The Legends of Shaylana

The Legend of the First Avatar

Long ago, in Shaylana, a young girl was born. Now, this girl was special because both of her parents were Ilavon. Ilavon were mages that had control over some form of an element. The girl’s mother had power over the element of water. Her father controlled weather.
On the night she was born, a fierce storm had chased everyone inside. As her mother struggled with her birth, her father paced restlessly outside the small cabin. The rain ran over him as he paced back and forth in the storm. He seemed to glow a soft blue in response to the lightning that continually flashed. Then, there was stillness. It seemed as if the storm had suddenly been silenced as a soft cry pierced the calm night air. Her father grinned with pride and went inside to see the child and her mother. They named her Gaiala, after the Mother Earth who had so generously given them life and their powers.
Gaiala grew up watching her mother and father help the village through droughts and snowstorms. To her it seemed natural that her parents did magick, they had always done it. She had a happy childhood, until the day she turned ten. Her parents had thought that if she had powers they would not manifest until she had reached puberty, which was normal in Ilavon, but they had not thought about the possibility that she would have their powers combined. They did not expect her awakening to happen so soon.
On that fateful day of her tenth birthday, everything was about to change. Gaiala woke up feeling different. She noticed something peculiar. It felt as if something was pulling her towards it. She got dressed and followed the direction of the pull. It was strongest in a clearing in the nearby forest. In the center, there was a willow tree. Gaiala looked around curiously. There, at the foot of the tree, surrounded by animals, sat a beautiful woman with long chestnut hair that seemed to float gently on the soft breeze. She wore blue robes that seemed to flow like water. Her feet bare and free in the lush green grass.
The woman looked up at Gaiala’s entrance into the clearing. Her green eyes seemed to reflect her kindness as she gazed at the girl. As her eyes focused on Gaiala, something happened. She felt as if a dam had suddenly broken inside of her, letting loose everything it had held back for ten years. The sudden feeling overwhelmed her. She stood still and silent as the dawn, waiting for it to pass. She felt lighter and more relaxed and the air seemed to be different somehow.
She started to hear and see things like never before. She could hear the birds singing but instead of the normal hoots and songlike whistles, she heard words and musically beautiful notes. She saw the willow tree and saw its life force as a vibrant lively aura around it. The beautiful woman had changed, too. She still looked the same but had a kind yet powerful air surrounding her. Gaiala knew who she was now. She did not know how she knew but she did. The woman was Mother Nature.
Mother Nature smiled as she saw the recognition on Gaiala’s face. She beckoned Gaiala to come sit next to her. Gaiala slowly walked over to where Mother Nature sat, as her long raven hair settled around her. She sat down on the grass gently, so as not to disturb the animals already sitting next to Mother Nature. Mother Nature began to speak to her in a soft voice full of love and patience.
“My dear, you are very special. You have special talents that no one else has. Instead of only being able to control one element, you can control all. First, though, you must learn to harness your powers and control them. Then use them to help anyone that you can. That is why you were given the powers. You are the first of your kind. You are an Avatar, and your female descendants will be Avatars. Women are the ones who hold the key to controlling the elements, but you must discover what the key is yourself. Then you must learn to teach your descendants how to control their powers.”
“Why? Why am I different? Are my mom and dad different too?” Gaiala asked looking very confused.
“You were chosen to become the first Avatar. Your mother and father are normal Ilavon. Your soul is pure, and your destiny will be rough; but once you learn to control your powers you will be fine. And you will have help along the way.”
“Who will help me? Mom and Dad?”
“No, another will help you. They will make themselves known in due time my dear.”
“How will I learn to control them and then teach others how to do the same?” Gaiala asked softly with all the innocence a child possesses.
Mother Nature smiled sweetly, “You will know, my child, when the time is right, you will know.” As she finished speaking, she faded away until she was gone.
