*written in Elven*
Dear Doc,
I decided to write from now on in Elven, because I feel I can organize better my ideas and furthermore you've always known how I'm really more fluent in this language. Even Xery, sometimes, prefers me speaking in Elven, especially when she really wants to understand what I'm meaning. Not that I'm not intelligible enough in the Human language, but as I told her it is linked to a stage of my life in which I was a kid. Well, it was a time we already knew each other, when we used to live at home, and my mother used to send me often with her to better learn things about life. My mother, mum, has never shown to love me particularly, and this is why my father simply pretended to love her, made her pregnant with me, and then disappeared only to come back now and then to visit me. Now and then being an euphemism. I have only seen him twice. The first time when I magically lost part of my hair and the second one when I came to age in human terms.
Xerean, my little Xery, instead, has been with me all the time, treating me sometimes as a child and pretending she were my elder sister. Actually this was the main reason my mother often sent me with her, because she realized how much smarter she was if compared to me. But I'm not stupid, and Xery knows I'm not. She calls me her silly angel, because sometimes I act silly but, most of the time, I make her feel in a sort of heaven. But I don't want to speak about the past, now, Doc, I'd rather update what I'm doing in this realm called Barovia. Unfortunately, we're still stuck here and, actually, I really do not know or understand how I could send you these letters I'm writing. Maybe I'll keep them all with myself as a memento of these days passed here.
We spent almost an year in this place, since it was the end of the spring when we arrived and now it's the end of the winter. Soon the cold snow flakes will leave room to wet rain drops, the temperature will rise and we'll be able to walk for longer and maybe exploring new places which, at the moment, seem too cold to be reached. Nevertheless, we found a place we could almost consider ours because they welcome people dealing with magic as we are. Actually it is Xery the one who knows better, but I'm improving more and more following her teachings. She's making me REALLY happy with her polymorph spell, especially when she turns into a pixie. Nasty pixie she is. The reason why is only a secret of ours, never to reveal to anyone. As our marriage is. Sometimes I turn to pixie as well, with some scrolls we are buying but unfrotunately I'm not so skilled in decrypting the arcane language of them and very often it may happen I fail and it is a waste of time, money and possible pleasant moments. In spite of that I like her also when she does not turns into a pixie. She says I overestimate her. She calls me angel: who is overestimating whom?
This realm is revealing quite interesting and at the same time frightening. We have found many places in which we can learn more things and get many treasures, but unfortunately, as I already wrote in these letters, nights here are even darker than the colour black itself and hide evil minions everywhere and can envelop you in no time in a cloud of misery and pain. We have suffered from some of these dangers, but luckily one of us was always able to flee and rescue the other. This is really a pain for me because I'm scared only at the thought that sometimes it can happen something could go wrong. Nevertheless, we found a friend who helped us a couple of times. And he helped me also in another dealing.
I perfectly remember that as if it had happened now. Xery had acted silly and borught me in a real real danger, with some vampires attacking us. She's always interested in that tiny border which separates life and death, and vampires provide her good test subjects, because they seem not so dull as the other undead are. I call them "stage directors" because they remind me thos directors who gave me orders on how to play when I was a player-kid. Needless to say, we were not powerful enough to face those high esteemed heralds of undeath, and we fell, like leaves on Autumn. Once I got revived, I vaguely remembered what happened and blamed Xery for that and fled. I fled away from her, from the only person who has always loved me for what I am and has not ever tried to change even a tiny bit of me. I fled and cried. I had panicked. Unfortunately it happens so often, I cannot help. I have this tendency to panic, which, by the way, has saved me many times making me flee from dangers sooner than others. I had fled yet I tried to find her again. And I talked a lot with this new friend who had saved us in the past, Mash his name. He gave me advises and good suggestions. He's different from many others who only try to bed me. I know I am pretty. Xery always says that to me, but I'm not blind and I know that even with no people telling me. People are stupid because stop at the appearance. Nobody has tried ever to explore me further than my physical pattern. And nobody has managed nor ever will. But I'm missing the point now. Mash suggested me how to make peace to Xery and once I met her again I brought her in a romantic place, I bought for her some gifts and sang some ballads to make her relax. And finally we enjoyed in the way we like most.
I know that Xery cares for me, I will never doubt of that. She is ready to do also nasty things to protect me as when she kicked in the lower parts that drunkard who had intruded in our room at the inn called Lady's Resting. We will not dwell anymore in that one because customers are pretty rude and sub-cultured. There are better inns in the town called Vallaki, I like especially the Blue Water -it is from where I'm writing at the moment- but also the Broken Bell, though the name does not sound so great to me: it seems almost that I'm broken! Recently we've had a further quarrel because we went daredevil in a danger, again trying to test something on vampires. Maybe it was my fault, since I gave her a magic quarterstaff which seems to be really effective against them. But, again, I must say we're not so powerful to face them alone. This is one of the reasons why I willingly asked her to be a test subject for some spells. And it was painful. She drained me. Only a bit the first time. Yet I felt a deep pleasure. I asked her to do it again and again. Lately it happened she was almost killing me. But it was me to ask. I felt real pleasure and pain. She cried once she realized I was almost dying. She said she won't do it anymore. I begged her to do it again. Next time I'll stop her earlier.
Recently Xery has developed a new study obsession towards weres, those I call "furrrries" because of their thick fur. She promised me not to go so headlong in danger, but I know her thirst of knowledge is stronger than even personal safety. If we are together, somehow one of us will always manage to save the other. Lately it's more me that must deal with these rescuing operations and I think I'm becoming quite good at that. Nevertheless I must admit everytime it is a pain in my heart because I know I could panic and mess everything up. Only love avoids me to be blinded by fear. I'll write further next time. Now Xery's about to awake. I don't want her to wait for me. I'll write you soon again, maybe in Elven because I find I am more confident to organize my ideas.
Best wishes, Doc.
BELINDA.
