Death and Return, the tale of Elana

[Wannabe_Irish]

So this is what it had come to…
All the events in her life had lead her only to this...
She sat on a rock and started thinking on how it was that she had gotten there.
She did not know what day it was, or even what year, for that matter.
She could not even tell if it was night or day, so she couldn't recall how long it had been.

Some time ago, a strange stone had appeared in Norwick, she had been there during the entire event, but there was one person who had her attention just as much as the stone itself... an elf named Lundel.
After the stone had burned up, taking the lives of two people, it seemed he had noticed her as well, and he came to talk to her.
When the commotion around the stone had ended, they took a walk, as he told her his lifestory and his goals and he brought her to the place where Lundel was planning on creating a new druid garden.
Elana shared her lifestory with him, and they had been talking for hours on end.
Then he asked her if she would want to accompany him on a patrol through the woods, at first she declined, she knew the goblins of Rawlinswood knew her face, and if they saw her, they would send reÏnforcements.
But as she saw him leave, she felt as if something bad was to happen, and ran after him. When she caught up with him, she said she wanted to join him, rather than to try and stop him... he was a stubborn person after all.

And so they set off into the Rawlinswood, she made sure the goblins wouldn't notice her until necessairy, always scrying her surroundings for things that are not in place.
They caught a first band of goblins and finished them off without much trouble, with her shooting a single arrow before she attacked, drawing her sword afterwards, and Lundel staying at a distance, using his bow to pick them off.
They collected the valuable items from their bodies and continued their patrol.
After a while, they cornered another group, and much like last time, they attacked them... but there was something there that she didn't count on, there was a soldier in their ranks, this, of course, turned their walk in the Woods into a serious fight.
It seemed as if they were going to make it, but then, that wich she feared the most had happened, the goblins called for reïnforcements...

From their side, a new, bigger group of goblins attack, and they had two soldiers in their ranks, accompanied by some rockthrowers and a batch of what the others called bashers... and she hadn't even finished of the first group.
She watched in fear and anger as the goblins went after Lundel...
She could not let this happen, he was not ment to die by the hands of the goblins...
She ran towards the group that was running after Lundel, she got stabbed in the back by those she was fighting already, but she kept going.
She stood between Lundel and the goblins that were chasing him, and she told him to run... the look in her eyes and the sound of her voice instilled fear upon the goblins as she came towards them, both her blades unsheathed.

She attacked, and the goblins fought back, the newcomers, as well as the older group were concentrating all their efforts on her, but she couldn't be struck down.
Lundel was still firing his arrows, but she wouldn't have it, "run, get out, it's too late for me, you cannot save me..." she shouted "make sure my sacrifice is not in vain!", still attacking the goblins with unspeakable fury, and they were still not able to touch her.
Lundel fired a few more arrows, but, he did what he was told...

When he was out of sight, she said to herself "well, you did what you could..." and, realizing she didn't stand a chance, she stopped fighting, the goblins were still in fear of her, so they stopped fighting as well, and for a few seconds, they did nothing but look at eachother.

At this time, nothing could be heard, not the animals of the forest, not the creek that ran through it, not the Town of Norwick, there wasn't even the slightest breeze.
For a few seconds, everything became silent, not even the goblins made any noise.
Then, she sheathed her sword, and strapped her shield on her back.
She sat down on her knees, and lifted her head up high, waiting for the goblins to strike.
She felt no sorrow, no pain, anger or fear... for in her heart she knew her sacrifice had saved the life of a great man, and she was to be with her brother soon...

And then, all became dark, and when she could finally see again...
she was in the Fugue! this isn't what was supposed to happen! she should be sitting by her brother's side, at the feet of Corellon, together with all the Elves of the Hand of Seldarine! What had gone wrong? was she not meant to die? she went to talk to the succubus, but she just laughed in her face...
She sat down in a little corner and started crying, realizing she could be in this purgatory for all eternity... she had been through so much in her life, and she followed Corellon with the greatest of love, why did she come here? All the questions, and the thought of eternity in this barren plot of Underworld, made her lose control...
She walked over to the chasm that is at the end of the Fugue...
She cast herself down in it, for she'd rather have her soul destroyed and not exist at all, than to be that succubus' slave.

