A Whole New World [Ióunn]

[Thrand Hearthfire]

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Averlorn, Midvinter​

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Following his coronation and subsequent marriage to his childhood love and friend, Prince-Consort Thrand and his bride, Queen Ióunn of Averlorn, set out to honour this first-ever sacred alliance between Men and Elves by founding their own House. Many possible names were laid before the couple, and since the Prince had married into Elven royalty, an Elven name was chosen. Thus was founded House Galadorn; in the common tongue, it roughly translates to 'spirit-tree', alluding to the woods of Avelorn itself as well as the mysterious power which binds all living things. Their chosen sigil is the noble Valar coloured in silver and gold, rearing up upon a field of green.

Let it be known, until the end of time, that those of House Galadorn shall ever bear the blood of both races.

One week following their wedding ceremony, once celebrations and official duties thrust upon the new Prince-Consort - who now was placed in command of all Aelvar military forces - were slowly settled back into the rythm of everyday life, Thrand was pleased to honour his word to his Queen by presenting her with his father's old ship, the Phoenix. In secret, Thrand had been taking lessons in piloting and read up on the intricacies of space flight for the last few years under his father's tutelage, hoping that one day he would make Ióunn's dream to walk among the stars a reality.

The day had come for their departure, which would make her the first-ever Aelvar Queen to leave Midvinter and set foot into the greater galaxy. Theirs was but one world amongst countless others, each with their own history and culture and peoples.

"I'm quite capable of carrying my own things, thank you very much," he told a member of palace staff desperately trying to shoulder his lord's burden, only to offer a swift bow in response and disappear elsewhere. To be fair, the bag he carried was quite large and would normally weigh down any other attempting to carry it. Instead, Thrand quite effortlessly hauled it about upon his shoulder as if naught but air. Of course he couldn't leave his trusty greatsword behind, it being the one item which carried some noticable weight upon the Valkyr's shoulder.

Striding forth a head taller than even the tallest Elf, he joined his beloved down by their ride towards the stars. "That's the last of it," he placed the large bag on the ground at his feet. They had planned to be gone for some time, and thus made sure they would have enough luggage and provisions to sustain them on their trip.

He stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her. "Are you ready, Little Twig," he asked with a smile, knowing the answer.

[member="Ióunn Galadorn"]​

 

[Ióunn Ar-Olwa]

The Phoenix, what a grand ship it is. Not that Ióunn would know, but to her it was. So this is what a metal bird looks like, she could not fathom just how something so big could fly. And there were no wings! Behind her followed two of her maidens, their faces told the story of their worry about their Queen going off into the skies, they did not have the spirit of adventure she did. It was amusing to Ióunn watching her maidens enter the ship to store her luggage, they were so hesitant to even step inside looking around to see if they would be swallowed up into its belly.

“I will be fine”, she assured them, once more, the topic of conversation for that morning it seemed. “Thrand will look after me, and he knows how to fly .. this”, she waved at the ship, as they continued to walk around the struts.

Ióunn was a bundle of nerves and excitement. For years she had wanted to go into the sky and see all the stars and planets, and not the hour was upon her, she was frightened as well. Not only about leaving her home, but it was the unknown to her and she would be out of her environment she was so used to controlling. But the want for this was just too great, and she had to do it, if she was going to be a great ruler of her people, she had to have knowledge of the greater worlds out there. Already Midvinter had been visited by others from the stars, and most of the time they did not come in friendship. There were not only the threats of Midvinter they had to be vigilant about, but from the outside as well.

She sensed her beloved Thrand approach, her husband and she smiled and let out a long breath to release her tension of excitement. Ióunn dismissed her maidens, once more assuring them that she will return, before she ran to him and folded herself in his arms.

“I am ready”, she said looking up into his face, her eyes sparkling with any emotions. She had not been on board the Phoenix yet but preferred to wait until he was with her.

[member="Thrand Galadorn"]​

 

[Thrand Hearthfire]

He let out a laugh as she pounced him, and while he had her in his arms he wasted no time in going in for a deep kiss. They were very much newly-weds in every sense of the word, and it often took every effort from court officials and palace staff to keep the two from sneaking off together. As it would turn out many at court were not ready for the, shall we say, 'less refined' ways of the Valkyri adding some colour to the stale and traditionalist manners of the Aelvar. And suddenly there was a large demand for more meat on the dinner menu.

