Aiden

A dark thunder clap made nearly everyone in the council hall jump, my brother Aero had been in heavy thought. He was deliberating Aiden’s punishment. We sat at a wooden table in the council chamber, all around us crests of Ventus hanging upon the walls. I had just spoken for Aiden of Faer, he was being held responsible for the burning of a village in Firma.

Aero stood up angrily slamming his fist on the table and in the process knocking his chair aside, “Essyllte!! It is not your place to make decisions such as these, excuse yourself from my presence.” He picked up his chair and sat back down, as I raised a blush creeping up my neck to take residence upon my cheek.   

 

I stole a look around the room as I rose from my seat, the leaders of the tribes all watching me in my humiliation. The men had arrived early this morning, the first being Paladin leader of the earthen element Firma to the east. He was the one who had brought the charges against Aiden. Following was Carius of Watari and finally Aiden of Faer. Aiden was only heir to Faer; his father would be arriving later in the evening leaving Aiden to face the leaders alone. I stepped out the doors and walked to my chambers, as soon I got to my room I stepped on my balcony as the wind ready for me began to pick up.

 

The sky whirled around, me and it, us as one. I used the wind to calm my emotions. I was furious, my heart quickening with every breath I managed to inhale. How dare Aero throw me out of the council meeting? I was just as part of Ventus as he, did my opinions not matter. Fuming I started up a thunderstorm, the day had previously been sunny, but I could not help but spend my frustrations. The storm clouds gathered and the sky darkened to match my feelings. I concentrated hard on what I wanted it to look like, but somehow in the process I lost my anger and gained some composure.

 

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I wonder if my father would have handled the situation any differently. I was told my father had died nearly eighteen years ago, early on in the fighting for peace with Faer and Firma. Aero hated Faer, but I believed he did only because he did not understand Aiden and his father and I found men feared what they could not understand. I pitied Aero he took my father’s place as leader when he was only twelve. He took over during the start of the war with Faer and their allies Firma, Ismene, my nurse had told me he was there when war broke out. I was told the war started over a land dispute, but it was so long ago none remembered the real cause aside from Aero, but he would never reveal it to me.   He made peace with Faer after ten years of fruitless fighting and ever since they all gathered here in Ventus to consult each other in matters that involved everyone.

 

There had been murmuring that Aiden wanted rid of b*****d child in a village in the east, so he ordered his men to destroy it. None survived the village burning and it saddened me, but I believed the rumor of an illegitimate child was just a rumor.

 

Many just wanted to blame Aiden, because he being commander of his father’s army was the only one who might give the command, but I believed that Aiden as arrogant as he seemed had not the heart for murder, and that is what I said out of turn in the council. They were going to punish him to save face in front of the people who screamed for blood. I had no idea what happened after I spoke my mind to my brother and the other lords, but I hoped he had not been punished to harshly. Aiden’s father, Phelan, would jump at the chance for bloodshed and many believed like father like son.

 

I had rarely ever spoken to Aiden, but what made me think of him as kind was only from a memory in my childhood. When I was ten, my brother was holding the first meeting of tribes; I had hidden from my nurse in the hall where the meeting chamber was. When I saw Aiden and his father walking toward the chamber, I remember being frightened of his father. The stiffness in which he stood, the fierceness in his eyes and the way he looked at me when he saw me.  I had turned to walk away and slipped on my skirts. Phelan walked past with a look of disgust, but Aiden offered his hand. So young, barely a year older than I, but he looked so mature, his face a guarded mask and somewhat troubled. Even then when I had known so little of the goings on in the kingdom, he knew everything and I think it worried him.

 

I was snapped out my reverie when I heard footsteps down my hall, it had to be Aero. No one disturbed me in my chamber but him. I was sure he had come to berate me for my outburst in the meeting chamber.  A quick knock on my door to let me know he was coming in so I could be covered if I was indecent. His voice echoed across my chamber.

“Essyllte, how dare you act so childish” he sneered at me “Carius was only voicing his opinion and you contradicted him, out of turn as well.”

I foolishly challenged him back “yes I admit I acted out of turn, but why did you agree so quickly, Aiden may be heir to the Faer throne but he is not evil Aero, he would never order the slaughter of innocents.”

“How do you know Essy, he is his fathers son. We all decided on a proper punishment and his father agreed, he is lucky he is not being formally charged and perhaps executed”

“How are you so sure it was him” I replied tears forming in my eyes, I could not believe I was so emotional over him being falsely accused.

“One of Faer’s men lay fallen at the scene, why would a Faer soldier be in Firma for no reason”

“I” I could not answer ‘don’t know” I said breathlessly.

“You will not attend hunt, you will be served supper here in your chamber, and if you ever contradict me again I, I” “Ahhh” “father may have allowed your mother in the chamber but she led with intelligence and wisdom, you let your emotions guide your words”

Realizing he had pulled his rank I started to submit, I may have been daughter to the royal of Ventus, but he was now leader and I a fallen royal’s daughter. I dropped to my knees “yes my liege Aurelius”

 

His face softened at my actions and he quickly walked over to me. He scooped me in his strong arms and whispered “my beautiful sister. You look so much like your mother Essyllte; Alastrine was famed for her beauty, I wish you could have met her; she was very kind to me, even though I was not her son. You have her lips, placed in an almost permanent smile and her hair, so deep brown so dark” he picked up a few strands of my hair and placed them softly to his lips. “Except our father’s eyes, like emeralds, only you and I hold. I do not mean to be angry with you, but you will never learn if I do not lead with a firm hand. Good night my Essyllte, may the spirit of Ventus be with you in your dreams.” He embraced me once more and walked out of my chamber.

 

I felt sad for disobeying my brother, he was all I had, and I loved him dearly. My mother had died only a week after my birth, and my twin brother the day after he had been named. I understood his ill will towards Aiden and his father, but the element Faer was a just God when he lived, why then could the people of Faer not be as well. I couldn’t but think about the poor people in that village as I walked to my window and looked out at the sky, even though only a royal could control an element the thought of being executed by human means still made me shudder.

This weighed heavily on my mind for awhile, but then an even more dangerous thought crossed my mind the four elements under one roof for a week. With already so much tension I could not imagine the rest of the week. I quickly prayed to Ventus that Aiden and Phelan would behave themselves and not give my brother more reason to believe them evil. I put out the torches in my chamber and shut my eyes.

 

After a few minuets I fell into a deep sleep and found myself staring into a pair of heavily lashed pure gold ones, gold so rich to only be the trademark of a patron of Faer. In my dream I chased him through a garden of white flowers, he laughed as he ran, but I could not hear. He suddenly vanished down a hill, and I quickened my pace to follow, but I soon found that what I had thought was hill was in fact a cliffs edge and I unable to stop plummeted after. But instead of falling to my death in the white river below I merely hit the cliffs edge, he had grabbed my hand to stop me from falling. I thought he would surely pull me up, but as he started too his dark eyes changed a flicker of something flashed darkly in them. He smiled and then so suddenly let me fall from his grip...   

Author's Note

THanks to all who have read this story previously, I just made some minor changes with the names and added a back story