Lord Greensleeves The differences between humans and elves aren't just a matter of appearance and culture. It extends to a far deeper level than that. Or perhaps it is better put the other way round. Our differences in appearance and culture spring from the differences in the nature of our being. For one thing the humans are mortal, while the Fair Folk are so long-lived that it is just to call us immortal. I guess this difference in life span has quite an effect on the way we live, and live with each other. The humans prefer to live in company, binding themselves to each other and defining themselves by each other for they need this in order to survive. But more than that I think they need to think that they will survive in the memory of their fellow mortals when they die. The Fair Folk do not live with each other. Not as such. We shun company. We do not cling to time and memory in such a desperate grip, as do the mortals. The immortals value nothing as much as solitude, the freedom of not being bound by the presence and interaction with others. The freedom of being everything and nothing. The freedom of not having to define oneself in order to be around with others. The "freedom-of-no-name". But I think this will be hard to understand for humans and so I'll turn to another concept that tells us about the differences between the mortals and the Fair Folk. It is a concept that is also, to some extent, used by the humans. Not only are my folk and the humans of a different life expectancy, but our nature differs in its very consistence, the elements. The elves' nature is ruled by the elements of Air and Water, while the humans' consist of Earth and Fire. This is known to the human scholars as well, but they think this only affects our uses of magic. For them Air, Water, Earth and Fire are merely four sources of magical power, four ways to cast spells. But I think that this is not all that is to it. The potency of one or of more of the elements is in every existing thing. But it is not a simple matter of material consistence. The elements are more than that. They are attributes that define the inner nature. For example silver consists of the elements of Air and Water, while iron is all Fire and Earth. This makes it obvious why my folk show so much interest in silver. It is akin to our nature and a source to draw power from. It enhances our magic. Iron on the other hand feels like the antithesis to our existence. It blocks off our connection to our own elements. To touch it feels like being suffocated. The elements even explain why the fair folk seek the far north to live there, a place most humans find harsh and inhospitable. Snow, ice, and cold are made of air and water. To us they are welcoming. Most humans aren't aware of their elements. The ones who are and who know how to use them are called mages by the mortals. In potency all of the mortals have the power to draw on their elements and do 'magic'. But Earth and Fire aren't always of the same intensity in the humans. With some the elements are stronger. I think most of them don't live long enough to become aware of them. Amongst my folk everyone develops the awareness of the elements and knows how to use Air and Water. But age isn't what decides the strength of the elements, especially not with the humans. That Lord Greensleeves we met at the Borderland Inn was full of the element of Fire, but I doubt he possessed any awareness of the elements. I have to admit that although it isn't a usual elfin trait, that I felt curious about Thev. While we sat in the tavern room with its unpleasant smell, noise and too many humans, I began to hope that the merchant we were supposed to meet had been delayed on the road. I knew that my companions wouldn't share such a strange notion. One gaze at Laertessian's wrinkled nose was enough to confirm this. Our hunters, Silvassandra and Calerenios, left shortly after the man had disappeared upstairs with Thev. They said they'd prepare our camp in the woods. Making good excuses isn't a talent much trained in my folk. My unfitting hopes seemed to come true though, for the merchant we waited for didn't show up the whole evening. Finally Laertessian decided we should leave for our camp and try again next day. The young Thev hadn't come back downstairs till then... --------- "Joanathos." Hylasander hesitated "What is that you are writing down all the time?" The silver haired elf looked up with a slight amused smile on his lips. As a bard Hylasander at least possessed some curiosity. Laertessian's slanting eyes just showed an annoyed sparkle, though Joanathos suspected it was due to having had to spend so long a time in a tavern room full of humans. That hadn't done to improve his sour temper. With cruel calmness Joanathos took his time in putting the small leather-bound book, feather and a little bottle with precious ink away while he seemed to think about his answer. Hylasander waited patiently though. "I've decided to write a book about the human behavior." Joanathos finally announced. "A book? What for?" inquired the bard surprised. Laertessian snorted in disdain. "Our people never write books. And anyway what is so interesting about human behavior?" Joanathos hesitated, thinking about it. "Somehow they are quite fascinating, really. There seem to have been quite a few changes during