Lorne, a land of beauty placed within the clouds. Endless meadows covered in array of beautiful, sweet smelling flowers. Bright, baby blue skies and air so pure it can refresh a person with a light wind. This land separated from the mortal world is the home of the guardians, Demetria and Elidan, and their beautiful daughter, Elara.
Demetria is the Guardian of Nature, and her role as such requires her to balance the laws of nature and watch over the condition of the world. She delivers water, sun shine, and nourishment to those who need their crops to grow. She makes sure the flowers bloom in the spring and that the trees leaves fall in the autumn. She keeps the Earth alive and beautiful. Many mortals gave her a name without knowing it, they call her “Mother Nature.” A nickname she is amused by and accepts, but she knows it was the Muses who really created it through the mortals of Earth, for she believes the mortals of Earth are not capable of creativity without the Muses. Her beauty is known through out the Heavens. Her brown hair like that the color of chestnut that she lets hang down below her shoulders and her eyes were bright blue like the skies above her and she has the voice of an angel. She looks the age of a woman in her early thirties though she is many centuries older than thirty.
Elidan was her husband and the Keeper of Time. He balances time throughout the years and makes sure the sun sets and that time continues as it should. He can also stop time, if necessary. Elidan is centuries old too but also doesn't look it. He has some gray going throughout his dark hair, but not to much and his facial hair still is the same color of black as its been for years. Like Demetria, he too has earned a nick name from the mortals, “Father Time.” A name he wishes to not acknowledge despite the teases he gets from Demetria. Elidan does not like the mortals or their world. He sees it as nothing but a world of evil, and the people are nothing but devils that roam it and destroy everything beautiful his wife bestows upon them.
Elara looks the age of a girl in her late teens, but she was born half a century ago. Her hair is a light reddish color, her eyes are the marvelous green of a spring meadow. Her skin was the color of a medium beige and had the glow of a freshly bloomed flower. Like her mother she had the voice of an angel which at times she likes to sit with her mother and just sing with her. She is destined to be the next Guardian of Nature, but only when she has mastered the abilities she has inherited and she fully understands the balance of nature and the Earth's entity. Through the training of her mother she has learned to control the fire of her soul and bring it forth in it's form. It comes out as a yellowish flame which covers her hands and sometimes her arms depending how powerful she makes it, and she can controls where it goes and she can slow its progression and she can stop it all together. Demetria has said many times that she can stop man-made ones when its necessary. She says “its a form of power that man can't fully harness, they know it and still they try and therefore a lot of the time the world is damaged from their irresponsibility.”
She also inherited an ability from her father. She can move objects and stop them in mid air. Her father has shown her how to improve her skills and with proper practice she has mastered it. Her parents have both said that with time more of her powers will emerge, but as of now she only can control fire and move things. She has received other training from her father, he was a great warrior before he became the Keeper of Time in fact that's how he earned the title was in a fight to see who was strong enough to protect the power and who had the strength to control it. He has trained her to fight since she was young. He says there may be times that she may need to defend herself and her mother and he might not be here, but she could never imagine it. The truth was that someday he would need to find someone to replace him and since she had no siblings, he would have to wait until he met someone worthy.
Elara was sitting with her mother in the meadow and together they were each making a crown out of flowers. A hobby they each shared and when done they would trade and each would wear the others. While sitting there Elara stopped and glanced at her mother, without stopping her activity or looking up Demetria said, “Yes, Elara I know what it is that you want, and you know I can't give you permission without your father's blessing. You just have to respect his wishes for now. ”
With annoyance in her voice she says, “For now... Mother, I have been asking repeatedly for almost twenty-five years, and the only person who is even capable of helping me change his mind keeps telling me to respect his wishes. I mean you went down to the world before you took up the title. Why can't I?”
Demetria stops and glances at her daughter with much inclination, “My dear daughter, as I have mention several times before, the world was much different then. Men weren't as sinister or as blood-thirsty. It is very dangerous down there, even for us eternals. Your father is merely worried about your safety.”
“Then how am I suppose to understand the Earth if I can't experience it first hand?” said Elara with disappointment in her voice. After awhile of sitting in silence Elara took in a breath and said in a content voice, “Mother, my apologies, I am acting as a child would and I know I must respect father's choice. I just want to have adventures before all my time is demanded up here. I feel it would help me in the future is all. I want to make sure I am as great of a guardian as you. I know you both feel it's a silly dream and I won't bring it up again.”
Demetria stood and placed her finished crown upon Elara's head. Then she leaned down and kissed her daughter's cheek. “My dear, none of your dreams are silly to me. I love that you have such dreams, and you won't be as great as a guardian as me, you will be much better.” She smiled down at Elara who gave a slight, unconvincing smile back. Then her mother walked away, leaving Elara to finish her flower crown and to sit alone with her thoughts and disappointment.
