![[Image: Mine-byDoomPixie_zpsa8389520.png~original]](http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b581/Ylthin/Final%20Fantasy%20XIV/Arts/1%20year/Mine-byDoomPixie_zpsa8389520.png~original)
Helin
It began like any of the other day in the Den. Nebbs left early to continue the instructions of the aspirant healers and I was dragged from task to task by Fea most of the morning. When I thought that I could finally sit a moment and breathe a bit in my workshop, F’elia barged in the room and ran to me while crying. She gripped my clothes and nuzzled while sobbing against my chest. I barely had enough time to push away the piece of leather I was idly working on to welcome my daughter in my embrace, surprised that she chose me rather than Nebbs to be comforted. I hugged and rocked her a moment while I waited for her to calm down a bit, then I asked.
Ilwe > What is it F’elia ? Did you have a fight with F’anya ?
She shook her head but didn’t answer to my first question. I kissed her hair and smiled when she finally looked at me.
Ilwe > You can tell me, I won’t say to anybody.
F’elia > Is.. Is that true that you will leave us soon ?
I was surprised enough by the question that for a moment I forgot that the one asking was a panicked, five year old little girl. I picked up a piece of soft cloth from the pile next to me and dried her tears.
Ilwe > I’m not going to leave. Why do you think I will ?
She hid her face against me again and said with a tiny voice.
F’elia > It’s Ciena. She said you’re a male and you’re going to leave to find someone more pretty than Mama.
I sighed internally and stroked my daughter’s hair tenderly. With the most reassuring voice I could make, I answered to her.
Ilwe > I’m not going to leave you and Mama, I love you all a lot.. And Mama is my Helin.
She looked at me again, clearly full of hope.
F’elia > Promise ?
I nodded.
Ilwe > I promise.
She seemed to calm down, though still gripped my clothes. I lifted her easily, keeping her in my embrace as I stood up. If F’elia was troubled enough to cry, F’anya had likely found some place in the Den to hide and would remain there for some bells.
Ilwe > Do you know where is F’anya ?
F’elia > No.. She ran too fast.
I nodded again. Still carrying her I walked within the galleries of the large cavern, smiling to those crossing my way, wondering how many of them were thinking similarly to the child that had scared my daughters. Catching F’anya’s scent after a moment, I followed her trail up to our chamber. I knelt down while opening the wardrobe where the trail led me and smiled softly at the eight year old little girl who had picked this place to hide in. She was curled up among my clothes, holding one of my shirts against her chest. F’elia jumped down from my arms and climbed next to her older sister to hug her. F’anya looked at me, I could feel her pain and how those few words had affected her.
Before we adopted them, F’elia and F’anya were living with my now deceased first wife. Most of the time, they were left alone in the small shack they called home or under the care of the worst sort of person. While F’elia grew almost normally, her easygoing temperament helping, F’anya was constantly rejected, stigmatized by her natural and uncontrolled ability to manipulate aether. A trait she had inherited from me. Without knowing, the child’s words earlier pushed my first-born into her worst fear, the fear of being abandoned again.
I halfway entered the wardrobe, took my two daughters in my embrace and hugged them both tightly. Feeling F’anya panicking a bit, I gently stroked her back to comfort her.
Ilwe > I’m not going anywhere F’anya, I won’t leave you alone.
She gave a small hiccup and began to cry. Still holding them both close, I continued talking.
Ilwe > You’re both my precious daughters and we will always live together with Mama, Olv’a and Lindë. If we have to go from time to time, it’s only to settle some problems, we will never ever leave you.
As I was talking, I heard the light sound of Nebbs’ footsteps. She bent over me, putting her hand on my back and said with an amused tone.
Nebbs > I thought you were always organized but look at you.. Did you lost some precious underwear ?
I leaned back enough for her to see F’anya and F’elia and her attitude changed immediately. She crouched beside me and ruffled F’elia’s hair.
Nebbs > What happened my lovelies ? Was someone being mean to you ?
I moved a bit to the side for Nebbs to have more space and answered while the girls kept silent.
Ilwe > Some child told them that I was going to leave you to find another female. I was explaining to them that this wouldn’t happen, that I love them dearly and that you’re my Helin.
She looked at me, visibly shocked by what I just told her, but quickly turned back to the girls and spoke in her joyful tone to lighten the atmosphere.
Nebbs > Don’t trust what people are saying, I’ve cast a spell on your Father. If he looks at another female, he will turn into a frog.
F’elia laughed and let go her sister to give Nebbs a hug. As Nebbs was taking her in her arms and standing up, I did the same with F’anya who was now holding me rather than my shirt. She looked at me and said with her barely audible voice.
F’anya > Papa.. What is a Helin ?
