more. Cautious and cunning must be Nymera, heiress of the light of the moon, of realms beneath the stone, may grant him the thorn without first proving himself worthy of such a treasure. Neither your wise and pure children managed to deceive nor manipulate, nor make your will, because I must admit, sister, that I have been cautious and patient in educating them.
169 Malin, the first lord, who saw his first hosts fighting, threatened with a haughty voice those who had dared to play at chance and destiny without his consent.
171 You have then, my daughters of my first litter, whom I fed and now reside here in the heavens by my will, played against my wishes. So be it then, for it seems that so many millennia have finally made you architects and conductors of your own destiny, from now on you will make that mortal fail in collecting his thorns, for if not, I will claim by my hand the life of you two and your peoples, tearing you from the void, the moon, the light, and the stars, in any vestige of yours, and I swear I will do it.
Where the echo of the broken willow is undermined by the cry of Wrath; the promise of a mortal and a divine one appeased the silence.