Origin

by Samantha Smith

  “Well said, little one.”

  Elwyn heard the thought in her head as Toruk entered her mind to give her an evening status report. He was able to report that all was quiet in the area around Sylreth and that he and the other two drakenhawks would be ready to leave the next day, if that was their decision. He said that Raski, Morn, and Filn reached Findara and would be in position tomorrow to scout and to defend if necessary. Toruk then wished her a peaceful night’s sleep and left her mind.

  As much as Elwyn feared the intrusion into her mind that a life-bond would bring, she feared even more loss of the companionship she had come to cherish. If she chose not to life-bond, she knew that as soon as she was free from immediate danger, the drakenhawks would stop interacting with her. Their society normally frowned upon a male drakenhawk interacting with a female. Kierra had made many exceptions in her case due to the extraordinary circumstances, but that would probably cease as soon as it was determined that her life was no longer in jeopardy. And as for Kierra herself, she had been so gentle in her communications with her. She never demanded or intruded without asking permission. Elwyn wasn’t sure that she really wanted that connection to end.

  As if on cue, Kierra requested permission to communicate with her. Elwyn, eager to hear what she had to say, said yes.

  “I want you to know that even though Ayron, Lady Silvenna, and I believe that you should life-bond with a drakenhawk because it will help to ensure your safety, the decision whether to enter into a life-bond must be your choice alone. I would be honored, Elwyn, if you would choose to life-bond with me. Please know that my invitation to life-bond with you is not based on the danger to your life. I could have asked any female member of my drakenhawk clan to life-bond with you and they would have been willing.

  My main reason for inviting you to life-bond with me is because I feel that our futures will follow a similar path, both seeing to the needs of our people. Gemma chose to life-bond with you for much the same reason. We believe that in the future, our lives will intersect many times and in many ways.

  I also want you to know that I have come to love and respect you because of your strength, your loyalty, your honesty, and your compassion. Kierra then said that she was planning to fly out to meet them while they were traveling to Findara the next day. She wanted a chance to meet her, as well as to thank her in person for saving the life of her son, Keroc. Kierra then wished Elwyn a good-night and quietly withdrew from her mind.

  Elwyn lay on her bed thinking about the day. It had been full of ups and downs for all of them. She felt good about where they all were tonight though. Even her father was beginning the process of healing. She hoped that, as head of security for all of Findara, Ayron wasn’t spending his last night of rest worrying. She listened to the sounds of the village becoming quiet as it grew later. Slowly she felt her body relax as she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 44 – Ayron’s Challenge

  Ayron walked slowly back to his room. He was deep in thought, so deep in fact, that he didn’t even hear Keroc asking his permission to hunt. The little drakenhawk began to tap his ebony talons on the wooden floor, hoping to get Ayron’s attention. He finally gave up and flashed a picture in Ayron’s mind of his last good meal. The gory details of Keroc eating his kill pulled Ayron back to reality. He opened the large shuttered window in his room to let Keroc out to hunt. Keroc flew off, flashing Ayron pictures of the moon, the trees, and even a creek as he flew over them looking for a place to hunt.

  Ayron chuckled to himself at Keroc’s antics, but was a bit concerned because he realized that he had more to contend with than he could possibly do himself. There were so many things to juggle. He had to keep his troops well trained so that they were prepared, if they found they had to protect Silvendil. He had to send troops to patrol the borders and scout for problems that might need to be discussed with neighboring countries. He had to make sure that Rhys and Clayre made it safely to Silvendil; along with the soldiers he left to guard them. He’d committed to making sure that Alea had the opportunity to life-bond with Raffe, which would challenge the companionkeeper given their gender differences. He was trying to decide whether to assign Alea to Elwyn as her personal guard. He had to begin an investigation into the treachery that had been ongoing in Findara, perhaps from the time he was a young boy. He had to ensure the safety of both Azavon and Elwyn. He also needed to arrange for Elwyn to receive more weapon and hand-to-hand combat training, as well as receive the training normally given to those who life-bond with companions. And while it wasn’t actually his problem, the idea of renegade drakenhawks in Silvendil that might possibly be able to tap into the thoughts of the ones from Drakenreach, had many potential ramifications that could bring problems to his door. Ayron was sure that there were other things he hadn’t thought of that should be on his list, but the list of the things he’d already thought of was rather overwhelming.

