Journey of Truth, The Journal of Tandilwen, thread 1 Options

[Lady Syl]

Prologue
Anvil
25 Sun's Dawn 3E 433

As my father lay dying, I closed my eyes and got up from the chair beside his bed, barely able to comprehend what he had just revealed to me. When he took his last breath, I stood across the chamber unable to look at him, while my aunt, Carahil, stood beside the bed holding his hand. I knew the moment his life force left his body—I felt it, almost like a heavy sigh breathed in a moment of great relief. And then I heard my aunt say, in a solemn voice, “It is done. He is beyond the reach of Nirn, in the Realm of Spirits.”

Carahil was a strong and serious person. I had always known that, ever since I was a child. She tried never to show too much emotion in any situation. That was the high elf way, so my father had always told me, and he expected me to be the same, even though my mother had been a wood elf. And I was good at it. I made my father proud. But never had I seen one so good at hiding her true emotions as my aunt Carahil. Rarely did her composure ever falter. The day my father died, however, I could hear it in her voice—a slight tremble which betrayed the pain of loss she felt for the brother with whom she had shared a womb.

Holding back tears, Carahil turned to face me, and finally I looked at my father—now just a corpse. The sight caused me to shudder, and I had to close my eyes again as a single tear slipped down my cheek. He was a man I barely even knew, and yet I had loved him like any girl loves her father. But more than that, the tear was for the truth that he had just told me—a confession on his death bed which would forever alter the course of my life. Nothing could ever be the same after what he told me that day. Nor could I love him quite the same as I had loved him before; he had betrayed my trust.

“Where are you going?” Carahil asked in alarm when I opened the door.

Stopping to look at her from the corner of my eyes, I answered with quiet determination, “To the Imperial City. Only the gods know where I’ll end up from there.”

And then I left, never to return.

This post has been edited by Lady Syl: May 12 2011, 10:41 PM

[Lady Syl]

SubRosa:Stupid filter... lol. Thank you for pointing that out... I thought the "bass-turd" word was allowed, but I guess it's not... "honoured user..." It is definitely teaching me to search for other words that can have a similar effect without being offensive to some!

And of course, thank you for reading and enjoying Tandilwen's story.

Rihanae:I am so glad! I was hoping for my readers to fall in love with her feistiness! She is still very naive, as of now, but she will turn out to be one you wouldn't want to mess with, for sure! Once she takes wing, she will soar to new and unexpected heights--and she will certainly out-do some of her ancestors!


Chapter 2.1--Family Matters

After her rendezvous with Maximus, Tandilwen went to the Mages Guild hall, looking for her aunt. Carahil was upstairs in the library, studying as usual, dressed in fine violet silk attire, her golden hair loosely flowing down her back all the way to her slender waist. Tandilwen had always admired her youthful-looking aunt, and she could see why Arch-Magister Hannibal Traven found her so intriguing—apart from the fact that they were both book-worms with a thirst for knowledge and learning that was nearly unquenchable….

With her fine-tuned hearing, Carahil heard her niece approaching even before she had opened the door in the foyer, but she remained absorbed in her book until the moment Tandilwen stopped beside her. Then she stopped reading and said, “By the Nine, you smell like a mudcrab! Where have you been?”

“Do I?” asked Tandilwen, looking down at herself and sniffing her dress, which was damp with seawater. “Ugh, I do! Sorry…I was out looking for seashells to add to my collection.”

“I didn’t know you were still collecting them,” answered Carahil. “I was under the impression you hadn’t continued adding to your collection since you were a child.”

Tandilwen felt her face flush a little, and said, “I…still pick them up from time to time, if I have nothing better to do….”

“Too much time on your hands? You know, I could always talk to Hannibal about having you organize and dust these books once in awhile, if you need something to do.”

That’s my aunt, thought Tandilwen with the hint of a smile. Always thinking about responsibility and duty rather than excitement—unless she’s with Traven, that is….

“I suppose I could do that sometimes,” said Tandilwen. “But most of the time I keep myself busy….”

“You know, your father’s ship is due back in the harbor today,” said Carahil, changing the subject. “He told me in his last letter that he had a surprise for you.”

