Himlynal was a simple elf from a simple elven village. He lived on the far east side of the residential section of Marsou, a small village located on the vast plains of Arhana. Every person in the village worked on communal farms, raising livestock and tending crops. At the height of every moon cycle when the moon was full in the dark sky, a large festival was held in the village's Hemen Irye. A Hemen Irye was a large circle with a bon-fire in the middle where beings would sing, dance, eat, and be merry. It was quite common for every elf village to have a Hemen Irye, for Elves were a merry bunch of spirits, having festivals as often as possible.

During such festivals, musicians were invaluable. Himlynal was the best reed-pipe player in the village, quite possibly the best in all of Arhana. It was said that Himlynal had created his own reed-pipes when he was a mere child; the village elders claimed that he must have had a Satyr's spirit within him. He was often praised to be a better pipe-player than even the gods, however that being said may have angered the gods, and that may have been why Himlynal's punishment was so severe.

Himlynal was humble about his skills and would play his pipes for anyone who asked him to. He had many fans that would openly praise him and his skills; it did not take long for his name to spread from village to village. Occasionally he was requested to perform for human nobles and others of the like and he always happily accepted. He would never accept money during his performances; he felt that his music was natural and beautiful, that no one should ever have to pay for beauty.

Though he was most commonly praised for his musical skills, Himlynal was also often praised for his physical beauty. He was a rather thin elf, though most elves tend to be slim, and he was somewhat short. His eyes were hazel and bright; his hair was dark brown and tied into a ponytail that hung a bit past his shoulders. The fingers that he used to hold his reed-pipe were slender and long, looking rather feminine. Himlynal always wore simple clothing that he felt would not hinder his performance but were still what he considered unique.

He would often entertain the Aldercy family who were the leaders of the nearby human village called Brightfield. The leader and his small family, which consisted of the Leader himself, Elmar, a son named Barnett and a daughter named Avena, were great fans of Himlynal. Though Himlynal enjoyed playing for the family, he enjoyed nothing more than to be in Avena's company. The two developed a great liking for each other, though Elmar forbid them from having such a relationship.

Himlynal thought of Avena as a goddess. In his eyes, she was as pure and as beautiful as any goddess, if not more. She was thin yet somewhat muscular, and he loved to watch her oat-colored light-blonde hair sway back and forth as she would bob her head to his music. He could not remember any time in which a human and elf had any sort of romantic relationship, the idea excited him. He thought that just maybe he and Avena could be the first, perhaps they could even usher in a new age where Elves and Humans could integrate together, to bond and extend their peace.

At night when all were asleep, Himlynal would sneak out of his house and slip out of the village, always running through the wheat fields straight to Brightfield. He would run to the leader's house and tap lightly on the south-side window, and would then crouch below it. He would wait and listen for two taps from the inside, and then he would wait for the rusty-colored shutters to open, to reveal his love to him. Himlynal would help Avena down from the window and pull her along far from their villages, out into the seas of waving wheat.

They continued to do this nearly every night for months; no one suspected a thing. In the day their lives would go on as the always had, but at night they would spend every moment together. Giving into their primitive urges, Himlynal impregnated Avena, though neither of them took the time to think of what could possibly happen in the future. They could only live their lives day-by-day and in the heat of the moment.

It was mid-summer, the days were longer and the nights were shorter than what they were just a month ago. Himlynal felt that they were not spending enough time together anymore, so he and Avena decided to stay out a little bit longer, until after the dawn but before most would be awake. Himlynal helped a now slightly pudgy Avena from her window, and they once again went off from the village.

Dawn broke, but Avena was too captivated by Himlynal's music to mention the time. The sun was bright and high in the sky, but the lovers ignored it and enjoyed the warmth. They were lying together on the ground, surrounded by wheat dancing in the wind. In each other's arms, they felt invulnerable, safe and hidden from the rest of the world. Himlynal and Avena leaned in to kiss, but noticed a sudden darkening around them. Expecting to see storm clouds or something of the sort, they looked up towards the sky only to find spears and arrows pointing at them. Elmar had sent out a dozen men in a team to search for Avena- who he had thought was kidnapped- and to find her abductor.

The hunting party quickly picked up Himlynal by his vest and tore him away from his love. Holding Avena back, the others went to Himlynal and began to kick him and punch him as hard and as furiously as they could. Avena became hysterical, screaming at them to stop, but because she was crying they could not understand what she was saying, so they took it as a cheer to keep beating Himlynal.

Elmar, high up on his horse, trotted through the fields over to them. The party held Himlynal up for Elmar to see; he snorted and spit on to Himlynal's face, cursing him and all of elf kind. He accused Himlynal of kidnapping his daughter and for impregnating her, and that alone deserves a sever punishment in itself because of the fact that they were not married. Himlynal tried to explain to Elmar that nothing could be further from the truth, but a member of the party broke the staff of his spear on the back of Himlynal's head, nearly causing him to lose consciousness.

A messenger was sent to Himlynal's village using the mayor's fastest horse. There, in the center of the village, the messenger proclaimed what Himlynal was accused of doing. He also stated Himylnal's punishment would be quick and severe with out any chance of him being released- Himlynal was to be hanged as the sun would rise the next morning, no matter how many protestors would be against it.

