Tom woke up with the warm sun on his face and a wooden ceiling instead of a canopy of trees over him. Whatever he was lying on was soft and comfortable, and felt like suede under his fingertips. He tried to sit up but was still really weak from the day before. There was someone else in the room who, noticing his struggles, came over to him. The footsteps sounded light and like they were being made on plained wood. A handsome face came smiling in to Tom's field of vision and strong hands lifted him in tot he sitting position.
'You are awake.' The man noted. His voice had a musical lilt to it, as though he'd break in to song at any moment.
'Yes.' Tom managed, past dry lips.
'Ah, here.' The stranger passed him a wooden cup full of water and what tasted like honey.
'Thank you.' Said Tom, after drinking a little of the sweet water.
'You're welcome.' The man took the cup back and set it on a small table next to the bed.
Tom took a moment to look around. The room was made exclusively from wood, and smelled fresh. In one corner, the trunk of a tree protruded appeared to be integral to the walls. Through the open window, Tom could see a balcony and the tops of the trees.
'We're in a tree house?' He asked.
The man nodded.
'Much safer than slumped on the forest floor, no?'
Tom smiled and nodded.
'So where is this and who are you?'
'You are in Juvethil, the new city of the elves. I am Alvis, I was one of the scouts who saved you from the fenris.'
'City of the elves? I thought you all left for good about five hundred years ago.' Tom looked at Alvis in shock, then remembered his manners. 'I'm Tom, pleased to meet you.'
'Well met, Tom.'Alvis said. 'We left the world for a while, yes; you could call it a holiday, but we always intended to come back. I remember my great-great-grandfather used to tell me tales of the wild beauty of Miograr. The forest is indeed beautiful and terrible at the same time, full of death and life. Things are more stable where I was born.'
'Where was that?' Tom was intrigued.
'The old city of Lystris. In Alvheimr, a world apart from here.'
Alvis caught himself in a daydream and re-focused on Tom.
'And now we are back.' He smiled. 'But maybe not during such good times. Fenris are a myth I was told about as a child, no one's seen one since the beginning of the second age.'
'And how long ago was that?'
'My great-great-grandfather's great-great-grandfather would've been a boy at the time.' Alvis explained.
'Well thanks again for saving me.' Tom said. 'But I must go and find my friends.'
He tried to lift himself from the bed, but his arms were still weak and he flopped backwards.
'You are still suffering from trollmattelse.' Alvis said, propping Tom back up. 'You must rest and regain your strength, otherwise we will have to save you again.'
Tom slept the rest of the day away, after finishing his honey-water and having a little bit of bread. In the evening, he felt strong enough to try getting up again. This time Tom managed to sit himself up and swing his legs off of the bed. However, he didn't trust them to support him, so he just sat, looking out of the window at the stars over the forest. There was a faint orange glow coming from below the balcony and musical voices floated up speaking, practically sining, a language Tom had never heard before. He sat and listened to the beautiful sound for a while, then rolled back in to bed and fell asleep once more.
It was mid-morning before Alvis woke him.
'Time to get you moving again, I think.'
Tom did feel refreshed, but still a bit weak. Alvis helped him dress and then supported him as Tom tried to remember how to walk. The run through the forest seemed so long ago, but with patience and something to hold on to, Tom managed to gt his legs working again. Half an hour later, he flopped back on to the bed, exhausted.
'Good.' Alvis was saying. 'You're recovering well. The trollmattelse is not to be taken lightly. If the fenris hadn't finished you off, this might have.'
'You know what's happening to me?' Tom asked, between breaths.
'Our sages get it after too much conjuring.' Alvis said. 'The effort of control the power takes its toll. I have heard of people dying because of it.'
'I suppose I was using a fair bit.' Tom admitted with a sheepish grin. 'I wonder why Levren didn't warn me.'
'Levren is your teacher? Maybe Levren didn't expect you to channel as much as you did.'
'I wouldn't put it past him to keep it from me just to reinforce the lesson when it came.'
'Sometimes sages do such things. Though sometimes I think they just forget they haven't told us.' Alvis said, diplomatically. 'Rest for one more day, then we can guide you to your friends.'
The following morning, Tom was able to stagger around the room with feeling like he was going to fall down. He tottered on to the balcony and got his first sight of Juvethil. Alvis' treehouse was on the edge of a clearing, which acted as a sort of town square. There were stalls set up in a ring around a large fire pit selling all sorts of goods. The forty or so trees edging the clearing all held tree houses and Tom could see wide walkways leading deeper in to the forest as well as between the houses. Each house was of the same style, but unique depending on the shape of the branches it nestled between. Large baskets on pulley sytems and rope ladders stretching the thirty feet to the ground adodrned every balcony. One of the stalls was selling cooked meats and the smell that wafted up compelled Tom to descend the ladder.
