Ymiden 79th, 717
Nightshade stared down the letter clutched in her hands. The fat envelope that held the final words her father had addressed to her was terrifying in all honesty, and she couldn't begin herself to think of why. Her knuckles were starting to turn white, but that was beside the point. The letter itself felt heavy, like something made of metal was inside it. If the man who she'd talked with had been right, then there was. Specifically, there would be a key. Her mind wandered in regards to the place her father had called home, Yorskmir it was called. What kind of place was it? Had the people been kind to him for being an Avriel? Perhaps not, likely not when she thought about it realistically. But her mother had loved him and as far as Night knew he'd taken up a position of defending the town. So surely people must have liked him to a certain extent, right? There was only one way to know for certain. The letter, or more so the package, had begun to yellow with time and age. At the center was a wax seal that she barely recognized from her youth. It was a seal that her father had made for her mother a long time ago. Apparently, it had been attached to a joke that one day they would be rich, powerful, and nobility. They would even be royalty in Rynmere. The crack at Rynmere had of course been her father poking fun at the no Avriel allowed policy. That was the one rule she intended to break.
Placing a nail against the seal she took a deep breath and pressed, breaking it open. The letter wasn't hard to open from there. Out came not one key, like promised, but two and a large amount of paper. At the corners the paper had begun to crinkle, showing yellow with age. She looked at the first page and began to read.
Dear Nightshade,
I fear that one trial I won't be able to be there for you. That's a simple fact of life, but given circumstances, I fear that trial may come sooner than intended. As I write this now you are little more than 14 arcs and still practicing Avrielian Script. I had full intention of writing this to you in such, but I worried that you may either have forgotten it or never finished learning it. I hope that's never the case, as it could be useful even if the Avriel themselves cannot. Another fear of mine is one that I'm certain of. By the time you're reading this, you will be a warrior. It ran in my blood, in my whole family's blood. If you ever found yourself digging around Athart (Ethelynda forbid) you might find a tidbit on our family. Besides that, Karmin was a spit fire in her own regard, full of fight and full of life. It ran even in her blood. If you are anything like either of your parents, you are a fighter through and through.
And that's exactly why I worry. You have always been brave to the point of foolishness, selfless to the point of selfish martyrdom! You've never had a filter when it came to helping others if Grace is anything to go off of. Or any of the other members of the house for that matter. Why you put the spotlight on yourself I'll never come to understand, but you always have and I have a fear that you always will. And that's why I urge you to visit Yorskmir. See what has become of the place and find my basement. In there will be something of interest, items ranging from my old journals or weapons to even some guides on the world. If you're like Karmin, you won't stay in one place forever. You might stay there for a long time, maybe until you feel prepared enough to venture out, but if you're Karmin's daughter then eventually you’ll leave. When that day comes, there will be books in the basement written by your mother.
I don't know how many stories you remember, but your mother and I really did adventure the world. We went everywhere we could and the only place I became a criminal was Rynmere and Athart, the reasons being obvious. Through all our travels, your mother and I recorded everything we could come across, including people who could act as valuable allies. If you find even a fraction of our old books it could save you a lot of hassle. In addition to that, I've left behind a good number of my old weapons as well as some treasure I found in my adventuring days. Some swords or shields made out of rare metals, things that may be too expensive or rare for you to get your hands on. One last gift from me waits for you in Yorskmir. In the basement, check under the stairs. Behind there is a small door. Inside will be symbols for four immortals. They're the four immortals I always believed you most likely to follow. Well, more so three and one I hoped would ease your soul. I know it's likely been hard growing up a half-breed. Your mother and I are both very sorry for that, we left you to fend for yourself in a world that is truly unforgiving of your kind. But you're a strong girl. After all, you're Karmin's girl and you're also my girl.
Now that I've said everything I needed to say about Yorskmir, there's just one last thing I want to tell you because I'm not sure if I'll ever get the chance to tell you face to face. I love you, I love you more than anything else in the world and I am proud of you. No matter what you've done, what path you've decided to follow, or what roads you've painted with blood, I know that whatever it is you did with your life you did it because you thought it was the right thing to do. Not just for yourself, but for others as well. And for that, I could never be more proud. Know that, take that with you in your heart when times get rough, you'll always have someone on your side and someone looking up to you no matter where the pieces land. That's just the way that life works. Try your hardest, you get what you give.