  Of course, his top priority was to get Elwyn safely to Findara. He felt that they should leave sometime the next day, preferably in the late morning. It would take about four hours to reach the small meadow outside the manor house where Azavon would get to greet his daughter in privacy. Once he brought her back to the manor, the word would spread quickly. Dinner with the family could prove to be interesting. Normally members of the family and council that lived in the manor each ate in their own quarters, but Ayron had a feeling they would all show up for dinner tomorrow evening, curious to meet Elwyn as well as to learn how she was discovered.

  He was also feeling lots of compassion for Elwyn. That poor young woman had gone through so much over the past few weeks. Everything in her life was changing rapidly, and there was absolutely nothing that anyone could do to help or prevent those changes from occurring. He was very grateful to Kierra and her ability to calm those she interacted with. He was also grateful that Rhys and Clayre had done such a wonderful job raising Elwyn. She had proven to be strong and capable when the need arose, but compassionate and a loyal friend as well. He knew that Elwyn had no idea just how grateful he was to her for saving Keroc’s life and for how she patiently nursed his little companion back to health and kept him going, even when he couldn’t respond. He would be forever indebted to her for how she worked so hard to save Thane, staying with him until the end, and then burying him with honor. Ayron had no doubt that she would make a good ruler, when the time came.

  As Ayron lay quietly, trying to get to sleep, he thought about all of his soldiers in the barracks at Findara. He would need several extra guards to patrol the manor house as well as the area surrounding it. He planned to pick the soldiers that he trusted the most for this duty and have them report directly to him. At some point, while reviewing the soldiers under his command currently assigned to duty in Findara, he fell asleep.

  Ayron woke up the next morning to the noise of Keroc flapping his wings. He laughed as he realized that when Keroc’s wings were fully extended, they reached over half the breadth of his small room. He was struck by the incredible size and beauty of the drakenhawk’s wing span and also realized how much his own little drakenhawk had grown. Keroc gave him a little screech and warned him that he’d better hurry and dress or Elwyn would beat him down to the common room again. Keroc let him know that she was already awake and dressing. Ayron hurried through his morning preparation so that he could get downstairs before her and check the room out for any sign of danger. Keroc agreed and anxiously waited for Ayron to finish and take him to where the food was. Keroc knew that, even though he fed the night before that Ayron and Elwyn would both share their food with him; and he had developed a fondness for some of the “people food” they ate.

  Ayron watch as Elwyn descended the stairs into the common room. The head of every patron and servant in the inn turned in her direction, their mouths dropping open in amazement. She smiled as she saw Ayron and Keroc already at the table with a huge platter of food. The smile transformed her from beautiful to radiant. Ayron had to force himself to breathe as she walked across
the common room toward him. She was wearing the white tunic and leggings he bought her. The amethysts around the neckline made her large violet eyes appear deeper still. Her curly reddish gold hair tumbled down to her waist in loose curls. Elwyn hadn’t made any attempt to tame it this morning, or to pull it back. She was totally unaware of how stunning she was. Her elven features were strong, but still delicate, refining her human features rather than fighting against them. Until now, Ayron had not noticed how strong a resemblance she had to her mother. No wonder her image had brought Azavon to his knees. She also bore a resemblance to Lady Silvenna that was impossible to miss.

  “Good morning uncle. And how are you this fine day?”

  “I’m well, thanks. My goodness you look lovely today. That outfit certainly becomes you. You definitely have excellent taste in clothing.”

  “Good morning Keroc,” she said with a giggle. “Did you hunt well last evening?”

  Keroc bobbed his head in response. Ayron was glad that Keroc was showing some restraint and not flooding them with images of his kill. Maybe his little drakenhawk was maturing as well as growing. Keroc tilted his head and looked in his direction and nodded. The three of them ate breakfast in companionable silence. The large platter sitting on the table was filled to the brim with a variety of meats and vegetables roasted to perfection. There were also several types of baked breads sitting on pieces of linen. To top off the meal, there was a large bowl of apples and grapes.

