Faygludin - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

All Nimbian had ever wanted in life was to live free. Life had been simple and enjoyable for him when he was just a simple woodsman minding the King's forest. The forest was also known as Faygludin, which was elvish for the Faerie Wood. Of course that was before the Queen had fallen and turned over the throne to her nephew.

Many things had changed then. Light elves, their hated cousins that had once been as they were before their betrayal, had been defeated. Peace had not only been restored to the splintered elven peoples, King Risingmoon had welcomed them back amongst the dark elven people. Many had surrendered, accepting his terms. Those who had not were hunted down without mercy and slain.

It had taken years to find them all. The island of Innowendyn, the homeland of the dark elves after they had been banished thousands of years past, was hundreds of miles across. Alesha, Kelnozz's human consort from another world had likened the size of Innowendyn to a kingdom on her home world called Australia. Nimbian had listened raptly to her description of her homeland, until he learned of how nature had been all but stripped aside in favor of technology.

Lindaria, Nimbian's predecessor, had fallen in the battle when the light elves had come to Loralost with murder and pillage in their hearts. Kelnozz had needed someone to fill the role and had offered the role to Nimbian. It had taken the ranger over a week to make the decision, but he had finally accepted. No small part of his decision was swayed by the honor of being entrusted by such a legendary figure to be his advisor. Thirty years later Nimbian often wondered if he had chosen wrongly.

He still felt King Risingmoon deserved every bit of respect he was given, which was considerable, but Nimbian's own role of unending ceremony and politics left him drained and disillusioned. He often found himself pining for the relaxing ambience of his favorite grove in the Faygludin, with the brook burbling noisily and the birds singing their songs while he puffed contentedly on a pipe with his favorite smokeweed in it.

Nimbian's one consolation was that he was heading out on the morrow to the Faygludin. It was to investigate rumors of missing livestock among the free-ranging ranchers that roamed the plains to the west of it, but he planned on spending at least a day walking through the wood as he once had, enjoying its beauty and simplicity.

But for now he had another dinner to attend. Nimbian sighed and wondered how a man of action and adventure such as Kelnozz put up with it day in and day out. With a smile Nimbian realized the King probably fared worse than he, for on many occasions the king was absent, either attending to an errand personally or having a private dinner with Alesha and their son, Bobocateya. Lately both the King and his wife were gone. Court rumors had them traveling abroad looking for some ancient elvish legacy. One fanciful story he heard involved Thoragloorin, the ancient lost elven homeland on Belurian. Nimbian had chuckled when he heard that. None even knew where Thoragloorin was said to have existed, let alone whether it could have survived the five thousand years that had passed or the ruin and sacking no doubt visited upon it by the light elves and their dragon allies ages past.

Nimbian glanced in the silver and gold framed mirror a final time, adjusting his jacket a bit, then headed out of his suite for the dinner that awaited him. He sighed and shook his head at the absurdity of court life. His manner changed as soon as he entered the public halls, a smile finding its way to his face and a casual air about him. One thing Nimbian had insisted in life was that no matter how complicated it tried to become, there was always some enjoyment to be found in it.

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Clad in his leathers and armed with his long sword, bow, and dagger, Nimbian led his horse through the light underbrush of the Faygludin. He had refused to allow any of the home guard to accompany him, and finally he had been forced to sneak out in the middle of the night to avoid them. Their captain, Joslinda, was a very determined woman. She had recently inherited her post as Nimbian had, and she was determined to serve it flawlessly.

Nimbian breathed in the damp air of the forest, smelling the mild dampness in the air and reveling in the feeling of life and warmth it gave him. It had taken him two days of riding to reach it and, if he could find reason to justify it, he would spend five times as long amongst the thick tropical trees ere he returned. Already he had found the small rill that led to his favorite place. He patted his pouch at his side appreciatively, hardly able to wait for the chance to sit upon the bank and puff upon his pipe.

It was at that spot, sitting upon a rock and basking in the rare ray of sunshine that battled through the thick leaves overhead that she found him. Nimbian exhaled a plume of smoke slowly, enjoying the rich flavor of it, and noticed only after it was gone that a figure stood upon the far side of the stream staring at him from where she nearly blended into the bark of the tree beside her.

