T W I N S

[Tosali]

..Macha Morrigan and Badb; Triple Goddess... Please hear my prayers. It is said that Elves and Humans must go into war once more. I ask you not to take care of me but to those loyal to King Balor and Prince Nuada to come to an agreement. If they choose war, then guide them through battle... if not, then give them luck to make peace with humans once more....

This were the words the elf recited in a whisper a dozen times. Her offerings; gold, wine and food.. along with the finest incence brought from orient by hundreds of fortune goddeses. She spent the whole time praying from sunset to sunrise. Had Tosali been expecting a sign from the gods to asure her everything would work out just fine, the beauty of the sunset would have been enough.
The first rays of sunlight fell upon everything around her turning the dark green of nature into golden-like intrincate paterns of plants. Such a beautiful view contrasted with that of the leather warrior outfit she had made for that ocation... after all, sumoning the goddeses of war demanded a proper covering too.
Tosali was hoping her offerings and prayer did not offend the goddeses; she hadn't been instructed to be a priestess, and neither did remain a single elven priest of her tribe.

How many places on earth are still as pure as this one? She thought; the lake seemed as if it had swallowed the moon, a huge silvery disc that refused to hide right away when the sun appeared on the other side of the sky. Watching the moon and sun sharing the sky was indeed a breathtaking sight.

Having completed her requests, and slightly tired about spending the night awake, she thought a little rest was deserved.
Leaving aside all she brought with her, she stripped to have a bath. The water was surprisingly warm, almost as if it was inviting her to go in and enjoy. The woman stepped in, her body just as pale and her hair just as bright as the moon itself.
A very soft wind was blowing, soft enough to make the leaves and plants rustle in a murmur... This was heaven; no mournfull voices, nor upseting chants of the spirits could be heard, atleast not for now.
Only her beloved harp, and a set of golden bow and arrows made her company.

Days had come, winters had gone,
and we gamboled like siblings in Paradise.
I was your knight, holding you tight
as a brother when I saw your crying eyes.
Time went by and we had to say goodbye...

Tosali shook her head and continued to detangle her silvery hair and remove what was left of the brownish dye... Sometimes she just wished it wasn't necesary to hide her elvish looks to be able to walk on street without the curious staring.
A little tune was stuck in her head. It was a song she hadn't thought of in a long time, and wondered why would it come up at the moment.
Sadly, the woman remembered some minutes later the reason for which she knew the song; even though it was a nice song, it reminded her of one of the times humans had caught her offguard and had tried to kill her. Tosali smiled, another memory linked to such song was that of a long lost lover.
The woman continued to sing to herself as she crawled onto a big rock above the water, and lay there looking up at the sky.

Stepbrother tell me where have you been
when they brought me to this godforsaken place.
Sign of the cross - they took me away
for healing with herbs by the way of grace.
Now I wait for the day to feed the flames...

[Prince Nuada]

A high figure dressed in a beautiful blue tunic greyish appeared in that temple of prayer and that seemed to shine in view of the moon transforming the prince into a beautiful marble statue. He had gathered his long hairs in an elegant silver pigtail. His strong hands were tied about his strong belly in solemn gesture making to slide the sleeves of his elegant tunic without showing any portion of his marmoreal skin. He always so cautious and so protective with regard to his intimacy. About so many years that he had not visited that temple of prayer, the temple that he had always visited always with his mother and his sister. His yellow eyes were squinted lightly when they saw the figure of that elv and her thoughts were read by him doing that his lips were showing a thin smile.

Prince Nuada had returned to his hearth, to his world after so many centuries exiled and all the beings knew it, knew about his return how also his father and his sister already knew it. With slow and proud step it walked close to her without stopping looking at the imploring figure while it heard those angelical singings that begun to be heard after the appearance of his prince. Alone Nuada was looking at it fixedly leaving that a long tuft of his long hairs will release of his pigtail and it will rub lightly his face for the soft rumour of that wind. Making use of those moments in which she was so absorbed in her prayers, his eyes kept on seeing it as crawled onto to big rock above the toilet and lay there looking up at the sky.

"You prefer the care of your king and of your prince before proper yours. That loyal you are... but the battle between the human beings and the elves it is been written my lady. And you cannot avoid this" Nuada now was to her side standing in a few moments and to kneel down to her side to observe it thoroughly. His long tunic did a smooth sound being opened lightly to show his legs and his thighs muscular and covered by a few dark gray pants and a few shining black boots.

[Tosali]

Tosali was aware that someone else had entered the temple, yet out of respect she did not make an effort to guess who could it be. Anyway, it wasn't her bussiness, and most probably it was someone who had come to pray his or her worries away.. But at the same time, knowing this temple wasn't very frecuented anymore made her feel slightly curious. She then tried to focus on her prayers as much as she could; even though she wasn't sure how to do that with propiety, she hoped that the gods would atleast notice by her means. Perhaps that was the same reason for which she had wore crimson and beige clothes. Red was the color of the gods, and beige was one that made her think of peace. Her robes were slightly big for her, for they had been once of her now deceased brothers.

