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Friday, July 13, 2007

Chapter 3: V'ma'ter'em

(This story begins approximately 5 millennia before the disappearance of the Island of Atlantis.)

Leaning back against a gargantuan Gopher Tree, digging her fingers into the hard bark, Atlantis contemplated her new state, v’ma’ter’em. She had heard the term whispered as a Little One and had always wondered what it meant she had asked her Mother what it meant on her first century celebration.

Dras’n had explained it was a state an Elven male and female entered while the spirit connection was being established in a mated pair. Once acknowledged, the mates would become v’ma’ter’i for a male meaning lifemate and v’ma’ter’a for a female. She had understood the technical terms and meaning, but when she had asked her Mother how it was connected, she had become confused.

Her Mother had said that there was no way to explain it as the spirit connection was different for each male and female, much varied, from attitude and openess of the parties involved. Her mother had smiled and said that her spirit connection happened the moment she had seen Jas’n across the forest floor.

Looking inward, Atlantis allowed her magic to sink into the new spirit connection and followed it to the other end, Oberon. He was meticiously writing down a magic spell to put into his newest invention.

Atlantis was surprised to feel another presence in his mind, and gently she probed the connection, knowing it would lead her to Tajor. She found Tajor working in his garden, worrying about his mate. He was partically angry that Oberon was fighting him on the matter of finding another v’ma’ter’a and the other half understood completely why Oberon did not want another mate for life.

Tajor shuddered and his body shivered as he remembered the horror of five hundred years prior when they had lost their v’ma’ter’a, the light and love of their joint lives, had been swimming in the pool that led to his watery home, and had settled herself on the edge of the pool and was allowing the wind to dry her blue-gray skin, she, like himself was a water elf and loved to swim.

Atlantis felt his head lift, looking at the pool, revealing her last moments in a Seeing she had sent to him at the moment of her death. A shadow had fallen over her and she opened her eyes, at first she could not make out what was standing in the pool before her the being had blood-red eyes, grey sunken skin and razor sharp fangs glinted from his mouth.

It had gripped her by the neck and had fastened its fangs in her neck and had drained every drop of her blood from her body. Her eyes had gone blank and her heart stuttered and stopped before the Seeing released him. Tajor had instantly come to the clearing, but Oberon had beaten him to the pond. He watched as his mate threw a sun disk at the Werekin, but it was too late, the Werekin had dropped the dried husk of their love and had advanced one step before the magic disk exploded in this body creating instant sunlight, discinagrating the body to ash in an instant.

The night had frozen for Tajor and Oberon as they stood in horror looking at the body of their love. They had stood there immobile until H’eln H’n had come later the next afternoon and burned the body, explaining that if the bodies were not burned to ash, she could rise a Werekin and nothing would be left of her to go to the Beyond.

Oberon had retreated to his labortory, while he had worked fervishly in his gardens. When they had come out of their separate shades of grief, they had Twa in their home, serving as their elemental and had been informed that two hundred and fifty years had passed.

They had come together their bodies starved of affection and had spent the next one hundred and fifty years in a haze of intimacy. The last one hundred years had been joyful, filled with happiness, and contentment. Only the last several years had been restless for both of them, a reminder of how they had felt just prior to meeting their first v’ma’ter’a.

Standing up, Tajor stripped off his clothes and dove into the pool, automatically switching from using his lungs to breathe to his gills, which remained closed and invisible while on land, he was going to speak to his Mother.

Arriving at his ancesteral home, he rang the bell and it chimed a tinkling sound, the water making the sound muted and less tinny then had it been used on the surface. His Mother opened the door, she smiled and mind thought to her son, “Greetings Tajor come in my dear.”

Tajor walked into his Mother’s home nuzzling, her cheek with a kiss and greeting her. “Good day my Mother.”

“Have a seat my son and unburden your heart.”

Tajor sat on his Mother’s chair and lounged back against the wall, snuggling into the downy softness of the furniture. He looked at his Mother contemplating on what he was going to say.