Nimbian hopped to his feet, surprised. He smiled, remembering how well she moved through the forest and how often she had come upon him. Somewhat embarrassed he also remembered how he had been getting better at spotting the signs of her approach, this time however she had easily crept past his guard. To much time spent at court had dulled his senses.

"Well met, Alsathoolia," Nimbian said, bowing deeply to her. When he raised his head back up she had disappeared. He turned just in time to see her stepping out from behind a tree on his side of the small creek. He allowed himself only the quickest of glances at her beautiful body, for falling enraptured with her beauty had caused many lesser men to be led to their dooms for the lustful thoughts. Nimbian's own thoughts had been no less lustful, but such was his respect for her and for the forest that he had always contained them. For that respect she had shown respect in kind and they had become friends over the years. They would share knowledge with each other as well as simply conversation and the pleasantries of friendship.

"Nature's blessings upon you, Nimbiantha," the nymph responded, smiling sadly. "I regret that I do not come to you as I have before."

Nimbian raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Her nature was somber, something that surely did not bode well. He discarded his more casual nature and picked up again his mantle of responsibility to the land of Innowendyn. "What ails you, my friend?"

"Not me alone, Nimbian, the entire forest. Strangers came unto this forest many seasons past, after you answered the call of your people."

Nimbian nodded, "Yes, I know of this, you told me they had come and gone, slain by the forest for their harmful ways and absorbed into the earth and the air around them."

Alsathoolia nodded, frowning as she did so. "Such is the might of the ancients of the forest that they consider themselves beyond reproach. There are things alive here that see even your eldest as children."

She spoke of things Nimbian knew. The elves had been on Innowendyn for 5,000 years. Innowendyn had been there since Viconia was created, and the forest possessed a life far greater then any realized, even Nimbian who had once lived amongst its greatness.

"They took these invaders into their roots, feeding off of their richness and sustaining themselves for many years. The foulness that was in the souls of those you call light elves was greater then any believed, for it has spread. Some of our mightiest have fallen prey to that corruption, and they strike out against the land about them."

Nimbian scowled. He had hoped something as simple as a few stray wolves had claimed the missing lambs and cattle. Now he knew better, and he knew it was a dire peril indeed if Alsa was worried over it.

"Their corruption will spread if it is not stopped," the nymph said matter-of-factly. The look in her eyes alone told him of her need for him to help them.

"The dead must be dug up and burned first," Nimbian said, thinking of the problem as a puzzle with solutions that would put it back to right. "And for those who have awakened and hunger for the blood of the living, if they can not be made to see the will of the woods then they must be drawn out and burned as well. By fire and by stone alone can they be freed from the madness that has claimed them."

"I knew you would understand, Nimbiantha," she said, stepping up to him and placing her hand against his cheek. "You have ever been as close to one with the nature of this place as any mortal who is not of us can be. I would ask but one thing of you ere you do this."

Nimbian nodded, reaching up to her hand and feeling the deep warmth within it. "Anything, Alsa. Ask me and it shall be yours."

"I would have your seed so that this place will forever have you as a part of it," she asked him.

Nimbian's eyes opened and his mouth dropped. He stuttered for a few minutes before he let himself look in her eyes, his dark skin hiding his blush. "I would be honored!"

"Then show me how it is the first born do such things," she said, stepping closer to him.

Nimbian hesitate a moment longer then gave her what she wished, pulling her to him and kissing her on the lips. Her kiss tasted of the forest, of grass and wind and nuts and oak. He drew in her essence and reveled in it, finding himself growing quickly and unmistakably aroused by feel of her in his arms. He released her, against his wishes, only long enough for him to start pulling his own clothing off.

Alsa laughed lightly, "Do all of your kind make such haste when breeding?"

Again Nimbian was forced to blush. He was nearly three centuries old and still she was able to embarrass him much as though he were yet a child. "Well, I need to deal with the spreading corruption still," he said, searching for an excuse.

"It has been dozens of seasons in reaching this point," the nymph said to him with a smile, "have patience and seek not haste, it will only rush an untimely end."