the last two hundred years. I want to know why and how." "I've only met humans three times, but when I first was at a Borderland Inn fifty years ago their clothes seemed different from what they wear now." Hylasander admitted. Laertessian gave another snort. "Who cares?" Shaking his head misgiving he got up and walked over to climb a tree and lay down amidst its branches. Uneasy Hylasander gazed after him. "I hope the wind will blow his bad temper away." he commented softly what caused Joanathos to smile maliciously. "You want a gale to raise?" The bard couldn't help a chuckle at that. "Indeed." But then he turned his attention back to Joanathos and his strange ideas. "How did you get that book? I thought even amongst humans they were quite rare and expensive, too." he inquired. "Oh, I've traded one for some furs and carvings the last time I came down to the Borderlands. There was a mage with some books, one empty to write things in. Well, I was curious about it." Hylasander smiled. Joanathos really was curious, no doubt about that. It made talking with him quite interesting. "But what you've been writing in your book... I couldn't read it. It was none of our scripts, was it?" the bard wanted to know, his golden eyes sparkling with interest. "No, it wasn't. I've been writing in the human tongue and script." Joanathos told him calmly, but some smugness showed in his sharp haughty features. Impressed Hylasander raised his eyebrows. "Where did you learn that?" "About two or three hundred years ago. The humans were quite an item of interest then. At least for some time. You know all the songs about Fimbulan and his doomed love to a mortal. It was very popular then to fancy yourself a human lover or at least to sing songs about it and about the grief such a union with a mortal will always bring 'cause of their short lives." A wicked smile curled his lips. "Even Laertessian made a ballad about a human lover then." Hylasander stared in disbelieve at the other elf. "He never! Laertessian?" Joanathos chuckled delighted with the young bard's surprise. "Oh, yes. It was full of praise and reverence. Ask him to sing of Beatrice tomorrow." he suggested gleefully, making Hylasander grin. "I will!" Fascinated he gazed at Joanathos. "Most of the Fimbulan ballads and their like are very beautiful indeed." "I guess that's due to the ideas of 'love' and 'loss' we stole from the humans. It is a good theme for ballads. A pity you hadn't been born then, Hylasander. It would have been something for you." Joanathos reached out and lightly traced a fingertip over Hylasander's temple. The young elf's eyes sparkled shyly, but Joanathos drew his hand back again, smiling. For some moments both were silent, then the bard started talking again. "What will you do with it when you have finished? And anyway we are staying here with the humans only for a few days. How can you find out much about their behavior in that short time?" Thoughtfully Joanathos looked in the direction where the Inn lay quite some way off hidden from sight by the trees. "I'll see." he shrugged, then suddenly got up in a fluid movement. "I'll go for a walk." he told the bard who nodded. Hylasander's gaze followed the tall silver haired elf as he slowly disappeared into the dark woods, moving silently and gracefully like the dancer he was. A sliver of moonlight; ice crystals whirling in a sudden gust of wind. Sighing softly beneath his breath the young elf lay back and gazed up to a patch of night sky that could be seen through the canopy of softly rustling leaves. --------- Joanathos' walk took him back to the Inn. It looked small with the mountains towering darkly around it, laying cradled in the steep valley. Still there spilled light and noise out of the small windows of the stone basement that held the tavern room, but a few windows in the wooden upper stories were now illuminated by soft flickering light too. Some guests had presumably gone up to the dormitories to get their rest. Or, Joanathos mused thinking of the Borderland song and Thev of the Greensleeves, to satisfy other needs. The elves had not even thought about spending the night in the rooms of the Inn, to sleep there surrounded by humans. It was much better to camp beneath the open sky and they were used to it anyway. Still Joanathos wondered how it would be to spend the night at the Inn. For certain it would make the humans very nervous and uneasy. With a small smile the elf strolled silently around the building, gazing up at the windows. There moved shadows and silhouettes of humans across one or two and out of another came angry voices raised in quarrel till someone shut them up with harsh words. Joanathos passed the privy, wrinkling his nose at the smell. As a heavy man hurried towards the small hut, the elf shrank back into the shadow of the hedge that ran along that side of the inn. He followed the hedge to the back of the building. There were stables for the guests' horses if they had any, but also stables for chicken and sheep surrounded a small yard. A door from the Inn led out to that yard. Thoughtfully the elf observed it, feeling the temptation of going in. Suddenly the door swung open and a small figure stepped out, but turned back again as it seemed to be called. "I'm gane, Seri!" it answered in a slightly husky voice. Joanathos pricked up his ears. "Ye'll com help servin' in the mornin'?" asked the little maid from inside. "Sure. 