It seemed as if all of Relkath’s Foot was gathered in the merchant square at the foot of the great palace tree in celebration as she stood before the five heroes who had done such great service to the Yuir that they were truly deserving of both the recognition and gifts she was bestowing upon them. “I present you with these cherished heirlooms from the days of Brindor… and name you in their honor. Go forth as the Twilight Blades, and may you bring hope and security to the Yuir… and Aglarond… as you are united by this name.” Princess Blindelsyn Olossyne shot up from a dead sleep, dazed and shocked by the vivid images that were already fading form her conscious mind, to find herself alone in her bed. Her dreams had been dark of late, but she could not remember them upon waking; only the lingering foreboding that often left her shivering with fear. However, this was different. She sensed that this was no mere dream… it was a premonition, and, although their faces had already slipped away from her, she knew the five people she had bestowed the enchanted daggers upon would be of great importance to her, the people of the Yuirwood and Aglarond. Slipping from her bed, she glided across her bedchamber, a marvel of elven high magic, grown from the living palace tree that towered over Relkath’s Foot, the largest settlement with in the Yuirwood, named for an ancient god of the forest who was said to slumber deep in the earth, and looked out across the tree tops from her balcony. The Yuirwood was truly a magical place. Once it covered the entire peninsula that is now Aglarond and housed Yuireshanyaar, an ancient kingdom of star and wood elves, which was magically shifted into the demi-plane of Sildeyuir over two thousand years ago, leaving behind the enigmatic menhir stone circles and an effect that hides all within the forest from magical scrying and detection. But since those days many ills have befallen the Yuir. The wood elves who were left behind when the star elves fled were now almost exclusively half-elven, having interbred with the humans who cleared the coastlands and founded the kingdom of Velprin, and whose greed for more land ignited a war that ended when her ancestor, Brindor, forced peace upon them and was crowned as the first king of the united Aglarond over three hundred years ago. She sighed as a light breeze caressed her naked skin, and wondered if her dream was a portent of better days ahead, for, although she and her brother, Branelwyr, serve the queen of Aglarond, the powerful mage known as the Simbul, a seething unrest with in the Yuir whispered for them to reclaim all the land for a forest kingdom, while voices amongst the coast-landers call for the restoration of old Velprin. But such troubling thoughts were too much for her weary mind, and only fed the dark dreams that haunted her night after night. Turning back to her bed, with one more glance over her shoulder at the tranquil forest she loved so dearly, she hoped the day she had dreamt of was not far off; for both she and her people needed such heroes, not only to protect them from the dark things that seemed to creep ever farther into their home, but to give them hope for a brighter future. Settling her head back on her pillow and sighing with hopes for relief from her troubled thoughts, she couldn’t know that things were already in motion to bring her dream to life, or that first an evil that lurked closer at hand than she would have believed possible was to strike at the Yuir… as well as the heart of her most trusted friend… and that someone forgotten by those who abandoned the forest so long ago was remembering that betrayal and laying claim to an innocent soul. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** I decided to combat my writers block by going back and updating an old series of images and narratives. This is probable on of my longest series; 22 images and narratives so far. I hope you enjoy!