Gaiala sat there under the willow for a few more moments thinking about what Mother Nature had said. She played with her hair, a thing she had always done to calm her nerves. She wondered how she, a young girl with long raven hair, expressive green eyes, and a voice that matched her soft disposition, was supposed to help everyone who needed it.
Suddenly, she sensed something coming and turned to look into the woods. As she watched, a white wolf appeared. It was bigger than most she had seen, but she did not feel the least bit afraid. Instead, she felt an odd sense of calm. She sat quietly and watched as the she wolf walked slowly over to her and lay down by her with her back against Gaiala’s leg and her head resting on her paws.
Gaiala gazed softly down at the beautiful creature lying next to her. Her hand slowly moved to stroke the beautiful snow-white fur. The wolf nudged Gaiala’s hand with her head and gently licked her before laying her head back down. Gaiala sat there softly petting the she wolf until she heard her mother calling her to come help. The wolf stood up as though she understood and looked into Gaiala’s eyes for a few seconds before leaving the clearing. Gaiala sat there a moment longer looking after the wolf in wonder, and then she stood and, after dusting herself off, hurried back to the village.
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A few days later, after a violent thunderstorm, Gaiala’s mother needed help calling the animals back. Remembering what Mother Nature had said she went to the willow tree and sat down. She instinctively cleared her mind and thought of the missing animals. She was suddenly hit by thousands of animal voices in her mind. She grabbed her head trying to quiet the animal voices. They continued to thunder in her head telling her all kinds of things.
:What is this?:
:Grain? Food?:
:Where’d all the hay go?:
:Hmm…I know I buried that nut around here somewhere…:
:Gently now, one rock, then the next. Careful, don’t step in the water.:
After a moment, it seemed as if they all got louder, then she heard a soft, clear voice telling her to relax. The other animal voices seemed to fall silent under the new gentle voice’s silent command.
Gaiala once again sensed that someone was with her and opened her eyes. She gasped and put her hands behind her to stop herself from falling, because the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a huge pair of soft amber eyes looking into hers not more that a few inches away. The creature moved back a little after seeing her eyes open and she saw that it was the she wolf from the other day.
The wolf sat down in front of her and silently gazed at her for a moment. It seemed as if there was a whole world inside the wolf’s eyes that Gaiala could not quite see. Then she heard the soft, calming voice in her mind once again.
:You must learn to control yourself, my sister.:
Gaiala looked around the clearing to find the source before realizing that it must be the she wolf. “Who are you and what happened?” she asked the wolf quietly.
The wolf tilted its head slightly and the voice calmly replied, :I am your sister, sent by Mother to help you and to protect you. In trying to call your animals, you called to all the animals nearby. They felt your loving touch and wanted to talk to you. You must learn some control.:
Gaiala was confused. Mother had sent this wolf to help her and to protect her. :From what? What are you protecting me from?: She asked the wolf, this time using her mind.
The wolf brought its head a little closer to hers and gazed deep into her eyes before replying. :Why, from yourself, little sister. Since you have no control over your powers you are a danger to yourself and those around you. I am to help you learn and to keep you from harming yourself or anyone else.:
:Oh…: Gaiala was saddened to hear this. She was a danger to everyone around her. Her sadness must have shown because the she wolf came forward and gently licked her face before laying her head in her lap.
Gaiala absently petted the she wolf gently on the head. :You can help me then?:
:Yes, my little sister.: The she wolf answered softly. :I can help you to learn:.
:What should I call you? You call me little sister, but I do not know your name.:
:My name is Lillithan, but you may call me Lilly.: Lilly raised her head and sat back on her haunches again. :Now are you ready to begin?:
Gaiala thought for a moment and then decided she would have to begin some time. She nodded.
:Okay, then. Let’s start with calling your village’s animals. First, clear your mind as you did before.: Lilly waited a moment until she could sense that she was done. :Then you have to think specifically of one of the groups of animals. Let’s start with the chickens. Their voices will seem a little scattered. They are not very smart. So you have to keep it simple. Just find their group and tell them to come here.:
Gaiala took a deep breath and focused on separating all of the animal voices now flooding her mind. There… there they are. :Chickens…come to me. Come to the clearing with the willow.: She showed them a picture in her mind.