Truer words Nimbian could not conceive, even though she was referring to life in general, it held true in many things, including making love. He finished taking his clothes off and cast a quick glance at his horse, which was contentedly grazing on some grass on far side of the small clearing. He turned back to the nymph and pulled her into his arms again, feeling her strange warmth and the resilient texture of her skin against his.

"Very well, let us take things slowly then," he told her, kissing her again. She responded well enough for a creature who, for all her resemblance to an elf, was totally alien. She learned quickly, understanding the movements he made against her and responding when she could.

For his part Nimbian went slowly. He was patient and tender, teaching her the ways of men and women and doing his best to bring her pleasure as he did so. She was relaxed, pliant and completely uninhibited to his advances, allowing him to do anything he desired to her and reciprocating as much as she could.

Nimbian kissed her all over, from her mouth and neck to her beautiful breasts. She showed a general increase in her own ardor, but it had little to do with the way he would lick and nibble on her nipples or the way he tried to tickle the spots many women found sensitive. Her growing interest came from the attention he paid to her and the devotion he gave her as far as trying to bring her pleasure.

Nimbian proceeded further down, intent upon sparking a reaction in her. He tasted her below and found her warm and ready to receive him. Again she tasted of the forest, of nuts and wood. He was astonished at how different she was from anyone he had been with before, and a part of him felt some fear at the strangeness.

"Nimbian, be with me, I am not as you are and the things you do bring me no more pleasure then having you with me does," Alsa said gently to him, drawing his attention back up to her.

The woodsman looked up at her, studying her beautiful face for a long moment. He crawled up to her and kissed her again, suspecting that even if the eroticism was lost on her the mere contact was special for her. He held himself against her opening and gently found the entrance to her, pushing himself in with a couple of tentative thrusts.

Nimbian could not describe the pleasure that he felt. Her pussy clutched him firmly with muscles strong as an oak yet soft as grass after a spring shower. He moved himself within her, his hands pulling down on her shoulders so he could insert his length into her fully on every thrust.

"I see why your kind does this," she said softly. "So much contact, so much fervor. Among those given to haste this must be wonderful."

Nimbian grunted in agreement, unable to think straight as he plunged himself into her alien depths time and again. He was lost in the wonderful embrace of the nymph, an embrace that so enveloped him he felt as though he were truly one with the forest. He felt and he experienced things far greater then he ever had before. He felt as though a part of him had been touched that had never been touched before, and in turn he had reached out to touch something greater then he had ever understood. Nimbian knew, in that moment, that he would never be the same again.

"Give me your seed, Nimbiantha," Alsa whispered to him. "Fill me with it and let me nurture undying life from it."

Nimbian groaned, suddenly driven to the edge by her words and by the way she tightened down on him. He did not understand it but he did feel the growing need to sate his need. He drove himself into her and exploded, his fluid bursting into her in great spurts that threatened to overwhelm him. He continued to thrust against her, coaxing every last drop of his essence from him that he could. Finally he was spent and collapsed on top of her.

"I am again honored by you, friend of the forest," Alsa said to him as he rested against her breathing heavily. Nimbian mumbled his own thanks to her but it was lost as he was exhausted from his ordeal. Alsa held onto him cherishing the contact that so many of her cousins would never know, rooted in place as they were, and let him drift off into sleep.

Alsa rose after a long time had passed, sliding the still drained dark elf off from her. She rose and walked to the center of the clearing where sunshine often made its way down. She knelt there, dropping to her knees and digging a small hole in the ground with her hands. She moved then and squatted over the whole, looking like nothing more then a light elf that was relieving herself. No fluid issued forth. Instead a small round object fell free from her after a few moments. It rolled to the bottom of the hole and lay there, pulsing faintly in the light. Already roots were beginning to emerge from it, sinking into the ground in search of sustenance. Alsa smiled and patted the dirt back on top of it, burying it within the rich earth.

She rose and returned to where Nimbian slept, sitting next to him with patience and a stillness that one not born of the forest could never understand or reproduce.

