The Cycles of Revelation Series

Artifact of the Dawn: History (A Queer Sci-Fi Adventure)

Episode 5: Jevan and Ardyn discuss how their peoples first met. The discrepancies they uncover make them question both versions of their shared history.

Ardyn stared into the fire for a long while. What happened was something he’d never shared with anyone, but maybe it was time. At the time, he’d felt like such a fool, and even now, his face flushed hot at the memory.

“My elders always warned us to avoid your kind,” Ardyn began. “However, my first assigned range bordered close to one of your villages. It’s named Ahren.”

“I know it,” Jevan said. “It’s a village along my trade route.”

“In my first year as a ranger, I saw the outskirts of the village often,” Ardyn said. “Seeing the cluster of buildings in a clearing, all on the ground, intrigued me. I wondered how your people felt safe living that way.”

Jevan gave him a shrug. “Well, our homes are sturdier than yours, and we have locks on our doors. So that helps a lot.”

“Yes, but I didn’t know that,” Ardyn explained. “Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me, and I dared to venture closer to the village. I tried not to be spotted, but eventually, a man caught me lurking behind a building.”

“What happened? Did he hurt you?”

Ardyn shook his head and chuckled, his ears raising in amusement. “No, no, he was gracious and kind. His name was Soren — ”

“I know him!” Jevan interrupted excitedly. “He’s the old schoolmaster.”

“Yes,” Ardyn nodded. “He knew a few words of my language, enough to get me to follow him. I went with him to his home, and he offered me food and water. Communicating was awkward at first, but eventually, we struck a bargain. Every time I ranged close to his village, I would stop by, and we’d teach each other our languages. He was as excited to learn as he was to teach.”

“Yes, he’s always had an insatiable curiosity and eagerness to learn,” Jevan said. “He was the first one to teach me your language. At least, enough for me to trade with a couple of your settlements. If he learned it from you, then I have you to thank.”

It amused Ardyn to think the lessons he gave Soren were later passed on to Jevan, and he smiled at that. “You’re welcome.”

“So, what happened that made you so distrustful of my people?”

“I met with Soren for the better part of a year,” Ardyn continued. “As I became more proficient in your language, I also felt emboldened to walk among your people. Many seemed kind, more so than my elders had led me to believe. I was naïve enough that I began to think that all your people were that way.”

Jevan frowned at the implication of those words.

Ardyn could still recall the incident as if it had happened yesterday. It was late afternoon as he approached Soren’s home. As Ardyn neared, he could hear raised voices through an open window. As he passed by the window, he heard an unfamiliar voice spit out, “… that elf!”

Immediately, Ardyn dropped into a crouch below the window, his heart hammering in his chest and his ears fully forward to pick up on the argument inside.

“Ardyn has done nothing wrong,” Ardyn heard Soren say. “He merely comes to me to learn our language.”

“He’s one of them. That’s what’s wrong. His people nearly wiped us out, and here you are, helping the bastard!”

“That war ended centuries ago!” Soren argued. “His people keep to themselves and leave us be. Ardyn poses no threat.”

“You don’t know that, old man,” another voice sneered. “He could be trying to figure out our weaknesses. Either you tell your little elf friend to stay away from our village, or you will both regret it.”

“The Ard wouldn’t — ” Soren began.

“It’s the Ard that sent us,” the first voice claimed. “Either you tell that little elven bastard to stay away, or the Ard will send you to the mines and we’ll make an example of him as a warning to his elven buddies.”

“My mates and I would love to have our way with that pretty little thing before he’s dragged to the town square for a proper beating,” another man said lasciviously.

Ardyn’s eyes had gone wide at the implication of ‘having their way’ with him. The very thought terrified him, and with tear-filled eyes, he ran back into the woods.

“I never returned to Ahren after that,” Ardyn told Jevan, his voice full of emotion. “I even requested a change to where I ranged, swapping with another ranger. Instead, I took up the area closer to the Aria’una, on the opposite side of Maala’naa.”

Jevan stood and paced before the fire. “Well, that explains some things,” Jevan said after a long moment. “When he was teaching me, I had asked him how he learned. He always refused to answer, but he got a wistful look on his face every time I’d asked.”

“You think he was remembering me?” Ardyn asked. “I thought he’d hate me after that.”

“You did nothing wrong,” Jevan said, sitting back down. “Those men should have been ashamed for threatening either of you. I wish our peoples interacted more. My people could learn a lot from yours.”

“If it weren’t for our stupid traditions, I think the Athla’naa people could learn even more from yours. How much do you know about the history between our people?”

“Only what they taught us when I was a child. I know my people came from across the ocean on large ships, and that the elves didn’t take kindly to our arrival. As I recall, the wars that followed lasted several generations, until they came to that tenuous truce seven hundred years ago.”

“The elders taught me that the Medellans attacked us as soon as they landed here,” Ardyn explained. “They insisted that this land belonged to them and accused my people of intruding on their territory.”

“Yes, I remember Elder Syvan told me the same thing. I don’t know how my ancestors could claim this land wasn’t yours if your people were here first, but at least we eventually learned how to share it.”

“We did but I know my elders are still not happy about it,” Ardyn said. “They fear the developing technologies you Medellans keep trying to invent.”

“Why do your people fear technology so much?” Jevan asked. “I can never get a straight answer.”

Ardyn shrugged. “I never understood why, either. They drilled it into us from a young age that technology is unsafe and that it takes us away from the land and tradition. The elders said it would bring dishonor to our ancestors and being close to the land is important for our people. They taught us that our people would die out if we ever became too advanced. That’s all I know.”

“That’s the same thing I keep hearing, but it doesn’t make much sense,” Jevan said with a sigh. “You’re physically not that different from Medellans, and advancement in our technology has never hurt us.”

“Maybe this object will answer some of those questions?” Ardyn wondered.

“Let’s hope so,” Jevan said. “I’ve always suspected there is more to the story they’ve been telling us than we’re led to believe.”

“Do you ever wonder where your people came from?” Ardyn asked. “Why have no others come from across the ocean in all this time?”

“Yes, actually. They always reprimanded me for asking,” Jevan admitted. “We were taught that our people came here to form a colony, but we aren’t taught why we’ve never heard from those we supposedly left behind. Maybe there weren’t any others left?”

“They might have faced some plague or other disaster, and those who arrived here were the last survivors of your people,” Ardyn suggested.

“Perhaps. That would be an unfortunate fate if that turned out to be true. I will admit, I’ve often dreamt of building a ship and sailing to the lands of my ancestors to find out what happened to them.”

Ardyn’s eyes began to feel heavy as he tried to stifle a yawn, the need for sleep overcoming him.

“Alright, sleepy elf. I think we should turn in and get an early start tomorrow,” Jevan suggested. “I’ll take first watch. You look like you could use a good night’s rest. I promise I’ll watch over you while you sleep. I know you haven’t known me long enough to really trust me, but I hope to prove to you that you can.”

Staring into the fire again, Ardyn considered the sincerity of Jevan’s words. The man already had plenty of opportunities to harm him, and he hadn’t. While Jevan was much larger than Ardyn and could easily overpower him, all he had done was make him feel safe. “Thank you, Jevan. I appreciate that,” Ardyn agreed before he pulled out his bedroll and settled into it. “Wake me later, so you can also get some rest.”

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