Welcome to Gaia! ::

Andarien was staring at his mother in awe. He hadn't known any of that about her - well, aside from her gift of hearing butterflies, at least.

Mari took all of what Lin said at face value, and she leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers lightly on the table as she mused about what she'd heard.

"So teleportation is something that could be used in an absolute emergency," she murmured, "but not something we should really count on for strategy. There are towers with balconies, but unfortunately once you get in there, there's little you could do. Our information is that they're being guarded on the inside."

She pursed her lips. "On the other hand, close combat is probably going to be what we do the most of, so at least you are experienced with that."

She smiled then. "Still, being able to view things from the air and give us information will be very helpful."

"Not yet," Mari replied, shaking her head. "I'd like to have more information first."

She turned to Wren, who was next to Lin. "And you?"

After the question had been translated for Wren, she explained that she had trained her whole life, though her only real experience had been defending herself against two or three people at a time during her travels.

When her response was translated in turn, Mari again nodded. She didn't take as long to think about what Wren had said, and then she turned to Miyuki.

"And you?" she asked. "Kyrie tells me that you've been working on something with magic, but what are your abilities?"

Again, Mari listened in silence until Miyuki was finished, and this time her pause was a long one. Rather than commenting, she turned to Andarien. "And you?"

Andarien fidgeted slightly in his chair. "I'm just a kid," he said quietly. "I've never been in a fight, I'm terrible with weapons, and I can't use any magic. The only thing I've ever done is run away on Ponydash when we were being chased by a dragon."

"Yeah ..." Andarien blushed a bit, but he had to agree, it wasn't as if Miyuki's Pokemon could do much at the moment. After all, Yasu had only evolved a short time ago and hadn't had the chance for training like his Pokemon had.

He thought about how to describe what each of his Pokemon could do, but he knew it would take a long time. Instead, he suggested, "How about after lunch we go outside and then I can show you what Eon, Zeus and Ponydash can do?"

Mari smiled and nodded. "I would like that," she agreed. "And Miyuki, perhaps we could see what yours can do at the same time?" She turned to Miyuki and waited for her answer.

Mari smiled. "Wonderful. Thank you both."

And then she turned to Lancaeriel, the only one who had not yet told about herself. "And what about you, Lancaeriel? I did note yesterday that you came without weapons, yet Kyrie tells me that you were the person she most wished to accompany her here to help."

Lancaeriel smiled modestly and took a moment to collect her thoughts before answering.

"I could keep it simple and say that while I am useless with traditional weapons, there is much that I can do by way of magic," she murmured, "but you asked for specifics, so I ask for your patience. I am currently living my third life. I was first born early in the First Age of the Four Lands calendar ... I suppose here, we would simply give the year. Eighty seven."

Mari nodded, and the only sign of surprise that she showed was a slight raising of her eyebrows.

Lancaeriel went on. "I do not know what your people know of the history of the Four Lands - little, if my assumption is correct - but during the First Age, the first five thousand years of our world's existence, a group of people from various races - Light Elven, Dark Elven, human, even some of Melkor's more intelligent and seemingly less evil creations - came together with a common goal: to learn about the world in which we lived, and to study magic. These people came to be known as the Druids, and I was one of them."

She reached up to brush her hair behind her ears. "Actually, I was Head Druidess for nearly thirty-five hundred years," she said, sounding a bit sheepish. "During that time I not only did my own studies, but oversaw the studies of all the others. We studied every aspect of magic that we came across ... and it seemed that the more we learned, the more there was for us to explore. Our goal was to keep the peace between the races, and to that end my studies focused on positive magicks - healing, life force, nature, and the like - though with all of the knowledge I gained, I could not help but learn about their opposites. In learning to heal, I also learned the most efficient ways to kill. In learning about life, I learned about death. In learning about nature, I learned about the unnatural - contradicting the laws of nature, creating from nothing, changing the very nature of things."

She paused for a moment, then added softly, "Even to the point of changing a living being from one type of creature to another."

Andarien wondered what she meant by that.

After a brief pause, Lancaeriel took up her tale.

"Unfortunately, we learned too late that there are creatures who should never be trusted, no matter the circumstances, and at length - though far too soon, we were all destroyed," she said quietly. "I was reborn centuries before my husband, and it was not until we met up again that our memories of our first life together returned. We searched for the rest of the druids and found only a few of them, but none of them were interested in continuing their studies. They were convinced that the destruction of Altak Bet-Ainul, the fortress that had been our home, was punishment sent by the Valar for delving too deep into the mysteries of the world."

