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of-elves-and-mad-hatters · 17 days

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"The Azure Sky" - Chapter 11

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Shadows to the Brightest Flame: Series

- The legacy of Lumia’s influence is scarred eternally into the lands of Elvendale. Burdened by a prophecy foretelling her demise and need for a successor, she watches for one capable of such power. Yet her enemies are working steadily to undo all she’s labored so long for, and it is millenia too late to make peace.

Emily Jones, heir to Eimileen, is a bold girl dedicated to protecting Elvendale, but the world she has grown so fond of is not so black and white as it seems, and the titles of Guardian of Portal and Guardian of Light may hold darker legacies some ancient elves have worked tirelessly to hide

In conjunction with the extended version of the Guardian of Light prophecy I wrote previously

Basically a rewrite of all of the Lego Elves & Secrets of Elvendale storylines with an additional arc beyond the Season 4: Into the Shadows. There will be a varying degree of deviation from canon.

Technically a crossover with Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/Silmarillion in terms of worldbuidling, as I set Elvendale as being north of Middle-Earth, cause this is fanfic and I can. So there will be mentions of the Noldor, Sindar, Silvan, and some Tolkien characters, but they will be mostly background. Definitely not an issue if you aren’t familiar with the Middle-Earth fandom; everything will still be easy to understand.

Book 1: The Azure Sky

Grieving over the unexpected death of her grandmother, Emily Jones is accidentally trapped in another world. Befriending a few young elves in an attempt to find her way home, Emily discovers many secrets about her grandmother’s past, but for every truth she learns two more questions take its place, leaving her vulnerable to darker force inhabiting this realm.

A rewrite of Unite the Magic

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10

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Chapter 11

Eimileen must have loved this place.

The small, open-air market of Urisil is like something out of a painting, surreal in the way light shines down through the silk canopies, crystals and lanterns illuminating the stalls, the structures surrounded by trees.

Emily’s gaze is darting around, trying to absorb it all, a grin helplessly plastered on her face. She doesn’t even hear Naida’s voice at first; the water elf has to tap her on the shoulder. “Emily, are you sure this will be enough? Do you need anything else?”

She looks down at the small pile of clothes Naida’s about to pay for, absorbing the question. Enough? She’s relying on the water elf’s expertise for what the mountain weather will be like, only Emily isn’t an elf, and humans seem to be frail in comparison.

“Another coat? Just to be on the safe side?”

Naida nods, and the shopkeeper suggests a fur-lined one in a dark, muted blue.

Emily reaches a hand absentmindedly to her amulet. It feels cold again, prickly with static. Unpleasant.

An intense spark jolts her finger. She recoils.

A rush of half-faded images, a memory, impress upon her mind. Her eight-year-old self trembling under a quilt on her grandmother’s couch, crying because there was a wailing thunderstorm that night and she hated the way the world looked when it was lit up by lightning.

They illuminated the dark faces in the trees, the ones too melded with the night to see any other time. And she begged her grandmother to make them go away.

Her grandmother smiled pityingly, and whispered that she was too old to be hunting spirits anymore, but not to worry, that the dark things were farther away than they appeared, and that there were barriers that kept them locked away. Because that’s how the light deals with darkness, by casting it far away.

Of course there were the few who dealt with things by swallowing the shadows, but her grandmother told her never to pay them much mind. That you should just tell them white lies because they tended to be grumpy and might not otherwise help anyone with the darkness.

Little Emily objected. Her parents said that lying was always wrong.

Her grandmother only smiled gently, tucked a strand of hair behind the child’s ear. Whispered, “Sometimes the only way to love is to lie”.

And lie, Eimileen most certainly did, only Emily isn’t sure she can see the love in that particular choice. How was concealing her own heritage, the world she’d grown up in and loved, necessary to love her human family?

“Something on your mind?”

Emily’s eyes flicker over to Naida. “Nothing…everything. I don’t know,” and she shrugs her shoulders.

“I did not mean to upset you.”

The human shakes her head. “You didn’t. Sometimes, I just feel overwhelmed, still.” She hesitates. “…and I guess it doesn’t help that this amulet continues to surprise me.”

Naida frowns. “How so?”

“Just little things. Like feeling as though it were charged with static electricity. Like sparking an old memory of my grandmother that I had forgotten…” Emily shakes her head. “I don’t know. It drew me to this realm. It wanted me to come here. But somehow I have this feeling it doesn’t like me very much. Does that sound stupid? I mean, it’s an amulet, not a person.”

