Tanna: A Chance Meeting ®
A young female elf walks through a flower garden on a beautiful day and a very casual breeze lightly moves her long blonde hair. Her fair complexion and light hair give her an almost glowing appearance. The blue elvish accents flow on her long white dress that floats across the top of the lush green grass as she walks through inspecting the floras. She smiles as she looks back over to her hometown. Nithpantiel is a beautiful elven city on the outskirts of the elven providence. Its tall white towers and walls are highlighted well by gold trimmings.
She goes back to her garden inspection and as she looks at a rose bush, she notices someone standing in her garden. It is young male elf who appears to be looking at the plant life in the garden as well. The sun shines off of his black silky hair as he walks through the garden. His athletic tone is revealed by a slight opening at the top of his long burgundy robes. He slightly bends to smell a rose and hide his occasional glances at the lovely female elf. When she catches him glancing at her, she realizes that she has been staring at him and quickly goes back to inspecting. He notices her reaction, smiles slightly, and goes back to looking at the flowers.
The female elf turns her back to him as she kneels to look at the plants and hide her interest. She has lived in Nithpantiel her whole life and has never seen this elf. Was he a visitor? Was he really there to look at the rosary and she was just misreading his glances? Was he still looking at her? The overwhelming temptation causes her to look back over her shoulder in just a few moments. She is shocked to see that he is no longer there. Confused and a little disappointed, she slowly turns back to the bush she is at.
“It was unwise for them to choose someone more beautiful than the flowers to tend to them.” A smooth, charming voice from the other side of the bush startles her. “These roses don’t stand a chance.” The handsome elf is looking at her over the top of the bush. She feels her cheeks heat up as she lowers her head to hide the blushing. “I am Beinion.” He says as he walks around the bush to greet her. He reaches out his hand to help her up. “May I ask your name?”
Her heart flutters as she tucks her hair behind her pointed ear. She is rarely approached by the men of her race. Though she is not born of royal lineage, her blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion give her a noble appearance. In the elven capital of Lostariel, the only elves that are accepted into high royalty have the traits that she carries. Any of the elves with royal lineage with darker features are only accepted into lower royalty along with other lords in the land. She is bubbling over with excitement but hides it well with her quiet response.
“Tanna.” Her response is quieter than she had hoped.
“I’m sorry.” Beinion says, turning his ear slightly closer to her.
“My name is Tanna.” Her voice resonates much better with her second response as she accepts his hand.
“Ah Tanna. Such an appealing name is fitting for a woman such as you.” Tanna smiles as he helps her to her feet. Beinion shares her smile and crosses his arms behind his back as he looks toward the nearby field. “The day is fair and this field is clear.” He gestures toward the field as he turns back to her. “Would accompany me on a walk?”
“Walk?” She looks back to the flowers in the garden for a moment then looks back to Beinion. “I, well, but,” She thinks for a moment, ‘I’m just inspecting today. If I come back soon I can finish before dark.’ Then her reasonable side kicks in as she thinks, ‘I don’t know this man though. This is crazy. Why would I leave with him? How do I know he won’t harm me?’
“I can help you complete your work when we are finished, and we won’t be gone long.” Tanna looks back at Beinion as he interrupts her thought.
“Well.” She looks back to her rosary and thinks once more. ‘He seems so nice. Just do it. You never do anything adventurous.’ Beinion can read the reserved excitement on her face as she looks back to him. “Ok.”
“Excellent.” As they walk through the field on the clear day, the uncut grass brushes against their lower legs. A slight gust of wind carries some feathers from a nearby nest by them as they stroll. The two are silent for a few moments as they take in the beauty of the day and breathe in the fresh, clean air. After a short silence, Tanna’s curiosity gets the better of her.
“I have lived here since birth and have yet to see you. Are you just travelling through?” Beinion looks at her and smiles, then looks back to the field.
“I will likely settle here for a bit. My studies of the KemenGûl have led me to this area. The location will be impeccable for my studies.” He turns back to her. “The locals seem to be remarkable as well.” As Tanna feels her cheeks flush again, Beinion smiles and looks back to the elvish town. “I will need to take residence here for my studies. You have lived here for quite some time then. Are the other tenants of this city as hospitable as you?”
“Yes!” She is taken aback by how excitedly she answered his question. After taking a short moment to calm herself, she continues, “Yes. Since our bordering plains are so abundant in wildlife, a lot of trading happens in our town. We are used to visitors, and our inns are well kept.” After she finishes her sentence she begins to ponder what made her so excited. ‘Why am I so eager to make him stay? Sure he’s handsome, and nice, flattering, and seems to be interested in me. But I barely know him.’ As she is thinking, Beinion begins to speak.
“I think I will be looking for something a little more, lasting, than an inn.” His words only briefly intersect her thoughts.
‘I never get this attached. I need to be more reserved, maybe not make myself so readable.’ She turns from him and looks back to the city. “Yes, well I’m afraid we rarely have any rental housing in the city. Our neighboring town is usually best for that.” She says quickly. Beinion smiles as he responds.
