With You

The Beginning

Celebelen is said to have been the greatest healer to ever grace Middle Earth. She was kind and cheerful, although quiet. Her father, Finrod and her mother, Amarie had cherished her from birth. Her early years were spent tugging on her father's golden hair, and cooing at the sparkling glow that surrounded her mother. Her hair was as gold as the brightest sun's rays, and she had inherited her mother's peculiar hazel eyes. She had fond memories of her childhood, being surrounded by the love of her parents.

She had grown up with delightful stories of her father's adventures, the greatest being assisting the Man Beren with his Quest of the Silmaril. He told her of the wolf that had taken his life. Then being reborn into Valinor and finding her mother again. She was always quite taken with the story of her father's faithful love to her mother. The fact that he wed no other, and died, to be reborn to find her mother, was quite romantic to her. Her life was filled with the joy and happiness her parents gave her. She was their celebration of being alive, and it showed at every stage of her growth.

When she was old enough, her parents traveled with her to the Isle of Este, to ask for an apprenticeship. Amarie had cultivated a love of herbs and plants in Celebelen, and she expressed interest in applying her love into a skill. Este took a liking to the young maiden and agreed to take her on.

Celebelen worked hard under Este's tutelage, into her teenage years. She learned much in her apprenticeship, learning from Estë's other students, honing her skills to precision. She became an expert in herbal remedies, botany, and anatomy of many different creatures. Melian the gardener, also student of Este, taught her to apply her soul energy to manipulate the plants around her, assisting in her having the best remedies quickly. During the day, her hands were covered in mud or the blood of an injured animal she was helping. At night, Este taught her how to care for her own skin, sharing with her the many lotions and elixirs her teacher had stored over the years.

Her parents visited her often and were proud of their hardworking daughter. When the time came for her to graduate, Este made her an offer. She would grant Celebelen great healing magic to boost her healing ability, but at a price. In order to receive this gift, she would have to take an oath to never take a life, and to do as little harm as possible. Cele took her time with this choice, heavily weighing her options.

When Celeblen agreed and took her oath, her parents cried with joy. Her heart was full of happiness and pride that day. She was proud to be the daughter of Finrod and Amarie, and the pupil of Estë. However, she knew she wanted more from her life than the quiet retreat of her parents' home. Finrod and Amarie were unhappy with her ambitions, worried for the safety of their only daughter.

Many years passed and Celebelen's longing for adventure only increased. Her biggest problem was that she didn't have much courage. She had heard of all the great deeds her father had accomplished and was not sure she could ever be as great as he. She always felt small and weak when she compared her accomplishments to his. One night she made the decision that she would never discover if she was good enough if she stayed within the safe arms of her parents.

She packed a small satchel full of her most precious possessions. Among them were a sketch she had done of her parents, a jar of her favorite herbs, and her herbal grimmoire. She took one last around her childhood home, walking through each room, committing them to memory. At last, she entered her parents room silently. She smiled at the vision of her father wrapped around her mother, sleeping in apparent bliss, judging by the slight smile on both their faces.

She left a note explaining where she was going and why. She told them that she loved them, but felt she must be free to live her life. Then, she left, quietly shutting the door behind her and exiting through the garden she had helped her mother cultivate.