Ardent_Tears

Chapter 5: Love and Despair

Two and half years had passed since Hæra had told Rowan the truth about her long lost twin sister, Rina. That in and of itself was quite the shock. However, it also held a deeper meaning; that Rowan had lived meant that she would likely one day Awaken as an Ardent and she was determined to make it so, lest Rina’s death have been in vain. With that in mind, she had tried to learn as much as she could about Ardents from Master Idyr, She managed to get quite a bit out of him on the relationship between the Awakened and Resonance. Resonance was, after all, one of his specialties. Unfortunately it wasn’t exactly the information she was looking for. Knowing that it is the Resonance between the Awakened individual, their respective moon and the spiritual embodiments of emotions told her nothing on how to awaken. So she turned to the books.

Rowan asked Master Idyr and her father to get her what accounts they could find and give them to her. Master Idyr gladly fuelled her academic fervour, though he didn’t seem to understand the reasoning. For Gyren, it was a more challenging endeavour as he didn’t have much in the way of academic contacts and he didn’t do much in the way of academic trade. Even so, he tried whenever he was away on one of his ventures to Midiris or Særis. By the end of the first year, she had a veritable wealth of records on the subject; so much so that she found it difficult to even scratch the surface.

The literature was dense and difficult to read and lots of it felt incomplete. Rowan surmised this was likely due to how rare Awakening was. It was rather difficult to study a group that was less than a percent of the population at the best of times. There were still some rather significant things that she learned. One particular fact that she found interesting was that practically every recorded Ardent and Stoic had their Awakening before their seventeenth birthdays. For some reason, as you got older, Awakening became increasingly less likely.

Rowan also found a potential answer to her question and it sent a chill down her spine. It actually made her want to just wait and let it happen naturally. No one should need to go through what she read and it wasn’t even a guarantee. She tried not to think about that part of her research as she looked for other ways to encourage her Awakening.

Of course, Rowan had done much more than just studying since that emotional Midsummer’s Day. She practiced with her mother practically every day to get better at singing and dancing. In addition to wanting to spend time with her, Rowan also valued the strength, flexibility and athleticism that dancing offered her and she really enjoyed singing. It also helped show that her Ferran ancestry was holding fast as she remained slender despite her growing strength. Instead of her muscles getting larger, they got denser, especially in her legs. This was further aided by her continued training out in the forest which she was now doing with the twins as well.

The three of them had also all made leaps and bounds with the training regimen that Tyris had given them, even going so far to further personalising their approach and focus with the training. Kiriin succeeded in her goal of surpassing the other two with her respective weapons and she had also started training with the hunters to capitalise on her Gift.

Kyr on the other hand had focused much less on weaponry and more on strategy and into ways he could innovate during combat. He had also started training in what he liked to call an offensive defence and was under the impression that spinning was a good trick when you were using a large two-handed sword. Rowan thought it was rather silly but he swore it was effective when you were outnumbered.

Rowan had also made leaps and bounds with her training. She had fully begun capitalising on the explosive strength in her legs to outmanoeuvre the twins. With her specialty being in light, nimble weaponry, she found that she tended to have the advantage whenever she had the initiative. Unfortunately, the increased intensity of her fighting style did tend to tire her out much quicker so she quickly lost that advantage in more drawn out fights. The twins were much more patient which often frustrated Rowan when it led to her loss.

On top of all the training and studying she had done, Rowan also noticed the years bring other noteworthy changes. Her body had started to mature and she even managed to grow a wee bit taller, though she was still dwarfed by Kiriin and Kyr. Thankfully, with Bragi out of the equation, Rowan had grown to be much happier and she liked how it was changed. Granted, the compliments that she had been getting from Kyr, and Kiriin for that matter, certainly helped. If anything, she couldn’t help but glow upon being given the compliments, even if she didn’t completely understand the reason for the sudden influx in them.

That isn’t to say that growing up was all good; seeing the blood at the beginning of her first cycle freaked her out massively and the cramps certainly didn’t help, regardless of the fact that she was expecting it. Time had lessened the pain somewhat, but there was a tenderness to both her body and heart that the inevitable flow of her cycle never ceased to bring.

There were other issues that Rowan had noticed during those years. Unfortunately these issues were even worse than her period or any other factor of growing up. As Rowan grew more independent, Tehri started distancing herself from her and Rowan couldn’t fathom why. It wasn’t as if Tehri was also going through the same changes, she was still a couple of years too young for that, but it was like she was an entirely different person. It was painful to see. Rowan even missed Tehri’s manic episodes. It beat seeing her depressed and feeling so far away. Unfortunately, Rowan could only think of one solution to the problem and that was to also pull away. It was easier than the pain of failing to get closer even if it meant losing her little sister.

Alas, Rowan’s solution wasn’t perfect as often her thoughts would return to whether or not she was doing the right thing. Such was the case on that one winter’s day as she wandered through the frozen streets of Næmyris. Though she had a destination in mind, she found herself meandering more than a particularly adventurous river. She felt lost, but she knew she couldn’t let herself be defeated by her thoughts, not until she won the battle that awaited her, so she made her way to the edge of town where a sea of white befell her eyes. There lay the path to her much needed distraction. She trekked forwards towards the war of snow and ice that she knew to be taking place over the crest of the next hill. On the precipice of the battle, she clapped her hands to her face.

“Right! That’s enough wallowing for me!”

“I hope.”

Before her eyes the battle between the twins and some twenty others that Rowan recognised to be from their class. To a casual observer, the ten to one disparity would seem to be massively unfair and, in a sense, they would be correct, just not in the way they were thinking. Granted, it was true that some of their classmates had the same Gifts as them, they hadn’t been spending the last two and a half years engaging in combat training or learning how to take advantage. Instead they apprenticed with craftsmen or helped in the farms and lumber mills and they were thoroughly unprepared.

One by one, the larger group fell to either the unrelenting assault from Kyr or the stealth strikes from Kiriin. Even Rowan was amazed by the speed and accuracy at which Kyr was able to throw the perfect spheres of snow from the veritable mountain beside him. It was difficult to deny the efficacy of his offensive defence as he supplemented his attack by bunkering down in a fortified position. He also served as a perfect compliment to the equally impressive Kiriin. She wore white furs, using the camouflage to fade into the snowy backdrop and striking before anyone knew what had hit them. Whenever they tried to focus on her, they left themselves open to Kyr with his fortified position and pre-prepared arsenal made him equally difficult to attack. Furthermore, whenever they tried, Kiriin would hit them from behind.

Had Rowan been there earlier, things may have gone somewhat differently, but despite it being a Day of Rest, she still had her dance lessons. Fortunately, it also meant that she was primed for action as she discarded her heavy coat and leapt into the fray. As she weaved through the crossfire, Rowan quickly formulated a plan. She knew that making snowballs would be futile; she’d never be able to make them fast enough or throw them accurately enough to hit Kiriin or strong enough to break through Kyr’s fortifications and it would make her a sitting duck.

Twice, Kiriin attempted to throw a snowball in Rowan’s face to no avail. Rowan would have chased after her but a clump of snow from Kyr just narrowly missed her and the moment was gone. Like the others, she knew there was know way she could keep her eyes on Kiriin with Kyr’s relentless assault. He would need to go first. Turning on her heel Rowan capitalised on her superior speed, smaller frame and lighter clothing to charge Kyr.

Keep moving. Left. Right. Jump. If I don’t stop, Kyr won’t hit me.

Rowan did all she could to move as unpredictably as she could, zigzagging at seemingly random intervals and in fluid motions she slid, jumped and rolled, her silhouette bearing no consistency of form as she ran. The closest Kyr came to hitting her was from the odd glancing blow and before he knew it, she was upon him. In the last few seconds of her charge, Rowan accelerated to a significant speed and at the lip of Kyr’s fortified trench, she flipped over him, spinning in the air. As she landed, she used her full momentum to carry on spinning, her foot striking the mountain of snowballs, causing it to collapse on an unsuspecting Kyr.

In just those few moments, all of Kyr’s prep was brought crashing down. His classmates had already started making their way towards him with a predatory look in their eyes. In the time it would take him to escape the snow, they would be upon him and he was without any snowballs to defend himself. Rowan took a second to bask in her initial victory, a rising laugh washing away the thoughts that had been plaguing her. She couldn’t bask forever, however, as Kiriin was still at large.

To most humans, Kiriin was practically invisible when she remained still, the white furs blending in with the snow and the small flecks of grey fur breaking up her silhouette. Rowan, however, bore the eyes of her Ferran ancestors, and with them she saw a much greater range of colour and could better distinguish the finer subtleties between shades and to her, the greys were so much darker, and the whites featured a pale violet tint quite different to that of the snow. It wasn’t long before she found Kiriin in her hiding place. The chase was on.

Kiriin was a significantly more challenging opponent, primarily due to her mobility and the odd instance of the snow being especially blinding when the sun caught it in just the wrong way. Typically, Rowan would have a clear speed advantage, but Kiriin was running towards the treeline in the direction of the setting sun, slowing Rowan down to a more manageable pace because of the glare. Alas, the sun soon ceased to be an issue as they reached the shade of the forest.

Everyone else was out of sight as the chase reached its climax, as was Kiriin. In the moment that Rowan’s eyes adapted to the shade, she had slipped beyond the trees. Suddenly, she burst out from behind a particular large oak, a snowball in both of her hands. Rowan only just dodged in time before she tackled Kiriin to the ground, sending her hat flying several feet away. With the hat gone, Kiriin’s hair flared out and her hazel eyes twinkled mischievously. Looking down at Kiriin, Rowan’s heart skipped a beat and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. The soft blush on Kiriin’s cheeks painted her in the most beautiful light. Rowan instinctively leaned in closer, quickly noticing the faint smell of perfume; Kiriin almost never wore perfume. Even if it was only for the briefest moment, she was absolutely stunning.

In Rowan’s moment of pause, Kiriin closed the gap and their lips touched. That brief moment extended into an eternity. A kiss had never felt special before, but this time, Rowan’s heart wouldn’t stop racing, and from the sound of it, so was Kiriin’s. Furthermore, the kiss lit a small flame within her heart that invigorated her very being and all her fatigue slipped away. She was feeling the power of her Gift for the first time and it was magical.

But what does this mean? I can’t have feelings for Kiriin, can I?

The eternal moment passed and the kiss came to a close. They lingered ever so briefly and their noses bumped together softly. Giggling filled with mirth soon followed as they smiled at each other and rolled around in the snow. Suddenly, Kirin sprayed Rowan in the face to hide her reddening face. Instead of retaliating in kind, Rowan leaned in for a kiss of her own.

When Rowan eventually pulled back, she opened her eyes to see Kiriin sporting a blush as deep a red as Rowan’s crimson locks. “Y-y-you k-kissed me,” Kiriin stammered.

“You kissed me first.”

“Well, yes. But. Well. You see. You were really cute and really close and I hoped you wouldn’t mind and and…” Kiriin struggled to find the right words to convey her feelings and in the end they failed her. “Gah, I’m so embarrassed!”

It was rare to see Kiriin so flustered. In fact, Rowan was sure that this was yet another first and it tugged at her heartstrings. ”I didn’t mind. You surprised me, but I really didn’t mind. I actually kind of liked it.”

Kiriin let out a large sigh, “I’m so relieved. I was scared you might reject me because I’m a girl or because maybe someone else had caught your eye.”

“Wait! Does that mean?”

Kiriin nodded.

This time it was Rowan’s turn to blush a deep crimson as the realisation struck her. “I think I like you too.”

“If you’re sure,” Kiriin responded hesitantly

“I am.”

A simple admission, but one with a significant meaning to the two adolescent girls. It didn’t matter to Rowan that Kiriin was a girl, nor would it have mattered if she was a boy. What mattered was that it was Kiriin as it was Kiriin that had touched her heart.

The pair soon walked back to the others after they had collected themselves. They agreed to keep it a secret for the time being, in part to minimise any teasing and also because it made it feel all the more special. By the time they returned, Kyr was, in a sense, free from his snow tomb, though it seemed like he was wearing it more than anything as the snow clung to his clothes.

“What took you so long?” His question got little in the way of a verbal response. Instead, the girls awkwardly looked away from each other, trying their hardest not to blush. “Fine! Don’t tell me then,” he sulked, kicking at the snow as he stomped away.

*****

“Love is an incredible feeling.” A simple conclusion that Rowan had come to and was further proven every moment that she spent with Kiriin that winter. It was like a blissful dream; so much so that the two had difficulty containing their young love despite how hard they were trying to keep it secret. At Kiriin’s request, they took extra care to hide it from Kyr, though it was clear that he was growing suspicious. In hindsight, his suspicions were likely an unfortunate side effect of how much time they had been spending alone together. They didn’t mean to exclude him, but they knew if he was around them more often, he would know for sure. That idea didn’t bother Rowan so much, but Kiriin insisted.

Their parents caught on quickly which resulted in a rather awkward conversation, but all in all, it went considerably better than expected. Kiriin’s parents were already aware of her inclinations and Rowan’s were largely unsurprised by the whole affair. That isn’t to say that their relationship was the norm, but their parents made sure that they knew it wasn’t unusual despite what some might say.

Besides Rowan’s and Kiriin’s relationship, winter continued largely without incident. They continued with their training, their education and of course with playing and embracing their youth. And like any other winter, it soon passed into spring. In the week between the seasons, word came from the high temple in Midiris bringing news of an upcoming Crimson Eclipse, causing quite the stir. To many, the news in and of itself was worthy of celebration. Rowan, however, wasn’t particularly excited, especially as she barely remembered the last one and she was largely preoccupied with her fourteenth birthday which was little more than a fortnight away.

Just before the announcement, Gyren had told Rowan that he was going to take her downriver to Tærin city so that she could choose her own gift. Of course, there would be more gifts that’d be kept as a surprise and, in truth, the trip was part of the gift. It was for this reason she was excited if that aspect of the trip was left as an unspoken fact for the sake of tradition. Rowan was also looking forward to spending some quality time with her father. He was so often busy with work and went on business trips throughout the year so time with him was special. This was especially true now that she was older. In the years after Tehri was born, Rowan would often play in his store while he worked as Hæra was often busy looking after Tehri. For a while, some of his customers even saw her as an adorable little mascot. Unfortunately, that was no longer viable as she had grown a lot since then and was often very busy herself.

As the trip drew ever closer, Rowan could barely contain her excitement. She rarely ever had the chance to leave Næmyris, the last time being when Tyris was granted the rank of Junior Captain in the Navy just under four years ago. She envied her brother and father for how much grander their worlds must seem from all of their travelling, though she understood the reasons why she could so rarely travel. Tehri was unfortunately not the best at travelling long distances, especially with her tendency towards a weak constitution and Rowan wasn’t old enough to accompany Gyren alone when he went off on one of his business ventures. But now it was her turn to go on a grand adventure, one that would take several days if everything went according to plan..

Rowan spent much of the time before the trip talking to the twins about what she should get while she was there. There was much to consider and much to be excited about. Should she buy any souvenirs while she was there. What would Kiriin like? Or Kyr? Would buying souvenirs be weird, considering the reason for the trip? These were all questions she could obviously only ask herself, but the twins were still a great help. It was also significantly less awkward than it could have been considering the strange relationship dynamic between them. Rowan was sure he knew at this point, but any reaction he may have had was overwhelmed with excitement.

“You should ask for a sword!” he said enthusiastically while they were all drinking some tea at the twins’ house.

“She already has a sword, Kyr,” Kiriin reminded him.

“Well yeah, but she probably won’t get that one until she’s much older.”

“That’s not the point. Plus, swords are expensive.”

“Kiriin’s right. I don’t need a sword. Especially when we already have the practice weapons that Tyris gave us.” Rowan spoke in a neutral tone as to not give the impression of favouritism.

“What about a knife?” he asked.

Rowan patted her thigh, “already got one.”

“Right,” Kyr said in a rather deflated manner.

“You really do carry that around everywhere, don’t you?” Kiriin interjected.

“It’s useful to have around and I like it.”

“Even if… Ouch!” Kyr didn’t get to finish whatever he was going to say due to Kiriin elbowing him firmly in the ribs.

Rowan laughed with mirth “What about a teddy bear? Da wouldn’ be expecting that.”

“Yes!” Kiriin exclaimed. “A big fluffy one. Maybe a Giant Mandra?”

“That would be absolutely perfect!”

“Why would you want a teddy bear? Doesn’t sound very useful”

“Stop being such a bore, Kyr,” Kiriin laughed. “Teddy bears are cute.”

“And Cuddly.”

“Presents don’t need to be useful.”

Kyr was blushing with embarrassment as Rowan and Kiriin chided him playfully.

“There’s no need to blush, Kyr. We’re only teasing. Isn’t that right, Kiriin?”

“Well sorry,” Kyr interjected before Kiriin could answer, “but I’m clearly not needed here. I’m you two would much rather be alone with how in sync you are.” He punctuated his remark by standing up suddenly and turning to leave the room.

“That’s not what we were saying,” Rowan objected.

“I don’t want to hear it!” he interrupted before fleeing.

“Kyr!” Kiriin called after him. “I’m so sorry, Rowan. This is why I didn’t want him to know.”

Kiriin then went after her brother, leaving Rowan alone in the room. She said her goodbyes not long after that and while the day had ended on a sour note, she’d still had tremendous fun.

The air was crisp as she walked home. It was a beautiful evening, all things considered and Rowan felt as if there was little that could get in the way of her excitement. With a burst of joy, Rowan opened the front door of her house.

“I’m home!”

Her words were meant for no one in particular, but Tehri had just so happened to be in the middle of walking down the stairs. “So you are,” she responded distantly, her face haunted by a deep melancholy.

Rather than be phased by her little sister’s sadness, Rowan gave her a smile. “Good evening, Tehri. You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

It was a simple response, yet one with a hollow depth and complexity. Tehri was anything but fine. It was as if she had gone to the absolute bottom of depression, reached the other side and sunk right back down again; a profound despair that Rowan couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“Are you sure?” Rowan didn’t need the answer. Something about Tehri’s sadness resonated with the core of her being and could feel it seep through the cracks. Her heart ached and all of her excitement bled away. Rowan didn’t understand why it was hitting her so hard. She had barely thought about or even interacted much with Tehri for pretty much the entirety of winter. Even as Rowan recalled how Tehri had been, those memories paled in comparison to what she saw now.

Loneliness. Tehri’s affliction was becoming clear to Rowan now, a deep all consuming loneliness had been weighing deeply on her heart. How had she not seen it? Her eyes had been open, but blind to see what really mattered. Perhaps she may have if she had spent the time to look instead of turning her back on Tehri. She had walked forwards with her own life and then blamed Tehri for being unable to keep up. What had happened to being a good older sister and helping Tehri when she stumbled through life? In hindsight it was all so obvious, and Rowan didn’t want to believe it. She fled to her room and tried to hide from the revelation.

Ignorance was bliss, knowing is a nightmare.

*****

Sleep failed Rowan that night. No matter how far she ran, Tehri’s haunted loneliness caught her. Because of her somewhat poor constitution and strange moods, Tehri had never had many friends growing up. Not many people understood the pendulum-like nature of her moods, the depression and the mania, especially children.

When Tehri was depressed, she tended to be withdrawn and rather apathetic, not really wanting to spend time with anyone and the lack of a smile was never too welcoming. Then there was the mania, which was arguably harder to deal with, especially if it happened directly after a depressive episode. To see someone go from despair and sadness to having boundless energy and a lack of inhibitions to stop them from acting on some of the thoughts that had struck them while they were down was a terrifying sight. Yet, despite all she suffered, she still had the support of her family and she had friends in Rowan and the twins. It wasn’t the same as friends her own age, but it was enough for Tehri, and Rowan had taken that away from her.

Guilt played a scornful melody on Rowan’s heart. She had failed as a sister. She had failed Tehri and no one else could see it. Tehri probably hated her now, not that Rowan would blame her, she’d probably feel the same way in her shoes. Already, a small part of her being, down in the depths of her soul, hated herself for abandoning Tehri, but what was she to do? Could she have done anything differently? Probably. Definitely. Not that it mattered now. She had already failed. Her thoughts kept coming back to that, like a circle. She needed to break free, but, was she even deserving of that? Of being forgiven?

No!

Even so, Rowan had to make things right, for Tehri’s sake.

*****

After what felt like an eternity, the crept over the horizon and Rowan stepped onto the boat with her father to the dissonant sound of birdsong.

“I know it’s early, Rowan, but it’s almost twenty leagues to Tærin. I’m sure you’ll be able to sleep on the boat and this way, we can get a nice meal at the inn when we arrive.”