She was falling down, she waited for oblivion, but to her surprise, she slowed down.
She landed softly on a meadow, when she stood up, she looked around, and on one side, she saw rolling green fields.
On the other, she saw a wall that came up to her knee, and on the other side of that wall, she saw nothing but a thick, dark fog.
Of course, she ran of into the fields, but no matter wich way she ran, she would always end up at the same low wall...
She knew that she had no other option, and she stepped over the wall, and through the fog, end when she came out of the fog, she saw something she couldn't have imagined in her worst nightmares...

She stood on a dirtpath in a barren land, there were no colours, there were no sun, moon, or stars, she even doubted if there was a sky, but there was still light enough for even a human to see clearly here.
There was no wind, she didn't hear a sound, the rivers were dry, and there did not seem to be any other source of water, it was not warm, nor cold, it seemed as if there was no such thing as temperature.
There were trees, but they were all grey, and they had no leaves or fruits.

She was afraid, more afraid than ever before in her life, but still, she started walking, she didn't know where, but, the path had to elad somewhere, and, she hoped against hope that there was a way out of this.
After some time, it felt like it had taken a year, she came to a town, the very sight of it was horrifying. The buildings were no different from those of Norwick, but none of her friends were here, instead, there roamed people she had never seen before, but they walked without a sense of purpose, they were all silent, they did not say anything to her, or the others. A child was sitting on the ground, but it didn't smile, or play, or sing... next to it, the mother was sitting on a chair, but she didn't smile at the child, talk to it, hold it, she payed no attention to it whatsoever...
When she came close to one and inspected it more careful, to her disgust she noticed they still had the wounds, or the symptons of what killed them. Their eyes were cold and black, not even the slightest emotion could be seen in them.

Then, she saw the most horrifying thing she could ever imagine... it was her brother Lomir...
She ran to him, calling his name, but he responded with only a cold and short "Elana".
She looked at him, and noticed the wound of a goblin dagger in his back, finally she had clarity on what happened to him.
She started talking to him, and with every question she asked, he answered with all his knowledge on that topic, but there was not the slightest bit of emotion and when she told him zbout her, he didn't seem to care.
She had talked o him for days on end, and after some time, she bid him farewell, and went to the Spellweaver Keep, to see if there were any wizards who could tell her where she was.

After what seemed to be a few months, she found a wizard who had knowledge of this place, and asking her questions, he answered them with all his knowledge, but without emotion.
He was a wizard of the Keep long ago, he had studied this place his entire life, and was burned by the clerics when he declared its existence.

It were the Fields of Anguish, a place where all souls go after their bodies die, and they wait there untill the end of time, when they will be judged by the deity they follow.
When she asked him why nobody there seemed to show any emotion, he replied that the succubus had taken their emotions, and guarded them for the deities, this was for the purpose of keeping the peace in the Fields, for, if everyone there had his own personality, there would definitly be a war, and a war in wich nobody could ever die...
When she asked him why she still had her emotions, he replied that the succubus didn't have the time to take her soul.
When she asked him for a way out, he hesitated, but after a time he replied, saying he wasn't sure if the way really existed, seeing as nobody ever found it, and even if it was, one would need a good strentgh of mind and heart, to make the trip without going mad.
She told him to tell her anyhow, and he did so, telling her she would have to walk to the Mountains of Sorrow, and climb them.
While climbing she should look for a pass, or a cave, for that might lead to the otherside, beyond that, he did not know what awaited her.

She asked him how he had turned like the others, if he knew there was a way out, to this he replied that he didn't know how to get out of the Fugue before the succubus got to him.
When she asked him to come with her, he declined, for even if he would make it, he would not get his emotions back, and his life would be even more miserable in the real world, for there were things to enjoy there, that he could never feel again. He also warned her not to take anyone else with her, for they would suffer the same fate.
She bid him farewell and left, and went outside to think on her situation.

And that is how she ended up on a rock outside the Spellweavers Keep, having thought about what brought her here, and considering if she should try to go back...
She made up her mind, she was going back, or be shattered trying.
She went to talk to her brother once more, and bid him farewell
She began her journey, with no equipment, except for some clothing she picked up at the tailor's, they weren't going to need it anyway, and the sword of her brother, wich had "Lomir" elegantly engraved on the side.