He was taken aback by how good everyone looked. Feeling entirely out of place, he asked the strikingly gorgeous woman at the stall how much the grilled venison sandwich was.
'Just a half-gull.' She said. Then she cocked her head to one side. 'You're the one Alvis has been looking after aren't you? I'll put it on his tab.'
Tom thanked her and accepted the sandwich gratefully. The meat was tender and the bread was soft, his first bite savoured the food, then he devoured it greedily.There was a giggle from the stall behind him and Tom realised he'd just moaned out loud at how good it tasted. Turning, he gave an awkward smile and a wave before wandering around the rest of the clearing. He drew curious looks from the adult elves and the children followed him to see what he'd do.'Tom!' Alvis' voice came from above.
He looked up to see Alvis waving from one of the walkways.
'Come up here, I have people for you to meet.'
Tom climbed the nearest ladder and made his way round to where his rescuer stood with a group of elves.
'These are the other scouts who helped rescue you.' Alvis explained. 'This is Vidar, Gunnar, Baldr, Orvar and Tyr.'
Tom shook each of their hands and hanked them warmly. For their part, the elves were good natured. It seemed that they were old friends, playfully mocking each other and joking about previous mistakes.
'We must go now.' Alvis said, after a few minutes. 'The King has granted you an audience.'
Saying their goodbyes, Alvis led Tom along the suspended walkways through the forest. They passed more clearings like the one Alvis lived on.
'How many are there?' Tom asked at one point.
Alvis looked around to see what he was referring to.
'Of the sammargats? Oh, I don't know. A few thousand? The scholars at the palace know the full extent of Juvethil, but us commoners just stick to the parts we need.'
They continued to walk for around half an hour, before coming out in to another clearing. This one was different, through. It was larger and there were still trees in the centre, with walkways ringing the inner and outer line of trees. Radial walkways connected the two circles, like spokes of a wheel and at the hub was an enormous treehouse spanning dozens of trees. The palace must have been a hundred yards across and had multiple stories, the style was familiar, but the detailing of the wood carving far surpassed the ordinary houses. Tom stood with his mouth open, taking in the majesty of the building.
'You are impressed then?' Alvis had a cheeky grin on his face.
'It's very grand.' Tom shook himself free of his astonishment.
'Come.' He said, starting down one of the radials. 'Now you will meet King Freyr.'
'You are awake.' The man noted. His voice had a musical lilt to it, as though he'd break in to song at any moment.
'Yes.' Tom managed, past dry lips.
'Ah, here.' The stranger passed him a wooden cup full of water and what tasted like honey.
'Thank you.' Said Tom, after drinking a little of the sweet water.
'You're welcome.' The man took the cup back and set it on a small table next to the bed.
Tom took a moment to look around. The room was made exclusively from wood, and smelled fresh. In one corner, the trunk of a tree protruded appeared to be integral to the walls. Through the open window, Tom could see a balcony and the tops of the trees.
'We're in a tree house?' He asked.
The man nodded.
'Much safer than slumped on the forest floor, no?'
Tom smiled and nodded.
'So where is this and who are you?'
'You are in Juvethil, the new city of the elves. I am Alvis, I was one of the scouts who saved you from the fenris.'
'City of the elves? I thought you all left for good about five hundred years ago.' Tom looked at Alvis in shock, then remembered his manners. 'I'm Tom, pleased to meet you.'
'Well met, Tom.'Alvis said. 'We left the world for a while, yes; you could call it a holiday, but we always intended to come back. I remember my great-great-grandfather used to tell me tales of the wild beauty of Miograr. The forest is indeed beautiful and terrible at the same time, full of death and life. Things are more stable where I was born.'
'Where was that?' Tom was intrigued.
'The old city of Lystris. In Alvheimr, a world apart from here.'
Alvis caught himself in a daydream and re-focused on Tom.
'And now we are back.' He smiled. 'But maybe not during such good times. Fenris are a myth I was told about as a child, no one's seen one since the beginning of the second age.'
'And how long ago was that?'
'My great-great-grandfather's great-great-grandfather would've been a boy at the time.' Alvis explained.
'Well thanks again for saving me.' Tom said. 'But I must go and find my friends.'
He tried to lift himself from the bed, but his arms were still weak and he flopped backwards.
'You are still suffering from trollmattelse.' Alvis said, propping Tom back up. 'You must rest and regain your strength, otherwise we will have to save you again.'
