Prologue: Ralnor's life leading up to the events of the novel.

Ralnor's journey from soldier to sawyer is explained, as well as his relationship with Relisandre, his wife, and Talaedra, his daughter.

             In the Eastern fields of Tavaun, the people make their living working the fields, the alehouse, or, for some, the lumbermills. Such was the case for Ralnor Dirthitryn. The Dirthitryn family was not the wealthiest nor most powerful, but it was large, and built from strong Tavaunish folk proud to call themselves warriors. When Tavaun's independence was threatened by the great Wassentian Empire, Ralnor joined his fellow men in the ranks of the rebels and sailed for weeks to the Imperial coasts. Within the Empire’s borders, he found Relisandre Orleanea.

           Though it was foolish to acquaint himself with anyone on Imperial soil, Ralnor courted Relisandre. Before the war was done, Ralnor gave up the fighting to elope with her, and they were married by a heretic priest under the blessings of Tavaun’s deities, forbidden by Wassentia. 
  

          The minor house of Dirthitryn was proud and pure, valuing glory in battle and honor in actions. Ralnor's forfeit of the war had disgraced his family, and when he returned home with his Elven bride, they were both cast away. Ralnor and Relisandre found themselves without a home, and began slowly travelling northeast. Halfway across Tavaun, they found at once a home and a profitable trade; a thatched-roof house in Errusten, a town sustained by the lumbermill.
  

              Soon, Ralnor and Relisandre had established themselves in Errusten. The surrounding buildings were all farmhouses, save for the inn, which was a short hike up the main road. Ralnor worked the sawmill with the men who had been sawyers and loggers before him, and transported his own firewood and lumber to the nearest city--a week's trek with the use of a caravan. A year after the war's brutal end, Relisandre brought their daughter into the world.

 

               Their daughter was born with a full head of fiery Dirthitryn hair, and she was given an Orleanea name; Talaedra. Relisandre listed her earned names and tucked the paper away to be brought out when the time came. Ralnor and Relisandre planned what each of them were to teach their newborn daughter; Ralnor would teach her to read and how to swing an axe, Relisandre was to teach her daughter the history of the empire and an account of the families that ruled it. But Talaedra had a village to raise her. She deserves a village, Ralnor had thought.

 

               Only a few months following Talaedra’s birth, Relisandre received a letter that prompted her to venture overseas to her family. She would not say why the issue was of such great urgency that she was required to leave immediately upon receiving word, but when she returned she seemed a different woman entirely. Before her leave, she had reveled in every moment spent with her daughter. Upon her return, however, Relisandre would not acknowledge the infant, and grimaced every time she was urged to show affection to her daughter. She spent her days sullen and still, her hair uncombed, her gaze far. 
     

           After weeks of melancholy, Relisandre seemed to have been cured of this behavior, but Ralnor would soon discover that her quick turnaround shrouded her still-troubled mind. As Ralnor slept, Relisandre donned her riding clothes and threw all she owned into the caravan. For the first time in over a month, Relisandre held her daughter for a few moments, before finally putting her back down in her cradle, and leaving Errusten, never to return.

      

          Once Ralnor had accepted that Relisandre was not going to return, he focused only on his daughter and his work. He was content to remain in Errusten, as the greater part of Tavaun was being razed and purged to make way for Wassentian structures and people of the new faith. Ralnor tried to separate himself from the politics of the country, and instead focused on teaching Talaedra everything he could. She learned how to use an axe--for both wood and for protection; she learned how to hunt, she learned how to cook, and she was trained in sawmilling. Twice a year, they would make use of travelling caravanners that took them to the city, hauling the wood among their other saleable goods. Each time they made this journey, Ralnor reminded his daughter not to stray from the path--there was an old fort a mile off the road that was once soldiers' barracks, but since the war’s end had been a home to thieves, and thieves cared for nothing but coin.

  

              Ralnor could let go of the family he once knew, and he could let go of his wife, but he would not let go of his gods. He had been raised to be proud of his heritage, and his religion was the piece that he clung to. Talaedra, too, knew only the true gods of Tavaun, the Old Gods that had been forbidden, but she knew the townsfolk enough to keep her piety quiet. She asked her father to do the same, if only for his own safety, but his stubbornness had remained persistent, and he could not be convinced that he should be ashamed of his worship. 

                Despite their small numbers and heretical beliefs, Ralnor and Talaedra prospered for years, their business faring well as the demand for lumber increased with the postwar country. However, with less war, the animals in the woods also fared well, and it was not a safe time for lone men to be ruining the homes of beasts. Ralnor was discovered by a large, loud, toothy bear, who saw the trees being cut down, and charged. Ralnor, through his persistent stubbornness, was able to kill the bear and survive the attack, but the wounds the bear had given him festered, and from them he became disease-ridden and weak. Once a warrior, Ralnor had grown old overnight. Talaedra, then fourteen, took up responsibility as her father’s sole caretaker, and began running the sawmill with their old team of neighbors.

Reviews

[W1STER1A]

This is a great opening. If the story is just as good, then it will be a good read.

[KyLaQz]

Really enjoyed this story! Waiting for the next chaptercontinuation to drop. The story already has me thinking about whats next. Why did she leave? What will happen to Talaedra now that shes all alone to take care of herself? Really a excellent story from you. Hope to see more!

-KyLaQz

[WisbyWrites]

Thank you so much for this review! I appreciate it more than you know. The first chapter will be posted very soon. Also, just to clarify, Ralnor IS alive and with Talaedra, but she is forced to support them both by being the sole caretaker of their local business.

[KyLaQz]

When's the next part?

[WisbyWrites]

Chapter I has been posted! I meant for it to be posted much sooner, but a whole lot happened between then and now haha

[WisbyWrites]

Author's Note: The adaptation of "earned names" is a rite of every Elf in this universe. Similar to Roman cognomina, which is a personal name given later in life based on deeds, characteristics, occupations, places of origin, as well as some that were hereditary. This is also a similar phenomenon to Tolkien Elves earning different names later in life, but is not the same; in this book, the list of names are put in order by their parent(s) early on, and after it is earned by deeds/accomplishments, the Elf sort of "levels up" to the name they've earned. This is important to note throughout the story.