Avalyne Series 02: The Easterling (2 page)

It was only during this
time of uncertainty that the purpose of her life would take shape. If her father was gone then it was time to find her mother.

The scope of what she
had chosen to do had not yet dawned upon her.  That would come later when she realized just how little she did know about the woman who bore her. Her father had told her next to nothing and Melia always believed his reluctance to speak of Ninuie was because of his heartache at losing her. Only when Melia reached the lands of Carleon and began the search herself, did she understand that his lack of explanation was due to the fact that he himself knew little about the woman he married.

Her mother was a
River Daughter but Melia had no idea what that meant.

The
folk of Carleon spoke of such women being spirits, not entirely of the flesh. Melia knew that this could not be true for a spirit does not conceive and deliver a child. Yet if they were to be believed, that her mother was some creature beyond the understanding of men, what then did that make her? The greater the mystery deepened, the more insistent Melia became in finding out the truth because she carried a secret she told no one, not even her father in all the years of his life.

That when she slept, she dreamed of her mother and in every dream,
Ninuie was
screaming
.

The message had come to him on the day of the elven new year.

Despite having expected its arrival, when it finally reached him, Aeron of Eden Halas was still affected even though he had anticipated its contents.

It was
inevitable that this day would come and though he had hoped for a stay of execution, one did not appear and finally he had no choice but to accept the fate before him.

It was time for him to go home.

While he missed his mother and the woods of Eden Halas, Aeron had never felt particularly bound to it, not the way his brothers were. Leaving Eden Halas to help Dare vanquish Balfure from Avalyne was never a difficult decision for him. He was closer to Dare than he was to his own brothers and travelling with the exiled human seemed almost inevitable. Once he had left, he found that embarking on journey to free Avalyne was the most fulfilling experience of his long life. He grew accustomed to travelling to travelling to new places and meeting other races, something his brothers and father would never understand.

After the Shadow War, he remained with Dare,
making only the occasional visits home to see his mother while he helped with the restoration of Carleon and the vanquishment of Balfure’s remaining forces. However, this was not so much as chore as a boon because he was able to remain with his dear friends and embark upon new challenges, even if it was fighting against the forces of evil in the south.

Just as it was in the north, a good many Berserkers and the other undesirable
of Abraxes took up residence at Tor Ardhen. The tower built in the woods of Ardhen was constructed by Balfure to give his Disciples a place to keep watch over Varaen and Gislaine during the Occupation. Since the Disciples were vanquished, the fortress had become a lightning rod attracting all evil to it.  With Ronen, Celene and Kyou, he led them into those woods and purged the enemy from it.

The woods of Ardhen were finally free of the darkness that had overtaken it
after Queenly lea was chased from its confines.

However, now
his father wished him home and while Aeron would like to see his family again, he knew with regret that if he returned to Halas, it would be to stay. What worried him even more was the belief that he no longer fit in Halas after everything he had experienced these past eighteen years. There was no denying that he was a different elf to that of his father and brothers. Being away from home had blunted these differences but if Aeron remained in Halas permanently, they would become acute and the conflict would only bring pain to his mother.

W
hile hunting the foul things that may still roam the greater wood of Eden Halas might be distracting for a time, Aeron also knew he would soon tire of this and be pining to depart. If not, his life would return to what it was before Dare was found by his mother and would likely remain so for the next thousand years. It disturbed Aeron that there was nothing ahead but this inevitable journey into stagnancy while his friend continued to face new challenges.

Dare
was now a King with a wife and a child, not to mention a kingdom to consolidate and to strengthen. Kyou, head of Clan Atrayo, recently wedded his long time love Hanae in the Jagged Mountains. At some point the Master Builder would complete his work in Sandrine and then return to Iridia to begin a new life with Hanae.  The same could be said for Celene who was now the Lady of Gislaine and as a wife, would be expected to give Ronen children at some point in their marriage. Even Tamsyn, currently travelling the territories of Carleon, was seeking out acolytes to expand the Order of Enphilim.

