An Open Letter to Boris Dalgen, Grandmaster Librarian of the Freyan Academy.
Written by Freyan Guard Post 18 Captain Marcus Wainwright.
I would like to have an open discussion about the true history of Aric and Freya.
[For Your Reference: An abridged telling of the folk tale of Aric and Freya]
A young brother and sister were traveling with their parents in a caravan across the Freyan Valley, searching for a new place to settle. Every night they would sing and dance around a blazing fire until morning. This ritual was not only for their enjoyment, it was for their protection. The valley held many untold dangers and night brought out the worst of them.
Traveling with a caravan taught the young Aric and Freya the importance of sticking together. Until one day, they woke and the caravan had left. The only trace of their traveling family was a small sack of food and one good sword. For weeks they managed to survive by hunting and foraging in the lush valley.
One fateful day, they found the edge of a mighty forest. The forest of oak and birch had intrigued them both. Living among tall grass and few trees made for very poor shelter. Finding a lush forest full of wood for fires and building a good shelter was too enticing for them to pass up. So they then made out to search through the forest for a trace of civilization.
It proved more difficult than they had imagined. Freya lost her way while foraging for berries and good kindling for a fire. She wandered for hours and never managed to find her way back to Aric. Aric searched the entire night after to no avail. As they both fell asleep tiny chimes filled their ears. Fireflies danced and wood creaked in the wind.
A small orb of red light formed above both of them that night as they slept. The spirits of the forest felt their pain from being separated from each other. Aric and Freya both woke to a bounty of fruits and vegetables at their camps that night. They may have not known at the time, but the spirits sought to care for them.
Finding comfort in the forest, they both decided to stay on their respective sides in hopes the other would come looking. Years passed and they longed more and more for each other. Despite the kindness of the spirits, they both felt the need to seek each other. The spirits had grown accustomed to their company and didn’t much like their leaving.
As they each prepared to leave camp the next day they were confronted by a sprite. A small red orb with leaves floating behind it like wings. It chimed without words, though they knew it’s intentions. It didn’t want them to leave.
They both pleaded with the spirit to understand, but the spirit demanded they stay. When Aric and Freya refused, the spirits invoked the might of the Ley-Lines. Vines grew around their feet and quickly locked them in place despite their protests. Small leaves burst from the vines and began to spiral outwards. A burst of red ley-energy engulfed the entire valley as two massive Greenweb Willows fiercely grew over the oaken canopy within minutes.
The spirits offered the very essences of Aric and Freya to the Ley-Lines and were gifted with their presence over the valley to this very day.
_____
The bustling city of Freya has roots in humble beginnings. Every child is told the tale of Aric and Freya growing up. What child was not enthralled with adventuring amid a vast open valley of tall grass and deep lush forests, holding what they believe to be secrets untold. The telling of this tale has become somewhat of a cultural rite of passage and I am finding it more and more difficult to stomach as time goes on.
While I understand the whimsy behind thinking kids so young could become the subject to Ley-Energy phenomenon, it’s ludicrous to think such things would happen without purpose. As you know from the Freyan Grove debacle the history of Aric and Freya is vastly different from this telling. Aric was an honorable man turned tyrant. Freya was a loving soul turned vengeful.
Their struggles were far more than just their own. They were heads of their own empires as grand as our own. Something did strike me as intriguing about this tale however, and that’s the way in which the Greenweb Willows were formed are not that far from the truth. There is much to discuss on this subject, along with stout evidence of the empires they left behind. Most importantly however is how closely tied to the original Freyan Empire our own truly is.
May this letter find you in good health Boris. Take care of yourself, and I look forward to discussing this with you.
- Marcus
