Chapter Four: The Tale of Helóne

Tranith Argan: Book 4

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The old elf woman, Helóne, begins her tale to the astonished travelers.

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“I lived many a season in my home in Elaria. I was friends with your grandfather, Alessa, for he too made his home in Faála before he began to rule over the Findára. We were friends then, good friends. My life was simple and happy.

“But my life was also insular as we elves can get and there came a day when I wanted to see the world. I wanted to explore other lands and meet new people. I had lived for many seasons and wanted to know more about my world. Your grandfather saw no reason for me to travel. He felt we had all we needed in Elaria and that the outside world held only trouble and strife. I should mention this was before Argan had a king and much that is now tame was wild then.

“I was young then and would not listen to counsel, and so I left on a sea journey with my Erenár cousins. I sailed with them for many a day and learned to love the water and the peacefulness of the life onboard a ship. It has a rhythm of its own that is soothing in its own way even as seeing our green hills of home provides rest to the mind.”

Helóne paused to sip some of her drink and close her eyes for a moment. The others got the impression that it had been a long time since she had told this tale and though she was enjoying the telling she also found it tiring. They couldn’t tell if her fatigue was physical or emotional.

“Several more seasons passed in this way,” she continued, “and I began to get the feeling again that I wanted to see more. So I had them leave me off on the eastern shore of the Straits where I could explore new lands. There I had many adventures, for as I said it was a wilder place back then, but I was young and full of strength and vigor, and I was able to take care of myself. Alas, it was my youth that caused the trouble, but that is later.

“I eventually made my way up to the small town that was to become Tranith Argan. It wasn't much back then, just slightly more than a village, but in a strategically well-placed location. Anyone crossing the mountains would naturally stop there, and so I did stop on my travels. I got to know the people of the city and found it an enjoyable place. It was different from Elaria, and I think that excited me more than anything else. I enjoyed these men and women of Argan – there was no “Tranith” at that time – and I extended my stay. I got to know one family in particular and they kindly allowed me to stay with them for several weeks.

“Then one day, while in the market, I saw a man whose look caught my eye. Oh, but he was a handsome young man, full of strength, and prominent in the area. He was a captain of the local army, though at the time it could hardly be called an army. It was more of a group tasked with guarding the city from attack. He was an able leader, this man, and his men loved him. You could see that in the way they looked up to him when he gave instructions. Yes, he was handsome and manly, and manly in a way that elves never seem to be, and he caught my eye. I think I caught his too, for you know I was the only elf in the city and I stood out. Plus, you may not believe it now, but I was considered quite beautiful in those days. I caught his eye and he caught mine and we started to talk. I told him about my travels and he told me of his plans for the future and we became friends.

“There came a day when it was time for me to move on. This young man had been out on patrol for several weeks, and I realized I grew tired of the place in his absence. So when he returned I told him I was leaving to return home to Elaria. There were tears, yes, but there was no time for romance in his life then. He was busy with his plans, and I had no idea how ambitious those plans were to become.

“I left for Elaria and thought I would visit him again someday, or maybe he would visit me. But as time went on I kept hearing word of his deeds and knew that he was too busy to visit. Until one day, after the kingship had been established in Argan, and the Tranith cities were being set up, a visitor came to Elaria. A visitor for me. It was my young man, the one who had caught my eye and I his. He came for me then, and he did not come alone. He brought his entire court with him, for he sought my hand in marriage, wanting to impress my people with his status.

“Oh, how handsome he looked on that day! In his golden armor! How regal! Yes, I see you are beginning to realize where my tale turns. My young man, the one I had grown to love, was the man who upon founding the throne of Argan named himself Kal-Alorim, and in later years he was known as The Golden.”

Felanar and Kara sat frozen in disbelief, their surprise barely surpassing the astonishment felt by Alessa. Helóne stared at them and smiled. She had told her tale and had surprised her listeners into silence, and this pleased her. She continued staring from one face to another until she focused on Felanar's as he finally asked a question.

“Are you saying you married Kal-Alorim?”

“That is exactly what I am saying, young man.”

Felanar and Kara again stared at each other. Kara spoke next.

“Did you have children?”

“Of course, my dear,” laughed Helóne. “That is what young people in love do when they get married!”

“So you are saying that Kal-Ara, The Jewel, was your son?” Kara continued with a look of earnest.

