It's been quite a while since I've been on here!

I know I've been neglecting Birthday Present. I just ran out of inspiration. I will try to add more chapters soon though, as I've just started writing another fanfiction for Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

Restoring Bethmoora: An old friend seeks to convince the royal elven twins Nuada and Nuala to step up as the rulers of their people and to aid them in the restoration of Bethmoora. The road ahead is a tough, treacherous one—especially so when petty things such as emotions get in the way.

Maerwin is a proud warrior-priestess and childhood friend/lady-in-waiting of Nuala. She, like the princess, is a pacifist and doesn't wish to do harm to the humans. She is determined to revive the great underground city of Bethmoora and make it a safe haven for all magical beings. She might know a way how to lift the curse, but it definitely won't be easy.

This gives a good explanation of what a warrior-priestess is. It says a warrior-priestess “strives to use ‘fierce grace’ in her battle for truth and higher consciousness.” Aside from all the fighting, Maerwin is almost scholar-like. She will pass on knowledge of all magical beings and folklore to those who are ignorant, and her duty is to aid the preservation of the ‘sons of the earth.’

Her relationship with Nuala is something that even she is not entirely aware of herself. She is fiercely loyal to her, and is oftentimes seen following her around, assisting her with tasks, and giving advice. In this way, Maerwin is somewhat of a motherly (or even sisterly) figure to Nuala. If a person mentions how much time they spend together, she'll get embarrassed. “It's certainly not what you think it is,” is probably what you'll hear from her.

Her relationship with Nuada, on the other hand, is a rocky one. She thinks he is a pompous person, but can see that he is only thinking about what's best for his people in his pursuit to destroy mankind. While she agrees with him that their people will fade if they don't do anything about their situation, she does not want kill off the humans. He is also devilishly handsome, though she'd never admit that to his face.

She is a dark elf. Her family is not originally from Bethmoora, but from another elven clan far east, in what is now called the Himalayas. Their clan also has an underground city, carved right in the mountainside. Their numbers are dwelling, and rely on trade through the Troll Markets.

General Appearance: LINK

She is a little taller than 5'8" and her hair is black with streaks of gray. Her eyes are a steely blue—or can be described as gray in a different light—and her ears are very pointed and protruding.

Attire and Markings: LINK

As a warrior-priestess, Maerwin wears traditional clothes from her clan. She has tattoo-like markings on her forehead, ribcage (right side), and the whole of her outer left leg. She uses a sharp staff (which, on the other end, has a curved blade) and a dagger. She also has metal talons on her thumbs.

Please note that what I say about Aiglin and pretty much anything mythical in 'Restoring Bethmoora' is just my interpretation of things, though I do draw inspiration from folklore from around the world. You should not, in any way, quote me on it. It's just spawned from my wild, crazy imagination.

Aiglin, the father tree, is known as the Tree of Life in Christian beliefs. It has mystical and magical properties to it that is sought after and revered by many. It used to be the focal point of life a long time ago (King Balor was alive during this time) but those times are now long past. Not many people know where Aiglin's Sanctuary lies—one of them being King Balor. Aiglin's roots are spread all throughout the earth. Other cultures have their own versions of Aiglin; while descriptions and names differ, they are essentially sister trees that were once a part of Aiglin himself.

The magical properties of sister trees (and Aiglin) are astounding, and they can bring life to even the most barren of landscapes almost immediately. Eating Aiglin's fruit will grant a person everlasting life—or, immortality.

"...in the hundred year old lake; a lake which has great amount of life energy that drips from the core of the tall, swirling tree. The way the core glows from the branches that intertwines it feels almost like a slow and steady heartbeat ...and in a way, the core feels almost... alive."

Here is the reference picture I'm using for Aiglin; the description above also comes from the artist of the reference picture, not me.

You can grow a sister tree by two ways: wait for Aiglin's fruit to ripen every three thousand years and planting it, or cutting a small part of Aiglin's roots and growing it; though this is the worst possible way, since you must harm Aiglin to do so. It is said that if you take a blade to Aiglin, his wrath, born from the loam beneath him, will strike you down. Those who have witnessed this have not lived to tell the tale.

Both ways of creating a sister tree, you must use water from the spring that originates at the base of Aiglin to water the sapling for a week until it starts growing without help—once the sister tree is fully matured, there is a chance that a pond or spring will rise from its' roots. This task might prove arduous if one wants to plant a tree far away. They will have to bring enough water with them to last seven days of watering; and did I mention that these sister trees need plenty of watering?