Tandilwen rolled her eyes. “He always has something to surprise us with when he returns from his adventures…. What will it be this time? Will he stop running off for once and stay home with his family?”

“Your father loves all of you, Tandilwen. He has never stayed put in one place for very long. It is not in his nature, I suppose. Even when we were children, he was always off on adventures, exploring the countryside and finding treasures to surprise our parents with.”

She had a smile on her face, reminiscing, and Tandilwen wondered what her grandparents were like. She had never met any of her grandparents, but whenever her aunt spoke of them, there was a fondness in her tone that made Tandilwen wish she had known her father’s parents, at least. Her mother’s parents were entirely a mystery to her—what little she did know made her think it was best she had never met them….

Carahil let out a sigh and rose to stretch, yawning slightly. Then she said, “Well, what time is it, anyway? I suppose it is almost time for us to go to the docks and meet your father when his ship arrives? Where is your sister, Tandilwen? She should be there, too.”

“Yes, can’t greet father without Hasathil, his favorite!”

“You know that is not true, Tandilwen,” said Carahil, grabbing her cloak and heading for the door with Tandilwen in tow. “He loves all of you equally. Hasathil is just better behaved.”

Tandilwen was aware that her aunt was only teasing, though it was mostly true. Her youngest sister had always been meek and obedient, her gentle nature seeming to match perfectly Hasathil’s tiny, mouse-like frame. Tandilwen was fond of her younger sister, though she was not nearly as good-natured as their eldest sister, Ohtesse. Of course, nobody is as good as Ohtesse, she thought with a smile.

When they arrived at the fine house that stood next to old Benirus Manor, near the Chapel of Dibella, Tandilwen waited outside while her aunt went inside to fetch Hasathil. She let out a sigh and looked up at the massive cathedral, as the bells began to toll, announcing the hour. It should be about five now, and the sun was getting low in the sky—soon it would be setting.

The loud creak of an old metal door startled Tandilwen, and she turned around to see the sea-captain, Heinrich Oaken-Hull, come out from his house across the street. He nodded politely to her and began heading toward the castle, likely to dine with the Countess and her family, as usual. But then he stopped suddenly and came back toward her, with a question on his mind.

“Afternoon,” he greeted her, smiling with his warm brown eyes. “Is your sister home?”

“Hasathil?” she asked, wondering why in Nirn he would inquire about her. “She is inside, I believe. My aunt just went in to fetch her so we can go to the docks and greet my father when his ship arrives.”

“Ah, yes,” Heinrich replied. “So, old Soruman returns from his travels once again. It is truly a wonder your father spends more time away from Anvil than even me. But then, from what I have heard, he has always been that way.”

“Yes, that is what my aunt tells me,” answered Tandilwen.

“Well, it’s high time he returns,” said Heinrich. “I have been wanting to speak with him for quite some time now, but he has been away for so long this time.”

“Indeed,” she replied, looking at him thoughtfully.

Just then, Carahil emerged from the house, with Hasathil following close behind her. The blossoming young elf blushed slightly when she saw Heinrich Oaken-Hull standing nearby, and she cast her eyes to the ground, seeming to almost hide behind Carahil.

“Good day,” said Carahil, nodding at Heinrich as she drew near. “Is there something we can do for you?”

“No, I am fine,” said Heinrich, tilting his head to the side to look at Hasathil. “Hello there.”

Hasathil peeked out from behind her aunt very shyly, and said, “Oh, hello Mr. Oaken-Hull….”

“It is good to see you again, Hasathil.”

She forced a smile but continued looking downward, and Tandilwen could tell that he made her sister uncomfortable. Stepping forward, she said, “Well, we should really be going. Father’s ship should be arriving very soon.”

Heinrich nodded as the three women turned to leave. Then he went about his business, as Hasathil peered back over her shoulder at him. Walking very close to her sister, Hasathil whispered, “Thanks. He makes me so nervous, Tandilwen.”

“I know,” Tandilwen said with a smile. “I think he is interested in you.”

“Oh, I hope not!” Hasathil exclaimed. “He’s twice my age, at least!”

Tandilwen chuckled and slipped her arm around her sister as they continued following Carahil toward the docks to greet their father.