“Yes, yes, and Kal-Dalonur his son, and on and on. You know your history of Argan well, I see.”

“And you know about the kingdom ending after Al-Supir, the last king of Argan? Were you there?” asked Felanar urgently.

“Was I there? No, by then I was gone from Argan. A long time gone by the time this happened. I only heard about the ending of the line, and it hurt me very much for they were my descendants being killed by that evil one. Yes, very sad days those were for me, on top of my already sad days. Sorrow fell on top of sorrow, as it were.”

“So you never heard of any descendants surviving?” asked Kara.

“Well, now I have heard of such, but only in recent years if my reports have been accurate. I only hear from the local villages in the area – they are kind to me, you know, and the only ones who are any more – and the news they get from the east is sometimes not very accurate. But I have heard the throne was restored, though how this could have been after so many seasons I do not know. Maybe I have a descendant yet in this world and I will never know it.”

Felanar stood up, walked over to the elderly elf, and knelt in front of her solemnly. He took her frail arms in his hand and looked directly into her eyes.

“You know it now, Helóne,” he said, “for Kara and I are those descendants. I am the restored king of Tranith Argan, in the line of Kal-Alorim, The Golden.”

Helóne was now the astonished one, her jaw dropping and remaining open as she looked from Felanar to Kara and back again. Upon returning to Felanar's face she looked deeply into his eyes until she saw something and her face lit up.

“You are!” she declared brightly. “I see the fire within your eyes!”

“What do you mean?” asked Felanar with puzzlement.

“Your eyes!” she declared with excitement. “You have the elven fire deep within you. You are part elf! A very distant connection, it is true, through many, many generations of your people. It is faint, so faint I did not notice it at first. But it is there!”

Alessa rushed over and knelt by Felanar, grabbing him by his shoulders and whirling him around so she could look for herself.

Felanar stared into her grey-blue eyes for a very long time until she too smiled and said, “It is there! I never noticed it before, but you are right, Helóne. Faint though it is, I do see the hint of the fire! Kara, come here, let me look at you too.”

Kara underwent the same examination by both Helóne and Alessa and was found to have the same telltale sign in her eyes.

No one spoke for many minutes as the astounding nature of this revelation sank in.

“I cannot believe this,” marveled Kara. “How could we not know this before? How could we not have seen this in our eyes?”

“It is hard to see even when I look for it,” said Alessa, “and it probably takes an elf to see it even then. You are so many generations removed from Helóne that it is impressive that it is there at all. I am not surprised that you failed to see it, but I am a bit chagrined that I failed to see it until now.”

“But Kal-Alorim did not marry an elf,” interrupted Felanar. “The history books say nothing of this.”

Helóne nodded her head and said with a sad voice, “Who writes the history books? Those who come later, that is who. No, there is more to my story than this revelation, gratifying as it turned out to be. I have family again! Oh, this is a glorious day for me! Let me hug you both, right now!”

Felanar and Kara approached the elderly elf and each gave her a warm embrace. Helóne grabbed them with all her strength and they noticed it was more strength than her appearance led one to believe. As they backed up again, she continued her story.

“Where was I? Yes, history is written by those who come after, but let me not get ahead of myself. There is more to tell of earlier days. When my husband came to Elaria to seek my hand in marriage, well, it was an audacious move on his part, would you not say? When has a man ever sought the hand of an elf? Who has heard of such a thing? And why would an elf maiden ever consider taking a mere man as a mate and companion?

“Ah, but I had seen the world, and I had seen this man, and I loved him. He knew that and it gave him courage and strength to come to Elaria, and he even showed off a little with his golden armor, though he did not realize at the time that such things meant little to the elves. Now if he had approached the dwarves that way they would have fallen all over themselves to prostrate themselves before such a figure clad in gold. Of course that would mean he was seeking a dwarf for a wife, and that is hardly likely.”

Dolen shifted in his seat but said nothing.

“He came to Elaria to seek my hand in marriage, and I suspect he realized it would not be as easy as saying, 'I am king, let me have your daughter to be my queen.' He met with my father – he is long gone now, but he and your grandfather were friends then. My father was a proud Findáran, loved Elaria with all his heart and saw no need of anything outside its borders. This is why I wanted to see the world – but I am going in circles in my tale. Let me move forward instead.

