Sword of Aendil

by Jason Finigan

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This story may contain scenes which involve sexual situations between young males. If this type of material is offensive to you, or it is not legal for you to be reading this type of material, please do not read any further. This story is copyright © 2007-2008 by Jason Finigan, all rights reserved. Please do not copy this story for distribution or post on any online server without the author's permission. Please send all your comments to: . You can also visit my website at: .


From the last chapter:

Together, the three of us put an arm into the water, and began to push the boat towards the edge of the lake. It was slow going, but eventually we managed. Eadir jumped out of the boat and rushed to the front, pulling it up out of the water so that the boat wouldn't float away. Weiss and I got out of the boat, and Eadir lifted the still crying Dinendal out, standing him up on the ground.

"Dinendal, can you hear me?" Eadir asked softly.

"Uh huh," Dinendal answered, nodding his head up and down a couple times.

"Do you remember us?"

"You're Uncle Eadir aren't you?" Dindendal asked, looking up at Eadir.

"What the..." a startled Eadir said.

"He's lost all the memories he gained growing up!" I exclaimed.

"You mean..." Weiss started.

"He's just a little boy now, with no memory of the events that brought us here," I said, not even bothering to hide the astonishment from my voice.


Chapter 9

A child. Nothing more than a frightened, little boy.

A thousand questions began to run through my mind. Chief among them, what the hell were we to do now? Dinendal had all the answers, it was he who had sent us on this quest, he who had brought Weiss and me to the Dwarf city, he who had led our fellowship up the mountainside, and he alone who could speak with the shades of the druids of past times so that we might learn how to defeat Serin and his forces.

A child!

Dinendal sat on Weiss' lap, tears still flowing down his now cherubic face. His frightened cries slowing until only the occasional sob escaped his lips. He was holding onto Weiss as if his life depended on it, shaking and shivering; not from being cold, but rather out of fear. Every little movement seemed to make him jump, a reaction that we were so unaccustomed to seeing in the once fearless druid.

"Ok, anyone?" Weiss looked at us, his eyes reflecting the confusion and hopelessness each of us felt.

"You've got me. I don't even want to begin to try and explain this," I said.

"It's impossible," Eadir commented, looking as if he was deep in thought.

"Well, obviously not, as here he is," Weiss pointed out.

"This is just getting stranger and stranger by the day," I said, shaking my head, as if by doing that I could wake myself up from an impossible dream. But of course this was no dream.

"No arguments about that from me," Weiss said.

"Well, we cannot stay here," Eadir said.

"Where do you suggest we go?" I asked.

"To find shelter and food. Once we've done that we can figure out what we're going to do next," Eadir told us. It was the sensible thing to do, given the circumstances. I looked back up at the waterfall from where we had fallen. There was definitely no way we were going to get back up there. We'd have to find another way to rejoin the others. If they were still waiting for us that is.

"And the others?" I asked, bringing to voice my concerns.

"They can look after themselves. I just hope they do not attempt to follow us."

"Okay, I have this very silly question," Weiss said.

"Can't be any more odd than what's happened so far," I said.

"Would someone mind telling me why it was that the waters of the lake back there gave me the creeps, but the water here is as clean and fresh as any body of water I've ever seen?"

"That's because, Master Weiss, this is my domain." The voice came from behind us, and what I saw there was almost enough to cause me to lose control of my bladder.

"Who..." Eadir started, the shock of seeing the figure before us making it almost impossible for him to speak. Standing almost seven feet tall and exhibiting characteristics of both man and beast, stood an imposing figure. It's head was that of an old man, wizened, and gentle. Its body was covered in a soft coat of grey fur that matched the hair on its head. Only its chest and stomach remained hairless and smooth, looking very much like that of a built human male's. The lower half was that of a horse, covered in the same soft grey fur, its powerful muscles rippling with every movement it made. The one thing that was undeniable to me, no matter how powerful this creature appeared physically, it was within it that I could tell that it's true strength lie. It was a creature imbued with immense power and knowledge. And it was ancient.

"I am, Tanath. Guardian of this land that is my domain," The creature spoke.

"You are a Minotaur," Eadir said, standing up to face him.

"I am. I was."

"You cannot be here. The Minotaur race was decimated over a hundred years ago, by the troll armies of the north," Eadir continued.

"I have always been here. I was the first, and I am the last."

"I don't understand," I said, standing up next to Eadir.

"All will be explained. For now, you must have shelter and rest and food. This will be provided. Follow," Tanath said, turning away from us and heading into the brush, not looking back to see that we followed after him, rather seemingly trusting that we would.