  After they were finished, they spoke about their plans for the day. They agreed that it would be wise to try to reach Findara before it grew dark. Ayron told her that it would be about a four hour ride and asked her if she would like to walk around the town and look at the shops before they left.

  “Oh, I would be thrilled to do that. I’ve never seen a whole building dedicated to selling items that can be bought.”

  “Well, why don’t we go pack and take our things to the stable. I’m sure the Tomas the stablemaster will willingly watch them for a few hours.”

  The two of them quickly packed up their things and paid the innkeeper, who presented them with a lunch for their travels. Before they left, Ayron presented Elwyn with the new forest green cloak he had purchased for her the day before. Elwyn looked in amazement as she saw the embroidery on the cloak. On the left hand side, she saw a duplicate of the tooling from the cover of her mother’s diary. It was a black dragon clutching a golden crown on a background of red. On the right side she saw a black drakenhawk clutching a leafy branch in its jaws on a violet background. When Elwyn looked puzzled, Ayron explained that he had the tailor place the family crests of both her parents on the cloak. He felt that it symbolized that she was a daughter of two lands. Something inside of Elwyn reacted to his words. She stood up straighter as they left the inn and hurried over to the stable. Ayron wondered what was going on in her head, but knew that it was not the time to ask. As they entered the stable, Elwyn ran over to Gemma, gave her a big hug, and began to speak to her in a soft voice.

  Ayron made arrangements with Tomas, the stablemaster to watch their things while they walked through the marketplace. Ayron had a difficult time keeping him focused on their conversation. His attention was focused on Elwyn. Ayron had to admit, she was incredibly striking. Before they left the stable, Elwyn ran over to Raffe and gave him a big hug as well. She could tell that he was happy to see her and she knew that after they left, Gemma would fill the other two morden in on what she’d said.

  Elwyn left the stable with Ayron rather reluctantly. She’d missed seeing and spending time with the morden the day before. They’d become a major part of her life over the past few weeks, as well as being her true companions in travel, as well as in battle. Ayron assured her that they would be coming back in a few hours, and that she would have plenty of time to update them on the events of the past two days as they rode.

  As the two of them entered the market square, Elwyn admitted to being overwhelmed at the sheer size of it. The market place in her village of Tarlon consisted of a couple of three sided tents where the local villagers brought their goods to sell. Sylreth, on the other hand, had about thirty small buildings, each dedicated to a particular product. There was an herbalist with shelf after shelf of rare plants and mosses that Clayre would love. Elwyn and Ayron purchased a few rare ingredients for her to give to Clayre when they met again. There was also a tobacconist where they purchased some excellent tobacco to give to Rhys. There was a shop full of flowers, with many arranged in colorful decorations. The shopkeeper insisted upon placing a ring of small white flowers on her head. Ayron laughed and said that she looked just like a faire princess. They passed by several shops offering grains, meats and fresh produce. They did stop at the tailor’s shop so that Elwyn could thank him and his wife for her beautiful clothing. The couple was obviously taken aback by her appearance, and bowed deeply as she entered and left the shop.

  “Wow, I’ll have to take you with me when I go shopping more often. You made the shopkeepers so speechless that I’m not sure they would remember to argue when I offer less than they are asking.”

  “Oh uncle, please. This is the first time that they have seen me and I’m sure that every stranger in town gets a similar reaction.”

  Ayron didn’t argue with her, because he knew she had no idea the impact she was having upon the villagers. She was completely unaware that she was breathtakingly beautiful, moved with grace, and treated everyone kindly. He hoped that living as a princess in the manor house wouldn’t change her one bit. To him, she was perfect just the way she was; a beautiful young woman, a skilled fighter fiercely loyal to her companions, and a talented healer.

