Ushat'tha grew up most of his life in Thalan'ko, the elven city hidden deep in the southern forest. It was were all the elves lived there lives peacefuly. Many never left the safety and confort of the great metropolis fearing, and sometimes hating, the outside world.

Usha devoted most of his time to studying the mystic arts of magi. From a very early age Usha showed a great interest and potencial for magik with all its glorious and wonderful workings. Eversince he first saw one of the elders turn a large sunflower he had picked, into many more just like it with a hue of different colors. The elder bent down and wisphered in his ear a lone word which would seduce the young elf forever...."magic". Since then, Usha was always busy learning new spells and enchantments.

He gave up much more for than just time to passify his lust for the ancient art. When his young ciblings were out playing hide-and-go-seek, he would remain under his cherry tree, which he grew fond of and in doing so considered it his personal study, he would read old books of magi and test his ever increasing skill with the art. While proud parents taught their young ones to use the traditional long bow and arrow, poor Usha's parents had to stand aside and watch all the others for Usah thought that it wasn't necessary for him. "Why should I study how to use such a crude weapon as a bow when I can merely conjure up one that will NEVER miss its target....even if it moves!" His parents could'nt and did'nt try to argue with the young elf. One reason because they knew he was probably right, and the second was because they'd probably end up losing to this intellingent and extremely educated elf.

This was the price for his vast knowedge of the subject. this and the fact that he was practicaly friendless. All the others played while he studied. They could'nt comprehend why he did when he needn't. So they ignored and even banished him from their games. Usha would have been truely lonely if not for one single elvenmaiden. She had been his childhood friend and companion for as long back as he could remember. Whenever he went to the cherry tree to study, there she was waiting for him. Ready to talk about the flowers and the sky above them. Usha read his old dusty books while listening to her: a trait he had developed over the years of knowing her seeing as how she was always with him and was able, or should we say needed, to practice in torpor. He offen found himself wondering why such a beautiful girl like Ilan'shasu, the name of the elvenmaiden, would stay with him when many times he seemed to have apathy for the subjects she choose to speak of. But he injoyed the company and made no protest to her whatsoever. Instead, he would stop mid-way of the even the most complicated of spells to answer even the simpliest of questions, which he knew she had the answer to already. It was his way of showing he injoyed her energetic talks. Even more strange to him was the fact of how she would defend him from the hurtful words of the other elf boys. When they twitted him for being a bookworm, she would stand defiantly, even protectively, as if shielding him from the words of the others. She would then viciously counter attack with some of her own jest and taunts, making the boys turn tail and run finding they were being confronted by a force out of their league and couldn't outwitt or outtalk. The words used by Ilan surprised Usha himself and sent him back instictively one or two steps. He knew not why she helped, defended, and accompanied him. And it was sad really. How someone so wise in knowledge for their age, could be so ignorent as to not see whenlove reared its head out of the heart of one individual, and focused its eyes on another. She loved him dearly adn he was a fool not to have seen it. Not see it when she tripped on a rock at night and hung on to him tenderly or when she stared at him with loving eyes under the cherry tree, reading his dusty book. He was too busy examinig a spell in his mind at night or reading under the tree to notice it at all.

Years passed by and the young elves grew physicaly and mentaly. Tasting the sweetness of love for the first time. Realizing how their neighboring friend, the girl theyd seen so many times, suddenly looked so beautiful. When the girl next door saw a handsome elf where once stood her long time friend. It was this way throughout all Thalan'ko. But it seemed inaffective with Usha, now at the peak of his intelect. He now knew every elven spell in Thalan'ko. He knew the weakness and strength of each. How the sound of the cast would bring the magik to life. Usha had just become two hundred, early twenties in elven years. And he still longend for more spells. He wasn't power hungry, only intrigued by the art so much he must study more. He barely even used it at all! All that wisdom was locked away inside his mind. A treasure trove of knowledge. Usha simply liked knowing the fact that he possessed it in him.

Usha wanted to tell Ilan of his accomplishment. He never wanted anything else in his life so much but to do that very thing right now. He didn't know why, but he had to see her, to hear her congragulations on his victory....to be with her. He never felt so close to her. As the years passed, he chershied her more and more.

Meanwhile, Ilan had reached a conclusion she did'nt want to accept...but had to. Usha would never love her. She'd been getting close to his heart, she had noticed, but Ilan thought that the elvenmaiden would always be second to his passion for the art. The young girl could be no further from the thruth. Usha didn't realize it, but he had fallen inlove with her. Ilan thought it would be best to discontinue her quest for Usha's heart, not knowing she'd won it, and decided to lok for another. Perhaps Torsus, the young handsome elf at the craftsman guild. He'd shown interest in her once before. Maybe he'd still have some yet....

And so, Usha'tha, young elven mage of great skill, set out to find the elfmaiden he loved yet did'nt. He was surprised to find that three days past, Usha had not yet found her and was beginning to descend into a state of madness. Where!, he thought, where could she be!? He was being driven insane by not being able to see her. And then he knew! Then he realized it! He loved her. Why else would it hurt him so much not to find her? To not see her? Its was logical, he thought. He saw her as a companion in his early fourties, and grew to think of her as his closest friend when one hundred and sixty. And now, in his prime of age, he loved her. With this thought, he searched even more unrelentlessly. Soon, he would find her and tell her of his feelings. Soon, they shall be together...

