{ letters } first broken tiles then pompous doors until out of the past dust rises
[ This is going up a little preemptively so I can be sure it's done before I go. ]
Sir Luke of the stars,
I thought I would open with whimsy, but I'm afraid that the reason for my letter is a more serious one. Alia Althane has brought war to the Deepmoor, and though she vastly overestimates herself as an opponent I expect many of my freedoms to be curtailed in the coming days, by necessity or my brother's desire to protect. Most of these letters I'm to write now, these short missives, will be apologies for the time that I can no longer promise - but you have had your own responsibilities take you from me often already, and it's a consolation that you understand even as I feel it very necessary you should know. I hope to see you again in more peaceful times, and for my own lands at least I expect those to come sooner rather than later. I worry most for what we'll do then.
Please convey my love to your sister.
With deepest affection,
[ With the letter is a pair of hand mirrors; at first glance there's nothing unusual about them, but a closer inspection will reveal that they reflect what the other one faces, regardless of distance. ]
To my dearest Belani,
As I sit to write these letters, I find myself marveling again at the bonds created in such a small, small stretch of time. They are no less the meaningful for their newness, and that is why I am writing to you now. We are at war in the Deepmoor, and Alia Althane has cast the first stone. We have a great deal to do and many decisions to make, and I can't promise the next time we'll see each other - but please don't worry that we won't. It's only beginning, but I intend to see it finished. I promise to write as often as I can spare the time, but for now this is where Nuada and I have to be and I know you'll understand that. And my dear friend - I hope when I return, I return to find you and Uther Doul reconciled.
Yours most sincerely,
Uther Doul,
I will keep this brief, and without undue sentimentality; how your poet's soul coexists with your stoicism is one of the greatest mysteries of creation. I'm sorry to tell you that war is brewing in my lands, and for some time you'll find me unavailable; I mean to dedicate myself to this wholly until it's passed. Only worry a little, please, and take care. Imagine me frowning at you, because I will if I return and you haven't. I hope when I do that you and the Brucolac will have some understanding between you.
Fondly,
My most enchanting friend,
I write to you with a heavy heart and unfortunate news. War is coming to my land, marching toward us already, and though I firmly believe our opponent to have an inflated sense of her own importance and the threat she poses to us - I have responsibilities to my people here and I must be unavailable a while. My brother leads battle from the front lines, and so my place becomes the council chamber, and it falls to me to keep order. You mustn't worry too much, and I promise that I will write and that I'll come to see you as soon as everything is settled again. If you like, when this is over and we have settled again I'll hold that ball for you; did you find a suitable hall? Your thoughts of a portrait will have to wait, but in the meanwhile I have sent you something so you have no cause to forget me while I'm gone.
Most affectionately yours,
[ With the letter is an enchanted gold music box that tailors its airs to the mood of the listener. ]
Dear Arwen,
I apologize for the haste of this missive and the fact that I'm unable to speak to you in person, but I'm afraid our next meeting will have to wait for longer than I'd anticipated initially. When I returned to the Deepmoor it was to discover that we are going to war, and quicker than I could have imagined. My brother will take the battlefield and so the council chamber falls to me, and leaves me little room for the nexus - but I couldn't forget my promise and so with this letter is the book that I promised you. I look forward to our meeting again after all this has passed, and I hope that you find your Aragorn.
In new friendship,
[ With the letter is a parcel containing a history of the Bethmoora elves, paying most focus to the Golden Army but also detailing their earliest history and later years. ]
Dear Saadï,
It's been some time since last we spoke and I'm afraid that the news I have to share isn't good. War is coming to the Deepmoor, and I must devote myself to my lands and my people in them, so I am taking this opportunity to give a little of my time before I become unavailable. I thought of you while addressing a book that you yourself have read to Lady Arwen, and so I've enclosed this letter in a package with something I think you will enjoy. I look forward to taking tea with you again in more peaceful days.
Your friend,
[ With the letter is an 1866 edition of Les Epaves. ]
Dear Lyla,
How long it's been! I hope that your long absence hasn't been for reasons too concerning, and I'm sorry I've let our contact slip so much. I have thought of you, and fondly.
I have some unfortunate news to impart, that war is coming to the Deepmoor and much more swiftly than I could have anticipated. (I believe I gave the benefit of the doubt to a woman who didn't deserve it, but I expect she thinks equally low of me.) As my brother and I set about our responsibilities - his to the battlefield and mine to a councilroom - I have taken the time to remember my friends, and so I hope to see you again when we have peace, and in the meanwhile I hope you enjoy what I've enclosed this letter with.
Your friend,
[ With the letter is a pair of circular-lense gold-rimmed glasses that permit the wearer to read words on a page in languages they don't actually understand. ]
Oh, Pippa,
I am writing again so soon and this time I'm afraid it's not good news. My brother returned home today and he brought with him news of a war coming to us; the soldiers are already marching. I expect I'll still write letters, but they may be fewer and further between, and not so cheerful a while. In the meanwhile I've enclosed this letter with a gift for the winter.