Rowan nodded glumly as they found some seats. Gyren wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she slowly drifted asleep, her guilt no longer enough to hold back her exhaustion. She eventually woke up a few hours later at around midday with her head resting on her father’s lap. It seemed as though he hadn’t even moved whilst she had been sleeping.. He smiled down at her. “Feeling better?”

Rowan nodded in response and she even felt that it wasn’t even that much of a lie. While it was still true that she felt pretty awful, a small speck of not so bad shined within, like a lone star amidst the sablest of night skies.

After a moment Rowan decided to speak up and ask her father a question. “Am I a bad sister?”

“No, of course not,” he responded. “What’s brought this on?”

“Tehri’s depressed because of me.”

“That’s nonsense. We don’t know why she goes through her phases like she does.”

“But they never last this long,” Rowan said sadly.

“That doesn’t make it your fault.” Gyren sounded confused as he tried to rebut Rowan’s feelings of guilt.

“I made it worse by not spending time with her. She’s lonely, Da.”

“She is? How do you know that? Did she say something?”

“I felt it clear as day. It was like a terrible abyss. I can still feel it and I know it must be so much worse for Tehri.”

“I can see why you feel it’s your fault then but it sounds like you were just overwhelmed with empathy.”

“Like an Ardent,” Rowan muttered under her breath without even realising.

“What was that, dear?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Rowan responded with a confused look on her face.

The conversation didn’t progress much further after that, so instead of letting it drift into an awkward silence, they had a light lunch. They then spent the rest of the journey playing Ruun and a few other board games that were available for use on the boat. They arrived at Tærin Port as the sun was setting, which was admittedly rather early at the beginning of spring. With a chill in the air, they made their way to the Twin Moons Inn, a rather wealthy establishment decorated in both blue and red. It was a design familiar to most of the larger cities on the island. Despite its splendour, however, it still paled in comparison to an inn of the same name in the capital.

When they eventually finished their dinner, it was clear that it would be too late to do any shopping so instead, they decided to just go for a walk. It was a welcome distraction as they explored the city. Rowan was surprised by how different it felt. They were only twenty leagues away from home yet it felt like a completely different world to her. She actually found it intimidating with how much stone there was in the city, especially with the towering walls. That isn’t to say the city was grey. In fact, the stone buildings in the wealthier districts were surprisingly colourful as it seemed like each one was painted in a myriad of different styles and fashions. Unfortunately some of them clashed rather badly as the owners apparently had no regard for their surroundings.

The city also seemed to have an aversion to greenery. Which is to say that there was a severe lack of trees or gardens. Much more value was placed in efficiency and packing in as much real estate as possible. It made sense with the walls making it difficult to expand outwards, but the few trees and feeble attempts at gardens didn’t quite cut it in Rowan’s eyes.

There was, however, one part of the city that truly impressed her and that was Fountain Square at the centre of the Commercial District. True to its name, a fountain sat in the middle of the square and it was clear that it was the pride of the city. The craftsmanship was flawless and they had somehow managed to keep it in a pristine condition for whoever knows how long. It had been made to show a beautiful depiction of a family of Tærans, the mythical race of people that the river and by extension, the city had been named for. The Tærans were believed to be the original inhabitants of Llen Færa and the surrounding islands long before the humans and Ferrans arrived. .

The spectacle of the fountain and the distraction of exploring the town definitely helped Rowan sleep that night. When she woke up the following, she thanked the Goddess that her sleep had only been restless and not haunted with nightmares. A part of her was even excited to go shopping after breakfast, though her heart still ached.

Breakfast that morning was short and sweet as they got ready to hit the town. Just before they finished, Rowan made a passing comment on how she had joked about asking for a teddy bear before disregarding the idea. Gyren hadn’t really reacted much to the suggestion, so she let it lie.

When they were ready, they set forth on their mercantile adventure. The first few shops were a bust; nothing in them called out to Rowan especially. Then they arrived at a small Jeweller’s by the river. From the wares, Rowan found a beautiful pair of earrings that definitely sparked her fancy and an idea that took them to the workshop next door; Rowan had a commission in mind. After talking to the Silversmith and Jeweller, they left with the order of a pair of silver bracelets in their capable hands. While they would take some time to complete, Rowan hoped that she would be able to share them with Tehri when they were done; a peace offering to help bridge the gap between them.

After that, they visited a couple more stores and bought a few more things. When they eventually returned to the inn at the end of the day, Gyren surprised Rowan by giving her a small teddy bear. “I thought it might help,” he said softly as he handed it over. Rowan hugged it close to her chest and cried a little bit. And then it was time to sleep. Tomorrow, their journey would come to an end and they would return home. As Rowan lay in bed, she realised she was once again alone. After a full day in the company of her father, being apart from him hurt even more. She clung tightly to her new teddy bear to try and banish the heavy burden of isolation and the rising feeling of nausea. She clamped her eyes shut, hoping it would disappear. Instead she only felt more anxious as voices from the common room echoed all around her. They spoke to her, filled her head with dread. To Rowan, they were a chorus that sang a grim lullaby as she fitfully drifted off to sleep.

That night, Rowan lived through some of her greatest fears. Everyone was leaving her, walking away as if she didn’t even exist, or worse, in spite of it. No matter how far she chased after her friends or family, even her enemies, they just drifted further and further away into a deep, impenetrable fog. All the while, the voices chanted within her mind, telling her that this is what she deserved, that it was only a matter of time. As she reached the fog, the voices twisted into a cacophony and the scene before her eyes shifted. Rowan saw herself crying in a field of blood, as her friends and family were killed again and again and again.

“Don’t let it end like this.”

*****

Since that night, Rowan barely slept and what little sleep she did get was marred by the most horrific nightmares. Even so, she was still able to smile on her birthday, if only barely. And then spring passed into summer. Rowan kept her torment a secret from her family, fearing how they might respond, but they weren’t idiots. They could see the pain in Rowan’s eyes and they did their best to help. It only made things worse.

On the night before the eclipse, Rowan felt like her head was imploding. It was too much and when Kiriin tried to comfort her, she felt broken. Instead of feeling exhilarated when Kiriin kissed her, she felt sadness. Instead of feeling joy when Kiriin confessed her feelings, Rowan could only feel like it was a lie. Instead of responding with her own true feelings, Rowan lashed out. She didn’t want to be alone, but her nightmares had convinced her that she would lose everyone, so she had started pushing them away, to make it quick and then she couldn’t lose them anymore. It only made her feel worse, but there was no stopping it now, was there?

“Don’t let it end like this.”

There it was again.

Chapter 4: Heartflame

The afternoon following Rowan’s confrontation progressed with everyone busying around her like bees. Hæra gave her advice on other options she could take in the future, suggesting that a defensive approach may be more prudent. Rowan couldn’t help but roll her eyes in response as she knew her mother would have acted in much the same way had it been Bragi’s father, if not worse.

Actually, the more Rowan thought about it, a similar exchange between the two of them would border on cataclysmic. They hated each other with an untold passion that their children could only emulate. But Hæra wanted to at least put on a show of being a responsible adult and performance was her specialty.

While Hæra talked to Rowan, Gyren went to find their family doctor, Doctor Bræn, to inform him of what had happened to both Rowan and Bragi. Somewhat strangely, he was yet to hear about Bragi’s condition. Granted, he didn’t have much interaction with the An’Teags due to them being out of his standard range and because they were signed up with a different practice, but he was the best in town and it had been at least an hour. Unfortunately, he felt there wasn’t much he could do for Bragi without knowing more so he sent out an assistant to investigate. That left him free to check in on Rowan.

Based on what he had heard from Gyren, the doctor brought a selection of medicines so that he could be sure that Rowan was getting the treatment she needed. Following a thorough examination, he was able to confirm that she had bruised two of her ribs, Rowan was surprised they weren’t broken, as well as a sprained ankle. He also discovered the bruising and the small cut from her fall earlier in the day. Unsurprisingly, Hæra and Gyren were quite put out that Rowan hadn’t told them about that particular accident, but they chose not to comment on it. Satisfied with his exam, Doctor Bræn gave her some rather strong pain medication and a poultice to be used on both her ankle and ribs.

After the doctor left, Hæra soon followed suit to talk to the Town Council before it was too late and Gyren had to return to the store, so it was Tyris’ turn to be the watchful big brother. He spent that time telling Rowan and Tehri stories of legendary Ardents and Stoics. Rowan was fascinated by stories which she was sure were heavily embellished; there was just simply no way a Stoic Kairosi Fire Monk could devour a blazing inferno single-handedly no matter how strong they were. Tehri on the other hand was markedly less interested so Tyris tried to engage her in a Ferran game called Ruun. What amazed Rowan almost as much as the stories is that it actually worked.

As afternoon said its goodbyes and evening came waltzing in, Rowan came to the conclusion that it was a good day. Compared to the last encounter she’d had with Bragi, she was feeling ecstatic, over the moon even. For the first time in her short life, she had won against her great and terrible tormentor and it was a victory to end the war. Though something did confuse her about the blow she had given Bragi. When the rumour mill delivered the news of what had actually happened when his crotch popped, all the men around her turned dead white.

*****

Rowan expected to be out of action for a few weeks at least due to her ribs. However, Doctor Bræn’s poultice worked miracles and Rowan was active within a few days. Not only did the poultice bring down the swelling, it also did wonders at clearing up the bruising. Unfortunately she still hadn’t fully recovered and had been banned from visiting the forest until she had been given the all clear from the doctor. She was still free to be physical in other ways as long as there was little risk of any blunt force trauma to her ribs, but she was still rather disappointed. That is to say, right up until she came to a realisation; she could still, in theory, learn the basics of how to fight with a sword or some other weapon if she could convince someone to teach her.

Following the fifth day of recovery, Rowan hunted down Tyris to try and persuade him that giving her lessons was an excellent idea. It turned out that this battle would be just as hard as her last conquest against Bragi as it turned into a war of attrition. Tyris’ resolve was ironclad. Rowan found it admirable, though she totally wasn’t jealous. That is until his resolve finally broke after a week of Rowan chipping away at it.

“Come on, Tyr!” Rowan sighed indignantly. “It’s been a week already; what’s the worst that could happen?”

“You could get hurt again, make your injuries worse.” Tyris’ voice was wary as he responded. He had forgotten how insistent his sister could be.

“We both know that’s not gonna happen if we’re only practicing the basics.”

“What about sparring?” Tyris asked. ”That’s an essential part of learning.”

“Who says we need to spar until I’m ready?”

Tyris wasn’t sure how to respond to that so he tried a different argument. “Well you still don’t have your strength back.”

“Do you want me to do a handstand?” She had responded before Tyris even finished his sentence. “I’m fine. Honest.”

“What about…”

“Irrelevant. I’ve heard all of your arguments and you won’t change my mind. I’ve seen you doing exercises outside and they aren’t that far off dancing in terms of intensity. You do know that Ma let me start back up with my dance lessons over five days ago, don’t you?”

She took a second to breathe after that to see if Tyris would respond, but he knew she wasn’t finished. Smiling to herself, Rowan revealed her trump card.

“I’ve also seen enough of your routines and exercises to try it myself, but that would be incomplete and probably be beyond my level, especially without any fundamentals. Now that would be dangerous. So doesn’t it stand to reason that I should have someone teach me so that I don’t mess up?”

Rowan felt a little guilty using that line as it was a touch on the manipulative side, but she felt it was important that she started young and if she waited until she was fully recovered, Tyris would have likely already left.

“Fine!” he sighed in exasperation. “But only under a few very important conditions. First, we clear it with mother and father. If you can’t convince them, you haven’t convinced me yet. Second, we will only cover the absolute basics and fundamentals until you have recovered more. I will talk with Doctor Bræn to work out suitable parameters. Thirdly, I insist that Kiriin and Kyr partake in the training as well. That way I can trust that you will watch each other and keep each other safe. Plus, having people to train with is the best way in my opinion.”

Rowan nodded in acknowledgement of all three of Tyris’ conditions. They made sense and she was only responsible for fulfilling two of them. To Tyris’ surprise, Gyren took more persuading, but Rowan knew it would play out that way. Hæra just needed to hear the points in a concise manner and get Tyris’ assurances. Gyren, however, hated the idea of either of his daughters getting hurt. Rowan felt like he worried too much at times, but she loved him all the more for it. Even so, he relented and the twins didn’t need any persuading, nor did their parents, except for requiring that it didn’t get in the way of school.

*****

Unsurprisingly, the early lessons were on the boring side. Tyris was being especially careful to not strain Rowan, to the point where it was all theory at the start. It made sense, but there were times where it felt like she was being lectured at by Master Idyr. She still learned a lot, especially the pros and cons of different swords or how drawing back a bowstring is more in the back than in the arms.

Following the initial theory, they started on footwork which seemed trivial to Rowan as she had already had tonnes of practice with footwork through dancing. She was, however, somewhat mistaken, at least where the fundamentals were concerned. It was all about keeping your movements tight and controlled as well as your centre of mass low and stable. It was a weird experience in all, but she still excelled in it compared to the other two.

However, when they actually began working with actual practice weapons, it soon became clear that Kyr was an exceptionally fast study. This may have surprised some people, but Rowan was fully aware that both he and Kiriin had been born towards the end of the Warrior’s Lunar Cycle, which should grant them the Gift of the Elite.

What surprised Rowan, was that Kiriin was actually falling in behind her, as their Gift was supposed to supplement their ability to learn and improve combat related skills. Even accounting for individual differences, they should have been closer in natural skill with the Gift of the Elite. It made Rowan’s head spin. They should have had the same Gift, but it was very clear that they didn’t.

Then she realised that they were born on the last day of the Elite. She’d never considered the possibility that the transition between cycles didn’t occur in the middle of the night. However, the more she thought about, the middle of the night in Næmyris wasn’t the middle of the night everywhere, so it would be unlikely for transition to be perfectly synced up with her home. Upon coming to that realisation, it was becoming more and more obvious that Kiriin had been born at the start of The Hunter, granting her the Gift of the Stalker. In hindsight, it was obvious from all the times Kiriin had snuck up on her.

It was worth noting, however, that Kiriin wasn’t satisfied being left behind in the dust. Instead she put in the work to ensure that she may one day surpass Rowan and her brother with a couple of weapons of the very least. Seeing Kiriin work so hard ignited Rowan’s competitive spirit, prompting her to go into overdrive until Tyris stopped her. Kyr on the other hand was a lot more level headed in his approach.

After that initial excitement, the first few weeks of lessons soon passed, and it was becoming clear that everyone was developing different preferences when it came to weapons. Rowan was becoming particularly focused on swords, mobility and to a lesser degree, daggers. Kyr on the other hand discovered his interest lay in polearms, greatswords and strategy, having excelled in theory as well. And last but not least, Kirin focused on archery, daggers, and short spears.

Their overly narrow enthusiasm frustrated Tyris to no end. He insisted that it was paramount to have a wider appreciation for the basics before focusing on particular weapons, especially when you didn’t have any ideas beforehand. Tyris tried to convince them to wait, but they all had their reasons and were far too stubborn to change their minds.

Rowan was looking forward to seeing how they would improve going forwards. She knew that once she was fully healed, they’d be able to go all out with their training. Well almost all out.

Towards the end of the month, just before the Solstice, Rowan finally asked the question that had been bugging her ever since she read his letter to her on her birthday. Why had he decided to pass on the right to inherit Elan Fiir to her and why then? Hæra had explained it, but she still didn’t understand that well.

“Why, you ask?” he responded. “That’s a good question.” Having responded, Tyris paused dramatically causing Rowan to sigh and palm her face, an act which caused him to deflate a little bit. “Well I’ve got a couple of reasons I guess; the first of which is fairly easy to explain.”

“Okay?” Rowan said expectantly

“So first of all, the blood of our Ferran ancestors is strong in you, stronger than me or Tehri for sure. Neither of us inherited the Ferran eyes, after all, and I know for sure that I couldn’t deliver a kick like you did to Bragi. Does it not make sense then, that you should inherit the sword?”

“Maybe? I don’t see why that’s relevant.” Rowan was still rather confused by his reasoning.

“Resonance, my dear Rowan!” Tyris exclaimed with an uncanny enthusiasm. “Elan Fiir was forged from the crystallized tears of ancestors so it stands to reason that the stronger our connection to the bloodline, the stronger our Resonance to them and the sword. I think that is the key to drawing upon the sword’s power. Are you following?” he asked, taking a moment to catch a breath and make sure he hadn’t lost Rowan. She nodded, so he continued, “Right! Second reason: you wear your emotions on your sleeve, Rowan, much like the Ardents that the Naliir of old were known for and you have their strength. It is my hope that one day, you will embody the legacy of our ancestors, my little crusader.”

Tyris’ explanation left Rowan’s jaw hanging. She wasn’t sure of how to respond, especially as something seemed odd about his tone when he mentioned Ardents. Kyr and Kiriin were also listening with bated breath. After a moment, Rowan finally responded. “Aren’t I a wee bit young for such lofty expectations?” she asked.

“Perhaps. However, I believe you are strong enough to bear it on your little shoulders. There is another factor that I’m yet to mention that makes you rather unique. You see, a few very important factors aligned on your birthday to create a special kind of Resonance that is extremely rare. Primarily, both of the Goddess’ Sacred Primes were in Resonance, I swear, the only way it could have been more perfect would have been if it were a double eclipse…”

As Tyris rambled on, Rowan stared at him blankly. “I didn’t understand a word you just said,” she stated flatly.

“Sorry, let me explain. On your birthday, several Resonance Factors came into alignment. The most important of these Resonance Factors were tied strongly to the Resonance of the Goddess’ Sacred Primes of three and eleven. I’m sure you can already see how it being your eleventh birthday is significant. So then we have the second Factor — you’re still confused, aren’t you?” 

Rowan nodded. 

“Is it the Resonance Factor?”

She nodded again.

“Well that complicates things slightly. So Resonance Factors are the metaphysical interactions that allow for especially strong Resonance to occur. These Factors can then further Resonate with each other to amplify the effect even more. Does that make more sense?” Rowan nodded for the third time before letting Tyris continue. “In the correct circumstances, Resonance Factors can fundamentally change the world. Nations have collapsed and races have been born because of the proper Resonance Factors aligning.

“Anyway I think that covers the basics of Resonance Factors. If you want to know more, I recommend asking Master Idyr, but it should suffice for now. I’ve already covered the first factor and the second is somewhat related as we were born eleven years apart. The third and final factor lies in the fact that you are mother’s third child”

“Wait!,” Rowan suddenly interjected, “What do you mean? Tehri is Ma’s third child isn’t she?

Tyris flashed a look that made it clear that he had said something he shouldn’t have. “You should ask mother about that,” he responded, trying to cover for the mistake. “Now that’s enough long-winded explanations. It’s only a day until the solstice and then I’m leaving so back to lessons.”

Tyris moved on without finishing his explanation and instead left Rowan with even more questions and while the twins engaged in the renewed lessons with enthusiasm, Rowan couldn’t shake Tyris’ words. What did he mean by ‘third child’ and why had he mentioned Ardents in such an odd tone? She wished that she could ask her mother, but she was busy preparing for the Solstice Festival.

*****

Over the next day, Rowan found her mood dropping to a new low, even rivalling Tehri’s demeanour for most of the past couple of weeks. Because of what Tyris had said, she was sure that her family had been keeping some great secret. It hadn’t been the first time that Rowan picked up on something odd when Ardents had been mentioned; there had been the look her mother had earlier that week amongst other times. Then there was the heavy implication that she had an older brother or sister that she knew nothing about. As she thought about it more and more, dark and horrible thoughts.

Why? Why haven’t Ma and Da told me anything? Did I do something? Am I the reason that they aren’t around? Did I hurt them? Is it Bragi? Please don’t be Bragi? Does that mean that Ma was unfaithful?

No! She wouldn’t do that!

But, what then? Did Bragi’s Da hurt her? Ma did say that bad people sometimes forced themselves on others. He could have. He does hate half-breeds.

The thoughts were driving Rowan to the brink of despair and tears flooded her eyes. No matter what she did, she couldn’t make them go away; they just kept getting worse and worse and as evening approached, she found the relentless doubts and thoughts to be unbearable and Rowan struggled to think of any options that would help. In the end, she hoped that asking her mother would at least answer a couple of her questions. She found Hæra practicing a song for the dance around the bonfires at the end of the festival. When Rowan entered the room, Hæra turned quickly and hurried over to Rowan when she noticed her red and puffy eyes.

“What’s the matter, dear? Are you okay?”