  They continued their walk, stopping to explore some of the other shops in the market square. They passed a fabric shop, a shop where scents were for sale, a shop where fish were sold, and a yard where livestock were offered for sale to and by the local farmers. They passed a large building that Ayron explained was for people who came from time to time to sell their goods, but didn’t own a shop of their own. Elwyn enjoyed entering the different shops, meeting the shopkeepers, and looking at the goods they had for sale. She loved looking through the fabric shop and spent time looking at the different materials that were for sale. She also loved the store where they sold different scents. The only scent Elwyn had ever known was the scent of her bath soap. Before they left the shop, Ayron insisted upon buying her some soaps scented with flowers and spices, some of the scented oils used to cause a fragrance to linger on her skin, and a few scented candles she could burn to make her room smell fresh and sweet. She let him know that Rhys would probably lecture him for spoiling her rotten.

  After walking the entire way around the square, he asked her if she was ready to resume their journey, and then laughed as she practically ran back to the stable. Tomas had the morden saddled and ready to go by the time they arrived. Within moments, Ayron and Elwyn left the village of Sylreth, eager to continue their journey to Findara. As much as she enjoyed her stay in the village, Elwyn was happy to be in the outdoors again. That was actually one concern she had about living in Findara with her father. She had always enjoyed being outdoors and wanted to continue to do so. She mentioned her apprehensions to Ayron who told her that, while things might be a bit difficult for her during the time they were investigating the conspiracy, her schedule and activities would be up to her. He also said that he was thinking of appointing a personal guard to her, like Thane had been who would see to her safety and also be a friend. He mentioned that he was thinking of Alea, who was currently in Amarni with her uncle and Clayre. He thought that the two of them would do well together.

  Elwyn didn’t respond to her uncle’s statement about Alea. She remembered, with considerable pain, how Thane died by taking an arrow meant for her. She also remembered how Thane spoke of Alea, his feelings for her, and how he hoped to share those feelings with her when they were reunited. She felt tremendous sadness about Thane’s death, Raffe’s intense grief, and Alea’s loss. She deci
ded she would just have to wait to see how things played out. Only time would tell if she and Alea were meant to have a relationship. Elwyn’s thoughtful reflections were interrupted as Keroc, bursting with pride, let Ayron and Elwyn both know that Toruk asked him to fly as part of his guard. That way there would be two drakenhawks scouting the woods on either side of the road before they passed. Drakenhawks had excellent vision, but they could also sense body heat which made them excellent scouts, even in thickly wooded terrain. Raffe nickered to Keroc as he flew off to join Toruk, and Elwyn had the feeling that the morden was cautioning him to be careful. Keroc still possessed a youthful exuberance that sometimes got him into trouble.

  Because they were anxious to reach Findara as soon as possible, Ayron and Elwyn decided not to stop for lunch, but to eat in their saddles while they rode. The innkeeper’s wife packed some meat sandwiches for them to eat for lunch, along with some fresh fruit for dessert. The food was excellent, but Elwyn had a lot of trouble enjoying her meal because she was on edge. She was happy that Ayron seemed lost in thought. It gave her some time to think.

  She knew that Ayron really doubted that they would be attacked again before they reached Findara but the hair on the back of Elwyn’s neck had been standing on end since they’d left Sylreth. She was still uncomfortable about the attack that took place at the little cabin on the lake. It amazed her that the attackers seemed to know right where they were; these attackers were men and elves and not Salissians who could have followed their scent. She was very bothered by the fact that they were still being attacked so close to Findara. It cemented in her mind the desperation, not only of King Stefan, but of someone in Findara itself. That fact was also supported by the makeup of the attackers. They were people from her father’s own land; poorly trained, poorly equipped, and most likely poorly paid. The men and elves at the cabin looked as if they would have agreed to the attack for just a few coins apiece. It was obvious tht her father had more problems than just the conspirators. From what Ayron told her, Silvendil was not a poor land where its people would be desperate enough to commit criminal acts for a few coins. She hoped that Ayron would investigate why this was so, and then speak with her father about rectifying the problem. Then there was the matter of the foreign drakenhawk; where did it come from, why wouldn’t it communicate with Toruk, and why was it with the enemy. Obviously there were many things in Silvendil going on that the ruling family was unaware of.