Dear Diary 1
July 1st 2009 15:12
Dear Diary,
Though they hail me a great warrior I grow sick of this fight; we all hav our beliefs, why can't we just accept it? Fidolius and Appollinia can never fully be one. Not after the scars that tore the countries apart centuries ago. And we Elves would never submit to a human ruler, nor to be made to worship Fidolian Gods.
Things were peaceful only two years ago; Astarael and the monster were happily married. It is his foolishness that has led to this war. This war that will destroy our people. He thought he would make the kingdoms as one. He came as close as anyone will ever get; my people were right to distrust his kindness to our Goddess.
She fell for his romance; Dracon led it to happen-all of the Gods in their own way are at fault, but it is not as though he were a human whose mind they could simply read. He was a God with his own secret thoughts and his own barriers around them.
The call for war came. He said that if she and the others would not willingly make Appollinia a part of Fidolius, merging the kingdoms, that he would force them to. And he already had his army ready to march; he had seen this coming. This has always been the nature of Fidolian Gods; to want all for themselves and be willing to take it by any means necessary. Fidolian men have much the same thoughts and will fight any fight for their Gods. Appollinians are quite happy to just live peacefully side by side with the other kingdoms and races; our Gods believe in peace. We do not see war as the answer-but when forced to resort to the fight we fight well.
I've lead a force now for a little over a year. We, the Elves, defend the Appollinians; they are our friends and allies. They have been since before the Great Alliance and we have not forgotten this allegiance. They share our Gods, who the Fidolian Gods seek power over. That and the Fidolians never liked us much; they have always coveted our long lives and graceful bodies. Always wanted to live for centuries. I can't imagine why; though we learn much and see much they do not have the time to experience, as much of it is bad as there is good.
Most of the humans a century from now will likely not know what it is to fight a battle to the death, to brutally kill soldiers, men and women alike, cutting them down in droves. Most humans a century now will probably not know what it is to lose a sister or a brother in the war-let alone right in front of their eyes. In a century, humanity will not as a whole remember what the battlefield feels or looks or smells like. But I will, and so will every other Elf and Drakor that does not die in battle this war; we will remember, and quite likely live to see the next war.
In a century I will not have forgotten this blood bath. In a thousand centuries I could not forget this blood bath; watching villages burn from a distance. I know that when they can they break through our forces and destroy our people, villages, temples. But I know that the damage we have been able to do is ten times what Fidolius has managed. They have not even made it to Elvish borders, though both Appollinia and the Drakor lands suffer.
We take their food and their water; whatever we can find in the villages is our ration. My group has gone too far past the border. Supplies can no longer reach us, and I am beginning to wonder if we should simply take a fort and stay there for a while.
Yesterday I sent a messenger team-three of my best men, two Elves and one Drakor-to cut a path back to the border and see if we have orders, to inform the main force of our progress. And now my men and I lie in wait for their return. I have no doubt that they will return soon and in one piece; I just do not like lying still in enemy lands as though waiting for the next wave of soldiers.
Humans can continue wars like this for centuries, and I always wonder how. Do they really replenish their population fast enough? Or their food? Or water? We set fire to their farms, to their fortresses. We steal their water for our own armies. I suppose this goes both ways-I know they've destroyed quite a bit of Appollinian forest-but how is it sustainable?
I went for a walk just outside of our campground two days ago. There is a river not far from us, and there is a thin layer of trees that surround this river. I found a child, a very skinny child, covered and dirt lying on the ground beside the river. It was a girl child, Fidolian clearly from the shape of her face; I could not help but pity her. It is not her fault what has gone on here. It is a pity that she must suffer-that two entire nations must suffer-for the foolishness of her God.
I brought her back here and have not let the men near her. She doesn't speak, but she eats and drinks and likes to sit with my horse. I'm not really that surprised. I just wish I understood their language so that I could make her feel more welcome. She won't leave my tent for fear of the other soldiers.
She woke up as I was carrying her back and tried to run but she was too weak. She was screaming something in Fidolian, though I did not understand what. I know a few words in their language, but I doubt the word she was screaming was useful in the diplomatic situations I've had to use Fidolian in. Later I said hello to her, and managed to get across that I mean her no harm, and since I have been trying to find someone in the camp that knows the language.
I know Appollinia will win this war. I know this because we have fought Fidolius before, many centuries ago. The humans have forgotten it but it is still taught at Elorian-many things are taught at Elorian that are not taught throughout the rest of civilisation. We have more power than they do; we have more soldiers and with Elves and Drakor they would need to outnumber us severely to win. We might be fighting here for quite some time but I predict a quick victory.
I did not want this child of Fidolius to die; when Shalorin returns from messenger duty I will have him teach the girl our language. He knows Fidolian very well-and he will not harm her. I see the dirty looks my men give her when they walk into my tent. They don't see that she is a human being and worth just as much as any similar child from Appollinia.
Luckily I know enough that I can tell her 'food' and 'water'. I even managed to ask her if she had a home-in very crude words-and understand that her response was something about fire. Poor child has lost her entire family to a war I am sure she does not understand. I will not just sit by and let her die like the men and women who have stood in our way. She will do us no harm, Shalorin and I can handle the youngster.
I must rest now, and pray that the Fidolians do not find us tonight; I am in no mood for an attack upon our camp.
