Elegy for a Star

 

Mairaela sat atop the tree bridges in Amyvelanora, swinging her short legs back and forth. Her hair, cut short around her ears, shifted like the leaves in the treetops when a breeze rolled by. A shortspear sat at her side.

“There you are, little one,” came a familiar voice. It was mama, who walked halfway across the bridge to sit down next to her. They held onto the ropes, especially since the bridge rocked with a shift in weight, “You look down. What’s the matter? I have a few minutes if you need to talk before I head back to the Astrantia.”

“Why did Evig do that?” Mairaela asked, “Killed the Hundred. Mormerilon. Destroyed so much of Mytenalenor.” She shook her head, “Evig is a primordial. They’re supposed to be the gods’ helpers.”

“Mai-Mai-...”

“Don’t,” Mairaela snapped, “Don’t call me that.” She pointed a finger at her and explained, “Never again.”

Her mother leaned back a little, brow raised, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it offended you so much. I’ll make sure to remember that.”

Mairaela let out a sigh, hanging her head a bit while her arms were reaching upward and holding onto the rope supporting the bridge. “I don’t get it,” Mairaela said, “You’ve explained it, but I just don’t get it.”

“Birel said…”

“I know what she said!” Mairaela shouted, “I know it’s the Black Sun. I know. But why does it make them crazy? Why is it here? What does it want? I hate it! It took Mormerilon from me! Costentyn, Leanna… Daz, even.”

“I think we all hate it, little bug,” her mother replied, “It’s a threat to our very existence.”

“Why aren’t we all fighting it?” Mairaela asked.

“Some are. But it’s not that easy. It’s way up there and we’re way down here. We can’t exactly shoot arrows, and even if we could, how would that help?”

“I need to do something. For Mormerilon, mom. For them,” Mairaela said, gripping the ropes so tightly that her hands started to ache, “I can’t just sit around and watch it eat Thyr, hoping someone is going to stop it.”

“Bug,” her mother replied, “It isn’t your job. The best thing you can do get a good education and-...”

“No! I’m going to fight!”

“Mairaela, be reasonable. It isn’t what your father and I want for you. It’s not what Mormerilon would want from you.”

“I’m going to fight. I have to.”

“No you are not,” her mother responded sternly, “You are never going to do such a thing.” Her mother let out a soft sigh spoke softly, “I will make sure of it, with all of the clout that I have, Mairaela.”

“You’re an asshole,” Mairaela spat.

Her mother’s words caught in her throat. She finally managed to say, “Where did you learn to talk like that?”

“Fuck you.”

“Mairaela!”

“I fucking hate you!” Mairaela screamed, getting up from her place on the bridge and trudging away.

“Mairaela, come back. Let’s talk.”

Mairaela only started to run, leaving the words of her mother behind.

As she ran, the world began to shift. The tree platform began to fall away from her feet. The canopy unraveled and the ground fell away. She was falling, before crashing into a dark lake. It was difficult to tell which way was up, but she swam as best she could, until she was upright and managed to get her head out of the surface. Treading water, she caught her breath and looked around. There was no shore that she could spot in the darkness, but she began to hear a very light splash, like someone stepping through a puddle.

She spun around to see a woman approaching, walking across the same water surface that held her neck deep. The woman was tall. She had Mairaela’s auburn hair, but it was longer. She was dressed in leathers with a bow strung across her back. She had a kind face, and she leaned forward to offer Mairaela a hand. Mairaela took it, lifting her into the air before she managed to stand atop the water just like the stranger was.

“Who are you?” Mairaela asked, “Are you me?”

“Not exactly,” the adult Mairaela spoke softly with a gentle smile, “But close enough. It’s probably easier to think of it that way.”

“Where are we?”

The adult looked around herself and replied, “Somewhere. Not exactly sure. But it’s just for us.”

“Are we supposed to talk about something? Are you going to give me some wisdom?” Mairaela asked.

“Of a sort,” The taller Mairaela replied, “But first, a question: Why do you want to fight the Black Sun?”

“It has killed so many. It’s ruined so much, and it keeps doing it again and again,” Mairaela explained, “I’ve heard all of the stories! It has to be stopped.”

“Alright, good start,” the older one explained with a thoughtful nod, “So you want to fight it because it’s bad.”

“Well… yeah, I guess so,” Mairaela replied.

“Why else?”

“What do you mean, why else?” The young one replied, “What other reason do I need?”

“None that you need, but you have other reasons.”

Mairaela thought about this rather deeply. She kicked a bit of water off to the side when she tried scuffing her boots upon the ground, “It’s what Mormerilon would’ve done.”

“Hey, kiddo.”

Mairaela spun around. She spotted that blond Fey, his blue cloak and his black spear. The older Mairaela was no longer there. It was just her, looking up at Mormerilon just like when they were training not too long ago.

“Don’t cry,” she thought, but saying that to herself drew the tears to the forefront. She began to sniffle, tear up, and then it turned to full on sobbing.

“It’s okay, Mai-Mai,” Mormerilon crouched down upon the surface of the lake, holding his arms out. Mairaela ran into them, embracing the blond Fey around the neck. “It’s okay,” he repeated, holding the back of her head to keep her pressed against his shoulder.

“Why did you go?!” She screamed, muffled against his cloak.

“I had to,” Mormerilon replied, “If I hadn’t, Cos’ and Leanna would have died.”

“They did die.”

“They died during Evig’s attack on Mytenalenor, and they were essential in the effort to repel him,” Mormerilon replied, “If I hadn’t died for them, who knows how many more would’ve died in Mytenalenor. They wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, besides, and neither would I.”

“I can’t forgive you,” Mairaela bawled, “I can’t. You abandoned me.”

Mormerilon squeezed her tighter, “I know, kid. I’m sorry, though. Sometimes we have to do things that others don’t want us to do, because it’s the right thing.”

“I’m going to join the Corps and fight against the Black Sun,” Mairaela replied.

Mormerilon frowned. She could hear it in his voice, “Don’t do that, Mai-Mai.” He let out a sigh before pulling back. He held either side of her head, locking eyes, “You can do so much more than die on some fruitless expedition. Just enjoy your life. The Black Sun might not be going anywhere, you can have a really good life before it drains Thyr.. Just choose your time to enter the Twilight Court and escape it.”

“You just said that sometimes we have to do things that others don’t want us to do, because it’s right,” Mairaela explained, “So that’s what I’m doing, whether you like it or not. Whether my mom likes it or not. Not everyone can enter the Twilight Court like we can. They’ll die when Thyr’s energy runs out. They’ll die in horrible ways, and what afterlife would they have?”

Mairaela stood her ground, “It’s the right thing to do by you, besides.”

“Mai-Mai, I wouldn’t have wanted you to do this.”

“Then you should’ve thought about that before you left,” Mairaela replied, “The Black Sun killed you, so I’m going to kill it. It’s as simple as that.”

Mormerilon looked doubtful, but he said, “Alright. I’ll help then, if you absolutely need to.”

“How? You’re dead.”

“Oh right,” Mormerilon laughed, “How silly am I, I completely forgot!”

“You’re such a dick,” Mairaela stared at him, unamused.

“Okay, I remember saying that one,” Mormerilon sighed, “I’m such a shitty teacher. But.. listen, I’ll be there with you. You’ll know it, I promise.”

“Mormerilon?”

“Yeah, Mai-Mai?”

“I love you."

“I love you too, Mai-Mai.”