danielmac

An Elven Tale Part 4 - Ariena Remembers the Bonding

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:42:34 GMT

Editor's Note: Alandriel sat here and continuously rolled his eyes at Ariena's description of the night of the bonding and insisted on disagreeing with her over many of the details (usually the ones that show that he has a tender side!) - it was kind of cute watching them tease each other because it was evident that there was a great affection between the two, whatever impression Alandriel was doing his best to create ;)

It would not be long after our first meeting before I saw him again….this time I was summoned to the palace to assist with some official business (I believe my magickal skills were required), and I remember walking through the palace courtyard and there he was, standing casually under a large tree, with three or four other Rangers (presumably some of those under his command), laughing and joking about something. I remember seeing him smile, and my whole world instantly vanished from focus….all I could see was this beautiful smile and the handsome Elf it belonged to. He must have felt my energy at that point, because he paused for a second and then turned that deep gaze on me, and I heard his voice in my head and felt his energy around me like a gentle, warm hug.

There was a celebration of some kind later that night, and as I was in the palace on business, I was pretty much expected to attend. So, I wove strands of silver into the customary two plaits in my hair (it was much longer then, and pale blonde, and I had deep grey eyes with flecks of green) and dressed in a wonderful long gown with so many shades of green, that changed with the light as I moved, and the dress had fine silver filaments braided around the neck and sleeves, and all around the hemline, in a pattern something similar to Celtic knots, but less angular and more organic looking. To me it resembled trailing and intertwined vines.

At the celebrations, I kept an eye out for Alandriel – I was a little disappointed that I did not see him at first, but I think he had deliberately kept out of my sight, as moments later I felt his arms around my waist and heard his voice in my ear. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to be there in his arms, and we danced for a long time. I must say he looked devastatingly handsome in his uniform (he was in dress uniform of course, the normal Ranger uniform is designed to blend into the green of the forest).

Later in the evening (or I think it was actually the small hours of the morning! *chuckles*) we left the main celebrations (there was a lot of music, dancing and of course, drinking and laughter) and walked through the courtyard, as it was quieter….we did not stay long though, because apparently several other couples had the same idea of being alone to talk. Alandriel took my hand and we continued walking, following the path through the courtyard and past the low wall that enclosed it, out into the trees.

The trees and shrubs either side of the path became thicker, and the noise from the celebrations faded to a faint hum….the sky was completely clear and the only sounds I could hear were a few insects and our footsteps on the dirt path. We came to a small clearing, and beyond this clearing I could see the crystal waters of a lake, with reeds and rushes at its edge. We stood at the base of a huge, ancient tree (known to those of us familiar with the particular type of natural magick that Alandriel and I use, as a Grandmother tree) and he rested my face in his hands. Our eyes locked, and what happened next is almost impossible to describe, it was like everything around us melted away and we were both only aware of each other, but not even our physical forms, just our soul energies.

I don’t know how long we stood there, but not a word was spoken because we did not need to use language to communicate – we both knew exactly what the other was feeling and thinking, and I suppose you could say it was a form of telepathy that we used, and our energies intertwined and melded and became one. I cannot accurately describe the depth and intensity of the emotions this evokes….I know I would never do it justice, but all I can say is that we both knew that we were meant to be lifemates.

I will spare you the details of what happened next….suffice to say that our clothes ended up in a pile on the edge of the lake and we took a swim in its cool and magickal waters…I do know that I had never experienced a touch that registered so deeply within me until that night, and even now as I am remembering, the memories are evoking such deep and complex feelings in me that I am almost brought to tears…

Lying there in his arms on the shore of the lake, under his cloak, safe and warm, was the only place I wanted to be then, and when his deep, hauntingly dark eyes met mine, searching, I knew that I wanted this more than anything I had ever wanted before, or have wanted since….he had me locked in his gaze as he uttered the one word I wanted to hear, his deepest soul-name, and if I had wanted to hold mine back, at that point there was no way in the world I could have done, so I told him mine….and so, we were bonded for life.

I don’t know how long we stayed there like that, not needing to speak a single word, just sharing our energies and feeling our bond, but it was almost daybreak when we finally found the ability to move and get dressed, and return to the palace. I know there were more than a few raised eyebrows among the Adrastai that were stationed at various points around the palace as we tiptoed back inside (although as always, they were not permitted to say anything *grins*)…but I know that for the remainder of my visit to the palace, we shared a room, and after I returned to my home, Alandriel was a regular visitor on his patrols (I suspect there were quite a few who knew, but to their credit, they kept silent, because if it had been made known to the Council that Alandriel had been spending time with me while he was out on patrol, I doubt he would have kept his rank as Captain!)