“My father met with this man – he kept using that word 'man” when referring to my future husband and I think he meant it as an insult – and he explained to him that a man and an elf do not belong together no matter how high the man's title. Such things were not known in this world. It would not be right. It did not matter to my future husband though. He was so gallant! He acknowledged the superiority of the elves – so clever was he! –but insisted that to be a queen among men, as meaningless as it might be to an elf, would be a supreme honor among men. I would be held up as the most honored woman in the world, he said, treasured as a gift of surpassing beauty and grace. I would be pampered and have anything my heart desired.

“My father softened a bit at his manner, for here was a man who did not try to insist that men were superior to elves – some do, you know! – but were inherently inferior in every way. Clever, as I said, and it had its effect. Yet my father still objected for he foresaw an unhappy life for me. 'You will outlive this man,' he said, and oh, I knew it to be true but I was in love and did not care that day. What would Elaria hold for me but carefree days but days of endless boredom, I thought. Ah, but a queen of Argan, that would be endlessly interesting and new.

“And I loved him and cared not for the future. I would not hear of these objections and over many days I wore my father down. To be sure, he loved me as his jewel and would not hold back from me anything I sought. He said it with a tear in his eye but he eventually gave his blessing. I was to be married! Not in Elaria, however, that was said to be impossible, and here your grandfather came into the story. He said such a thing could not take place on Elaria soil. We did not care and we joyfully set sail for the eastern lands where we had a glorious wedding in Argan.

“How happy we were! We were in love and we stayed in love our whole lives long. Not only did the love not fade but it grew and deepened in intensity. I bore him a son, and a beautiful child he was! I loved this little boy with the light in his eyes and once even father came to visit and to see this child. Father was fair in the end and I loved him for his support. Yes, we were happy together, my husband and I, for we traveled the realms and made things beautiful. He wasn't known as The Golden simply for what he wore but also for how he helped turn the lands into golden beauty. The people loved him and they loved me. They called me their 'lady' and their queen and they adored me. They used to send their little children up to me with flowers and I kissed the cheeks of those children and they giggled back to their mothers with smiles on their faces. 'The queen kissed me,' they laughed, or 'I was kissed by an elf,' and that used to make me laugh as well.

“Many seasons passed, or decades as the men called them based on their calendars – which always seemed so unnecessary to me when the world itself served as a calendar, but so it was – and one day I realized with quite some surprise that my husband was old. I had never noticed it before for he always appeared to be the same as he always was. He was my husband and that is who I saw when I looked into his face. But one day as we stood out on the terrace looking over the city, and the sun illuminated his face clearly, I realized that time was taking its toll on the man I loved. It scared me, this sudden change, for to an elf anything of men seems sudden.

“As more seasons passed I could no longer fool myself into not seeing what was clearly written on his face. His body changed too, and he walked more slowly now. I tried to slow down too in order to not make him feel bad. I, of course, remained unchanged to men's eyes, and the people began to talk about the elderly king and this unnaturally youthful wife, but I paid it no mind at the time. Perhaps I should have.

“More seasons passed and now he was no longer able to rule, so our son ascended the throne and I supported him while caring for my beloved, who spent his days in the bed chamber. Then one day, several seasons into my son's rule, I awoke and turned to my beloved and he did not respond. His eyes were open, but oh, the dullness of them! It scared me! My beloved husband's body was still there, but he was not. He was gone, taken from me in the blink of an eye. We had hardly begun to know each other, but alas this is the way of men. In a flash the words of my father returned to me and my heart was struck with remorse. My eyes filled with tears and I could not bear to face the world. I was distraught, inconsolable. The one I had loved more than anyone else in the world had been taken from me. Do you know how that feels?”

Helóne paused to catch her breath.

“My son brought me back to life. My husband lived on in him. Men always talked this way and I thought it nonsensical. Now I understood what they meant. I guess I was becoming one of them in some ways, but in my son I saw my husband's eyes and nose, and it gave me comfort. He was very caring toward me, his mother, and he provided some support to my emotions. He eventually married, a lovely woman from the Golden Lakes region, and in time I came to grieve a bit less for my husband, but to tell you the truth I find myself even now missing him.”

Alessa shifted uneasily.