'Night." came the short reply. "'Night, Thev." The figure closed the door and walked across the yard towards the hedge that led away from the inn, accompanying a small path. Silently the elf waited till the young human had almost reached him and he saw that it really was Thev. A smug smile curled Joanathos' lips. "Good night, Thev of the Greensleeves." he said softly. The boy froze, his heart beating rapidly, but then suddenly the lilting accent of the clear voice fell into place. With an angry sneer he turned, straining his eyes to see in the dark. "It's one of you bloody elves! Wad are ye doin' sneakin' up on people!" The human's vehemence and rudeness made Joanathos raise an eyebrow in surprise. Usually his folk were treated with reverence by the mortals, but this youth seemed to have quite a different attitude concerning the Fair Folk. Or perhaps it was a general attitude, wondered the elf. "I want to talk to you, little mortal." demanded Joanathos pointedly. Defiantly Thev stared up at him. "Pity for ye, 'cause I don' wan' t' talk to ye." With that he simply walked on leaving the elf standing by the hedge. For a moment Joanathos just felt astonished at the boy's cheekiness, but fascination mingled with it. Sure it was neither dignified nor something the other elves would approve of, but he decided to follow Thev. After all he had to get information for his book. So Joanathos turned and with silent strides soon drew level again with the young human, who stomped along the path. He could make out the boy's grim set of shoulders even in the dark. Though Thev seemed aware of the elf beside him, he ignored him for now, but Joanathos felt the human's seething anger. With malicious curiosity he wondered what would make the boy snap. Back in the tavern he had reacted rather testily at Joanathos' inquiries about his work. "What is it like to offer your body for lovemaking in exchange for money? Isn't that rather unpleasant? Most of my folk would think it impossible, really." Thev whirred around, anger flaring up inside him. "I'm a harlot, so that's what I do!" he said almost challenging "Ye know wad is unpleasant, to have ye walkin' beside me! And anyway wad makes ye think ye can comment on what I'm doin', o high 'n' mighty, Fair Lord? You think you can make fun off me like in the inn? I won't let ye, for I don't give a damn 'bout you being immortal and oh so beautiful. Go feed your fair graces to someone else." The spill of furious words left Joanathos staring with enthralled astonishment. "You don't seem to have much awe for my folk." he remarked wryly, his amusement not detectable for the young human. He saw the boy clench his hands into fists to keep his temper under control. "How very observant." he mocked with a snarl. "Bugger off, bloody elf!" Joanathos grinned nastily "No." That calm statement threw Thev somewhat off balance and he hesitated at a loss of words for a moment. Then he cursed softly. "If ye follow me any further, I'll... you'll regret it!" threatened the young human. It got him an amused chuckle from Joanathos. "You make me curious, Lord Greensleeves." The youth's sturdy chest heaved with anger, stretching the tightly cut jerkin. Clearly forcing himself, he turned and stomped on. Calmly the elf followed him. For some time Thev kept to the path, that ran along the side of the mountain, then suddenly it curved down to the bottom of the valley to follow the foaming river down there. Thev didn't take that bend down, but started up a steep meadow towards the woods. As the silent elf still persistently kept at his tail the youth finally stopped again. "All right, what is it you want?" he asked in a strained voice. "Do me?" "Ai'tike?" Joanathos expressed his lack of understanding, unconsciously slipping into the tongue of his folk. Confused and full of distrust the human gazed at him. "What?" "I'm sorry." the elf became aware of his lapse. "What do you mean, 'Do you'?" Thev snorted annoyed. "Guess what. Are ye followin' me 'cause you want to-what was it-try my favors at lovemaking?" he mocked "You scorned that idea at the inn, but you seem to have changed yer mind, elf." Joanathos raised an eyebrow. "Certainly not." he answered haughtily. "Well then what!?" snarled the youth, his anger returning with full force. "You don't live at the Inn." Joanathos made it half a question. "That's none of yer business!" "I thought all who worked there, live there, too. There aren't any human habitations near by, I think." persisted the elf. "Seems ye're wrong then." Thev looked quite impatient. "I've got t' get back. Leave me alone now, damn elf." Joanathos started to grow really curious why the young human would so absolutely not want to talk to him or have him come along. Thev's rudeness seemed to be very deliberate. There hadn't been need for much taunting from his side to cause it. So as the youth turned to walk on after he got no answer from Joanathos, the elf continued to trail behind him. Clearly Thev was very tense, fuming with rage as he felt the immortal's gaze on his back. Suddenly the boy lurched at Joanathos, throwing himself at the tall slender elf with all his weight and force. It caught Joanathos rather unexpectedly and he was pushed off his feet, hitting the