Atlantis was in awe of Tajor’s life under the sea and had to remind herself not to use his eyes to see anything but what Tajor was looking at or risk letting him know of her presence in his mind.

His Mother was a beautiful female, high elven cheekbones, emerald hair that reached passed her bottom, her height had to be close to six foot, five inches, her ruby lips were pursed and green eyes narrowed as she contemplated her son sitting before her.

“You are beautiful my Mother.”

“Hmph, you always begin with that statement when you have no idea how to communicate about your feelings my son.”

Grinning impishly at his Mother, Tajor sighed and said, “I believe that we have met our new V’ma’ter’a, however, I cannot feel a connection, why would that be?”

“Entering into a new state of V’ma’ter’em is difficult sometimes, it has to do with individual’s feelings and needs and in your case not just two sets of needs and feelings, but three.”

“If your assumptions are right, then you will need to find the key to rousting all three sets of feelings so that the spirit connection will desparately want to be recognized and acknowledged for what they are and can become.”

“Whose the fortunate Elven female, if I may ask.”

“You may Mother, I believe it is Atlantis de El’a.”

“The orphaned Sky Elf?”

Wincing at his Mothers bald question, “I highly doubt she considers herself an orphan, she was raised by Dras’n and Jadn’ Hout.”

“Are you sure my dear?”

“Oberon was insensed that I had invited her to our home for dinner, over the last decade or so, no one has made him that uneasy.”

A wrinkle formed on her brow as Je’n du Plaxis contemplated her progeny. She was concerned, as she knew that life would be difficult on her son and his v’ma’ter’i if he was right, she was a Youngling eligible for v’ma’ter’em, but what did a Youngling know about mated elves such as her son and his mate? Voicing none of her fears she invited her son to stay for a while and catch her up on his life on the surface.

Gently, Atlantis allowed her spirit to slide away from Tajor’s mind and return to Oberon’s, blinking she concentrated on the waving of his hands, his attention to detail so complete she did not want to disturb him. As she began her spirit journey back to her own body, she noticed an area in Oberon’s mind that was chained and locked, instinctively she knew it was where he held all his feelings of love and happiness. The symbolic chaining of the box made her wonder if they could ever be broken.

She slowly withdrew from his body and returned back to her own, a green face of her friend Olwyn looked at her and she swallowed, “Hi.”

“Oh there you are Atty,” exclaimed Olwyn, “I thought you were going to the Beyond.” Grinning crookedly at the female in front of him, he said, “Glad you didn’t.”

Smiling she said, “Me too!”

Laughing he said, “I wanted to talk to you privately, Atty, but I don’t think you want to hear what I have to say.”

Gasping at her friend’s pronouncement, she said, “What are friends for Olwyn if they cannot confide in each other?”

“Atty, you have entered v’ma’ter’em haven’t you?” It was more a statement of fact then a question.

Shocked rippled through Atlantis as she contemplated her friend, “How did you know?”

Olwyn smiled sadly and said, “Some would call it a gift others a curse, it seems that I have inherited my uncles ability to recognize a mated pair, however, I don’t see you with anyone, who are they?”

Swallowing convulsively, Atlantis shook her head, “It doesn’t matter Olwyn, one doesn’t want me and the other is not willing to go against his v’ma’ter’i’s wishes on this matter to try to discover if I am their mate.”

“I am sorry Atlantis, more then you will ever know.”

“Will this be a confidence between the two of us Olwyn?”

Olwyn didn’t trust his voice to not break so he nodded his head in agreement. Smiling crookedly with relief, Atlantis wished him good night and moved away and through the trees.

Olwyn was relieved when Atlantis didn’t look back at him as tears flooded his eyes and coursed their way down his cheeks, he loved Atlantis unconditionally and she would never be his.

© All Rights Reserved. Copyrighted July 2007 by Georgia Lee Jones.