“It’s my head,” Rowan explained, tears in her eyes, “I cannae stop my thoughts from racing, No matter what I do I keep thinking awful things like maybe Bragi’s Da hurt you a really long time ago, and —and.” Rowan’s voice trailed off into a sob

“What made you think that?”, Hæra asked, looking rather concerned.

“Tyris mentioned that I was your third child and I thought maybe Bragi — I mean it would explain why you hate them and they already hate us. And then I thought if that wasn’t true then maybe I did something wrong and because of that I’m not allowed to know about my other big brother or sister. Maybe I hurt them?” At this point, the tears in her eyes were flowing free.

Hæra quickly brought the sobbing Rowan into her arms as she tried to comfort her. “Oh, Rowan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think keeping this secret would hurt you so much. I should have known. I thought that if you knew, you would blame yourself. Perhaps if I’d told you when you were younger it wouldn’t have been so heavy a blow. I can’t promise that knowing the truth will make you feel any better, but you deserve to know. Are you okay with that?”

Rowan nodded meekly and buried her face into Hæra’s shoulder. “Now, before I tell you, know that it wasn’t your fault and no matter what, I love you. We all do.”

“Mhmm.”

Hæra started to stroke Rowan’s hair as she began to explain the truth behind the long kept secret. “Your father and I have been holding onto this secret since you were born. The truth is that you weren’t alone. Just before you, your twin sister, Rina, was born. I still remember the day. She was much quieter than you were, but she was still a healthy little girl and in any other family, she would have remained that way. Unfortunately, we aren’t any other family. Long ago, something happened to one of our ancestors following a double solar eclipse. By all accounts it was a freak occurrence that caused all manner of changes and bizarre Resonance to the area that was touched by the totality of the eclipse. That’s what led to the birth of the Ferran.

“Amongst the first Ferran was the ancestor in question. He and a few others engaged in a ritual to capitalise on the intense Resonance caused by the eclipse. They were Imbued by the Crimson Eye and were forever changed by it, as were their children and their children’s children. Even now it affects us. Our bloodline is known for producing incredibly strong Ardents, as are the others, though I don’t know if any have survived to this day.

"However, our connection to the Azure Eye was also damaged by the ritual. Since then, not a single Stoic from our bloodlines. Everyone who Awakens always does so as an Ardent and this brings us to why your sister isn’t with us. You were identical twins, and when one identical twin has the potential to Awaken, so does the other. However, this is guaranteed to result in an Ardent/Stoic pair. It’s random which one ends up as which, but it is set in stone long before they Awaken. In yours and Rina’s case, she was set to be the Stoic and the Resonance of that potential and our bloodline caused her body to quickly deteriorate and she passed away a few months later.”

There were a couple tears twinkling in Hæra’s eyes as she finished explaining. It was a lot for Rowan to take in; she felt like her world had simultaneously been shattered whilst also being cleared of the haze that had plagued her for the past day.

Rowan cried for the sister she never knew she had and smiled for the future she was now determined to live for the two of them.

“Thank you for telling me, Ma,” Rowan finally said after she finished crying.

“I should never have kept it a secret from you, “ Hæra responded, wiping away Rowan’s tears, “I only hurt you more by doing so”. She then smiled at Rowan. “ Now let’s get you cleaned up ready for the Festival. We’ll sing and dance your sister’s memory together.”

Rowan nodded quietly as Hæra carried her through to the bath. It was at times like this, that Rowan was reminded of how surprisingly strong her mother was. Barely two fingers taller than five feet and slight of build, she had no difficulty carrying Rowan with a gentle grace and while Rowan was small, she was still only a foot shorter than Hæra.

Like a river, Rowan let the bath wash away her worries and the scent of roses soon warmed her heart. It was time to get ready for the Festival.

Rowan stood in her room wearing a beautiful white dress that fell just above her knee. It was held with a belt around her waist and in the right light, she was positively incandescent. About her feet she wore sandals that wrapped around her ankles. As always, her neck was graced by the twin moon pendant which was even more meaningful to her now as she felt it represented her and Rina. To complete her ensemble, she wore her hair in a loose ponytail held by the hair clip she had received from Kiriin and Kyr. All in all, she barely recognised herself. Especially as Hæra had insisted on doing her makeup. She looked in the mirror and smiled, her rosebud lips and large violet eyes shining. She was ready to leave.

*****

The sun had just started to set when Rowan and her family arrived at the park outside of town where the festival was being held. To Rowan’s young eyes it almost looked like the entire town had gathered around the unlit bonfire, though she knew how unlikely that was. Some folk preferred more private celebrations and others were too old, young or unwell to attend. Not that it made the event any less awe-inspiring or jubilant. The sound of music filled the air as children played and adults made merry with wine and ale, while a troupe of fire dancers dazzled any and all spectators as they made their offering to the sun, the Heart of the Father.

To any other in attendance, the Festival wasn’t much different to how it usually was. To Rowan, however, it was near overwhelming. With how her emotions had been bombarding her heart, everything was infinitely more intense. She couldn’t help but stare into the flames in breathless wonderment.

Rowan was snapped out of her bedazzlement by a hand landing on the top of her head. A slight turn to look over her shoulder revealed Tyris, his hand unmoved. “Why is your hand up there?” she asked, somewhat confused and unaware as to how long she had been in a daze.

After a moment of letting the question hang, he responded dramatically, “I merely noticed my dear little sister entranced by the flames. I took it upon myself to bring you back from the land of dreams. Now fly, little robin and dance the night away.” He looked down towards Rowan to see the effect his words and melodramatic delivery had had on her. She blinked a couple of times in response, caught completely off guard by her brother’s melodramatic outburst.

His words were so completely unexpected and outrageous, that she couldn’t help but laugh. With her silvery peals laughter, Rowan’s emotions flowed free and she found herself somewhat grounded. She smiled and went searching for Kiriin and Kyr before Tyris started another embarrassing tirade to encourage her to have fun.

Amongst the setting sun, Rowan danced her heart out with Kiriin and Kyr and then her family. She danced with wanton abandonment and she flowed with the grace and fluidity of a river, caring not for pain or exhaustion. In that eternal moment, there were no sad memories, no hateful words, only the warmth and joy of friends and family, both living and dead, remembered and forgotten.

When darkness finally descended on Næmyris, the bonfires were lit and Hæra started to sing the Lament of the Sun God, marking the last phase of the Festival. Hæra’s song reached everyone and resonated deeply with Rowan who chose to dance alone, though only in a sense. In truth she was dancing with the memory of Rina and their unspoken and renewed bond. As Rowan danced, the Lament of the Sun God evolved into a new melody with a profound emotional complexity and a deep sadness layered into the song. To most it was merely a beautiful song; to Rowan, it was a lament for her lost sister. As her mother sang the final song of the night, Rowan danced with glistening tears that seemed almost like crystals in the light of the fading bonfires.

An eternity passed and the lament came to a close. The bonfires were little more than embers and everyone had stopped dancing. After a night full of music it was eerily sombre. The townsfolk that still remained started to slowly drift off back home. Rowan, however, was dead on her feet, completely exhausted from the night’s festivities. She tried to walk towards her family only for her legs to fail her. Tyris caught her just in time and brought her into his arms. There she fell asleep as he carried her home with the rest of the family in tow.

Chapter 3: Payback

A couple of months had passed since Rowan’s birthday and the summer solstice was fast approaching. Now officially an adolescent, Rowan was embracing her newfound freedoms, namely being allowed to go further afield on her own. Thus, when she was left to her own devices and the twins weren’t able to play, she found herself venturing to the nearby forests west of Næmyris.

Thanks to the hunters and rangers, the edge of the forest where Rowan spent a lot of her time was relatively safe, though she had startled them on occasion. At first, Hæra was rightfully concerned, especially as Rowan had almost been shot by one of the hunters after startling them accidentally when she first encountered them.

It was the rangers that eventually eased her mother’s trepidations by promising her that they would keep their eyes on Rowan after the first few times. They even promised to keep it a secret from Rowan so as to not intrude on her freedom to explore.

Rowan would venture into the forest at least once a week, drawn to the large oak trees that were perfect for climbing. She was determined to become stronger, and in and around the forest, she had found the perfect playground to do so. There was plenty of space to run around and she could jump from tree to tree for hours, taking full advantage of all that the canopy had to offer. And the delectable treat to top it all off? The fact that there was seemingly no one around to see if she embarrassed herself, but were always close enough if she was in danger. The rangers had given her a whistle that she could use if such an occasion did arise.

What really sold Rowan on the idea of playing out in the trees was how much progress she had made in such a short amount of time. Already her legs were significantly stronger, reaffirming what Hæra had said about her being a match for any full Ferran. But that was a given.

The improvements to her core and upper body strength were equally impressive. She was still petite and her muscles were more toned than they were big, but she was much happier with her size now and she didn’t want bulging muscles. She was destined to be lithe and agile and she was starting to realise that that was what she wanted to be.

This particular summer’s day, Rowan was partaking in her favourite exercise at the time. She was high up in the trees, high enough that many would consider it dangerous, not that she cared too much. That’s not to say she didn’t try to be careful, but she felt like she did a lot better and made better progress when there was a notable risk factor involved. Most of the time at least and soon; soon she would be strong enough to stand up for herself, she was confident of that.

The wind brushed through her hair as she leapt from branch to branch with tremendous speed and an impressive sense of balance. There was a strange grace to her movements that was difficult to place. It was so unlike her usual fluid steps that had oft times been described to be akin to the dancing of leaves on a gentle breeze. This was more focused, like a river determined on finding the most natural path to its final destination. Except, Rowan had no particular final destination. She was finding her path in the moment until it was time to stop.

The ranger on watch duty was completely awestruck by the display and it was only through his expertise that he was able to keep up without potentially alerting her. He was scared he might accidentally startle her if he wasn’t careful. To distract her focus could be catastrophic.

What the ranger hadn’t realised, was that Rowan’s mind had begun to wonder. Only slightly, not enough to be noticeable to an outside observer, but that small slither of distraction was dangerous. Her confidence brought that small part of her mind to think about Bragi, one of the main reasons she wanted to get stronger. Thinking about him hurt right down to her core.

Remembering all the times he had bullied her was like tearing open an old wound. She didn’t understand. How could he hate her so much? Why? Because of her heritage? That made no sense, even if he had almost managed to convince her. It wasn’t like he hated Ferran and he certainly didn’t hate humans, yet he seemed to think that together, they were worth less than the sum of their parts.

Each moment, more and more of her mind was being devoted to thinking about Bragi and each moment, she remembered a different time he had bullied her. With each memory, her confidence slipped away until finally, she arrived at the memory of just a few months ago.

It was the last time she had seen him, as he and his friends had been sent to assist the farmers with planting that spring. It was also his first time getting so violent as to draw blood. Sure, she had been bruised every so often, but never this. It was as if he wanted to break her down before she reached adolescence. They failed, but the cracks were starting to show again.

Almost unconsciously, Rowan reached towards her scarred brow. At this point, very little of her mind was being devoted to the task at hand. Snap! Rowan landed on a branch far too narrow to support her and she found herself plummeting to the ground.

“Eek!”

Rowan cried out as clarity came rushing back. There was no hindsight. Rowan didn’t have time for hindsight. She managed to find her feet just as she hit the ground. Instinct took over as she used her forward momentum to collapse into a roll. Thanks to that, she was able to save herself from a significantly worse fate. Thankfully, due to the soft undergrowth, she didn’t seem to be too badly injured barring a graze down one leg and what would likely end up to be a fair bit of bruising. She sighed in relief before noticing the ranger rushing towards her.

“Little Miss! Are you okay, little Miss? Are you hurt?” There was an uneasiness to his voice, as if he wasn’t used to speaking with people and it was further marred with panic as he reached into his pack.

Rowan felt like she must have injured herself more than she had realised because she could swear that the ranger was upside down. “I’m not sure,” she responded hesitantly.

“It’s okay, I have some bandages and medicine.” His voice started to calm down as he started to take control of the situation. No longer filled with unease, he sounded kindly and he had a deep aged tone weathered by experience fitting his years, though it was clear from his expression that no amount of experience had prepared him for this. He gave Rowan what he hoped was a comforting smile. “Let’s get you upright.”

Rowan found herself being gently adjusted into a sitting position. She had rolled between the roots of a tree and ended upside down with her back against it. The ranger started tending to the cut on Rowan’s leg. He was old, much older than Rowan would expect from one of the rangers. The local rangers tended to be younger folk, still in their prime, but this man was a veteran of the wilds with his leathery sun-touched skin and callused hands.

“Thank you,” Rowan stammered awkwardly

“It’s okay, my dear,” the ranger responded calmly as he cleaned Rowan’s leg. He was notably less nervous now that he was on task.

“I don’t mean to… Ow!” Rowan whimpered as the ranger touched a damp cloth to her leg. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”

“Me? You can call me Sen’a. I live out here in the woods as a caretaker of sorts.”

“Hello. I’m Rowan.”

“So I’ve heard.” That surprised Rowan, but before she could say anything, the old man continued. “The youngins asked me to keep an eye on you in case you hurt yourself or one of the animals or something.”

Rowan pouted. “You can’t just explain why like that without giving me the chance to ask!” she complained.

“I can’t?” Sen’a responded with a confused expression.

“Of course not!” Caught in the moment, Rowan had seemingly forgotten what had led her to this point and was instead swept up into her own flow. “How else am I supposed to feel satisfied from the answer to my question if I never get to ask the question?” Sen’a didn’t really know how to respond to that. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before Rowan came to some kind of realisation. “Hang on a second! What do you mean you were asked to watch out for me?”

“The youngins, they said a little girl called Rowan might come to play in the forests and that it was my turn to watch her if she did. To be honest, I don’t know why I said yes, but I’m glad I did. The youngins are never prepared for emergencies like this.”

“This was nothing. Just a wee little fall. Honest.” Rowan tried to sound earnest as she failed to downplay her fall. She was lucky it had been as minor as it had been considering how significant a fall it actually was.

“Nonsense!” he scolded her before his tone turned melancholy. “You could have been gravely injured or worse. Please keep better care of yourself.”

It seemed weird for a complete stranger to show such concern but he did and Rowan didn’t want to respond in bad faith. “I’ll do my best,” she said sincerely.

“Good. Now I think it’s about time you go home, don’t you?”

“Yes!”

The old man helped Rowan up and guided her back to the edge of the forest. As Rowan walked back to the town, he mumbled. “I wonder if my little girl would have grown up to be like her,” to himself with a tear in his eyes.

*****

Rowan wasn’t sure what to feel after her strange encounter with the old ranger. Yes, she was disappointed in herself for messing up and she still hurt from the memories of Bragi. Yet the conversation itself had been pleasant, even if slightly awkward. So her mind, unsure of what to settle on, drifted from emotion to emotion. Maybe she’d be able to see the twins. They had been especially busy that week studying for tests, but they usually had some free time to play before dinner. That thought tinted her emotions with excitement for the rest of the way back into town.

In what felt like no time, Rowan found herself firmly in the Field District on the South-Western side of the town. She took a second to catch a breath or two. In her moment of rest, she felt a chill run down her spine. She was being followed, she was sure of it. Instead of bolting, she stepped behind a wall, praying that it was just her imagination.

The longer she spent thinking about it and praying, the harder it was to deny the truth of the matter. In her hopes of seeing the twins, Rowan had taken the faster path that went by way of the Farmers’ Road which ran right past the fields where Bragi and his friends had been working. Now she heard three sets of lumbering footsteps coming in fast behind her. If she was right, she knew she could easily outrun Bragi and his two human friends for sure, but about the Ferran? Rowan had absolutely no idea and that terrified her. Should she hide? Or run? Confront them maybe? Not knowing what to do, she froze, leaning against the wall in panic.

“What am I doing?” she muttered to herself in terror. Feeling weak in the legs, she slid down the wall into a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible.

I’m a coward.

No! No, I’m not!

Or am I?

Go away! I’m not ready.

I have to be ready,

Has it all been for nothing, this training? This empty resolve?

No!

But I’m so weak.

Yes.

I want to be strong.

I am,

I’m not.

I’m lost.

I hate this.

Who am I?

I am me!

Who is that?

Rowan!

For what seemed like an eternity, Rowan’s subconscious battled with itself. She slapped her face with both hands and warily stood up. She was still afraid, her thoughts were a mess. She wanted to run away. But more than that, she wanted to be free of Bragi and his violent torment. Rowan steeled herself for what was to come, her heart racing and adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Rowan stepped out and instead of running away, she turned down the street and approached her dreaded foe. Bragi and his friends had bulked up notably since last time, their skin weathered and tanned from working the fields and lumber yards. The Ferran friend was still out of sight, though now Rowan could hear the sound of footsteps fast approaching from just ahead of where she had been hiding.

It took a moment for Bragi to notice Rowan. He had been too busy in his predatory pursuit of her to consider that she would willingly approach them. At first he seemed surprised and then disappointed, as if Rowan had robbed him of the thrill of the hunt.

“So the half-breed chooses to reveal herself,” he growled, “and without her lackeys no less. She must be feeling confident. Right, boys?” The irony of Bragi referring to Kiriin and Kyr as ‘lackeys’ when he was surrounded by cronies was momentarily lost on Rowan as she was somewhat cowed by them jeering at her.

The moment of fear passed; Bragi was the only one who was truly dangerous. She put her foot down and spat at him through clenched teeth. “That’s rich, considering your friends seem incapable of any autonomous action or thinking,” she retorted bitterly

Bragi’s lips flickered momentarily into a snarl before he composed himself again. His friends took a little longer to do the same. Rowan had always been so meek, an easy target, and typically only responding in an extremely quiet or self-deprecating manner.

“What a joke,” Bragi almost spat, “the brat thinks she can talk back now does she? Because what? She’s got a little more freedom?”

The three of them had started closing in on her when the Ferran arrived. Her chance to run away had vanished, not that she dared even think of trying, lest her tentative resolve crumble. They soon surrounded her. Not really thinking it through, Rowan tried to punch Bragi in the gut. Unsurprisingly, he was able to grab her by the wrist mid swing and wrench it aside with his vastly superior arm strength. Then with the other hand, he grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground. “That scar isn’t nearly ugly enough for vermin,” he growled, “perhaps we should add to it.” He punctuated his remark by driving his fist into Rowan’s stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs. Tears started to pool in her violet eyes.

Bragi punched Rowan again, this time accompanied by the sound of cracking ribs. She winced and cried out in agony as pain shot through her. She struggled and then struggled some more in a futile attempt to wriggle free. She soon regretted the action as her broken ribs shifted and her hair felt like it was being ripped from her head. When she relaxed, Rowan felt one of Bragi’s lackeys, the Ferran, touch her, sending an uncomfortable shiver down her spine as he seemed to caress her lower leg. “Look here boss!” he snickered, “she’s got a midget knife strapped to her little leg.”

Bragi looked down to Rowan’s thigh where the dagger from Tyris was peaking just past the hem of her tunic. “So she has,” he smiled and reached towards the dagger. Rowan tried to kick his hand away, but she couldn’t get a good angle. “Now what can we do with this?”

The dagger was now in Bragi’s free hand, the one that had twisted her arm, while the other was still holding Rowan up by her hair. All of the colour drained from Rowan’s face, fear gripping her wavering heart.

This is bad! This is really bad!

Rowan’s thoughts were racing, mostly in terror. However, in the depths of her soul, one quiet thought Resonated within her.

Fight back, Rowan!

If she did nothing, Bragi would use her own knife against her. She had to fight back In the blink of an eye, adrenaline coursed through her body and she pulled her leg back and kicked with all of her might. Bragi had made the mistake of holding her in a way that directed her foot right between his legs. The kick landed with an audible popping sound. In an instant, Bragi let go of Rowan and the dagger as he collapsed to the floor, face white with pain and hands going straight to his crotch.

Rowan flailed about as she fell and landed on her backside. Pain was starting to well up in her ankle from the strain of kicking Bragi so hard. Just across from her, Bragi’s friends were horrified to see a bloody patch forming on his pants near his crotch. “What did you do?” one of them cried to Rowan.

“He was going to attack me again,” Rowan responded in the levelest tone she could manage, “so I kicked him first.” It was all she could do to contain all the emotions she was feeling as clambered up and limped towards her dagger. A dark pit in her heart was tempted to go further, that the kick wasn’t enough to satiate her anger or drive away her fear. Rowan felt sick as she tried to rid herself of such dark thoughts. She turned away, hoping that not looking at them would help. “I would go find a doctor if I were you.”

As she turned away, she noticed someone running towards her. It was Kiriin. “Are you okay?” she asked, visibly concerned for Rowan.

“I’m okay,” Rowan wheezed. “It’s just a little bit of bruising.”

