Legon Awakening

chapter Five

Truths Revealed



“Perspective is one of the strongest dictators of self. How we perceive ourselves is paramount; though this is considered a trite argument to make, it is nevertheless true. Does that mean that we cannot combat our current state, or in some way lessen or increase our standing in the world by merely changing our perspective of ourselves? Perhaps.”

-The Wondering Way (Author Unknown)



Legon awoke leaning against a sleeping Sasha, her head against his. He could feel her breath against the top of his head. “I hope she didn’t drool in her sleep”, he thought. As he started to move his head she woke, and they both sat up. He tilted his head to the side and heard the satisfying sound of his neck pop.

He turned to look at Sasha. “That was a bad one last night. I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream like that.”

“I figured as much. You were thrashing in your bed and making all sorts of noise when I came in. What was the dream about?”

He relayed what he remembered of the dream to her. She listened and spoke when he got to the part about the dragon speaking to him. “I remember that you sat up and looked right through me and said ‘You are mine’ in this growling voice.”

“I did? That was the worst part, and then right after that it ate me, or at least I think it did. I woke up.”

He left out what he was feeling right before the dragon spoke. It ran through his head and he felt a twinge of shame. Sasha had stayed with him all night with only the wall for a pillow, and just a few hours ago he had been thinking about leaving her to save his own neck.

She paused “We were talking last night about what your tattoo may mean.”



Of course they were. It wasn’t a new topic of conversation, but changing colors would have added a new wrinkle.

“And?”

“Well I guess Arkin told our parents a few years back that Elves only marked their own. So he thinks you’re part Elf.”



He tensed. “And why didn’t mom tell me this yesterday?”



She looked at him. “Well, we don’t know for sure, and do you think you could have handled it? Was it worth adding more stress to your day over a theory from the town carpenter?”

If he was being honest, the answer was no. He couldn’t have handled it. But how was Arkin an expert on this?

“Do you agree with Arkin?”



She shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. Think about it: what do we know about Elves? They are like Iumenta.”

“Yeah, but I don’t see how that connects.”

“You are stronger and faster than anyone your size, Legon. You seem to have an edge at everything. Maybe that has to do with your parents.”

He was about to protest, then thought about walking home in the dark last night. “Maybe you’re right. It just doesn’t seem real to me, you know?”

She laughed. “No, I don’t know, but it’s something to consider. Don’t be mad. We didn’t say anything horrible about you last night. It’s just a theory, and one I don’t think our parents think is possible.”

He shook his head. “I’m going to get ready and help dad for a bit, but after lunch I want to go see Arkin. I need answers and I think he can give them to me.”

She nodded her head in agreement, got up, and walked out of his room, shutting the door behind her. He could tell there was something on her mind. She was normally talkative in the mornings, and he thought that she would want to talk about the news of his adoption and his dream, but she didn’t. She seemed distant.

He knew that his parents had told Sasha about how he came to their family last night; he could see it in her eyes. She knew and it scared her. He wondered what that fear was. He wouldn’t blame her if she was scared of him; after all, if he was marked by an Elf it would be understandable.

He was on his feet and putting on his work clothes. He tried to push everything out of his mind. He could feel another headache coming on and he didn’t want it to get worse. He was getting so many headaches lately; he made a mental note to talk to his mother about it and walked out of his room and down the hall.

It was early, and only Sasha and he were up. Sasha’s door was shut and Legon figured she was getting ready for her day. He walked down to the lower level of the house, went out the door and turned to the shop. Work will be good for me. It will take my mind off things for now, he thought. There wasn’t much to do today, but Legon began to work as if he had a week’s worth to do. After an hour or so his father came in.

“How are you today, son? Sasha told me that she mentioned the Elf thing to you, and you should know that I don’t buy into it.” He looked tired and Legon figured no one in the family had slept well last night.

“I’m fine, I guess. I don’t know, maybe I’m not fine. It just seems like…” He struggled, not sure what to say. It was hard to fathom the news that he had received yesterday and this morning, and he was feeling like his life up to this point had been a lie, but he didn’t want to say this to his father; he knew this would cause unnecessary pain.