~Alaendril
Though they hail me a great warrior I grow sick of this fight; we all hav our beliefs, why can't we just accept it? Fidolius and Appollinia can never fully be one. Not after the scars that tore the countries apart centuries ago. And we Elves would never submit to a human ruler, nor to be made to worship Fidolian Gods.
Things were peaceful only two years ago; Astarael and the monster were happily married. It is his foolishness that has led to this war. This war that will destroy our people. He thought he would make the kingdoms as one. He came as close as anyone will ever get; my people were right to distrust his kindness to our Goddess.
She fell for his romance; Dracon led it to happen-all of the Gods in their own way are at fault, but it is not as though he were a human whose mind they could simply read. He was a God with his own secret thoughts and his own barriers around them.
The call for war came. He said that if she and the others would not willingly make Appollinia a part of Fidolius, merging the kingdoms, that he would force them to. And he already had his army ready to march; he had seen this coming. This has always been the nature of Fidolian Gods; to want all for themselves and be willing to take it by any means necessary. Fidolian men have much the same thoughts and will fight any fight for their Gods. Appollinians are quite happy to just live peacefully side by side with the other kingdoms and races; our Gods believe in peace. We do not see war as the answer-but when forced to resort to the fight we fight well.
I've lead a force now for a little over a year. We, the Elves, defend the Appollinians; they are our friends and allies. They have been since before the Great Alliance and we have not forgotten this allegiance. They share our Gods, who the Fidolian Gods seek power over. That and the Fidolians never liked us much; they have always coveted our long lives and graceful bodies. Always wanted to live for centuries. I can't imagine why; though we learn much and see much they do not have the time to experience, as much of it is bad as there is good.
Most of the humans a century from now will likely not know what it is to fight a battle to the death, to brutally kill soldiers, men and women alike, cutting them down in droves. Most humans a century now will probably not know what it is to lose a sister or a brother in the war-let alone right in front of their eyes. In a century, humanity will not as a whole remember what the battlefield feels or looks or smells like. But I will, and so will every other Elf and Drakor that does not die in battle this war; we will remember, and quite likely live to see the next war.
In a century I will not have forgotten this blood bath. In a thousand centuries I could not forget this blood bath; watching villages burn from a distance. I know that when they can they break through our forces and destroy our people, villages, temples. But I know that the damage we have been able to do is ten times what Fidolius has managed. They have not even made it to Elvish borders, though both Appollinia and the Drakor lands suffer.
We take their food and their water; whatever we can find in the villages is our ration. My group has gone too far past the border. Supplies can no longer reach us, and I am beginning to wonder if we should simply take a fort and stay there for a while.
Yesterday I sent a messenger team-three of my best men, two Elves and one Drakor-to cut a path back to the border and see if we have orders, to inform the main force of our progress. And now my men and I lie in wait for their return. I have no doubt that they will return soon and in one piece; I just do not like lying still in enemy lands as though waiting for the next wave of soldiers.
Humans can continue wars like this for centuries, and I always wonder how. Do they really replenish their population fast enough? Or their food? Or water? We set fire to their farms, to their fortresses. We steal their water for our own armies. I suppose this goes both ways-I know they've destroyed quite a bit of Appollinian forest-but how is it sustainable?
I went for a walk just outside of our campground two days ago. There is a river not far from us, and there is a thin layer of trees that surround this river. I found a child, a very skinny child, covered and dirt lying on the ground beside the river. It was a girl child, Fidolian clearly from the shape of her face; I could not help but pity her. It is not her fault what has gone on here. It is a pity that she must suffer-that two entire nations must suffer-for the foolishness of her God.
I brought her back here and have not let the men near her. She doesn't speak, but she eats and drinks and likes to sit with my horse. I'm not really that surprised. I just wish I understood their language so that I could make her feel more welcome. She won't leave my tent for fear of the other soldiers.
She woke up as I was carrying her back and tried to run but she was too weak. She was screaming something in Fidolian, though I did not understand what. I know a few words in their language, but I doubt the word she was screaming was useful in the diplomatic situations I've had to use Fidolian in. Later I said hello to her, and managed to get across that I mean her no harm, and since I have been trying to find someone in the camp that knows the language.
I know Appollinia will win this war. I know this because we have fought Fidolius before, many centuries ago. The humans have forgotten it but it is still taught at Elorian-many things are taught at Elorian that are not taught throughout the rest of civilisation. We have more power than they do; we have more soldiers and with Elves and Drakor they would need to outnumber us severely to win. We might be fighting here for quite some time but I predict a quick victory.
I did not want this child of Fidolius to die; when Shalorin returns from messenger duty I will have him teach the girl our language. He knows Fidolian very well-and he will not harm her. I see the dirty looks my men give her when they walk into my tent. They don't see that she is a human being and worth just as much as any similar child from Appollinia.
Luckily I know enough that I can tell her 'food' and 'water'. I even managed to ask her if she had a home-in very crude words-and understand that her response was something about fire. Poor child has lost her entire family to a war I am sure she does not understand. I will not just sit by and let her die like the men and women who have stood in our way. She will do us no harm, Shalorin and I can handle the youngster.
I must rest now, and pray that the Fidolians do not find us tonight; I am in no mood for an attack upon our camp.
~Alaendril
| 45 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
