Ten Years Later...

In all his years, the boy had never seen a room so huge. Even the stones that made up the floor were vast, and the ceiling was so far over his head he nearly fell over trying to look up at it. Not even the hall he had grown up in, with its great wooden beams and roaring hearth fire, could contest the size of this gigantic mass of clothes, colours and people.

And what people. People with faces as dark as blood ochre, people with hair so long it reached almost to their knees, people whose clothes were so covered with jewels that they flashed like fish in a river whenever they moved. Some of the women had skirts so long that they trailed behind them on the floor, while the men’s boots clinked with heavy spurs and steel tips. Fabrics and stones of every colour flashed around him in a flurry of movement, and voices and laughter rang over the throng. It was like being in a room full of brightly coloured birds, all singing to one another in more tongues than he had ever heard in his life.

Behind him, his brother Rypere whispered something in the  twins’ ears. They laughed, and the boy turned around to see that they were pointing at a tall man in a set of long red robes. A bizarre hat was perched perilously on top of his balding head, and it jiggled every time the man moved. The boy thought it was a wonder it didn’t fall off altogether. Behind them, his baby sister looked around with her wide, honey-toned eyes – eyes that mirrored those of her mother, who bounced her gently up and down on her hip.  She was scarcely a year old, but she already had a thick fuzz of bright red hair growing on her tiny head.  It was a lot redder than that of her eldest brother, who could not count the times his looks had been compared to those of his grandfather. The little girl caught his eye, and he pulled a face, which made her gurgle with delight.

Suddenly, the boy heard a commotion at the front of the melee. Intrigued, he scampered between the press of legs and clothes around him, taking care not to step on anyone’s feet. It was very disorienting, but eventually he jumped over the back end of a lady’s dress and found himself at the front of the line, where his father, his uncle and his aunt stood. A small group of strangers had gathered around, including two people that the boy remembered faintly – his father often had strangers visiting, and the boy had dim recollections that these two spoke strangely, and that the woman had told him stories about their land once, though he couldn’t remember them that well.  Everyone started as a man with wild fair hair flung his arms around his father’s neck, fat tears streaming down his face. His father laughed and hugged him back, while a pretty dark-skinned woman rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Of course I’m not dead, you blithering idiot!” his father said in Errion, ruffling the blond man’s hair and laughing fit to burst.

The blond man just hugged him harder. The boy could hear him crying into his father’s shoulder, though by the sound of it he was more happy than upset, which was very confusing. Why was he crying if there was nothing to cry about?

Noticing him looking, his father batted the fair man away and beckoned the boy over. The boy swallowed, but resisted the urge to hide behind his father as he looked up to meet the strangers’ eyes. His father shook his head and whispered to him very quietly in Skathan.

“~It’s alright Aelric,~” he said. “~These are the friends I’ve been telling you about.~”

Aelric nac Gwythryn Aeserion looked up at his father, and their identical dark eyes met. The boy paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked up to the fair haired man – who was wiping wet stains off his cheeks on his sleeve –  and extended a hand in greeting.

“Hello,” he said

THE END

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The Aeserion Trilogy: BOOK THREE

With his father dead, his clan distraught and his own body weak and wounded, Gwythryn's situation is more dire than ever. As Lliroi's shadow looms ever darker overhead, and Danail's betrayal burns at the heart of the clan, Gwythryn struggles to come to grips with his new responsibilities. Then, out of nowhere, a familiar face appears amidst the chaos, and suddenly the stakes are higher than ever. The fate of the clan is at stake, and it us up to Gwythryn to save them, or risk losing everything he has ever held dear.

Meanwhile, life is no easier for Kairin. A shocking new revelation forces him and his companions into desperate action. However, when the plan goes wrong, Kairin realises there is far more at stake than his own life.

Black clouds are gathering in the sky, and the rising storm threatens to bring two kingdoms to their knees ...

Note: All signs marked with "~" are spoken in Skathan.

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*SPOILERS!*
Additional note: In chapter 54 "Messages and Missions", we hear mention of a Vervellean contingent! These wonderful people can be found here in Elorithryn's "Phoenixes of Vervell" trilogy, beginning here in Sarah's Phoenix: http://www.protagonize.com/story/sarahs-phoenix

Continues here in Phoenix Rising: http://www.protagonize.com/story/phoenix-rising

And concludes in Phoenix Triumphant:
http://www.protagonize.com/story/phoenix-triumphant

And no, these two sets of characters don't get on ... not at all ...

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The story began here in "Warrior":
http://www.protagonize.com/story/warrior

And continued here in "Exile":
http://www.protagonize.com/story/exile

But it all ends here .... *cue scary dramatic music!*

updated Sep 5 '11 by SpookOfNight