Saphira Weeps

Saphira gazes into the Myst

Saphira stands on a hill in Taibreamh, staring sadly southeast into the mists where Calenhad lay.

Weeks earlier, she was overwhelmed with a terrible sense of foreboding. First she thought it was because of the upheaval among the elves and others over the disappearance of Lady Amethyst and Aran Jaekob and the hobbit Juste. But her dragon senses called stronger to her with each passing day. Her own efforts to locate any trace of Jaekob and the others had failed. Everything was amiss; seemingly the very fabric of the River Lands was rent.

So with a heavy heart, Saphira abandoned her Calenhad cave and moved north into Taibreamh. There, among a grove of trees by a sacred well, she established her embassy anew. It was a lovely peaceful place with fresh air. The quiet and sanctity helped ease her spirit, but still a great sadness lay on her heart.

A tear rolls down her cheek, precious like only dragon tears can be. Why has so much calamity come to the River Lands? She ponders all she has heard and seen. Great fires are burning across the Shadowlands, and rumor has the fires spreading south, into Calenhad. Elves were on the move. Saphira had flown over the lands to see them departing, either further south to the Shire, or over the sea to the undying West like elves grown weary of the mortal world were wont to do. They urged the humans within their realms likewise to flee.

 

Calenhad of the Elves before the Mysts 

Saphira weeps openly and her tears fall. She had stopped in Cheshire, only to find a ghost town, abandoned. No merchants stirred, all lay still but for circling seabirds and ravens. The infirmary and quarters of the healers were empty. Everything people could pack away was gone. The weekly market had moved to the hobbit lands, where Saphira still found life and bustling people. Yet, even normally jovial hobbits had haunted looks and the elves and humans lodged with them moved about listlessly, a shocked look on their faces.

Saphira sighs. Too often in her travels, even in her short span of years (by dragon reckoning), she has seen encroaching darkness drain life from other lands and places. No! Not here! Not to these people! Whatever has befallen the River Lands, her ambassadorship was to the peoples here. She was not moving on, not while there were friendly faces and goodly hearts.