She walked towards the Mountains of Sorrow, in the direction the wizard had told her to go, and the walk seemed to have taken her 200 years, and she understood why it were called the Fields of Anguish.
For 200 years she had been tired, but there was no such thing as sleeping in this realm, for 200 years she had been thirsty, but there was nothing to drink except for dust, for 200 years she had been hungry, but there was nothing to eat except for air...
But she did not give up, and after 200 years, she reached the foot of the Mountains of Sorrow, and she started to climb them...
but the second she touched them, she let go, because she could feel all the anger, fear, pain and sorrow of those who resided here...
She started thinking of what she was doing, and was wondering if it was right, after all, she was cheating death...
After a while she saw it as her only option to keep climbing... and she tried again.

The Mountain surface scorched her hands, and she endured enormous pain, mentally as well as physically
After another year of climbing, she found a cave in the Mountain, and she entered...
After all she had been through, she was not the least bit afraid, she didn't care about anything but making her way back.
She went through the cave, and all of the sudden, she saw a ray of light falling in, she quickened her pace towards the light, and she found something she had lost hope of seeing again, a sight more beautiful to her, than the greatest riches to the poorest man.
She saw a sky of the brightest blue, white clouds and a golden sun, she could feel the wind on her skin, and the cold of the snow on this side of the Mountinas.
She smelled the forests beneath her, and heard the cry of the eagles above, she felt a happiness few had ever had the privilege of feeling.
There was just one problem...
There was no way down, other than jumping.
She walked back into the cave... ran towards the opening and fearlessly jumped towards the light, no matter what happened, deliverance was waiting, she was blinded by the sunlight as she jumped...

She woke up, she looked around and saw a little waterfall, she saw that she was lying on a bed of leaves, with her clothes and sword next to her...
There was nobody around, she called out, but the only answer she got was that of the birds in the forests and the crickets in the grass...
thinking back on what she had been through, she was rejoiced by this...
but thinking back, she started to wonder if it all had really happened, there were no moutnains near her, in fact, she could sense she was close to Norwick...

It was all so unreal, she discarded it as a dream she had while she was unconscious...
She got dressed, and hung her sword on her belt again.
She walked to the pond to freshen up, but when she looked at her reflection, she was stumped...
She had tattoos, her hair had grown long and her skin was darker, wich couldn't have happened here considering Norwick's climate.
The clothes she wore were not those she wore during the fight, it were the clothes she had taken from the tailor in the Fields.
She looked at her hands, and saw remnants of heavy burns.
She unsheathed her sword, and noticed the engravement "Lomir" on the blade.
She fell to her knees, having a hard time realising, believing, that it had all really happened...
As she sat there, she felt something in her pocket...
She took it out and looked at it, and she felt the warmth of the stone.
she put the stone in a little box, and placed it on the bottom of her pack.
She lied down, and fell the same happiness she felt earlier, now realising it was all true, and she had really made it.

After a few hours of lying there, doing nothing but listening to the water, the animals the wind, feeling the rain, touching the grass, and taking a swim in the pond, she stood up, dried herself, got dressed again, and headed for Norwick.
Never had she been so happy, or been without worries for her brother, knowing he did not suffer

OOC: my thanks to Dagoth Elor J'reir Lacoi and Karietis 'Mon Daltan, who have judged my story and given me the courage to put it on the server, as well as Ursula Leguin, writer of "A wizard of Earthsea", who inspired me, as well as given me my addiction to fantasy.

[Wannabe_Irish]

She sat at the lake in the northern Rawlins…
Reading his letter over and over...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died.

He saw his life as meaningless, and went to throw it away in a battle that had a reason in his eyes…
No, to her, the battle was as meaningless as his life to him, but she couldn't help him...
For more than two years she had strived to get a cure for him, to make his life better...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died.

She came to Norwick to find her brother, but she stayed there because of him…
She had found her brother, maybe it was time to say her goodbyes and go home...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died.

Dagoth… Toman... Dela... Elandir... Lacoi...
Her friends of old, died in the years that she was allowed to survive...
In time those wounds had healed, but it weakened her...
Ma'lad gave her new strength, new friendship, a new reason...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died.

