When I left the beach, with only my harp case and a small bag, I had no idea where I was going to go, or what I was going to do.
As I walked through the desert, an idea gradually developed in my mind, I would go to one of the lands of the humans.
Unfortunately, the only way to get there safely was along the Elven trading routes, and there was no way they would let me join them, for the simple reason that they would not even acknowledge my existence.
(Part of the Exile law. - AL)
I smiled slowly, unless of course they didn't know who I was, I decided to travel in disguise.
It seemed to me that if I could change my form to a creature as different from me as well, a whale to an elf, I could surely alter my elven features to resemble a human.
(In fact, small changes were always thought to be more difficult than large ones, but Lheora Yhanni didn't know that. - AL)
The changes were simple and purely cosmetic, hair -- cut shorter and colored to pale blonde, eyes -- lightened to dark blue, ears -- rounded instead of pointed, although I could still hear just as well.
The second change was clothing, more specifically the putting on of, as I had none wth me I transformed some of my discarded hair into a dress and hair ribbon.
After checking my reflection in my small mirror, I decided that I could pass as a human among Elves and set of towards the nearest Elven Trade route.
When I did come across a camp of Elven Traders, I was hard pressed to not speak to them in their own language, a language humans are (literally) incapable of speaking.
"Hello, the camp," I called loudly, shortly one of them asked my name and business. "Lora of Sandar, a travelling Musician, I was hoping to join your caravan until you reach Sandar," I replied, giving the closest approximation of my Elven name.
"You are Welcome," replied the camp Leader, in heavily accented Human, and invited me to enter the main tent.
"May I ask how you came to be here?"
I would not have believed it possible, but traditional elves sound even more formal and stilted when they are speaking other languages!
"I was shipwrecked," I replied casually, "caught in a Gods-cursed storm of the coast about four days from here, fortunately my Harp case is water proof or I'd be in dire straits."
Strange how unbelievably relaxing it was to talk to Elves as an outsider.
"Harp?" he asked curiously.
"You don't know what a harp is?" I exclaimed, in pretended ignorance. "Do you not have music where you come from?"
"Music..." He held a quick converstion in elven about the exact definition. "Yes we have... singing," he replied carefully.
"Oh I see, how sad," I replied sincerely, I took the Harp out of its case, "perhaps I could play for you? As a way to earn my keep."
"A fair Trade," he agreed, I took this as approval and settled my harp on my lap.
After tuning the instrument, I spent near an hour playing for the gathered Trader folk.
A normal human would have been discouraged by their seeming lack of response to my music, but I noticed that they relaxed a small amount as I played.
As we traversed the desert, I played for them every day in the main tent before we rested.
One day, after I finished, the Leader's son Hannidis Lavores stayed behind to talk to me.
"I like your...music," he told me, speaking Human very haltingly.
"Why thank you, Handis Levres wasn't it?" I asked, keeping up the illusion of not speaking Elven.
"That's close enough to accurate, I was wondering," he continued, "how long does it take to learn to play an instrument like that?"
I nearly dropped the aforementioned instrument, and I think he noticed my surprise.
"We-ell, I never heard of an elf playing the harp before, but I could start you off, if you like?"
"My father's permission is required for any extra-curricular lessons."
I really wanted to scream or something at that point!
"If he does, I will teach you," I replied politely, "for as long as our roads coincide."
I had learned that that was the expression the Traders used instead of 'until we part'.
"My thanks, I will speak to my father tomorrow."
Hannidis Lavores' father refused the permission, saying it was something humans did to compensate for the lack of structure in their lives. He didn't know I had overheard, of course, and his son simply didn't speak of it.
Shortly afterwards we crossed the swamps that seperated the settled human lands from the desert and entered Sandar.
I left the caravan before they reached the Trading grounds and began my new career as a travelling human musician.