"Who was that?" Weiss asked, his face wearing a look of bewilderment. A look that was most likely shared by all of us.

"I do not know," Eadir said. "But I do know of Minotaurs. We should follow."

"And Dinendal?" I asked, looking down at the small boy whose eyes were fixated on the retreating figure of Tanath.

"I will take him," Weiss said, holding onto Dinendal as he stood. Not once did Dinendal let go of Weiss, but shifted subtly to make it easier for Weiss to hold onto him. I noticed that Dinendal still had an ironclad grip on him.

"Then let's go before we lose sight of him," I said, moving with the others to follow after this strange creature. I think what was unsettling me more than anything else, even more than the mere presence of Tanath, was the fact that I swore he knew that we would be there. It was almost as if he had been waiting for us. Stranger things have happened so far, so this was just another item to put on the list. Maybe soon Tanath would tell us why he was there, and what he knew of the place we found ourselves in.

* * *

Tanath had led us to an empty glade, surrounded on all sides by a sea of trees. Only the mountain side was visible from where we stood, blocking out the sun which was getting lower in the sky. Weiss still held onto Dinendal, though Dinendal was no longer clinging onto him as he had been before. Somehow during the walk, he had calmed down enough to be comfortable in Weiss' arms. I couldn't help but think how perfect he looked carrying Dinendal as he did. I knew that if he and I ever had children of our own that he'd be a perfect father. Me, I wasn't too sure of. I still felt like a kid myself.

Dinendal's wide eyes were scanning the environment all around him. Where once he was frightened and unsure of things, now he was curious. There was still a bit of fear about him, but Weiss had a way with him that helped Dinendal become as calm as he was.

Eadir, as ever, was behind me, ever watchful, especially now that we were in the company of a creature that was for the most part unknown to us. Even Eadir's stated knowledge of Minotaurs was insufficient to reassure him.

"Please sit," Tanath's gentle voice urged us. At first none of us moved, but I soon found myself having difficulties standing, and ended up cross-legged, sitting on the ground before this magnificent creature.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Tanath. I have mentioned this," the Minotaur said, smiling down at me knowingly, as if he knew what it was I was really asking him."

"Yes. But who are you? How do you come to be here?" I tried again.

"I have always been here. I was here when the elves of old were of the magics of the world. I was here when the cities of man were destroyed in their last great war. I was there when the first Druid council was born, and now when it has fallen. I am Tanath, the first of my kind, and the last.

"That's impossible!" I gasped, catching on to what he was telling us. It was unbelievable. "No creature can live that long."

"No mortal creature, you are correct," Tanath said distantly.

"You're immortal then?" Eadir asked.

"Sometimes," Tanath replied, turning his ever present smile down to him.

"This is getting us nowhere," Weiss grumbled.

"Not true, master Weiss. You are here. It is where you were meant to be, where I have always known you'd be."

"You're not making any sense, are you telling us you can tell the future?" Weiss asked, obviously beginning to lose his patience.

"What is the future?" Tanath asked rhetorically. "Is it static or is it malleable to change? Who is to say? You asked who I am, I am the watcher and the Guardian. It is my duty to ensure that events unfold as they are meant to, to watch over these lands and protect those who have been deemed necessary to see the foretold events come to pass. I have been watching you; all of you for some time now. Since before you were even born in fact."

"How do you know of us? And why watch us?" I asked him. As confused as I was by what he was saying, I still found myself oddly enraptured by his answers as if they had some meaning beyond the words that he was saying.

"It was shown to me the roles each of you were to play in the events to come."

"Shown, by who?" Weiss asked.

"By the one who is ageless. The one who's life is trapped by the circumstances of his conception; doomed to repeat his life over and over again until his role has been fulfilled. That time is near."

"Huh?" Weiss and I said simultaneously.

"The lone wanderer. He who is the last of his kind and is fated to be the genesis of a new generation of Druid. The one you hold in your arms, master Weiss; Dinendal," Tanath finished, looking down at the little boy.

"Dinendal? He told you about us?" I asked.

"Many years ago. Dinendal has lived many lifetimes. At the end of each, he returns here to the place of his birth, long since forgotten by him, and brought to me to begin anew his life once more. His old life is absorbed into the lake from which you came, storing his memories and experience for all of eternity."

"Okay, so how does he know what's to happen in the future?" Weiss asked.

"By consulting with his past lives who are not bound by time or space. They appear to him as visions of others, such as the first of the druids, Aerandir."