Editor’s Note again: on her observation about the possible consequences for his rank as Captain, Alandriel started to tease Ariena, and a mock argument followed, ending in much laughter all round.

An Elven Tale, Part 3 - Alandriel's Youth, and a brief recounting of the events that followed

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:41:16 GMT

Editor's note: as Alandriel's first language is not English but Tulari, I am aware that his style of storytelling may not perhaps flow as well as we are used to, but I wanted to keep his words as close to verbatim as possible lest I interfere with the tale itself.

Alandriel, that is how they used to call me (now, I am known as Mycheall in this incarnation). My birth was a common thing to others in my village - Eril, the name was. I spent a lot of time there, and practised what seemed good to me, well, archery and magic to be precise.

I had a wise teacher indeed, Liaorni , that is how he was called in our village, although I doubt that this was actually his real name. He showed me a lot and I was somehow an everquestioning pupil, well, I always wanted to know more.

We spent a lot of years together. My father was away as his duties were sacred to him. He didn´t belong to the guard, liked to be freelance in a way. I believe he actually was fulfilling some duties for the guard, but he never told us. One day s I was sneaking and following my teacher, I (well somehow accidentally!) overheard a conversation between my Teacher and the head of the guard.

They were actually speaking about me, and discussing me when I am not present does not please me, so I emerged so that they could see me. They actually continued the conversation without any change. Liaorni and the Guard captain wanted me to join the Rangers, well, that was a strange idea! There were no Rangers present in the village, and so I understood that I´d have to travel to the palace, that is how it was. And so I was sent there.

I travelled alone, to the unknown. I´d never visited the capital before. But I seemed to have found the way there. I spent a lot of years there in training. I noticed that the Adrastai were present there all the time. Besides the Rangers, there were also some guards with blue cloaks, as I was told it was the royal guard.

My training actually continued well, and I somehow made it to the rank of Captain among the rangers. My group consisted of 5 men along with me - many of them were actually older than me, but it seemed not to bother them much that there was a younger one amongst them. Our usual duty was to stride the forests and watch over the borders.

Well we met a lot of Adrastai on our duties, but that was normal, since they were the guard. Much more skilled in martial arts though, but unlike us, I must say they were quite visible to the enemy - we were much more like an invisible threat to them. But, mentioning enemy, there were usually none to be precise (sometimes, it came to some local arguments among the villages of humans and Elves, so we ensured that Elven villages were safe).

Sometimes, our job was to deliver some messages, usually a civilian Elf needed to deliver some letter to another village, well, " We´re here to help" so why not be doing even these jobs? My life was going quite well, I was able to visit my family sometimes, and I still practised things my former teacher taught me.

Things changed when an open war was at our doors, something unknown was approaching. We all could sense it, just that it was more sneaky than us. And we seem to have found another threat, I don´t know what caused it but some villages turned on each other (It was not like Humans calling Elves arrogant, but actually Elves accusing others of selfishness)..........now something that is missing........

We were already guarding our borders quite well, but then the Enemy appeared. They were different from us, but still were of Elven nature. The council called it Corruption...well, I didn´t care what the council thought, but they were different, changed.

I was given a task to deliver an important message to the council, and so I undertook the journey to the palace. It was a long time indeed since I was there the last time............

The conflict seemed to settle down, we protected the borders, but nothing actually was happening. But we all knew the times would get worse than they were now. ...... I met a person once, I didn´t know who she was, but She was very powerful. She told me that what I am doing Is helping to protect, but the purpose will change. That the corruption was already spreading to our land. She told me about the cult, and I actually discovered that She is the Leader of it, the High Priestess.

Now, I understood that there are other possible ways....I found out that My way of using magic isn´t a common one, more spontanous and attuned to Earth element and trees, or nature itself. With the help of the cult I was able to learn more about it. We were under the command of the council, but more likely we were loyal to the first family. We were most likely similar to spies, with ranger and sorcery abilities. Every village actually had at least one of the cultists, and guess what? Eril was no exception, Liaorni was the cultist responsible for the entire village..

We were always in touch with the palace, but we had our ways of doing things. We were no assasins, so this task never appeared, most commonly we used protective magic. Not always, we followed the orders as they were given to us - unlike Adrastai, we questioned each order. This might have caused that we were made outcasts by the council....

An open battle appeared only once, when we planned to send Ariena elsewhere. Our cult formed a group whose orders were to send her temporarily away. We prepared all that needed to be done, but the Adrastai seemed to have caught us! The fight broke out - they are fierce warriors indeed, well trained, skilled, but we were not pushovers. We used some magic arts unknown to them, this was our advantage over them. We couldn´t win in blade to blade battle, so the magic played a great role.