ground hard with Thev on top off him. With his hands the youth pinned his shoulders down, glaring at him. "Now listen!" the human said through clenched teeth "I've got more important things t' do than playin' entertainment for a bored immortal. I don't want t' talk to you. So find someone else back in the Inn who'll pale with awe for bein' pestered by ye. Got that?" He emphasized his words with a hard shove against the elf's shoulders, thus painfully driving some stones into Joanathos' back, causing him to give a soft hiss of discomfort. Still he was most fascinated by Thev; elves seldom got so close to humans and he now could feel the boy's hot hands pressing against him and the weight of his sturdy body. His remark about bored immortals had quite surprised and amused him though. It was a clever remark, with some truth to it, Joanathos had to admit to himself. Perhaps he should reconsider that young human. As the silver haired elf didn't answer but just stared up at him with utter calmness and vague interest showing in his slanting icy-blue eyes, Thev shook him again. "Got it?" he repeated threateningly. "Are you so angry because you don't enjoy being a harlot, as you call it?" Joanathos wanted to know calmly, ignoring the boy's demanding question. It finally made Thev snap. His hand clenched into a fist and he drew back to hit the elf squarely across the jaw, but Joanathos' arm moved quickly and long slender fingers closed around the youth's wrist in an iron grip. Thev gasped surprised. He hadn't expected the elf to be neither so quick nor so strong. As he tried to jerk his arm free he had to force himself not to wince, for the cold grip around his wrist didn't relent. "I won't let you hit me, little mortal." said the elf without any strain in his clear voice. "And I won't let ye comment on me and my doin's." Suddenly Thev drew back his other hand from Joanathos' shoulder, making him start to over-balance and land face forward on his opponent. But he used that momentum, bending his arm and driving his elbow down onto the elf's ribs. It hurt, tearing a soft scream from Joanathos' throat. He let go of the boy's wrist to press his hands protectively against his aching side. With an icy gaze he stared at the human who had scrambled up and taken a step away from him. "Now you'll leave me alone, will ye?" he said still angry but in control again. He took another step back and half turned to move on, leaving the elf curled up on the ground. But then he hesitated. "Yer ribs broken, are they?" It sounded strained and gruff. The corner of Joanathos' mouth twitched up in a wry smile. "Sorry to disappoint you, they'll just be bruised." "That's what ye get for bein' dens, elf." Thev retorted mercilessly and then ran off, up the steep meadow and disappeared in the darkness that lined the edge of the wood. Carefully Joanathos pushed up into a sitting position for a moment gazing after the young human, considering. Then he gracefully got back on his feet, keeping a hand over his ribs and this time secretly followed the boy. It wasn't too difficult to find his trail through the forest, for Thev seemed to take that path quite often. For sometime he had to move amongst the high trees up the steep mountainside, over scattered rocks. The ground was covered with old needles and leaves that filled the cool air with a warm, fragrant smell. He heard the soft sounds of deer, running through the darkness, then stopping and listening, watching the elf pass by. Finally Joanathos reached a clearing. It had been felled out of the wood, for there were tree stumps all over the free space. But already some small young trees started to grow amongst them and the underbrush got quite high and thick. On the other side of the clearing Joanathos saw the boy's dark figure walking towards a small cabin that was tugged against the mountainside. Patiently the elf waited, till Thev had opened the door and disappeared into the hut, then after some more moments he silently and quickly moved across the clearing. His fluid grace made it look like he danced among the tree stumps. As he reached the side of the cabin, light shimmered through the cracks between the crude wooden planks that built the walls. It looked half fallen down but recently patched up as good as possible that much was visible for the elf's sharp eyes by the starlight. Joanathos hesitated, while he listened to Thev moving around inside the hut. There were no windows on this side of it but perhaps on the back or on the other side. Sure the boy would be very angry if he just walked in the door to have a look around. On the other hand anger suited his black sparkling eyes and he'll watch out now for any outbursts of violence from the human. Thus Joanathos made for the door and opened it. Dim flickering light filled the single room of the hut, issuing from an open fireplace opposite the door. Thev poked at the fire to get it going but as he heard the door open he whirled around looking ready to attack who ever was intruding. The sight of the tall slender figure standing in the doorframe made his eyes burn with indignant fury. But before the young human could launch an attack of words or more violent assaults, a soft whimper from one corner of the room stopped him. End of Chapter Two | Part 3 | | Tavernroom | Tales | Hosted by www.Geocities.ws