Your friend in feminine conspiracy,
[ With the letter is a thin embroidered silk slip, pale gold; wear it, don't get cold. ]
Mr Grif,
Please accept this with my blessing and use them well.
Sincerely,
[ With the note is a pair of gauntlets. ]
Dear Noel,
It occurred to me only when I began to write that I wasn't quite sure how I should address you, and I certainly hope you don't mind my correspondence - a great many things are changing in my land at the moment, as we begin to prepare for a war, and I find myself with a little time to send these notes. Some to friends who must know why I'm absent, some to friends who I haven't seen in quite some time, and others yet to those I don't know so well. These missives I have the least explanation for, but some days I'm not so far from a youth where my whim was enough.
It is my hope that you will find my letter welcome, and that the gift that comes with it will cheer you. (If my choice seems impertinent, then I apologize.)
Sincerely,
[ With the letter is...a cane, elaborately carved and topped with an ivory handle set with moonstone; the handle can be twisted and removed, but what's inside is not the sword of cliché. It is, instead, of all goddamn things, a bubble wand. Because this is the fae we're talking about, it doesn't require any liquid, just to be pulled through the air. ]
Dear Mr MacEibhir,
Though we've spoken a mere handful of times, you left quite an impression on my thoughts and now that I am sitting down to write these letters I think that I shall send one to you. It is enough to say that I think fondly of the conversations we've had and the insights that you have offered, intentionally or perhaps unintentionally, and as I prepare for war of all things I would like to brighten a few days before I go. May yours be one of them.
With fond regards,
[ With the letter is a small crystal horse - small enough to be comfortably held on a palm - that seems to have been animated. ]
Dearest Lilia,
The first time we met, many months ago now, I had come from a great battle; now I am writing to you not yet a year later on the brink of another. This time it's independence and safety at stake, and not survival, and I am confident in our victory. Nevertheless, as we're preparing to abandon the nexus but for letters a while I sit here and I write them and I miss you very much. I hope that this finds you well, and that I don't add to your worries (for I know you have altogether too many in the first place), and certainly that when there's peace in the Deepmoor again and we return I might see you again. In the meantime, a keepsake.
Your affectionate friend,
[ With the letter is what looks more like a locket than a picture-frame, roughly the size of a flat palm and cracking open to reveal what looks like Nuala at some point snuck a stealthily pinpoint-photo of the two of them and then bothered someone to transfer it to something like watercolours. ]
Mordred,
There is no hidden cost.
Benevolently, you goose,
[ With the note is a bottle of elves' honeywine (laughably weak in alcohol content compared to anything brewed by humans), and a dark green cloak stitched with good luck. ]
Sir Luke of the stars,
I thought I would open with whimsy, but I'm afraid that the reason for my letter is a more serious one. Alia Althane has brought war to the Deepmoor, and though she vastly overestimates herself as an opponent I expect many of my freedoms to be curtailed in the coming days, by necessity or my brother's desire to protect. Most of these letters I'm to write now, these short missives, will be apologies for the time that I can no longer promise - but you have had your own responsibilities take you from me often already, and it's a consolation that you understand even as I feel it very necessary you should know. I hope to see you again in more peaceful times, and for my own lands at least I expect those to come sooner rather than later. I worry most for what we'll do then.
Please convey my love to your sister.
With deepest affection,
[ With the letter is a pair of hand mirrors; at first glance there's nothing unusual about them, but a closer inspection will reveal that they reflect what the other one faces, regardless of distance. ]
To my dearest Belani,
As I sit to write these letters, I find myself marveling again at the bonds created in such a small, small stretch of time. They are no less the meaningful for their newness, and that is why I am writing to you now. We are at war in the Deepmoor, and Alia Althane has cast the first stone. We have a great deal to do and many decisions to make, and I can't promise the next time we'll see each other - but please don't worry that we won't. It's only beginning, but I intend to see it finished. I promise to write as often as I can spare the time, but for now this is where Nuada and I have to be and I know you'll understand that. And my dear friend - I hope when I return, I return to find you and Uther Doul reconciled.
Yours most sincerely,
Uther Doul,
I will keep this brief, and without undue sentimentality; how your poet's soul coexists with your stoicism is one of the greatest mysteries of creation. I'm sorry to tell you that war is brewing in my lands, and for some time you'll find me unavailable; I mean to dedicate myself to this wholly until it's passed. Only worry a little, please, and take care. Imagine me frowning at you, because I will if I return and you haven't. I hope when I do that you and the Brucolac will have some understanding between you.
Fondly,
My most enchanting friend,
I write to you with a heavy heart and unfortunate news. War is coming to my land, marching toward us already, and though I firmly believe our opponent to have an inflated sense of her own importance and the threat she poses to us - I have responsibilities to my people here and I must be unavailable a while. My brother leads battle from the front lines, and so my place becomes the council chamber, and it falls to me to keep order. You mustn't worry too much, and I promise that I will write and that I'll come to see you as soon as everything is settled again. If you like, when this is over and we have settled again I'll hold that ball for you; did you find a suitable hall? Your thoughts of a portrait will have to wait, but in the meanwhile I have sent you something so you have no cause to forget me while I'm gone.