"Oh, I love you," he said with a grin as their noses touched following their kiss. He then proceeded to swoop her off her feet and into his strong arms, to carry her over the threshold of their vessel. Not stopping there, Thrand turned right and kicked open the door to their on-board bed chambers to lay her down upon the fresh sheets where he resumed their kiss. These were the moment the couple could not have enough of, ever under the watchful eye of some guard or staff passing by. Out there they were the Queen and her consort. In here, they were but two people in love.

"Let's just stay in here and not go anywhere," he spoke in half-jest, though he supposed once they left Midvinter they would have all the time in the world to be together. "Your Highnesses! Is everything alright in there? Your Highnesses!"

Thrand let out a sigh as they were interrupted, and his head sank to rest upon her shoulder. "On second thought, let's get out of here." While lying there he watched her flawless features, and his fingertips gently traced the outline of her pointed ear adding such elegance to her people. She would never cease to amaze him. "Don't you move one inch," he instructed her as he slipped away and out of reach, backing out the door to grab the rest of their bags and shoo away any handmaidens still worrying over their sovereign.

It only took a minute to stow away their stuff, mostly by simply filling up the cargo hold for the time being until they would get sorted later. The ramp closed behind him, and they were alone again - truly alone, this time. Thrand returned to their quarters, fully expecting her to have done as told.

[member="Ióunn Galadorn"]​

 

[Ióunn Ar-Olwa]

Finding herself in his arms, and walking into the ship, it was Ióunn’s first time to see the inside. Her head turned in all directions, looking at the metal walls and strange panels with flashing lights. “What do those do?”, she asked but did not get an answer for he took her to their quarters with other things on his mind.

She lay on the bed chuckling, at his frustration at being interrupted and propped herself up on her elbows and watched him disappear out the door. But there was no way she could stay and wait, not when there was so much to see, and she wanted to see everything! Ióunn shadowed him, her feet silent a trait of her people, and her eyes widened as the ramp pulled up shut.

Her stomach twisted, it would not be long now before they would take off, a set of nerves and excitement churning her insides. “Can I watch?”, she suddenly asked from directly behind him as he pushed a bag into a funny looking hole in the wall. “I want to see us fly”, she added.

“What is it called again, the cockpit?”, her head turned up the corridor looking for the way, but she remembered the windows at the front, that had to be the right direction and before Thrand could stop her, she darted off. A long audibly “Oohh”, escaped from her as she finally saw all the buttons and knobs and things that would get them off the ground.

“What does this one do?”, the question of the hour. And all thoughts of amorous intent had left her mind, for now. This was just too much to bare. Leaning forward she could see her maidens still waiting outside just in case Ióunn changed her mind, their faces concerned when she appeared at the window, their faces changed to something like horror.

“Yes, yes, lets get out of here”. She jumped up catching his face in her hands and kissing her new husband deeply. "All my heart belongs to you, and always will". Where were they going? she did not know, he would not tell her.

[member="Thrand Galadorn"]​

 

[Thrand Hearthfire]

While busy stowing away the last bag he was startled when suddenly she appeared behind him, not having made a single sound and Thrand grimaced at his own reaction. "Yeah, sure you can watch," he replied, nodding with a smile and immediately she was off to see the cockpit. He'd not seen her this excited since her first visit to Tháinbroek all those years ago, when they were but children. Between all the heartache of losing her parents and the endless ceremony of her being Queen, it was lovely seeing the girl in her was not gone. It was she he had fallen in love with, after all.

"Aye, the cockpit-- You know," he entered behind her, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms as she explored the mass of control panels. There was little fear of her accidentally pressing something she shouldn't, for the ship was so far largely shut down and there was no way she'd happen to just punch in the right combination of buttons to initiate takeoff. "You're gonna be giving me a heart attack if you keep popping up unannounced like that."

Rather than answer her childlike question, Thrand walked up to her and placed his lips on hers, this time in full view of her handmaidens watching from outside the cockpit. Anything to annoy them at this point. "And I give you my heart, my soul, my entire being," he whispered with the utmost fondness for his beautiful wife. He then stepped back to seat himself in the captain's chair and give her arm a tug to have her fall into his lap, her legs dangling off one of the armrests, and he kissed her once more.

"Well," he said next, reaching for a button on one of the control panels. A detailed map of each and every known star appeared before them, highlighting certain areas in various colours. "This, is our entire galaxy. And this," he pressed a tiny dot on the very edge of the holographic map, making it zoom in on the chosen planet, "is our home. Midvinter." It was a very humbling thing, to realise just how small and insignificant their one world was. Just one tiny dot amongst countless others.