“You don’t need to push yourself in front of me. It’s obvious you’re hurt. What happened?”

“Bragi was going to ambush me with his friends. Instead of letting him get the drop on me, I confronted him first. He didn’t like that, so he started attacking me. Then he got my dagger.”

“That bastard!” Kiriin interrupted.

“I kicked him before he could do anything with it and well um then… then you appeared out of nowhere. Hang on a second! Why are you here?”

“Well I may have bribed the younger kids with sweets and cakes to be my personal spy network just in case something like this happened. I came running as soon as word got to me.”

Rowan was quite surprised at that. She was almost speechless when she considered the full scope of Kiriin’s plan to help keep her safe from Bragi. “Well look at you, Miss Spymaster,” she said with no small amount of strain.

“I said don’t push yourself,” Kiriin scolded her. “Come on, Let’s get you home. Can you walk?”

“Probably not,” Rowan answered honestly.

“Well at least it looks like you won’t need to worry about Bragi hurting you ever again. That kick looks like it left a mark.”

Rowan giggled slightly in response and then she coughed. Her body hurt all over, but at least this time she wasn’t on the verge of fainting. She considered that to be a win at the very least. After some fussing, Kiriin offered her shoulder so that they could get to one of the main thoroughfares. There was no way that Rowan could make it all of the way home on a sprained ankle and a couple of broken ribs. Thankfully, the height difference between them wasn’t so great as to make it too awkward.

They eventually were able to get help from a wagoner carrying pelts that had likely come in from the hunters. Rowan had hoped that the wagoner would drop them off at the edge of the River District. Then they would be able to walk the rest of the short distance back to Rowan’s home.

Unfortunately, the wagoner somehow recognised Rowan as her father’s daughter. Apparently she worked for one of his suppliers and had seen Rowan at the store a couple of times, so she insisted on bringing her there.

As they pulled up, Rowan glanced into the store, hoping that Gyren hadn’t noticed them. She took a sigh of relief when she noticed that he was engaged in conversation with a customer. She then soon realised the folly of her hope while Kiriin as the wagoner rushed straight in to tell him that something was wrong.

Rowan palmed her face in mock despair as her father left his customer in the dust. He was always so protective when it came to his daughters. Still, it was enough to convince the wagoner that the situation was being dealt with and she took her leave.

“Rowan! What happened to you?” he called out in an overly loud voice.

“Da! I’m right here!” Rowan complained. “You don’t need to shout”

“Oh, yes, sorry.” he said after calming down a little bit. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Meanwhile, Rowan took in a deep breath to respond, which wasn’t her smartest idea considering her ribs. “I kinda sprained my ankle aaand — I cracked a couple of ribs,” she answered quickly, not wanting to dwell on the subject. Then, looking to divert her father’s attention she spoke up again. “Shouldn’t you finish serving your customer, Da? He’s not looking too happy.”

“No, you’re hurt. I can’t just leave you, If only I hadn’t sent Mana and Beren off on errands.” Gyren’s face was creased in worry and hesitation as he considered what to do. He relaxed after a moment or two when he finally relented, “You’re right, I can’t leave him unattended; not while I have my pride as a merchant, at least. Wait here, I’ll be right back. Make sure she doesn’t run away, Kiriin.”

“I’m not running anywhere, Da!” Rowan exclaimed in a somewhat exasperated fashion as her father hurried back into the store.

After five or so minutes, the customer had finished his business and left the store with Gyren following suit not long after. Before he had the chance to ask what had happened again, Rowan asked that they went home first. She didn’t want to explain things twice and she was still experiencing a fair bit of pain and discomfort. Understanding his daughter’s reasoning, Gyren closed up the shop, leaving a note for his employees to continue business as usual when they returned. Then, somewhat understandably, he picked Rowan up so that she wouldn’t need to walk the rest of the way home.

“Da, my ribs!”

“Oh, sorry.” Gyren adjusted his hold and carried her home as gently as he could manage. In hindsight, Rowan realised that not letting her father take in the nature of her injury wasn’t exactly her smartest decision. Then again, she could say the same for much of the events that led her to be in such an injured state. As he started to walk away, he turned to Kiriin and asked her to go find Hæra.

In response, Kiriin rushed off in the opposite direction to The Crimson Drakiir Inn where Hæra had been performing over lunch. Shortly after, Gyren arrived home with Rowan. He fumbled with the door, trying to open it whilst still holding onto Rowan. His efforts went completely unneeded as Tyris opened the door, joined by a distant looking Tehri peeking through from behind him with mild disinterest.

Seeing Rowan, Tyris quickly moved out of the way to allow Gyren past, who made his way in so that he could lay Rowan down on the divan in the living room. Rowan couldn’t help but feel like everyone was making too much of a big deal out of a probably minor injury.

*****

After twenty or so minutes of Gyren pacing frantically, Tyris watching confused, and Tehri sitting about listlessly, Hæra strode in with Kiriin in tow. Hæra sat herself on the edge of the divan next to Rowan, her stern expression a sign that Rowan would need to start explaining what had happened soon. If she’d had it her way, she wouldn’t be explaining anything at all. Instead she would rather have been resting in her room and forgetting it had happened, but she knew that wasn’t going to work, especially when Tyris broke the silence.

“So my dear little Rowan, what happened?”

Rowan sighed deeply before explaining how Bragi and his friends had sought her out on her way home, seeking to ambush her; how they surrounded her and punched her to the point of cracking her ribs; and finally, how she kicked him. For a reason Rowan didn’t quite understand, both her father and Tyris winced in pain as she described the popping sound that resulted from her kick.

While they were wincing Hæra sensed that Rowan was hiding something, namely the part about Bragi having taken her dagger. It didn’t take long for Hæra to get the information out of her and when Rowan finished explaining she, much to Rowan’s surprise, held her in a soft embrace, taking care not to cause her any pain.

The two men of the house soon recovered and Tyris suddenly burst out laughing. “It would seem that our little Rowan acted like a champion, conquering a most dread foe,” he stated with what seemed like a flourish. For a soldier, he was awfully dramatic.

Hæra released Rowan and turned to Tyris. “She may have done, but it should never have come to this. Had Sværig listened, he would know to keep his child on a leash. I have no choice but to get the Town Council involved before Sværig pleads his own case.” Hæra spoke in a serious tone, her accent getting stronger as it tended to do when she was angry.

Tyris was just about to respond when Rowan started complaining that they were talking about her when she was right there.

“Sorry, Rowan,” Tyris apologised, “we didn’t mean to. I must clarify, however, that the dread foe I was referring to was fear, not Bragi.”

“I wouldnae say that. I’m still practically shaking in my boots.”

“Don’t say that, Rowan,” Kiriin interjected, “I think you were really brave to stand up to them.”

“That’s because I didn’ have a choice.”

“You didn’t? I’m sure you could have easily gotten away from them once you knew that they were coming.”

“Well yes. Maybe? I didn’t know where they all were so they may have ambushed me or something. And even if I did get away, all it would’ve been doing would be delaying the inevitable. I just wanted it to stop and I knew it wasn’t going to if I just did nothing. I guess maybe wanting and knowing that outweighed the fear? I cannae say more than that.”

“And so it should be!” said Gyren from across the room. “Conquering emotion isn’t about making emotions go away, assuming you aren’t a Stoic, it’s about acknowledging your emotions and not letting them defeat or overwhelm you. I’m sure that’s what Tyris meant.”

“Aye, Father, I did indeed. I must say though, dear Rowan, the way you described that kick, it reminds me of the strength I’ve heard fledgling Ardents are capable of.” The statement from Tyris seemed innocent enough, but Rowan couldn’t help but notice how her mother shot him a glance when he mentioned Ardents.

Chapter 0: Eclipse

On the first night of summer, the townsfolk of Næmyris gathered by the lakeside. Moonlight glistened off of the gentle surface of Lake Emyr. It was a truly serene sight to behold and it filled the thousands gathered with a tranquil peace. Fitting really, as it was the night of a total eclipse of Illyria’s closest moon, Rowan’el, which was said to be one of the eyes of the Goddess. 

There were other goddesses, of course, but none were more sacred than the Goddess, whose very name was considered holy, as She, along with the Father, gave life the chance to flourish on Illyria. And an eclipse was especially important to Her, as it brought Her Spiritual Being and the whole Divine Realm into close Resonance with Illyria. So it was that everyone had gathered to offer their prayers to the Goddess with the hopes that together, their small voices would reach Her.

The townsfolk believed themselves to be truly blessed that night as it was perfect for an eclipse. The sky was clear and the air was still and everyone was for the most part, happy. There was one, however, who did not feel so blessed. A young girl warily looked up to the moon, its crimson glow catching on her brilliant red hair which haphazardly framed her alabaster face. She sighed audibly, catching the attention of the woman who sat next to her.

“What’s the matter, Rowan?” the woman asked, painfully aware of the fugue she had been suffering for much of that year.

“Did we really have to come all the way to the lakeside, Ma?” Rowan responded with a hint of complaint in her voice.

“Yes dear. How else am I going to thank her for my beautiful daughters or ask for her to help give you both back your smiles?” 

The response came quickly, yet softly so as to not carry too far with the last part being practically inaudible, even to Rowan.

“We could have thanked Her from home,” Rowan yawned. It wasn’t like she was being deliberately indignant, she just didn’t appreciate being roused from her attempts at slumber. She had, after all, been dragged halfway across town for something that she felt was highly unnecessary, at least not in her somewhat depressed state.

Rowan’s mother shook her head with a slight frown. “You know why, Rowan. It’s like music. Together we Resonate, amplifying the voices of our spirits far beyond what we could manage by ourselves. If we want to be heard, it’s better we pray together. 

"Do I need to have a word with Master Idyr? He should have been covering this with his lessons.”

“He might have. Maybe I’d remember better if I was allowed my beauty sleep!”

“Quiet dear! You don’t hear Tehri complaining, do you?”

“Because she’s already asleep! She’s been asleep since before we even got here!” Rowan responded somewhat bitterly as she looked down at her sleeping little sister. The younger girl slept soundly, her head resting on her mother’s lap.

“So she is,” the woman responded, looking slightly put out at being reminded that her younger daughter was indeed sleeping in her lap. ”Still, as the older sister, you should be setting a good example for her.”

“It’s not like she’s going to wake up, regardless of what I do, so what’s the point? She could sleep through a thunderstorm! Not to mention how she probably hates me! Maybe I need to act more outrageously so that she’ll stop ignoring me so that I can be a role model. A-a-and…” 

Rowan trailed off. She didn’t really believe what she said. If anything she was to blame for the distance that had grown between them. At this point, all she was doing was venting her frustrations and sadness. She was exhausted and it was making her needlessly irritable. Her sleep had been highly restless for weeks now, and with the summer solstice fast approaching, she felt like it was only getting worse, as if the rising sun was beckoning something to awaken within her. She hated it. She didn’t want to be annoyed with her mother, with Tehri or with her friends. And so she choked back a sob, angry at herself for disturbing everyone else’s peace.

For a moment, it looked like her mother was going to scold her for the outburst. Only, she brought her in for a comforting embrace and sang softly as she stroked Rowan’s hair.

♫Hush now little one
the day is won
Sleep now little one
The sun is gone

Mama’s here
to wash away your fear
Mama’s here
to wipe away your tears♫

Rowan cried in her mother’s arms, and as her tears streamed from her violet eyes, she found herself being lulled almost to sleep by the calming lyrics of the Ferran Lullaby that her mother sang. As Rowan’s eyes grew heavy, she heard people calling out that totality was nearly upon them.

As the eclipse reached its peak, time seemed to stop; a glimpse into the witching hour, the moment that Illyria and the Divine realm were almost touching. In the absolute stillness of that moment, the first screams carried far, only to be followed by the thundering of hooves.

Chapter 1: A Day in the Life

“Rowan!” a voice cried.

Rowan’s eyes shot open, her crimson hair catching the blush of dawn through the window. Rowan blinked once and then a couple more times as she in an attempt to rouse from her sudden awakening, “Is it morning already?” she yawned to no one in particular; her room was, after all, quite devoid of people despite being quite large.

Regardless of the wake up call or the marked onset of morning, Rowan found herself wanting to instead snuggle into her blankets. She felt like she had only just fallen asleep and it was still Winter, even if only just, so it was fine to sleep in, wasn’t it? As Rowan settled back down, she noticed that the light in her room was unusual for morning or any time of day for that matter. She looked across at her bedside table and smiled at the strange array of glowing crystals. “Did I really forget to turn you off?” Rowan asked the array, giggling to herself. It was a pretty thing, and unlike the ones that the twins had, it could change colour.

Rowan shifted the Resonance Configuration to the off position and once again, started drifting back to sleep.

“Wake up, Rowan,” the voice called again, “your father’s home!”

This time, Rowan practically leapt out of bed, invigorated by her father’s return. He’d been gone for months and she missed him dearly, a fact she felt very strongly she would need to rectify with all haste. As she ran out of her room, she nearly ran headfirst into a tapestry as she skidded past the stairs. Her father was standing at the bottom of the stairs with an amused but welcoming expression. Then, caring little for the rosewood staircase, she practically flew down into her father’s arms. Despite the significant size difference between the two, he still stumbled backwards and fell on his backside as he caught her.

Rowan’s mother gave them a somewhat exasperated look and thought of despite how little Rowan took after her father, she really was his daughter. That wasn’t to say Rowan hadn’t inherited anything from him. She certainly had his dimples and freckles and her laugh was practically identical to his except for pitch. She would never be as tall as he was, however, and he wasn’t even that tall, barely average for a human; Rowan was just small. Rowan had also inherited her hair from her mother as opposed to her father’s sandy blond. Of course, Rowan’s actions would have been the same even if he looked like a drakiir.

“Da! What took you so long? You’ve been gone forever!” Rowan’s voice streamed out with excitement as she embraced her father with shameless glee.

“I’m sorry, Rowan,” he muttered with a pained expression, though it wasn’t overly clear if that was due to the apology or his now definitely bruised behind. “The new contract took me all the way to Særis and you know how far that is.” Rowan nodded glumly in response and he started again, “Plus, I stopped by the capital to see your brother. He’s looking forward to visiting for your birthday.”

“He is?” She asked with a smile that quickly turned into a pout. “Wait! You’re trying to distract me. I haven’t forgiven you yet, but — I might change my mind if you got me a present…”

“Rowan!” chided her mother, looking slightly cross at her asking for presents before her father had even had the chance to relax.

“It’s okay, Hæra,” her father interjected, seemingly not bothered by his daughter’s attitude. Or perhaps it was because he knew how impossible she could be?

“You spoil her too much, Gyren,” Hæra sighed, her expression softening slightly.

“We both do, my dear. Now where is my other daughter?” he smiled.

“Tehri’s still sleeping,” Hæra responded, shaking her head. “She took cold on the last day of rest.”

“In that case…” Gyren lifted Rowan up with some assistance from Hæra and carried her to her room. “Get dressed,” he said, reminding her that, in her rush, she was still wearing the soft cotton shorts and shift that served as her sleepwear. “When you’re ready, come back down and I’ll give you your present.”

Rowan could barely contain her excitement as she wasted absolutely no time getting dressed. She was about to rush out again when she remembered that her mother would be cross if she didn’t put the extra clothes back into the armoire and chest of drawers, both made of mahogany imported from the rainforests far across the oceans to the south. After her brief tidying interlude, Rowan hurried back downstairs, making sure not to slide into the tapestry this time. She was tapping her feet with anticipation whilst she waited for her father to come back down from seeing Tehri.

Hæra shook her head and tried not to smile at her daughter’s infectious joy. She was always amazed to see how Rowan could seemingly conjure boundless energy out of nowhere whenever she was excited. Still, it was only a matter of time before Rowan started complaining about breakfast, so she led her to the table and started serving up a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. Rowan happily obliged, though her feet were still tapping on the ground.

Shortly after, Gyren walked back downstairs after having checked in on Tehri. On his way into the dining room, he kissed Hæra who was preparing a fresh bouquet for the table. Rowan noticed the cloth bound package in his hands as he sat down. She looked at the package eagerly, trying to figure out what it might be. A book? A small one? No. Maybe? It didn’t look quite right for a book. She considered it more and came to the conclusion that it was most definitely not a book. However, she soon realised that her pondering was only delaying the reveal as her father was clearly waiting for her to finish her half-eaten breakfast. Upon noticing this, Rowan wolfed down what remained of her eggs and nearly choked on a piece of toast. Once she was done, she thanked her mother for breakfast and turned back to her father as the dishes were cleared away.

Gyren smiled at Rowan as he began to unwrap the cloth to reveal a beautifully engraved rosewood box. As Rowan’s cat-like eyes lit up, Gyren spoke up, “And here I was told,” glancing over at Hæra with a glint in his own eyes, “that not five minutes before I walked through the door, you were in bed snoring the morning away.”

“I do not snore!” Rowan protested, throwing a betrayed look at her mother.

“I said nothing of the sort,” Hæra said, throwing Rowan’s protest back round to Gyren. “He’s only teasing you.”

Rowan pouted, then frowned and finally smiled in a matter of seconds as Gyren slid the box over to her, paying no heed to his earlier comment. “Aren’t you going to open it?” he asked.

Not needing to be asked twice, Rowan undid the small metal clasp that was keeping the box held shut and slowly lifted the lid to see what was inside. Within the box lay a small and expertly crafted necklace. It featured two intricately engraved crescent moons made from silver, interlocking gracefully together. The left crescent was set with ruby and garnet and the right one was set with sapphire and lapis lazuli, representing the Crimson and Azure Eyes of the Goddess. Rowan found herself speechless.

“Do you like it?” Gyren asked with a smile halfway between smug satisfaction and awkward uncertainty. “I wanted to find something befitting my beautiful little princess and then I saw this and I was reminded instantly of your smile.

Rowan blushed slightly from her father’s rather embarrassing form of address, which Rowan half reasoned is why he did it, not that she was going to give him the satisfaction. As quickly as the blush rose on her cheeks, Rowan stood up and ran around the table so that she could catch him in a mightily charming and adorable hug, not giving him the chance to see her rosy cheeks. She soon realised that giving him a hug to stop him from seeing her blushing face was kind of counter to her goal of denying him his satisfaction. Ah well…

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Rowan kissed him several times in gratitude and then she hurried onto Hæra to repeat the process. Then she ran to the door with her present. “I’m going to try it on right now!”

Hæra watched her leave, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone. “So much for saving that for her birthday.”

“It’ll be fine. Plus, it wouldn’t be fair to give Tehri her present and have Rowan waiting for hers.”

*****

After the excitement of morning, Rowan remembered glumly that she still had morning lessons. “I guess it’s just another normal day after all,” she sighed as she walked into the study and sat down and waited for Master Idyr to arrive. She had a love-hate relationship with the study and the books that filled the shelves that lined the walls. It wasn’t like she disliked studying or anything. In fact, she actually kind of liked it, but her tutor was the best of the best and that came with certain expectations. At times, it felt like he enjoyed pushing her beyond all reasonable limits.

Rowan was leaning backwards in her chair, daydreaming while she waited as the door to the study opened. She yelped as she fell backwards. “Ow ow oww!” she cried, seeing stars.

“Good morning, Miss Naliir,” a distinguished voice greeted her as she rubbed her head. “I wonder as to what great font of wisdom inspired you to lean so precariously on your chair.”

Rowan looked up to the middle-aged man that stood in the door dressed in a scholar’s gown. He looked rather serious with his short dark hair, greying at the temples, and the pair of dignified spectacles about his brow. Though, Rowan kind of thought he sometimes looked like an evil genius when you also considered his rather well groomed beard . He looked down at Rowan with the look of an academic; unimpressed with her rather idiotic behaviour. She clambered up and brushed herself down before responding hesitantly, “Um, well… I was waiting and I kinda got distracted and well, you know?”

“No, I do not ‘know’, Miss Naliir,” he scolded her with an unapologetic look. “And speak properly when you answer. Proper diction is the sign of a scholarly mind.”

“I was daydreaming, okay!” she admitted with exasperated huff.

“If you had the time for daydreaming, perhaps it would have been better spent stretching your mind with some simple exercises in preparation for today’s lesson.”

“Sorry, Master Idyr” Rowan responded with a smile, not wanting to get the lesson off to a worse start.

After a few quick exercises, the lesson began in earnest. The focus of their studies that day were on Resonance and the evolution of the other Races, starting with the Kairosi who were believed to be the first, or at least the first that are still around. Rowan had difficulty imagining the three hundred year long volcanic storm that had engulfed the deserts of Terian’el and how it had forced the nomads that lived there to enter a Harmonic Resonance Pact with a god. Or how the pact had caused them to undergo rapid and unnatural evolutions to allow them to survive that nightmare. Granted, she had never seen a Kairosi or left her homeland for that matter, so she didn’t have much in the way of experiences to compare it with.

