Legends of Belariath

Liale

Among the people of Liale's exclusively-Human village, it is widely rumored that her family has Elven ancestors. The veracity of this claim is impossible to prove, as nearly everyone in Lanolar likes to gossip about this or that person's exotic heritage. It is true, however, that Liale's family has a reputation for being vital and long-lived, and at least her uncle was known to have very mildly pointed ears (a trait Liale herself shares, though neither of her parents do.) It's also a fact that no one remembers when or why the family named itself, and many have speculated that “Winterwind” sounds like an Elven name. Of course, even if the stories are true, the Winterwinds have bred with human stock for generations as far back as anyone can recall, so any Elven blood by now would be quite thin.

Liale's childhood in Lanolar was simple, but fulfilling. Growing up as the daughter of two dedicated cobblers, she knew hard work but never hardship, as her parents loved her dearly and sacrificed anything and everything of their own to ensure she was always comfortable. There were always those who grumbled that her mother and father had overdone it, however. Though her parents were good, honest people throughout her formative years, proving exceptional role models who taught her right from wrong, many of the ill-tempered elders in Lanolar who had nothing better to do often complained that Liale had had a sheltered upbringing. Her parents coddled her too much, they said, leading her to grow into a naive and innocent young woman who never really learned that the world could be dangerous.

This lesson she learned when, early in Liale's eighteenth year, her town was attacked by a band of Human barbarians who made their living plundering and pillaging easy targets. Lanolar was essentially a peaceful place, unfamiliar with the art of war, and the paltry militia that sprang to its defense was easily routed by the more experienced raiders. The village at their mercy, they looted everything of value that could fit in a sack. And though the group was small and had limited resources, they apparently felt they could afford to kidnap one attractive girl and keep her alive long enough to sell her into slavery. Liale was the one.

If she had had a sheltered life before, that ended when she was taken. The barbarians were excellent teachers in the harsh realities of life for pretty girls. Liale was their captive for two weeks, during which time they violated her in ways she had never even realized were possible. They stripped her, taunted her, used her. When she was lucky, repeated brutal gangrapes were all she had to endure from them in a day. When she was lucky.

Mercifully, the nightmare finally ended when the barbarians finished crossing the great forest and arrived at the town of Glenvere to resupply. They also took the opportunity to sell their plunder from Lanolar, which included Liale. She was purchased as a slave by Dalovin, a well-off man of Cat Person heritage with a particular appreciation - some would say “fetish” - for Human girls.

As could be predicted of an untrained slave, Liale resented their relationship and refused to cooperate. But Dalovin was a retired slaver, who knew well the fine art of breaking an unwilling girl. Through discipline, humiliation, and a strict system of punishments and rewards, he wore away her spirit, until at last she was too emotionally exhausted to do anything but give in. Dalovin, however, didn't just conquer her. He destroyed her. Interestingly, he nearly never physically hurt her, and when he did it was generally mild and not at all torturous. But he shattered Liale's spirit all the same, and reduced her to almost nothing, a devastated shell of a girl with no self-esteem left to her. She hated him for that.

But once he had finished doing this, Dalovin began to build her up again. He encouraged her to think well of herself, he told her and showed her that it was alright to be happy, and he gradually returned her essence. In so doing - and this, she realized, was the ultimate point of his harsh methods - Dalovin gave her something more than she had come to him with. Liale had lost much of what she was when she was taken from Lanolar, but Dalovin helped her find herself again. Her motivation in life had previously been making her parents proud of her; now Dalovin taught her how to seek her fulfillment in service to others. For this she respected, appreciated, and even revered him. And eventually, there was no longer any denying it: She loved him for it.

For over a year Liale was his, owned in body and soul, meeting his every imaginable desire. She was finally happy again, after such a long period of misery. But alas, fate had other plans for her. One day, when Dalovin was out in the woods on a hunting expedition, he flung his spear at an old but sturdy boar, and missed. In a flash the beast turned and set upon him, goring him viciously with its great tusks. Desperately, Dalovin pulled a dagger from his boot and grappled with the boar, eventually winning the fight when he sank his steel blade into the animal's heart. But he was mortally wounded, and though he somehow managed to limp back to his home where Liale had been waiting for him, she had no idea how to help her Master. Dalovin died slowly in her arms.

Once they heard of the tragedy, the authorities of Glenvere moved swiftly. It was not, however, to honor Dalovin's life or care for his suddenly masterless slave. Rather, they raided his home and seized all of his considerable wealth, to be added to the town coffers and probably embezzled by corrupt leaders. Dalovin had certainly had enough money to be resurrected at a temple, but the authorities foreclosed on any chance of that by burning his body and scattering his ashes to the wind. As a mere slave, Liale was powerless to stop any of this, her wailing falling on deaf ears. She was so despondent after they had finished looting Dalovin's other possessions that they didn't even bother reselling her, judging her to be worthless property. She was cast out of Glenvere like so much trash, left to fend for herself on the highways.