I was hit right into the stomach by one of the Adrastai (they were blinded by the council, they follow orders without hesitation), but I was saved.

After Ariena was pushed through the portal, it was destroyed and the High Priestess who was maintaining it could join the battle. I was saved by her as well, and so, we were in hiding until the very days of war that was already at hand. I spent a lot of time in the cult hiding and practising, and actually developed a magic of mine combined with archery, making my arrows a little difficult to get rid of...:P....

Finally I was summoned before the remaining council, some members were already missing. We were few in ranks, and all that remained was the palace and it´s surrounding population. We lost many already, and our army was a small one. I was glad to hear that my squad was actually still alive. My rights as a Captain were renewed and I was given the command over the remaining forces....The plan was to fled the palace and head to the gates...

In the next instalment, Ariena talks about the night the two Elves were bonded for life...

(c) 2008 Daniel MacBride

An Elven Tale, Part 2 - Ariena Interjects (Or, how the two Elves met)...

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:39:57 GMT

Do forgive Alandriel's ramblings, seeing enough war and destruction will scramble one's head quite a bit you know....but there is much more to his tale than you would first believe.

At this time, Alandriel was, as he says, a Ranger….I was a healer and did not live in the palace or the city itself with the majority of the Tulari, rather, I lived in the forest, something of a recluse (us healers like our alone time with the Earth and the Trees, and the freedom to access the resources we need in order to do our work).

I was, however, of great assistance to the Rangers, because living so unobtrusively in the forest, I saw many things that the rest of the world did not, and was able to pass unnoticed through the woods (including escaping the notice of even the Adrastai, but I digress)….but let me, Ariena Firielow, go back to what seems to be for now, the beginning of the story…. Alandriel says he does not remember the name of our world - I, however, do, it was known as Sel'ar, and was one of several worlds populated by the various Elenari races before the Corruption.

I remember the first time I met Alandriel, I had been out collecting herbs (starflowers and various fungi, if I remember correctly, to make the various tinctures and lotions and whatnot that were some of the tools of My trade). I was at the edge of the creek, collecting the pure, clear water to steep some of the plants in, when I heard hoofbeats. Now you have to understand that in those times, before the war and the Corruption, it was unusual to hear any horses that deep in the forest, so I knew it must have been one of the Rangers delivering a message for the Council or something important of that nature. Normally the Rangers would patrol on foot because it was much quieter and easier to conceal themselves if they encountered a threat, so I knew something was up when I heard the horse. Then I saw it, and it was a handsome bay animal indeed! I love horses so of course I would notice a fine animal Jsuch as this one

The rider did not seem to be in any particular hurry – he must have been on a long journey because I think he was pacing his horse. He dismounted only a few feet away from where I was sitting, and loosened the girth of his saddle to allow the animal to rest and drink. I sat, silent, observing the handsome young Ranger, who I recognised by his attire as a Captain. I must admit I was quite fascinated by him – here was a man in a position of such trust and authority, and yet he seemed so young (although he was very sure of himself and completely at ease in his role). I found myself feeling strangely connected to this stranger, as if I had known him before (but being so deep in the woods, you can imagine that other than those needing my assistance for healing or magic, I did not have too many visitors).

I could not sit silent any longer – and yet I did not want to break the moment, so rather than speak to him (as he appeared not to have noticed my presence) I merely moved my fingers on the surface of the water so as to make a small sound. Of course he heard it, and he was somewhat startled to see me when he turned to see what had made the noise *chuckles*. I remember the way his eyes flickered for an instant as he registered my presence, and then met my own eyes….it was as if time and space had been suspended and we were the only two beings present, our energies instantly connecting and even merging.

I do not remember who spoke first, I think it may have been Alandriel….but I remember that his voice was like a quiet melody that touched my very soul in ways that I cannot even begin to describe….and I knew, in that instant, that this was Des’tai….we were fated to walk together. He knew it, too….I don’t think either of us said a word for the longest time, there was no need because our energy and our souls had connected on the deepest level…but I do know that it was a long time before either of us so much as moved, and when we did, it was the simplest of things….we both took a step toward each other and I think at the same instant, touched each others faces. And in that moment I knew without any doubt that I was his, and would be always.

It was with great reluctance that Alandriel remounted his horse and continued on his errand (I think he was delivering a message in addition to his regular patrol duties), and I remember feeling the instant that he had gone, like something was missing, almost as if a part of me was gone.

