Gelfar's Gift

Gelfair’s Gift

What was an elf to do?  Should Gelfar fight and possibly lose his life to this pointless, constant warring of the humans or should he leave his friend Linx to his fate?  Never had an elf had such a decision because elf’s stayed out of men’s affairs.  Unfortunately, Glefar did not ascribe to many elf ways.  His parents were positively livid that their son would go to a human habitation and start to interact with the humans within.  He had only been a child of thirty-two but by elf standards this was barely six as a human child grows.  Over the years Glefar’s parents tried everything to stop this friendship between the young men, Linx and Glefar, but nothing worked.  If anything, Glefar seemed to delight in further stigmatizing his parents by spending MORE time with the human youth. 

Linx was now sixteen years old and ready to become a man as people of this time became men.  He could fend for himself and provide for a wife.  Linx, despaired of leaving his best friend behind and moving to a new village, but knew he must go.  All the girls in his village were taken and Linx would have to travel to find himself a wife.  Besides it was well known to the humans of his village that Linx hung around with Elves.  Elves were much revered but only from afar.  It was common knowledge that they hated humans and their ‘dirty’ ways.

Glefar completely understood his friends need to move on even though he was also sad about their parting.  However, before Linx had left, a war broke out between the countries of Alendria and Dorian.  Linx lived in Alendria where most Elves lived but the Elves stayed out of the human wars.  Linx didn’t have much choice in the matter.  He was of age and unmarried so it was just understood that he would go with the rest of the Alendrian forces to stop the incursion of the Dorians.  Glefar thought hard on joining his human friend but knew he would be more of a burden than a help.  So he said goodbye to his friend before he went to war and he wished him a long life.  Linx looked at Glefar and thanked him then walked away.

Years passed with the two countries fighting over land and riches.  The fighting was fierce and there didn’t seem to be an end to it.  Neither side could get a decisive victory.  During this time Glefair had no idea of what happened to his friend Linx except that he ended up in a cavalry unit. The war had now gone on ten years and the Dorians were desperate to end this fruitless war so they took drastic measures. 

News suddenly came that a Dorian battalion was advancing on the Elven forest, disregarding years of truce with the Elves.  All the Elves were in a turmoil not having had to actively defend their homeland in hundreds of years while watching men fight continuously amongst themselves.  Now the men were turning on them.  The Elves were known as fierce warriors but that had been hundreds of years ago and now only the old men remembers ever picking up a weapon with intent to use it.  The Elves took out the old battle swords and shields from their forefathers and marched out to the edge of their forest prepared to defend it to the last Elf.  No one ever questioned an Elf’s courage especially when defending their homes and very way of life.

Across the field they could see the rough group of human soldiers lined up in their formation.  There was a terrible quiet that befell elf, man and animal alike.  Today a terrible deed was about to take place.  Out of the silence grew the sound of thunderous hooves as hundreds of horses charged onto the field of battle.  Both the Dorians and Elves alike were frightened because they did not know what this unknown commotion meant.

Leading at the head of the charge was Linx, now a huge man that rode a formidable war horse.  He led his hundreds of horsemen between the Elves and the Dorians and then as one the horses wheeled and faced the Dorians.  Linx rode to the center of the line and stood up in his stirrups glaring at the Dorians. 

Then he spoke, “Men of Dorian stop your march now or face the rage me and my men.  No one will pass us to enter the Elven Forest.  No one!”

The Dorians, although greater in number were taken aback by this giant of a man that put his own life and that of his men between them and the Elves.  None doubted that they would have to kill every Alendrian man there, before even facing the fierce Elvish army.  The captains and generals of the Dorians conferred and decided to withdraw rather than risk losing the whole battalion. 

Linx rode back to the Elvish army and said to the men in charge, “That is for the friendship of a kind elf that saw fit to befriend a ‘dirty’ human.”  He seemed to look out as if he was trying to find someone but if he was he did not find him.

He turned his great charger and galloped away, never knowing that his friend Glefar had died just a year ago of breathing sickness.  Gelfar’s wife had wondered why his last words were not of family or friends but of a human named Linx who he foretold would save his people.  Then he passed on.  The debt was paid.

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