The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

The Library of Worlds

Ellidy went into the cottage with her fresh cleaned fish. Mia ran over eagerly as Ellidy filled her bowl. The cottage door opened and Mara came in, limping a little. Mara was still proud of being able to open doors. Her big paws were surprisingly deft. The big and little cats had been annoying the Tangwystal Village birds ever since. The cats had kept their promise not to catch, eat, or in any way damage the Village birds, but teasing them was irristable.
"I think I have a tick in my paw,"Mara said.
Ellidy examined the tiger's paw. "No, love, it's a very sharp, pointy pebble. No wonder you were limping!" She removed the nasty bit of rock and put it on the kitchen table.
"I found something of yours," Mara announced. "It smells like you, anyway. I'll go get it."
Ellidy followed her outside. Mara brought her a bag.
"It's my rations from the library."
"I smell you all over the place,"Mara said.
"Like where, love?"
"All kinds of places. Dangerous places. Stinky gnolls had this. And I smelled you over by the minos and by that sticky honey place. And by the tree near here. I tried to tell the tree lady that she had something of yours, but she didn't seem to understand me."
"It's odd that she didn't understand you."
"She didn't want to talk to me" Mara hung her head. "Scratched her tree. Stupid rock. I was trying to get it out."
"Did you say you were sorry?"
"I did, but she was mad and didn't want to listen."
"I'll go talk to her and say sorry again for you and explain about the rock. And then I'll see if I can find those other things."
"You be careful. Minos are mean and that honey place is sticky."
"I'll be careful. You be careful here, too."
"Mara rubbed against her and purred. "I'm going to eat my fish and take a nap."
Ellidy laughed. "It's so strange. It's as if someone took my beltpouch high in the sky and shook out the contents all over Sierra Na, or at least all over this part of it."
"Mmmmmmm, fish!"Mara said. "I hope Mia hasn't eaten all the hearts!" The tiger let herself into the cottage as Ellidy set out for the dryad's house. All this time living so close by and they'd never really spoken. Hopefully, she wasn't too angry to talk now.


Galadhaethor had been very pleasant and very kind. She forgave Mara and gave Ellidy the library issued penknife she had found, but the scratch Mara had made in her tree had wounded her sorely and she would bleed until her tree was healed. Ellidy had an urgent reason now to go to the hives---finding a good sized lump of beeswax to heal Galadhaethor and her tree.
She cast invisibility and set off, flying as fast as she could, skirting the minotaurs' Grand Maze breathlessly.
Ellidy thought gratefully of Caland's flying lessons. He was so kind. She wished she felt less awkward and uncomfortable around him. He was so good to Sweetpea and such a dedicated sort of person. Sometimes things were all right, but then she would sense she'd disappointed him again and feel just as clumsy and strange as before.
She reached the hivelands just as her invisibility ran out.

Some bees and two of the Queen's Guards saw her and attacked. As she fought, Ellidy noticed a little package of bandages that looked very familiar lying on the ground. After the bees and one of the Queen's Guards fell, she paused a moment to snatch it up before turning her attention to the remaining guard.

He spoke before she could resume her attack, "Ok, take it."
Ellidy bowed, "Thank you."
"Sheesh, you're tough," he muttered. "I'd say you're welcome, but I'm not happy. What will I give the queen for her birthday now?"
"I'm sorry you're not happy," Ellidy said.
He looked at her sadly,"I needed something special to make me stand out."
"Does she like gems?" Ellidy asked, thinking of the pretty ruby she'd found a few days before.
The big guard sighed, "No, she doesn't like any of the normal junk. See my problem?" He started to hum to himself.
"I do see your problem," Ellidy said thoughtfully."Would she like a song?"
He nodded. "She's always humming. We all are."
"You have a nice hum, good tone. I could write you one, if you like."
"You could? What do you want in return?"
"I need some beeswax"
"Wax,I can do. I have some in my pack."
"Tell me about your queen."
"She is the most beautiful of all, sweet smelling, mother to many. She has many of us to protect her, but I am in love with her and she doesn't see me all."
Ellidy thought hard for a moment, humming in a good key for the guard.
Pulling the wax out of his pack, he hummed along with her.
"There is no nectar as rich as your beauty, my sweet," Ellidy sang.
"There is no flower as fair as your face.
But more than that,
Richer by far
Is your spirit, your kindness, your strength.
Smile upon me, Queen of my heart,
My devotion is deep as the depths of love."
The two of them sang the song again together.
"You do have a good voice," Ellidy said.
"She will surely notice me, don't you think?"
"I would, if I were her."
The Queen's Guard handed Ellidy a huge lump of wax.
"Please come again one day. My name is Max."
"Thank you very much for the wax. I'm Ellidy, Max. Bast bless and keep you."
"But don't tell the others I talk to people," the guard said, winking."It'd ruin my reputation. Hive mother watch you and yours."
Ellidy bowed,"It will be a secret between us."

