haebin | Sharing: The Mistress of the Shadowland; The next Chapter

Hey hey, lovelies!
Here is the newest chapter. Please enjoy!
It's about Love and trusting each other.
♥

The warm rays of the sun high in the firmament caressed Trálír's skin. He had positioned himself so that Anwyn, who was lying beneath him, did not have to bear his full weight, for the high elf lay half on her side. He rested his face on her bosom and listened to the steady beat of her heart with his eyes closed. Trálír concentrated with pleasure on the gentle touch of her fingertips caressing his shoulder blade while her chin rested on his head. With a soft sigh, Trálír pulled Anwyn closer to him and pressed a gentle kiss on the skin between her breasts.
“You're not sleeping?” Anwyn asked in a low voice, surprised, and he lifted his face to look at her, a smile on his lips.
“Sleeping? The sleep humans need is unknown to us elves. When we want to rest or need strength, we meditate,” Trálír replied indulgently and there was an emerging curiosity in his gaze. “How much do you know about us elves, Anwyn?”

A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, a sign that his question made her uncomfortable. But she felt and knew deep in her heart that Trálír was asking out of genuine interest and that far be it from him to make fun of her ignorance or to lecture her. So she summoned up all her courage to answer.
“To be honest, not very much,” she began quietly and looked apologetically at Trálír. “I don't know much about Faerun and its inhabitants, Trálír. My world has always been small and only included my father and me, the daily chores or the odd time we had some things to do in the village. I know the nearby surroundings of the forest, the beach and of course my father and I know about the elves in the Blackwater Lands, about the castle, its ruler... your father. But this is all so far away from our everyday lives.”
Trálír listened to her words with interest, his left hand, which lay at Anwyn's waist, gently stroking the warmed skin. “Of course my father knows your castle or some of the elves by sight, as well as the lord of the castle, but there was never even a chance for him to have a conversation with them. He is responsible for the fish supplies and that was and is all that matters. The elven communities deep in the forest are hidden from us humans and I haven't seen a single one of them as long as I've been alive.” Anwyn shrugged her shoulders.

“In return, I could explain to you for what feels like an eternity what currents you need to watch out for if you want to sail east, what shape the clouds in the sky will take to indicate that a storm is on its way. Or I can tell you where to find octopods in large numbers and which places in this bay are best for finding nutritious algae that you can either use for medicinal purposes or bring to the table. Only a few people know how nutritious they are and that they can also serve as food for us humans. ”
Anwyn's voice sounded soft, almost apologetic. “All I know about the elves is what I've read in books or poems. Or what others told me about them. Elves like to be with each other, enjoy the company of their own while they don't think much of humans. They love poetry, dancing and singing. And some of them are interested in magic. I have read that there are some powerful magicians among your ranks.”
“And the experiences you personally had with elves were not the best,” Trálír stated and he saw Anwyn nod in confirmation.
“At least as far as your father and some of the elves in his service are concerned,” Anwyn replied cautiously and looked at Trálír uncertainly. Far be it from her to denigrate his family or his race.
“You need not apologize or fear for your words and thoughts, Anwyn,” Trálír said sympathetically. “I have known of their behavior since early childhood. Not all elves live up to the wise and dignified image of us.”
The high elf sighed and gently placed his chin on Anwyn's chest so that his gaze rested on her face.

“My late mother, Elaria, was the heir to the Blackwater Lands,” Trálír began quietly and Anwyn saw that his gaze was looking back to long-forgotten times. “My grandfather did not want to send her to foreign lands, but she was to rule over the Blackwater Lands from north to south, from east to west. It was her destiny and her duty. Unfortunately, many male elves of the nobility tend to be unwilling to leave their own lands and so it proved difficult to find a suitable spouse. Many of the marriages among the elven nobility consist of alliances and my mother was willing to enter into such a union as long as the elf at her side was of good character.”
Anwyn's heart tightened with pain and sadness as she could clearly hear the sorrow in Trálír's voice.
“The only one who was willing to leave his own realm was my father, Trálír. I know that my grandfather was impressed by him. He was tall, skilled in battle, eloquent and self-confident. The first evening he and my mother met, he instantly captured her heart. She was sure from the first moment that he was the one for her.”
There was a sad smile on Trálír's shapely lips.
“We elves only enter into a bond with another once, perhaps a second time at most, in our long existence. We call it Thiramin, the elven bond. My mother thought she had found her soul mate in my father.”
“But that wasn't the case?” Anwyn asked cautiously and Trálír shook his head. She listened attentively to his words as she slowly stroked her fingers through his long hair.

