[Other Original] Euindale

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.