Tom slept the rest of the day away, after finishing his honey-water and having a little bit of bread. In the evening, he felt strong enough to try getting up again. This time Tom managed to sit himself up and swing his legs off of the bed. However, he didn't trust them to support him, so he just sat, looking out of the window at the stars over the forest. There was a faint orange glow coming from below the balcony and musical voices floated up speaking, practically sining, a language Tom had never heard before. He sat and listened to the beautiful sound for a while, then rolled back in to bed and fell asleep once more.
It was mid-morning before Alvis woke him.
'Time to get you moving again, I think.'
Tom did feel refreshed, but still a bit weak. Alvis helped him dress and then supported him as Tom tried to remember how to walk. The run through the forest seemed so long ago, but with patience and something to hold on to, Tom managed to gt his legs working again. Half an hour later, he flopped back on to the bed, exhausted.
'Good.' Alvis was saying. 'You're recovering well. The trollmattelse is not to be taken lightly. If the fenris hadn't finished you off, this might have.'
'You know what's happening to me?' Tom asked, between breaths.
'Our sages get it after too much conjuring.' Alvis said. 'The effort of control the power takes its toll. I have heard of people dying because of it.'
'I suppose I was using a fair bit.' Tom admitted with a sheepish grin. 'I wonder why Levren didn't warn me.'
'Levren is your teacher? Maybe Levren didn't expect you to channel as much as you did.'
'I wouldn't put it past him to keep it from me just to reinforce the lesson when it came.'
'Sometimes sages do such things. Though sometimes I think they just forget they haven't told us.' Alvis said, diplomatically. 'Rest for one more day, then we can guide you to your friends.'
The following morning, Tom was able to stagger around the room with feeling like he was going to fall down. He tottered on to the balcony and got his first sight of Juvethil. Alvis' treehouse was on the edge of a clearing, which acted as a sort of town square. There were stalls set up in a ring around a large fire pit selling all sorts of goods. The forty or so trees edging the clearing all held tree houses and Tom could see wide walkways leading deeper in to the forest as well as between the houses. Each house was of the same style, but unique depending on the shape of the branches it nestled between. Large baskets on pulley sytems and rope ladders stretching the thirty feet to the ground adodrned every balcony. One of the stalls was selling cooked meats and the smell that wafted up compelled Tom to descend the ladder.
He was taken aback by how good everyone looked. Feeling entirely out of place, he asked the strikingly gorgeous woman at the stall how much the grilled venison sandwich was.
'Just a half-gull.' She said. Then she cocked her head to one side. 'You're the one Alvis has been looking after aren't you? I'll put it on his tab.'
Tom thanked her and accepted the sandwich gratefully. The meat was tender and the bread was soft, his first bite savoured the food, then he devoured it greedily.There was a giggle from the stall behind him and Tom realised he'd just moaned out loud at how good it tasted. Turning, he gave an awkward smile and a wave before wandering around the rest of the clearing. He drew curious looks from the adult elves and the children followed him to see what he'd do.'Tom!' Alvis' voice came from above.
He looked up to see Alvis waving from one of the walkways.
'Come up here, I have people for you to meet.'
Tom climbed the nearest ladder and made his way round to where his rescuer stood with a group of elves.
'These are the other scouts who helped rescue you.' Alvis explained. 'This is Vidar, Gunnar, Baldr, Orvar and Tyr.'
Tom shook each of their hands and hanked them warmly. For their part, the elves were good natured. It seemed that they were old friends, playfully mocking each other and joking about previous mistakes.
'We must go now.' Alvis said, after a few minutes. 'The King has granted you an audience.'
Saying their goodbyes, Alvis led Tom along the suspended walkways through the forest. They passed more clearings like the one Alvis lived on.
'How many are there?' Tom asked at one point.
Alvis looked around to see what he was referring to.
'Of the sammargats? Oh, I don't know. A few thousand? The scholars at the palace know the full extent of Juvethil, but us commoners just stick to the parts we need.'
They continued to walk for around half an hour, before coming out in to another clearing. This one was different, through. It was larger and there were still trees in the centre, with walkways ringing the inner and outer line of trees. Radial walkways connected the two circles, like spokes of a wheel and at the hub was an enormous treehouse spanning dozens of trees. The palace must have been a hundred yards across and had multiple stories, the style was familiar, but the detailing of the wood carving far surpassed the ordinary houses. Tom stood with his mouth open, taking in the majesty of the building.
'You are impressed then?' Alvis had a cheeky grin on his face.
'It's very grand.' Tom shook himself free of his astonishment.
'Come.' He said, starting down one of the radials. 'Now you will meet King Freyr.'
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