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Theoren, Razdil, Tussok, and a few other fighters from the caravan rode out on horseback to deal with a small group of bandits who were spying on the roaming wagons. On Theoren’s back perched his long, proud longbow that didn’t stop him from twisting around and blowing a kiss to his wife Keylina holding their young daughter, Maria.
The fight itself was like childsplay for the troupe, who slowly returned victorious to the caravan. In one universe, a bandit turned midway through retreating and let loose an arrow that buried itself directly into Theoren’s heart, rendering little Maria without a father to grow up with.
But that didn’t happen in this universe. In this universe, no bandit turned, and Theoren returned alive and well to his wife, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he took the baby back. “See! I didn’t do anything stupid.”
“Except that awful one-liner you said when they were retreating!” Razdil called out with a chortle.
“That was embarrassing , not stupid!” Theoren corrected with a laugh.
In this universe, Maria grew up with far more than her caravan. As she grew older, nearing eight years old, the caravan passed by Thor Aru and Theoren decided it was about time that Maria met the other side of her family. But there were issues to be addressed first.
“What do you mean you’re not coming?” Theoren asked with a concerned frown on his face, looking at his wife who had just delivered the news to him. “Anya said she’ll watch the stall for us! You don’t need to stay!”
“Theo, I may have only met your family on our wedding day but I remember their opinion towards me,” the human woman said as she folded away towels.
Theoren made a wounded sound. “Keys! Grandmother Erth loved you!”
“No she didn’t, she just didn’t want to bring a sour tone to her grandson’s wedding,” Keylina calmly pointed out. “And your brother hates me.”
Theoren made a scoffing sound and waved a hand, turning away. “Lomane’s just pissed because I wanted to do more than sit around the same trees every day rubbing pokey backs and performing the same songs in the same constant festivals.”
Keylina gave a small sigh and left what she was doing to walk up to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not that I don’t want to meet your family, because I would love to one day,” she said with a gentle smile. “But I think this time, when you want to take your daughter to see them for the first time… I think it’s better that it’s just you and her.”
“But you’re her mother, and you’re my wife ,” Theoren insisted, turning around so he could look at Keylina with sad elven eyes. “They should love you.”
“They should,” Keylina agreed, “but they don’t yet. Old racial beliefs take a long time to die, my love. But I want them to know and love Maria, even if she’s a half-elf, and I think the best way to do that is if I’m not there.”
“What if we stay the night?” Theoren asked. “Grandmother Erth would offer I think.”
“Then you both stay the night,” Keylina said. “At the very least, it’ll give me some time to do the chores around the house. And give me a break from your tonedeaf whistling.”
The familiar jib drew a soft laugh from Theoren as it always did and he tugged his wife into a hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, angel.”
Theoren whistled his song as he walked through the forest with his daughter perched on his shoulders, giggling as she had her arms wrapped around her head. She hadn’t yet learned the tune but he was planning on teaching it to her soon, perhaps on violin since the harp was far too chunky and delicate to cart around, and he already had the flute. The familiar sight of the Amavangwë family tree made Theo both smile and cringe, caught up by a mixture of joy to see his family again and the tension that came with it. He’d only seen his family twice since he had left many years ago to find himself, and both times had been fraught with icey words (from Lomane most of all).
“We’re here,” he said to Maria as he set her down from his shoulders, switching to the elven tongue which he’d been teaching her alongside Common. “Now we just need to knock on the door-”
Maria, who had not waited to hold her father’s hand, had taken off as soon as she’d been set down and bumped straight into the dark door, then knocked on it rapidly. “I did it!” she cheered in elven, turning to grin blindly at her father, completely oblivious to his horrified expression.
“There goes my mental preparation,” he whispered to himself as he heard a familiar voice call out “Yes yes, coming!”. He didn’t even get a chance to grab Martzia’s hand before the door was thrown open and the familiar figure of Grandmother Erth stood in the doorway. Her expression was as shocked (but far less horrified) as Theoren’s, who quickly cleared his throat and gave a smile. “Grandmoth-”
“Theo!” Grandmother Erth cried, quickly wrapping her arms around him and giving him a tight hug. “Oh it’s been many years, I’m so glad to see you’re okay.”
“Of course I’m okay Grandmother,” Theo said with a slight chuckle, managing to shift his arms so he could give a hug back. “I would have sent warning that I was visiting, but uh-”
“Mama said Papa should write a note but Papa was scared!” piped up Martzia, very excited to be helpful.
Grandmother Erth released her hug with a gasp, turning to see the source of the little voice; the young half-elf who was tall for her age, beaming happily and staring at nothing with her milky white eyes. “Oh my, is this…?”