"Hurry, they are coming! I'll shake my fist and shout---" he took a deep breath. "GET OUT AND STAY OUT! I GUARD MY QUEEN!"

Ellidy screamed in terror and flew away shrieking.

She stopped out of sight, laughing quietly for a moment, before casting invisibility on herself again and flying back for the dryad's tree as fast as her wings would carry her.


Galadhaethor was very glad to get such a large piece of beeswax. She put it on her wound and she and her tree healed right up.
But something very odd had happened while Ellidy was gone. A voice had spoken through the roots of Galadhaethor's tree, saying that the speaker was a friend of Ellidy's and that all she had to do was find one more of her things and they would meet.

"Is that normal for your kind?" Galadhaethor asked.

Ellidy shook her head. "I guess I'd better go bother the minos and find out what this is all about."

"They can be pretty careless with things that don't interest them. Look around a bit before you get too close," Galadhaethor told her.

After saying farewell, Ellidy left, happy at having found a new friend.

She went into stealth and searched around the base of the minotaurs' hill. She found a nice set of panpipes and some pretty stones. And then there it was, tucked into a nook in the rocks, her apprentice librarian's waterskin. Likely the minos had not sensed its magic or hadn't cared about always having fresh clean water. Happily, Ellidy picked it up. The Minotaur Fields spun away and she was somewhere else entirely.

She looked around, amazed. Stars of all sizes shone under her feet. She stood, apparently walking safely on vacuum, and stared. She was in a small cleared spot, surrounded by bookshelves going off into the vast distance as far as she could see. In the clearing were all manner of unknown gadgets, telescopes, crystal balls, scrying fields, and an elderly bearded man, apparently human.

"Welcome, my dear."

Ellidy bowed.

"Welcome to the library. I am the Watcher and the Librarian."

"This is an amazing library," Ellidy said. "Thank you for letting me see it"

"Letting you see it?" The Watcher laughed,"Of COURSE. Dont be silly. Ive been watching you since you first arrived. Still want to be a librarian one day?"

"I do."

"Then I have some information you may like."

Ellidy looked around hungrily, " I think it's likely you have lots. It's hard not to start going through the shelves."

"I understand you are to find a sword?"

Ellidy could not meet his eyes. "Yes,"she answered, softly.

"You see, I am the librarian. I see all that comes and goes in the world. I put the things I see into words and they are here," he waved his hands at the vast array of bookshelves.

"You are fortunate," Ellidy looked around again blissfully, forgetting her task for a moment.

"But yes, the sword,"The Watcher said."What you seek Morgoth has. Have you met him?"

"Morgoth? No, I haven't."

"You will. Now listen carefully. He is a pitiful creature. He sees the living as undead and the undead as living."

"He is mad, then?"

"Aye."

"Poor fellow."

"But more then that. He is doomed to stay that way. It is his destiny."

"And dangerous, it seems."

"Oh yes, Ellidy, very. Because he cannot see you as you are. For example, he sees paladins as death knights and death knights as paladins. To him, you are an undead thing."

"Can he be be helped?"

"No, lass, not really. He will remain as he is forevermore, but from time to time he can be released for a moment. His phylactery is a paladin's heart."

"A paladin's heart," Ellidy echoed, thoughtfully.

"This is the most important thing I can tell you.He can be swayed by a song."

