The History of Alliliel
Part III
Yeolarn walked down the stairs into the Temple. He liked to take his evening meditations before dinner, when the temple was closed and it was very quiet. Opening the stone door, he headed to the front of the sanctuary and sat in the fading sunlight. He took 3 deep breaths and put himself at peace. Bowing to the west, he spoke the invocation of meditation, as he had done every day since he was but a simple Novice.
Before he could go any further, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He was not alone. On alert, he stood up deliberately and began to slowly walk the perimeter of the Temple. He heard a sound coming from the vestibule, a shuffling of feet perhaps. For good or for ill, he couldn’t tell. With a sudden burst he opened the door to the vestibule and held his hammer high above his head, ready to strike down any ruffians that were waiting within.
With a start, he looked down and only saw a young elfgirl curled up in the corner on the cold stone floor.
"Alliliel! What are you doing here? The temple is closed for the evening meals, you can’t be here now."
The elfgirl lifted her head from her hands to look at him and he saw that she had been crying.
"What’s this? What has happened? Tell me." He said as he put his hammer away and knelt down beside the girl, seeking to comfort her.
"I... I got in a terrible fight with Father and Mother... they were trying to arrange a marriage and I didn’t want it, I was so terribly angry...I said such mean things... I can’t go back now, I can’t face them..."
Alliliel threw her arms out and held the old elf, burying her face in his chest. Yeolarn frowned for a moment and then embraced the frightened elfgirl, stroking her gently on her back, whispering soothing words of comfort, as they sat there on the floor of Tunare’s temple.
---
The High Priest’s chambers were above the temple with a scenic view of the lake and the business district of North Felwithe. Yeolarn and Alliliel sat at his table by the window.
"Alliliel, you can’t stay here. This place is for the Initiates and Acolytes; we can’t have guests, much less permanent ones! You can stay tonight, but tomorrow you’ll simply have to return to your parents. It is not the easiest thing to do, but all fathers and daughters since the beginning of time have had arguments."
"But I don’t want to go back, when my father looks at me, all I see is disappointment in his eyes, and my mother, I don’t see anything in her eyes at all. I think they are rejoicing that I left right now."
"Alliliel! Do not say such things! I do not believe it. Now going back may not be the best thing from your point of view, but it’s the necessary thing. It’s a sad lesson to learn at such a young age, but it is a true lesson. Life does not consist of only easy choices, but struggles that challenge us, and we grow and learn from them. You will see."
The elfgirl looked down at the simple dinner that was a staple at the temple. Mashed tabli roots and plain tea was not her idea of a nice meal. At least she shared a like for fine food with her parents. She still did not want to return to Elligor’s house though. The way her mother had dressed her and paraded her in front of those other elves had made her almost sick to her stomach. She couldn’t bear to go back.
"Well, Master, what if... what if I wanted to join the temple? I’m the right age and you’ve taught me so much in just the little times we’ve spent together. I could learn so much here and I’d be so happy!"
The elder elf put down his spoon and sat back in his chair. He cocked his head to one side and his eyes went away from her, looking in to the distance. He took a breath.
"Child, the temple is not a orphanage. I hear your words, and they are lacking. I hear you speak about how much you could learn here and how happy you would be. These are not the hopes of a Cleric, or even an Acolyte. Service to the sick and wounded, healing of bodies and hearts and struggle in the fight against Tunare’s enemies. These are the stuff of a Cleric’s heart. Not selfish desires of happiness and freedom from parents that we do not like."
Yeolarn lowered his eyes to the table and he did not look at the elfgirl again, clearly disappointed.
Alliliel knew that Yeolarn was right. Another test the fates had put before her, and again she was again found lacking. She would not speak so freely again around Master Yeolarn. It seems that she never had the ability to say the right thing at the right time.
The two elves finished their meal in silence.
---
The bed was not so soft a one as she was accustomed to. Alliliel turned over fitfully as the moonlight danced across the tiled floor of the small side room Yeolarn had set aside for her. Sleep would not come tonight for young Alliliel.
Throwing back the blanket, she stood and rubbed her eyes while outside the night owls sang songs to the night sky. Putting on a rough tunic that the Acolytes had left for her, she opened the door and walked down into the temple.
Gray moonlight streaked in from the high windows like ghostly fingers. The still night air lay heavily around her as Alli walked the ancient hall, considering what to do. The stone felt smooth and cool on her feet as she walked. Coming to the prime sanctuary, she pushed the stone door, but it would not open. The main doors to the outside were locked at night, but the sanctuary never had a lock, as was customary in the elvish way. Alliliel stepped back from the door for a moment when suddenly she heard a sharp sound coming from the sanctuary beyond.
Puzzled, Alli tipped her head and listened closely. She could hear rough voices of angry men quietly arguing. Getting down on the floor where there was a space between the door and the floor, Alli strained to hear what was happening.
"I dinnae think it be th’ best use of our time, Reygo. Thar be things to find in th’ other rooms. Ye can waste yer time here but I’ll be seein’ what’s to be had elsewhere."
Suddenly the stone door slid open and Alli found herself face to face with a dwarven figure, dressed in black. Before she could cry out, the dwarf had his dagger at her throat.
"Reygo! We gots company, a little elf thing here, sneakin’ about. A young un fresh one."
The dwarf roughly pulled Alli on her back while keeping the dagger at her throat. The one called Reygo, a human, came down the length of the sanctuary in a few stealthy steps.
"Barnabas, we got no time for diversions or witnesses. Cut her throat and let’s be done here. It’ll be light soon and we best be gone."
Alliliel’s eyes went wide and she tried to call out, but the dwarf had put a cloth over her mouth as soon as he had grabbed her.
"Reygo, ye gots no appreciation fer the finer things ye. So be it little elf, say goodnight." Barnabas knew all the ways to hurt and maim and kill. For a young elf, the vein at the left side of the neck, just under the ear was quickest. Barnabas shifted his dagger around but before he could get it into place, Alliliel put all her strength into one blow with her elbow into the dwarf’s stomach, and Barnabas went down with a grunt, doubled over in pain.
Scrambling to her feet, Alliliel made for the door, but Reygo grabbed her harshly from behind. With one of the last breaths she thought she would ever take, Alliliel screamed as loud as she could, but the Clerics were two floors above and asleep, too far away and too lost in dreams to help her now, even if they came at all.
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