Before the histories were written, before the Elves marched West beneath the stars, she woke by a silent lake and opened her eyes to a world not yet named.

Waters Firstlight is the story of a beginning—of the first breath, the first gathering, the first fire that burned without smoke. It is a tale told in the voice of one who remembers what the others forgot: that not all chose to follow the summons. Some remained.

In the hush of the grove, where silence was still a presence and not a lack, a young elf woman finds herself drawn to the stillness others would abandon. She watches as messengers arrive. She watches as friends depart. And she watches as a division older than sorrow begins to take root among her people.

While others dream of far-off lands and the call of the gods, she feels something else stirring—a knowing beneath the moss, a fire that does not ask, and a silence that sees.

This is not a story of war. It is not a tale of thrones or conquest. It is the quiet, radiant account of the moment before the world turned—and of the one who chose to stay behind.

Perfect for readers of Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, Le Guin’s Earthsea, or fans of poetic, slow-burning fantasy, We Awoke by the Water is the mythic beginning of The Silenceborne, a series told in memory, shadow, and the echo of what was never sung.