She felt some sort of affirmative response. Then Lilly was guiding her through the rest of groups of missing village animals. When she finally opened her eyes after calling all of the animals, she saw that the clearing was getting very crowded as they arrived. When they were all accounted for, she told them to follow her to the village. Her mother and the rest of the villagers saw her as she led them into town. Some people cheered, others stared, and still others gave her funny looks of distrust.
When all the animals were back in their rightful places, her mother and father asked for an explanation. She had not really understood what had happened to her and so had not told her parents. So she sat down with Lilly sitting by her (Lilly had come with her to stay and help her control herself.) and told them what had happened almost a week ago. They were very surprised and very proud. They promised to help her as much as they could.
From then on, Gaiala had a series of unfortunate events that happened because she tried to help with her magic. When the crops started to fail after a few weeks of no rain, Gaiala tried to call some soothing showers to help them. That did not work out too well. She ended up calling a terrible thunderstorm and temporarily flooding the fields. Many other incidents turned out with varying degrees of right or wrong.
One day, Gaiala and Lilly were sitting by the willow tree in the clearing when suddenly Gaiala started to feel sick. She lay down and Lilly tried to comfort her. Then, they began to hear screaming and shouting coming from the village. Gaiala and Lilly jumped up and ran towards the frightening sounds. Gaiala fought the sick feeling and the fear down until they were at the back of her mind and she could focus again.
They came to the edge of the village and the first thing they saw was the three massive black creatures crowding in the tiny village square. Gaiala and Lilly paused to get a better look at the creatures. They had four massive legs like tall limber trees and long slender necks. They were covered in midnight scales that shone like the night sky in the absence of stars. They had small slender heads with short curved horns sprouting from the forehead. They had razor sharp teeth and nails that were obviously made to tear the meat of the bones of their prey. Their eyes were a dull gray that seemed to hint at something missing :What are they, Lilly?: Gaiala asked the tense she wolf.
The she wolf growled softly and then turned to gaze softly at Gaiala. :Oh, little sister, they are dragons. It is very hard to defeat a dragon, near impossible, especially the evil ones.:
:So what can we do to save the village. We have to do something! They’re my family.: Gaiala was starting to feel a little frantic. And she wasn’t sure why but her eyes were filling with tears.
:Little sister, I’m so sorry. There is nothing we can do. Not without you being able to control your magick properly.: Lilly moved closer to Gaiala and pressed against her gently to try to lend her some strength.
Gaiala was about to break down, but then she thought of something. She looked around the square area. Surely, the dragons weren’t by themselves. So where were the riders? She knew that most dragons had human companions and that they could take control over a dragon. So where were they? She heard her mother scream in fright and her father shout at someone. Gaiala looked towards the noise and saw three figures robed in black. One was holding her mother and saying something to the crowd. Another one of them was watching the crowd closely and the last one was half watching the dragon and half watching the crowd.
:If an evil dragon is controlled by an evil human but either escapes or the human is killed would they be free of the spell that binds them? Would they be able to think for themselves?: Gaiala softly asked Lilly, an idea already forming. However, it would take a lot of power, power she could not control.
Lilly was silent for a moment before answering her. :Yes, it is so. If the human controlling the dragon is killed or releases the dragon from its spell, then the dragon is free and able to think. Why?:
Gaiala thought for a moment then asked. :Are dragons evil by themselves?:
:Well actually, little sister, most dragons are not evil without the human influence. Some are, but most are peaceful and kind. Why, Gaiala, why?: Lilly asked again becoming impatient.
Gaiala smiled and said. :Because if I can just get those dragons to understand that the humans are bad, then maybe they will be able to break the spell and help us. What do you think?:
The she wolf looked at the dragons once more and then up at Gaiala. :I don’t think you should risk it. You still cannot control your powers and if the mages over there catch you, they will kill you. No, we must think of another way.:
Gaiala looked at the villagers and the mages holding her mother, she was still struggling and pleading while the other villagers besides her father looked at the ground in submission.