Usha was passing by the old watermill, on the western part of Thalan'ko. This was where young elves inlove went to be alone. So the old wooden mill had an air of romance around its shedding corners. Here he heard her voice, in a high laughter, and his spirit lifted, almost touching the sky over him. But as he turned the corner with love brewing deep in his heart, a look of terror sweped over his face. There, in a grassy strech, around beautiful white and red roses on the other side of the small rushing river, such an elegant sight to behold on any other day which now was a sight in Usha's eyes as if out of hell itself, sat Ilan laghing merrily. but what made it such a horrible sight was not her lite face, but the fact that she wasn't laughing alone. Ilan was with an elf he'd seen many times in the craftsman guild. She was with Torsus.

The elven mage's heart sank into to most inner deaf's of his body. He felt as if his very soul had died that instant. As if it had never existed. He felt numbness overcome his body and a sudden urge to throw up his lunch right then and there. He grew gastly pale and widened his eyes. The young elvenmaiden look more beautiful to him now than ever before in his entire life. He saw her shinning silver hair reflect the golden rays of sun in a defiant shimmer. He saw the thin, moist lips of the woman he longed to kiss and hold, He saw her milky soft skin and well rounded breast and he thought he would die. Ilan's laughter fell silent imidietly as Torsus stole a quick kiss form her magnificient lips. Usha'tha's eyes widened ever more ferociously and his sickness grew to an uncontrolable anger. He frowned deeply and clenched his fist so hard he dug his nails into flesh and accidently released a drop of blood. He flared red hot and looked at Torsus with such a piercing gaze that it seemed to have touched his very soul moreso that Torsus cocked his head in Usha's direstion sensing great amounts of hatred forced upon him and met Usha's cold eyes. He muttered a greeting and Ilan turned her head. Usha was about to say something he would surely regret later when he saw Ilan's blue almond shaped eyes. They melted away the hatred and rage in him leaving the sickenning feeling again.

She blushsed deeply and looked at Usha with smiling, yet ashamed eyes. Usha thought in that moment of a life with this female rose. A life where they wed and loved each other; where not a night went by that he did'nt make heated passionate love to her. A life together. But gazing upon her now he knew this life would never come to be. And so, his eyes grew watery, figthing back tears that wanted to pour his aching sould out upon the ground. He wanted to run and hold her now, he fought back the urge with animal fury.

Ilan, sensing something was wrong with Usha, got up with worried eyes and called his name in a low voice, showing in its hue, her consern for Usha's state of being. He watched her get up, her hair flowing down her shoulders like a cascade of melted silver, brilliant in the sun's gaze, catching Usha's attention. She began to walk to him with open welcoming arms.

Usha saw her and in the place where once stood his friend, walked an angel of happiness, which brought him torment. He wanted so much to lay his head on her bosoom and sob a sorrowful apology for years of ignorence. He wanted to look into her eyes, eyes which he saw stars in, and tell her how much he loved her, how much he needed her. Still he did not move or flinch standing in place, feeling so weak that he would fall to his knees. Wanting so much to shout out ludicrously a breath of pain which ate his insides and twitted at his heart. She found another. He was too late....years too late.

As she approched more, Usha had one simple idea. He'd leave tonight, no later, and set out to find more study on his passion for the magi. His true love was never to be his, so he would have to settle for second best. He would drown his pain and torment in an ocean of books. He would make sure never to love again, not that he could love another but Ilan, so as to never hurt that way again in his life. Another blow to his heart, nay, soul like this one and it would surely crumble into a million pieces.

With that in mind he ran away to his house as fast as his thin legs would permit him. Never stopping to look back or catch his breath. Usha left Ilan in a wake of sadness and worry. She had her hand clenchent on her heart. Torsus came from behind but she did'nt notice. She knows she'd done something to Usha that was hurting him deeply. But what? Never the less, the fact that she had caused pain for her too. Ilan still had feelings for Usha, deep feelings.

That night, as Ilan entered her house, her mother told her she had a visitor today, "The Usha boy i think, he left in a hurry saying he was leaving the city but wanted you to have this" And she pulled out a letter which had a seal Ilan recognized immediately as Usha's. It was a small flower desorated letter. She ranked it out of her mothers grasp, almost taking her hand along with it in an exited gesture, and ran up to her room, locked herself in, and jumped on her bed. She resembeled a pearl in a clam. A valued tresure safetly secured in the confert of her habitat.

Exited by the letter, yet sorrowful for Usha's sudden departer, she carefully and skillfully opened the letter, hiding an urge to rip it open. No, she thought, he will never love me and im over him so its okay. She gazed upon the letter and covered her mouth. Her eyes grew watery and she wanted so much to scream, but her lungs wouldn't let her. She wanted to let out her ever growing pain adn tried franticaly to gasp for air. No more could she bare the pain when she finally shrieked out with all her strength, sending a chill up her mothers spine. Tha old elf ran upstairs to her daughter's room and fought with the closed door.The letter fell to the ground while Ilan sobbed highly. She could'nt do anything but weep and inhale a tremolous breath, letting it out in form of tears.

The sight would have broken the heart of the coldest being in all of the world. The sound of sobbing and screaming that eminatted from Ilan mixed and splashed with her mother's heartly please to open the door, resounding out of the house in an orquestra of pain and heart break. As this scene continued, a letter lay at the bottom of the bed. The cause of all the heartbreak, had only few words written on it. Words that have brought even the mightiest of empires down crumbeling, and united infinite numbers of souls together in loving imbrace. There, in heartfelt writing, where the words i love you. Ilan'shasu wepted all night while, on the outscerts of the forest, a lone elf walked to the human town of Shoutshore and as this poor elf walked lonely and sadly to the town, he could not hold back tears of sorrow....

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