Good Intentions - Part 2

Written by Clint and Amanda

The night was quiet and still. Felina sat in the drawing room before the fire and sipped her tea with pleasure. A knock at the front door and the sound of male voices conversing with the butler pricked her ears. Felina sat back and waited. If it was important, the butler would let her know, although she silently hoped there would be no suitors tonight. Court was stressful today, with the scandalous glances and whispers the human nobility thought she couldn’t hear. She closed her eyes and silently said a prayer to whatever goddess would hear her tonight. Please, just no suitors. I’d just like to relax.

A moment later, the butler did indeed come to the door, “My lady, a delivery has arrived for you just now.”

Felina raised an eyebrow. A delivery at this time of night? She set down her cup and walked out into the foyer to see Pale standing beside a rather large set of crates and looking strangely expectant. “Pale?”

As Felina stepped into the foyer, Pale greeted her with an awkward smile, “Given how things have been for some time, and I do not want this to seem as if I am trying to bribe you or any such, but I just want to give you something to show you my gratitude for your friendship. That is all really.” His smile waivered as he awaited her response.

Felina’s eyes grew wide with surprise but with a hint of delighted curiosity, “You got something for me?” She stepped toward him, “You didn’t have to do that…”

He was relieved at her obvious enthusiasm, “Well, I happened upon some items that are quite unique, and I knew when I laid eyes upon them that you should have them.”

She smiled as her eyes lighted on the large crate sitting to his left, “So, what do you have for me here?”

He had the items taken to the gallery and waited for the others to take their leave. With a hint of a smile that never quite left his face, he leaned down to open the first crate. Carefully, he lifted the aged painting, set it on a nearby table and uncovered it for Felina to see. “I will present you with this first. There was something about this painting. Something in her eyes. Even though it is a mere likeness of her, it is almost as if I can feel her presence, and though I am no expert in the matters of artistry, I can see the skill in it. The subject of the portrait was unknown to the previous owners, but I was informed the artist responsible for it has passed since its creation.”

Felina studied the painting for a moment. Pale was right. Whoever painted it was quite skillful indeed and had managed to capture the woman’s spirit. It was almost as if she was there in the room with them.  “She’s elven. Nobility of some kind for certain. I wonder who she was…” She glanced to the side to see Pale watching her study the portrait. “It’s beautiful.”

Pale stared into her eyes as he spoke, “I am glad to hear you say so, Felina. Nothing else quite like it exists, so you should display it proudly, but as remarkable as it is, it is rather mundane compared to the other items. The next gift was something that could have easily eluded discovery for countless centuries, and I am not sure of the exact circumstances which led to their concealment, but it is very fortunate for us that they were discovered.” He pried open another large crate emanating small wisps of cold air, “The container has been magically chilled to preserve them. They discovered the wreckage of a trade ship, and miraculously these were salvaged. They were around some time before either of us was born and are quite old even by elven standards. I must say I am quite curious to taste them.”

From the crate he pulled a bottle of wine, presenting it rather ceremoniously to her. Felina’s eyes lit up, “Wine… elven wine… old elven wine,” she said, her smile growing bigger with each pause. “I’m amazed this made it out of a ship wreck unscathed.” She eyed the bottle, turning it over in her hands before looking up at Pale, enthusiasm exuding from her, “We have to open a bottle!”

He smiled warmly at her as he carefully opened the smaller crate to reveal an elaborately carved wooden box, “Well, I agree with the sentiment, but first, I must show you something else. I have never seen anything quite like this. It was referred to as a Taestysia, and it is said that when focused upon in a state of elven trancing, long buried memories, both of the creator of the stone and the one attempting to awaken its magic, will surface in vivid detail. There is an air about it unlike anything I have ever known. The notion of what has long since been forgotten coming to light once more is limitless in its possibilities.”

As the case was opened, her eyes were drawn to the dull red stone resting on the velvet-lined interior. At first glance, the stone appeared unremarkable, but then something about it seemed to almost pull her inward. She put down the wine bottle and reached out to caress the wood of the box, “A memory stone,” she said with quiet awe, “I’ve only heard of them in elven legend, but I’ve never actually seen one. Few have. The art of making them was lost long ago.”

She reached out and carefully picked up the stone, “It’s heavy and… warm. Strange...” An odd tingle prickled her skin as she held it in her hand, “It feels… familiar. An effect of the magic, perhaps? It is made to bring forth memories…”

Then she frowned, disappointment marring her features. At Pale’s questioning look she explained, “I’m not sure I’ll be able to use this.” She paused, looking down at the stone, “I haven’t been able to trance since… since I used the Font... I’m not sure if I can anymore. I’ve been sleeping for years, but I’ve always been able to trance when I wanted to. Until now, that is.”

Pale looked deeply into her eyes with a thoughtful expression before he reached out to cover her hand with his own, “Strange, it always seemed cold as the grave to me.” He closed his eyes at that point and began to whisper softly. Felina could not make out what he was saying initially, but as he repeated the phrase the words grew clearer, “That which is our essence is never truly lost.” To her surprise, he spoke in precise Elven, though the structure was archaic and quite formal. The statement seemed to hint at far more than its literal translation.

Felina looked at him in amazement, “When did you learn Elven? I thought you didn’t know how...”

The image of Pale smiling across from her gave her chills for reasons she couldn’t understand, and his voice carried with it his obvious skepticism at odds with the reality of the situation, “I know no Elven other than the common phrases I have picked up from you.” He took the stone from her hand and held it up to the light of one of the candles burning softly atop the table, “It seems to draw you in does it not? There is something undeniably powerful at work here, though I am wary of its true nature.”

Felina stared at him as he studied the stone in the light, “Yes, undeniably…” She watched him a moment longer, “That stone’s only supposed to affect elves. You don’t think when I used the Font, when I gave you all those years that you might have also taken in some of my elven nature?”

A sudden realization struck her, “If that’s the case, maybe you can help me. Meditation is much like trance, and you do that with some regularity, right? Maybe you can help me learn to trance once again. And maybe, if we’re lucky, perhaps you can also use the stone.” In her excitement she started to reach out to touch him as she was once accustomed to but drew back her hand at the last moment. “That is, if you don’t mind.” She said as she colored ever so slightly.

Pale gave her a sideways glance, “Of course I do not mind. We exchanged much when the Font intertwined our lives. We saw many things in vivid detail that words could not begin to describe, and I suppose the stone could react to your life force that took the place of my own. It was such a rare occurrence that is difficult to say what might happen as a consequence. There are many unanswered questions here for which we have to experiment to find answers, and though it is simply an assumption, I am inclined to believe that my meditative techniques might aid you in trancing once more. I am willing to try.”

Felina let out a breath, “Thank you so much, Pale. You don’t know what that means to me.” She smiled warmly up at him, “So, how about that wine?”

Pale couldn’t help but laugh at her sudden return to more worldly pursuits, “The wine just might help you reach a meditative state better than I can. Let us give it a try.”

Felina grinned and grabbed the bottle she had put down, “Come on then. I’ve got some goblets in my room.” With that she turned and headed for the stairs.