No more reason, not to stay, nor to live…
Going home wouldn't change a thing, her brother's ressurection didn't change a thing...
She would not take her own life, even now she felt that Ma'lad didn't want it...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died

She overheard a conversation…
Ikurus was in jail...
His life to be forfeited...
Her last connection to the Norwick she knew...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died

She would die, as fate saw fit…
She wondered how long it would be, how long she'd have to live while her friends died...
Right now, she would live, do her time in the wretched world around her...
No goals, but her end would not be meaningless either...
She too would have her battle in which she would fall...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died

She bursted out in tears, grief had taken over, for now.
She was never overtaken by grief, not enough to last her a lifetime…
But it hurt so much...
He was dead, Ma'lad had died

[Wannabe_Irish]

She stood on the bridge that lead to Vino's…
Ma'lad was walking off and she was barely able to keep standing...
So much had happened since her return from the Dale, some for the better some for the worse.

She thought as far back as her last meeting with Aràzon, Ma'lad's brother... It had been several years now.
He didn't know she loved Ma'lad at that time, he came to her, asking her for advise, whether or not he should try to meet his brother.
Ma'lad had longsince told her he didn't seek Aràzon in order to slay him, as was his original intent, but rather to put the whole thing behind them, as it was all a great misunderstanding... and his father had control over him at the time of his hunt.
She had told Aràzon this several times, yet he always refused to listen, and now he brought it up.
After a long conversation, in which she had also told him she loved Ma'lad, he had decided it was time to face him, and took off to make ready...

He hadn't heard from him ever since, though Ma'lad told her everything had worked out fine afterwards...
The next few days were rather quiet, and Elana was beginning to feel happy and relaxed again in a very long time.
One day, someone planned on going to hunt bugbears in the Rawlins and asked if she, Ma'lad and Ikurus wanted to tag along.
Elana had never been to that part of the Woods before, and though she first feared the thought of running into bugbears, she decided to come along anyhow.

After some time, they went to the Elven Encampment to rest up, here the man bid his farewells and so did Ikurus.
Ma'lad and her stayed at the Encampment for some time and talked all the while, and she was happy.
Though something happened then, that neither of them saw coming... the poison took control over Ma'lad again...
Though he came close to losing his selfcontrol and attacking her, Elana did not back down, and eventually calmed him down again.

But after that he dissappeared as well, not even leaving a note or sending word.
He returned, nine months after his departure, not saying as much as a word about where he'd been or what he'd been doing.
They just talked the night away again, as if nothing happened, though Elana was worried about him... and again he left, this time for more than a year.
When he returned, she asked him to tell her where he'd been, and the worriedness in her voice compelled him to do so... He had been searching for Nashnàra, another man who was hunting for Aràzon... she heard Aràzon talk about him once, how he was able to find him and capture him, though he got away.
Nashnàra was still hunting Aràzon as if it was some beast, and hadn't learned the truth about how Aràzon's father was the one behind the crimes.
Ma'lad was seeking him to convince him that Aràzon was innocent and to stop his hunt.

After Ma'lad had told her this, they got into one of their playful arguments and where Elana was usually able to retort his words and escape his grasp, she lost every single time that time, and he revelled in it.
Playfully she thought to herself: "Just you wait until you're asleep, you'll think twice about making fun off my loss."
When the hour grew late, they went off to bed.
Elana woke up, and she saw Ma'lad sound asleep, she was always the first to wake, and this time she was going to teach him a lesson.
She snuk out of bed and grabbed her shortsword, after which she unsheathed it and held it above his head.
Then she woke him up, and when he opened his eyes, she said: "I win"
He said nothing more then a playfull "cranky", but something happened then... He threw her off him and grabbed his own sword, when Elana fell back, she cut her cheek on her shortsword.
Ma'lad put his foot down on her chest and held his sword at her throat.
It took her a long time to convince him she was only playing.
After that, he started packing, she asked what he was doing, but he didn't answer until he was finished.
"I have to find Nashnàra and convince him the hunt is over... there's a chance I will not return, take these." He gave her his helmet and sword, then continued: "Take this as well... if I do not return, place it on my grave." He gave her his engagement ring. She fell to her knees. He said nothing, he just turned around and left... as she heard the familiar sound of his armor clanking, as he went down the stairs, an outburst of tears rolled down her cheeks, along with the blood of the cut in her cheek.

She took up her own belongings, looked one last time at the room, and ran outside, into the Rawlins.
Years passed, as she kept to herself, travelling, seeking calmth and praying for Ma'lad's safe return... but by the end, she didn't believe he'd ever return, she never returned to Norwick after that, the only civilization she ever visited was the gypsy cam, and even then, she tried to keep out of sight of the people she once knew who visited it, or lived there... until one day.

