Hello, Everyone!
Last time, Mary finally managed to talk to Balaine Endoras about her family. Remember, we previously found out that she was originally from Myth Adofhaer and all her family was dead. Now she learned that her grandmother and grandfather died, protecting Myth Adofhaer from something important (although she didn't find out what, as it was classified).
The actual thing she wanted to know, however, was why did her father have to die as well.
"What happened to Halas?" Mary repeated. “After Falka and Terros died, what became of their son? Did he have any other family?”
Her voice almost broke when she asked that last question. For a brief moment, she imagined having a family here--uncles and aunts, cousins or even siblings. She imagined meeting them and telling them who she was, and getting them to tell her more about the parents she never knew.
“No, he didn’t,” Endoras said, destroying her hope. “He was left in Myth Adofhaer’s care, to nurture and educate him. We kept his heritage a secret, even from him, because Falka's enemies would not have hesitated to bring their vengeance upon him. So, he grew under our care. I was, in fact, one of his teachers. Knowing who his parents were, we were hoping he would exhibit their talents. But it was in vain. It seemed that the arcane and mundane Arts of combat were beyond him. He didn’t manifest a particular proficiency--or interest--in any of them.”
Mary frowned.
“So what?” she said, unexpected family pride nudging at her heart. “The fact that you didn’t find his talents doesn’t mean that he didn’t have any!”
“Perhaps,” the Elder nodded. “But it meant that he became kind of an outcast among his peers. Elven children don’t take too well to humans, and even less so when they’re not… exceptional."
Mary huffed in annoyance. The elves seemed so eager to find everybody’s usefulness that they didn’t even care what people wanted. Or felt, for that matter.
And she felt frustrated.
“Luckily,” Endoras continued, “he met his wife here. Dalia was visiting a friend in Myth Adofhaer and it seems that her and Halas’ love grew quickly. That changed things for the better.”
“Wait, Dalia had a friend here?” Mary said.
“Yes. You’ve met her, actually,” the Elder said and before Mary could ask, he continued. “Moira."
Mary's heart fluttered. Moira was her mother's friend? The woman they’d saved from being taken to Menzoberrabzan? Whose daughter--her throat tightened--whose daughter was also named Dalia?
So, her mother’s friend had named her daughter after her mother, and then her friend’s daughter had saved her mother’s friend AND her daughter. It was kinda poetic, if you thought about it. But Mary couldn’t dwell on it now. She had more things to ask about her father.
"Tell me another thing, then," she said. "We know that on the day of his passing Halas left the Archives, distraught. And then he died. How did that happen?"
The Elder looked uncertain.
“I am afraid that it might have been our fault,” he said, making Mary’s heart skip a beat.
“What?” she said, her throat suddenly very dry.
“It was a scouting party that saw him wander beyond the city limits. And since he wasn’t allowed to leave Myth Adofhaer, they followed him to bring him back. He… it seems that he thought they were chasing him with ill intent, and he ushered his horse into a gallop. It was… it was on rough terrain, and it was winter. His horse slipped and fell in a ravine.”
Balaine Endoras looked at Mary apologetically.
“It was an accident,” he said.
For almost a whole minute, Mary didn’t say anything. She was weighing the Elder’s words against what she already knew from Gillean. They matched, mostly. But there was something that didn’t stand right with her.
“Why?” she spoke slowly and flatly, voice seething with anger. “Why wasn’t Halas allowed to leave Myth Adofhaer?”
“Because he was of Myth Adofhaer,” Endoras said.
“What does that mean?”
“He was born in Myth Adofhaer and Myth Adofhaer took care of him.”
“Are you... of Myth Adofhaer?”
“Yes.”
“But nobody would stop you from leaving if you wanted to.”
“Hah! They could certainly try,” the elf sneered.
Mary closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again.
"How old was he?" she said. "When he was orphaned and your people started 'taking care' of him?"
“Just a small child. Barely able to remember his parents.”
“So, he didn't have anyone? No family, no friends, no teachers to encourage him?”
Mary thought about all the rude and snooty elves she’d encountered in the city. She thought about the Tamish Pranas-es, and the Tiriel Elaire-s, about all the side-eyes and snorts they’d endured in the short time they’d been there. She clenched her fist.
The anger was no longer just in her chest. It was burning her eyes.
“So,” she spat out like venom, “you get this child, all alone in this world and too young to even remember somebody loving him unconditionally… You take him and all his life you tell him that he’s useless. That he has no talents.” Mary’s voice was trembling with fury but she kept her words quiet. “You let him study with the ‘talented’, you let them mock him, you watch him grow up all alone and friendless… And when he tries to RUN AWAY…” This was where she finally let her words echo around her. “You chase him like an ANIMAL and get him so SCARED that he plummets to his death?!... By ‘ACCIDENT’?!”
The room fell silent. Nobody dared speak or look at Mary’s face.
“Accident!" she repeated bitterly. "And if…" She almost said 'I' but stopped herself, "if his daughter had grown up in Myth Adofhaer, would she, too, have the same fate? Would she be forbidden to leave?"
"It would be up to her parents," Endoras said, “if they were alive.”
Mary almost screamed at him. "Can't you see how wrong this is?"
"Mary," Bruno stepped in, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"What?"
"It's just their way."
"But it's wrong! And cruel! They can't hold someone in against their will! What if he'd wanted to leave, to explore, to just go away? He was a grown man at some point, and he was kept here like some kind of a… a… a pet!"
"It's not fair, I know," Balaine Endoras said.
"Then change it!” Mary said. “You are the one with the power to do so!"
He shook his head.
"It's not as easy as you think it is."
Mary clenched her fists helplessly and fell silent. She didn’t have anything else to say to this person.
Oh, my! This was so emotional, you guys! I was legit angry at the elves when our DM and I went through that conversation on our D&D table! Halas' fate was so unfair :-(
Next time, we'll see the end of that conversation. I hope Balaine Endoras apologizes, do you?
See you! Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary for the series. You're welcome!)
An important disclaimer: These are my notes from a D&D game turned into a narrative. All the worldbuilding and NPC encounters belong to our DM, and all the actions of the other main characters (Aurum and Bruno) belong to my co-players. My contribution to the story is only everything Mary-related (actions, reactions, inner thoughts), as well as the writing itself.