Theo (beyond relieved to have the focus away from himself) stepped forward to take Martzia’s hand. “Martiza, this is your Grandmother Erth. Grandmother, this is my daughter, little Martzia.”
“Oh my dear , look at you!” Grandmother Erth beamed, leaning down to gently cup Martzia’s face. “Oh, you both must come in, the kettle is already on!”
As usual, the whole family was present; Theo’s nephews and nieces (the twins, Svaluk and Dorian, the triplets, Varis, Birel, and Shava, and of course Adran, Rael, Theirastra, Enta, Sai), Theo’s own cousins (Xanaphia, Thraviol, Jahren, Galanol, Antinua, Lauci, Iiphel, Meli), and then Theo’s aunts and uncles- there were quite the number to get through, but Theo didn’t mind.
He expected a similar treatment to what he’d got last time - polite questions about what he’d been up to, some genuine interest in his life, and some well-intended questions about when he was thinking of returning ‘home’. But none of that happened. Instead, everyone was at least happy to meet his daughter, even if not all of them were thrilled by her half-elf nature but they were all mighty impressed with her grasp of elvish and commented on her similarities to others in the family. It all made Theo feel this would be a good visit, until…
“Oh. You’re finally back.”
Theo glanced over his shoulder to see Lomane standing with his arms crossed in a nearby doorway, glaring at him and the little girl eagerly rambling away to several grandparents (and great grandparents, and great great grandparents). Theoren left her be and walked over to Lomane, with a jaunt in his step that he knew would piss off his twin.
“You sound thrilled to see me again.”
“And you’re still wearing the craft of a human.”
“My wife , actually.”
“The thief.”
“You’re one to talk. I still remember who was the thief when we were little, Lo.”
Lomane scowled. “It’s Lomane .”
“I could go back to calling you Lomar,” Theo said with a cheeky smirk, seeing how it made his twin glare more. His smirk drifted away into a huff. “Come on, are you still pissed because I decided to leave?”
“You said you’d stay,” Lomane hissed. “You promised forever. You and me, side by side, forever.”
“Yeah, I promised when we were 56!” Theo hissed. “We were kids , still over 50 years before our adulthood ceremonies. Things change!”
“We’re twins , Theo!”
Theoren sighed, rubbing his temple. “Hate me if you want, Lo, but the only person you’re hurting is yourself. I found my place, and it’s not just the trees that make up Thor Aru. It’s all of nature, every tree I pass feels like home. Will you forever hate me because of a foolish whim promised by a child who knew no better? Will you forever spit my name because my home doesn’t have roots that stretch down further than dwarves can dig? Or will you hate me because I found love in someone who is not an elf?”
“I don’t need or want to explain myself to you, Theoren,” Lomane huffed.
“Oh, I’m not interested in the answer, because I’m not changing,” Theoren said. “But I don’t think you know the answer either. And that’s something you should fix.”
“Ugh, Papa, I don’t need your help,” huffed a teenaged Maria, rolling her head instead of rolling her eyes.
“Well you’re not casting the spell properly by yourself so I think you do,” Theoren laughed, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re trying too hard, let the magic come naturally.”
“I am! ” Maria snapped, forest-green magic swirling around her fists when she clenched them. “It’s not me, it’s the stupid forest!”
Something hard thwacked at Maria’s ankles with enough force to rip her feet out from underneath her, sending her sprawling to the ground with a yelp and a heavy sigh. She shut her eyes, taking deep, annoyed breaths as she heard her papa’s footsteps approach and his hand take hers.
“The forest can hear you Maria, especially the forests here in Thor Aru,” Theoren warned as he helped her up, holding her hand. “Pride is always an elf’s downfall, and it could be yours too if you let yourself get caught up in your head.”
“I know,” Maria sighed, her shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry papa.”
“It’s alright. I grew up with elves, it’s nothing new for me,” Theoren chuckled. “But if you give that attitude to your mother, she’ll make you sleep outside for a week .”
Maria laughed a little, her attitude brightening after a rough practice session. The druidic magic of Theoren’s family line, while not directly beaming itself to Theoren’s aid, had found itself quite at home in Maria. It had sprouted (heh) when she was little, much to Keylina’s dismay as one of her hand-crafted chairs had sprouted roots and leaves while Maria was sleeping in it. It had encouraged Theoren to teach Maria how to use the magic, including walking a little away from the caravan’s camp to practise, as they had today.
The two started walking back side by side, Theoren’s shoes making soft cracks as he trod on branches while Maria’s bare feet never made a sound. They made idle chatter as they walked until Maria suddenly stopped, a frown on her face as she turned her head.