An Elven Tale.....Part 1, Alandriel's Introduction

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:37:24 GMT

(note: this story has evolved from a series of conversations with a close friend of Mine, kind of into an "Interview with Elves" type of tale, but what a tale they will tell! it is still very much in rough draft form as the Elves have not told Me anywhere NEAR the full story, so forgive the current format as it is far from finished!)

Setting:
A forest world, not unlike Earth in the Middle Ages, populated by the various Elenari races. The main characters in this history appear to belong to the Tulari race of the Elenari (Elves). The two main participants in our tale are Alandriel Tiluri'el, a Ranger, and Ariena Firielow, a healer.

The Beginning (or, an overview as told by Alandriel, in the somewhat stilted language of one whose native tongue is not English):

Although the name of the world is unknown to me, I remember it was all covered with forests and lakes. The only exception were the wastelands, there were living more races I think, along with us Elves, there were some human villages as well. We formed alliance with some of them, but humans weren´t commonly seen in our cities, only in special cases. There should live some other magical creatures as well. I know we had a technology similar to the Earth middle ages; the difference was that we had a highly developed magic, I would say both defensive and offensive, I think we were much more tended to violence and martial arts as well. Concerning the rules, there was the royal family and the council making the decisions. Army was a normal thing as I remember it, but not in a human sense, we formed small squads with a maximum of 10, each having a leader. I was one of the leaders of one group, our duty was to ensure the safety of our borders. The groups were as I see it, differed into guards and rangers, each fulfilling a slightly different role. I was the ranger, whose orders were to keep the borders and surrounding forests safe from any intruders. So as for guards they were present in larger settlements. The only "city" I remember was the palace being all made from a white/grey rocks, there was nothing else being built from stone. We all lived in the tree houses forming small communities, the royal family and the council was the only exception, living in the palace. The palace itself, as I remember it, was a circular complex of buildings surrounded by a wall, it had a lot of terraces and open roofs, on the outskirts of the palace there were some tree houses.

I was somehow part of a cult, the leader of which was in a rank of a high priest, our cult didn´t work secretly, but wasn´t public either, the council was aware of our existence and sometimes giving us orders. We were quite a small group since others followed something else.

I still don´t know much about it, but one thing I remember is the end of our race, and meaning that we actually were destroyed by both Corruption that Elenari speak of, and the war that followed.

I was an Elf, I simply knew it, and I was a part of Elven community living in some land (don´t know where) I was a Ranger, a leader of a small warrior group, but that doesn´t mean we were freelancers. In that country there were many small groups with a Captain (lets call it this way), but during this specific time, there were not many left of us, truly we were leaving the land with the remains of our "empire" , many battles were fought during those times, and my group was among the last complete ones.

Since I was one of the more Experienced ones, except my squad I had been given to command the rest of our forces, we left to the village, we thought was the only remaining human village loyal to Us, but there we faced a betrayal, No one blamed the humans for doing so, we were but a small party of men and women, last living of our race, soldiers , nobles, farmers,... The village refused to help us, and we were left alone to our fate, with no one to help us, finally the enemy caught us.

We fought with bravery, I heard and felt all the deaths of my brethren passing to another realms. Members of my group were amongst the last fighting, we hurried the surviviors to flee, and we covered the retreat. We tried to hide in the human village, but they refused us shelter, and soon one by one all of us were killed, until only I, captain of the now unexisting race stood alone in the massacre. They caught me alive, laughing and condemning me to live without my lost nation. Then they showed me that there were two more , two Elves, one a high ranked female , she was was a princess, a sorceress of my race. The second was a male , I didn´t know him, but had seen him many times before but I was unable to recall from where. We three were the last, condemned to live with the thought that there will be no more of us...exiled.... until the end of our days...

In the next instalment, Ariena goes back to the beginning of the tale....

(c) 2008 Daniel MacBride

Small Fry Fingerless Gloves Pattern

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:38:47 GMT

OK, so I am on a roll with designing at the moment LOL....these were a spur of the moment knit for Ethan this afternoon after he saw some gloves I got in a swap :)

Small Fry Fingerless Gloves by Daniel MacBride

This is the prototype version of a very simple fingerless mitt pattern for approximately a 4 year old, future versions will have different sizing options and other variations :)

Pattern below the cut.....

Yarn: 8ply/DK

Needles: 4mm DPNs

2 stitch markers

Gauge: 6st/8rows to 1 inch

Abbreviations: CO = cast on

K = knit

PM = place marker

M1 = Make 1 (knit into the strand of yarn before the next stitch)

FBF= Increase in next stitch by knitting into front, back and front again (2 extra stitches)

Finished circumference at knuckles: 6 inches (yes, my 4yo DOES have hands that big!)