Still, the origin of the Kairosi made a degree of sense even if it was rather fantastical as they would have died without the Pact and it wasn’t something a god would enter lightly. Mortality. Such a heavy cost for the divine to pay so it stands to reason that they would only pay it if the situation was dire which it definitely was for the Kairosi. The Ferran from whom Rowan was partially descended from on the other hand were a much stranger case. The accounts about their origin made very little sense to Rowan despite the event being much more recent. There was something about a double Solar Eclipse and weird Resonance in the area after it. Such an event should have been impossible as Særan’el and Rowan’el were only ever in the same phase during every third of Rowan’el’s full moons. To think of them both being new at the same time was unthinkable. Yet it had seemingly happened.

The lesson as a whole really drove it home how much of a weird place the world was. Rowan had found it interesting and overall enjoyable, even if it was a little confusing at times. Then, right at the end, her opinion of the lesson came crashing down. While she had been concentrating, Master Idyr had written up a small test for her to take because of her behaviour at the start of the lesson. She had hoped he had forgotten.

As the test came to a close and Master Idyr started marking it, Rowan was reminded of the hate aspect of her relationship with her lessons. She really did like learning, even the harder, more complicated subjects. But Master Idyr was intense in the way he could lecture like no other and he always went a bit overboard with his tests in a way which always made her groan. Did he really have to set aside so much time for her? At that moment, Rowan felt strongly that she was far too young to be spending hours of her day studying. She still hadn’t had her eleventh birthday after all, and children should spend most of their time playing and having fun. Not that anyone would listen to a child who was still a month or so off of adolescence, especially not one whose opinion of studying was as fickle as hers.

It was lunchtime when Master Idyr left, leaving Rowan somewhat annoyed with herself as she knew she could have done much better with the test. Alas, she pushed her disappointment aside with the intent of replacing it with scrumptious food and excitement for what would follow lunch. Rowan finished her light lunch before getting changed again for her singing and dance lessons with her mother. These lessons were typically amongst the better parts of the day, second really only to playing with twins. Unsurprisingly, a big part of this was because she liked her mother significantly more than Master Idyr and it always led to important bonding between them. There was also the part about having private lessons from the world’s greatest ever bard 一 not that Rowan was biased or anything.

The lessons took place in a room Hæra had had specially prepared for such purposes. A studio of a sort with smooth wood flooring and a wall of mirrors. It was weird for some to see such a large and mostly empty room in a merchant’s home, but they were blind to its benefits. The mirrors let you see yourself as you practiced and the large open space let you dance without needing to worry so much about hitting anything. It also enabled Hæra to take on more students at a time and to also educate people of the proper flow of a dance floor. All that didn’t really matter to Rowan, as she only cared about the freedom that it gave her, an attitude that oft-times drove Hæra to mock despair. In reality, Hæra kind of envied her daughter’s attitude towards dancing.

The main focus of their lessons that day was dancing and it was exhausting. Sweat covered the floor by the end of the first hour. Hæra’s methods may have seemed odd to the dance instructors in Midiiran or Særis, but such techniques would never work with Rowan. She didn’t exactly have the right temperament for formal dance. Instead, Hæra found it best to show Rowan how to move as opposed to the steps of formal routines. It helped that Rowan had a good instinct for how she should string her movements together.

Another hour later and the lesson came to its end. Rowan kind of wished it could continue longer, but she was sweating buckets and Hæra would need to look after Tehri; Rowan was also sure that her mother would be performing at one of the taverns or inns that night. The silver lining of course was that she would have the chance to go out and play for the rest of the day and it was about time for the twins to finish with their lessons at the schoolhouse. Hæra knew exactly what Rowan was thinking as she got ready to leave the studio. She wrinkled her nose, “Hold on, little miss. You don’t intend to go out looking like that, do you?”

Rowan looked back innocently. “Um… No?” she replied hesitantly as reality settled back in.

“I know you’ve been working hard and want to go play, Rowan, but you smell. You don’t want to scare Kyr or Kiriin away do you?”

“No,” Rowan sighed.

“Good! Now go get a bath and change into some fresh clothes.

*****

Rowan stepped outside into the small garden in front of her house. Most would have considered it to be a rather unusual sight to have a garden in the centre of a town of this size, but Næmyris was proud of its greenery and in some cases, reddery. Rowan felt somewhat refreshed by the gentle breeze that whistled softly through the cobbled street. After a second of taking in the fresh air, Rowan slipped out the garden and onto the street, weaving past the large adults and wagons that filled the town’s thoroughfares.

Rowan ran towards the schoolhouse that the twins attended. Unfortunately, the fastest, most direct route to the schoolhouse involved going through the town centre. She hated the town centre. It was too busy and the tall stone buildings always made her feel absolutely tiny. It was bad enough that she was already rather small for her age due to her Ferran blood and she did not like being reminded of the fact.

By the time Rowan had reached the schoolhouse, her mood had been somewhat humbled by the journey and it dropped even more when she realised that the large building was empty for most part. Then she remembered that her bath had taken her past the end of the public school day. That meant that the search for the twins was on. Unfortunately, while there weren’t much in the way of good places to play in the town centre apart from the large central park, the outskirts provided a lot more choice. Without any leads, Rowan would be overwhelmed with choice, so Rowan decided to visit the twins’ home.

The twins’ home was notably smaller than Rowan’s, but she liked it. It had a cosy feeling. Still, she felt a bit impatient when Mrs Dalaan, the twins’ mother, invited her in for tea. Rowan’s mother would have insisted that she used Sera instead of Mrs, but the Ferran title always seemed weird and overly familiar to her, and nobody actually used it, did they? So Rowan said Mrs instead. It was still polite and that’s the part that mattered.

“Um, thank you for tea, Mrs Dalaan, but I only stopped by looking for Kiriin and Kyr,” Rowan said politely.

“Yes, of course! I think they may have said something about going towards the Emyr Quarter,” replied Mrs Dalaan, looking slightly disappointed. “You’re welcome to come to dinner after you finish playing. They’d be absolutely delighted if you did!”

“I will, Mrs Dalaan!” Rowan said quickly, giving Mrs Dalaan an apologetic look as she left towards the Emyr Quarter, the name of which was either due to it being closest to the lake or for the town’s mythical founder back when it was a small collection of fishing huts and farms. However, despite being the oldest district of the town, it was surprisingly open plan and was known to the locals as being the town’s leisure district. As such it had some of the town’s best inns and more importantly to Rowan, the best parks and public gardens.

Thanks to the lead from Mrs Dalaan, Rowan was able to narrow down her search considerably. She ran past a group of chatting adults, barely noticing them; there was no time to waste. Her first location was The Garden of Flames, named so for the red leafed flora that was native to parts of the island. It was Rowan’s favourite garden by far. The other gardens were perfectly okay, but this garden was like an exotic red flower in a sea of mundane green. It was also perfect for hide and seek, despite all of the twins’ complaining that she had an unfair advantage with her hair. Unfortunately, unless the twins were playing hide and seek then and there, Rowan suspected that they weren’t there. After a quick double and triple check, Rowan left for her next location, feeling rather disappointed.

“I shoulda known I wouldnae find them in the first place I looked. Typical!” Rowan exclaimed with an audible sigh. She kicked at the ground as she left the garden. Out of nowhere, a shiver ran down her spine, almost as if she was being watched, but the only people around were adults milling about their usual business. She pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside and ran onwards. The next few locations had similar feelings of futility with the twins remaining notably absent. The only silver lining of the search was that she hadn’t ran into Bragi or his band of goons.

In the last of the parks, Rowan was close to giving up. She sat down forlornly with her head in her hands. “Why do I have to be the one looking for them?” she cried. “Why couldn’t they have come and found me?”

Rowan was too busy crying to notice the snapping of a twig or the sound of choked back guilt that followed. Two arms wrapped round Rowan from behind and a cheek touched against hers. “Guess who!” the small girlish voice of the person hugging Rowan said.

“Kiriin?” Rowan replied hesitantly, lowering her hands to.

“The one and only!” the girl responded with the faintest hint of guilt. “You were taking a while, so I uh… came looking for you.” She quickly let Rowan go after revealing herself and smiled.

Rowan stood up and turned to look at her friend to make sure that she wasn’t seeing things. Long golden brown waves? Check! Hazel Eyes? Check! Cutesy mischievous smile? Check! Satisfied that she wasn’t hallucinating, Rowan leapt at Kiriin. “It really is you!” she cried into Kiriin’s arms, snot dripping everywhere.

“Who else would I be?” Kiriin patted Rowan on the head. She was after all, a few inches taller than Rowan, despite being younger and she refused to let it go to waste. Then she realised the snot. “Ew, ew, ew! You’re getting snot all over me!”

“Sorry,” Rowan sniffled.

“Here! Take my handkerchief.”

Rowan accepted the cotton handkerchief and blew her nose heavily. She apologised again mid blow. “I thought I might have missed you or maybe that you and Kyr didn’t want to play with me today.” Tears were welling in her eyes again as she tried desperately to not start crying again.

“Don’t be silly! We’d want to play even if the world was ending. We’re best friends for life, you know that!” Kiriin beamed at Rowan, hoping to lift her mood even a little.

Rowan smiled slightly.

“Let’s go find Kyr, okay? He’s by the lakeside.” Rowan nodded meekly in response as Kiriin to her hand and led her away. She was still half convinced that Kiriin showing up was just her mind telling her to stop moping around. But her touch was real. Rowan wouldn’t doubt that so she forced herself to smile. By the time they found Kyr, it was genuine.

Kyr was stepping out of the lake when they arrived, his brown hair even darker from wetness. Water glistened off of his chest as he strode towards them, trying to look impressive. It was cute, but somewhat ruined when he sneezed from the cold. The blush that followed only added to the effect and Rowan couldn’t help but laugh. The elder twin stood there looking somewhat dazed with embarrassment as Kiriin walked up and poked him. He yelped in surprise, but it was enough to bring him back into the present.

When they stood next to each other, you could really see the familial resemblance between the twins. True, they were far from identical, that would be a bit difficult with one of them being a boy and the other a girl, but it was kind of uncanny how similar the features were. Kyr’s eyes were the same hazel as Kiriin’s and if you were to ignore their hair, you could almost mistake them for each other due to them being practically identical in terms of height and build. Kyr was only a little bit taller and Kiriin was likely to overtake him before long. But what really made Rowan really laugh was how they both had their dad’s nose which she found to be surprisingly pretty.

After composing himself Kyr looked at Kiriin quizzically. “What took you so long?” he asked. The question caught Rowan off guard and Kiriin’s expression was just as alarming. She looked guilty?

“I can explain…” Kiriin stammered back.

“You were following Rowan the whole time weren’t you?”

In hindsight it was a pretty obvious conclusion, Kiriin’s timing had been too perfect, but it stung nonetheless. Rowan gave her a betrayed look and she looked guiltier by the second.

“I’m really sorry, Rowan! I didn’t know you would get so upset and…” Kiriin looked genuinely upset at the pain she had caused Rowan as tears started to well up in her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d try so many places before here. I just wanted to surprise you…”

Rowan turned her back on Kiriin and started walking towards the lake. Kiriin was crestfallen at the thought of not being forgiven.

*Splash!*

All of sudden, Kiriin was soaked from head to toe. Rowan was standing in the lake, half bent over with her arms outstretched to Kiriin. She was still upset that Kiriin had played her stupid tailing game, but her earlier words to Rowan still rang true. They were best friends forever and Rowan refused to stay mad at her. As such, she decided that an ample surprise splashing was an adequate revenge. Whilst Kiriin still wore a mask of shock, Rowan hugged her, getting somewhat wet herself, but it didn’t matter. They were friends.

Everything settled down after that and any hard feelings were washed away with water and laughter. It was then that Kyr noticed the necklace hanging from Rowan’s neck. “Is that new, Rowan?” he asked.

Rowan blushed slightly as she placed her hand to it. “It is, aye. Da got it me from Særis,” she smiled meekly. “Does it suit me?”

Kyr opened his mouth to respond, but Kiriin beat him to the punch. She looked at Rowan with only the slightest hint of a smile and without any hesitation, said, “Definitely. It looks very cute on you.”

The strange, matter of fact tone that Kiriin used caught Rowan completely off guard. “You’re teasing me!” Rowan accused, a rosy blush betraying her embarrassment at the  complement.

Kyr laughed. “If she hadn’t, I certainly would have. You’re too easy to tease when you leave yourself wide open like that.”

“You too!” Rowan flashed back with a harrumph. “Traitor!”

Despite her protests and embarrassment, Rowan was actually enjoying herself. She felt like she was at a point in the day where her emotions would stop swinging around like a pendulum and that her mood would remain high. She was with friends after all. Best friends. And they were in a perfect place to play. The girls stripped down to their shifts as was often wise when you wanted to play in water and didn’t have a change of clothes or appropriate swimwear. The lack of a towel, however, was an issue they failed to address as they started splashing around the water without a care in the world for the lake’s cold touch.

Evening came all too quickly, and with it, it brought a cold frost and the sound of growling stomach. It had been a busy day for everyone, especially Rowan and she was ravenous. When they realised how cold it was, they quickly threw on their clothes, lamenting their lack of thick, soft, fur-lined garments. They did, however, find themselves warmed by joy. True, there had been a couple of downs, but Rowan couldn’t deny that the day as a whole had been great.

Despite their hunger, they didn’t rush back. The three of them would have said that was because they were having too much fun in each other’s company and didn’t want it to come to an end. That would have only been half true as it wasn’t like they were soon to be deprived of each other’s company any time soon. Rowan had an invitation to dinner after all. It was more that they were all a bit too worn out to hurry.

They were almost back when Rowan felt something in the pit of her stomach, not unlike the one she had when Kiriin had been following her. Realistically, that should have told her something, but she refused to let some feeling ruin her day. That was a mistake.

*Thump*

A small sharp rock hit Rowan just above the brow. She staggered slightly, barely noticing what had hit her.

The assailant soon came into view. An adolescent boy stood there, a full head taller than Kyr, wearing a sinister grin and surrounded by his three cronies. He also had messy black hair cast the rest of his face in shadow.

“Strike!” the boy snarled at Rowan.

Rowan looked at him blankly, still not quite processing what had happened.

“Hah! It seems that stupid half-breed is too much of an idiot to realise she’s been hit.”

The boy’s cronies jeered at Rowan as his words began to sink in. The words hit hard, harder than the rock perhaps and they cut just as deep. He kept throwing insult after insult and Rowan ran away from each one as they hounded her every step into the depths of her mind. The twins came to her defence almost immediately, Kiriin checking to see if she was okay. Rowan didn’t notice. She was too deep into her own mind at that point and the boy had followed her in.

“Please, stop. Go away”. Rowan’s voice was small, barely audible and she wasn’t even aware that she was speaking.

“Hah! The runt wants us to stop? Who do you think you are, Rat!” The boy’s voice was filled with venom and fuelled with malicious intent. His foul hatred was genuine and the twins couldn’t bear to see it.

Kyr clenched his fist and stepped forwards. He looked like he would start a fight if he needed to, not that he would stand a chance. He was outnumbered and all four of them were older, bigger and stronger than he was, even the Ferran who were known to be smaller than humans. In spite of that, he spoke up. “Back off, Bragi!” he growled, trying to sound intimidating.

Bragi laughed and swaggered towards Kyr. He loomed over him. “And what are you going to do if I don’t? Buzz off! This doesn’t concern you.” He shoved Kyr aside. Kiriin was trying her hardest to shake Rowan out her stupor so that they could get away. They were running out of time as Bragi advanced. Kyr’s attempts to slow him down had failed. Only when Rowan was in his shadow did she start to come back to reality. Bragi was getting ready to grab her when Kyr charged him from the side.

Rowan stumbled towards him and meekly grabbed his sleeve, “Kyr, stop!” she said feeling incredibly faint, her words barely audible. “It isn’t worth it,” she coughed. ‘When did speaking become such a burden?’ she wondered, barely noticing the blood streaming heavily from her left brow as her vision began to blur.

“Hah!” Bragi exclaimed. “Even the little shit knows that she’s worthless.”

Kyr turned red with fury., his fists clenched to the point of being bone white. He barely heard the thump behind him and he certainly hadn’t noticed that Rowan was no longer holding onto his sleeve. Kiriin cried out with all her might to get through to him.

Rowan collapsed, her vision blurred and it sounded like her ears were filled with water. The ground beneath her was wet with her own blood and the chill of early spring was biting with the remnant fangs of high winter as it clung to her still wet body and clothes. With the cold and blood loss, she was barely gripping onto consciousness.

The last thing that Rowan even noticed before slipping out of consciousness was the thudding of running feet and a voice crying out for help or something. She tried to hold on, only for the exertion to send her even quicker into oblivion.

Chapter 2: Newfound Adolescence

Rowan woke up with a sharp pain above her left eye and a splitting headache.

Panic gripped her. “Where am I?” She was confused. Bragi had targeted her like he had so many times before, only this time he had gotten violent. She had passed out and woken up in a dark room that, in her dazed state, felt  unfamiliar. Then she realised, “Oh! I’m home…”

That made her feel a little bit more comfortable. How long had she been out for? It was difficult to say for sure. Her curtains were closed and she was notably lacking for any time keeping devices; clockwork was still a new and incredibly expensive technology. With that in mind, Rowan struggled out of bed and stumbled towards her window. As she drew back the curtain, Rowan was greeted by the soft blush of dawn painting the clouds.

The sight was a shock to be sure. It had been hours. Rowan’s head reeled from the thought of it. She suddenly felt very dizzy. The reality of what had happened was assaulting her mind violently. Every word that Bragi said struck her like the rock he had thrown while the memory of Kyr and Kiriin lifted her up. It was too much for her as the feeling of nausea filled her and an unmistakably wet feeling trickled down her leg.

All things considered, it was a miracle that she didn’t collapse then and there. Instead, she managed to make it almost all of the way back to her bed. However, before she was able to get all the way, the world span around her and she tripped over her feet. She came down with a crash, half landing on the mattress.

Barely a moment had passed when Hæra came running into the room, garbed in a silk robe and a face creased in worry. ”Rowan! What…” The question trailed off when Hæra saw Rowan half draped over the bed looking pale.

Rowan was seeing double as she looked up to her mother. “I’m okay,” she said none too convincingly.

“You most certainly are not!” she responded, her singsong voice marred by notes of blatant concern. “Trust your gods’ given metabolism to burn through that sedative. I thought it would be safe to check on Tehri while you were sleeping; you weren’t supposed to wake up for another few hours yet. Seriously, dear, it’s far too soon for you to be moving about.” Hæra walked over with impossibly long, gliding strides. It was then that she noticed Rowan’s little accident. “Oh dear…”

Rowan turned crimson from embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled into her blankets, trying to hide the shame on her face.

“It’s okay, Rowan,” Hæra responded softly, “let’s get you cleaned up.” She lifted Rowan up softly and carried her out. It was an odd sight to see; whilst Rowan had clearly outgrown being carried by someone of Hæra’s petite stature, she was deceptively strong and managed it with only a little difficulty. She didn’t care that her robe was getting slightly damp from carrying Rowan; getting to the bath was more important. She passed by her bedroom on the way to ask a half-asleep Gyren to clean up the spill in Rowan’s room.

They soon arrived in the large and lavish bathroom. It was split into two halves, a dry entrance room room for undressing and a wet room that held the actual bath. It didn’t take long to draw the bath. Næmyris was a rich town with a complex plumbing system and most of the buildings could access it. Rowan’s also had the necessary Resonance Crystals to keep the water nice and hot.

Hæra started undressing herself and Rowan in the dry room and placed their clothes into a laundry basket while they waited for the bath to fill up. She also quickly checked the cut on Rowan’s brow to make sure it hadn’t gotten any worse. “I can’t believe that bastard did this to my baby girl!” she muttered to herself angrily.

“What was that, Ma?” Rowan asked quietly.

“It’s nothing, dear,” she covered up quickly. “Now let’s get you all cleaned up.”

They headed into the bathroom and Hæra sat Rowan down on a stool. Rowan yelped as a bucket full of water from the tub was dropped on her head. The soap came next as Rowan found herself lathered in silken bubbled; it was a pleasant, comforting experience. Then it was time for the water again. Another yelp. It was too hot for her. Or was it? It shouldn’t have been any different from how it usually was.

“Why’s it so hot!” Rowan complained with a slight note of confusion.