She came to the camp again, and heard the familiar voices of Ikurus and Lilly, but there was another sitting there, she snuk past them, knewing they would never see her, but all of the sudden, the stranger called out her name.
She nocked an arrow and turned around, asking him who he was and how he knew her name.
He claimed to be Ma'lad... but she wouldn't believe he'd ever return safely.
After several atempts of convincing her it was really him, he slammed a sword in the ground and left.
She pulled out the sword with great effort and looked at it... It had dulled slightly, and the inscriptions had faded in time -and through usage, no doubt-, but the elegant inscrition of the name Lomir was still clearly visible... this was her brother's sword, the one she gave to Ma'lad...
Ikurus began ranting on how she was a fool, how she had upset Ma'lad, and -most importantly- how this could cost him his head if Ma'lad went mad again.

But she herself had almost gone mad, because of Ma'lad's absence and her uncertainty and fear... and now the sudden return of Ma'lad... she snapped, the thought of Ma'lad never returning had rooted itself so deeply she thought this man could never be Ma'lad, rather Nashnàra, who had killed Ma'lad and disguised himself as him, in order for her to take him to Aràzon so he could finish his job...
She went after him, not to talk to him, but to hunt him down... yet, Ma'lad had been waiting atop the hill at the entrance of the gypsy camp...
Ma'lad's poison had taken over due to his confusion of Elana not recognizing him, and she accused him of being Nashnàra and he snapped as well...

She threw a dart at his bow, which made the bowstring snap... he threw a throwing dagger, which she easily evaded.
But when she wasn't looking, he took out his crossbow... he took aim... and he fired.
For Elana all became black... he had shot her in the head, though, luckily, it didn't hit anything vital.
He dragged her into the gypsy camp again, Ma'lad and Ikurus got to words, and Ma'lad threatened Lilly, this was the last drop for Ikurus, and he tried to shove Ma'lad away... Ikurus still bears the mark of Ma'lad's gauntlet around his neck, though he didn't kill him, he just took off without a second word.
Lilly looked after Elana, and Elana was delirious for some time, but thanks to Lilly she pulled through. When she came to, she jumped up straight, looking around her in fear and confusion... she remembered everything...
Without so much as a word she ran out of the camp, tracking Ma'lad... back to the place where they had made their vows...

She saw him standing there, his sword aimed at his chest...
She beat the sword out of his hands and he asked her what she thought she was doing.
He pretended to remember nothing of her, whether it was to torment her, or to make her prove her love again... it took her some time to convince it to give it up... at last she managed by taking her shortsword and cutting open the scar on her cheek again...
He took her hand after that, and put her blade to his throat, saying that his life was not worth living, as he could never be free, or have complete control over himself... She put her other sword at her throat, she would've taken his life, but not without taking her own, bonded through life and death she had said, and she meant it.

They talked long before she lowered both blades and eventually, their talk lead to curing Ma'lad from his poison... and so started her search for a cleric named Eowien, of whom Ma'lad said he was certain she could help him.
Her search didn't take long, but far too long to her own liking, she had gotten help from Horbag, Elanor, Eluriel, Tontou, Yarin, Sarah and many others.
And something even more unexpected happened then... her brother, Lomir, had returned from death, a cleric to Corellon now, he was sent back to help Ma'lad and Elana, as an answer to her prayers.
Neither of them knew the other was their family, as they never told eachother their last names, and their first names weren't all that rare.
Eluriel was the first to find out, and told Elana to seek him out, she would've loved to tell her herself, but didn't think it was her place.

Elana brightened up, her brother returned, her search was advancing...
But something happened later that week that made everything complete... she found Eowien, as she was setting up an archery contest outside the southern gate of Norwick, and she agreed to help both her and Ma'lad.
She was filled with joy, and couldn't wait to find Ma'lad again to tell him the news.

She found him and told him everything... though he was ^pleased, he was frightened, he didn't know if he could survive the process, or live through it without going entirely mad, and even if he did make it through, he feared losing her for some reason, or becoming a beggar in the streets, unworthy of her attention...
All such ramblings that form in the mind of a frightened man.
He comforted him, but made another mistake... she tried to cheer him up by faking an evil laugh... and he took it serious.
He became frightened of her that time, and left as she was unable to convince him it was only a joke.