I spared a look to Nebbs and she seemed as curious as the children. Again, I asked myself how I could not have explained something so simple before after so many years together. I walked to the main room of our chamber and picked up a book off the bookcase before continuing on. I sat on the couch and opened the encyclopedia. Then swiftly turned the pages until I stopped on an illustration of a small and delicate flower which color was the same as Nebbs’ eyes.
Ilwe > This is a helin.
Nebbs seemed surprised.
Nebbs > Is that why you’re calling me this ? Because of the flower’s color ?
I shook my head negatively.
Ilwe > No. Helin also means “thoughts†and it can also designate something or someone so precious that you can’t find any word to describe how you feel.. But there is a whole story about this flower which explains why the name is the same.
F’elia > Story !? Can you tell it now ?
I smiled at F’elia and noticed that both Nebbs and F’anya were also waiting for a positive answer. I leaned back on the couch, F’anya still against me, and I began my story.
![[Image: StoryTelling-byPortia_zpsf7d4721e.png~original]](http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b581/Ylthin/Final%20Fantasy%20XIV/Arts/1%20year/StoryTelling-byPortia_zpsf7d4721e.png~original)
Once upon a time, long long before Nirë was born, so long before that the gods didn’t have a name and were only formless spirits wandering aimlessly among the brand new world they created. At this time, the creatures had uncertain shapes and, as those who created them, they didn’t seemed to know where to go nor what to do. They were just living and that seemed to be enough.
Until a sparkle. By sparkle I don’t mean that something suddenly shined, lit up the sky or anything like that. No, I mean that one of the shapeless gods suddenly felt different. Rather than just letting itself flow in the middle of nowhere, it suddenly -needed- to do something. This feeling was the first one ever felt and the god soon shared it to the other ones. The “need†had a lot of success among the gods and for some time, they were satisfied of the situation, until another god -wanted- something different. The gods needed some time before understanding the difference between the “need†and the “wantâ€, but soon they discovered that both of those would lead them to feeling -pleasure- when fulfilling them.
They suddenly desired the world they created to be shaped differently. They wanted to share those new feelings with the creatures and, at the same time, were pleased every time things were changed. The gods experimented with a lot of combinations before managing to make some creatures that could stand on two feet, though most of time they failed, and the majority of animals remaining as they were. Hands were another issue altogether, a complicated topic, leading to many discussions. The gods could not always come to an agreement on what changes they ought to bring about and many experimented on their own, not always sharing the result with the others. That’s how we came to have so many sorts of the same species.
I marked a small pause and looked at the children. They obviously were wondering when I would talk about Helin. Now calmed down, they were now listening attentively to me. I took Nebbs’ hand, smiled to her and continued.
Of course, they were sharing with the living beings the feelings of “need†and “wantâ€, giving them all the necessary tools to achieve their goals and were finally recognized by their creations as the gods they were.
Among all this agitation, there was a small god - one of those who would soon disappear from lack of importance and believers - who didn’t understand all this ruckus revolving around those new feelings. Lonely, so lonely, the frail entity flowed around the world and the only thing he could feel was the profound emptiness of his existence. Not only the creatures but also the gods themselves seemed to not be able to see him anymore and he felt as useless as one possibly could, further extinguishing his life.
However, maybe because he wasn’t that necessary for the brand new world, he began to look at it with the eyes of one who can see. Slowly, so slowly, things were beginning to move by themselves and becoming out of control. The gods, as those they created, were following their own goal as selfishly as those could be and there was nothing stopping them from their absolute and ineluctable desires. Soon, some of the gods wanted to take for themselves what others had made and along with the pleasure they felt at first, appeared the jealousy, then rancor and anger.
While at first the result was only some species crushed and suddenly disappearing, the consequences became more and more visible. As one of the gods decided that nothing at all was pleasing his eyes, he decided to methodically destroy everything he could see. Some gods followed him while some others were opposed to this change.
This is how the very first war began.
The god who couldn’t feel but could see - who was now not much more than the tiniest spirit - could sense the incoming result of this bloody battle. With his ever so soft voice, so easy to ignore, he tried to stop the carnage. Alas.. Hate had been crowned King in the heart of every being. The opponents were as blind as deaf, following their brand new leader who controlled their every vindictive gesture.
The small and almost invisible god shouted and shrieked as much as he could and his empty heart was suddenly flooded by a bevy of new emotions : Fear.. Sadness.. Dispair.. And deep inside of him, a strong need to protect those who were living in the world spiralling into chaos.
His feelings were immediately shared with his unique follower: an unfinished human being with only one arm who was abandoned by his creator. The incomplete life form began to cry at his pain, the first tears of the world falling to the blood-tainted ground. The weeping of his heart was soon heard and shared by the others as a complaint echoing the one of the not-so-small god.
