Legends of Belariath
Katarine
A letter had arrived.
She tucked it carefully within the fold of the tiny, black shirt she now wore and dashed to her room- the place where she would not long be living. In just a short while, unless she had misjudged the Drak, communication would no longer be an option. There would be time for one, last letter.
Carefully closing and locking the door behind her, the little elf moved to her bed, curling up within the mattress to savor this last bit of her family, her mother anyway. No one else wrote and even these letters were rare and offered little more than platitudes to come home. Home! They had asked her to leave in the first place!
Once comfortable, the woman picked at the envelope until it opened. Shaking fingers plucked the letter from it's tucked away place. Her golden head bent toward the shuffle of parchment.
”Dear Katarine-“
Already she fought the urge to sigh. Reproach was evident in the very way that the words were written.
”We wish you would write more.”
(Yes, mother, I know..) Words whispered to herself almost impatiently. Her mother would be in for a shock at the letter she received next. That's if the elf was able to find a way to tell her that she would be better off forgotten.
”The village isn't the same as when you left. I think that you might be happy here now.”
(No mother, I wouldn't be. Remember?)
Here, she stopped reading for a minute, curling onto her stomach to hide her face against soft pillows. She closed her eyes, groaning softly to herself, remembering..
Life had been too constricting. Though life was free, she wanted to be more than what her abilities dictated. She simply did not fit in with the free and easy going lifestyle of the others. Always watching, far too curious for her own good, Katarine had stumbled one day upon a group of druids. They were kindly, but she did not belong with them. And yet, wishing to watch more they had to usher her from the clearing where they stood. But the young sylvan returned again the next day and the day after.
Her parents had realized what would happen. Before she could get into any more trouble, they began to whisper to her of far off places. Telling her of new places, where she might find all sorts of different creatures, and a small bit even of those elves that lived outside. She took it all in, learning what she could from them, even testing the limits of the forest on daily walks.
Several months passed before she told her family of her wish to leave. And as the words slipped through her lips, tumbling quickly so that neither her father nor her mother would interrupt, she realized- they were not going to ask her to stay. In fact, the relief they felt at her announcement was nearly palatable. Softly, the words dropped off, fading into the silence between them. She knew then, what they had meant to do with their tales.
Katarine was gone the next day, her meager belongings packed, not a note left for her parents.
She travelled, rarely staying in any place long enough to call it home. Those rare ocassions when she did remain, she always wrote and told her family where she was and what she was doing like the dutiful daughter she had always tried to be. It seemed she had failed.
”Your great-grandfather has begun to settle his matters and I fear that he has become weary. It shouldn't be a surprise, though his life has been short he has lived well. He never recovered after you left.”
With this, Katarine's eyes filled with tears. She reached to impatiently push the bits of moisture from her face. Of all her family, he had been the closest to her, though she didn't inherit his penchant for magic. Her fondest memories were of him, teaching her the ways of the forest and the animals that lived within the foliage. (Be at peace, Grandfather.)
”We all miss you, Katarine, even your sister, though I know you don't believe that.”
She was right. The elf snorted and shook her head before reading on. The letter was short, a rarity, but perhaps her mother was distracted, trying to get things ready for the winter. That was fine with her, she wouldn't be obligated to pen a long letter in return.
”Please come home. You great-grandfather would like to see you again as would all of us. Reply as quickly as possible, or better yet, return home without bothering to send ahead.
Love,Mother”
The parchment dropped to the bedspread. Katarine's head slowly bent forward, face hidden within her hands. For a moment, the diminutive elf simply cried. Great-grandfather was likely already gone. And now.. now she could not go home, even if she had wanted to.
With a sigh, she gathered herself and sat up and made herself ready to go downstairs so that she might give them a response, and some final words of farewell.