The Warrior from Nyethyr

(a short story following the adventures of Ailwin Heryarus, an elf warrior who desires adventure)

Ailwin Heryarus longed to be a famous warrior. Born more than 500 years ago, the young elf was still learning the art and ways of the warrior. He still had much to learn. He was from the Elven city of Nyethyr, a well-populated outpost at the edge of the Romtou Wood.

Ailwin’s home lay nestled between two mountains and was surrounded by towering trees that created an impressive forest covering almost all the ground around the small city’s walls. The land surrounding this area was rather flat except for several hillocks here and there.

A few houses could barely be seen amongst the dense trees. In fact, most people did not venture outside their homes without good reason; the elves often went about dressed in their traditional armor made from leather, or wood. It seemed strange to Ailwin how easy it would be for any attacker to sneak up on them and ambush one of these men clad in full metal plate mail.

Ailwin had been taught since his early youth that the natural world has its own magical powers and if you do not respect it, you will regret it. One of those lessons he learned as a child was never to enter the woods unaccompanied unless absolutely necessary because, according to legend, there are some dangerous beasts who live deep within the forests and even though none have ever been sighted, many fear what might lurk among the trees.

As a result, although there were very few citizens living inside Nyethyr, the village had built itself strong wooden walls, protecting everything but the front gate. That was left wide open so travelers could come and go easily through trade agreements with nearby cities and villages.

It is also important to note that only elves lived in this outpost at the edge of the Romtou Forest. The main reasons being they considered themselves superior to all other races and feared losing their way of life to others who, from their point of view, did not understand nature. This, along with the fact that elves rarely interacted with outsiders, helped explain why elven society remained stable over the years. They did not welcome strangers into their community, and no stranger ventured too close to the border without prior arrangements.

The elf city of Nyethyr stood on the shores of a small natural harbor where several large ships used to dock regularly to sell goods to the locals. Those days had long passed and now it was a rare occasion when someone new arrived.

The town itself consisted mostly of small shops selling various items for everyday needs: food, weapons, cloths, pottery…anything you can think of, really. Most people grew what was needed for themselves while trading for whatever they wanted or needed outside of the village walls. For example, if one wanted a piece of ironwork for his house or any other metal tool he would buy or make his own if he couldn’t find it in the market place.

But, despite how little activity was happening in Nyethyr, there was always a good deal to be had as far as Ailwin was concerned. It was true that not every shop had anything worth buying; but, that didn’t mean that a clever trader wouldn’t go to the ends of the earth to acquire some item and bring it back home with him.

The elf village’s population never changed. In fact, very few elves ever left Nyethyr and those that did were either sent by the king to learn about other cultures and trade agreements, or were adventurers looking for their fortune, never to return again. Elves were very fond of their way of life because they could do as they pleased and nobody could stop them. They had their forests where they could roam at their leisure, their forests where they could hunt without anyone seeing. They had mountains where they could climb up into the sky and see things from above without being bothered. And most importantly, they had freedom.

One morning, Ailwin was walking along the footpaths in the woods outside the city gates. He longed for adventure. For something exciting to happen. He wanted the chance to prove his worth as a warrior.

The elf knew he had a long time ahead of him. But, in a moment of anger, he had turned on the aspiring wizard who dared to speak to his father, the chief of the tribe, about Ailwin’s inability to defend himself in combat. As a result, he felt discontent with his current situation.

It was then when Aelrindel approached him, with an outstretched hand, a kind gesture that was not expected or welcomed. “Ailwin Heryarus, my friend. How have you been?”

Ailwin answered politely, shaking the wizard’s hand before continuing down the path. After all, Aelrindel was the one person that seemed genuinely interested in him and had even given the young elf advice and encouragement whenever he needed it the most. There were no words that could express what it meant to hear such words from someone else apart from what it really was: a sign of friendship.

Aelrindel followed behind, unable to take his eyes off the green-eyed youth as they walked together. He often saw Ailwin passing through the streets, but now he was going somewhere more interesting than usual; back home. Although elves didn’t normally wear metal armor unless they went on a journey or battle, Ailwin still wore it today. Aelrindel had never seen any elves wearing plate mail and he couldn’t help feeling like he would fit in better if only he had some leather armor to show as well.

“So,” he asked, interrupting Ailwin.

“So, what?!”

The two continued walking, neither of them speaking until they reached their destination. The elf warrior stopped at a large tree which grew by itself, without a single other plant growing around it, unlike the other trees surrounding the village. It was odd to see a place so untouched by nature. Ailwin looked at the trunk for a few moments, contemplating how old this tree might be. “Have you ever heard about the prophecy?”

“Yes, I’ve read about it several times.”

“And?” Ailwin demanded impatiently. He wasn’t sure whether he liked talking about his past life with others, especially those who were not his friends and family. He much preferred sharing stories with his fellow elves who lived nearby and who shared his views and values. “Do you think I can prove myself worthy of being part of my tribe’s history?”

Aelrindel paused briefly before replying. The elf warrior could tell from his tone that his response had nothing to do with the subject that interested Ailwin the most, but rather what had happened during his training in the art of fighting with a sword, bow, or even a staff or mace. For some reason, the young wizard always enjoyed discussing things related to martial arts. In fact, whenever they found themselves alone they would end up doing exactly that: practicing new moves together, and even sparring against each other.

“You are more than capable, although you don’t really know what it means to fight in a battle,” Aelrindel explained. He knew very little of elven customs and traditions, so he was forced to rely on second-hand knowledge to form an opinion on such matters. He tried to explain further, hoping he wouldn’t get into trouble for having been wrong. “As far as the prophecy is concerned, your destiny has yet to be revealed. There will be many years ahead for you to grow, learn and prepare yourself for whatever the gods have planned for you.”

The elf warrior looked away. His long dark green eyes searched among the trees lining the road while his mind raced with thoughts about the possible outcome of his situation. As a child, Ailwin dreamed about one day becoming famous enough to earn himself a place in his tribe’s history book, the bardos. It seemed unlikely now. The words of a young man like him weren’t likely to inspire fear in their enemies or admiration in their friends. After all, only the greatest warriors were ever mentioned there and not every person that went by those names survived for much longer after they were written down.

Aelrindel decided not to push any further since he understood that it wasn’t worth risking another confrontation with his friend right then; especially if Ailwin wasn’t feeling well at that particular moment. “Why don’t we continue our practice session instead? We can see how you’re getting along with the blade…and also talk some more about the magic arts.” He didn’t want to leave without giving the aspiring wizard some advice, and who knows, maybe something would come up during their conversation which could prove useful in future encounters.

Aelrindel turned to walk back home and saw Ailwin standing motionless, looking out towards a nearby hillock. “What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Ailwin answered coldly. “Just a few memories coming back to life,” he said softly before walking away quickly.

The elf warrior remained where he was for several seconds, watching Ailwin until he disappeared behind the tall trees, leaving no trace of his presence. Eventually, the two parted ways with the aspiring wizard heading south, and Aelrindel turning eastwards to his own house.

Behind the Scenes

A few interesting things about the story.

This is the original concept art for the city of Nyethyr. It was originally a more peaceful city located deep inside a forest and not near a harbor.

Here is a character that hasn’t appeared yet in the story, but will show up in future stories about Nyethyr. Her name is Chaenath Bipeiros and she’s a female elf who is friends with Ailwin and Aelrindel.