Cast on 36 stitches and distribute evenly over 3 DPNs. Join, and knit 12 rounds of K2, P2 rib (total length 1 ½ inches).

Knit 4 rows stockinette.

Thumb gusset:

On next round, K across needle 1, then on needle 2, K4, PM, M1, K4, M1, PM, K4; knit plain across needle 3.

R2: K around.

Increase as established between markers every second round until you have 12 stitches between markers.

K across needle 1, on needle 2 K3, FBF, place all sts between markers on waste yarn, FBF, K3; K across needle 3. (Total 48 st).

Knit 4 rounds stockinette.

Knit 6 rounds K2, P2 rib, cast off in rib.

Thumb:

Put 1 stitch from waste yarn onto a DPN, pick up 4 stitches across middle of thumb, place 1^st stitch from other side of waste yarn onto same DPN. Split remaining stitches from waste yarn onto 2 DPNs (5st each needle) and K 2 rnds.

K 5 rounds K2, P2 rib, cast off in rib.

Weave all ends – voila! It’s that simple! If you have any questions or any problems with the pattern, feel free to email me :)

Copyright 2008 Daniel MacBride. I am happy for people to use this pattern as much as they like - but if you want to share it, please give credit where credit is due ;)

Crochet Pattern - Kinkier ;)

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:58:12 GMT

Alright, here we go, here at long last is my first effort at writing out a crochet pattern! I designed and crocheted this collar based on the Kinks bondage cuffs in the AntiCraft book, more or less to go with ;)

Kinkier by Daniel MacBride

Pattern below the cut.....

Materials: 1 ball SWTC Amaizing yarn in the colour of your choice
                  4.5mm and 3mm crochet hooks
                  3 2-inch D-rings
                  Oddment of black yarn (I used Naturally Yarns Stella 100% Bamboo)

Gauge: approximately 5st and 6 rows/1 inch

Abbreviations: ch = chain
                          sc = single crochet (AU/UK double crochet)
                          sl st = slip stitch
                          sk = skip

Ch 16, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc to end, ch1, turn (15st).
Make approx 18 rows sc total as above, making sure to ch1 and turn at end of each row (to measure 3 inches).
On the next row (right side), sc 2 stitches, then crochet the next 11sc around the flat part of the first D-ring, and then sc the last 2 stitches, ch 1, turn.
Make another 17 rows of sc, then add the second D-ring in the same manner as the first (on the same side).
Make another 17 rows of sc as before, add the 3rd D-ring in the same way, then sc another 18 rows.
On the final row, instead of making a ch1 and turn, make (sc, ch1, sc) in the end stitch and continue in sc along the long side of the collar, making 1 sc in each row along the side. Sc, ch1, sc in each corner around, and when you get to the first short side, sc along it, then sc back to the first corner, and ch4, sk2st and sc in next st.
Repeat this along the row (working towards the second long side) and on the final loop, sk3 and sc, ch1, sc in the final st of the row. Continue in sc along the second long side, then make the corner sc, ch1, sc, sc along the short side, and back again to the corner, and repeat the loops as per the first side (reversing them so that on the first loop you sk3st instead of 2, to match the first side).

When you finish the loops, fasten off and thread the ends in, take the black yarn and a smaller hook (about 3mm) and crochet a length of chain about 12-18 inches long. Thread the black chain through the loops at the back of the collar in the same manner as you would lace a corset, and tie them in a bow at the bottom :)

There you go, that was easy, wasn't it! :) If you have any questions about the pattern feel free to email Me or leave a comment here and I will do My best to answer them.

Copyright 2008 Daniel MacBride. If you want to share this pattern, feel free, but please give credit where credit is due ;)

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:18:01 GMT

"Where Will You Go" - Evanescence

You’re too important for anyone
You play the role of all you long to be
But I, I know who you really are
You’re the one who cries when you’re alone

But where will you go
With no one left to save you from yourself
You can’t escape
You can’t escape

You think that I can’t see right through your eyes
Scared to death to face reality
No one seems to hear your hidden cries
You’re left to face yourself alone

But where will you go (where will you go)
With no one left to save you from yourself
You can’t escape
The truth
I realize you’re afraid (I realize)
But you can’t abandon everyone
You can’t escape
You don’t want to escape

I’m so sick of speaking words that no one understands
Is it clear enough that you can’t live your whole life all alone?
I can hear you when you whisper
But you can’t even hear me screaming

Where will you go (where will you go)
With no one left to save you from yourself
You can’t escape
The truth
I realize you’re afraid (I realize)
But you can’t reject the whole world
You can’t escape
You won’t escape
You can’t escape
You don’t want to escape

I miss you, babygirl...