Naida reaches out, just grazing the stone with her fingertips. “It is an artifact of great power. I’d be surprised if it did not behave strangely.” She tilts her head, thoughtful. “It was given to you by Eimileen. It should be loyal to you, but perhaps it is not fully confident in its new owner. Sometimes trust must be earned.” She takes a deep breath then, as if washing away her contemplations. “Come. We need to be on our way if we are to still stop by the bakery and return to the others by nightfall.”

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After regrouping that night, and a restful sleep, the five travelers began their trek up the mountain paths. They hike in single file; Aira leading with the map, Farran just over her shoulder, Emily securely in the middle of the entourage, and Naida and Azari bringing up the rear.

The human pulls her cloak tighter over her shoulders, shivers. The spots of green grass along the path are tinged with frost; she can see her breath in the crisp air. The higher they climb, the sky shifts from lavender to a crystal clear blue, unmarred by cloud and occasionally broken by birds flying in the distance.

Emily feels Naida’s eyes on her, and hears the water elf shout, “It’s time for a rest!”.

Aira jerks her head back, confused until her gaze falls on the human girl. “The path widens just around the next bend. Plenty of space to set up camp.” Emily can barely hide her sigh of relief.

The narrows path does end up widening suddenly into a clearing that had been intentionally carved into the side of the mountain. Out on the edge of outcropping, to their left, stands a dilapidated windmill. The sky is quickly dimming to dusk, and Azari builds a fire close to the face of the mountain. Emily drops to her knees, stretching out her hands to warm them. She nods in Aira’s direction,“So, how much farther to the next key?”

Azari shrugs.

Aira, overhearing, trills, “Just a few more miles!”

“And what are we looking for, exactly?” inquires Farran.

The wind elf finally seats herself around the fire, spreading the map on the ground, and reads,

“Under the wings of those who rule the skies

Buried in the dark with all they find precious

An ancient hold for a beast long dead

Forgotten by those who knew not the days of malice”

Farran’s eyes widen. “A dragon cave.”

Dragon? “Wait, do you mean like an actual fire-breathing dragon, or is that a metaphor for something?” Emily questions.

“Well, not all dragons breathe fire, but yes,” Naida confirms, “The riddle clearly points to the actual lair of one of those creatures. One long deceased.”

Azari scrunches her face, “But what on earth does the line ‘Forgotten by those who knew not the days of malice’ mean?”

Aira frowns. “Maybe it’s referring to a melkorian dragon.”

Naida mirrors her frown. “Let’s hope not. Their treasure hoards are rumored to be cursed, inciting delirium in those who linger too long.”

Emily winces at the thought. “So, what’s the difference between a melkorian dragon and other dragons?”

“Dragons are native to these lands, present at the time of creation, and friends of the northernmost elves. Melkor, an evil and powerful spirit to the south, captured a dragon and transformed it. Twisted its mind and body into a weapon of war. Its descendants we call melkorian dragons. They range from apathetic to completely wicked. Devouring sentient peoples like cattle, and hoarding gold with a compulsive greed far outweighing the natural dragons’ appreciation for beautiful gems.

It’s easy to tell the two races apart. Melkorian dragons grow to be far larger, and more powerful. Unlike other dragons, who are colorful and shimmer in the light, the scales of melkorian dragons are dull and muted in hue. They dwell along our southern borders, a frequent threat to the cities there. Though some have claimed that in rare cases, elves have been able to befriend these drakes, and redeem their natures.

The last time melkorian dragons came this far north was before elves had established permanent towns up here, just scattered settlements. A treasure hoard of their kind would be very ancient indeed, at least by our reckoning,” the water elf explains.

Emily absorbs this, picking a croissant out of the bakery bag being passed around the campfire. She pulls the bread apart, only realizing how hungry she is once she takes a bite. “If the cave was made by a dragon, which can fly, how do we know if it’s even accessible on foot?”

“We don’t,” Aira chirps. “But don’t worry, I’ve invented dozens of different ways to get around the problem of flight!”

Azari makes a nauseated expression. “Flight is a problem, all right. And something to be avoided, not solved.”

“Nonsense! Once you get over your fear of plummeting to your death…”

“Aira, stop,” Naida cuts her off. “We’re about to go to sleep, and you’re going to give Azari nightmares over a hypothetical situation.”

“Fine. But a few pegasi-sky-diving sessions would really do her a world of good.”

_________________________________

Emily opens her eyes. She blinks, slowly, the world around her seeming blurred. The air around her is heavy with fog; she can barely distinguish the forms of her sleeping friends around the remnants of their campfire.

