As a treat for you, I’ve taken an original Blade of Ages scene and told it from three perspectives. Enjoy!

Alastair 

The dwarf heard a whisper like a siren’s urgent voice, but far away. “I know what you are looking for, and I know where it is. Come to the edge of Felorffeas.“ It called Alastair from his studying in the depths of the great library, with shelves of books that reached far above his head as if he were swimming in an ocean of parchment. Although he had come with a friend, the brash young dwarf felt compelled to move quickly and by himself. He grabbed his tattered old leather satchel, pulled his maroon cloak over his shaggy black hair, and made a beeline for the door. He didn’t see Nadish anywhere, which was just as well because the merrow would try to stop in anyway. Damn fish worried too much when the sirens called.

The afternoon drizzle outside seemed just another day in Fedonta, the colors of the Irish countryside rich in autumn dressings, but Alastair felt his heart thumping in his chest and knew it was not just any day. Today might be the day he found the sword, crafted by one among his kin generations ago, although even a clue to its location would be exciting. His status among dwarves would go from outcast as the only dwarf fire elemental to exalted, and his earthen elemental brothers and sisters would welcome him into their most trusted circles.

His pace was quick across the open ground, but his arrival at the edge of the forest brought him to a complete stop. Now what? The voice that had summoned him there was quiet. “Now what?“ The dwarf repeated, yelling at the trees.

There was an eerie stillness, even for the forbidden forest. Alastair realized that even the song of the birds was absent. Then the vines at his feet started to shrivel and turned black, peeling left and right, forming a trail. He touched the bag of herbs on his belt, knowing there was only so much he could do with the pixie dust. He wondered if Fae and Nadish would come after him. He prayed that they wouldn’t, and then he prayed that they would. “Don’t forget your wand, Fae.” Alastair said in a whisper as he pulled his cloak more tightly around him.

Then he took a deep breath and entered the forest.

Nadish

“Damn it. Where has that faerie gone off to?“ Nadish paced back and forth in the water, splashing his bronze tail in agitation speaking aloud to the trees. First, the dwarf had taken off into that godforsaken forest and not come back. Then Fae did— even though he had tried to get her to be patient. She had wrestled free of his grip and told him to leave her alone. So, he dropped her arm. ”You’re on your own. You don’t deserve friends if you won’t listen to them!“ His own stupid anger had prevented him from following. No mermaid would have ever headed off on her own. Merrow worked together, but the faerie had made the decision without him. There was no reason not to work together, but that… that faerie… She was so stubborn! He felt his skin grow warm in renewed frustration. Too focused on her own need. He had reconsidered following her for a moment as he saw her reach the edge of the clearing and disappear into the forest, but his hesitation lasted too long and she disappeared amongst the trees.

Now, alone in the water, hours after she had slipped from sight, he was certain he should have chased her into Felorffeas. A forbidden forest or not, it was a dangerous place and she was one of his best friends. The thought only brought a sense of helplessness to him. Nadish knew his own skills in the woods were under developed, and he hated the heaviness that clung over the trees. His hands got damp and his shoulders curled in remembering the confinement of the trees. They had been told repeatedly by the headmaster that the trees had secrets. Some of those secrets were their own, and others they had taken. Some they would keep, and some they would give away for a price. Nadish worried about the safety of his own secret.

But he worried about the safety of his friends even more. It was a struggle to even enter the woods, but he had let one of his only friends enter it alone. If anything happened to her or Alastair, he would not forgive himself. One friend had gone into help the other. Now they were both lost, and Nadish had to find them. He pulled himself to shore, painfully transformed, and set out for the forest.

Fae

“The rain continued to drizzle, Fae’s heart as heavy as the leaves on the trees, drooping with the weight of the rain that and going on for days. The darkness of the night should have made her tired, her fatigued body aching for rest, but she could not bring herself to shut her eyes and be cast out of the realm that she called home. For her, dreams in Fedonta took her back to modern day Maryland. She had no friends there. Then she reminded herself that right now she had no friends in Fedonta either. Alastair was lost, and Nadish was furious with her for heading out without him. She was alone. All alone. She looked first at her wand and then the small dagger she always carried with her in Felorffeas Forest, wondering which one would be quicker. Did it really matter? As she turned the blade in her hands, she caught the reflection of a light in the distance. Then she remembered the words of Mab Atkinson, ‘No matter how dark it seems, the world needs your light.’ A small smile crept across her face and just a hint of hope came into her eyes. She put away the blade, laid her wand nearby for protection, and drifted off.”