Demetria walked into the Horologe Emporium, which was the area where Elidan kept track of the times and years. Hourglasses filled the room each dispensing sand from the upper half to the lower half ranging from gigantic sizes to very tiny sizes. Clocks from all around the world and from many centuries were positioned on the walls with different region's times on them. Demetria was fascinated with this room. She knew nothing of their mechanics and Elidan seemed to have a new clock on the walls each time she visited.
“My dear husband, do you have the time to visit with me for a while?” Said Demetria jokingly.
“My dear I have all the time in the world.” He laughed after saying it. “I am more than willing to spare some for your company.” He turned and gazed upon his wife, for her beauty seemed to always amaze him as if looking upon her for the first time. “What is it that brings you here, my dear?”
“Our daughter's disappointment. I think we should discuss her going down.” Said Demetria preparing for what she new wasn't going to be a pleasant discussion.
“Demetria, NO! The new year is coming within a week I must concentrate on my work.”
“Elidan our daughter should be MORE important than your work. You were free to converse with me earlier, but now you change? This is inevitable my dear, she must go down to the world. It will be good for her. She can't grow here. She needs this.” she said with sternness.
Elidan's anger showed in his voice though he tried to refrain it, “Demetria, you know how bad it is down there. She's not ready. I am not ready to send our only child down there. You have never disagreed with me on this before why now?”
“Our daughter's sadness I can't bear. She will be fine, Elidan. She will be almost mortal, yes, but she has your strength and your bravery, I know she will be more than fine, and she is right she needs to go down there to understand the world and it's balance.” She walks over and wraps her arms around her husband and lays her head on his back. “Trust me my love, I know what I'm doing.”
“I hope so. I don't want anything to happen to her.” He turns and holds his wife's soft hands in his and then lifts one to his lips and kisses the back of it. He looks into her eyes and with fear he says, “She is my life, just as you are, if I lost you two I dunno how I could manage.”
“You won't, I promise.” She kisses him and then turns and walks away out of the room and when she leaves from his sight she sits and begins to cry. “My daughter. Do not prove me wrong. Please” She was terrified, for Elidan was right, the Earth was filled with mostly devils and she feared they would take her daughter away, but Elara needed this.
After Elidan prepared himself, Demetria and him called upon Elara. When she arrived they bestowed the news on her. When she heard the words she could not believe it, then when she realized it was no dream she jumped up and wrapped her arms around her parents and hugged them. They both embraced her as well, hugging her tight. Then she asked, “When do I leave?”
Elidan walked over and kissed her cheek and smiled. “My dear let me tell you some things. When you are down on Earth there will be some things you need. A parcel will be there with clothes, A sack to carry your things, some food, and a thing called money.”
“Money?” she had no idea what this was.
“Money is what you trade for items in this world. I will make sure you have all you will need. Now you remember the numbers I have taught you.”
“Yes father I know all of the math you have taught me.”
“Good the numbers are on the front and back and so math will be important. Just as the reading and writing we taught you. And then there is this.” He holds up a ring made of silver. “This my dear is a ring made to bring you home if you really want to come back. Just rub a finger over it and say 'Lorne' and you will be here. Also when you want to go back do the same thing only say 'Earth'. Do you understand?”
“Yes father,” She put the ring on her finger and smiled, “thank you so much for this.”
“My daughter, do not thank me it is your mother you should thank. I still don't agree with this but maybe this way I can get some peace from this topic.” He said jokingly.
She turned and again hugged her mother tight. She kissed her on the cheek and smiled at her mother, who smiled back with tear filled eyes. “Do not make me regret this child.” She said almost crying.
“I won't mother, I will make you both proud and I will come back.” Elara said excited. “So, how does this work?”
With that her mother stepped away and her father came and stood by Demetria's side and wrapped his arms around his wife, and the everything seemed to melt away and a tight feeling engulfed her stomach and then she threw up. She sat down and realized that she was cold and her clothes were not that warm. She looked around and saw the parcel and she put on the clothes she was provided. A long sleeve, green shirt with a rose in front and a hood on the top, brown pants that fit comfortable and not too tight, it also had pockets all around it, also she had socks and dark blue shoes with strings coming out. After pulling the strings to make the shoes tight she stuffed the strings inside the shoes. She checked the rest of the bag, there was the money, a lot of it. There was also some water and fruit, and a watch and a crown made of flowers. She smiled at this, a gesture from her mother and father. She missed them already, but she was more excited to be on Earth. She stood and looked around. She saw nothing but trees and a black road. She took a breath, and thought, “Not very impressive.” So she picked up her bag and started her way towards the many adventures awaiting her.
Elara #2 coming soon!