His forehead rested against hers while they watched the holographic representation of their white orb. "Wait until you see it from afar. Only once have I ever witnessed a thing more beautiful..."

[member="Ióunn Galadorn"]​

 

[Ióunn Ar-Olwa]

“Not the only ones having a heart attack right now”, she grinned nodding her head toward the window where her maidens were pale faced. Ióunn returned his kiss before he pulled her down to the chair and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

The star map floated in the air before her eyes, which widened with the vastness of it, she could not truly believe the galaxy was that big, and Midvinter on the edge of it away from the most of it. It was alarming and amazing at the same time, and had to comprehend but the only way to do so, was to go see it. “It is so beautiful”, she voiced in a whisper.

His last words not lost on her and she turned back to him with a smile as her hand raised to caress his cheek. “My love is yours Thrand, now and forever”. And she kissed his hard, not caring for anything of the galaxy in that moment.

However, in the background a voice was yelling something, and it seemed it was time for take-off. “Show me Midvinter”, the idea of seeing their home planet from above was exhilarating which was only the start of what was to come, little did she know. He had promised her, years ago, they would travel together and see it all, and that day had come.

She stood up to take her seat, and took one last look out over Averlorn, and below them in a group gathered to see them off, was their family, from the Hearthfires to the Heavenshields and her cousins. It was time to go.

[member="Thrand Galadorn"]​

 

[Thrand Hearthfire]

"As my Queen commands," he smirked at her once their kiss ended and it was high time for take-off. This was a very special moment for the two of them, to get to finally see the stars for themselves as they'd promised one another they would when but children growing up together.

"Right, so... It's this one first, then that one..." he thought aloud while punching in the correct order of buttons and knobs to initiate take-off. It was like going on your first-ever drive without a parent or overseer by your side, you go over everything in your head carefully knowing there was no safety net this time around. Thankfully, he'd made a quick sketch of the control panels and which buttons to press. Just as a reminder, is all!

With each button pressed the engines powered up, life support was brought online and several other crucial steps that ensured a safe trip off-world. The climate adjuster was brought online as well, so they would finally know how it felt not having to dress for cold weather.

"Ready or not, here we go," he said once she'd taken her seat at his side. A little eager at first, the ship suddenly jolted upward making for a not-so-smooth lift-off. "Sorry, didn't mean to do that...!" At least they were off the ground, hovering in place while he found his bearings to proceed. They lifted higher into the air, leaving the tall trees of Averlorn behind, then finally he made them move forward, blasting off into the clouds above. It was a bit shaky as they broke through, but once they reached enough altitude to surpass the clouds they found themselves in a true paradise. The sun shone brightly without anything to hamper it, and it was if they could step out and walk on the bed of clouds.

But they were not stopping there, for they had yet to even reach the stars they so longed for. Breaching the atmosphere and into the vast, infinite space beyond. Here Thrand placed them in orbit around the planet, and he rose from his chair to offer Ióunn his hand. "There it is," he said, nodding towards the main viewport. Together they stepped toward it to gaze upon their homeworld, an enormous white orb slowly rotating on its own axis. "Midvinter."

[member="Ióunn Galadorn"]​

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https://youtu.be/fVHo4HNqKjM​

 

[Ióunn Ar-Olwa]

Her heart was pounding in her chest. The gentle shuddered of the ship, she could feel as it moved off the ground leaving their world behind them, she had never in her life felt this before. Ióunn’s hands gripped the arm rest with white knuckles and she leaned forward to watch Thrand operate the ship, but that did not hold her attention for long. When the ship punched through the clouds and entered open sky it took her breath away. It was clear and crisp and nothing but blue could be seen.

The higher they climbed the more amazed she was, in the far distance she imagined she saw the Northmark, and the great maw beyond that, another thing she had never seen in her life, the vast ocean of Midvinter. She made a note to amend that once they returned home. More than ever she wanted to see every inch of her homeland.

Then everything around them went black, like night and stars in their billions spread before them through the view port. The wonderment of it all was seen in her eyes like a child, and now she was among them, wondered if anyone looking up into the sky could see them like a white light. Of course, not though.