She didn't see him afterwards, until one night at the campfire...
She took him along with her, to the bridge to Vino, in order to be able to talk to him in private... she told him she was sorry, and how she loved him and could never harm him...
He took it all, but he didn't seem to care...
She told him how her brother had returned to help them both, how she found Eowien and about the friends she made in the search...
He said he was happy for her, but he sounded like he didn't care, almost sarcastic even.
After a few more of such replies, she asked him if he even cared at all... and he said no, he didn't care...
Ma'lad told her several things, amongst which never to lay down her weapon when he was around, or to try to make him happy or feel love, but she didn't hear anything, only one thing went hrough her head "You don't care..."

"But you don't care..." she said, and Ma'lad answered he did so, but he wasn't allowed to feel it, for it would give the poison another chance to take control. "Trust my words, not my voice." He said, but again with that cold and sarcastic tone...
She diodn't know what to think anymore, and answered with an equally cold voice "Very well, I shall believe your words"
Ma'lad said that he wouldn't return, it was obvious to him he was only causing her pain.
She was in pain, more than he could imagine, but she told him, that if his words were true, he would return.

At this, Ma'lad turned and started walking, mumbling thins about "potion, sleep, ..."

She turned towards the night sky, and cried...

[Wannabe_Irish]

She sat on a rock, high above the Dale…
She was looking at the ruins of the Severed Hand, as well as the shadow it had been casting on these lands for many centuries...
It was growing dark, she would have to spend the night in the cave behind her and continue her journey the next day.

She travelled many leagues through magical means, but, she had been going on foot since ever since she reached Khuldahar.
She spent the night there at the inn, after talking to her mentor's successor about the situation in the pass.
The next day, she would get supplies from the smith, and leave for the Hand.
Though she felt that this was something that needed to be done... she missed Ma'lad...
After all, it was him that stood by her when Norwick was being prepared for the Drow attack, it was him that helped her get rid of the stone that was troubling her, it was him that protected her, and took arrows aimed for her, when they were hunting in the deeper woods...
It was he who had fallen in love with her, and it was he, who she had fallen in love with.

The journey through the pass had been relatively easy...
she encountered only a few bands of orcs, and avoided them in order to speed her journey a bit.
The weather had been favorable, and the new arch druid and his student had offered to accompany her for the first few leagues through the pass, towards the Hand.
After a day or two, being held up by the young druid's eagerness to learn everything he could from their journey, she had bid them farewell and went on alone.

On the fourth day, she had reached the gates of the Hand, and entered them with all due respect and caution...
She had been at these gates before, but didn't enter, because she lacked the courage and she doubted her worthyness.
When she entered, she was amazed by the beauty of the structure, despite the fact that it lay in ruins.
She took her time studying the architecture, as well as reading some of the books there, but after a few hours, she got herself together, and surpressed her amazement...
She had come here for a reason, and was planning on finding it...

It had already been a while since Ma'lad had convinced that the stone was the only reason for her uneasy nights, and she got rid of it.
Ever since then, she was able to think more clearly, and with better judgement about her brother, her life, Corellon and, most importantly, her heritage...
She had been thinking about how she was a descendant of the Hand, but she hardly knew anything about them.
She knew the tale of their destruction, of course, but none of their ways, habits, rituals, history and things like that...
She had been paying visits to the library of the Spellweavers Keep, to see what she could find out there, but even that library held only a few books on the Hand.

She read tales of the great archers, wizards and arists, and tales simply of the life of these Elves, and this had pleased her, for now, she knew some more about the people she shared a lineage with...
But after reading a few books, she had found a page, with very little writings on it... it peaked her interest immediatly, and she read it, several times, she looked everywhere through the library to find more books on this, but she found none...
She read the page once more, and put the book away, she went outside to the forest and started thinking on this.
The unrest had immeditaly come back to her, though for different reasons this time, she looked at her hands and wondered
She wondered if she would be able to perform such great feats.
In time, the only conclusion she came to, was that, before she even tried to do this, she needed to learn more about it, as well as see if she was even able to grasp the basics of what was necessairy for her to know.
In her storage she had made when she first arrived to Norwick, she rummaged through her personal belongins from the past, and found what she needed to test if she could do the necessairy.
But she had a good feeling about it, considering her mentor had told her that both her parents could.