“Oh?” He looks back to the city and keeps his smile. “Hmm.” Tanna thinks that she isn’t being direct enough to hide her interest.
“Well thank you for the walk sir,” acting as if she had forgotten his name to further hide her interest.
“Beinion.”
“Sir Beinion. I must be returning to my duties.” She quickly begins walking back toward her garden before he can persuade her to stay. Because if he tried she would surely stay and she would have a hard time continuing to hide her emotions. Despite her efforts, as she is walking away Beinion responds,
“Good day Tanna.”
The rest of the day is spent looking over the town garden. Many flowers get overlooked and she inspects a lot of the some places multiple times as she thinks about her encounter. ‘He was so sweet. I hope I didn’t scare him away. I just want him to chase me a little.’ She shakes the thoughts off long enough to finish her work. Her normally short walk home from the garden is prolonged as she daydreams during the trip. She begins to ponder what about this area is so great for KemenGûl. There are plenty of open plains in the area, but KemenGûl is scientific studies. Perhaps the surplus of wildlife in the area provides a good study. She soon dismisses the thought and goes back to daydreaming.
As she walks into her home and closes the door behind her. She leans back against it, looks at the ceiling, and sighs. After a short pause, she rises back off of the door and begins her nightly house duties. She hasn’t been out on her own long, so she has to focus on what she is doing and limit her daydreaming. While she prepares dinner, eats, cleans up, and takes a hot bath, she thinks about him. About the way his black hair shined in the sunlight, how his robes complimented his physique, his kind words, and the way he showed his intelligence.
She finishes her bath, throws on her nightgown and wonders while she lays awake in bed if she did the right thing by trying to get him to chase her. ‘What if he doesn’t talk to me again? I think I was too direct. He probably thinks I’m not interested.’ Then she realizes something, ‘No. I am worth chasing. We women deserve to be chased a little bit.’ The thought comforts her as she rolls over to go to sleep. ‘If he is worth having, then he will come after me.’ Her last thought drifts off as she begins to go to sleep. A small noise outside wafts away her sleepiness though. She sits up in her bed. “Was that whispers?” She looks up to see a piece of rolled up parchment, tied with a piece of string, and carried through her window by cloudy-looking butterfly wings. The paper floats a little to the left, then a little to the right and as it lands in her hand, the butterfly wings blow away like a puff of smoke. She slowly unties the yarn and looks at the letter.
There is truly none
As fair in all Elqanah
Now or
Never has an elf existed
As beautiful or pleasant
I really enjoyed our walk today. You ran off so quickly, I hope I didn’t upset you. If you are up for it, I would enjoy another walk. Please relay your response out of the window.
Tenderly,
Beinion
She jumps to her feet to look out of her window. As the note said, Beinion was standing outside smiling up at her. Unable to hide her excitement anymore, she smiled back at him, from ear to ear.
She goes back to her garden inspection and as she looks at a rose bush, she notices someone standing in her garden. It is young male elf who appears to be looking at the plant life in the garden as well. The sun shines off of his black silky hair as he walks through the garden. His athletic tone is revealed by a slight opening at the top of his long burgundy robes. He slightly bends to smell a rose and hide his occasional glances at the lovely female elf. When she catches him glancing at her, she realizes that she has been staring at him and quickly goes back to inspecting. He notices her reaction, smiles slightly, and goes back to looking at the flowers.
The female elf turns her back to him as she kneels to look at the plants and hide her interest. She has lived in Nithpantiel her whole life and has never seen this elf. Was he a visitor? Was he really there to look at the rosary and she was just misreading his glances? Was he still looking at her? The overwhelming temptation causes her to look back over her shoulder in just a few moments. She is shocked to see that he is no longer there. Confused and a little disappointed, she slowly turns back to the bush she is at.
“It was unwise for them to choose someone more beautiful than the flowers to tend to them.” A smooth, charming voice from the other side of the bush startles her. “These roses don’t stand a chance.” The handsome elf is looking at her over the top of the bush. She feels her cheeks heat up as she lowers her head to hide the blushing. “I am Beinion.” He says as he walks around the bush to greet her. He reaches out his hand to help her up. “May I ask your name?”
Her heart flutters as she tucks her hair behind her pointed ear. She is rarely approached by the men of her race. Though she is not born of royal lineage, her blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion give her a noble appearance. In the elven capital of Lostariel, the only elves that are accepted into high royalty have the traits that she carries. Any of the elves with royal lineage with darker features are only accepted into lower royalty along with other lords in the land. She is bubbling over with excitement but hides it well with her quiet response.
“Tanna.” Her response is quieter than she had hoped.
“I’m sorry.” Beinion says, turning his ear slightly closer to her.
“My name is Tanna.” Her voice resonates much better with her second response as she accepts his hand.
“Ah Tanna. Such an appealing name is fitting for a woman such as you.” Tanna smiles as he helps her to her feet. Beinion shares her smile and crosses his arms behind his back as he looks toward the nearby field. “The day is fair and this field is clear.” He gestures toward the field as he turns back to her. “Would accompany me on a walk?”
