#ilmara

ILMARAAAAA!!!!

On Swift Wings

Travelling through the Eastfold brought a burst of nostalgia, familiar rolling landscapes, the odd spur of craggy rocks, the low-level scrub and brush that marked the land as Rohan. It felt like returning home. The sun slowly climbing above the White Mountains, the golden light spilling across the grassland of Eastfold. She could follow the road with her eyes as it winded throughout the hillocks and hills, before vanishing into the shadows cast by the mountains above. The wind, while steady, wasn’t bitter. Even as it swept down from the White Mountains, across the rolling grassland, and into Rhosynel’s upturned face. Even the sun didn’t burn, bright, clear, and calm as it bathed the land in its light. Above, Ilmara gave a quiet whistle, and slowed her flight, coming to hover above Rhosynel for a moment, before gliding to the left. Trusting her bird more than her own eyes, she nudged Gwaedal off the road.

I am SO delighted with how this has come out! It's my first attempt at a 'painterly' background and boy howdy did I suffer loudly through it 😂 But what matters most is that I LOVE how it came out, especially once I got Rhosynel and Co. added to the image. I love doing line arts and colouring, so they were far more fun for me to do!

I'm really proud of how It's come out, so I hope you enjoy it too ❤️

Close ups below the cut!

Hey girl!! absolutely love On Swift Wings so much and HAD to draw my faves. Wanted to share it with you to express my love for your fic!!!

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOOOOD THIS IS AMAZING!!

I LOVE this so much you've captured Rhos so well (look at that attitude 😂) the tree on her belt, the scar on her brow and her wild hair that's she's probably not brushed for like a week!! And ILMARA with her harness too??

They both look incredible, what a lovely surprise to wake up to thank you so so much for reading and drawing Rhosynel so beautifully 😭😭❤️❤️

She's coming out so nicely I want to cry 😭

Yes. Yes I did.

firstly, that is DELIGHTFUL

secondly, I would like to see the Plant Named Ilmara please

THANK YOU DARLING ❤️❤️❤️

Since I've decided that I'm going to share head-canon's and details, I thought for your ask, I'd talk about Ilmara and the Limroval's a little! Now, a lot of this is still bare bones, but it's the story I've had rattling around in my head since I started writing On Swift Wings!

Limrovals (directly meaning Swift Wings) are a species of bird of prey, with a high intelligence almost on par with humans, widely to be considered a gift of Manwë, to the elves of the Greenwood.

Sometime during the early days of the Greenwood's corruption, a great eagle was attacked and badly injured within the forest. Following the sounds of its fighting, an elleth not only saved the eagle's life, but protected and assisted in its recuperation until the eagle was once again fit enough to fly and return to the eyrie.

It's widely rumoured that the elleth who saved the eagle, was the Queen of the Woodland Realm, but whether this was Oropher or Thranduil's wife hasn't been confirmed. (aka I've not figure it out yet!) In thanks for saving one of his messengers, Manwë is said to have sent a new flock to the Woodland Realm. Not great eagles, but smaller raptors, with intelligence and cunning, suited for life within the forest and adaptable enough to survive alongside their elven Keepers.

These incredible birds aren't naturally found in the wild, and after centuries of careful breeding, has resulted in a variety of species, with different uses in daily life.

Larger birds such as eagles, kites, and buzzards are used to aid in protecting the Woodland Realms borders, their greater size and strength are ideal in assisting in battles with dangerous foes.

Smaller falcons, such as peregrines, merlins, and hobbies, are primarily used as messengers to run short distances between outposts.

Hawks, such as sparrowhawks, goshawks, are used as all-rounders, they're large enough to assist in some battles, but are adept at navigating densely grown woodland to carry messages.

Owls on the other hand, are rare and hardly used. However, they frequently join patrols and scouts, their night vision and hearing is excellent at providing advanced notice of orc or spider attacks.

Since Limroval are so rare and unique, it's a great privilege to become a Limroval Keeper, but also incredibly difficult. Elves are put through a great deal of training and testing, looking after them, feeding, training, and caring, before they're even so much as allowed to fly the birds. If they're deemed a good fit, the elf is assigned to a hatchling, raising and imprinting, to strengthen the bond between them.

This ensures that the pair are capable of working closely together, the chick growing and learning how the other think and react, and training on specific instructions and actions. It's important to note that this is a partnership, and never a case of the elf ordering the bird about, as Limroval are more than capable of choosing to ignore orders.

(look at him goooo)

With such a difficult process to become a Limroval Keeper, it comes as a shock when a human mortal manages to bond with a chick. But Rhosynel has experience with caring for falcons, having worked closely with them during her teen years. Her knowledge, experience, and the calling in of a hefty debt, results in her becoming a Keeper.

Ilmara is a goshawk, known for their ability to fly through dense forests, snapping and flaring their wings to fit through the narrowest of gaps. She's sassy, and knows when she can ignore Rhosynel and even go against her orders.

Needless to say, Ilmara is just as reckless and protective as Rhosynel!

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