Legend of Isherfree

It is a lovely Spring day in the realm of Isherfree. It was said that Isherfree is where the colors had been born eons ago when the world didn’t sparkle. Some believe that to this day, because no matter where you would travel, Isherfree always seemed to be more vibrant than the surrounding lands, even at night. When the moonlight hits the flowers and the trees, it produces an iridescent shimmer like if one would visualize dreams. It was truly magical and held just as much mystery to the inhabitants as do the outsiders or passers by.

The morning air is disturbed by sounds of a door on a quaint, little hut opening then latching shut. From the little hut appears Niera Omnius, age eleven, who strolls down the hut’s path and through the village, much like she did every morning. Niera is a Sprigg, a larger, wingless sub-species of a Sprite. She stands around two feet tall, possessing a dreamy, angelic face with a pair of curious, yellow eyes of wonder and a long braid of luxurious, blond hair. Her manner is innocent, as is the rest of her. Many young Fae Folk are curious to the point of mischievousness, but not little Niera. She had never been a cause for trouble, nor would she ever be if she has any say. Her thoughts and actions were that of a curious, but respectful child; always with questions and seeking answers.

Niera continues through the village, her path long since etched in her memory. She still acknowledges those who call out or wave to her, but she is resolute to her course. By now, everyone in the village knew where she went every morning.

Niera hops across the stones that rest in the little brook running through the village. She pulls from her pocket an apple that she gives to the Pyrees’s young foal, Vailei, who crunches it appreciatively. Now that Vailei had his treat, Niera pulls a banana from her other pocket, unpeels it, then tosses the peel in a passing compost wagon, waving to it’s driver as she ate.

By the time she finishes her banana, she has reached the village boundary. The bordering forest’s lush canopy repels the morning’s light, casting an almost opaque shadow. This matters very little to Niera, not even breaking her stride as she enters. She stoops to pick up a stick and begins to twirl it like a magic wand. She points her “wand” at a rabbit munching on clover and utters a word that might have been a repelling charm, and the rabbit turns and bolts into the brush. She giggles at how well the spell worked.

Niera continues to cast her thought up words at various things around her, just to have something to do as she walked. How she hoped that one day the village high priestess would choose her next kiqadac – apprentice magi – so she could learn some real magic. Though Spriggs we’re not as attuned to the overall mystical energies as their Fae relatives, they did possess a great power over nature. A well-taught zynqadoc – senior magi – could help plants and crops grow, speak with animals, tame savage beasts, even calm the most violent of storms. Niera wished to learn all she could of the mystical arts, but to do so without formal training by a senior magi or higher was strictly forbidden. Tapping into the mystical energies was one thing. Controlling those energies, well, that was something more entirely. Great damage could be done if a novice could not control what they tap into. As such, only a select number are allowed this honor.

Sadly, Niera had thus far shown no great connection to the powers she longed to possess. Her parents had never shown any either, nor their parents before them. However, Niera’s hope is as strong as the horn of the great Cattrigna, perhaps stronger still.

Niera points her fake wand at a wall of greenery and utters a momentum charm before pushing the branches aside like curtains. Jumping up and over an overturned tree, she proceeds down to the bank of the Waters of Eilya, named for the idraqadoc – the Grand Magi – who once saved the village from destruction.

It has been said that Eilya Havenstar was faced with the flooding of the pond that was before her. Eilya knew if she didn’t do something, the waters would have destroyed the forest and all surrounding it. There were a number of underground waterways that reached a central point. During a heavy rainstorm millennia ago, these waterways broke through the crust and threatened to wash away their village. Try as she might, Eilya Havenstar was unable to calm the storm or provide adequate respite for her beloved village. In desperation, she raised the ground around the flooding waters, creating a pond. Then, she waded into the water herself, laid down beneath the surface, and froze the newly formed pond to solid ice. To this day, her body lies just below the surface of the ice, eyes closed as if in slumber. They say that her sacrifice was the greatest act of love ever seen. Legend has it that as long as she remains frozen, the waters remain calm and their village remains unharmed.