“I guess I just don’t know what or who I am now. I mean, before, I was a butcher in Salmont, and in a few months I was going to be a butcher somewhere else, but now…”

“You’re my son, like you have always been and always will be. It’s not your blood that matters; it’s what you make of yourself.” His father spoke with just the right blend of warmth and sternness. Legon began to talk but was cut off. “You are not a trade. You are a person. You are a person, and a good one at that. You cannot look at your life as just the work you do. If you do you will lose your mind. This life is about the relationships you have and lives you touch. So what if you might be part Elf? That’s nothing to be ashamed of. If anything you should be proud.”

“Yeah, but the queen hates the Elves…”

His father gave a hoarse laugh. “What, and you think she likes humans? We’re animals to the Iumenta, that’s it. The Elves are kind and I wish it was them that we served, not the Iumenta. All they are is a drain on the land.”

Edis walked over to Legon and placed his hands on his shoulders. “You are my son.” His tone had finality in it, a tone that made it clear that there was no greater thing in the world than to be Edis’s son.

Legon felt himself relax a bit. He hadn’t noticed it but his whole body had become rigid.

“What is going to happen to me?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” asked Edis concernedly.

“My body - what’s going to happen to it if I am part Elf? Something will happen, right?” He didn’t say anything about last night, but after that, Arkin’s theory seemed pretty likely to him.

“I don’t know. Elves are much different than humans. Truth be told, I didn’t even know we could have children with each other. Its Arkin’s theory—he has lots of those. He may know, but I doubt it.”

“Dad,” Legon began, “how does Arkin know so much? You have to admit his theories tend to prove accurate.” Edis’s brow furrowed and Legon could almost see his mind working.

“Honestly, I don’t know, and I don’t want to. Some things are better left a mystery, in my mind.”

After that they got on with their day. They didn’t talk much. Legon got the impression that his father was somehow a little embarrassed by the boldness of his speech. Legon spent most of the morning away from the front counter as he wasn’t in a mood to talk to people, but he was happy by the time they went in for lunch. He had gotten a lot done and wouldn’t need to come back after lunch, which freed him to go to Arkin’s. When they got in, Sasha was sitting at the table. She looked surprised to see them back so early. She got up quickly.

“Is everything ok?”

“Yes, we just got a lot done today,” their father said, taking a seat.

“Oh, well are you hungry? Do you want something?” she began to get up and move to the kitchen.

“No Sash, I’m not hungry yet,” Legon said.



His father was looking around the room. “Neither am I. Where is your mother?”

“Shopping. She said she needed something, I didn’t ask what.” She paused and looked at Legon. “Are you still going to see Arkin today?”

“Yeah. Are you still up for going?”

“Yes, if you’re ok with it.”

“You’re more than welcome. I think it would be nice to have you there. Let me change and we can go,” he said as he got up and walked to the stairs.

Soon he was out of sight and Sasha looked at her father. “Is he ok?”

He took his time answering. “I don’t know. I think so, but I think he just needs understanding and answers right now. I can give him the understanding, at least.”

Legon came back downstairs in a pair of brown pants and an off-white shirt. He walked up to the table. “Are you ready?”

She got up and started to walk to the door. He joined her and waved to Edis. When they got outside the air was dank. The previous day’s moisture still clung to the streets and shady part of buildings. There was activity everywhere. They saw Margaret walking, red hair bouncing in time with her strides, holding two large bundles under her arms. They waved at her as she moved along and she nodded her greeting. They made their way down the streets of the town until they reached Arkin’s shop.

Up to this point they hadn’t spoken. As they approached the shop Sasha tugged on his arm. He turned to look at her; she looked apprehensive. He noticed the dark blue dress she was wearing seemed to make her eyes look pale and somber, and she held his gaze for a moment before speaking. “I don’t think you should tell Arkin about your dream.”

He looked surprised. “Why not?”