“What’s that?” she asked, tilting her head.
Theoren looked and listened, but… “I don’t see anything,” he said, glancing at his daughter. “Do you feel something, Martzia?”
“I think so,” Maria said, starting to walk off the path and ducking under a tree branch. Theoren frowned but followed instead of trying to stop her. He knew there was a special connection to the forests that he’d never fully grasped but Maria had, so he trusted her lead (even if he didn’t trust her experience but hey, that’s what his bow was for).
They headed deeper into the forest to places Theo had never seen, but leaving a trail he was pretty sure they could follow back. Maria didn’t hesitate to walk and only nearly hit a tree twice, and when she did slow down, it was sudden and then she was nearly crouched as she ducked between the tiny gap between two bushes and disappeared from Theo’s sight.
The older elf grumbled softly to himself as he took off his bow and shuffled his quiver and crouched to make it through the same gap, making it all a rather awkward endeavour. He had it on his mind that he had to tell Maria to remember that he was a decent bit taller than she, but he forgot all about that when he looked at what was before him.
They were in a little gap formed between a circle of five trees, with sunlight trickling through the canopy above and a green light illuminating gently from the creature hovering in the centre, twisting silently around itself as Maria slowly approached. Theoren’s breath caught, his eyes going wide. He’d heard tales about this his whole life, from tales passed down from generation to generation in the Amavangwë family tree, but he’d never thought-
“Papa,” Maria murmured in elvish, soft but still enough to break Theoren out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m here,” he whispered back, not daring to move any closer.
“What is it?”
Theoren let out a slow breath. “It’s a spirit of the forest. Liyfen, in Sylvan. Very ancient creatures, often believed to be protectors of the forest, though that’s more projection than fact.”
“Do they speak to you?”
“… Sometimes. I’ve been told that those they choose can hear them.”
“I can hear it-“
Theoren was distracted at the same time Maria was as the spirit shifted and its abstract shape suddenly solidified into a long snake-like reptile that pinned its bright green eyes on Theoren. For a moment he thought it might attack but then Maria gasped and turned around too, and as she sometimes did, she stared at him, slowly putting her hands to her mouth as her sightless eyes welled up with tears. Theoren tilted his head, his gaze switching between the spirit and his daughter who slowly turned back to the spirit.
“I can use your eyes… You can let me see .”
“Martzia,” Theoren murmured. “Spirits of the forest are ancient creatures but if this one favours you, you can learn to work with it and draw power from it as it will draw power from you. If you choose to accept this spirit, the Amavangwë’s will help you learn to work with it.”
Maria paused, thinking it over with her face impassive. She slowly reached out her hand to the creature and it reached out its tail and touched her hand.
“Greetings. I am Sequoi,” the spirit said, speaking directly into Maria’s mind.
The half-elf smiled back. “Greetings, Sequoi. I am Maria Amavangwë of the Plains.”
“Oh, so it was fine for you to leave your home and run off into the world alone, and yet it’s not fine for her?” Keylina questioned as she washed the night’s dishes from the caravan’s communal dinner in the soapy water bucket.
“I would have thought you’d be more against this than me,” Theoren replied, drying the dishes as fast as his wife could wash them. “You’re the one who grew up in this caravan. You know the importance of community.”
“And I know the drive to experience beyond your own horizons,” Keylina replied, waving a fork at her husband. “And that is something she’s inherited from both of us.”
The elf sighed as he took the cleaned fork. “I know, I just… I worry for her. I know she’s very capable and she’s got Sequoi to look after her, but she is still blind, and still young. Very young.”
“She’s 26, dear.”
“Young! A baby!”
“She’s been an adult for over 5 years in human terms.”
“And if she were an elf, she’d still be learning her ABCs,” Theoren huffed. Then sighed and dropped his head. “Okay, bad example, I’m sorry. I just…”
“You worry,” Keylina replied, pressing a kiss to her husband’s cheek. “And I wish you’d let yourself relax sometimes. She’s gone off on her own before, what’s the difference this time?”
“It’s longer. And if she gets into trouble, we’re completely out of contact.”
“She won’t get into trouble,” Keylina sighed. “She wants to go to the beach, and then she said she’ll go to Mallharc for the tournament, and then we’ll meet her in that glassblowing town to the north of Mallharc. Everything will be fine.”
Theoren tilted his head back. “Ugh, I’m just like Great Uncle Tyche, always fretting.”
“I almost prefer the whistling.”
“Oh, I could go back to that! Let me get my flute-”
“Young man, you will sit here and not move until every single one of these dishes is clean and dry.”
“Yes my dear.”