“In the beginning, it looked like that was really the case,” Trálír replied with a sigh. “There were various elven communities in the Blackwater Lands and even though my family lived in a castle, their community was purely elven. There were neither half-elves nor humans in the castle, but not because my family despised them. The community, the bond between them was so close that they were enough for each other. It was like a very close extended family. But when my grandfather decided to leave this world behind, this close connection to ours also broke off. My father was a master manipulator and chose the elves who were loyal to him and approved of his ideas. Mother had to watch with a broken heart as the elves who had been so close to her, mostly at her side for centuries, were driven away.”
“There was no one to stand up to your father's behavior?” Anwyn's voice was full of sympathy. Trálír shook his head sadly.
“No,” he replied, his voice full of bitterness. “The moment my grandfather left this confession, my father showed his true colors. If you had opposed him, you would inevitably have been killed. So the elves left the Blackwater Lands and my mother stayed behind.”

Anwyn looked at Trálír, concerned. “They even left the Blackwater Lands?”
He nodded. “My father threatened them with an agonizing death if they chose to stay nearby. And for the elves who left the lands, he took his own from the Shilmista forests. For the hard work in the castle, the fields or the forests, humans and half-elves were taken into service. And you know from your own experience that his treatment of them was anything but fair.”
“And your mother?” Anwyn asked cautiously and saw Trálír close his eyes briefly, take a deep breath and then continue hesitantly. “I know that she must have suffered greatly under these circumstances. My father revealed his true self and it was...” Trálír broke off and his throat became tight. When he felt Anwyn's hand on his cheek, he closed his eyes and pressed his face into her palm, seeking comfort.
“He was cruel, mistreated and abused her,” Trálír continued in a whisper. “Then she gave birth to me, the heir he so longed for. For a brief moment, my mother thought her suffering had come to an end because she had fulfilled his wish for an heir. She turned a blind eye to all his extramarital pleasures and was even grateful that he no longer came to her bed. Her hope for a life without humiliation and abuse did not last long, however, and things only got worse for her.”
“You don't have to continue, Trálír, if it becomes too painful for you.” Her empathetic words made the high elf look up. Trálír hesitated, but only for a moment. He felt safe, secure, understood and he trusted Anwyn. So he decided to continue.

“She gave birth to my younger brother but she could no longer bear the abuse from my father. She took her own life, left us behind and we grew up believing that my mother had died giving birth to my younger brother.”
“But how did you find out what had really happened? I imagine that no one in the castle dared to share the truth with you.”
Trálír nodded affirmatively at her words.
“That's how it was, no one who knew the truth said a single word. But I found my mother's diaries when I sneaked into the forbidden west wing out of boredom, went to my mother's room and searched it. I found her journals under a loose brick on the wall next to her bed.”
Anwyn's hand was still on Trálír's cheek and she looked at him unhappily. All the words she wanted to say to him seemed to catch in her throat. She waited patiently for Trálír to continue, but he remained silent. His gaze was blank.
“Does your brother know what happened to your mother?” Anwyn asked cautiously and saw Trálír's expression darken in the same moment she asked the question.
“No.”

She let a few moments pass before Anwyn followed up on her previous question. “But wouldn't it be fair to him if he knew the truth? If he knew that he wasn't to blame for his mother's death?”
“No,” Trálír answered quickly, his voice sounding stern. When he saw that there was a mixture of uncertainty and unease in Anwyn's eyes, he was overcome with a guilty conscience. Trálír released himself from her embrace, straightened up and sat down next to her. Unsure of his reaction, she rolled onto her side and looked up at him while supporting herself with her left arm. Unconsciously, she wanted to put her other arm in front of her chest, but Trálír's hands grabbed her hand and he apologized quietly.
“Teárlach is ... difficult. I can't find the words to explain to you that it wouldn't be to his advantage to learn of my mother's suicide. Too much speaks against it.”
There was sorrow in Trálír's voice.
“You must believe me, Anwyn, when I tell you that my family is a danger. There is a darkness in their blood that I cannot explain, for which I can find no cause. But I know it. I know that my father and my brother are a threat to us, Anwyn.”
There was an urgency in Trálír's words that made Anwyn uncomfortable.
“For us and for you too,” he added quietly. “Whoever you meet, whoever finds their way to you, near you, don't trust them. Whether elf, half-elf, human.”
Anwyn nodded slowly.

“We elves are able to read each other's minds and whenever you meet one of our own, Anwyn, close your mind. Think about all the plant species you know, how you use them, think about how you feed the animals or prepare food, try to prevent yourself from thinking about the people you love and care about, nothing that can betray your feelings and thoughts.”
Trálír leaned down to Anwyn, cupped her face with his hands and slowly pulled her to him.
“Promise me this,” he whispered against her lips.
“I promise,” Anwyn replied softly and closed her eyes as his lips pressed passionately against hers.