“Because there is a lot that we and our parents haven’t been told, and I know Arkin is a good person, but still, we don’t really know who we can trust.” As she spoke he could see fear in her eyes. It was obvious that she was planning on taking every precaution. The look also told him what had been on her mind for the last few days. He suspected that she had considered every possibility she could come up with.

“And how will we know if we can trust him?” For some reason he didn’t question her unwillingness to trust others. Sasha was good at reading people and he trusted her judgment.

He also still had the conversation from the other day in his mind, the day when Arkin seemed unwilling to disclose information about his hunting trip. He also knew there had to be something up with the carpenter because of his mother going over to tend to him. Arkin didn’t make mistakes. He never got hurt, not a scratch. There was something going on with him—that was for sure. It could be innocent or it could be bad, but either way it was wise to not divulge information that wasn’t necessary.

“Good thinking Sash. I’ll follow your lead.”

She smiled a bit and walked to the door. Once again Legon was shocked by the lack of sawdust in the air. It was after noon! It should be hard to breathe in the place by now. He also noticed the table that was there from the day before hadn’t been touched. The shop looked exactly the same as it had the last time they were there.

“Arkin? Arkin, are you here?” called Sasha, raising her voice.

“Oh, hello you two. How are you? I suppose you’re here for the tea I promised,” Arkin said, walking into the shop from the back alley.

He smiled tightly at them. He clearly wasn’t happy they were there.

* * * * *

Sasha noted the lack of dust in his hair and face. His clothes and apron would always have dust in them from the previous day’s work, but the lack of it on his face and hair showed that he hadn’t been working at all today. She found this odd. Arkin was a hard worker and he had said the other day that he was busy and needed to get stuff done, but he didn’t look like a carpenter that had been hard at work.

“Yes, we came for tea,” she said. She figured that he would ask them to come back another day but she wanted to play this smoothly.

“Ah… you guys are going to be disappointed, but this is a bad time. Perhaps next week?”



She broke in. “We know about Legon’s mother.” She tried to keep her voice conversational.

“You know… Edis and Laura told you then?” he sputtered.

“We know you were there and we know that you are busy, but we need to talk to you Arkin. What’s wrong? It’s obvious that you haven’t been working in the last few days. The air in the shop and your face are free of dust.” As she spoke she gestured around the room.

Legon was surprised by the tone in her voice and how she went from being sweet and nice to formal without skipping a beat. He could see that she had taken Arkin off guard. He would have to give in to her requests or face interrogation about whatever he was up to.

“Ok, ok I’ll talk about how we found you. Let me close the shop,” Arkin said with resignation. He walked over the main door and clicked the lock and pulled some blinds down over the windows.

“Thank you Arkin. What kind of tea do you have?” asked Sasha sweetly.

Arkin chuckled. “The same as always: mint, or mint.” He smiled.

“Ooo, I think I’ll have the mint,” said Legon.

“I’m going to change it up and go with the mint,” chimed in Sasha.

“Ok you two, let’s go in my house. I don’t have anything for tea out here”

They walked out of the back door and turned right to walk in the back of Arkin’s house. The inside was immaculate. Everything had its place. The wood in the house was a light pine, which was a change from the normal dark color on the inside of most houses. The air smelled of cinnamon despite the lack of candles or incense. The house had the same layout as Legon’s, with a large table in the center of the main room and a kitchen toward the back. It was in the kitchen that you could see how tidy the house was. The counter was wiped clean, and all of the knives and other cooking articles were grouped together in a neat line. Everything was perfect, and it was obvious that Arkin would see if even one thing was moved. On either side of the fireplace were paintings of landscapes of the mountains. Above the mantelpiece there was nothing. The table at which they sat was made of redwood.

Sasha noticed that the table stuck out in the room. Everything in the house was light in color but the table. It was dark and red, drawing your eye when you entered. You couldn’t help it. The more she thought about the house, the more she realized that it commanded respect and, moreover, action. The room led you through it, making you naturally go where the owner wanted. She had been in this house hundreds of times and never noticed the genius of it. She began to see that Arkin was much more than a carpenter.

“So Legon, you have been told how we found you,” Arkin said, placing cups in front of both of them.