The mist is dark, but as she peers into the night, she sees even deeper, darker shapes in the distance. They’re indistinct, fluid, with glowing blue eyes. Shadows.

Emily sits up, wary, pulling her legs to her chest. The shadows are whistling, a high-pitched almost-white noise that makes her ears ache. There are whispers, too, in her head. Overlapping, wispy phrases, aggressive, rambling on and on about mortals and the passageway.

Electric blue lightning crackles through the fog. Emily’s amulet begins to glow, shining like the shadows’ eyes. It levitates, lifting itself from the girl’s chest until the chain bites into the back of her neck.

It’s leading her.

Shaking with apprehension, Emily allows herself to be pulled to her feet. She stumbles forward, the heavy fog obscuring anything more than a couple yards ahead. She’s lead further up the narrow mountain trail, winding endlessly towards a sky she can’t see.

At some point, she’s turned sharply to the left. The girl continues walking forward, but realizes the ground feels different, absent. She looks down to see a gaping chasm beneath her.

Emily considers, for the first time, that this might be a dream.

As though air were as solid as stone, the girl is lead on. She trips when her feet meet rock again, scraping her shins on a jagged outcropping. There’s a rough-hewn path with deep gauges that perhaps could have been carved from talons, if it was ever possible for a creature to have claws as wide as a school bus.

The rock is damp from the mist, and Emily ends up sliding down the tumultuous path. Now with a scratched-up arms to match her bloody legs, she barely has time to catch her breath before the amulet drags her forward again, and enters the mouth of a monstrous cave.

The blue glow of the amulet is her only source of light, and even that is quickly swallowed up by the darkness. Every step she takes sends small, clinking objects scattering. Gold, gems, she can’t tell what kind of treasure she’s stumbling through, but the deeper she’s lead, the more her legs sink into the hoard.

Emily’s standing knee-deep when the amulet stops. Glow softening, it drops back against her chest with a soft thud, the surface crackling with static electricity. As its light dims, another light, deeper in the cave, moves towards her. It grows rapidly in size as it approaches, a dark, shadowy shape forming in its center, evolving into a humanoid shape.

Emily’s heart drops. It’s them, the presence she felt in the forest. She’s sure of it, even though a part of her mind reminds her that this could just be a dream, a nightmare.

“Who are you?” she asks, trying to still the tremor in her voice.

“Who?” the shadowy figure repeats, tilting its head. The voice is warped, but it sounds vaguely female. “Who I am never really mattered to your grandmother. She held her own assumptions as gospel. So why do you inquire? Or did she not warn her own descendant of the dangers of this realm?”

“She must have had her reasons,” Emily spits back, defensive. “And it’s too late for me to ask her now. But I can ask you why you’ve been stalking me, and how you’re somehow connected to her amulet.”

“It was a gift, and a foolish mistake.”

Emily lifts her hand, letting it hover over the jewel, feeling the sharp pricks of electricity jumping to her skin. “Is that why it hurts me? Because you regret giving my grandmother the amulet?”

“Because I made it, and Eimileen used it for something I never condoned. As long as its purpose is being abused, it will always try to find its way back to me.” The shadow’s voice grows in volume, the cave beginning to shake. “It may be yours, little half-blood, but don’t mistake ownership for loyalty. For your own sake, give the amulet to the guardian of the castle. She has sworn to safeguard it till I return to these lands.”

The shadowy figure vanishes into a wreath of blue and green light, as the ground opens up underneath Emily, crumbling away. She falls, jewels and coins pouring in after her. And far beneath, in the darkness, are hundreds of glowing blue eyes, waiting.

_______________

A/N: I can't believe it's been two years since I've updated this story, and a full year since I shared a segment of this chapter as a WIP. I'm so sorry to have made everyone wait so long! Hopefully, now that I'm over the hurdle that was this clunky chapter, I can finish the Azure Sky this year? Crossing my fingers.

#secrets of elvendale #lego elves #fanfiction #emily jones #fanfic #azari firedancer #aira windwhistler #naida riverheart

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of-elves-and-mad-hatters · 2 years

Text

“The Azure Sky” - Chapter 10

Masterlist

Request Guidelines

Shadows to the Brightest Flame: Series

In conjunction with the extended version of the Guardian of Light prophecy I wrote previously

Basically a rewrite of all of the Lego Elves & Secrets of Elvendale storylines with an additional arc beyond the Season 4: Into the Shadows. There will be a varying degree of deviation from canon.

Book 1: The Azure Sky

A rewrite of Unite the Magic

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

___________________

Chapter 10

Aira holds out the ragged map, frowning. “We’ll have to go back to the ship.”