---

Nimbian was aware of his surroundings before his eyes opened. The smell of the forest was strong in his nostrils, and the feel of the grass and the warm earth beneath him nearly overwhelmed his sense of touch. He opened his eyes and saw the patches of blue sky through the leafy boughs high overhead. He smiled, feeling at peace with himself and the world more then he ever had.

"Few of your type can survive such a mating, Nimbiantha," the nymph said, her voice music in his ears. "You are the only one I have ever known to do so."

Nimbian sat up and looked at her, tears in his eyes at the all encompassing beauty of the world around him. He smiled and shook his head slightly, amazed. "What happened to me? Why is everything so... so real?"

Alsa smiled at him and offered him her hand. He took it and let himself be helped to his feet. Even the sensation of her palm against his made him feel newly alive. He gasped and looked at her hand and then up at her face.

"What are you, Alsa?" he asked, unable to explain the strange feelings he had experienced while touching her.

"Your kind and others think of us as solitary creatures like yourselves, alive until our time is up and then gone. We are not. I am a part of this forest, its child, sister, and mother."

Nimbian closed his mouth slowly, yet did not speak for he found he did not have any words to express his amazement. Her voice was beautiful and harmonious with the wind in the trees, the calls of the tropical birds, and even the chirping and scuttling noises of the insects around him. Yet beyond that he saw her and felt her differently. He understood what it was that she meant. She had an inner strength and spirit that blended into the very air around her. He looked around and saw it all around him. She truly was a part of the forest.

"And what of me?" Nimbian asked finally.

"A part of you has joined with the forest," she said with a smile. "Through me it found your spirit to be kindred. You have been granted an honor few outsiders have ever been given, and you are the first among this forest."

A faint stench of something rotting caught Nimbian's attention then. He turned to the south staring into the dark depths of the Faygludin. "What is that smell? Is something dead?"

Alsathoolia followed his gaze. "You truly are special, Nimbiantha, for few could understand the ways of the forest so quickly."

"I do not understand, what do you mean?"

"Already you sense the corruption caused in the southern reaches. The forest chose you wisely."

Nimbian nodded absently, trying to reach out with his senses and understand better. After a moment of studying the air and the ephemeral mists within it he gave up and turned back to the nymph.

"But you are part of the forest, Alsa, you chose me as well."

She nodded. "You do learn quickly, Nimbian."

Nimbian smiled, brightening up considerably. "That is the first time you have ever called me by my shortened name, always before it was my full given first name, why is that?"

Alsa smiled as well. "You share a part of the forest with you and in return the forest shares a part of you."

Nimbian nodded, again nearly overwhelmed at the thought of being so honored as to being able to impact and influence the entirety of the Faygludin. He turned around, studying the trees at the edge of the small clearing, then the water of the stream, and finally even the sparse grasses around his feet.

"It is... a lot," he said at length, unable to find the words for it. "I am honored beyond description, of course. I shall do my best to be worthy of it the rest of my life."

Alsa watched him, a pleasant smile upon her face. "Then you know the depth of your commitment as well, be at peace among us, Nimbian, and may we all live to see many bountiful seasons."

Nimbian nodded, grinning like a child. He sobered up quickly when he caught a fresh scent of the corruption and turned to face it anew. "Let me begin to show that desire now then, for this festering wound within the forest will only grow worse if it is not dealt with."

With that Nimbian headed south, stepping lightly over the stream on some rocks and then blending into to the forest so well that he was all but invisible. His horse he left behind, feeling with his new communion with nature that it would only slow him down and interfere with his ability to feel the land. Alsa watched him go for a moment longer, then turned and looked at the seed he had planted. Already a shoot had broken through the surface, miraculous growth that surprised even her. He truly was special, for one not born of the forest. For the briefest of moments she wondered at what life would be like apart from the forest, alone and out of touch with her surroundings. Not alone entirely, for in her wondering she assumed she would be with Nimbian.

Alsa shook her head after a moment, wondering at where that strange thought had come from. More than just the thought, the sudden motion of shaking her head as well. Such idiosyncrasies were unknown to her. Nimbian's help and influence was needed to help save the forest, but perhaps in taking him into their arms the forest had given itself a different fate.

Continued in Chapter 2

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