“I’m sorry, Rowan, I’ll try to be gentler,” Hæra assuaged softly. “Is this any better?” she asked after having adjusted the temperature.

“Much!”

n reality, it wasn’t that big of a change, but it made the world of difference to Rowan and she was soon sparkling clean. That could only mean one thing! It was time for arguably the best part of bathing; soaking in the actual bath!

Whilst Rowan sat in the bath, Hæra finished washing herself and then she hopped in beside Rowan. Rowan quickly settled against Hæra, her head resting on her mother’s chest. Hæra stroked her hair absently. It was a soothing gesture, one that Hæra knew would calm herself and Rowan right down and she wanted them both to be relaxed for what she was about to ask.

“If you’re okay with it, dear, can you tell me what happened?” she said as gently as she could manage.

Rowan paled slightly at the question. “It was nothing, Ma,” she mumbled quietly, half mirroring the comment she had made earlier in her room.

“It’s okay, Rowan, you’re safe here,” Hæra smiled softly only to then mutter a little too loudly, “No bastard spawn of An’Teag will hurt my little girl while I’m around!”

For a brief moment, Hæra was akin to one of the great cats of the Ru’eni Empire or the mother bears of Northern Særis before she composed herself again. This is why she wanted to be as relaxed as possible; just thinking about the An’Teag family made her blood boil.

“Ah. Sorry, Rowan, you didn’t need to hear that. I just want to know what happened and make sure that you’re okay. You were out cold when the twins’ father carried you home. The doctor said you had lost a substantial amount of blood and that you were on the verge of hypothermia. You don’t have to tell me everything, just what you’re comfortable with.”

“It was Bragi, but you already know that.” Rowan sounded a little hurt. It felt like her mother was asking for things she already knew.

“I heard as much from Kyr, but he ran off before I could ask for details and watching over you was more important.”

Hearing that made Rowan feel a little better. She started to recall what had happened as best she could, starting from how she and the twins had been swimming in the lake. It took so long to finish her account that they had to get out the bath before Rowan’s fingers shrivelled up like prunes. Hæra had just finished brushing her hair as she neared its end.

“It was Bragi, but you already know that.” Rowan sounded a little hurt. It felt like her mother was asking for things she already knew.

“I heard as much from Kyr, but he ran off before I could ask for details and watching over you was more important.”

Hearing that made Rowan feel a little better. She started to recall what had happened as best she could, starting from how she and the twins had been swimming in the lake. It took so long to finish her account that they had to get out the bath before Rowan’s fingers shrivelled up like prunes. Hæra had just finished brushing her hair as she neared its end.

“There’s nothing wrong with having mixed heritage, Rowan. Bragi says that we have the worst of both halves; that our strengths have been dilutes? Who made him or his father the expert?”

When Hæra said it like that, it actually made a little bit of sense. She carried on dismantling all of Bragi’s biting words. By the end of it, Rowan’s self-loathing was gone and she was finally able to let her tears flow, pain be damned. She was starting to feel better, Hæra pulled her into a warm, comforting embrace.

“It’s okay my adorable little Rowan, I’m here. Just remember that you are my beautiful daughter and any spawn of An’Teag can’t hold a candle to you.” She smiled warmly at Rowan and started tucking her back into bed before mixing a light bluish powder into a glass of water. “Here, drink this. It will help you sleep,” she said, offering Rowan the glass.

Rowan gave the drink a dubious sip, not fully trusting the strange powder that had been mixed into it. “It’s bitter!” she exclaimed, almost spitting it out.

“I know dear, but you have to drink it all. You’ll have sweet dreams. I promise.”

Rowan felt like that may have been a bit of a white lie at the end, but she still braced herself for the bitterness and drank the water as quickly as she could. It didn’t take long for the medicine to kick in. Her eyes started to feel heavy as her mother hummed a relaxing tune. This time, Rowan drifted off not into oblivion, but into the realm of dreams, a multi-layered melody fighting away any nightmares that might have preyed upon her that night.

*****

Rowan remained bound to her bed for the better part of the day, That isn’t to say she didn’t have any company after she had woken up in the afternoon. The twins visited as soon as they were able and Hæra popped in regularly to check on her. That made her feel much better and the awkward highlight of her day came when Gyren came in to see her after he had finished work early. “Hello, my little princess! How are you doing?” he asked as he stepped into her room, his left arm concealed behind his back.

“Better, I think?” Rowan said contemplatively before looking affirmatively at her father with a smile. “Aye! Definitely better.” She was beaming as her father walked over to her bed, not bothering to comment on his concealed hand.

Gyren sat down and smiled at Rowan. “I’ve got something for you; a special little treat I found on my way home.”

Rowan practically glowed with excitement as Gyren pulled out a small box from behind his back. He removed the lid to reveal six bite-sized balls of sugary goodness. “These are all for me? Rowan asked as she looked down at the sweet rainbow coloured Alyren Raindrops in the box.

“Of course,” he confirmed, his eyes twinkling mischievously, “just don’t tell your mother.”

Rowan returned the mischievous look as she started reaching for one of the raindrops. “Don’t worry…” She was interrupted mid breath by the sound of a throat being cleared from the other side of the room. They both looked guiltily to the doorway, where Hæra stood staring down at them with her arms crossed disapprovingly.

“Go on, you can keep talking. Just ignore me and I promise I won’t listen to your little secret,” Hæra told them with a completely straight face and a level tone.

“Well you see, dear, I was just thinking,” Gyren stammered, “that Rowan could…”

“Yes?”

Gyren trailed off and Rowan pouted at her mother. “It’s just a wee treat, Ma!” she complained, glancing down hungrily at her prize.

“You can have it when you’re better. If you have any now you’ll be running up the walls before nightfall; they make you far too hyper.”

“They do not,” Rowan mumbled sullenly.

Hæra walked over to the bed, still cowing her husband, and grabbed the box from atop the blankets, spiriting it away from Rowan’s grasp. Then, smiling mischievously, she popped a raindrop into her mouth and sighed euphorically as it started working its magic.

The sigh that followed from Gyren on the other hand, was filled with mock despair. “I should have expected that. You know, dear, you’re just as excitable on those as Rowan is.”

“Am I now?” Hæra responded in a flighty voice. In her bed, Rowan was rendered speechless by the exchange. Hæra turned briefly to Rowan. “Don’t worry dear, you’re not to blame here, “ she smiled at Rowan before giving Gyren a predatory look. “You on the other hand, are in need of a scolding.” Rowan knew what that look meant just as much as her father did. It was an adult look, and adult sounds would follow from her parents bedroom soon enough. She was rather proud of the fact that she had been considered mature enough to be given the all important talk on relationships and growing up at a relatively young age; younger than the twins at least.

True to form, Hæra led Gyren out of the room, raindrops in hand. At the door, she looked at Rowan and apologised. “Sorry, dear. Dinner might be a little late tonight.”

Rowan had no real response to that, other than, “Okay.” Hæra closed the door and Rowan was alone again. Sulking slightly, her head hit the pillow and she tried to go back to sleep.

*****

For the most part, the week that followed Rowan’s injury was quiet. She was strong enough to walk about the house, but the medicine took away most of her energy. Hæra had cancelled the dancing component of their lessons that week and even Master Idyr had been taking it easy on her. It was frustrating; she was only a wee bit fatigued, not an invalid. What made everything all the worse was the simple fact that Tehri had recovered from her own bout of sickness.

Typically, Rowan would not begrudge her little sister’s improved health, however she found her patience wearing thin due to a sudden explosion of energy from Tehri. The rational part of Rowan would have told her that it was only natural. Tehri had been bedridden for the better part of the month and had likely been feeling what Rowan was now, only more keenly. Rowan, however, was not in the mood to be rational. Tehri’s energy bordered on what lay beyond mania and it only served to rub salt into the wound.

This wasn’t Rowan’s first time seeing one of these episodes from Tehri. In actuality, Tehri had been having them, along with the complete inverse, for as long as Rowan could remember. Past experience, however, didn’t make it any easier for Rowan, or anyone for that matter, to deal with.

There were times when the manic episodes were less extreme. This was not one of them. When Tehri was like this, it was like she was operating at more than maximum energy and everything seemed all the more extreme.

For someone as young as Rowan, it was almost impossible to deal with. Usually, when it got to be too much for Rowan, she would go out and play with the twins. This time, she had nowhere to run.

To make matters so much worse, ever since her recovery and newfound abundance of energy, Tehri had seemingly forgotten the existence of personal space or the fact that Rowan was very much still recovering. She had taken it upon herself to spend almost every waking moment by Rowan’s side wanting to play, talk, run around, jump on her bed or some weird combination of all four.

It got to the point where Rowan’s only respite was when their mother was around or by some miracle, something else had caught Tehri’s attention for a brief moment. Not even sleep could save Rowan, for in those days, Tehri was a stranger to anything resembling rest.

With Tehri zooming about life at a hundred leagues an hour, Rowan felt that her recovery would last an eternity. With her birthday just round the corner, it felt like hell. Thankfully reality was a different matter. In the last few days before Rowan’s birthday, her mother had somehow found a suitable distraction and she was left to recover in peace. She still kept to her room right up until the day before her birthday where she was taken, half asleep, to the doctor’s office to have her stitches removed.

Rowan yawned as the doctor walked in with a kindly smile after his assistant had removed the stitches to give her a check up. He was an old man wearing dark red clothes and a brilliant white coat with equally white balding hair. “It seems that you are nearing the end of a full recovery, young Miss Rowan,” he said towards the end of his examination. “It is very apparent that your mother has made sure you’ve been taking your medication. Yes, very good!” He looked rather pleased with himself as he reflected on his handiwork.

“Is she good to go, Doctor?” Hæra asked with a look of trepidation.

“Yes. Yes, of course. As long as she doesn’t push herself too hard she’ll be near enough back to her young self again by tomorrow morning at the very latest.”

“Excellent! Thank you, Doctor.” Hæra smiled appreciatively at the old man.

“Thank you,” Rowan yawned a moment later, adding her own thanks to her mother’s.

Hæra stood up and helped Rowan out of her chair. At the door she looked down at Rowan. “Could you be a dear and wait for me in the waiting room?” she asked. “I have something I need to discuss with the doctor.” Rowan nodded slowly in acknowledgement and started walking to one of the chairs. “You can have an Alyren Raindrop when we get back home,” Hæra called after Rowan, who immediately perked up a little bit, and then closed the door.

“Hæra smiled and turned to face the doctor. Your fee?” she asked.

“It’s free of charge,” he said happily, seeming to enjoy the surprise on Hæra’s face.

“But, what about the medication? I know you,,,”

The doctor raised his hand, cutting Hæra off. “Consider it a birthday present. No child should miss their special day because of sickness or injury.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course. Now take young Rowan home and treat her. She has a big day tomorrow”

*****

Hæra had insisted on Rowan having an early night on the eve of her eleventh birthday. She would wake up to the new world of adolescence and new found freedoms. That was what she had expected at least, and her dreams that night were filled with wonder at how things would be different. What she did not expect, however, was how much the house could change in a single night. She woke to an enticing aroma that invigorated her very bones. Rowan was about to run straight out of her room when she noticed the sign that had been left on the door.

Happiest Birthday to our Dear Little Rowan,

We know you’re excited so we have a couple of presents ready for you before you come downstairs. The first of which is a bath which will have you sparkling and full of joy. The second is a set of brand new clothes which we both know you will absolutely adore.

Love from Ma and Da.

Rowan wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of having a bath as a present. She continued to wonder as she dipped her toes into the water, not even realising that the alluring scent had guided her there. The warm water invigorated her in a way that was almost magical. The fatigue that had plagued her during her recovery was gone and she felt stronger for it. Once clean, Rowan stepped into her brand new clothes; a white tunic dress accented with a gold trim around the hem and red silken sash around the waist.

Walking out into the hall and down the stairs, Rowan was able to truly appreciate the transformation that had taken place throughout the house. Taking full advantage of Spring, her parents had gifted her with the visage of first bloom. Rowan couldn’t help being anything but charmed by all of the tactfully placed flowers. They brought a wonderful sense of colour and fragrance to the house that was further enhanced by the brilliantly woven flags and banners that hung from the walls. Brightening the house even further were some gloriously scented candles and the glinting of silvery chains set with gems of crimson and azure placed amongst the myriad decorations.

It was perfect for all but one factor. Something was missing.

Tyris. Rowan’s brother was nowhere to be seen. News had arrived early that morning that his Division had been sent on an emergency deployment to assist against a group of raiders based around the volcanic island of Færich Lan. As such his request for leave from the navy had been denied.

Even so, he didn’t intend to leave Rowan with nothing on her birthday, so he sent her a letter and a small package for her along with the news. Unfortunately, she was unable to open it immediately because of the, in her mind, stupid laws of tradition dictating that presents should be opened no earlier than the hour of the person’s birth. So she waited and shortly after breakfast, the twins and their parents arrived bringing gifts and enough games to entertain an army of children, let alone four. That brought a smile to Rowan’s face.

With the bountiful energy of morning, Rowan, Tehri and the twins started with the notably more physical games under the watchful eye of Hæra. In one such game, a game of contortion and balance, Rowan became the undefeated champion until the others started cheating to gain the upper hand.

It was nearing lunchtime as they started to get bored of such games. As such, they started to shift towards more mind focused games, though due to Tehri’s complaints they made sure that there was still at least some physical component. During the first of these games, just past noon, Master Idyr appeared at the front door as if summoned by the inkling of an intellectual pursuit.

n his hands he carried a heavy looking box wrapped in cloth. Rowan didn’t even need to look at it to guess that an extremely dense, knowledge filled tome lay inside. Hæra invited him in for some tea, but he declined as his own family were waiting for him.

Following lunch, the afternoon, much like the morning, was laden with fun activities as the children played game after game while the adults talked about life and the kids. Unfortunately, this led them to reminisce about all of the embarrassing things their children had done in the past, much to the chagrin of the young ones. One tale in particular had Rowan’s face turn almost as red as her hair as Hæra described in excruciating detail how Rowan and the Twins were playing the part of legendary heroes fighting giant beasts, with a victorious Rowan claiming a kiss from both Kyr and Kiriin as a reward for the successful completion of her quest.

The embarrassing tales finally came to an end as it finally struck the fifth hour since noon. Which meant that it was finally time for Rowan to open up her presents. Strangely enough, Hæra almost looked as excited as Rowan when she handed over the first present. Equally strange was how Gyren was the voice of caution, warning Rowan to be careful as she unwrapped it.

Begrudgingly she paced herself as she slowly unveiled a lute. It was beautiful, Rowan didn’t know how else to describe it, with its three cursive knotwork holes and a floral filigree inlaid with gold and rose gold. It had rendered her speechless. In her hands was a work of art that she felt unworthy of handling.

“Well that’s a stronger reaction than I expected,” Gyren spoke up, breaking the silence. “Wouldn’t you agree, Hæra?” he asked his wife who was still sitting next to Rowan, practically jumping with joy.

“Oh, aye. Definitely!” she responded, smiling gleefully at Rowan, “Though, perhaps we shouldn’t have started with that. But, I couldn’t resist and just look at her. Don’t worry, Rowan, this memory is the least I could give to my special little girl.” Upon hearing this, Tehri pouted slightly, to which Hæra erased without missing a beat by saying, “and so are you, dear little Tehri.”

Even amidst all the talking, Rowan still sat there speechless, unable to do little more than smile awkwardly with her mouth hanging slightly until someone broke her stupor by placing the next present into her hands. Any other present, and she may not have realised, but the sheer weight of the package was beyond imagining.

It was the box shaped present from Master Idyr and as Rowan had predicted, it was an extremely large and intimidating leather bound tome. The attached note said that it was a collection of academic records that Master Idyr had compiled himself from The Azure University. He apparently deemed it suitable reading material for one of her academic calibre. Rowan appreciated the compliment, but she felt that he might be overestimating her abilities just a wee bit.

The other presents soon followed. She received a really pretty hair clasp and rosewood comb from Kyr and Kiriin which she was adamant she would use regularly going forwards. From the twin’s parents she was given some hair care products to go along with their children’s gift and a few dancing accessories.

Then, out of nowhere, Tehri presented her with a piece of art that was beyond masterful. It was the work of a prodigy, showing a level of skill far beyond her years. The painting itself revealed a beautiful landscape featuring Rowan dancing alone in the shallows of Lake Emyr under the light of both moons, a scene she was sure had never actually happened.

Finally, after what had felt like an age, Rowan settled on the package from Tyris, the opening of which was no easy task. Rowan battled with it for ten minutes, refusing all aid, before she finally managed to breach the inner layers to reveal a rather petite dagger that was rather elegant in its simplicity.

The handle fit nicely in her hand and the blade was barely the length of her rather diminutive hand span. The blade was of course sharp, proven almost immediately by the beads of blood forming on her fingertip where she had tested it. That only led to the immediate realisation of the irony of receiving a package that would have been much easier to unwrap if she already had the gift inside.

She was pulled out of her musings as a few drops of blood from her finger landed on the envelope still waiting on her lap. Reminded that there was still one last thing to open, Rowan placed the dagger aside and put her wounded finger into her mouth to help stem the bleeding. Then forgetting her previous lesson, she tore open the envelope to get at the letter inside and began to read.

“Dearest Little Sister Rowan,

“I’m sorry I’m unable to make your birthday. I tried to get the leave, only for it to fall through when a couple of merchant vessels went missing off the shores of Færich Lan. I won’t be able to visit now until the summer solstice I’m afraid, but make no mistake, when the holiday comes, I’ll play or train with you and Tehri as much as you want, even if my legs fall off.

Now I had hoped to do this in person. Alas, I’m forced to do it in writing. I, Tyris Amran Naliir, hereby relinquish my right to inherit the Naliir family sword, Elan Fiir. Furthermore, on the day marking her eleven years on this world, with the Goddess as my witness, I hereby name Rowan’efrii Alyris Naliir to be the one who shall inherit Elan Fiir.

Now until the time comes where you inherit that sword, I am giving you this dagger. It’s small, compact, and strong, just like my pocket-sized champion. I’m sure it will protect you well. Extend my love to everyone and remind father to give Tehri the sweets I bought her.

Your loving brother, Tyris.”

“Huh?” Upon finishing the letter, Rowan found herself completely and utterly confused. She was having difficulty trying to understand what her brother was trying to say. It seemed like he was relinquishing his right to inherit the family sword, but with his weird flowery language he could have been saying any number of additional things as well. Also seeing her full name written down just felt wrong. Unable to find an answer herself, she looked to her mother, the current owner of the sword.

Hæra took the letter from Rowan and read over it and then again, Rowan failed to notice the significance of the action. “It seems fairly clear to me,” she said after a moment. “Granted he is speaking to our ancestors as much as he is to you. That’s why he’s using such colourful language; it’s ritualistic. Elan Fiir is a rather unique sword after all.

"It is the magnum opus of Tælla Naliir and forged from the crystallised tears of our ancestors after the tragedy of our exodus from Ferran. He was calling upon them to give you their blessing and acknowledging you as the heir to their tears. The timing and language all make for stronger Resonance in the ritual. Why he’s chosen to relinquish his claim to the sword though, I can’t really say.”

Whilst still somewhat confused, Rowan nodded her head somewhat blankly and accepted her mother’s explanation, not realising she hadn’t told the full story.

During the explanation, Gyren also gave the letter a read. As he reached the bottom he struck his forehead with his palm. “How could I forget the sweets?” he asked himself, standing up suddenly.

The outburst caught Rowan, Tehri and the Twins completely off guard. Tehri in particular asked about the sweets with probably a bit too much enthusiasm. She darted to Gyren’s side and glanced over the letter. “This has too many big words,” she noted with distaste before reaching the bottom. Then, without pausing to even take a breath, she suddenly exclaimed, “Wooh! They’re for me!” Her excitement from the realisation had her bouncing up and down. “Can I have them? Can I have them?” she asked with boundless enthusiasm.

“After dinner, Tehri,” Hæra responded sternly.

Tehri’s excitement helped to distract Rowan from her earlier confusion and she once again let herself be swept into the joy of the celebration. By the end of the evening she found herself positively exhausted. She said goodbye to the Twins and bid her family goodnight, promising to herself that she would be stronger in her adolescence, strong enough to stand up for herself.

Chapter 22: The Ball (Uncut)

You can read the full extended chapter here.

Password: PassionAndLewds

http://ardenttears.com/2021/09/29/chapter-22-uncut-version/

Alternatively, you can read it here.

Not a moment had passed after the two girls had sat down for breakfast that Seres started to inquire about Rowan’s dawn time exhibitionism.

“You don’t need to answer me, Rowan, but why did you decide to present yourself to gardeners in the nude?”