“Yes, and …”

“And you know what your tattoo is, don’t you?” continued Arkin.

“Yes, and …,” he began, but this time was stopped by the look on Arkin’s face. It was somber.

“What color is it?” asked Arkin flatly.



Legon began to sputter, but Sasha silenced him by placing her hand on his. “What color is it supposed to be, Arkin? It’s a tattoo.” She knew that Legon’s reaction had given away the fact that his tattoo had changed colors, but she wasn’t planning on losing control of the conversation that easily.

“Legon, guard your reactions. I don’t know what color it is, but I would venture to guess red, green or purple.” Sasha could hear the change in Arkin’s voice. It was obvious that he had taken control back.

Arkin was impressed with Sasha. She was smart and noticed more than she let on. She wasn’t as good as him, however. Maybe in time and with some training, but not yet. “I have to figure out what they know,” he thought. “So what is it?” he said confidently.

She had lost. There was no way around it. Legon had given them away. Arkin had been waiting for today. “Purple,” she said.

“I was hoping you were going to say green.” She could hear the sadness in his voice.

“Why green? What’s wrong with purple?” she asked in a calm but commanding tone.

“Green means that you’re not part Elf. Any change in color means that you are.”

“So what does that mean, Arkin?” asked Legon, looking agitated but not unsurprised.

“It means that one day the Elf in you will die and you will be full blooded human. Or the day will come when the Human part will die and you will be full Elf. The change in color shows that the Elf side is winning.”

She noted the resignation in his voice; he didn’t want this to be true. He wanted Legon to be full human, but why? Elves were immortal. The thought came to her then: But humans are unnoticed. Legon was looking down at his drink. She knew the same thing was going through his mind. There was no need to ask Arkin about how or when it would happen; the day would come when he would change.

“Why does the queen hate the Elves? I need to know why she is going to hate me or why she already does,” Legon said.

“I will tell you, but you need to save your interruptions to the end. I will have to give you some history and you will have to accept that what I tell you is true, and that I will not answer all of your questions. Does that work for you?”

“Yes,” said Legon. Arkin turned to look at Sasha. “Yes,” she said.

“There was a time when Elves were like humans. They died just like us and lived just like us. There was no magic. They were led by two Dragons—two brothers, one whose scales where white as pearl and glittered with brilliance, and the other whose scales were black as coal and pulled the light from the sky. One was good and the other evil. I don’t know too much more about how they parted or what all happened, but the Elves say that when they did they used magic so strong that they can’t take physical form anymore. I don’t understand it, so don’t ask.” Arkin sipped his tea and continued.

“Up to this point only the two dragons could use magic, and after they disappeared, magic was available to all. The Elves split into the three races: the Elves, the Iumenta, and Humans. I don’t know how this happened, but the Elves claim it did. The Elves were loyal to one of the brothers and the Iumenta to the other, and it was at this point that Dragons began to appear in the land. You see, if a magic user gets strong enough he will ascend and become a dragon.”

Legon always knew that Dragons were strong in magic, but now he began to appreciate just how strong. He couldn’t imagine the power it would take to turn a person into what he’d seen in his dreams. He knew now that what he’d seen in his dream was one of the brothers. He didn’t know how he knew this but he did, and the knowledge was frightening. Arkin was going on. Legon focused, trying to catch everything. He could think later.

“To put it simply, the Elves and Iumenta are blood enemies. The Iumenta went to the wastelands to make their home. They rebelled against anything that connected them to the Elves. There came a time, however, when they realized that humanity could be of use to them. Not only could humans be used for labor, but they could be a tool for destroying the Elves.”

Sasha interrupted. “How can humans destroy the Elves? Humans are weak compared to Iumenta and Elves.”

“Humans can do the dirty work,” Legon answered. “They can fight and die, and that will save an Iumenta’s life.” The thought was disgusting to him, that one race would use another to kill its enemy. At the same time, the logical side of his mind said, “It’s an effective plan if you view the fighting force as animals.”

