Do gods exist?
How did they come into being?
Is there only one, or are there multiple higher beings watching over us?
Those among the wood elf population claim to know the answers. None alive can prove the answers because history, primarily passed down orally, has disappeared after thousands of years since the last dark war.
Only rumors and conjecture remained three hundred years after a religious order from a well-known forest dissolved.
***
Following a trail only a keen eye could discern, two brothers made their way toward the destination of their curiosity.
“Haldir, why did I agree to go with you on this crazy hunt for a god that almost no one from our tribe even believes ever existed?”
He looked slightly down at his younger brother and grinned. “As I said before, Erlan, our aunt Pyria talked to a traveling merchant who met someone who claimed to be part of a religious order called the Shadow Breakers who guarded a forest and some ancient relic.”
He looked up with a skeptical smirk and said, “I just hope this doesn’t take too long. Before the tribe heads further south and the temperature drops, we assured them of our return.”
Haldir grabbed Erlan’s shoulder, pointed off into the distance, and yelled, “Look! It’s two wolves on a hill just outside of the forest. Could they be the ones from the story? The champion and his mate who used to be an elf like us.”
With a sigh that dripped with pity and acceptance of his brother’s beliefs, Erlan shook his head. “If the stories were true, they would have been alive several thousand years ago. Do you honestly believe they could still be around?”
He winced at Haldir’s expression and regretted his words accurate they may be. “Haldir, perhaps-”
“No. You’re right. Why would they be alive? We would be lucky to live to 300, let alone ten times that. Even if they have already perished, there must be remnants for us to discover.”
I’m not dead yet young elf.
Haldir looked back to where the two wolves had been, but there was nothing. He shook with glee and explained, “He is alive! I heard his voice in my head!”
Not wanting to argue anymore, Erlan started walking again knowing his brother wouldn’t be far behind.
Near the end of the day, both brothers ventured into the forest. The distant howls heard could only belong to the local wolf pack.
Armed with a longbow and sword, they swiftly caught rabbits for dinner and camped in a clearing.
“If the stories are to be believed, there is a tomb hidden somewhere close to the pack's den. In a day or so, we can investigate the nearby village for clues.
Erlan sat in silence and nodded along with Haldir’s plans, enjoying the rabbit stew they prepared. Despite wanting to be anywhere else, he had no choice but to chase this lead for the sake of his brother.
***
Unbeknownst to the two sleeping nomads in the forest, a determined and highly mischievous elf had plans of her own. Penelo spent years preparing for her rendezvous with destiny.
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“Stay in the village, they said. The forest is too dangerous, they said. Those old stories about the Shadow Breakers will bring you nothing but trouble, they said. Well, I say they are nothing but old stuck-up geezers who want to ignore our town’s history.”
Creak.
“Traako!”
Attention back to her early morning escape attempt, Penelo moved between buildings and around the night patrol. Her last obstacle was the wall. Once, there was a vast open field between the perimeter and the forest, but now the forest is nearly touchable.
Aware of her one opportunity, Penelo timed her move perfectly, waiting for the scout to pass before sprinting to the top by leaping back and forth where two walls met.
Before Penelo could change her mind, she twisted her body and flung herself over the edge. Stars twinkling in her eyes, she pushed off against the wall and tucked in her shoulder as she hit the ground, rolling to a stop in time to press her back against a nearby tree.
“And my combat instructor said flashy acrobatics were just a one-way ticket to a snapped neck. Why not combine efficiency with style?”
Light on her feet, Penelo melted into the forest in search of her destiny.
But what did she find instead?
Fate in the form of a lone elf.
“Hello, are you a Shadow Breaker perchance?”
“No! Get away. You can’t have it. Thief! Scoundrel! Taste regret as you bleed to death.”
Regret? Penelo didn’t have time for such trivial thoughts. Especially when the lunatic charged at her blade drawn.
Did Penelo face her opponent with grace and efficiency?
Hell no.
She ran.
Lungs full of air, Penelo screamed, “Help me! I’m too young to regret.”
***
During their upbringing, Haldir and Erlan’s tribe raised them to roam the wilderness, and individuals who couldn’t stay alert didn’t last very long. Penelo’s cry for help didn’t fall on deaf ears. Lucky for her, right?
Awake in moments, both brothers reached for their weapons and ran without a word spoken. Haldir took the lead, sword drawn. His brother braced his bow, string nice and taut, then grabbed his quiver of arrows before following.
The sight of a young elf scrambling away from an elder yelling as he charged at her with his sword drawn, pushed the brothers into action. Haldir raced to intercept while Erlan dashed to the side and fired an arrow causing the elf to react.
The elder’s sword deftly knocked the projectile off course. He scowled at the two newcomers and said, “Bugger off so I can deal with the thief.”
Cowering behind her protector, Penelo screamed, “All I did was ask you a question, you piece of traako!”
Unfamiliar with the last word, but understanding the gist of its meaning, Haldir raised his blade and said, “No.”
Erlan couldn’t resist taunting the elder, and said, “Go suck on a rock and piss off.”
The next several seconds flashed by sparks of metal on metal, along with well-placed arrows that never hit their mark. He may have had several decades of experience wielding his weapon, but his foe had to have over a century over him as he defended against both brothers while attacking at the same time.
One missed parry is all it took for Haldir to gasp in pain when the sword sliced into his side and ripped out.
“No!”
Knowing his older brother needed him now more than ever, Erlan charged, firing arrows one after the other, pushing the elder back. He let go of his bow and picked up Haldir’s sword without slowing down. The moment before he clashed, his free hand reached for his hunting dagger and threw it at the elf’s head knowing it would only be a distraction.
With all the force he could muster, he lifted his leg and slammed his foot into the elder’s gut, knocking him to the ground and leaving him gasping for air. Not wasting his chance, Erlan whipped Haldir’s blade across the elf’s throat and stabbed their heart leaving the blade impaled, and rushed to his brother’s side.
***
Penelo could do nothing as she watched the two strangers deal with the consequences of her mistakes. One lay holding his side while the other held him as he cried out. Before she could blurt out an apology, she froze in horror at the sight of the local wolf pack surrounding them.
A bright flash of light revealed the forest god she always believed existed but couldn’t prove. “He’s dying!” cried out the archer, Erlan, as she would later learn. Please save Haldir. You’re the reason we came into this forest.”
Unbeknownst to her, others were seeking the truth about the past, just like her.
If you know who I am, then you must understand what I require for my aid.
Haldir took a pained breath and shook his head. Blood leaked from his mouth as he smiled and said, “Your champion yet lives,” and breathed out his last.
Silvertree melted back into the forest along with the wolves, leaving Penelo alone with Erlan holding Haldir in his arms crying.
She moved and sat next to Erlan, hand placed on his shoulder.
She managed only a weak smile at that moment. As if they both came to the same realization, they both whispered, “It’s all true.”
Did destiny serve any purpose when it cost this man’s life to uncover the truth and encounter the forgotten god of her people?
Penelo did the only thing she could and squeezed Erlan’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry.”