"You mean, when he went to speak with the first druid's shade, that he was really speaking to his past self? A past self that is able to look into the future?" I asked, my eyes opened wide in shock, at the realization of what was being told to me.

"That is correct, young Taey."

"Then the shades aren't even real," I continued.

"In a way they are, for they are his own past lives. What is a shade but the memory of those who came before us? It is no different for Dinendal."

"Wow," I concluded, unable to say anything else. It was just too... incredible!

"So why here then? Why does he have to come here to consult with the shades?" Weiss asked.

"He is guided here, instinctively drawn to this place at the end of his life so that he might be reborn once more, completing the circle until his life work is done."

"To find us and bring us to you so that we can learn what is needed to defeat Serin and his armies," I said, knowing intuitively what Dinendal's task must have been, what he was fated to do since the time of his birth, which was only God know how long ago. For all I knew, he could have been alive during the first war, when Serin first attempted to rule Aendil.

"That is correct, young Taey. For even though Dinendal is able to gleam some portion of future events and learn what is needed to be done, he is still restricted by his mortality, his human mind. As a species you are not equipped mentally to be able to absorb that much information. It would drive you mad. Instead, it is left to me to know of what is to come through Dinendal and retain that knowledge. And I have done so for many centuries."

"Centuries! Just how old is Dinendal in the first place?" I asked.

"Since before your people's recorded history, young Taey. He has lived many lifetimes after the Great War."

"And each time he loses his memory?" Eadir asked.

"Yes. It is necessary, otherwise he would go insane," Tanath answered.

"I kind of figured. But he did have most of his memories back up at the lake," I said, thinking back to when we found him in the boat."

"Memories that he would retain until he entered my domain," Tanath said.

"That's some story," Weiss said finally after a few minutes of silence.

"So what do we do with him now?" I asked.

"What do you want to do?" Tanath asked me, looking over at Dinendal who was regarding us with frightened eyes, holding onto Weiss very tightly once again.

"He cannot be left alone like this," I said.

"The choice is yours. He could stay with me, as he has a few times," Tanath told us.

"He needs to be with his own kind," Weiss said with finality, protectively holding onto Dinendal.

"Babe, are we ready for this though?" I asked, even though I already knew in my heart what the answer was.

"He did so much for us, Babe. I owe it to him. I think I understand now why he was the way he was with us. I cannot believe how terrible I was to him, how I mistrusted him at every turn and even yelled at him out of frustration."

"You weren't exactly an angel then, no," I agreed, smiling at him.

"No. But I mean, look at him," Weiss said gently. I did look at Dinendal, into his frightened but hopeful eyes as they looked over at me. There was no sign of the Dinendal we once knew. Now there was only a ten year old child wanting to be accepted and loved.

"Babe, it is up to you. I already know what my heart is telling me to do, but I do not want to make this decision alone."

"I want to keep him," Weiss said, looking at me hopefully. I simply smiled at him and nodded my head, which made him hug Dinendal even tighter.

"You know, when I saw you carrying him like you were, I said to myself how perfect you looked with him in your arms. You looked like a father."

"I feel like one... now," Weiss agreed.

"We both do, Babe," I said, using a finger to brush away a lock of hair that had fallen to cover part of Dinendal's face.

"Daddy?" Dinendal asked shyly.

"Uh huh," I said, nodding my head and smiling at Dinendal. In seconds flat Dinendal had pushed himself out of Weiss' arms and jumped into mine. I had to steady myself from the unexpectedness of his leap, lest I fall back onto the ground.

"Fatherhood suits you," Weiss said, watching as Dinendal got settled in my arms.

"It feels right," I told him, awash with new feelings that I'd never experienced before. I knew with certainty that we were doing the right thing.

"Now I've seen it all," Eadir said, making me reluctantly look over at him and away from Dinendal.

"You've never seen two people hold their son before?" Weiss asked coyly.

"Not that," Eadir laughed. "I mean, this story we just heard. I find it astounding to learn that Dinendal has been around for as long as he has."

"At this point I think we're all willing to accept a lot of things," I said. "We know now why the lake up there felt wrong, and the waters here were okay. We know how Dinendal regressed in age and the reason for it. But what I still don't know about is Tanath."

"You were a little cryptic about yourself Tanath," Weiss agreed.

"Was I?" Tanath asked grinning mischievously.

"You know, in a way, you remind me of the stories I've heard about Minotaurs from the scribes in the palace. But seeing you now... it throws all that out the window. You're virtually nothing like the Minotaurs I've heard about and yet you look just like the stories I've read," Eadir said absently.