And what was he doing?

Nothing.

He
was doing nothing and if he returned to Eden Halas, he would continue to do nothing. As Aeron walked the sculpted gardens of Sandrine Keep, this bothered him a great deal. He could not deny that he missed the forests of Eden Halas. He missed the smell of the trees in the morning and the scent of the morning dew after a particular cold night. He missed its peace and its quiet but he knew if he returned home, it would be temporary distraction before boredom set in again.

There had to be some purpose to immortality than to go on for centuries without change.

‘Aeron,’ Dare's sudden call broke him free of his thoughts. ‘There you are.’

The
Prince of Eden Halas glanced briefly at the sky above and was somewhat surprised to see the sun had crested overhead and was now starting its evening descent. He had begun this walk shortly after receiving his father's message and that was early afternoon. Not one who often lost track of time he was startled that the day had slipped by him without notice.

‘
I am sorry,’ Aeron muttered, ‘I had not meant to be away for so long.’

Dare
nodded as they stood within a cul-de-sac in the path of the garden, where a fountain made of blue marble was situated. ‘There is nothing to be sorry for. I merely wondered where you were. I was told that there was a message from your father.’

‘
Yes,’ Aeron frowned, showing the King clearly it was not good news.

‘
Is it what you feared?’ Dare asked, having known Aeron long enough to discern why a summons home would upset the Prince.

‘
More or less,’ Aeron shrugged, not bothering to hide his discontent from his old friend. ‘He would like me home as soon as possible.’

‘
And you mean to go,’ Dare said with disappointment because he would not be happy to see the back of Aeron. They were family and had been constant companions for the last eighteen years. If Dare had a best friend in the entire world, then Aeron would have surely been it and to lose another close friend after the events in the Frozen Mountains bothered him more than he cared to admit.

‘
I do not see that I have any other choice, he is the King after all,’ Aeron reminded.

‘
And you are his son, not his possession,’ Dare pointed out.

‘
I have responsibilities at home,’ Aeron countered but he knew that was a lie. He had older brothers who were of more use to his father than him. His father wanted him home because Halion disapproved of Aeron having a life outside the Veil. During Balfure’s reign it had been a necessary evil but now that the Shadow Lord was no more, there was no longer any reason for his continued absence from home.

‘
You have responsibilities to yourself first,’ Dare stated firmly, conscious of the fact that while Aeron was more than 950 years older than him, the elf had spent very little of that time actually living. As much as Dare loved the elves, he felt their immortality was more a burden than it was a gift from the Celestial Gods because time was no one’s friend when you had too much of it.

‘
Do you know what your trouble is, elf?’

Aeron
stiffened for Dare did not refer to him that way unless he was about to impart some uncomfortable insight that Aeron probably would not want to hear, no matter how much he needed to.

‘
You are more like men that you care to admit,’ Dare declared firmly. ‘You want more from life than just hiding behind the Veil. You want to experience life, not hide from it.’

Aeron
flinched uncomfortably because as always, Dare's observations were not only astute but utterly correct. While Eden Halas would always be his home, it was not all that he was. He was a different elf than the one who had left with Dare so many years ago. Like the others, he wanted to accomplish something, just as Kyou was now doing in Iridia and Dare was doing with the Carleon. It was probably the first time he had ever confessed to himself even that he wanted more out of life than what was expected of him.

‘
Even if you are right,’ the elven Prince admitted reluctantly, ‘one does not simply go and tell the King of Eden Halas that his son wishes a life beyond the Veil.’

‘
There are things that are set forth by destiny and then there are moments where you are the master of your fate. It is up to you to defy the conventions that say you should act otherwise. Do not remain chained to duty Aeron. It can break the spirit if it is not what you desire.’ Dare said earnestly, squeezing the elf's shoulder in order to show him how serious he was of this. As much as he loathed Aeron returning to Eden Halas, he feared the elf resigning himself to an unhappy fate when it was clear what he needed to do.

