Aiolos chuckled softly at this and I smiled despite my embarrassment.
Moving a little closer to him, I leant against Aiolos and lay my head on his shoulder, and felt his arm wrap around me. Aiolos, in a brotherly way, pulled me closer so that my head slipped from his shoulder and nuzzled his neck as he lowered his chin, so it rested just above my forehead.
In that moment, as the sun rose in the sky and its brilliant rays shone upon everything in sight, I knew that barely a day after we met, Aiolos and I had developed a bond that could never be broken.
Instruction Begins
Later that day, having eaten a breakfast of fried eggs and pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, I was curled up in the library on a large, blue silver trimmed chair reading the second of six books I had picked out from various sections including History, Geography, Gemology, and Architecture, to learn more about the world I was from and had now returned to, which was titled Palaces of Elandrea: Their Date of Construction and Building Materials.
Sensing someone approaching, I cast my eyes upward to see Jaron heading towards me from across the vast library.
‘Your brother said I’d find you here.’ He was grinning as he sat himself down on the window-seat beside me.
‘Reading up on Elandrean architecture?’ he asked, scooting closer to read over my shoulder.
‘Indeed I am. Do you remember asking me yesterday to let you know about the materials used in the building of the palace whenever I found out?’
His eyes sparkling with excitement, Jaron nodded.
‘Well, the chapter I’m reading right now, “Ledoran, Rendor and Idanei”, says that all three palaces were built with crushed but large pieces of Sapphire, Alexandrite and Thraxin within the bricks, though there is more Thraxin in the palace of Ledoran. These precious stones are the reason Síosa Palace sparkles under the sun’s rays’ I told him, pointing at the illustrations pictured below the passage I had just been reading.
‘What’s… Thraxin?’ he asked, puzzled.
‘That was in the first book I read’ I replied, pointing at a brown leather-bound book, with Elandrean Gemology embossed into the cover in black lettering.
‘It’s a precious stone mined from caves beneath the land on which the three Avadorae kingdoms were built.’
‘Wow, you have a brilliant memory.’
I grinned, ‘I have a knack for retaining information, even after a long time.’
He laughed. ‘That must be have come in handy when you went through all those GC…SEs you told me about.’
‘You could say that’ I replied with a chuckle, marking the page I was reading, closing the book and placing it back on the pile on top of the round white table to my right before turning back to him.
‘There’s a reason you came to find me, what is it?’ I asked him gently.
Jaron’s eyes widened, ‘w-well, I um…King Thäro sent me to tell you to go and change so you can begin the training he discussed with you at breakfast.’
I frowned, ‘why did he not send one of the palace staff?’
‘Because I am going to be your archery instructor.’
Less than half an hour later I was wearing a white cotton shirt and black trousers, and brown, knee-high leather boots embossed with an elaborate pattern on either side of each boot; standing in front of a ten-metre target with a bow in my hand as Jaron demonstrated how to hold it properly and then nocked an arrow.
‘Before you let your arrow fly, you need to check that it is firmly nocked in and the arrow head is resting gently at the tip of your forefinger like so, then you pull back the bow string and…’
He let go of the bow string, and the arrow sailed through the air before embedding itself in the first ring from the Bull’s Eye.
‘Now, you try’ he said, stepping back to observe how I’d do.
Nocking an arrow to my bow, I steadied my arm and did as Jaron had shown me: letting the arrow fly and watching as it sailed through towards the target.
In a split second, the arrow-head pierced the Bull’s Eye, leaving me and Jaron blinking in surprise and shock at the target.
‘Whoa, nice shot! Have you ever taken lessons before?’ he exclaimed, gazing at me eagerly.
I shook my head, still staring at the target in shock ‘nope…beginner’s luck I guess.’
He chuckled, ‘gives us something to work with though. Take another shot, and see how many Bull’s Eyes you can hit, we have half an hour until your lesson with Kenton.’
***
Sword practice was taking considerably longer than archery had done, though I still can’t fathom out how I had managed to hit twenty Bull’s Eyes in the half an hour we had, and was considering several possible reasons - when Kenton pulled me back to the matter at hand with a ‘come on Oraelia, focus!’
‘Kenton, I can’t take anymore! We’ve been going for almost three hours. I’m exhausted’ I told him, beads of sweat coating my forehead and chest as I bent over my knees and panting as I got my breath back, before raising to my full height once more.
‘You’ve worked hard today, so you deserve a break. Let us rest’ he replied, taking me over to a white soft cushioned bench in the shade of a large oak tree, a table laden with a large silver jug of water, and two small goblets, in front of it.
‘Does your father have any more training planned for you today?’ he asked, pouring some water into my goblet.
‘I don’t think so. I asked Jaron before I left to come to you. He informed me I only had Archery and Sword practice today’ I replied, raising the goblet to my lips and sighing with pleasure as the cool water ran down my throat.
‘How about I take you on a horse-back tour around town? Or the forest which spreads out from the back of the palace, before dinner?’ he offered.
‘The forest sounds nice…but I haven’t been given my mount yet’ I answered after taking another, long gulp of water.
