Horseshoes and Cantrips (Aerendyl Dy'ner)

[Thaelis]

"Focus, Aerendyl!"

The words snapped him back to reality and he quickly grabbed the glowing metal rod from the forge with the tongs and placed it on the anvil.

The rod wasn't heavy, but he could feel the muscles in his arms and shoulders ache as he carefully lifted it. He'd already spent the last two days 'training' with Miiria, or as he liked to think of it, 'torture'. One hand still holding the tongs, he reluctantly took up the blacksmith's hammer again, blinking sweat out of his eyes.

"You'll never be a decent smith, let alone a good one, if your mind is always off with the Fey" came the remonstration, accompanied by the now customary slow shake of her head and disapproving glare.

"At worst, you're going to end up with one of those rods...somewhere unpleasant. And don't think I'll be the one to pay for a healer for you."

Doing his best to lift the hammer, which now seemed to have grown to the weight of a young adult dragon, he tried to focus on the task at hand. Raise the hammer... swing the hammer. Put more strength in the swing. Don't overwork one area. Picture the shape you want to create. Strike fast, don't let the metal get cold. He repeated the tenets of his new religion to himself mentally as he continued to hammer the metal with every ounce of strength his slender frame could muster.

"Don't worry, your body will adapt" she sounded slightly amused now, as if she took a perveserse joy in putting him through the crucible she herself had already passed through, "Or at the least, your stamina will improve."

He knew they all had his best interests at heart: his mother and father, his aunt Liria, even Miria with her daily torture sessions. They all wanted him to fulfill his 'potential', whatever they imagined that might be. But he couldn't help but think that there was more to his future than simply pounding a hammer on an anvil day-in day-out.

Not that he didn't like smithing, excruciatingly exhausting and painful as it was right now. The joy of creating something new, and hopefully veluthe, and of knowing it would be appreciated by someone somewhere was both a novel and welcome feeling to the young moon elf.

As he finished up his hammering and thrust the now horseshoe-shaped piece of metal into the basin of water, he couldn't help but steal another glance at the stone tower on the other side of the river. He sighed and pulled the horseshoe out of the water, holding it up so that Miiria could inspect it.

"Not bad" she admitted grudgingly, "A few dozen more like that and you might be ready to move on to something harder."

He groaned inwardly. His aunt really had banished him to the Nine Hells...

[Thaelis]

18 Alturiak, 1357DR

It's been almost a tenday now since I managed to convince the renowned wizard Sirion to take me on as his apprentice. It seems like his reputation is well-deserved. It was my misunderstanding of the fundamentals behind magic that led to my failure up till now.

Since his guidance I have been making great strides. At first it was only with cantrips, I practiced day and night, finding a secluded area away from the village....certainly nowhere in sight of my aunt! Seldarine she would be mad if she knew...

After that it was like emerging from a dark cave suddenly into the light. Or perhaps like a flower blooming and greeting the sun's rays for the first time. Anyway...I'm bad at analogies. I was soon able to decipher and 'transcribe' several spells of the first circle, and can now even cast them without setting the forest alight.

I continue to work in the smithy, though it's the days that I venture out that are the most rewarding. I've met so many new...well, I'm not sure they're friends, perhaps kindred spirits? And not just Elves: humans and dwarves, halflings, tieflings, even one who seems to have the blood of celestials coarsing through his veins.

Some of them were amusing, some disquieting, others left me awestruck by their power. The Sword Coast certainly is a jumble of all kinds of heroes ...or perhaps villains... thrown together by circumstance.

All I can think to add is that the more I learn, the more respect I gain for those who have gathered more knowledge than I.

Alistair, mistress Dharasha, master Sirion, even the human woman with the sharp tongue. They're all driving me forwards, they each taught me something, even if I didn't realize it at that time, and likely nor did they.

Looking over what he'd written he seemed marginally satisfied, flipping shut the journal with a sense of finality before collapsing backwards onto the mattress, arm folded over tired eyes.

After a moment the arm was removed from his eyes and he reached over to grab a book about magical theory before stopping, unable to hold back a chuckle

"I guess she was right" he said softly to no one in particular.