“Walk?” She looks back to the flowers in the garden for a moment then looks back to Beinion. “I, well, but,” She thinks for a moment, ‘I’m just inspecting today. If I come back soon I can finish before dark.’ Then her reasonable side kicks in as she thinks, ‘I don’t know this man though. This is crazy. Why would I leave with him? How do I know he won’t harm me?’
“I can help you complete your work when we are finished, and we won’t be gone long.” Tanna looks back at Beinion as he interrupts her thought.
“Well.” She looks back to her rosary and thinks once more. ‘He seems so nice. Just do it. You never do anything adventurous.’ Beinion can read the reserved excitement on her face as she looks back to him. “Ok.”
“Excellent.” As they walk through the field on the clear day, the uncut grass brushes against their lower legs. A slight gust of wind carries some feathers from a nearby nest by them as they stroll. The two are silent for a few moments as they take in the beauty of the day and breathe in the fresh, clean air. After a short silence, Tanna’s curiosity gets the better of her.
“I have lived here since birth and have yet to see you. Are you just travelling through?” Beinion looks at her and smiles, then looks back to the field.
“I will likely settle here for a bit. My studies of the KemenGûl have led me to this area. The location will be impeccable for my studies.” He turns back to her. “The locals seem to be remarkable as well.” As Tanna feels her cheeks flush again, Beinion smiles and looks back to the elvish town. “I will need to take residence here for my studies. You have lived here for quite some time then. Are the other tenants of this city as hospitable as you?”
“Yes!” She is taken aback by how excitedly she answered his question. After taking a short moment to calm herself, she continues, “Yes. Since our bordering plains are so abundant in wildlife, a lot of trading happens in our town. We are used to visitors, and our inns are well kept.” After she finishes her sentence she begins to ponder what made her so excited. ‘Why am I so eager to make him stay? Sure he’s handsome, and nice, flattering, and seems to be interested in me. But I barely know him.’ As she is thinking, Beinion begins to speak.
“I think I will be looking for something a little more, lasting, than an inn.” His words only briefly intersect her thoughts.
‘I never get this attached. I need to be more reserved, maybe not make myself so readable.’ She turns from him and looks back to the city. “Yes, well I’m afraid we rarely have any rental housing in the city. Our neighboring town is usually best for that.” She says quickly. Beinion smiles as he responds.
“Oh?” He looks back to the city and keeps his smile. “Hmm.” Tanna thinks that she isn’t being direct enough to hide her interest.
“Well thank you for the walk sir,” acting as if she had forgotten his name to further hide her interest.
“Beinion.”
“Sir Beinion. I must be returning to my duties.” She quickly begins walking back toward her garden before he can persuade her to stay. Because if he tried she would surely stay and she would have a hard time continuing to hide her emotions. Despite her efforts, as she is walking away Beinion responds,
“Good day Tanna.”
The rest of the day is spent looking over the town garden. Many flowers get overlooked and she inspects a lot of the some places multiple times as she thinks about her encounter. ‘He was so sweet. I hope I didn’t scare him away. I just want him to chase me a little.’ She shakes the thoughts off long enough to finish her work. Her normally short walk home from the garden is prolonged as she daydreams during the trip. She begins to ponder what about this area is so great for KemenGûl. There are plenty of open plains in the area, but KemenGûl is scientific studies. Perhaps the surplus of wildlife in the area provides a good study. She soon dismisses the thought and goes back to daydreaming.
As she walks into her home and closes the door behind her. She leans back against it, looks at the ceiling, and sighs. After a short pause, she rises back off of the door and begins her nightly house duties. She hasn’t been out on her own long, so she has to focus on what she is doing and limit her daydreaming. While she prepares dinner, eats, cleans up, and takes a hot bath, she thinks about him. About the way his black hair shined in the sunlight, how his robes complimented his physique, his kind words, and the way he showed his intelligence.
She finishes her bath, throws on her nightgown and wonders while she lays awake in bed if she did the right thing by trying to get him to chase her. ‘What if he doesn’t talk to me again? I think I was too direct. He probably thinks I’m not interested.’ Then she realizes something, ‘No. I am worth chasing. We women deserve to be chased a little bit.’ The thought comforts her as she rolls over to go to sleep. ‘If he is worth having, then he will come after me.’ Her last thought drifts off as she begins to go to sleep. A small noise outside wafts away her sleepiness though. She sits up in her bed. “Was that whispers?” She looks up to see a piece of rolled up parchment, tied with a piece of string, and carried through her window by cloudy-looking butterfly wings. The paper floats a little to the left, then a little to the right and as it lands in her hand, the butterfly wings blow away like a puff of smoke. She slowly unties the yarn and looks at the letter.
There is truly none
As fair in all Elqanah
Now or
Never has an elf existed
As beautiful or pleasant
I really enjoyed our walk today. You ran off so quickly, I hope I didn’t upset you. If you are up for it, I would enjoy another walk. Please relay your response out of the window.
Tenderly,
Beinion
She jumps to her feet to look out of her window. As the note said, Beinion was standing outside smiling up at her. Unable to hide her excitement anymore, she smiled back at him, from ear to ear.