As the ship moved to position and before them entered the view of Midvinter from orbit, she gasped. The beauty of it beyond words, the fearsomeness of the ice, the pristine world that is their home, like a ball in the sky shimmering and sparkling with sun light hitting the atmosphere and the world beyond that. It was a jewel to behold in one’s heart forevermore.

She took hold of Thrand’s hand squeezing it with love and connection like no other. In truth she could have stay right here and gaze over the planet in awe for as long as he wanted. “I have never seen such beauty”, she managed to speak her thoughts, and now more than ever she loved her home and all it’s peoples and vowel to protect it with her life.

Ióunn was so glad they waited until now to experience this together, she stepped closer to him, and pressed into his body but her eyes never leaving the wonder of Midvinter.

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[member="Thrand Galadorn"]​

 

[Thrand Hearthfire]

He knew it to be an important moment for his beloved queen, and thus placed her in front to wrap his arms around her from behind, resting his chin upon the top of her head. While she marveled at the sight of their homeworld for the first time, Thrand leaned down to nuzzles the tip of his nose against one of her pointed ears he has always found so fascinating and graceful. Their marriage was only days old, yet they've been bound to one another from the day they first met, at the edge of Averlorn back when they were small children. This only made it official.

"When my father took me up for the first time, I just stood here pressed to the glass. He pretty much had to pry me off in order to keep me focused on his flight lessons." Reaching for her head he held it up to gaze upon her wedding ring, one of many beautiful rings upon her fingers.

"Before we pick a destination, there are things you must know," he then said as he pulled up the holo-map once more. "These coloured areas signify the many factions currently operating on a galactic level, with entire worlds under their control and influence." It was important she knew what awaited them out there before they set out.

"This big red area," he pointed, "is claimed by the Sith Empire. They harness the darkest powers of the Force, and it was their ilk who once launched a full-scale assault on Midvinter, back before we were born. Before your people revealed themselves." That seemed so long ago now, and he could not recall a time when there was no knowledge of elvenkind save for children's stories.

He needed not bring up the fact that the Sith had nearly cut them off from the rest of the galaxy.

"These are the Jedi," he pointed to the blue area next. "One of their many orders operating across the stars, though the only one organised and strong enough to stand up to the Empire. They serve the Light, and the two have waged ceaseless war on one another for countless thousands of generations. In their youth, the Jedi were led by Auntie Coci and Uncle Thurion, and many of their children have since become members too. Cousin Thirdas is currently there, serving as a soldier rather than Jedi." The thought of his childhood friend in robes was like imagining a fish out of water.

Though the going-ons of the greater galaxy were vastly out of their control, it was important that Ióunn knew of their existence as ruler of her people. His father had made it clear to him, that the greatest threat to Midvinter is found not within their own borders, but without amongst the stars.

"Thus, bearing all that in mind, our first stop ought to be within Jedi territory." He now pulled up an enlarged map of that particular space, listing the many worlds under their protection. Showing her the control panel and how each button press brought up a new system, he stepped aside and gave her free reins.

[member="Ióunn Galadorn"]​

 

[Ióunn Ar-Olwa]

It was difficult to tear her eyes away from the jewelled planet, but when Thrand spoke of their destination and informed her of the groups that held control over pockets of the galaxy her brows pulled together in disbelief. Not that she thought he was lying but she could not understand why there were so many groups, all wanting to have control over people, and from what she knew of Sith and Jedi, neither of them had the right to gain authority over anyone, regardless of their good intentions or bad. The philosophies, were so black and white to her, with no room to move within their dogmatic stance. And because of it, there was constant conflict among the stars, which, in her mind, the fault laid squarely at their feet. This is what happens when a philosophy is so rigid, it can not bend like a supple twig willing to sway in the wind.

Thrand's extended family were good people, even though they followed one of these rigid beliefs, so at least the Jedi have some form of goodness within them. "As you wish, I will bow to your knowledge of all these things". The planets on the swirling map, were simply dots to her, having no knowledge of what each planet was like, who lived there or what they believed. But she was very anxious to get to know of them, if but a few.

One planet nestled in Silver Jedi space caught her eye however, Umbara, home to Thrand's blood line. She had heard him speak of it, and a good part of his features throwbacks to that people. It would be nice to see it, to learn where his line came from and she also knew he had not been either. "How about this one", she pointed to the orb among the stars, the Umbara planet slowly turning in a white blurred mass.

"I would like to see your Umbara". She turned to her beloved Thrand with a smile, hoping he would like the same.

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[member="Thrand Galadorn"]​