He grinned knowingly at me, ‘your parents have been rearing him since he was a colt until he was old, and strong enough, for you to ride.’
‘I have a stallion?’
‘You do, indeed.’ He stood, pulling me up gently by the arm.
‘Come on, there’s only two and a half hours until dinner’ he smiled, leading me back towards the palace and the stables opposite its left wall.
When we got to the stables Kenton went over to the last of four stalls set apart from the rest, which were painted a beautiful light shade of purple, while the others were a deep green. A few moments later, he reappeared leading a tall stallion whose coat was a gorgeous silvery white, shining brilliantly in the afternoon sunlight.
‘Oraelia, meet Perseus Kenton told me as he brought Perseus to a standstill in front of me.
Perseus nickered softly and lowered his head to get a better look at me, his deep brown eyes studying me until he took a step forward; butting his head gently against my chest.
I laughed and stroked him from the forehead down to his softly velvety nose, ‘I like you too, Perseus.’
‘You want me to groom and saddle him for you?’
‘No thank you, I’ve been horse riding every Saturday afternoon since I was eleven. I know what I’m doing’ I replied with a smile, looking sideways at him.
He smiled, pleased to hear it. ‘His grooming kit is in his stall on a shelf to the right when you go in, and the tack is in the large shed, just past the other stables.’ He sounded pleased that I knew what I was doing, before heading to the third green stall after the purple ones, to retrieve his own horse.
‘Are there any forests near your adoptive parents’ house, back in the human world?’ Kenton asked me as we passed through an apple orchard on the forest border, which had been planted at the same time the kingdom was built over a thousand years ago, or so he told me as we passed through the tall trees; I think he was just humouring me.
‘There’s the walk down to Tuddenham and the sheep fields - but that’s just a tree and bush lined path. To get to a forest you’d have to dr
ive about an hour and half, to get to Rendlesham. or Thetford’ I replied after a moment.
‘I see, are they big?’
‘Hmm – they’re not massive, but they aren’t small either.’
He chuckled, ‘I’ve never told anyone this, but I’ve always wanted to visit the forests of the human world after learning about them at school in Geography of the Human World’ he admitted as he and his pure black stallion, Raven, guided me and Perseus into the forest spreading out from Síosa’s “back-door”.
‘Will you take me to see the forests of Rendlesham, and Thetford...when you get the chance to go back and visit your human family?’ he asked hesitantly, the apples of his cheeks taking on a reddish hue as we passed into a particularly dense part of the forest.
‘Maybe’ I smiled, earning a smile from him in return.
Before Kenton could reply, the ring of the palace bell sounded faintly in the near distance; announcing dinner-time.
Kenton grinned, wheeling Raven around to face the palace once more. ‘Come on, race you back.’
A Request
As Kenton and I passed through the gates of the palace, and headed towards the stables, I spotted Harry sitting alone with his back against the old oak doors hugging his knees and looking rather lonely.
‘Harry? Why are you sitting there all on your own?’ I asked, sliding off Perseus' back and passing his reins to Kenton; walking towards him.
Upon hearing my voice, Harry looked up and it was then, as he raised his head, that I noticed the expression of pain and worry on his face as he leapt to his feet and sprinted down the wide marble steps; almost knocking me over as he slammed into me and wrapped his toned arms around me in a warm yet almost choking hug.
‘Don’t ever do that to me again!’ he whispered angrily as he buried his face in my neck and hugged me closer. ‘I couldn’t find you anywhere. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?’
‘Oh Harry. I’m so sorry, I should have come and spoken to you before we left; Kenton offered to give me a tour of the forest past the palace’s apple orchard on horse-back and we wanted to do it before dinner’ I replied, returning the hug with all the love and remorse I could muster.
‘You should be sorry; scaring me like that’ he admonished, pulling away and looking at me with those beautiful eyes of his.
‘Tell you what,’ I told him, taking his hands in mine ‘I’ll make it up to you tonight after dinner, or tomorrow. What do you say to that?’
‘Can you teach me how to use a bow and arrow?’ he asked.
‘What?’ I replied, surprised and confused at the same time by his request.
He smiled bashfully and scratched the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink. ‘I saw you training with Jaron from my bedroom window.’
‘B-but that was only my first time with a bow – a-and one arrow. Just because I got a Bull’s Eye on my first try, doesn’t mean I’ll get another one’ I protested.
‘You told me you’d make it up to me, and I want you to teach me archery.’
‘Why can’t I teach you how to ride a horse instead?’
He laughed and grinned at me. ‘All right I’ll make you a deal; after dinner, you get one shot at the target and if you hit the ring first from the centre you teach me horse-riding – but if you hit the Bull’s Eye you become my archery instructor. Either way, I know you’ll do a great job.’
I blushed beet-red and sucked in my lips as I looked away from his piercing gaze.
‘You don’t have to do anything to get me to teach you something, you should know that by now’ I mumbled, not looking back at him as I crossed my arms over my chest, and trying to resist the smile tugging at my lips.
‘That’s my girl!’ he exclaimed, grinning and fist-pumping the air.
