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Page 1 of 3 Alarielle, Everqueen
of Avelorn did speak to her then, her voice pitched to carry to her
ears alone. "Lady Ae'thenal, I would ask you to recite the oath you did
make to your friend, the Noble Lady Si'anelle, when you were but a
child."
Among the Elf Kindred of Avelorn it was not a secret that she
and Si'anelle were the most close of friends, but it did amaze
Ae'thenal that her Everqueen did know of her oath. However at this
present time her oath was not a thing of which she did wish to be
reminded. "Lady," she did reply as her eyes did sting with her tears,
"you do mock me."
As she did draw herself to her full height her violet eyes made severe
by her anger Alarielle did make it plain to her that she would not
suffer a refusal. "In this hour of all hours Lady Ae'thenal will you
wallow in your self indulgence. Do as I have commanded you and recite
your oath."
Bowing her head in her misery Ae'thenal did recall to memory
the day that she and Si'anelle had captured the small green creature
they had dubbed the Deamon King of Frogs. For the sake of their game
imprisioning the imagined fell beast in a magic casket they had then
locked and warded with mighty spells, even though the casket had been
but a jewellery box with a broken catch that had belonged to her
mother. With a deadfall branch in her hand, that was her mage-forged
runesword to her child's imagination, she had knelt before Si'anelle in
the aftermath of their hard won battle and said.......
"Before Isha," said Ae'thenal as she did meet and hold her
Everqueen's level and commanding gaze. "I do swear this oath to you my
Lady Si'anelle. With my life I shall ever ward your life; where you go
I shall also go constant at your side; the dangers that you shall face,
will be the dangers that I shall also face, even if we do journey
together unto the end of the World." And then she did raise her hands
to her face and did weep, not seeing her Everqueen's now gentled
expression nor the bow she did make to her.
She did not have long in which to weep however, for Si'anelle's
child-like cry of triumph did send a chill touch down her spine.
Blinking aside her tears Ae'thenal did not fail to see that her friend
had widely strewn the contents of her pack in her impatient search to
bring forth her gift before her Everqueen. Even now Si'anelle's fingers
were busy with tugging aside the careful wrappings of sky blue silk
that she had laid about the pearl beside the pool 'Despairing'.
Beside her Naideth Morningstar did firm the grip she did have
upon her arm, as if sensing the sudden fierce urge within her to lay
her hands upon the pearl and run with it into the forest. Not pausing
so long as life was within her until she could cast the thing into that
foul pool; and if the fell pale guardian did take her alive down into
the chill waters then she did deserve no less.
Then Si'anelle did raise up the pearl in both her cupped hands
and Ae'thenal's cry of awe was but one among many in the pavilion of
the Everqueen of Avelorn. If the pearl had blazed with light beside the
pool 'Despairing', here it did blaze sevenfold. Its sweet music a
chorus that did make the blood of all within the pavilion sing, easing
care and soothing all wants.
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Literature 