I regret not being there to actually help you with these hurdles. I’ve done all that I could raising you to be a wonderful person, but it would have been so much better if everything worked out well. A mother to teach you the important lessons of life, grandparents to tell you stories, and more time with me teaching you how to protect yourself.
I wish I could have stayed around longer, I wish I could have counseled you in life, I wish I could have been stronger and found a deal that was better than the master’s. But for all of my strength with weaponry, I am not strong .I am a weak person who could never do anything of value without his wife. And that’s one of the reasons I’m proudest to say you took after your mother. In my youth I was a monster, and she was a saint. And in every aspect of life from your appearance to your nature you have taken after that beautiful and astounding woman.
I could have filled this letter with advice, words of wisdom, and all sorts of other things. But I’ve already done what I can and your mistakes are yours to make from here on out. There is no amount of ink or breath that can prepare a person for life. My advice wouldn’t be worth wasting how little ink I have to spend on something so very, very important. That’s why instead, I’d rather take the time to remind you that you were my greatest treasure, you were the reason I kept on living after Karmin died. You are the reason that I will do my best to keep on living. Until you actually watch me fade away in your arms, hold hope that I’m out there someone trying to watch your back.
On the back of this paper will be instructions as to how to get the third key. On the pages following is an extra special surprise.
Sincerely,
Evaryin Eld
Nightshade hadn't realized that she was crying until the tears had actually started to pool within her eyes, making the words blur. It was hard to force the tears back, but she managed to evade most. A couple still escaped her. She wiped them away quickly, holding the letter away from herself. She didn't want to ruin it was any tear stains. Holding it as far as she could while still trying to read it she looked at the next couple piece of paper. Something inside of her shattered when she realized what it was. Written in the neatest and most elegant hand writing Nightshade had ever seen was another letter from an entirely different person.
To my precious child,
If you are wondering why I’ve addressed the letter as such, that’s because as the situation stands I have no clue as to the gender you’ll take when you enter this world. A beautiful but dangerous little girl named for the Nightshade flower, or a strong boy who will be named Aconite after the deadly wolfs bane. Some of the local healers have even said that I might have two of you, in which case hopefully there will be one of you for each name.
It is uncertain whether you will ever receive this letter or not. Part of me hopes that you never will, part of me continues to hope that like all others this fit will eventually pass. Evaryin continues to tell me to have hope, but eventually it becomes hard for even one of Qylios' most loyal servants to see light in the darkness. For those who follow in the steps of medicine it’s rather plain what’s going to happen. I’m going to die. Just a couple months ago I was told that I’d already be dead. Do you know why I’m still alive? That’s right, I’m still alive because of you. With my last breath I want to bring into the world a being who I know will make it a better place, one who’s going to fight for justice. I already know you will, Every day you seem to just get stronger and stronger. If I could only have one last wish, I want to hear you just once before Famula takes me. If that can be so, I’ll die without regret.
I'm not exactly sure how to go about writing this... I've spent years writing letters to people all over the world from peasants to royalty. I've written nonstop with all the speed of someone running out of time, and for my labors I've written master pieces in half the time it would take others. And yet, for all that experience, I'm at a loss for words when trying to address my own child. That's only to be expected though, considering everything.
First of all, I didn’t realize what love was until I knew I was going to have you. Yes, I loved your father greatly, but there’s something special in having child. With a young life comes this certain beauty that makes you love everyone, love the world, love yourself! When I felt you kick for the first time I truly fell in love, I felt joy that couldn’t be described in any amount of words.
I never thought that you’d actually come to be. My body has always been weak. No matter how far we walked one way or another I’d end up having to ask your father for help. I came to believe that my body would be too weak to properly house a child. Especially after how many times your father and I tried. Sometimes it wouldn’t take, and sometimes it wouldn’t stay. And eventually you came! There is no way to express the joy you feel when you realize you can finally have a family, you can settle down and raise a young life to be a good person and send them off into the world with bright eyes.
