“Once upon a time in the great kingdom of Essenia, a king and queen lived by the sea.” Dax paused and looked up from the book on his lap. A soft wool blanket lay on the ground before him, and lying atop that were two infants far too young to understand the words he read to them. Thea had her eyes on her father and her fingers wrapped around her brother’s hand. Tomas was oblivious to the restriction; he stared up at the branches above, fascinated by the movement of light and leaves.
The Tairen glanced back down at the book, suppressing a pang as he took in the elaborate illustration that ran up the left hand page, then began to read again. “The king and queen were be-benevolent rulers and their country flourished in their reign. Unbeknownst to them, the neighboring king envied their good fortune…” He read slowly, one callused finger keeping his eyes focused on his place in the text. Occasionally he had to stop to sound out a word or tend to the children.
In one such pause, a voice interrupted the quiet. “Katrie gave that to you, didn’t she?”
The Tairen slapped the book shut and twisted to face the speaker. Jaryd Kosari had paused at the edge of the clearing; now he nodded casual greeting. “May I?” The Asha’man didn’t wait for acceptance. He simply strolled forward until he could crouch next to the twins.
From somewhere in his various red clothing he produced a loop of brightly-colored cord. “The book, Dax. Did Katrie give it to you?” As he spoke, he laced the string between his fingers and began to pull and twist at it in a way that created an ever-changing pattern of loops and lines for the children to look at.
Dax muttered a curse. He tried to push the bloody thing away, and instead found himself running his fingers over the embellished cover. “Yes,” he said shortly. “A week before she cut my bond and disappeared, so I’d really rather not discuss the details.” Corinthea made a cooing sound as she reached for the Red’s game of cat’s cradle. Somehow, looking at her, his loss did not seem so terrible.
“She is safe,” Jaryd said without looking up from his game. “I don’t know why she left, Dax; we may never know. But I do know she is safe.”
“The earth could split asunder and swallow her alive and I would not bloody care,” the Gaidin growled. “Our baby-”
“-Is also safe.” Jaryd turned to sit on his bottom next to Tomas, facing Dax. “I give you my word: he is safe and will remain so.” Somehow it didn’t surprise the Tairen that his companion knew Katrie had been pregnant. It felt like the Red knew every other thing of consequence in Dax’s life, so why not that? He looked down at the book, searching for words. Jaryd got there first.
“Why did Katrie give you a book of children’s stories?”
“Perhaps she thought me a child,” he snapped. The Red lifted an admonishing eyebrow and Dax flushed. “If she stayed it would have made more sense,” he admitted, his words slow and carefully chosen. “She knew I wanted to read better, and we had a child on the way.” A child he would likely never meet….but Jaryd said he was safe. Him. It had been a boy. Light help me.
The Red nodded. “Perhaps it was that. However, in my experience there is more to such tales than meets the eye,” he said, “some grain of truth that helps the common folk who read them find hope. Perhaps there was more to her gift than you think.”
The Tairen snorted. “If she wanted me to know something, she would have just told me,” he said. “These stories are from Tear, the sort my mother told me before she passed. Silly stories about kings and queens who want children, and toads that burp gold for the benefit of spoiled girls. It was a gift, Asha’man. Nothing more.” Even he could tell he sounded defensive, but it was too late to take the words back now.
“If you say so.” The Altaran gave him one of those enigmatic smiles the Gaidin knew from experience meant ”And if you do say so, you’re an idiot.” “Keep reading, Dax.” And as quietly as he had arrived, Jaryd slipped the string in his pocket and ghosted away.
Dax stared after him in silence until Thea made a gurgling sound. Then he went back to reading. “...The wise woman, perceiving the queen’s distress, led her deep in the lower levels of their castle where none had been before. There at long last they found a red doorframe standing alone in a store room. ‘Go through and ask your questions of the creatures there,’ the wise woman told her, ‘I ask only your dagger in payment…’”
The Tairen glanced back down at the book, suppressing a pang as he took in the elaborate illustration that ran up the left hand page, then began to read again. “The king and queen were be-benevolent rulers and their country flourished in their reign. Unbeknownst to them, the neighboring king envied their good fortune…” He read slowly, one callused finger keeping his eyes focused on his place in the text. Occasionally he had to stop to sound out a word or tend to the children.
In one such pause, a voice interrupted the quiet. “Katrie gave that to you, didn’t she?”
The Tairen slapped the book shut and twisted to face the speaker. Jaryd Kosari had paused at the edge of the clearing; now he nodded casual greeting. “May I?” The Asha’man didn’t wait for acceptance. He simply strolled forward until he could crouch next to the twins.
From somewhere in his various red clothing he produced a loop of brightly-colored cord. “The book, Dax. Did Katrie give it to you?” As he spoke, he laced the string between his fingers and began to pull and twist at it in a way that created an ever-changing pattern of loops and lines for the children to look at.
Dax muttered a curse. He tried to push the bloody thing away, and instead found himself running his fingers over the embellished cover. “Yes,” he said shortly. “A week before she cut my bond and disappeared, so I’d really rather not discuss the details.” Corinthea made a cooing sound as she reached for the Red’s game of cat’s cradle. Somehow, looking at her, his loss did not seem so terrible.
“She is safe,” Jaryd said without looking up from his game. “I don’t know why she left, Dax; we may never know. But I do know she is safe.”
“The earth could split asunder and swallow her alive and I would not bloody care,” the Gaidin growled. “Our baby-”
“-Is also safe.” Jaryd turned to sit on his bottom next to Tomas, facing Dax. “I give you my word: he is safe and will remain so.” Somehow it didn’t surprise the Tairen that his companion knew Katrie had been pregnant. It felt like the Red knew every other thing of consequence in Dax’s life, so why not that? He looked down at the book, searching for words. Jaryd got there first.
“Why did Katrie give you a book of children’s stories?”
“Perhaps she thought me a child,” he snapped. The Red lifted an admonishing eyebrow and Dax flushed. “If she stayed it would have made more sense,” he admitted, his words slow and carefully chosen. “She knew I wanted to read better, and we had a child on the way.” A child he would likely never meet….but Jaryd said he was safe. Him. It had been a boy. Light help me.
The Red nodded. “Perhaps it was that. However, in my experience there is more to such tales than meets the eye,” he said, “some grain of truth that helps the common folk who read them find hope. Perhaps there was more to her gift than you think.”
The Tairen snorted. “If she wanted me to know something, she would have just told me,” he said. “These stories are from Tear, the sort my mother told me before she passed. Silly stories about kings and queens who want children, and toads that burp gold for the benefit of spoiled girls. It was a gift, Asha’man. Nothing more.” Even he could tell he sounded defensive, but it was too late to take the words back now.
“If you say so.” The Altaran gave him one of those enigmatic smiles the Gaidin knew from experience meant ”And if you do say so, you’re an idiot.” “Keep reading, Dax.” And as quietly as he had arrived, Jaryd slipped the string in his pocket and ghosted away.
Dax stared after him in silence until Thea made a gurgling sound. Then he went back to reading. “...The wise woman, perceiving the queen’s distress, led her deep in the lower levels of their castle where none had been before. There at long last they found a red doorframe standing alone in a store room. ‘Go through and ask your questions of the creatures there,’ the wise woman told her, ‘I ask only your dagger in payment…’”