:No!: Gaiala shouted in her mind becoming frustrated. :There is no other way! I will just have to try to control my magick the best I can. We have to save my parents and the village. I just have to figure out the key to my powers and then I will be able to have some control. I hope that while I am talking to the dragons I can figure it out. Please, help me Lilly!:
:Of course, little sister. I would never make you do it on your own. Let us get closer to the dragons so that you may try to speak with them without being noticed.: Lilly silently lead the way past the scene at the far side of the small square over to a small group of trees near where the dragons were laying. As Gaiala and Lilly entered the small grove, the dragons looked up at them and their mouths all opened to show a small growing fire in the back of their mouths. They were about to spit it at the girl and she wolf, when Lilly jumped in front of Gaiala and snarled menacingly at them her fur bristling to help show her threat.
Gaiala knew this had to be stopped before the dragons killed her and Lilly. :Stop!: She shouted firmly in her mind, throwing the full force of it at the dragons and Lilly.
The dragons closed their mouths and took another look at the girl in front of them. She was a scrawny adolescent that seemed to be overflowing with power. The clear blue aura of her magick was quickly covering the girl and wolf and then growing to include the three dragons. The dragons shivered as the power encompassed them. The girl’s long raven hair was full of static and seemed to have electricity jumping between the strands. Her eyes were a vast stormy sky.
:How have you more power than our masters: A light, musical voice tinted with scarlet asked in Gaiala’s mind.
Gaiala identified the voice as belonging to the closest dragon, a female slightly smaller than her two male companions. Gaiala was a little surprised to notice that although their scales looked black from afar, they were actually just a few shades lighter. The female’s scales were a deep fathomless scarlet. The larger male’s scales were a very dark green and the last dragon’s scales were the deepest, darkest blue she had ever seen.
:That’s strange. The control spell isn’t complete. Why would the mages bring them without waiting for the spell to complete itself:? Lilly sounded a little puzzled.
Gaiala gave her a curious look and asked, :How do you know the spell is incomplete?
:Because they aren’t totally black. A dragon only turns black when they are under a control spell by someone evil. However, until they are completely under the spell they can still think a little. Maybe the spell can be broken if they want it enough and have the right help.: Lilly said gazing back at the girl.
Gaiala turned her attention back to the dragon’s question about her power. :I have more power because I am the first of my kind. I am the first Avatar. I can control all the elements and not just one like your masters can. Why do you serve them? They are evil. They are going to hurt my family and friends. Why?: Gaiala asked them on the verge of tears.
:We help them because we must until they release us or are dead.: A purely masculine voice answered. It obviously belonged to the large male because the words were tinted with green.
As the dragon spoke, Gaiala became aware of another very faint presence. :There’s another one of you! Where? Why are they hiding?: She asked angry that she hadn’t suspected.
The blue dragon’s eyes whirred as he tilted his head and asked her in a soft tinkling blue voice, :What other? No others. We all.:
Gaiala was a little shocked at his answer. She focused on the faint presence and located its tiny aura. What? That can’t be! That’s where the female is laying. There can’t be another dragon there and plus the aura is too small. So what is it? She thought as she tried to figure it out. Then it hit her, it was a baby! The female dragon was pregnant. She turned to look at the small female. :You’re pregnant?:
The dragon’s dull eyes whirred in confusion. :Pregnant? Me no have a baby. I would know.:
Gaiala thought for a second and then said, :You are pregnant. But the spell on you is hiding it from you. The evil mages don’t want you to know. Here I’ll show you.: Gaiala walked slowly over to the female and put her hand on her side. She concentrated on the presence inside the dragon and showed it to the others. :See you are carrying a baby.:
The dragons all exchanged looks and seemed to be discussing what to do but neither Lilly nor Gaiala could hear them. Gaiala felt a little faint as something loomed in her mind, something she needed to know. She sat down and gently leaned against the female as she pulled the knowledge forward. Then she knew. She knew what the key was. She had really known all along. All the clues had been there.
