Chapter II: Dawn Approaches

Selene's sleep initially was restless. Visions and distorted images danced in her mind as she tossed and turned in her bed.

Yet no new nightmares came.

Eventually, visions and images gave way to old dreams. Dreams of stories told at night amongst friends and family. Tonight, she was graced with dreams of Brog Earthbreaker. A man of such great might and stature, he tore the earth asunder.

As with many tales, she knew it by heart.

In a time long past, a great wind bore down upon ocean tides, though none know why.

From this mighty breath, a wave did form. It's path to crash 'gainst the port of Alarel. Countless fled for fear of flood. Brog alone, great warrior from on high peaks of Ivurnon, stood firm to face this mighty tide, a greater foe than any he faced, 'fore or since.

With speed unmatched and power ferocious, the wave soon filled the horizon from end to end.

Time was short, but Brog was quick.

With sure foot, he leapt to watery depths, then swam further still to water's deep.

Finding ground beneath, he slammed fist to earth with blow so great, a tower of water shot out from where he struck. A mighty feat, but sadly not enough if the wave be stopped.

Brog was not yet done. His arm, buried in earth, plunged deeper. He reached beneath the ocean floor, then held it clenched in iron grip.

People of Ivurnon, you see, renowned far and wide for strength hitherto unknown to mortal men. Countless are the songs sung of their feats and deeds.

Brog, in this moment, surpassed them all.

With mighty heave, he tore earth in twain. Pulling and pushing against the tear, it rose far above the sea to stand as tall as the mountain of his birth.

Brog continued his work, lifting up more mountains of stone as far as the eye could see. The force of his exertion proved so great, water drained from bay and docks to leave nothing but dried earth beneath.

The great winds and waves crashed against the walls of torn earth. The immovable object and unstoppable force clashed, until strength from both subsided.

Earth, exhausted, rolled back in place as waters calmly filled the bay. The day and port were saved.

From then henceforth, Brog was forever known as Earthbreaker.

Selene had heard the story a thousand times, yet she now realized she had never once been able to put a face to this legend. In this dream, the face of Hamish had found itself on Brog.

A perfect match, I'd say.

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Dawn fast approached, and Selene stirred. As she rolled out of bed, she saw Ari was still asleep, snoring softly across from her. A hazy thought formed in Selene's drowsy mind as she stared at the snoozing figure of her companion.

Didn't Argent say that elves don't sleep?

Curious, Selene approached Ari's bed slowly, quietly. Silent steps were her specialty, Ari's sleep remained undisturbed as Selene crept toward her. There was no doubt that Ari gave all appearances of normal sleep. Eyes shut, breath steady, slight snore.

Then again, would I know the difference between sleep and...whatever it is elves do?

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As she got closer, she noticed that something seemed off. Ari was missing something as she laid there in bed. It only became apparent to Selene once she was right by Ari's bedside.

Ears. Ari's ears were no longer pointed.

They appeared small and curved, like a normal human ear. Selene reached out unconsciously, but thought better of it as Ari began to stir.

She instead grabbed Ari by the shoulder and whispered, "Ari."

Ari groaned, then mumbled softly, "...watisitsseellene?"

"It's time we got up. We promised to get up before dawn, remember?"

Ari's eyes shot open, "Oh, right! Of course."

Ari leapt from the bed and rushed over to the wash basin, quickly splashing water on her face before turning back to Selene. Her ears were once again long and pointed like an elf's.

Ari eyed Selene quizzically, "Are you ready to go? Might want to freshen up while we have the chance, you know." Turning back to the wash basin, Ari grabbed her brush and began pulling it through her hair, "We won't have opportunities like this again once we head out into the city."

Selene fiddled with a stray piece of bed hair, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Ari got up to allow Selene access to the wash basin. It was of simple make, but the water looked fresh and felt cool on Selene's skin as she splashed her face and wet her hair.

"Do you need help with your hair, Ari?" Selene asked as she dried her face with some cloth Ari had hung by the side.

"Hm..." Ari thought for a moment, hand on her chin. "If you wouldn't mind. I'll need to braid it so it doesn't get messy on the road. What about you, going with the usual look?"

"Probably best I stick with my normal style. Don't want it to get in my face." Selene said, a glimmer in her eye, then added with a flourish, "Besides, I want to make it my iconic look."

Ari blinked, then tilted her head, "Iconic?"

Selene grinned, but felt a little awkward trying to explain. She had never mentioned this dream to anyone except Arveene. "Yeah...if I'm going to be an adventurer, I want to be...memorable. Maybe even have a song or story told about me, like Olga Stormwind, Illanon Silver-Eyes, Jaric..."

Selene cut off mid-sentence when Ari snorted loudly, but quickly raised up her hands as she blushed, "Sorry, I'm so sorry, that wasn't you...please, continue."

Selene bit her lip, now feeling very awkward. "...It's childish, isn't it?"

"No, no!" Ari reconsidered for a moment, "Well, maybe a little, but that's okay! I could tell from our trip to Syndramire how much you love old stories. I don't think it's wrong to admire them...just don't take any unnecessary risks." Ari swallowed, then added, "Lots of stories end with the hero's death, you know?"

Selene nodded, "I know. I'm...I just..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "I want to look the part, so that maybe...I can do great things too."

Ari was quiet for a moment, then nodded in understanding, "Argent once told me we all wear armor when we go out into the unknown. And armor comes in all shapes and sizes because everybody has something they need to protect. Sounds like this might be yours."

Selene nodded, "Yeah, I guess so."

Ari smiled at that, "If that's the case, we should take good care of it. And you'll probably want to think of something good to say when we return after saving the town."

Selene grinned back, "Of course, I have a pose and everything planned! After all, this is my debut adventure in Syndramire. I'll need to look my best."

The two burst into laughter and giggles, then continued to get ready in comfortable silence.

Once they were cleaned up and both finished braiding their hair, they quickly packed up all their things.

Ari finished first, and decided to go down to see if breakfast was underway.

Once Ari left the room, Selene finished packing the remainder of her things away. She sat on the bed with her hat placed to her side.

Absent-mindedly, she grabbed the small pendant around her neck and pulled it out from under her shirt. It was a simple gold chain, connected to a fine cut piece of onyx stone. Her mother wore it when she was just a small child. It was an heirloom in her family that went back generations. Holding it in her hands always comforted Rieta. It was the last piece of home she carried.

Holding it now helped her push aside any remaining doubts and steeled her resolve.

There can be no room for fear. I'll need to be strong out there. I'll need to be Selene Bryseis, an adventurer.

"Ready to go, Selene? Food should be ready any minute!" Ari called up from the bottom of the stairs.

"Almost! Just one last thing..." Selene shouted back, shoving the pendant back underneath her shirt, then grabbed her hat from atop the bed. Slowly, she pulled the hat back over her horns to sit comfortably atop her head, then gave it a quick tug to make sure it was firmly in place.

"Today's the day. My first real quest begins now." Selene whispered to herself as she shut the door behind her.