The salt-heavy air of the Stormsea usually brought a sense of liberation to those leaving the iron-clad spires of Bastion, but for Revel Song, it felt like closing of a tomb.
She sat in the velvet-lined cabin of a private transport, her hands resting unmoving on her lap. Outside the reinforced glass, the sky was bruised purple, the kind of view the preceded a costal gale . At twenty one Revel was a "Normal"~ a term that carried quiet a weight in a world dominated by those who have conquered Nightmares. She possesed the porcelain grace of the Song lineage yet, she lacked the burning eternal sun of Soul Essence.
Opposite her sat Aedon Valor.
He was adjusting the cuff of his charcoal tunic his movements economical and devoid of any nervous energy . Aedon was a scion of the sword , a man whose reputation was build on cold efficiency of his border patrols in th Dream Realm . To the public, this union was a historical bridge , a " Mercy" granted by the Sovereigns to halt a decade of skirmishing over the Chained Isles . To the people in cabin it was a ledger entry .
The residence in the central quadrant is prepared , aedan said and his voice was pleasent ,cultured yet it carried the hollow resonance of a man speaking to a subordinate . my father has ensured the security is absolute
revel looked at him searching for a flicker or something resentment perhaps or even a shared sense of exhaustion there was nothing aedan eyes were like tempered stell they reflected the world but let nothing in
my mother expects a monthly correspondece revel replied softly she is particularly concerned about the coastal humidity she believes it thins the blood
Aedan offered a thin practiced smile . the queen of song has always been attentive to details i shall ensure the climate comtrol is calibrated to her specifications .
He sttod up then checking a chronometer on th wall the transport was begning it trascend inyo the the quit high end districh where they spend the rest of thre lives together it was a place of manicured gardens and silent halls far removed fro. the blood smoked ramarts of ravenhart or the clanging forges of bastion
I have duties at the local bastion starting ftom dawn aedan noted reaching for his cloak i trust you can manage the household staff my sister morgan expressed an interest in vusiting once we are settled she was always fond of the idea of quiet home
revel nodded watching him he wasnt a cruel cruelty requiered passion aedan valor was simply indefferent he was a wan man who lived for the sword and she was thw sheath he had been ordered to carry
the first two year of marriege was defined by rythimic polite distance
the estate sat on a cliffside overlookinga bay that remaind stubbornly blue even in winter it was a beautifulprisonaedan was rarely home when he was he was a ghost in hallwaysasilent present that smelled of ozone and cold metal they shared meals where the only sound was clink of silver against bone china and polite exchanges of logistic updates
it was during the third year the quiet changed for good
the birth of their son do not happe in a grand hospital but in the sunniest room of there estate when the child was finally placed in revel arms she didnt weep or offer prayers to the gods she simply laughed a tired breathless sound a and tuck a strand of damp hair behind her ear
he was a beautiful infant strinkingly so even for child of two divine lineages but it wast a beauty that intimidated he had a face that radiated a profound inner sense of peace
aedan stood at the foot of the door his arnir still dusty from weak long excrusion he looked at the child and for the first time in their marriage revel saw him hesitate he didnt rwach out totouch the boy he just stood there his shadow long and sharp against the nursery wall
he looks like you aedan whispered
he looks like himself revel countered her voice warm and hes going to be the most pleasent neighbour this district has ever seen look at those cheeks aedan how can you be grumpy around those
aeda didnt smile he looke out the window at the distant horizon of dream realm my father is already asking about him he wants to know if the boy carries the spark
tell him he carries a healthy appitiete and a very loud pair of lungs shifinting the baby so he coul see the light
by the third month the hollow museum lime quality of the house has begun to fade the silence was replaced by the soft ryth.ic crak of a rocking chair and the occasional aharp cry of a hungry infant
aedan remained a ghost appeari g only for a few days betwwen long stretches at the garrisonbut his presence in house has shifted he would often stand in the doorway of the nursery watching revel nurse or change the boy his expresson unreadble behind the disciplined mask if a soldier
one evning as the boy reache a tiny uncoordinated hand towards a filckring light of candle onthe nightstand aedan step foword and gently blew it out
the light is too harsh for his eyes he said it was simple observation but it was the first time he had interviwend in the boys world
he just likes the glow revel looked up at him he. curious about everything aedan
aedan didnt reaspond but he stayed in the room for nearly an hour sitting i. the corner shadows as revel hummed a low tune to help the boy drift off
the visits from the aunts became a regular part of the estate rythm by the fifth month morgan now sic year older than her infant nephew was a strangesightin nursery at nearly seven she was already showing the lean focused build of girl being raised for the blade her boots click sharply on the softwood before she caught herself trying to mimic the soft rolling gait revel used
morgan looked like a wolf club trying to navigate a parlor she sat on the edge of the sofa her gaze locked on the boy as he sat propelled on a pile of embroided cushoins
hes very small morgan obsereved ger voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper
he growingg everday revel said handling her a soft knitted rattle go on morga shake it for him he like the sound
morgan took the toy with both hand examing the craftmanship as if it were tactical man . her eyes were wide with a rae curosity she leaned in closer her finger twitching until she finally rrachec out to poke one of the boys small soft cheek
squishy she muttered a tiny genuine smile tugged at the corner of her mouth the boy responded by lazily batting at her hand the eyes tracking the movement of dark hair morgan didnt pull away she just sat there watching him with quite intensity
beastmaster visits brought a different energy she would arrive drom son territories. her presence heralded by the sudden vibrant singing of the local birds that seemed to follow her she would sit in the garden with revel sippong tea and watching the boy crawl clumsily around the grass
he has the song grace beastmaster remaked one afternoon watch the boy reach out to a butterfly with strange delibrate focus the way he tracks things it very patient for a baby
he just like the color revel insisted thought she felt a cold shiver of apprehension at how much the sovergins were already watching him hes apleasent boy siter let hime be that
ki song event sent a puppent once a silent graceful figure that remained near the craddle for a full ouir its wooden eyes fixed on the slepping infant it didnt speak but remaind there motionless in the quiet afternoon light
revel watched them all the warrier the indeffirient father the young aunt she saw the way they looked at the boy as if seasching for sign of spark or the sword she ignored it picking her son up and smoothing the hair back from his forehead
inside these wall her world was the smell of salt air the warmth of the sun on the porch and a quite weight of a child who was simply happy to be held