It all came together, sort of overwhelming her for a few moments. The clues were all there. Mother Nature had been the one to give her the gift. And when she had tried to call the animals that first time Lilly said that all the animals had felt her loving touch. The fact that only her female descendents would inherit the gift. Moreover, even her sensing the baby dragon when even its mother did not know it existed. It all made sense to her now. The key to controlling her magick was her motherly love for everything and everyone.
In that moment of revelation, Gaiala instinctively turned and embraced the female dragon. Without thinking, she enveloped the female and the other two dragons in her feeling of love. The dragons all looked at her and as they felt the love wash over them their eyes began to clear as if the dull storm they had been imprisoned by just faded away. Their eyes took on the clear natural colors that matched their scales, which had also cleared to the brilliant colors they were supposed to be.
Lilly watched as all this happened and realized it for what it was. She had finally figured out the key and gained control over her powers. She smiled proudly and picked her way carefully over to the girl. Gaiala turned to her as she approached and hugged her lovingly all the while a brilliant smile full of all the emotion she was feeling shining brightly on her face.
The dragons looked at each other in surprise. Then back at the glowing girl. The female nudged her gently with her nose as she let go of Lilly. The girl giggled and hugged it lovingly. The female made a content sound deep in her throat. :You have freed us little one. We thank you. Is there something we can help you with?:
Gaiala’s smile faded as she remembered what was going on outside of her energy bubble. She became sad and looked around at the dragons. They noticed as her face started to crumple and she started to cry. They crowded closer to give her some comfort. She tried to smile her thanks but failed as she said, :Your old masters. They are going to hurt my friends and family. Can you help me get rid of them? I’d rather not use too much violence.:
The three dragons smiled and Lilly yipped as they all thought of a great way to get rid of the mages. The soft tinkling voice of the smaller male sounded serenely in her mind telling her of their plan. The girl’s smile returned in full force and she felt all the love surrounding her. She pulled her energy bubble back in so it just surrounded her. As she did the sounds of the struggle in the square hit them. They had gotten louder since they had last been.
Gaiala and Lilly led the way. As the mages felt the presence behind them and turned to look. Gaiala and Lilly could see their shocked faces that held a hint of fear. For the mages saw a powerful aura that surrounded a mere scrap of a girl whose long raven hair was brimming with electricity and her eyes were stormy and flashing with lightning reflecting the storm brewing up behind her. The three dragons that the mages had had control over were now following the girl and white she wolf.
As the girl reached them, she said in a firm voice, “Let them be and leave my village. This is your only warning.”
The mages seemed to ponder it for a moment looking from the girl to the dragons and back. Then they seemed to think better of whatever plans they had been brewing.
The head mage snarled at her, glaring at her with burning red eyes, and said, “This is not the last of it, girl. We will find out what you are and destroy you.” Then the three mages just disappeared.
The villagers let out a cry of relief and they all came together to help the injured ones. From then on, everything went well. The dragons decided to stay nearby and protect the village. They did not really want to leave the person who freed them. Gaiala, with her newfound control, made an orb to help future Avatar’s learn how to control their powers. The orb was made of a deep black stone of unfathomable depth and guarded by Gaiala and the dragons.
Gaiala married and had children and continued to help any she was able. As her descendents reached their tenth birthdays, she used the orb to begin teaching them. It was passed on to the eldest of each generation along with its responsibilities. After a time, we lost track of the Avatar’s orb and since then it seems to have disappeared.
We pass the story on to help us remember the first Avatar and how she began it all. Over the years, Avatars have become fewer and fewer. We are not even sure if there are any left. One has not been seen for over a century. We still have hope, that when a new danger arises, a new Avatar will appear.