"Some things are best left unsaid, but I can tell you this. Of all the creatures of this world, only some were born solely of the Earth. A few were born of Earth's essence, its life force if you will. The world is alive, like any other creature that lives on it. It breaths, its heart beats and if you listen close you can hear its voice upon the wind. It is this force, which has been called the Mother's Spirit, that breathed life into us all. But for the select few, she gifted a part of herself, entrusting in them the responsibility to protect her. Five of us were given specific tasks. One for the Earth that is her flesh, One for fire which is her life's blood, One for the sea from which all life emerged, One for the air that all may be free, and one for the spirit that all might grow."

"You are the protector of the Earth. Aren't you?" I asked.

"Yes, young Taey. I was given that task. And the time is nigh that she needs me the most. But I cannot do it alone, and that is why you have been brought to me."

"So that is what you meant by you being only partially immortal," Weiss said thoughtfully.

"Yes. I am as you are, flesh and blood. I can die. But a part of me is of the Mother's Spirit, and she is forever. Should I die, I will be reborn, just as Dinendal has been reborn countless times.

"So how many times have you been reborn?" Weiss asked.

"I haven't," Tanath said simply, presenting Weiss with another one of his wry grins.

"Very well. We have been brought here, so what do we need to do? What is it that must be done to defeat Serin?" I asked, deciding that it was about time that we get this quest under way once more.

"For now that shall wait," Tanath said, turning his attention to me. "First you must eat and rest. You are safe here, no harm shall come to you while you are in my domain."

"And those that have joined us?" Eadir asked.

"Their needs have been attended to."

"They're still there then?" I asked.

"Yes. Their help will be needed during this quest of yours. The four of you are the most important, but they will be needed to help you along the way. Each of them has a skill that will be invaluable so it will be important that you stick together," Tanath told us.

"Well, I for one am hungry," Weiss said.

"Babe, you're ALWAYS hungry," I laughed.

"And your point being?" Weiss grinned.

* * *

When Tanath said we were going to eat, he wasn't kidding. I do not know how he managed it, but within less than an hour, a dead deer was brought before us which Eadir prepared. A fire was even built for us to cook with, the pit forming before our eyes, and wood filling the pit. It was definitely magic, magic even stronger than that which Dinendal had demonstrated.

A nice salad would have gone great with the meat that we had eaten, but I didn't mind so much as it was the best meat I think I've ever had. With the way that both Weiss and Eadir were eating I think they agreed with my opinion of it.

Watching Dinendal eat was really funny. Every bite to him was an adventure, as if it was the first time for him to taste anything. In a way, I guess it was. For if Dinendal was reborn as Tanath said, and his memories were taken from him to be stored back at the lake, then it made sense that Dinendal would have no memory of eating. Still, the expressions on his face when he bit into a piece of meat was priceless. Had there ever been a way to capture that moment for all to see, now would have been the perfect time.

I have to keep reminding myself that Dinendal is no longer a grown man, the one who set us on this journey and brought us to this point. A couple of times I had to stop myself from asking him a question about his past; the things he's seen in his journeys. Now when I look at him, what I see is a sweet young boy who is loved and is happy. There is just something about a little child like Dinendal. One cannot help but love him, as Weiss and I do. My only worry was what his future will be like. Things are so uncertain with Serin's forces threatening the whole land. I couldn't escape the feeling that time was slowly running out, and that if we were to have any chance of stopping Serin, we'd need to move quickly. But what to do? We still didn't know. It was time to find out.

"Tanath," I said, getting his attention.

"You are wondering what needs to be done to defeat Serin," Tanath said calmly, looking into my eyes.

"How..."

"It is not difficult. Had I been in your place, I too would be concerned about what is to come. Specifically what was needed of me."

"Yeah, I guess. I just can't shake this feeling that time is running out," I admitted.

"You are not wrong, young Taey. Time is not on our side. Serin's forces are encroaching on the races ever so steadily. A dark cloud is spreading from the North, and I fear it brings with it death and destruction. Should this cloud reach Aendil, there will be no hope for man, elf, dwarf, or any living creature on this world."

"Dinendal... I mean, before he became a child... said that I was the key. That I was an heir to the throne of Aendil and only I alone was capable of stopping Serin," I said. "But what can I do?"

"Sometimes the smallest of creatures can affect the greatest change in our world. I know what it is you fear, young Taey. But know that your friends and family will always be with you. They are your strength. In them you can rely for the support you will need in the days to come."