“What? Why?” Farran inquires.

The air elf rolls the map back up, sighing. “The next key is far up the Drevklan Mountains. We’ll need to get more supplies, and some cold weather clothing. The trek will probably take a few days there and back, if not longer. The location of the key is beyond where I’ve traveled in the past.”

Naida nods. “Alright, but there’s no reason for all of us to go. Make up a list and Farran and Azari will go back to get the supplies. Scout out a site for a suitable base camp, and Emily and I will buy some extra food for the journey back at Johnny’s bakery, and walk to Urilis to find some suitable clothes for her too.”

The air elf finds that agreeable, and sets out north. Emily watches her disappear in the distance. The mountains are taller than anything she’s seen in her life; they are sharp, jagged peaks breaking up the sky. And the sky hanging over them isn’t blue, but bears the same hues of grey and purple that color the mountains. There’s a slight haze there too, not enough to be a fog or even a mist, just a slight blur in some areas. Places Emily has to blink a few times to get her eyes to focus.

Farran accepts his job more relunctly, though his grumbing has more to do with his partner than his task. Naida manages to shoo the earth and fire elves off, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Naida never considered sarcasm to have a place in her decorum.

The water elf turns to Emily, smiling gently. “Urisil is around two miles from here through the grove,” she gestures westward, where the human notices a cobblestone road peeking through the edge of the trees. “Are you up to going now, or do you need to rest a while longer?”

Emily nods. “I’m alright, we can go.”

“Good. We’ll stop at the bakery on the way back. Everyone should be back here by nightfall.” She waits for Emily to catch up with her, and leads them steadily down the trail.

Naida’s pace isn’t brisk, but not noticeably slow, either. She seems to sort of slide across the ground, barely letting her weight rest on her feet. Emily’s quiet steps seem suddenly loud in comparison. She tries to move more softly, but without success. She ends up sticking her hands in her pockets and looking down at the ground.

“Oh, Emily?”

“What?”

Naida gestures towards her face. “Your ears. You should cover them while we’re in the village. It wouldn’t be wise to spread the news of a human wandering around this far north.”

Emily reaches up and undoes her braid, smoothing sections over her ears and the sides of her face. “Better?”

“Yes, that will be fine.”

They walk along, Emily tapping her fingers nervously. “Do you think they did the right thing?”

The water elf looks at her quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think the five sisters did the right thing by opening the portal to the human realm?”

“I…” Naida looks away, “I really don’t know. Like I had said before, I think Nuala regrets it, but I don’t know if she does because creating the portal itself was a bad thing, or because of the elves’ reaction to them doing it.”

“But what do you think?”

“I honestly do not know enough to have an opinion.”

Emily swallows. “But ever since I got here you’ve been focused on nothing but getting rid of me.”

Naida’s eyes open wide. “Just because I am aware of how some elves perceive humans does not mean I share their views. All I’m trying to do is get you back home safely; do you really think I just want to get rid of my cousin that I’ve barely had the chance to met?”

Emily stills. “I didn’t think of it that way.” A smile flickers on her face. “We are cousins, aren’t we? I mean technically second cousins but still…” She looks around at the forest, at the glimmering leaves, and breathing the air that tastes almost sweet. There’s a kind of energy throughout it all, one that weaves itself through the trees and the ground and deep into her bones. “I can’t believe there was this whole other part of my heritage, family, part of me that I never knew about.”

Naida frowns, considering. “Do you not want to go home?”

“No, I do, it’s just…I don’t know how I can leave this all behind. To just leave and pretend it never happened. I don’t think I could live with that either…” Emily sighs. “I don’t know. I’m overwhelmed trying to wrap my head around all of this, of elves and portals being real and my grandmother having kept so many secrets from me when I thought we were so close…and having a cousin who can manipulate the ocean with her mind.” The girl smiles at that last statement.

Naida smiles in return. She walks over and drapes her arm over Emily’s shoulder. “We’ve still got one key left to find, and the location of the portal after that. And when we’ve made it that far we’ll figure out the next step, and the next, and we’ll do what we can to make sure you don’t have to choose because this realm and the one you came from.”

Emily leans into the embrace. “Thank you,” she whispers.

And they keep holding on to each other the rest of the way to Urisil.

#the azure sky #lego elves #unite the magic #background lotr crossover #emily jones #naida riverheart #aira windwhistler #azari firedancer #farran leafshade #familial relationships #friendships #fanfiction #fandom #elvendale #elvendale fandom

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