“And humans breed faster than Elves and Iumenta so their stock will never run dry,” Arkin added. “Humanity is the perfect resource. It is easy to control with magic and dragons; it will work hard, breed hard, and kill your enemy. There is some extra pleasure in turning humans against Elves, as the Elves have always been advocates for our race.”

Something Arkin said didn’t seem to stick.

“Arkin, how are we easy to control with Dragons and magic?” After Legon spoke he could see that Arkin was impressed by his perception.

“That is a good question for another time, but suffice it to say that Dragons influence the people in whatever area they are in, so the minds of those around can be turned to what the dragon desires. This is how the Iumenta took control. It was a slow process, taking over a hundred years. They won us by planning and stealth. They didn’t make a military move against the Elves and free lands until they had the noose around our necks. Is there more you want to know?”

“Yes, what does Legon’s tattoo mean?” asked Sasha politely. She was impressed how Arkin managed to give them a huge amount of information and not answer their question.

“Ah yes, the tattoo. I almost forgot. It’s a crest, as I’m sure your parents told you. Every Elf child is given one at birth. It is put on by magic and does not cause the pain that our tattoos do when they are applied. Furthermore, it can be altered. That tattoo is unique to you and only you. The dot in the center represents your marital status. When an Elf gets married that dot is hollowed out and an exact replica of their partners tattoo is placed within. The only other thing that I have heard is that when an Elf comes of age the tattoo will change color, and that color will stay the same for the rest of their life. Now have I answered your questions?” he asked tentatively.

“Yes, thank you Arkin. We’d better go now,” said Legon. When he spoke Sasha noticed him scratch above his left ear. This was a sign they made for each other to say “It’s time to leave”.

They had many such signs. They came up with them when they were little as a way of getting around their parents when they did something wrong. It came in handy later in life. Sasha could remember several situations that Legon told her to leave before a fight would break out, or times when she had warned him of impending danger. She didn’t need the warning twice because like Legon, she could tell that Arkin was not only holding back information, but he may not have been the person they had always thought him to be. She wasn’t sure if he was a threat, but she wasn’t going to take the chance now.

They got up and gave their goodbyes to Arkin, who walked with them to the door. As they left he touched Sasha’s arm. “I know what is going on in your head, but I’m not an enemy, and I’m not with the Iumenta. Think about it and you will see.” She nodded and walked out the door.

The sun felt good as they walked out of the shop and headed toward the town’s central market to get produce for dinner that night. They seemed to move with semi-awareness of the people around them, and didn’t notice when people waved at them or greeted them in any way. There was so much to think about and all of it was way too big for both of them. Dinner was also a haze. None of the family seemed to want to talk. Legon originally planned on talking to Sasha that night about what they’d heard, but both agreed that they needed a good night’s sleep before thinking about anything.

Sasha lay awake in bed long after Edis and Laura had fallen asleep. Her mind moved with the slow rhythm of her father’s snores from the room next to hers. She was still thinking about what Arkin had said about one side of Legon dying and the other living. It sounded so… so brutal, she thought. She shuddered at the thought of part of herself dying. Or maybe it felt good? She wasn’t sure. The concept boggled her mind. She heard a sound to her right, coming from Legon’s room. He was having another dream, and no wonder after the day’s news. The sound made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. There was something scary about it. She heard the whimpering and wondered which brother was coming for him tonight. She didn’t know how she knew it was the two dragons, but somehow she did, and this was even more frightening to her.

She wondered if he would remember it. She thought about going and waking him up, but she stopped. “Maybe his dreams can help us figure this out,” she thought. It felt cruel to leave him, but at the same time something tugged at her mind, telling her to lay down and that all was well tonight. As this thought came to her she began to feel better about the situation and had a hard time concentrating on the problems at hand. She was having a hard time thinking at all. It wasn’t like an episode, but she felt herself losing control of her mind. “Is magic being used on me?” she thought. The feeling of emptiness tugged harder at this thought. “Well if it is, I don’t think it’s… it’s….” She didn’t finish the thought before she fell asleep. It was a deep sleep, a peaceful one, probably the most peaceful she’d had in a long time, and certainly the most peaceful she would have in the near future.