"Days..."

"Yes. The time is almost upon us. There is little time to waste. You have been given this time to eat and rest, for it will be needed if you are to have any hope of accomplishing the task that has been given you."

"Okay, so what is it that needs to be done?" Weiss asked impatiently.

"To the East lays the land of the Elves. It is a magical land, filled with creatures not many have seen, dangers that few have survived, and wonders beyond which you have ever imagined. Deep within this territory, you are needed to travel. Within this land you will come upon a village. No one knows its name for no outsiders have ever ventured into it. Hidden it is, lost in the trees. You must find this village, and seek one there who will help you forge the weapon that will defeat Serin."

"A sword?" I asked. "A sword is all that is needed?"

"It is a sword, but one of a different breed. It must be forged of love and tempered by truth."

"Love?!" I said incredulously. "What does love have to do with the forging of a sword?"

"In this case, everything. What is needed will become evident to you on your journeys, Taey. There are many magics in this world, but none so powerful as love and truth. And you will need both if you are to succeed. Your companions will be with you always. They will offer you their knowledge and experience. But above all you must listen to the voices of those who reside in your heart, for they will be the key to your understanding of what is needed. "

"I'm getting a headache," Weiss said sarcastically.

Tanath just grinned at him. "In time, you will come to see the wisdom of my words, master Weiss. You are young yet. The both of you. Together the four of you will write a new chapter of this world. But you will only do so if you believe in each other."

"Okay, so you're telling us that we need to find a village deep in Elven territory. A village that no one has ever heard of or seen before, and one that has someone that is able to help us forge a weapon to defeat Serin," Eadir said, trying to summarize everything that had been told to us.

"Essentially," Tanath confirmed.

"But you cannot tell us where exactly this village is, who it is we are supposed to find, or even the name of the village we are seeking?"

"I cannot. These are things that you must discover on your own. Some things even I do not know. The future is not written in stone, it is malleable. The choices we make determine our own future, and the future of those around us."

"So where do we start?" I asked.

"You start by getting some rest, young Taey. When you awaken, you must make your way out of my domain, and head East."

"And what of the others, the ones we left behind?" Eadir asked.

"They will be with you when you awaken. Sleep now, little ones. Tomorrow is a new day."

With the last of his words, I found my eyes becoming heavy. The ground beneath me soon felt so comfortable, even more so than the bed I had slept in in Pelianor. Weiss was beside me, and he too was already beginning to fall asleep, holding in his arms the young Dinendal, who was snoring lightly, a satisfied smile on his face. Well, he had a right to be satisfied with the amount of meat he had eaten.

Moving up behind Weiss, I curled into him, putting my arm around his chest, my hand resting on Dinendal's shoulder, and promptly fell asleep. The most restful sleep I had had in a very long time.

* * *

Bright light. That's what awoke me. Shining bright in my face from above the trees. It was a warm comforting morning light, like those I enjoyed during the spring time at my father's farm. Opening my eyes I discovered that I was still laying behind Weiss, my arm pretty much in the same position it was in when I had fallen asleep. It was so comfortable. Weiss was still asleep, as was Dinendal.

Slowly I sat up so as not to disturb them. Rubbing the last remnants of sleep from my eyes, I looked around. Before me sat the fire pit, the remaining meat still hanging above the smoldering fire. Eadir was already awake, adding new wood to the fire to keep it going. There was still plenty of meat, which would definitely make for an excellent breakfast. But as my eyes took in more of what was around me, I saw that we were not alone.

Laying asleep round us were those we had left behind in our search for Dinendal. As promised, Tanath had brought them to us. The first of them, a dwarf, was already beginning to show signs of wakefulness. Of Tanath there was no sign. He had obviously completed his task, leaving us to complete this quest together.

Honestly, that was fine by me. There was just something a little unsettling about Tanath that made me more than a little nervous. I sensed no malice, or aggression, just a confused jumble of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me when ever he was near. All I could sense now was peace and contentment.

"Where are we?" the Dwarf who had awoken groaned while sitting up.

"Welcome, Koti, to the glade of Tanath. Guardian of these lands," Eadir said.

"Tanath? Guardian? Who?" The confused dwarf asked.

"There is much to tell, Koti. Wake the others so that we might eat. We have much to do, and there is little time available to us."

Editor's Notes:

It looks as if our heroes finally have at least a starting point from which to proceed. Tanath seems to be very mysterious. This story keeps getting more and more interesting. I can hardly wait for the next chapter.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher