Legends of Belariath
Lana
Fireday-2-Blooming
Today is perhaps the happiest and greatest day I have ever spent as the clan's archivist. While I have recorded events of many victorious battles against chirot, opposing clans and wingless, years of great prosperity, nothing yet has come near as important as the event of today.
Today, one of our best warriors gave birth to a healthy, strong girl, with wings of blue so deep to challenge the spring sky.
Many are celebrating Lana Ravensdale's birth, and for good reason. A child with wings of blue can only mean our clan will soar higher, to greater heights of power and may even finally begin our path to returning to the lands we were thrown out by the spiteful, jealous beings who dare call themselves gods.
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The past several years have been just as we had expected, and all thanks to the bluewing, Lana Ravensdale. She has brought great fortune upon our clan and many have been giving the child their thanks for victories, great harvests and good health. Many are trying to sway the child to a path they wish for her to follow, be it a warrior to lead us into battle, magic to become a leader and more but Lana, still being just a child, and a strong-willed one at that, has her own plans it would seem. What they are I can only assume for now.
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I am starting to become concerned about Lana Ravensdale. What I first thought was willfulness and pride of her status may be more.... Well, the constant praises and total freedom of choice may be getting to her head. I intend to strike these words from her records, I'm just voicing concerns that I am afraid to say out loud as any concerns about her behaviour have been dismissed as her being a child or warning not to anger the bringer of such great fortune upon our clan.
Even though she is a child, she is already becoming violent enough to worry me...
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Today is the day Lana Ravensdale has decided to join the ranks of our warriors. Many of the path are holding celebrations, and well they should. Our bringer of fortune is strong, nearly as much of body as she is of will, and takes well to the blade.
Not all are celebrating however, voices of dissension are growing, myself and Lana's mother in particular are concerned about her outright refusal to follow directions, but the elders and generals are convinced that just means she is destined to be a leader instead of a soldier but a good leader needs to be able to listen.
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Today, Lana Ravensdale nearly killed another soldier in training, continuing their spar even after the generals gave her the order to stand down and cracking his skull and shattering his wing. Even after this her mother and superiors are making excuses. Claiming Elric had dared to insult her during the spar and had angered her, she had not heard the order to stop.I was there and bore witness. He had touched her wings after the spar and snapped, he was a 'mere' whitewing, someone beneath her and had dared to touch her wings. That was what she told the generals. They are afraid what others may say, the voices of dissent they've been quieting for years suddenly getting a tailwind and allowed to fly freely when word gets out about their 'bringer of fortune.'
I know as clan archivist I should keep my opinions to myself, especially here, but if Lana Ravensdale continues to do whatever she pleases without any hint of punishment she'll stop bringing good fortune and instead bring ill upon us.
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Today will be the final entry in the archives about Lana Ravensdale. Which I write with a heavy heart.
Several warriors are dead, many more are wounded after she had decided to take matters into her own hands and led a foolhardy attack on one of our rival clans. Everyone in the clan is furious, the elders have deliberated and our head general had given her one final trial, which she had failed. She was no longer a bringer of good fortune, only death, her wings were dyed black and she was exiled down to the world of the wingless.
It was a tragedy that I feel could have been avoided, a firmer hand while she was younger, stern words to keep her from believing she can do whatever she wished... and I... as her father, share some of the blame upon my wings.
May the wings be gentle upon my daughter, for the lessons that I feel she will learn from the wingless below will not be.
--- Silver Wind Clan Archivist Cael Ravensdale