She shrugged. "Perhaps it is true. I know there were some Druids who used their knowledge for self-gain rather than for the good of all, and that is something that ought never to have happened. It was good for them to be stopped. But I can't help but wonder, if that was the case, then why do I continue to be reborn and regain my powers, even when I have been reborn with the blood of two races? Something that is almost never heard of?"

She knew of only one other case where someone of mixed blood - from the continent of Arkandia, anyways - had any magic to them at all, and he was very close to pure-blooded, unlike her with her half-and-half parentage.

"So my husband and I continued our studies alone. It seemed that there was no limit to what there was to learn. And since we had both regained the memories of our first lives, and our powers, we first looked for a way to assure that it would happen each and every time we were separated by death. Death is always temporary for elves, but we wanted to make sure that we would always be able to find each other. So the study of death became our pursuit. How to predict it, how to counter it, how to cause it ... all in an effort to manipulate our minds after we died and were reborn. Eventually, our knowledge was tested - my husband was killed by a dragon as we traveled."

She smiled. "After a period of mourning, I used what we had learned to find him again, and it was not long before I did. He regained his memories once more, and once again, we continued our life together, always studying."

Suddenly she hesitated, and indecision flickered across her face. It was as if there were something she thought she ought to tell, but did not want to. She was silent for several seconds while she thought about it, and then she nodded as if she had come to a decision.

"Our pursuit of knowledge consumed us," she said quietly. "We ... we had overcome the worst part of death - being separated from those we loved and not knowing them when we saw them again - and we sought to conquer life. To create it. We had ... many difficulties. At length, we were blessed with a child - a daughter; but ..."

She shook her head and lowered her gaze, and she had to wipe a tear from her eye. "From the moment I first held her in my arms, I knew that we had finally gone too far. Some things are meant to remain a mystery. We left off studying for a while and focused on raising our daughter, and swore never again to attempt to use magic to manipulate life."

She sighed. "It is not something that I am proud of," she murmured. "But what was done, was done. Going back in time, changing what has been done ... that is something that we have never managed to do. Stasis is the closest we have come, and even that comes at great cost."

There was a moment of silence, and Lancaeriel sensed that she had perhaps made the atmosphere rather grim. She sat forward in her chair again, raised her head, and smiled softly.

"Well, since that time, I have more or less been studying more practical magicks," she said in a lighter tone. "Portals between different places, summoning things ... and things that can help people. Potions, elixirs, things that are good. I live for two things now: the first, to find my husband, who died close to forty years ago; and the second, to make restoration for the mistakes that we made. To help where and when I can. To use magic for the right purposes."

Mari was silent for a long time after Lancaeriel finished, and it was clear from the look on her face that she was thinking very hard about what the woman had said. Even after Chesnet began to clear the table, she said nothing; and it was several minutes before she finally spoke.

"It seems you have left me speechless," she said with a gentle smile. "To be honest it sounds as if there is little of which you are not capable. I think I see why Kyrie asked you to come. Getting our hands on weapons has been the most difficult part of our work here, and it had occurred to me earlier that magic may be the best route to take. Unfortunately, when it comes to myself and those with whom I work, our abilities are ... shall we say, not very practical."

She shrugged. "We are strong, we are fast, we seem to have the favour of the Valar to have survived this long, but it gives us no external skill or ability."

"A few," Mari smiled, "but I would like to weigh in with Kyrie again before we begin to make any solid plans. I am very grateful that you are all here ... not only do we have to move soon since your husband has been taken, but now we have the ability to move soon, because we have you to help."

"The addition of so few of us really makes that much of a difference?" Lancaeriel asked softly.

Mari laughed softly. "Indeed. In fact, it may be because there are so few of us that we really have a chance." She smiled again. "You see, if we were to storm the city, we would be repelled immediately. It is positively swarming with soldiers, all of whom serve the General as best they possibly can. For many of them, it's not by choice - the General will kill their families if they don't. But if we can infiltrate the palace - and I'm thinking of a few ways that might be done now - just as a small group, then I believe we have a chance of getting near the General. If we can get to him and take him out, then the rest of the city will be ours by default. With no fear of retribution, the people will not fight for his cause."

"Precisely," Mari nodded. "Unfortunately, that is also what makes it so difficult to entrust anyone with the knowledge my survival, or information about the rebellion. It would be very tempting for them to pass on any information to the General in exchange for the release of a loved one, or for immunity from violence."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "On that note," she added, "perhaps it's time for you to meet-"

She was cut off by a sharp knock at the door and a young voice calling out, "Mari! Mari! Are they up yet?"

The princess laughed and pushed her chair back from the table. "-our neighbours," she concluded, grinning as she rose. "Come."