After she finished praying she went outside without looking back. The beauty of the temple and it's adorned walls and columns competed with that of nature outside. How beautifull the place was by its own right... reminiscent of ancient days of glory.
The moon, sun and stars outside gleamed as jewels on a dome; the water of the neighboring lake reflecting the light as fine mirror of haunting beauty. Such sight could make anyone find peace, and if humans had ever found this place by mistake they would have surely mistaken it heaven.
Memories of old came back to her as she intended to took a bath in the lake, only to be mesmerized and distracted by them in the shape of a song. The feeling she had as she sang could only be shadowed by that she felt as she played for the elven nobles in court to entertain them. How proud her parents would have been to know their younguest daughter now lived among them; and her siblings, they would not have had to worry for her anymore.

The wind which seemed to caress with its gentleness everything that could be seen, whispered to the woman's ear. This was a signal indeed, even though after all this years she still wasn't entirely able to understan the wind's words. She washed her face and hair one last time, and walked out of the water dressing up in a simple gown as she sang a little more. Finding a rock that would make a nice spot to admire as far as her eyes could see, she climbed up and sat there.
Not very long after sitting there, she felt someone coming. It was another elve.

"Oh, so this is what you were trying to tell me...." The elven woman said in a whisper adressing the wind. She could feel it in the energy this being iradiated, and she could tell this one was a powerfull one. Tosali heard his footsteps quieten next to her.

"You prefer the care of your king and of your prince before proper yours. That loyal you are... but the battle between the human beings and the elves it is been written my lady. And you cannot avoid this."

Covering herself more in a humble manner, she looked up very slowly when she heard him speak. She then reassured herself this wasn't an average elf; such beauty and strength he displayed evoked reverence and respect.. yet she wasn't able to tell exactly who this man was. She knew it must be a member of royalty, but his face wasn't familiar to her as those of whom she had served. His fine manners and overall look gave her this impression. The boots he wore drew her attention for a moment, they resembled alot those that were made for the males of the Royal Family.

Tosali smiled and answered delicately, "How could I not place loyalty above all things, Heru en amin*, knowing that loyalty from all subjects is similar to that what runs trough a tree's veins? As soon as loyalty starts fading, it is very likely to foresee the tree will dry. As for war... If it is in our destiny to fight one more, then we shall face them humans with pride and claim what is ours by right." The woman frowned. Tosali wasn't entirely sure if all humans should be banished from Gaia, but she knew well that those who deserved a punishment were the inmense majority. Very rare was to find a human who deserved having its life spared.
Her big green eyes were set on those bright yellow of his.
"Aa’ lasser en lye coia orn n' omenta gurtha**,The elders would say back in the good days. Now they rip their robes in mourning manner wondering if indeed our time is over..."
Tosali trailed off as she heard a distant sound made by an airplane. She looked towards that direction, and when it was heard no more she shook her head and lowered her look. How odd.. a carriage that flies and is drawn by no beasts. What magic is this?


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*Heru en amin: my lord
** Aa’ lasser en lye coia orn n' omenta gurtha: May the leaves of our life tree never turn brown.

[Prince Nuada]

Nuada when it entered that temple, all the lights were done more and more brilliant, the marble of the columns and of the soils they shone reflecting his high figure to every step slow and ceremonious, worthy of the whole prince. His gray tunics were doing small waves hipnotizing that were expressing soft rustles. The ethereal singings that were resounding in that temple seemed more sweet at the arrival of prince Nuada. A light smile as thin as the knife-edge of a knife, his strong hands they were taken about his abdomen dropping the delicate sleeves to fall down like long silver gray rivers. His long hairs that were falling down on both sides of his face marmolean and his yellow eyes shone when they saw the elfa praying with so many vehemence and dedication. That beauty of paradise in which it was his world, a world that never had to be eliminated. It might not allow to see to die to his home, to his brothers and sisters. A young woman elf, praying and her face that melancholy gesture was what more brought to him the attention to Nuada. He brought over slowly accidentally to interfere in her sweet prayers and when she looked at it raise up her cautious innocent person slowly he did an elegant reverence to him taking her hands rocking them between this so that she was feeling the warm blood of the valar to cover his veins.

"That is of what this innocent person is afraid elfa?. Why does it pray with so many vehemence?. It is not going to be said to your Prince, Prince Nuada". He declared proudly lifting lightly the chin and doing that his eyes were becoming closer in two golden lines. He heard her fear, the fear to which her world that also was his and that had been sworn if the same to protect it with his life, even 'protector' was meaning his name." You must not feel fear, must not be afraid because we will manage to keep on existing in our world. The leafs of our life will never be able to be browns, they will never disappear, my lady. I promise you".

Nuada lightly with soft steps moved away from her thinking about that one of being that it had filled to him so much with life, which had made him see the things otherwise, open his eyes for a world that he had never seen. It closed the eyes hearing the soft noise of the airplane that was flying in a sky that was darker and darker and that was already receiving to the night.