Liale had rarely left Dalovin's house, and never Glenvere since her arrival. Now she was alone in a strange land far from anything she recognized, with little idea how to find a settlement that would accept her and no skills for survival among the elements. Travellers she happened upon gave her vague ideas of the locations of towns other than Glenvere, but with no food and no way to acquire it, the journey was doomed to failure. She tried anyway, and impressively enough, lasted five full days with nothing to eat or drink before she collapsed on the road.

Unable to stand, Liale was certain she was going to die. But before death could claim her, she was found by Silraem, an enormous Minotaur who saw her and took pity on her. The other travellers she had encountered had been few, and none of them cared enough to help her beyond offering directions, but Silraem was different. Though he could easily have stepped past her tiny form with barely a downward glance, he instead opted to show compassion, picking her up off the ground and giving her water to restore some of her vitality. Being such a massive creature, he also had more than enough food to feed a small Human girl, and he kept her well-nourished while he took her with him on the long journey to his home, which was a lone house within the empire of someone called Stormbringer.

With a gentle touch and tender mercy that belied his large, intimidating appearance, Silraem carefully nursed Liale back to health, during which time the girl learned a great deal about her compassionate host. He was a healer, exiled from his warlike people because they disapproved of his decision to shun the violent arts. He was also a sharp conversationalist, and he spent long but enjoyable hours at Liale's bedside talking to her about the joys of healing, going into great detail of the satisfaction he experienced from saving lives and watching the sick and injured regain their strength. Liale listened with rapt attention to his stories, finding them fascinating, though the more she heard of Silraem's noble profession, the more she could not help but think that if she had known how to do these things just a short time ago, Master Dalovin might still be alive.

It wasn't long before Liale asked Silraem to teach her how to heal, and he happily agreed. He took pride in his art, and he was delighted to instruct others in its practice. Liale's training began almost immediately, and she stayed at Silraem's home while it continued, having no means of providing for herself. With no money, she also had no way of rendering payment for any of Silraem's kindness, but he required none. Although, once Liale recovered her health, she found that a pretty girl had other ways of compensating a man. To this Silraem had no objection, even though he had to be careful to avoid hurting her with his sheer enormity.

Over time, he taught her much about healing, though he always cautioned her against overconfidence in the things she learned. These were only the basics, he said, and there were things even he was still learning even though he had been healing for over twenty years. Liale eagerly soaked up every bit of knowledge he showed her, developing a deep respect and reverence for him as she did so. She even came to care about him, though she never fell in love with the Minotaur. Having been so dearly wounded by the death of Dalovin, her heart simply was not ready for that.

Another year passed before their teacher/pupil relationship came to an end when Silraem one day received a disturbing letter. His parents back home were being tried at court for imagined offenses, as a result of his unpopular choice of occupation. He needed to return to the Minotaur Vale to defend them, lest they be put to death because of his insolence.

Liale wanted to go with him, but Silraem would hear none of it. It would be dangerous, he said, as he was a hated man back home, and any friend he arrived with would become an instant target. She had to stay, but to ensure her survival, he left her with detailed maps of Stormbringer's empire, and even a bit of money to live on until she could find work. She was a bright and talented girl, he assured her, and she would be fine.

Once Silraem left, Liale was again alone, stranded in a foreign land. She had only two precious items to connect her with the past, and more stable times. The older of the two was a worn stone necklace, bearing a fertility symbol of unknown origin, that had been in her family for countless generations. Having originally belonged to her father, and his mother, and so on, it had been passed down to her as a present for her thirteenth birthday. She had happened to be wearing it the day of the attack on Lanolar, and because it was monetarily worthless, no one had ever bothered to take it from her.

The second item was even simpler than the necklace, though just as dear to her. It was her last reminder of her beloved Master, Dalovin. His favorite color, she was aware, had happened to be blue, and he had a penchant during their time together for likening her to silk; the luster of her hair, the texture of her skin, and even, he would say in his cruder moments, the inside of her sex. To honor him, she began wearing a blue silk ribbon, which she'd had tied in her hair the day he died. She took to wearing it on her finger afterward, however, tied in a bow in just the same place as one might find a promise ring.

This is not the end of Liale's story. Rather, it is only the beginning. There is much she has yet to discover, most prominently the fate of her parents and people after the attack, and the long way home to Lanolar from this strange land. But though she has been through much, she has survived, and well. Her optimistic outlook and cheery personality have always returned to her, in the end, and have perhaps proven themselves to be indomitable aspects of who and what she is. She will face what comes with a smile, and when there is pain, she will suffer. But she will carry on, and one day, perhaps she will find her ultimate destiny.

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