I looked at him in surprise; he’s never used that phrase with me before...it felt nice.
‘All right! Chow time!’ he exclaimed, draping his arm over my shoulder and tugging me towards the palace, as he shot Kenton a look.
Is it just me, or was that the back off look that a boyfriend would throw at another guy he thinks is trying to take his girl?
Flirtations
At 7am on the dot the next morning, I woke Harry to begin his archery training. He changed into the clothes my father had laid out for him last night, and followed me out to the training grounds without complaint about how early in the day I had woken him.
‘That was great Harry, you’re improving!’ I exclaimed as his third arrow pierced the 10-metre target in front of him through the ring third from the edge. His first arrow had missed the target by a few inches, landing beside it, while the second had sailed passed the target completely and buried itself in a tree almost five meters away, and though it was a good shot it wasn’t quite what we were aiming for.
‘Do you want take a break, or try a few more?’ I asked him.
‘I’d like to try a few more...’ he replied, nocking another arrow – but instead of turning his attention back to the target, he looked over at me, ‘can you help me out?’
I swallowed my initial answer of “I don’t think two people can hold one bow at the same time” and nodded, trying hard not to show my embarrassment as I walked round to his other side.
‘So, what would you like help with?’ I asked, looking him straight in the eyes.
‘I have a steady arm, but I can’t seem to get my aim right.’
‘There are various things that are throwing your aim off, the arm holding your bow being one of them.’
He raised an amused eyebrow.
‘Oh? Why don’t you correct it then?’
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I took several steps closer until I was stood directly in front of him and, looking up at him, told him to relax his arm, ‘you don’t need to keep it so rigid; that’s part of the reason your aim isn’t right.’
Without a word, Harry relaxed his arm and stood motionless as I ran the fingers of my left hand delicately along his arm until they reached his hand, which is where I hesitated.
‘Something wrong?’
I shook my head, perhaps a little too quickly, and used both hands to adjust his so that his forefinger was up, straight, and steady. Moving round to his other side I lifted Harry’s elbow so that it was level with his shoulder, and not pointing towards the ground.
Now, I took a step back, and looked him over until my eyes noticed the positioning of his feet. ‘Sweetie move your body so that your right foot is pointing at the target, your left at me.’
He did as he was told and repositioned his feet as I walked a half-circle around him with my arms crossed over my chest.
‘You’re good to go Harry. Give it another shot - and this time keep both eyes open’ I warned, moving to stand behind him away from the arrow so I wouldn’t be in danger. He cocked his head, frowning innocently.
‘Yes, I caught you closing one eye your last few shots.’
He gave me a lopsided grin and then turned his attention to the target in front of him, pulled his hand back further until the knuckle of his pointer finger met the corner of his mouth, and then let his arrow fly.
It flew towards the target and embedded itself in the first blue ring from the centre.
Dropping his bow, Harry whooped in triumph and wrapped his arms around my waist. I squealed in surprise as he lifted me off the ground, laughing as he spun around a few times.
After a few minutes, he slowed down and set me gently on my feet; the two of us laughing and leaning against each other for support.
‘You are the best archery instructor ever’ Harry smiled after catching his breath.
I chortled, punching him affectionately on the chest, ‘I’m the only one you’ve ever had.’
His smile turned into a grin as he replied, ‘I know but…I wouldn’t want anyone else’ and gazed at me, his soft eyes glistening as he reached out to me; pulling a strand of hair away from my face and after a moment, tentatively caressed my cheek with his thumb.
‘So beautiful. Although I’ve never had the nerve to say it aloud before…I’ve always thought so’ he murmured.
I smiled in return, but just as I was about to answer him the clock mounted on the wall above us chimed 9 o’clock, meaning everyone would heading to the dining room for breakfast.
‘I guess we should head back in and join the others’ he murmured, letting his hand drop to his side and stepping away from me a little.
‘Yes, we-we should.’
He nodded, allowing me to go ahead of him as we headed back to the double doors through which we had come, and headed to breakfast.
The Grand Piano
Aiolos chuckled when he found me in the library with my nose in a book, two days after Harry’s archery training session. I was curled up on the same chair Jaron found me on the first day of my training, next to the window with a mug of tea sat on the table next to me beside a book of Elandrean fairy tales and legends, the different coloured sequins of its hand-stitched cover glittering in the sunlight pouring in through the tall windows.
‘Is this the only place you ever come to after meals, and during the day when you’re not training or teaching Harry archery? Wouldn’t you like to take a trip to the private beach, or visit the capital with Jaron, Kenton or myself?’
I smiled and marked my page in the book I was currently reading, Magical Creatures of Elandrea: Land and Sea, and held it in my lap as I raised my eyes to look at him.
‘There are so many books here about Elandrea’s history and that of its kingdoms, as well as their respective fairy tales, that I have yet to read.’
‘You have all the time in the world to read all these books. Leave reading to a rainy day and go outside, explore the palace; I’m sure there still a few parts of it you haven’t seen’ he replied and reached down, picking the book up of off my lap and tucking it under his arm.
Descendants of Erodis Page 6