The villagers had warned Himlynal many times that he would one day be caught and punished for being with Avena, but never would they have thought that the punishment would be so severe. They all knew that, though he was sometimes a handful, Himlynal would never do such a thing. They argued with the messenger about Himlynal's personality and motives, though he refused to help them out in any way other than sending a message. The village's leaders quickly drafted a letter and sent it with the messenger back to the Aldercy's which stated that if Himlynal was killed, then all of the Elven race shall proclaim war on the Humans.

Elmar received the message and promptly threw it into his fireplace to burn. He went to Avena's room to find that she was still crying into her pillow. He could not figure out why she would be sad about Himlynal's pending death other than the fact that her soon-to-be child would now be fatherless. Without saying a word, he left her room and went into his own. He took a heavily decorated sword down from the west side wall above his fireplace and pulled it from its scabbard. Giving it a quick polish and sharpening, he attached it to a belt and set it by his clothes for the following day which lay upon his wooden dresser. Tomorrow he would have to rally his troops and prepare for a possible war, though he was not looking forward to the mayhem He looked out his window and felt a slight chill.

Himlynal was tied to a large oak tree with thick, rough rope to keep him from escaping. He felt that it was almost silly to tie him up in such a way; after receiving such horrible beatings he was so weak that he had nearly felt crippled. Running away was far out of the question, and he knew that there was no way that they would just release him. He tried to look up into the sky, but his neck was stiff and the oak tree was still retaining its leaves, so he could not she the darkening sky above him. He prayed to the Elven gods for protection for everyone, especially for Avena and their child. His mind wandered far, and the further it went the more he wept.

Night had fallen upon the land as people from both villages were scrambling to enlarge their armies. Messengers were sent to the closest villages for supporting troops; many obliged and sent nearly every troop that they had. No one slept that night, for all were busy with finding weapons and armor for their armies. The night was surreal for all involved for war had not touched these lands for many generations. It was then that they realized the truth- that nothing truly lasts forever, especially peace.

It was still quite dark in Brightfield when the troops and the Aldercy family took the half-conscious Himlynal to the place of his future death. It was to happen at a heavily forested area where a cliff hung far above the ground and where strong, study trees stood proudly. The forest was still quiet as they marched loudly through the bushes, cracking twigs as they went. Soon, the cliff came into view, and already the elves were lining up on a slope the left of the cliff.

Quickly, the sky turned from dark blue to purple and then to red and orange. Dawn was fast approaching and tensions were running high. Few words were uttered- not even between troops- until Himlynal was brought out. He was unable to walk, so he had to be carried out by two soldiers, one at either of his arms. The elf army's leader slowly stepped forward and once again threatened war upon the humans, but Elmar ignored him and commanded his troops to continue.

Avena came running up though the ranks towards Himlynal, screaming and crying. A few soldiers managed to grab her before she ran right to Himlynal, twisting her arms behind her to keep her from running. Elmar glared at the elves and then accused Himlynal was bewitching Avena as well. His face was red with anger; his hand was at his side, resting on the hilt of his sword.

The soldiers held Himlynal at the edge of the cliff as Barnett took a long noose and put it around Himlynal's neck. Himlynal's heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he was sure that the soldiers could her him. Barnett snarled at Himlynal and used ever insult against him, cursing him in every way. He wanted Himlynal to have a more agonizing death, but he felt a twinge of pity for the poor elf.

Getting him to shakily stand on his own, the soldiers dropped back to their ranks in the thick formation. Another plea was shouted from the elves, but Barnett scoffed and kicked the back of Himlynal's knees, causing him to lose his balance, causing him to fall forward off of the cliff. His body fell through the air before suddenly stopping with a sickening snap, which lead to Avena fainting while still being held by the soldiers.

Himlynal's prized pipes fell from his belt and broke apart through the trees and the rough landing on the ground. A few pieces fell in the creek nearby, some amongst the bushes, and some were caught in the branches of trees. For a few moments afterwards, everything became quiet. No sobs, no screams, not even the cries of animals. With a quick, loud shout from the Elvis leader, the elves readied their bows and swords. The Humans did the same, raising their weapons for the first battle of the War of Humans and Elves.

On that day, on that site, many lives were lost. There was no real victor of this site for both sides resorted to retreating in the end. Elmar was killed and Barnett received a wound to his left eye from an arrow but he still lived through the battle. Avena was unscathed in the end, though she felt that she could never be whole again without Himlynal. Various soldiers, Human and Elf alike, retreated to their villages to tell their tales. This infused a hated for each other quickly, and soon this hatred spread from villages to countries to even other countries, and in a few generations the hatred was deep in every person's soul.

Avena went back to her village with the others and later gave birth to a healthy baby girl with beautiful blonde hair. The villagers often begged Avena to kill her baby for it was not normal- it was, in fact, the first half-human, half-elf baby ever born in the world. Avena and her daughter continued to live in their village, surviving invasions and battles together. Avena died of pneumonia in the end and left her daughter all alone. The villagers threw her out of the village, threatening to kill her if she were to ever set foot in village again.

Though it is not exactly known, it is said that while she was wandering about grand fields of wheat, she fainted of exhaustion. Supposedly, Elves of the forest took her in and gave her a place to live, though she was never completely accepted into Elven society. From there no one knows if she continued her life or not, though some claim to have known her at one point

The war continued, every day battles occurred, lives lost and anger deepened. From this war, they could easily see that there could only be one victor, and that every person will come to the point that they must fight. Bloody as it was, the war was the one thing that everyone could hang on to. It was something to live for, for it was this time that the world became dark and the angry spirits of the dead came to walk the earth once more- to complete the task that they had attempted to complete so long ago.