And then it happened. With all the truth of Chiren’s loving hate for me a local doctor told me that I wasn’t going to survive. It had been true; my body was far too weak for a child. The doctor gave me a couple options. You weren’t going to survive, I wasn’t going to survive, or neither of us was going to survive. The doctor told me ways that would keep me alive, but it would have involved you dying. So I made my choice, in the end if anyone was going to survive then it had to be you. After this, my first fear was what would happen to you. What would happen to my baby? Would they wonder who I was, would they even care? Not even death could scare me more than the thought of not being able to be there at your side.
So I left to you in the basement of our house a treasure chest. In it I put everything I possible could that would tell you the kind of person that I was. As luck would have it, I always make a copy of a letter in case something goes wrong, and I was able to put a few in this chest. I’ve put inside drawings I made including self-portraits of myself and your father. I spent seasons tracking down our family, writing down their names, and roughly where you can find them. I wasn’t even aware we had Sev’ryn in our family, but apparently we do. Most importantly, I’ve written some extra letters to you. This letter is my formal goodbye; however, I’ve written countless letters long before I even knew I’d be able to have you. I even have letters from back when you were little more than a dream and I didn’t even know your father! In this treasure chest I’ve left some of my most valuable possessions as well. My favorite instrument and the music sheets to go with it, the perfume that was always my favorite to wear, the necklace my father gave me and the ring your father gave me, both given when I was about to get married. There’s no way to explain how good it was knowing your true blooded Etzori father approved of you marrying an Avriel!
And now that I’m done saying all of that that there’s something else very important I need to say, I'm sorry. A mother who dies is truly the worst kind of failure as a mother. I couldn't be there to watch you learn to speak, learn to walk, learn to fly. I couldn't help you learn how to cook or be there to watch you fall in love for the first time. I couldn't be there for you to cry with when you had your first heart break. I am inexcusably sorry for all my failures as a parent and I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And above all else, I hope you don't come to blame yourself for my death. I have always been sick, my death would come one way or another, and you are in no way linked to it. Instead, you're the best thing that ever happened in this life of mine, right next to meeting Evaryin! I hope that one day you discover this letter. I'm not sure if Evaryin will ever have the heart to give it to you. For all I know he might burn it the moment I'm done. It wouldn't be the first letter of mine he burned. If he had his way it wouldn't be the last either.
It could never compare to being able to tell you this in real life, but I want you to know how much I love you. More than all the suns and moons and stars in all of Idalos, you are the most precious being to ever be brought into my life and I’m so proud I had a hand in creating you. I'm so sorry that you're half avriel, I'm sorry that the world will always fight against you, I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to help you fight back. But know that it's by no means my choice. What's done is irreversible, I was born sick and there is no way to avoid that. Hopefully, this disease, whatever it might be, skips you. And hopefully, the plague child suffers for this, the root of all diseases, may she rot for not letting me meet my child. I just... I honestly don't know what to write. There are so many things I wish I could say to you but I have so little paper, ink, and of course time. If I could have my way I would live to see you grow and thrive, I would shower you with praises and gifts every day, I would make sure that the racism of the world could never touch, I would have you be the happiest child and woman in all the world over. But I can't. It isn't in my power, so for that, I have to say sorry.
I hope that by leaving you this letter and these presents, you will know how much I loved you. If it’s possible to feel love even after a person is gone, then let it be known I will love you till even you draw your final breath, no matter how far or soon into the future that will be. Know that life will be hard, there are hurdles for everyone and for some the hurdles are harder. Through it all though, know that I’ll be with you always.
Make sure your father doesn’t do anything stupid for me, and maybe one day pay a visit to my grave.
Sincerely,
Karmin Eld
If Night was beginning to cry at the end of her father's letter, she had broken out into waves of full on tears by the end of her mother's. There was no way she could have expected that. The tears were falling freely from her eyes as she furiously tried to keep them out of her view. Lovely, her mother's letter was completely covered in tears. Carefully, she set the paper down trying not to rip or smear it any more than she already had.