Niera approaches the edge of the frozen water and sits down on a large rock. She gazes at the peaceful face of the once-great mystic and says, quietly, “Good morning, Idraqadoc Havenstar. Thank you for our continued existence.”

The frozen being cannot and does not reply. However, that never bothered Niera. She just continued to sit and stare at the figure just beneath the surface of the pond. Over the years, one would expect some sort of imperfections in the ice – cracks, chips, weak points – but there were none. The surface is just as smooth and free of blemishes as it was when the sacrifice was made.

Animals made their way to the pond’s edge as if assessing the frozen figure’s status. There had been little to regard for their investigation and that fact remained so. Nonetheless, they visited the pond regularly. Niera watched them venture onto the ice, one deer daring enough to stand over Eilya’s body and look down upon her. She looked so peaceful, frozen there for eternity.

Suddenly, an arrow shoots unexpectedly from the brush to Niera’s right. The arrow flies true and strikes the deer in it’s neck, dropping it to the ice. Niera, though surprised, barely reacts. From the brush steps a Human cloaked in thick furs. His face full of long, coarse beard is complimented by a matted head of stringy hair. It looked like he was living rough. He noticed her in the corner of his eye and turned his head toward her.

“Adantefae, young Miss,” he said in greeting, adding a nod. His voice was smooth and melodic, a complete contrast to his appearance. “Do accept my apologies for startling you. One must take the chance for food as it presents itself.”

“Of course, ranger,” Niera told him, unbothered by seeing the deer struck down.

“I have seen you here many times, young Miss,” the ranger said, walking on the ice toward his prey. “You seek the Master Elf’s council?”

“In a way,” Niera said, regarding the question briefly. “I find the occurrence fascinating.”

“Aye,” the ranger agreed, drawing a small blade, “as do we all.” The ranger inserts the dagger into the deer’s head, releasing it from it’s suffering. He returns the dagger to it’s sheath before picking the deer up and laying it across his broad shoulders. He did this with little effort, if any at all. Once he traverses the ice, he sits the carcass down on the shoreline and begins the process of skinning it and cutting it down for food.

Niera can’t take her eyes off the show, watching the ranger’s blade remove great chunks of flesh from the deer’s remains. She has seen this done plenty of times, but the ranger’s motions are more fluid than her mother’s. Within minutes, the ranger has taken what he could from the deer, then sat closer to the rock Niera is on. Silently, the two of them look out over the pond.

“Peaceful, yes?” the ranger asks no one in particular.

“Aye,” Niera says.

They sat in comfortable silence for a long while, looking out over the pond to the forest beyond. After what could have been hours, the ranger broke the silence.

“When you first came here,” he began, adding a chuckle, “you had the same look of wonder on your face. Your eyes were full of questions and curiosity. Not much has changed in you.”

Niera didn’t have a reply to this, only passed him a bashful smile. In a few moments, the ranger rises from the ground, gathers his meat, nods farewell, and reenters the woods where he first appeared leaving Niera once again alone with her silence. She was troubled. Why had the ranger watched her, and for how long? This caught her off guard and she was very curious as to why.

Movement over the frozen pond caught Niera’s eye, snapping her out of her contemplation. Wind had caught the cold from the surface of the pond, creating a mist. The mist began to form, to take shape. In a few moments, Niera sat looking at the misty form of Eilya Havenstar standing on the surface of the pond. The form extended her hand and a wisp of cold wind appeared and traveled the distance between them. Instinctively, Niera reaches out and catches the wind in her own hand. It began to flow above her palm in waves of crisp, cool air. Niera took her other hand and transferred the swirling orb to her other hand. The wind spun faster and faster, mixing with the moisture in the air, until it solidified into solid ice. The ice ball lands in Niera’s hand with a small plop. She looks to the form still hovering over the pond.

“Is this me?” Niera asks, aloud.

“Perhaps,” says an echoing voice inside her head. “If you believe. If you want it. If you try.”

With that, the form over the pond dissipates back into nothingness. Niera gazes at the ball of ice still formed in her hand for another few moments before jumping up and running like mad back to her village.