The next day, Celine decided to go ask Jander about Katrander. To her surprise, for someone who seemed to know a lot, he knew very little. All that he did know was that Katrander hated magic, as his father was killed by a wild mage when he was young. Celine reasoned that that was why he didn't seem to like her, knowing that her amulet and sword were magical. Leaving Jander's house, without the amulet or the sword, just her dagger, she set out to find Katrander and make amends. In her mind, she figured that they should be able to be around each other without tension erupting.

Celine found him at the archery range, but he was not alone. Another elf was with him. Hanging back behind a tree, she decided to listen a bit to see if he was in a decent mood before going to talk to him. She already knew that he didn't like her, no need to make it worse.

"I don't know what Jander thought he was doing bringing that other elf into our village." Katrander was saying as he nocked another arrow. "She doesn't look like any elf I've ever seen." With a thunk, the arrow hit the target, missing the bullseye.

"Jander isn't from around here either, remember." The other elf said, an arrow soaring from his bow to hit the target. He hit the bullseye. "She can't be all that bad." he said, retrieving his and Katrander's arrows.

"She has magic around her. And it's not just from that silly amulet she wears." Katrander said. So he knew about the amulet, Celine thought, puzzled. Magic around her still? How? She was no mage, that was for certain! Celine decided to listen further, shrinking back into the deeper shadows so as to not be seen.

"I mean, it's in the way she carries herself. I swear she must have been a mage or a priest, and now she's hiding it." Katrander continued, another arrow soaring out and missing its mark. "I won't trust that one for a minute."

"Well, there are ways of taking care of her." The other elf said, grinning as he shot the bullseye again. "I mean, who would know if we made it look like an accident?" he said, grinning evilly as he finished his shot.

"You haven't seen that blade she has. It's the work of a master swordsman. How could she have gotten it if she wasn't good?" Katrander told him, nocking another arrow. "And her archery is even better than yours, Alarius. She hit that bullseye from three times the length that you are standing away." he finished, letting the arrow fly. It completely missed it's target, instead hitting a tree besides the straw target.

"Well, then she's obviously better than you." Alarius said, smirking as Katrander pulled his arrow out of the tree. "Besides, I was just joking. I'm sure she's under Jander's protection, and you know what happens when he gets angry." Katrander nodded, replacing the arrow in his quiver.

"Yeah, I know. He's just like the other 'gold elf' that was living here a while ago." Katrander said, his eyes hardening. "I'll never forget what he did to my father." he said, in a softer tone, turning from the archery range.

"Let's go. We've practiced enough for today." he said, walking off, away from where Celine was hiding. Alarius slung his bow over one shoulder and followed. Celine stayed where she was for a moment. She could not understand what they had been talking about. Magic around her? Never could she have been a priest or a mage! She would know if she had been. How could she forget?

"If I was a great priest, I should be able to create light over there by that bush or something." she said softly, gesturing to the bush as she thought. A small spherical glow of light encircled the bush. Startled, Celine walked over to it. She was so shocked though, that she, usually sure-footed in any terrain, did not see the small half-buried log in the moss in front of the bush. Tripping, she fell and hit her head on a rock. The world was pitched into blackness, and a small spark of memory reignited.

A young elf maiden stood in a great temple, looking up at the altar, making sure that everything was there to perform the ceremony. A small vial of water, a pile of dust and a large wooden bowl sat on the altar, awaiting her. Gathering the blue robes denoting her as a novice of the temple of Corellon Larethian in her hands, as the edges dragged on the floor and Master Courin was harsh on her when they got dirty, she stepped up to the altar.

She knew that she was not to attempt this spell, being as young as she was, she was not even to have had access to the spellbook in which she had found it. She had snuck into Master Courin's study one night when she had been left at the temple to scrub the floors, and had read the book. She knew that if she were to be a great priest like her mother had, she needed all of the practice that she could get. Her father depended on her to do just that. Having two priests in the family would be an honor.

Standing in front of the altar, she took the vial of water in one hand, and with the other pointed to the bowl. Clearing her mind, she thought about water pouring out from the vial into the bowl, completely filling it. Opening the vial after a while of concentration, she poured it into the bowl and closed her eyes. There was a splooshing sound and she quickly looked down at the bowl. The bowl had completely filled and had overflowed, splashing onto the floor. Shocked at this, she quickly cleared her mind again and picked up a pinch of the dust. Throwing it into the bowl, she thought of the water dissipating into nothing again. This time she looked. As the dust hit the water, it seemed as though it sucked up all of the water inside of it. Rejoicing, she tossed the rest of the dust up in the air just as Master Courin walked in.

"Selinara!" he said, reprovingly, rushing up to the altar to glare at the now sheepish looking elf. "What on earth are you doing?" he asked, then noticing the empty bowl, empty vial and the dust all over the floor.

"I will clean it up, Master Courin." she said, looking down at her feet sullenly, but still rejoicing inside. It had actually worked!

"Yes, you will. And while you're at it, you will scrub the entire temple until I can see my reflection in the wood!" He scolded her. "I swear, Selinara, your mother was never this rebellious..."

Celine awoke to Jander and three other elves standing over her. She was lying in her room at Jander's house, she knew because she could see her sword lying on the chair where she had left it. She sat up amidst the protests of one of the elves, a tall, motherly looking elf that had apparently been fussing over her while she was unconscious.

"What happened?" Celine asked, rubbing her head where she had hit the rock.

"You must have fell in the forest." the tall elf told her, motioning for the other two elves to leave. "My two sons found you when they went down to the archery range to practice." she said, looking over at Jander, as if asking if he wanted her to leave. Jander nodded slightly and she left, giving Celine one last concerned look as she did so. Jander walked over to her and helped her to her feet.

"You must not wander around in this forest yet. You are unfamiliar with it still." he said, concerned. "Why don't you rest here. I will go make some food, you must be starved, it is past midday." he told her, leaving the room. After he had left, Celine picked up her amulet from where she had left it on a chair and sat down in the chair, staring at the amulet.

In her strange dream, she remembered being in a temple with a symbol like this amulet on the altar. She could not remember anything else about the dream though, except for that. Strange, she thought, she also could not remember why or how she had hit her head, the last thing she remembered was hearing the conversation that Katrander and his friend had been having.

"Exactly what is this amulet supposed to signify?" she murmured to herself, replacing it on her neck. "And why do I have it and not some great priest or magic-user?" she wondered, rubbing the spot on her head that was now slightly bruised.

"I think I'll stay away from Katrander from now on." she said musingly, sitting down on her chair with a sigh.

***
"Conflict"