“That wasn’t my intent,” Rowan answered with a face redder than the tomatoes on her plate.

“Oh?”

“Well not exactly.”

The inquisitive look that Seres gave her made it clear that, despite the initial disclaimer, she had no intention of letting this go. As such, Rowan decided that there was no helping it.

“Okay, so I was trying to talk with my dead sister and it’s really difficult when I’m not in an emotionally heightened state so I thought making myself super embarrassed would work because I was already slightly embarrassed from having a lewd dream last night which resulted in me accidentally squirting all over the bed.”

The words came in an awkward, breathless stream that bombarded the ears of everyone in the room, including all of the servants and Seres’ guards. Unsurprisingly and somewhat amusingly, it caught most of the people by surprise. One of the servants, who had managed to maintain his cool for most of the conversation, nearly dropped the platter he was holding. Even Seres was blushing.

“That was probably a bit too much information, Rowan,” prodded Seres from behind a pair of hands that only slightly veiled her flustered expression.

“What was?” Rowan replied before realising what she had just said. “Oh. Oh no. Please forget what I just said. All of it.”

“I wish I could,” responded Seres.

For several minutes, awkward silence filled the room. The only sounds to be heard were the clinking of silverware on porcelain and chewing. It only made Rowan feel even more self-conscious about everything, even things completely unrelated to current goings on. Was she chewing too loud? Did her hair look weird? Was she about to confess her wildest fantasies? That kind of thing.

The room grew dark and cold. Rowan felt her anxiety levels rise. Everyone was watching. They knew.

*Clink*

Rowan’s heart skipped a beat. She froze. Then a hand touched her own. Rowan was back in the moment. Seres was smiling softly at her.

“It’s okay, Rowan,” she said, “you’re safe here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Not quite believing her, Rowan looked around the room and true enough, the servants were focused on their work instead of her. If anything, they were acting as if Rowan’s little outburst had never even happened.

“Do you really mean it?” asked Rowan after turning back to Seres with watery eyes.

“Of course I do, you hopeless softie of an Ardent. I can’t have you breaking down when we have a party ahead of us. Now is the time to celebrate and have fun.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Rowan quietly.

“Even if I wasn’t, I would make it so by royal decree,” replied Seres with a brilliant smile.

Rowan gave her a look of mock horror. “You cannae do that,” she said.

“Watch me. What good is privilege if you don’t use it to help people?”

“I guess?” answered Rowan, not quite sure of how she was supposed to respond.

“It’s fine. Now hurry up and finish eating. You’ve still got half a plate of food and we need to start getting ready.”

“Already?” But it’s still morning? The ball isn’t until this evening.”

Seres gave Rowan a look and laughed brightly. In response, Rowan felt a heavy frown upon her lips. She couldn’t help but feel like she was missing something.

“After all the prep we’ve already done, did you really thing that we would only be at it for an hour or something today?” Seres asked finally.

“I hadn’t really given it much thought to be honest,” Rowan answered.

“Well we still need to bathe, visit the sauna, get a full body massage, do a full set of stretches, rinse off, eat lunch, have our nails and makeup done, and our hair cut and styled. Only then can we get dressed and make the final adjustments.”

Rowan gave Seres a concerned look as she finished off listing everything that they still needed to do. “That sounds like a lot,” said Rowan hesitantly.

“It’ll be worth it, I promise,” responded Seres.

“One last question.”

“Go on?”

“Was that list in order or?”

“Ideally yes. It would be a bit awkward if we bathed after we had our makeup done or rinsed off before bathing.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Rowan pouted.

“It wasn’t?” Seres replied with mock surprise. “How careless of me. Now eat up. We have just under an hour before we need to start if we don’t want to rush ourselves.”

*****

Several hours later Rowan was waiting around in nervous trepidation alongside Seres for the signal that would summon them to the ball. Normally they would already be there. However, as the ball was meant to celebrate Seres’ return and rescue, custom dictated that she was to wait until the guests had settled in, at which point she would be announced. Furthermore, Seres had insisted that Rowan receive the same treatment on account of being her friend and saviour. Queen Elarin didn’t need much convincing either. Apparently, the others were also being announced if they so desired because of their roles in the escape and bringing Seres home.

It was a nerve wracking wait that was heightened by Rowan’s abundant energy levels. The excitement combined with the strange lunch that they had had provided her with more vigor than she could reasonably handle. Seres was doing a better job of hiding it but Rowan could tell that she was nervous and excited as well.

“Is it always like this?” Rowan asked finally.

“I’m not sure,” Seres answered. “The last time I was in this position was my eleventh birthday so it isn’t exactly the freshest of memories.”

“Sorry.”

“Why are you apologising, silly?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well stop it. It’s almost time. How do I look?”

“Am I really the person to be answering that?”

“Why not? Is my honorary sister incapable of giving her opinion or should I be asking my non-existent partner or something?”

“Well if you really want my opinion, you look absolutely stunning.” Rowan wasn’t lying either.

Seres glowed with the gentle touch of makeup which only added to her already perfect skin. Meanwhile her hair had been caught in an elegantly messy bun with crown braid that kept her pale shoulders untouched by unruly locks. The hair and makeup alone would have been enough to make her truly beautiful, but they were only the beginning.

Next came what some would argue was the centrepiece of the entire look. That being the dress. Rowan was inclined to disagree, thinking rather that Seres in her entirety earned that honour. That isn’t to say the dress wasn’t incredible; it was. In fact, incredible only began to describe the dress and its heart-shaped neckline and long flowing skirt. It was of a deep azure and accented with gold, much like her namesake of lapis lazuli. The colours paired perfectly with her eyes, which was unsurprisingly really, considering they were the reason behind the name. About her waist she wore a short black corset that came up to just beneath the bust. The dress had an opening for Seres’ tail near the base of the corset as it transitioned into the skirt. Her skirt trailed along gracefully behind her while showing off her ankles and high heeled shoes.

Besides her dress, Seres also wore a small selection of jewellery in the form of a necklace, a series of bracelets, a couple of rings and a silver tiara. The necklace served as a contrast to the rest of her outfit by means of a crimson gem which doubled as an aesthetic link to Rowan. To add to that link, one of Seres’ rings was a twin to one that Rowan was wearing.

Finally, due to the cut of her dress, the top of Seres’ back and by extension, her scars were exposed. To cover her scars she wore a deep blue shawl.

After taking it all in, Rowan gave Seres a smile and a twirl before asking, “What about me?”

Rowan’s look had been taken in a completely different direction to Seres. Even so, the idea behind it was the same, to highlight Rowan’s character. Compared to Seres, Rowan’s hair was much shorter, reaching down only to her shoulder. As such, her stylists opted to keep her hair down while weaving some braids and crystalline flowers into her gentle windswept waves. The flowers took the place of a tiara and served to bring even more attention to her brilliant red hair. Meanwhile, her make-up was designed to capitalise on that draw to create a full picture that highlighted her features perfectly. From the small wings and the touch of smokiness that gave incredible depth to her violet Ferran eyes to the soft blush and rose lips for contrast with her alabaster skin.

Adding to her image was her brilliant red dress that had been designed to ripple like fire. The flame aesthetic was further complimented by the secondary and accent colours, though the dressmakers had made sure to keep it from being too much. Compared to Seres’ dress, Rowan’s had a low back, showing the full extent of her scars and she lacked a shawl to cover them. That had been her decision; she wanted to show everyone what they had been through, what they had survived. Of course this meant that the dress couldn’t be held up around the bust or with shoulder straps. Instead, the straps were caught in a choker at the neck with a window of fiery lace. Instead of a necklace, a single teardrop gem hung from the choker.

As for the skirt, it was made from a light flower material that ended just below the knee and flared as Rowan twirled. This in combination with the colour is what truly gave the aesthetic of flame whilst giving Rowan full fluidity of motion which was important due to how dynamic she could be. To compliment her dress she wore a flat pair of red shoes that laces up her ankles with ribbon and a single arm ring around her right bicep.

When Rowan came to a stop, Seres laughed warmly and said, “You look great, Rowan. Perfect even.”

“Thank you,” said Rowan with a soft blush.

Seres then gave her a serious look and cautioned her, “Don’t be surprised if you draw the attention of many a bachelor or maybe even a few bachelorettes. And be careful not to get caught in the moment or let yourself get overwhelmed.”

“I appreciate the heads up, but isn’t this a new experience for you as well?”

“Well yes. I’m just repeating the same warning that my sister gave me. Though she only told me the second half. I added the part about the suitors myself.”

Rowan gave Seres a slight pout. “Don’t give me that, Seres. You’re just as, if not more, worthy of suitors than I am. I’m sure you’ll get as much attention as I do.”

“I’ll definitely get a lot of attention, but courting works a little differently when it comes to princesses.”

“Why would that be?” Rowan asked.

“Because of how valuable we are politically.”

“Do you really think your mother would force you into a political marriage after all you’ve been through?”

“No,” Seres admitted, “but the court doesn’t know that and they’ll follow tradition.”

“Sounds stupid to me,” Rowan snorted.

“Not as stupid as the sound you just made,” Seres laughed. “Seriously though, I’m happy that I’ll be able to enjoy the ball without needing to worry about that. And it’s not like people won’t ask me to dance or anything.”

“That’s good at least. And if they don’t, I’ll show everyone what they’re missing.”

“You don’t need to do anything that extreme.”

“What else is a beautiful Ardent to do when her honorary sister is neglected?” asked Rowan seriously.

Seres returned the look as best she could before falling to laughter. When she looked up again, Rowan was also laughing.

Their laughter was interrupted by a knock on the door. “It is time, Your Highness,” said a maid on the other side.

“Right away,” Seres replied before turning to Rowan. “Shall we?”

“Let’s.”

*****

“Honoured guests,” cried a herald, his voice amplified via Resonance Crystal so that even Rowan and Seres could hear it from outside, “it is great pride and privilege that I am able to welcome our lost princess home. Join me in welcoming Her Royal Highness, Seres Talyren El Ria Lanafae, Princess of the Dawn.”

What followed was an earth-shaking cheer that rippled through the city, marking the official start of celebrations for the common folk. Inside, however, the herald was not finished.

“I also have the honour of introducing the woman who sacrificed everything to keep our beloved princess safe from damnation and bring her home. Join me in giving your thanks to Rowan’efrii Alyris Naliir, Ardent Protector.”

The cheer for Rowan was no less than what Seres had been given, though arguably they were both for her. Even so it lit a fire in Rowan’s heart. When the doors opened, she was raring to go.

Then she saw the great hall and her jaw nearly hit the floor, both literally and figuratively. The room felt like it had been built for giants. Either that or the people within were the size of pygmies for they were completely dwarfed by the incredibly bodacious architecture and grand decorations. Adding almost unreasonably to the effect were the floating network of platforms above the main floor that also served as large crystalline lights. Even after seeing the statues in the garden earlier, Rowan would never have imagined such a gravity defying feat was possible. Even Seres seemed like she had been taken completely aback by the sight.

“That’s new,” she whispered, barely moving her lips as they strode forwards.

“What is?” Rowan asked.

“The platforms.”

“You don’t think they did this just for us, do you?”

“Not a chance. There’s no way this just happened out of the blue. I’ll ask my mother some other time. Speaking of which, we’re meant to present ourselves to her.”

“Lead the way.”

Seres took them straight through the middle of the main floor past the nobles who had been dancing before the announcement. Each one bowed or curtsied as they passed. When they reached the other side they ascended a grand flight of stairs to the only platform not raised by Gravitational Resonance. The platform was large in its own right and decorated lavishly in the royal colours of Llen, Fær, red and silver with an accent of gold. They found Queen Elarin at the centre-back of the platform flanked by the rest of her family and her attendants.

Seres stepped forwards and spoke so that her voice would carry. “Your Majesty, after many years I have returned home.”

In response, Queen Elarin stood and bowed her head slightly. “Welcome home, Seres, my daughter. And to you, Rowan’efrii, I thank you for returning my daughter to me. To show my gratitude I extend to you the titles of An’Fær and Ardent Flame of Midiris along with an invitation to my court.”

Rowan curtsied and gave her answer. “I wholeheartedly accept.”

“Then let it be known that Rowan’efrii of House Naliir is a lady in more than name. She is truly worthy of our gratitude as are all who spearheaded the rescue and return of my daughter and her compatriots. As for those that escaped alongside them, they are deserving of our aid. The crown will do its part. I ask that you all do the same. Last of all, the crown is committed to doing what it can to put an end to the foul plot that haunts our lands and those of our brothers and sisters to the East. As for you, Lady Rowan, I ask that you continue to be my daughter’s friend, ally, and protector.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

With Rowan’s answer given and Queen Elarin’s declaration made, the hall fell silent. Rowan had been given a tremendous honour, one that hadn’t been given even in the lifetime of the oldest living nobles of Midiris. Before the silence became overbearing, however, the music started again and people started to return to their socialising.

With everything back to normal, Queen Elarin gave Rowan and Seres a smile. “Now go enjoy yourselves,” she said, notably quieter than before. “This ball is for you, after all.”

Having been given leave, the two girls descended into the ball, ready to partake in all that the festivities had to offer. It was slow going right at the beginning as everyone wanted to speak to Seres who felt obligated to share at least a few words with everyone that approached her. Not wanting to leave her to the wolves, Rowan stayed by her side. That’s what she told herself as least. It totally wasn’t because she was intimidated. Even so, she could only handle the endless sharing of pleasantries for so long as it eventually got to the point that she was visibly agitated to those that knew what to look for.

During a brief pause in the exchange, Seres gave Rowan a quick glance and said, “You don’t need to stay here, glued to my side, you know.”

“I do, but…”

“Go and party already. I’ll find a way to free myself before too long and I’d rather not do it by you scaring everyone away.”

“Sorry,” replied a glum Rowan.

“Just have fun. Consider it an order.”

“A royal one?”

“Of course not. It’s an order between friends. That means you have to follow it.”

“Is that how it works?” Rowan laughed.

“It is today,” Seres answered with mock seriousness. “Now hurry up. Someone is coming to greet me.”

“Fine,” said Rowan with a rolling of her eyes. “Just promise to come find me if you need rescuing.”

“Rowan!”

“I’m going.”

Rowan was laughing as she took her leave. And then she realised that she had no idea what she was supposed to do even after all the prep and drilling she had done with Seres. A ball was, after all, completely different from the festivals of her youth. It would have been different if she knew anyone, but she was surrounded by strangers who were in their social element. Only that wasn’t entirely true; there were people here that she knew. At least there were meant to be.

With a bit of hope, Rowan cast her gaze across the main floor. As she did she caught a glimpse of Maro in a relatively simple light blue dress dancing with a young man. Across from them, Ædarik and Ashlin were also dancing. They both looked incredible in their formal attire. In any other setting, Ashlin may have been a showstopper with her dress of midnight purple and glistening nebulae. Alas, she had some strong competition and Rowan wasn’t going to go without a fight. Granted, it seemed like Ashlin already had a prize. If anything, it made Rowan a little jealous.

Not wanting to dwell on that, she continued to look for someone who was free. Sure enough she eventually found Amran rather out of the way to the side. Somewhat unsurprisingly, he was on his own and dressed in rather subdued formal wear. Rowan navigated her way across to him with only a little difficulty.

When she reached him, Rowan announced herself in a rather unconventional way by saying, “Knock knock.”

Amran looked up and gave Rowan a dry smile as he responded. “You know, I’d have known it was you even if you hadn’t said anything. Your emotions are like a beacon.”

“Nice to see you too.”

“I’m surprised you found the time to come see me.”

“I meant to visit you sooner, but…”

“You’ve been busy. I know. I’m not complaining.”

“You sound like you’re complaining.”

“That’s just you confusing my annoyed tone with my happy tone.”

“Well it’s not my fault they’re so similar.”

“I see the tides have turned.”

“Stop that,” Rowan laughed.

Obliging, Amran restored the conversation. “So, to what do I have the honour of your company so early in the night.”

“You were the first person I saw that I already knew and didn’t seem to be occupied.”

“Why not try talking to people you don’t know?” suggested Amran.

“It’s not that easy,” Rowan complained.

“You managed with me just fine when we first met.”

“And I completely flubbed it, remember,” Rowan reminded him.

“So you did.”

“And even if I hadn’t, this is a completely different situation. How are you supposed to initiate conversation with strangers in a formal setting?”

“By approaching them and saying ‘hello’?” Amran suggested before reminding Rowan with, ” I’m not exactly an expert on the matter.”

“True. I just wish I had something else to work with.”

Suddenly, Amran gave Rowan a suspicious glance and asked, “Conversation with strangers isn’t the only thing you’re avoiding, is it?”

The question made Rowan feel guilty. “No?” she said with that all too unconvincing rising pitch.

“I don’t blame you for the loss of my foot, Rowan.”

“I didn’t think…”

“Yes you did and we both know it. I’m fine. Honestly.”

“You are?”

“Thanks to the medics and healers that have been attending me, yes. The prosthetic is taking a little getting used to but that’s a minor issue in the grand scheme of things.”

“How are you taking this so well?”

“Because it is in my nature.”

“This goes beyond nature.”

“Perhaps. Irregardless, if this was my limit, I would have fallen years ago.”

“It’s still impressive.”

“Then I accept the compliment,” said Amran with the slightest hint of a smile.

“So what’s next for you?”

“I asked the Queen if she could arrange for me to attend The Azure University.”

“That sounds like it would suit you.”

“Indeed. It is my intent to aid in the study of Stoics.”

“It’s good that you have an idea of what lies ahead of you. I have a destination, but no map to guide me.”

“You’re referring to your oath, correct?”

“Aye.”

“Then I must disagree with you.”

Feeling mildly offended, Rowan started to interject, “That’s not how…”

“Let me finish. I disagree with the completion of your oath being your destination. That’s only a point on your journey.”

“I think you’re reading a wee bit too much into my choice of words.”

“Then why did you say it with such finality.”

“I didn’t, did I?”

“You did. Have your vengeance, but don’t let it consume you. You aren’t alone or fighting just for yourself, after all.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. With that said, I believe another person that enjoys leaking emotion is here to see you.”

“You what?”

Before Amran could answer, someone cleared their throat behind Rowan. The voice that followed had a dark, enchanting quality and the slightest hint of a lilt. If sound were touch it would have been that of smooth velvet.

“Forgive me for my intrusion, Lady Naliir, for I couldn’t delay my approach a moment longer.”

Rowan turned to face the voice bearer and he did not disappoint. His face was chiselled to a almost statuesque degree and was further complemented by an extremely well groomed, but still casual, stubble and a similarly styled head of short and slightly choppy hair the colour of mahogany. He stood with an almost towering confidence that felt almost like a challenge. It didn’t help that he was a full foot taller than Rowan or that was looking at her intently with his burgundy coloured eyes.

Maintaining eye contact with him for too long was difficult so she decided to instead admire the rest of him; surreptitiously, of course. Even with his rather dapper attire, Rowan could tell that he was incredibly well toned. With that said he didn’t appear to be at all bulky. That gave him the appearance of being strong but not overly imposing.

“Lady Naliir?” he said again.

“Hmmm?” Rowan replied, barely noticing.

“I can leave,” he suggested, sounding a little deflated.

This time Rowan managed to look him in the face again. His confidence was gone and the illusion was shattered. He no longer looked like the vision of perfection. That isn’t to say he wasn’t still incredibly attractive, just that he was closer to the realm of mortals than Rowan had thought mere seconds before.

“Oh hello, sorry,” she said after a moment, “I was distracted. Don’t leave. What can I do for you?”

“Well I was entranced by your beauty and I knew that I’d regret it if I didn’t try speaking to you before night’s end.”

Rowan blushed furiously at the complement and stumbled awkwardly over her response; “I can thank you,” was about all she managed initially.

“You can?”

“Sorry, I’m not used to this,” Rowan apologised. “What I meant to say is thank you and I’d be happy to talk with you. Would you mind giving me your name?”

“That would be a good place to start wouldn’t it? My name is Brennan. I’m an Ardent from the Awakened Corp of the Særan Military. I’m serving as ‘guard duty’ for the King’s delegation.”

“Guard duty? King’s delegation?”

“The King of Særis,” Brennan explained, “he couldn’t attend himself, but when he heard about Princess Seres’ return he sent a delegation to extend his joy and best wishes.”

“That still doesn’t explain the guard duty part.”

“A formality for the most part. Llen Fær and Særis are allied nations, after all. However, our own princess is in attendance at this ball, as are the first and second princes of Ferran, so my partner and I are serving as part of the honour guard.”

“Makes sense,” Rowan conceded.