“The talk about me continued in the city during my son's reign, but it didn't grow in intensity until he too died in time. Now his son reigned, my grandson, and once his mother died too there was no one left who knew me intimately other than the king himself, who loved me as his grandmother. For the people in the city, none of whom had been alive when I first arrived, I must have seemed an ancient presence around the throne who would never leave. People who knew nothing of me began to talk about me in the cruelest of ways. The servants of the king even spoke of me rudely. Rumors began to spread that I was a spy of the elves, if you can believe such nonsense! When my father came to visit one year he was practically assaulted in the streets. He never visited again, he was so shocked. When my grandson died and his son took the throne, it was the end for me in Argan. I no longer felt the place as home, and they certainly did not know me or care for me. Even my great-grandson seemed cool to me after his friends spoke ill of me.

“It took many a season, but my time in Argan was done. I was no longer beloved but feared for my longevity. The people said it was unnatural. Mothers hid their children from me when I passed. It broke my heart. As long as my descendants on the throne needed me, I would have put up with all manners of rudeness and ignorance, but now even my great-grandson stood off from me. There was nothing left for me in Argan but memories of sorrow and death. I had lost my husband, my son, my grandson, and now even the pleasant life of the city was taken from me. How my husband would have been furious if he had seen the way I was treated!

“Off I went back to Elaria. My father and mother were aged by now, for they had me late in their life, and it had been several seasons since I had seen them. I would live in Elaria again, and find comfort in my people. But it was not to be. When I reached the island the guards were rude to me, and this shocked me. I traveled to my parent's home only to learn that my mother had died but two seasons before, and my heart broke at the news. My poor father was in distress, though having me back provided some comfort. We mourned together, he and I, though I mourned for the loss of many things at once.

“Word of my return reached your grandfather, Alessa, and he came to our home in Faála to see me. I did not know what to think when I heard he was coming for he had been cold to me about my wedding plans long before. Would he be softer now that my mother had died and I had lost so much else in my life? Alas, it was worse than I feared! He was cold to me, Alessa, cold as an elf never should be. He told me that I was not welcome in Elaria. Can you imagine? He said that I had rejected Elaria and thus Elaria was to reject me. He said to go back to Argan, the land I said I would love and to live out my life there. My father begged with him, tears streaming down his face. 'Do not send my beloved daughter off,' he pleaded, 'for I have lost my love and now she is all I have in the world.' 'Then go with her and be together in exile,' is all your grandfather said. I think he was angry at my father for giving his blessing for my marriage even knowing of the his disapproval.”

“This is outrageous!” interrupted Alessa. “My grandfather said this to you? Are you sure?”

“I am sorry, Alessa, but every word I am telling you is true. The memory of an elf is a keen one, and I have had much time in my loneliness to reflect on those days. I can assure you that your grandfather was as cold to us as I am describing, though I have no doubt this is hurtful to your ears and for that I am truly sorry. But remember he was thinking of what was best for Elaria. He was the ruler then, even as his son Llarand is now, and I think he hated and feared me for disobeying him long ago.

“He probably thought that if he allowed me to return without any consequences for my actions it would send a message to all elves that they could leave Elaria as they pleased. Then what would happen to the land if they all left into the world? No, do not think badly of your grandfather. He was not cruel for its own sake. He was trying to do what he thought was best. You see that my bitterness is leavened with kindness toward the elves. I do not hate your father, for instance, for he is doing what he thinks best. Well, there are times when I hate him for what he has done to me, but at other times I can think of such things and almost understand them.”

“So my father repeated the exile?” asked Alessa with a worried look.

“As I said before, when your grandfather ceased to exist I traveled to the border of Elaria – my father had long since reached the end of his seasons and I was now utterly alone – and your father sent word that he was not going to counteract his father's order. To be sure, he was new at ruling, and perhaps this was not the best time to ask him to do this. He was unsure of himself yet. If I am still alive when your father is gone, I will give Dalonír time to get comfortable with his rule before asking him.”

“This is absurd!” cried Alessa as she leaped to her feet. “I will see to this myself when I get to Elaria. You can come with us and I will force my father to see reason!”

Helóne laughed.

“Thank you, my dear,” she said, “your words mean so much to an old elf. I do not think I will travel with you, however. I am old and I do not wish to beg of the elf who treated me coldly so many seasons ago. I will wait to hear word of your success, and that will be sufficient for me.”