‘
You are right,’ Aeron sighed heavily. ‘I know you are right but it is a task easier said than done. If I walk away from Eden Halas, then what? You have your life to live and I cannot remain here indefinitely. You and I, we have spent eighteen years running from one place or another to rid the world of Balfure. You have stopped running because you have a place to stop. I do not.’

Dare would have begged to differ but he did not wish to give the
Prince that alternative until Aeron had decided what it was he wanted to do. ‘You do not because you have never considered anything other than Eden Halas as your final destination. Take some time Aeron. Think about what you really want. You have already made the first step by leaving Halas with me and look at what we have accomplished together. While I may have my responsibilities to Carleon, you and I can still do much together.’

‘
Thank you,’ Aeron replied, touched by the sincerity and the friendship behind that statement. They were more than friends and not quite family. Perhaps it was in-between that made their bond so strong. ‘I will consider it and perhaps see where I am led.’

‘
Good,’ Dare grinned leading him out of the garden, ‘now come on, we should join the others.’

‘
Yes,’ Aeron replied, still surprised he had forgotten the time so completely.

With Kyou continuing the work on Sandrine’s fortifications and both Ronen and Celene in the city, Arianne’s delight at having so many of their good friends about had manifested in her insistence that they all take dinner together.
The nightly dinners had become intimate gatherings between friends whose time together grew shorter and shorter as their lives diverged from one another and Arianne wanted to savour as much of it as possible.

‘
I must confess Aeron, I came seeking you for another reason other than your father's message,’ Dare announced as they took the familiar path back to the keep. A faint smile of mischief tugged at the corner of the King’s lips as he spoke.

‘
Really?’ Aeron threw a sidelong glance at Dare as they approached the doors leading into the castle.

‘
I thought you would be interested in knowing that Melia has just arrived,’ Dare answered, keeping his tone nonchalant even though he was burning with curiosity to see Aeron’s reaction.

Kyou
had given them a word by word description of Aeron's banter with the lovely watch guard during their return journey to Carleon following their business in Sanhael. Their bickering obviously masked an attraction which interested the Circle to no end since they had never seen the elf so affected by anyone in that fashion.

Aeron
's expression was as stone.

‘
Melia is here?’ He asked feigning indifference.

‘
Yes,’ Dare nodded seriously even though his eyes were dancing with amusement at the elf's feigned indifference to the news. ‘Arianne invited her to Carleon. They became good friends during the quest to Sanhael.’

‘
I suppose a watch guard has little choice but to accept an invitation given by the Queen,’ Aeron remarked trying to hide from Dare that the news was the best he could have received at this time, especially in light of the summons home by his father.

Aeron had no desire to share with anyone how he felt about Melia. In fact,
how the Prince of Eden Halas felt towards any lady was his own business. There were some things he kept to himself because they were intimate and would not share, even a trusted friend such as Dare. After all, he did not recall the King being any more forthcoming about his feelings for Arianne before their wedding. While Dare spoke of Arianne herself, his adoration of the woman was something he kept to himself largely because he still had reservations about her love for him.

‘
She looks well,’ Dare stated casually. ‘Though one wonders why a woman would choose such a life for herself.’

‘
I’m certain she has reasons of her own,’ Aeron said quickly, not realising he had risen to her defence without a second thought.

‘
I suppose she must,’ Dare agreed hiding his smirk. For his part, Dare had little chance to know Melia before leaving their company all those months ago but she seemed to him to him a strong woman with deep thoughts she kept to herself. Of course, she had earned his favour by helping Arianne in her quest and the watch guard would always have an ally in her King, whether she knew it or not.

‘
She has travelled a long way to come here,’ Dare added. ‘We know almost nothing about the Eastern Sphere, beyond the fact that its people were allied to Balfure and our alliance with them is a tenuous one.’

‘
They considered him their god and we struck him down,’ Aeron pointed out. ‘Right or wrong, that its a poor foundation to begin any sort of alliance.’