Brennan’s voice then took a more serious tone. He looked into Rowan’s eyes and asked, “With that said, may I be so bold to ask if you would honour me with a dance?”

Rowan smiled back at him a little awkwardly. “I would be happy to honour you so,” she said before smugly adding, “if you can keep up.”

“Is that a challenge? I’ll have you know that I’m no slouch on the dance floor.”

“Neither am I,” said Rowan simply without a hint of a boast.

Meanwhile, Alena saw the entire exchange happen from one of the platforms. She was pouting as she complained to Davra.

“This is what I get for not wanting to interrupt her while she was talking to her friend.”

“Stop worrying about it, Alena. It was inevitable that people were going to notice her. Have you seen her? Damn, she cleans up nicely.”

“Well I saw her first.”

“Stop acting like a child, Alena. If you really want to woo her, take the initiative or wait for the prime time to strike.”

“I’m not sure about that…”

“Then just speak to her. She already likes you at least a little bit so you have an overwhelming advantage compared to most of the people that are likely to approach her.”

“If you say so,” Alena sighed.

“I do say so.”

“Okay, let me just work out how I’m going to do this.”

“Take your time. Just don’t squander your chance.”

“I won’t.”

Rowan was smiling from ear to ear as her dance with Brennan came to a close. And despite putting Brennan through his paces, she bore no signs of exertion. Brennan, on the other hand, was red in the face and breathing heavily. For some reason he was also walking a little awkwardly.

“It would appear that I lost,” he huffed. “I think it might be an idea for me to take a break after that.”

“Are you okay?” Rowan asked.

“I will be after I sit down and get a bite to eat. Next time I’ll be better prepared. Until then, I’ll let you get back to mingling.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“It was fun dancing with you, by the way.”

Those were Rowan’s parting words. After that, she was getting approached pretty much every time she was alone due to her suitors having been emboldened by Brennan. Some didn’t even give her the courtesy of waiting with a prime example having five guys arguing about who would have the privilege of courting Rowan right in front of her without giving the common courtesy of asking for her thoughts or opinions on the matter. Thankfully, she was able to slip away because of how absorbed they were with their argument.

It wasn’t all bad. Some of the people were perfectly nice and some even charmed Rowan enough that she was willing to dance with them. Others, however, were much worse from “Maybe we should go somewhere where you can remove that dress and cool off,” to “Is it hot in here or do I see a mirage before me?” or even, “I must say, that tattoo on your back is a show of excellent taste and style.” That last one earned the gentleman that said it a rather firm slap. Which is to say, she hit him with enough force to knock him off balance and over the railings on the platform. Miraculously he survived, but not without a few broken bones.

After that, Rowan was given some space to breathe so she took it upon herself to find some food. The tables were filled with delicacies from around the world, many of which Rowan had never seen before. That made it a little bit more of a challenge to find things she liked. In the end she settled on a table dedicated to Midiran cuisine.

As Rowan started to eat her fill the crows started to gather again. Before they could swoop in, however, she heard a familiar voice.

“Rowan!” Alena called out. “I’m so glad I found you.”

Rowan’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of Alena’s voice. She hadn’t forgotten her attraction to the young Ferran lady nor her desire to be more than just friends with her.

Caught in the moment, Rowan practically ran at Alena and hugged her. Alena cried out in happy surprise from the sudden embrace, but after she collected herself, she hugged Rowan back.

“I’ll take that as ‘you’re happy to see me too’?” Alena asked.

“More than happy,” Rowan replied. “I thought I’d never get the chance to speak to someone else that I knew tonight and then bam, my number one choice appeared.”

“Your number one choice?”

Realising what she had said, Rowan turned bright crimson and stammered, “P-please f-forget what I just said.”

Seeing the extremely embarrassed Rowan only made Alena blush which in turn made Rowan more embarrassed. If ever it were possible for an Ardent to generate visible heat without anger, it was now.

To cap it off, Alena managed to compose herself enough for a response. She looked into Rowan’s eyes and said, “It makes me happier than you can imagine to know that I was your number one choice.”

With that, Rowan fainted into Alena’s arms. She came to in a matter of seconds, but it was enough; her heart was racing.

The only words she managed after that were, “care to dance?” to which Alena wholeheartedly obliged. Their dance soon became the focal point of the event as desire started to imbue every inch of Rowan’s being. In that moment, she showed everyone what it meant to be the Ardent Flame; just not in the way that the Queen had imagined. The bountiful emotion was felt by everyone in the great hall and more than a few flames were kindled that night in the light of passion. Only one person was free from the overwhelming touch of Rowan’s desire and that was Alena herself. Deep down, Rowan wanted Alena’s feelings for her to be unadulterated.

They were both breathing heavily when the dance came to a close. Their bodies clung to each other and the gathered audience cheered for the most part. In amidst the clapping, Alena managed to say, “know anywhere quieter where we can cool down?”

Rowan knew just the place. She took Alena’s hand and led her to the Sunfall Apartments.

*****

Rowan and Alena were barely through the door to the apartments. when they started kissing each other passionately. They didn’t even make it to Rowan’s bedroom before they danced with their tongues. Their firm and extremely intimate embrace of course made navigating the parlour a significant challenge as they broke at least one vase and tripped over a sofa. Eventually they made their way to Rowan’s door. Alena pushed Rowan against it and fiercely pressed against her as she reached up and unfastened Rowan’s dress.

As Alena then went to kiss Rowan’s neck, eliciting a quiet moan, Rowan opened the door and swept Alena in. There was pause in the action as Rowan established control and guided Alena to the bed. With Alena sat down on the bed’s edge, Rowan straddled her and kissed her deeply. After a moment, she whispered into Alena’s ear, “Is this okay?”

Alena’s answer was simple and clear.

“Yes.”

Alena then took advantage of the pause to roll Rowan onto the bed as she slid her hand up Rowan’s thigh and kissed her neck intently. Rowan could feel Alena sucking, as if to leave her mark and it made Rowan quiver slightly.

For the first time in five and a half years, her Gift was activating and it was doing so in full force, invigorating the couple beyond reason. It also gave her a sense of clarity which was somewhat necessary as she tried to unfasten Alena’s dress which was being significantly more awkward than it had any right to be. Alena could have helped of course, but she was more focused on her discover of Rowan’s underwear and what was hidden on the other side.

Rowan managed to undo the lacing as Alena slipped a finger into her vagina. It was wet enough for the finger to practically glide in. Of course, that lone finger wasn’t the only thing that Alena had to work with as she caressed Rowan’s clit, readying it for what came next. Rowan tried to hold in her moans, but everything was so intense and they eventually slipped out. Any further attempts at removing Alena’s dress failed as Rowan clung to the blanket with one hand and covered her mouth with the other.

Alena saw that as her cue to tease Rowan a little bit. She gave Rowan’s clit one last stroke with her fingers before stepping back and removing her own dress, denying Rowan the satisfaction. Then as Rowan clambered to return the favour with her own dress, Alena snuck back down and started to kiss Rowan’s thighs right up to the naked, hairless source of her sweet nectar.

“Mhmm…”

Rowan gave the loudest moan yet as Alena lapped up her juices. She gave up on trying to hide it which prompted a response from Alena who got up to kiss Rowan and tell her, “let me hear you moan.”

The request was greeted with a mischievous smile and a single word.

“Likewise.”

With Alena caught off guard by the response, Rowan was able to get on top of her and unlike Alena, she worked her way down from the top, starting at the lips, then the neck and then onto the breasts which seemed to prime real estate for leaving various aesthetically placed marks. Rowan nuzzled Alena’s breasts softly before kissing them fiercely. Then to give her some reprieve, Rowan started tracing circles with her tongue around Alena’s nipple whilst also sliding her fingers into her. The resulting moans were just what Rowan was looking for as started her journey down again.

Rowan kissed every inch of Alena as she made her way Alena’s smooth skinned downstairs which she had continued to tease with her fingers the entire time. As she kissed and licked Alena’s vulva great intent, she reached up with her other hand to caress Alena’s breasts.

After a couple of minutes, Alena’s body quivered and her eyes rolled back as she moaned loudly. She was panting heavily by the end of it.

“Rowan! Rowan! Please, give me a moment.”

Hearing her partner’s pleas, Rowan relented and snuggled up beside Alena and kissed her gently.

“Are you sure this is all okay?” she asked.

“Of course I am,” Alena answered.

“But what about your family?”

“I’m the fourth daughter so it’s not like they had any political aspirations for me and even if they did, Ferran doesn’t put much stock in virginity. The only requirement really is no children outside of wedlock.”

“That’s handy,” Rowan laughed.

“Isn’t it, though? I do have one thing to say though. If another person takes your fancy, please don’t forget me.”

Rowan looked at Alena seriously and kissed her. “I’d never forget you, nor will these feelings die. They are like a flame, and even if other people come, they will only add to the fire and only if they. That is, if you’re okay with me loving multiple people?”

“I don’t think I could stop you even if you did.”

“That’s not the point,” Rowan pouted.

“Sorry, that probably wasn’t the best answer. I’m more than okay with your abundant love, even if I’m not the only one receiving it.”

Rowan thanked Alena multiple times, punctuating each one with a kiss.

“Stop it,” Alena laughed after the seventh thank you.

“Fine,” Rowan conceded. “Just so you know, you’re free to love multiple people as well. That includes other people that I love as well.”

“I thought as much. You didn’t strike me as an exclusive harem kind of girl. If anything you remind me of the Ferran clans and their polycules.”

“That’s the idea.”

“I think I’d like that as well. It’s even politically viable.”

Rowan laughed at that. “Does it really matter if it’s politically viable?”

“Not really, but it’s a plus.”

“I guess.”

“Don’t worry about it. Instead let’s worry about round two. I’ve had had my moment of rest and I’m raring to go.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

This time, Alena was intent on bringing Rowan to orgasm as she straddled her face and teased her clit and vagina with a dancing tongue and nimble fingers. Rowan tried to keep up and give Alena the attention she deserved, but the pleasure was too much. In the end, all she could really do was stroke her tail as it swished adorably. For a moment Alena quivered and purred. Then her moment of weakness passed and she was back to teasing full force.

After the second orgasm, Rowan decided that she wanted to have the third while facing Alena. On telling her this they sat opposite each other and crossed their legs so that the could grind against each other. It was awkward at first and it took a while for the to get into a good position, but once they did, it felt amazing.

At this point Alena brought her tail into the equation. Her dexterity with it was mind blowing and it was almost too much for Rowan. Alas, it was Alena who climaxed first. Not wanting that to be the end, however, she let Rowan lie down before sliding her fingers into her one last time. Rowan could feel Alena’s fingers move inside her. They twisted and caressed her while Alena kissed her neck passionately. Then, in conjunction with a caressing of her clit, Alena beckoned Rowan from inside as she pressed against the front of the vaginal wall. Rowan came quickly after that as her body trembled in ecstacy and her hand clawed at Alena’s back with pleasure.

When her body came to rest, Rowan said a single word and sunk into the bedding. Alena snuggled up to her and kissed her gently on the back before the two drifted off to sleep.

The Miriel

Its been a while since I've posted any world building notes or been on track with early releases. and that is on me. Unfortunately I've been suffering from a bad episode with my mental health along with are challenging return to my work, but I'm working through it. The chapters will still take some time but I think some information on one of the rarer races in the west. 

The Miriel evolved far to the east in a mountainous region of the far eastern continent of Akani. As such the adapted to survival in extremely cold mountain climate. However, they didn't adapt in ways that you might expect. For example, instead of developing higher concentrations of melanin to deal with the reflected sunlight, they developed a reflective pigment that is silvery in colour. This also extends to their hair which tends to be silver with a touch of pastel. 

This pigment adaptation helped considerably with their ability to hunt in the snowy mountains of their homeland. There is, however, one part of their body with notably darker pigmentation and that is the area around their eyes, much which helps absorb some of the reflected light. Furthermore, they have polarised lenses that work much like polarised sunglasses do. 

It is, however, the last trait of the Miriel is what makes them truly unique among the humanoid races is the fluidity of their biological sex. This trait manifests through several means. The first of these is most apparent in childhood as they don't start developing any sex organs or characteristics until puberty. During puberty they start changing to match with their developing identity. For most individuals they tend towards being wholly male or female, but some lie in between. Individuals can also swing wildly in the opposite direction at pretty much any point during puberty, After puberty, their identity tends so become significantly more concrete, however, some always remain fluid and some have other reasons for why their sex conflicts with their identity or with how they feel they need to be. In these cases it is possible for them to shift between sexes. This is significantly more arduous process due to the body becoming less fluid with age. 

Research into the Miriel lead to the development of Hormonal Resonance Therapy in a collaboration between the Azure University, the Ru'eni Institute for Academic Mastery, and the Yuenxi Academy 37 years prior to the start of the story. This revolutionary and incredibly expensive procedure utilises medicine and crystal arrays to harmonise the Resonance between the body of a trans/NB individual with their soul as the soul will always match their identity even when their body does not. During Hormonal Resonance Therapy the individuals body shifts at the cellular level to match their identity. By the end of the session, the individuals sex will completely match with their gender. Unfortunately, Hormonal Resonance Therapy can't make dramatic changes to things such as height and build so it is possible that the individual may find that their body doesn't match perfectly with how they imagined they would if they had been born with the correct sex or their personal ideal image of their self but it will certainly be a massive improvement for those that can afford it. Hopefully with time it will be made more accessible for those that are currently unable to afford it. 

And on that note, I think I can put this chapter of World Building Notes to a close. I hope you have enjoyed it and found the information about the Miriel and Hormonal Replacement Therapy to be interesting. Until next time, this author has a chapter to write and sleep to sleep.

Calendar Taster

As mentioned in my previous post on the Lunar Gifts, Illyria's closes moon orbits 11 times a year. You may be wondering how this translates to the calendar used by the part of the world that Rowan lives in. In this taster I will be answering that question. 

I will start with the length of the year as that is also an important factor. Illyria orbits the Heart of the Sun every 335.5 Illyrian days. This translates to around 331 Earth days. A lunar month is 30.5 Illyrian days. You will note that as you will get 11 if you divide the number of days in a year by the number of days in a month, this would allow for a perfect Lunar Calendar. 

Unfortunately, due to 11 being prime it can't divide further to nicely break up the seasons. As such, I will now go into how they solved this issue. As seasons are a function of Illyria's relationship with her Father, the Heart of the Sun, they decided to capitalise on His sacred primes, which are 2 and 5. As such, Llen Fær and the nearby countries count 5 seasons, each one being 2 months long. These months are 30 days long and have four weeks that alternate between 7 and 8 days. The 8th day of the longer weeks is referred to as a Day of Rest. 

Now you may be wondering where the remaining 35 days come from. Between the seasons their are 5 inter-calendar weeks. There is a leap year every 2 years where the extra day is added to the Winter Solstice inter-calendar week.

I will be posting a deeper dive tomorrow for Divine Scholars and above.

New Public Chapter. Patreon Chapter Soon!

The title says it all. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get this chapter out to patrons early (mental health sucks), but I'm working on the next chapter as we speak. I hope the wait was worth it.

The Lunar Gifts

As you may have already figured out, Gifts are heavily tied to the Goddess and the twin moons. What you don't know is how these relate. In total there are 33 Gifts which are divided into 11 groups of 3 called Blessings. These are the Sacred Primes of the Goddess and also ties in quite nicely with the orbits of Rowan'el and Særan'el. The two moons are in 2-3 mean order resonance orbit if I'm remembering the term correctly. This means that Rowan'el orbits 3 times for every 2 times that Særan'el orbits. Each of these periods determines how the Blessings are divided. Each lunation of Rowan'el in turn determines which Gift you are born with. Rowan'el also orbits 11 times in a year and the cycle resets every 3 years which is how you get the total of 33. As a sneak peak, I will list all 11 Blessing Categories and the name of Rowan's Gift.

Lover
Warrior
Hunter
Heart
Creator
Sage
Trickster
Traveller
Healer
Protector
Resonant

And last but not least, Rowan was born in the last Lunation of the Lover, granting her the Gift of the Sensual.

Llen Fær Map (WIP)

The large lake with the island in the middle is Lake Emyr and the dot just to the south of it is the rough location of Næmyris.

Slight Delay on Next Patron Chapter

Due to health problems, I am delaying the release of the next Patron chapter to Wednesday. I've needed to take it easy for a few days so that the quality doesn't fall and my physical health doesn't deteriorate. Thank you for understanding. To make up for it, I will be posting a very early map WIP of Llen Fær, Rowan's home country, for everyone to see here. I will also be posting some of my notes on Gifts for all Patrons.

Interlude: Lordly Discoveries

Interlude: Lordly Discoveries is now out. Enjoy. Password is "father and son"  

http://ardenttears.com/2021/06/12/interlude-lordly-discoveries/

Interlude: Broken Silver

Interlude: Broken Silver is now out. Enjoy the bonus chapter. Password is "gold and silver"  

http://ardenttears.com/2021/06/10/interlude-broken-silver/

Interlude: A Voice Unheard

Interlude: A Voice Unheard is now out. Password is "lost and found"  

http://ardenttears.com/2021/06/08/interlude-a-voice-unheard/

Interlude: Aftermath

Interlude: Aftermath is now out. I probably should have released this at  the same time as Chapter 11, but it wasn't written yet. Password is "today and tomorrow"  https://ardenttears.com/2021/06/05/interlude-aftermath/

Chapter 11 (Act 1 Finale)

Chapter 11 is out and its an important one. We're at the end of Act 1. Password is "endings and beginnings."  

https://ardenttears.com/2021/06/02/chapter-11/

Slight Delay on Chapter 11 for Patrons and Happy Pride Month

Unfortunately due to a rather unpleasant case of heat exhaustion and a migraine, Chapter 11 will be delayed slightly. I am working through it now and it will be out in time for Patrons to sink their teeth into on the June 1st. And for my LGBTQ+ readers, Rowan and the gang will be celebrating Pride in their own small little way. Happy Pride Month everyone.

Chapter 10

Hello everyone, Chapter 10 is now live for Patrons and I am a very sleepy author. This is what I get for promising to release the chapter before I go to sleep. Anyway, password is "death and taxes"

https://ardenttears.com/2021/05/29/chapter-10/

First Side Story Poll

As promised in the Patron benefits, here is the poll for determining the first side story. Side Stories can cover anything in the Chronicles of the Ardent Flame world and may have very little to no relation to the main story. They may also cover some important aspects of the setting or even put certain historic moments or events mentioned during the story into writing. On rare occasions, a Side Story may involve events with the main cast that don't fit into the main story (read as slice of life episodes).

Side stories will come in the form of a bonus chapter released every one to two months. Longer side storied may be divided into multiple chapters.

I'll release hints as to what the Side Stories might entail in a separate post.

First Side Story Poll Spoilers

The Forging of Elan Fiir: This will feature the tragedy that led up to the forging of Elan Fiir.

The Pirates of Færich Lan: Do you want to know what happened with Tyris when he couldn't attend Rowan's 11th birthday? Then this is the story for you.

A Scholar's Divine Expedition: Follow Scholar of Divine Anatomy on his wild journey to learn more about the nature of the Goddess.

The Merchant and the Bard: The story of how Hæra and Gyren met and fell in love.

A Ferran Matriarch and her Family: A wholesome story about a kindly Ferran woman and her extremely large family.

Chapter 9

New chapter is out for patrons. Going forwards I'll be back on schedule. Now I need much sleep so that I can write chapter 10. Password is "silence and torture"

https://ardenttears.com/2021/05/27/chapter-9/

New Chapters

Sorry that I've been so behind with the patron chapters. To make up for it, we have a bonus chapter. 

The password for Chapter 8 is: "stoic and blame"
The password for Interlude: A Silent Voice is: "blacksmith and wife"

http://ardenttears.com/2021/05/24/chapter-8/
http://ardenttears.com/2021/05/24/interlude-a-silent-voice/

Chapter 4

Its running a little late, but the chapter is finally here. I think it was the hardest chapter to write so far.

Password: swords and summer

Chapter 3

Here is Chapter 3 ready and waiting for your reading pleasure.

Password: fall and conquest

Chapter Two

Thank you for being my very first patrons. As promised, here is the password for chapter two: healing and fun

To access this chapter, you can go to the following link:
https://ardenttears.com/2021/05/10/chapter-2/

We're Live with Chapter One

Hello and welcome everyone. Ardent Tears Chapter 1 has been officially released for all to see on my website at the following address: https://ardenttears.com/2021/05/10/chapter-1/

For the first week I will be releasing a chapter a day and then it will be on to my usual schedule of Monday and Friday. To see what happens in Chapter 2 early, become a Patron today.