Mirtai

Mirtai is the unwanted guest in my house. She is an Elf with dark hair and attractive features. We are not friends.

Three weeks ago she appeared on the edge of my property, unwelcomed. I treated her as an intruder, and she did not fight back. But my temper hardened the blow I inflicted on her, and I regret the damage done. I did not know that she could not defend herself.

She and I share a painful history that I will not recount here. Desperation was her sole motivation in seeking me out. She was stripped of her powers, and as a result, suffered abuse at the hands of the ‘mortals’ she despises. No other person in this world did she have, apart from me.

I loathed her before. I believe she reciprocates this sentiment. But I pity her, and agreed to protect her, or to kill her if she misbehaves. I offered her a clean death before and she declined. A part of me now wishes that she would disobey, so that I could end her misery and assuage my guilt.

Now, under these circumstances I have promised not only to guard and provide for her, but to reconcile. Mirtai: my rival, my enemy. No longer does she have the superiority, and she knows this. We will see if what I have learned of compassion these many months will serve to heal her grief. And heal me, as well.