And then..
F’elia > And then ! And then !?
F’elia’s tail was swinging in the air, the young girl no longer sad or scared. F’anya was still against me, but she had released her grip and was now simply hugging me and looking up at me, as impatient as her sister.
I gathered some aether and made it dancing in the air, forming the illusion of some swirling purple petals.
And then, with the support of those who heard his distress, the small god could create something for the first time. A tempest of blue petals ran across the land, covering every single leaf of the plants, every single hair of the living beings, every single parcel of earth.. Even deep within the water the petals made their way.
And what do you think happened to the gods ?
F’elia > They were aaaaaangry !
I shook my head negatively. F’anya slightly pulled my sleeve and said in a voice so soft that it sounded almost like a whisper.
F’anya > They stopped fighting each others ?
Even the gods were covered in flowers and those who were shouting got petals in their throat, which immediately stopped the battle. They coughed a lot, of course, and as they were sweeping the blue petals out of their sight, they saw the result of their useless fights. There was blood everywhere they could see and a deep sadness came within their hearts.
Some new feelings were born that day, between the compassion and the despair they inherited from the small god, they also grew something different, something which didn’t have a name..
F’elia jumped around.
F’elia > I know ! I know ! It’s LOOOOOVE !
I chortled and nodded. Nebbs was silent since the moment I said the word “petal†probably guessing the link between Yet’a and Tixë’s story.
They discovered what love is and the panel of emotions around it. Of course, nobody wanted to fight anymore and, as they looked around at the bloody battlefield, they felt in themselves a great shame. When the crying voice of the small god suddenly stopped, the blue petals changed into fields of flowers that drank the blood blanketing the ground and became purple.
The gods immediately sought for the one who was responsible of this miracle and found the almost invisible god who would soon disappear. The gods asked who he was, if he had a name. And the small god answered before disappearing “Helinâ€.
I kept silent for a moment. F’anya was trying to not cry and F’elia was sobbing.
F’elia > Why did the little god disappear ? It’s unfair !
Ilwe > That’s because he gave a precious gift to the world. And we still remember his name so he didn’t totally disappeared and will always be within us.
F’elia > So he’s not dead ?
Ilwe > No, it will never die. Love is something that will exist forever and everybody can have his or her Helin.
She sniffed.
F’elia > So it’s a happy ending ?
Nebbs > A really happy ending, without frogs, but with True Love.
F’elia considered Nebbs’ answer for a moment, not too long - after all she was five years old - then jumped down the couch and dragged her sister by the back of her dress.
F’elia > Come F’anya, we’ll tell them. And then I’ll play the Helin and you will be the bad angry god.
F’anya resisted a bit, then followed her sister outside the room. I sighed and leaned back on the couch, somehow that had exhausted me. I felt Nebbs’ finger on my nose as she slowly traced the pattern of the three petals mark on it.
Nebbs > Is that why you chose to tattoo this on your nose ?
I looked at her and smiled slightly.
Ilwe > More than a tattoo it’s a ritual Nebbs. A bit like your frog enchantment to know if the person if your True Love or not. I love you, you’re my Helin, that’s all.
Nebbs > So when you asked the other day about the frog True Love spell, it was out of curiosity ?
Ilwe > Yes. It’s not like I doubt of my feelings... Nor about yours.
She leaned on me, considering my words and I embraced her.
Nebbs > There is one big defect in your story..
Ilwe > Oh, which one ?
Nebbs > There wasn’t any frog.
I chortled and squeezed her against me. That was one of the reason I liked her so much, everything seemed lighter and better with her around. She didn’t move for a moment, then suddenly stood up.
Nebbs > Come, we need to talk to those who scared our daughters.
Without waiting for my answer she walked outside. I considered staying there a moment but, I soon trotted after her. After all, she was a witch, she would probably frog the culprit to teach him a lesson and, if I wouldn’t stop her. It would be something interesting to watch.
![[Image: Stars-byXenedra_zpsd41d82ec.png~original]](http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b581/Ylthin/Final%20Fantasy%20XIV/Arts/1%20year/Stars-byXenedra_zpsd41d82ec.png~original)
![[Image: Ilweransig_zps9ea63f49.png~original]](http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b581/Ylthin/Sprites/Topic/Ilweransig_zps9ea63f49.png~original)
![[Image: IlweranampNebbsCoupleFightFlat-byHutarin...g~original]](http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b581/Ylthin/Final%20Fantasy%20XIV/Arts/1%20year/IlweranampNebbsCoupleFightFlat-byHutarin_zps7dfc44ef.png~original)
!
![[Image: VwAd3Vk.png]](http://i.imgur.com/VwAd3Vk.png)
.