Grove of the Eternal Vow
More thousand years ago, continent Anathen was reigned by city-states. The cities battled against each other for the agricultural lands and the mountains which hide raw materials. Slowly city Zorandor has raised among the cities where the Rahun Dynasty planned their imperial goals even by bloody fights.
When Thigen’Rahun took the lead of the Rahun Dynasty from his father, the most part of the continent was reigned by Zorandor. Thingen’Rahun was a clever and well-prepared head of the dynasty and they knew he has to forge the regions into a united empire to establish the Empire. They had to make a decision because he could not develop the government system and occupy newer regions in a same time. For his greatest sorrow, on the southern border there are bloody fights against city Moiren for the ore mines.
The dynasty armies were exhausted, he had to finish the war. He needed strong military help. He watched the Teven Dynasty who have already proved their commitment for city Zorandor, their proficiency in the fight and their loyalty earlier. It was not enough to form an allience by contracts only. Thingen’Rahun knew: they need family bonds. He did not hesitate, he offered the hand of his daughter Eloil’Rahun to Dentwen’Teven who was the son of the head of the Teven Dynasty.
It was a very high contrast. Eloil’s beauty was like as an elf’s, and Dentwen’s look reflect the difficulties of a fighter who was trained for his childhood. Dentwen lived in the barracks with the soldiers, Eloil lived among artists, painters and poets. They never met, but they knew what their obligation for their dynasty means.
The wedding was on a hilltop filled with ancient ruins. The young couple met here for the first time. The ceremony was simple but they took the most ancient oath which could not be released according to the traditions. The two dynasties’ fate was interwined forever.
The young couple – even their upbringing and traditions were far away – walked to this hill every day. They talked together a lot, and the two worlds found each other to everyone’s surprise.
But the fights were intensified so Dentwen’Teven left with the army. Their farewell was painful because they knew each other only recently. Eloil walked to the hill every day, talked to the imaginary Dentwen what happened on that day and pray for the soldiers. The time goes by them in the next five years. She was just walking even when a message arrived from the battlefield: Dentwen’Teven and his company fought in the fatal attack selflessly to cover the retreat of a whole regiment. After a few days, the army occupied the strategically important places again, but nobody found the corpses of the “Brave One Hundred” (as their companions called them) on the battlefield.
Eloil’Rahun did not cry, she walked and prayed every day. The war was continued in the next 5 years, then the regiments of the Teven Dynasty occupied city Moiren. They found Dentwen’Teven here in the deep of a prison tower, but he was only the shadow of his former self. More hundred soldiers trained on him. In the daytime, he fought in the arena, and he took the nights in a musty cell, but Dentwen kept on. His memories died away, his body was filled with injuries, but his dreams were about a beautiful lady who was walking on a hill – he did not know her name.
After the victory, Thingen’Rahun would be the emperor and Zorandor became the capital of the empire. The Teven Dynasty got noble rank, but the happiness did not return to them for a long time. Eliol was walking with his physically and mentally tortured husband on the hill where they took their oath every day. Years went by before Dentwen recovered from his injuries and returned to the army of the dynasty. His memories were still incomplete.
On a day which was the 15th anniversary of their oath, the DragonGod, who was touched by Eloil’s perseverance and loyalty, cast a dream on the couple on the hill. After they woke up, Dentwen’s eyes were shining as before the war.
The emperor saw his daughter’s happiness so he decided they will never seperate them from each other. He established the Imperial Guards whos commander never leaves Zorandor and the task was to protect the emperor and defend the imperial palace. The commander of the Imperial Guards would be Dentwen’Teven who accepted the entrusting happily.
Soon after, childbirth arrived to the happy couple. The first chroniclers who wrote the story of the birth of the empire came from their daughters, and after then the leader of the Imperial Chroniclers was elected from this dynasty. Only one son was born in the family who became one of the most famous military commander in his age.
They always walked to the hill where they met more and more young couples who got married exactly when they were walking there. The younglings knew if Eloil and Dentwen bless them, their marriage will be stong and happy. Eloil was touched by these tradicional ceremonies so she modified the hill to a grove, which was called Grove of the Eternal Vow after their death. The Emperor made a statue of the walking couple carve and he was placed it in the grove.
The more thousand oaths, the hope and the belief enchanted the grove with a magical power. The couples which got married here, had a particularly strong bond, and the worthy couples were protected by the power of Eloil’Rahun and Dentwen’Teven.