"Oh. And what of the paladin?"

"The paladin took the charge as her own. It is her duty, lass. When and if you face him have a grand song ready . I will leave it up to you but I would sing him something to remind him of the world and of honor. Sing to him to soften his heart, Ellidy."

"He doesn't think he's doing dreadful things, does he?"

"No, lass, he doesn't. That is why I say he is to be pitied, not feared."

"He thinks he's curing the folk he kills?"

"Aye. He thinks he is killing undead and returning them to life."

"That is a dreadful fate, indeed. But I suppose he doesn't really know it."

"Aye,lass, he doesn't and the paladin asked for the job she does. She does it for honor. She is not to be pitied, she cannot be rescued. She is to be honored."

"Love and honor and duty and the beauty of the world,"Ellidy murmured, feeling the beginnings of a melody tease at her.

"That is the paladin's heart," the watcher smiled."To touch Morgoth, you remind him of that."

"Thank you for telling me about this. I was too frightened to go looking. I am ashamed."

"Oh, child, don't be ashamed. Learning is never something to be ashamed of and you are learning. See these books."

Ellidy looked around in wonder and longing,"It's part of the library of the worlds, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is"

"All real libraries connect to the Library of Worlds, they say," back home in the Verian Library.

"Aye and to me. I am THE librarian. Did I say that too proudly?

"It's something to be proud of, I think. If you find the right places in the stacks, you could come out into any real library anywhere."

"And talk to whom ever you choose to whenever you choose to, if they are in Library Space."

"Wherever I go, you'll be able to find me."

The Watcher nodded, "You are never alone. child. as long as you carry a book or a poem or song in your mind. As long as you hold words as a grand thing I am always connected."

"I can't help that you know. As long as I have a mind, I have to keep making poetry."

"I know you will child, I have seen---Ah! I'm rambling. It's the plight of the old .. We do tend to run on."

"I don't think you're running on, really. I think you're teasing."

The ancient librarian handed her a small belt pouch. "Here you are, dear child."

Ellidy took it and looked inside in wonder. "It's the rest of my things. Oh, thank you. I was so

happy when the library accepted me and gave me my gear. And now I have it back. It gives me hope of returning home someday."

"Now one last bit of business,"the Watcher said, the authority in his voice palpable. "Ellidy Greynir."

"Sir?"

"You are no longer an apprentice. You are a librarian in roaming, a seeker of knowledge."

Ellidy wept silently as he continued, "As you will most likely be the rest of your life. You are part of the staff of the Great Library now, child."

"Sir. I will try to do my best."

"Come, little one. He took Ellidy's hand and they were back in Tangwystyl Village.

"This is a pretty place," he said.

"It is. I don't belong here, but it's very nice. It's a good place to learn things, that's certain."

"Where do you belong?"

"In the Verian Library, and in the Library of Worlds, I think, even if I'm just a shelver."

"One day you will have a choice, dear child. Until then sing, read, recite, be happy."

"Learn," Ellidy said.

The Watcher nodded, "That is most important. And remember as much as you can"

"Thank you for everything," Ellidy said.

"Aye, child, and thank you."

He turned away and for a moment Ellidy saw the shelves of the Great Library superimposed on the Village green as he walked away into the stacks. And then he and they were gone.

Ellidy flew up to the cottage and let herself in. Mara and Mia were curled together sleep in front of the fire. She tried to step softly, but Mara woke up.

"You smell funny."

"Funny how, love?"

"Like books and like incense and like wind."

"I've been to a very strange place."

"I wanted to tell you, I've decided for sure. I'm going to stay with you and Mia and not go live with Metra and my sibs."

"I'm so glad. We would have missed you terribly."

"I know," Mara said, purring in satisfaction. "I am indispensable."

Ellidy joined the cats by the fire, sighing with contentment.

"We can go visit them, though. That would be lovely, going to the desert to see Metra and your family."

"Yes. Mia will need her wings, though, to keep up."

"Faster than you," Mia muttered, still more than half asleep.

Ellidy arranged her wings carefully and fell asleep herself, to dream of bookshelves going on beyond the horizon.


Story by Maddyanne