Most affectionately yours,
[ With the letter is an enchanted gold music box that tailors its airs to the mood of the listener. ]
Dear Arwen,
I apologize for the haste of this missive and the fact that I'm unable to speak to you in person, but I'm afraid our next meeting will have to wait for longer than I'd anticipated initially. When I returned to the Deepmoor it was to discover that we are going to war, and quicker than I could have imagined. My brother will take the battlefield and so the council chamber falls to me, and leaves me little room for the nexus - but I couldn't forget my promise and so with this letter is the book that I promised you. I look forward to our meeting again after all this has passed, and I hope that you find your Aragorn.
In new friendship,
[ With the letter is a parcel containing a history of the Bethmoora elves, paying most focus to the Golden Army but also detailing their earliest history and later years. ]
Dear Saadï,
It's been some time since last we spoke and I'm afraid that the news I have to share isn't good. War is coming to the Deepmoor, and I must devote myself to my lands and my people in them, so I am taking this opportunity to give a little of my time before I become unavailable. I thought of you while addressing a book that you yourself have read to Lady Arwen, and so I've enclosed this letter in a package with something I think you will enjoy. I look forward to taking tea with you again in more peaceful days.
Your friend,
[ With the letter is an 1866 edition of Les Epaves. ]
Dear Lyla,
How long it's been! I hope that your long absence hasn't been for reasons too concerning, and I'm sorry I've let our contact slip so much. I have thought of you, and fondly.
I have some unfortunate news to impart, that war is coming to the Deepmoor and much more swiftly than I could have anticipated. (I believe I gave the benefit of the doubt to a woman who didn't deserve it, but I expect she thinks equally low of me.) As my brother and I set about our responsibilities - his to the battlefield and mine to a councilroom - I have taken the time to remember my friends, and so I hope to see you again when we have peace, and in the meanwhile I hope you enjoy what I've enclosed this letter with.
Your friend,
[ With the letter is a pair of circular-lense gold-rimmed glasses that permit the wearer to read words on a page in languages they don't actually understand. ]
Oh, Pippa,
I am writing again so soon and this time I'm afraid it's not good news. My brother returned home today and he brought with him news of a war coming to us; the soldiers are already marching. I expect I'll still write letters, but they may be fewer and further between, and not so cheerful a while. In the meanwhile I've enclosed this letter with a gift for the winter.
Your friend in feminine conspiracy,
[ With the letter is a thin embroidered silk slip, pale gold; wear it, don't get cold. ]
Mr Grif,
Please accept this with my blessing and use them well.
Sincerely,
[ With the note is a pair of gauntlets. ]
Dear Noel,
It occurred to me only when I began to write that I wasn't quite sure how I should address you, and I certainly hope you don't mind my correspondence - a great many things are changing in my land at the moment, as we begin to prepare for a war, and I find myself with a little time to send these notes. Some to friends who must know why I'm absent, some to friends who I haven't seen in quite some time, and others yet to those I don't know so well. These missives I have the least explanation for, but some days I'm not so far from a youth where my whim was enough.
It is my hope that you will find my letter welcome, and that the gift that comes with it will cheer you. (If my choice seems impertinent, then I apologize.)
Sincerely,
[ With the letter is...a cane, elaborately carved and topped with an ivory handle set with moonstone; the handle can be twisted and removed, but what's inside is not the sword of cliché. It is, instead, of all goddamn things, a bubble wand. Because this is the fae we're talking about, it doesn't require any liquid, just to be pulled through the air. ]
Dear Mr MacEibhir,
Though we've spoken a mere handful of times, you left quite an impression on my thoughts and now that I am sitting down to write these letters I think that I shall send one to you. It is enough to say that I think fondly of the conversations we've had and the insights that you have offered, intentionally or perhaps unintentionally, and as I prepare for war of all things I would like to brighten a few days before I go. May yours be one of them.
With fond regards,
[ With the letter is a small crystal horse - small enough to be comfortably held on a palm - that seems to have been animated. ]
Dearest Lilia,
The first time we met, many months ago now, I had come from a great battle; now I am writing to you not yet a year later on the brink of another. This time it's independence and safety at stake, and not survival, and I am confident in our victory. Nevertheless, as we're preparing to abandon the nexus but for letters a while I sit here and I write them and I miss you very much. I hope that this finds you well, and that I don't add to your worries (for I know you have altogether too many in the first place), and certainly that when there's peace in the Deepmoor again and we return I might see you again. In the meantime, a keepsake.
Your affectionate friend,
[ With the letter is what looks more like a locket than a picture-frame, roughly the size of a flat palm and cracking open to reveal what looks like Nuala at some point snuck a stealthily pinpoint-photo of the two of them and then bothered someone to transfer it to something like watercolours. ]
Mordred,
There is no hidden cost.
Benevolently, you goose,
[ With the note is a bottle of elves' honeywine (laughably weak in alcohol content compared to anything brewed by humans), and a dark green cloak stitched with good luck. ]