Charis is a character mentioned in The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy when the Druid Aphenglow Elessedil discovers Aleia Omarosian's diary. Born in the Age of Faerie, Charis's whirlwind romance with the Elven princess Aleia has drastic, far-reaching consequences for both him and the Elves.
Biography[]
Charis was a Darkling boy during the Age of Faerie, at a time when the Faerie creatures of the Word had been warring with the Faerie creatures of the Void for centuries. He was sent to Arborlon to spy on the Elves for the Darklings.
Aleia's Diary[]
According to Aleia's diary, she is out gathering flowers down by the river one day when Charis appears out of the shadows of the trees and approaches her. She is immediately attracted to him and falls in love. The young pair talk for hours that first day and promise to meet again.
Over the next few days, the two meet each other repeatedly, talking and sharing their feelings. They both agree that not all creatures of the Word are innocent and that not all creatures of the Void are terrible. Charis reveals that he came upon Aleia because he was assigned to spy on Arborlon for the Darklings, but he was unable to help himself when he saw Aleia and revealed himself to her. The two continue to grow closer, and Aleia soon gives her virginity to Charis.
More than two months after their first meeting, Aleia reveals to Charis the existence of the Elfstones during a casual conversation about the magic their respective Races possess. They both agree that the war between their peoples would likely end sooner if no magic existed. Aleia is confident that their conversation was just talk, but is concerned that she may have been too specific in talking about the Elves' magic.
Only a few days later, Charis tells Aleia that his term of service as a spy is over and that he is being sent back to his home. He argues that Aleia should leave Arborlon and go with him. He insists it's the only way they can be together since her people would never accept him, while his family would accept her. However, the thought of leaving Arborlon and the Elves puts Aleia in a panic, and she stalls. Over the new few days Charis continues to insist she come with him until finally Aleia rejects the idea outright, despite her fears that doing so will cause her to lose Charis for good.
Barely a week after Aleia had spoken to Charis about the Elfstones, they meet for the last time. Aleia, thinking that breaking off ties with Charis would convince him to stay with her, tells Charis that she could never leave the Elves, and that they'd have to end their hopes for a life together. Distraught and broken, they make love with each other a final time.
However, while Aleia sleeps, Charis uses his Darkling magic to steal four of the five sets of Elfstones (crimson, emerald, saffron, and white) from where her father had hidden them. When Aleia awakes, she finds that Charis had left a note for her, along with the blue Elfstones:
Charis: I cannot give you up. You must come to me. Use these Elfstones to find me and to reclaim the other stones which I hold hostage. I love you that much.
Aleia is distraught. She had not told Charis that the Elfstones must be freely given and be used by an Elf in order to work, and so she wonders if he had stolen them for darker purposes, and not just to goad her into following him.
Over a week later, still unsure of Charis's motives and sickened by the thought of what could happen to the Elves without the Elfstones, Aleia sets out to find the Stones and return them to her people. She returns a month later empty-handed and frustrated. Despite the blue Elfstones' seeking powers, she was not able to find a trace of the other Elfstones anywhere.
Back home in Arborlon, Aleia returns the blue Elfstones to her parents and admits everything. Her diary ends with a reference to a chance at redemption, as well as a note to her parents expressing gratitude, love, and farewell.
Between Aleia's first diary entry about Charis and her final entry bidding farewell, only four months of time have passed.
Charis's Note[]
Countless millenia into the future, Redden Ohmsford finds the missing Elfstones in the Forbidding, down in the depths of Kroat Abyss. Along with the Stones he finds a note addressed to Aleia that was left by a much older Charis before he died.
In the note, Charis reveals that he had only taken the Elfstones out of fear that he would lose Aleia otherwise, and he insists that he never gave a single thought to using them against the Elves.
Unfortunately, Charis's actions were discovered by the Darklings, who took the Elfstones from him and imprisoned him, branding him a traitor. When Aleia came looking for the Elfstones, the Darklings concealed Charis with magic, preventing her and the blue Elfstones from finding him. Charis kept looking for ways to break free and return to Aleia but was unsuccessful.
When the Forbidding was created, the Darklings were swept into it along with other creatures of the Void. It was only after Charis had gotten old within the Forbidding that he was finally released, as there was no longer a reason to keep him imprisoned.
Charis explains that the Elfstones were placed down in Kroat Abyss because they had lost their importance, being useless to anyone but Elves and only serving to remind denizens of the Forbidding who had put them there. The note ends with Charis saying that he managed to gain access to the Elfstones so he that could leave his note to Aleia, to be read by anyone in the future who might be interested.
Charis: I do not want to be thought of as a thief and a liar. I do not want the record I am sure has been written of my treachery to be the final word on what I did. Or of what you meant to me. You must believe you were everything to me and will remain so until the day I die. There will never be another. If I could have one day back in my life, I would choose a day I could spend with you. Nothing would be sweeter. Nothing would mean more.
Legacy[]
It is due to the whirlwind romance of Aleia and Charis that four of the five sets of Elfstones went missing in the Age of Faerie. Millenia into the future, the blue Elfstones are one of the precious few pieces of Faerie magic that the Elves have not lost.
Discovery of Aleia's diary by Aphenglow Elessedil allows for the recovery of the missing Elfstones by Redden Ohmsford, but only the crimson Elfstones are retained when the Forbidding is restored and the other three sets are sent back into the Forbidding along with Tesla Dart, who is holding them.
Physical Appearance[]
Charis is described by Aleia as being incredibly attractive, with vivid, deep blue skin, golden eyes, shiny black hair, and a soft voice.