After reading the book for some time, and a few tests, she realised she could do it, she had the ability to bend the Weave to her will... she could use magic...
After looking at her options, and considering which would be best, she talked to Ma'lad, saying she had to go north, to the Hand, for something there was calling her...

After having put the artistry and architecture aside, she started her search for a book on the arcane arts of the Hand, containing the information she needed to be able and reach her new goal...
After a few hours in the library of the Hand, she found a book that contained all the arcane ways of the Elves of the Hand.
She opened the book and started reading it, and after a few pages, she found what she was looking for...
The ways of the Arcane Archer, the Moonguard, the greatest archers in all the history of Faerun and the legacy of the Seldarine...
Her face lit up in delight, and she started reading. After another few hours of reading, she put the book in her pack, and inspected the art and weaponry in the Hand once again, but she never even so much as touched it, out of respect for her ancestors and fallen brethern.
She left the Hand, placed one last look on the gates, and started her way up the pass again.

She went to bed, and fell sound asleep, knowing she was one step closer to her goal.
The next morning, she was awakened by the rays of light falling into the cave she had chosen as shelter.
She read some more of the book, while having her breakfast.
After that, she put the book in her pack again, and readied herself for the
trip back to Khuldahar, where she could ask the wizard up in the tower to teleport her back to Narfell.

She arrived in Khuldahar, and, after a bit of bargaining, the wizard agreed to teleport her back to Nafell.
When she arrived, she realised her trip had taken a few days more then expected, but Ma'lad wouldn't be angry at her.
She checked if the book was still in her pack, found it, smiled, and made her way to Norwick once again.
As she was walking, she dreamed her dreams of becoming an Arcane Archer...

[Wannabe_Irish]

She sat up straight on the bed and looked around…
It was dark apart from the candle in the corner, she stood up and walked towards her pack, and rummaged through it for a while.
She took out a little box and checked its contents, she sighed out of relief...
The stone she had found in her pocket the other day was still there.
She put it back and closed her pack, after which she sat on her bed and started thinking about the dream she just had, as well as trying to put the shreds of the dream together.

It had been quite some time since she returned to Norwick, and all this time, her nights had been unsettling, on top of that she had noticed herself dozing off or daydreaming in the middle of a conversation...
The dreams were always the same, well, apart from a change in course, and she could remember more every time she had them...
At first she woke up, not remembering a thing of the dream, except for the desire to find the stone, making sure it was close... and she did so every time she had the dream.
Now that the dream had become clearer, she began to understand her desire for the stone.

She is standing in a field... a battlefield... she, as well as many others, are fighting some creatures she can't discern...
The fighting goes on long and hard, when suddenly she is confronted with a different creature... she can't tell what it is, but it's something far more dangerous than the creatures that are storming the adventurers.
She raises her blades in acknowledgement, and starts to fight it...
During the entire fight the other creature has the upperhand, outskilling her by far... then, when the creature wants to give the finishing blow, the dreams takes one of two paths...

One is where the stone, wich she has in her pack, hangs around her neck, on a rope...
The stone starts to glow, giving her new strength, the creature is fascinated and distracted by this, giving her the oppertunity to strike the creature while its guard is down...
The fight continues, and the adventurers are victorious...
After the fight, there is a ray of light, and a portal opens.
A bright figure comes out of the portal, again, she cannot discern what it is, and it motions her to follow, which she does...
They enter the portal together, the light gets too bright for her to see...
When she can finally see again... she sees her brother standing in front of her in a silver robe, with the symbol of Corellon on it, welcoming her to her new home.

The other is where the stone doesn't hang around her neck...
The creature changes its mind, and rather than to kill her, it blows her to the ground, she is barely able to stay conscious...
She doesn't have the strength to get back up, and is dragged away as the creatures flee from the battlefield, chased away by the adventurers, she loses consciousness...
When she regains her consciousness, she finds that she is lying on a table, with the creature she wasn't able to defeat standing over her...

At either of these two endings, she wakes up and is compelled to see if she still has the stone...

Thinking of the reason for these dreams, she comes to two conclusions
Her dreams are either influenced through the dark nature of the stone, or the dream is a sign of a thing to come in her future...
Either way... it is best to keep this a secret from all but her most trusted friends.

She lies down and tries to sleep again.