.: Tales From Aitéira :.

In the meantime, it became winter. The cold tried to grab hold of the castle, but the castle was well isolated. Some people outside asked if they could stay inside the castle, until the winter was over. Luckily, the castle had a few special big rooms for them, to let the people stay there.

And Aiyren turned 16, almost 17, when she went to her mother.

knock knock was the sound of the door when Aiyren knocked.

“Yes?” the voice of Sophen asked.

“It is me mother, can I come in?” Aiyren asked.

“Of course, come on in.” Aiyren closed the door behind her and sat down on a chair.

“Mother I need to ask you something that haunts around in my head for years now.”

Sophen laid down her knitting. “Okay, you can speak now.”

Aiyren did not know where to start. “I do not know who said it, but someone talked about the fact that I had a twin brother.. Why can’t I remember anything from it?”

Sophen sat still as a statue, until Aiyren standed up and gave her mother a hug.

A tear ran over Sophen’s cheek.

“Wha.. Mother..?” Her mother got up to search for a tissue.

Slowly she started talking. “Yes. You have indeed a twin brother. But if he would be dead, I would know it.” She sighed, and wiped away some new tears. “But luckily he’s alive.”

Aiyren listened carefully, and poured in some more tea.

“He disappeared when you were the age of two. You were crying for days for him not being there.” Sophen sighed again. “We searched all of Aitéira, even in Carandor, but never found him.” She sat down again, and took a drink of her tea.

“That was why I was so overprotected when you came back. That was when you were eight, do you remember?” she asked.

“just pieces..” Aiyren said calmly.

“I did not wanted to lose another child of mine, but your father said it would all be okay. And I believed him. He is as honest as a human or Aelven can be.”

Aiyren stared silent at the ground. “What was his name?”

Sophen stared for a moment out of the window. “Morfëa. For some reason I just knew that this name was his.” She walked a bit back and forth. “His name means; dark spirit. My suspicion for him being in Kor-Lá will always be. And one day, we will find him again.”

She walked to the chair and holds herself tight.

“Mother are you okay?” her daughter asked.

“Yes, I am okay. But I am going to lay down for a while.. I guess..” and Sophen disappeared in her bedroom.

Aiyren closed the door very silent, and walked to the kitchens.

Timoo sat at the table, holding hands with Bethina. Aiyren smiled and walked away to her room, and she went lay down on her bed.

“Goddess..” she whispered, en pulled the blankets over her body.

Aiyren someone whispered.

“Yes?” she said, but realised that it was telepathic contact.

yes? she repeated.

good, you’re responding. the voice said.

who are you? Aiyren asked.

my name is Pestral. And I got some valuable information for you. he said.

what kind of information?

important ones. he continued. meet me tomorrow at 12:00 precisly at the entrance of the great church. If you are not there, you will never find your brother.

Morfëa? How do you know about him!?

I know a lot. Tomorrow, twelve o’clock, at the big church.

I will be there.

And the contact was broken.

Aiyren woke up at the beginning of the morning, that next day. It was really early so Aiyren slept a bit more.

Around eleven she woke up, and went down to the kitchens to get her breakfast. She never ate her breakfast in the great dining hall, at least, not by herself. She always ate in one of the three kitchens, with Timoo, Bachah and Bethina.

But this morning was different. There was a sphere that she just could not place.

When it was almost noon, she sneaked outside the castle with her mother’s winter coat.

When she arrived at the church, she recognised Pestral immediately. While she never had seen him before, she could separate him from the rest of the people. He had a power around him. And above all, he had a deep brown cape with fur on the edges, and he had pulled his hood over his head.

Aiyren walked towards him, and looked at him.

“I assume that you are Pestral?” she asked with confidence.

“Yes” his voice sounded old, like the voice of Grandmother Charlotte, and great-grandmother Novelle.

“Come” and he beckoned her. Aiyren walked with him patiently. Pestral walked inside a small little tavern, and sat down at a table as far as possible in the corner.

Almost immediately there was a waiter coming towards them.

“What can I get for ya?” he held out his pen and little book to write it down.

“A glass cold beer in the greatest glass you have.” Pestral said immediately.

“One beer, okay. And what does the lady wants?” he looked at Aiyren.

“a big glass glü wine.” She said determined. It was winter in Aitéira and these could be very cold.

The man wrote the order down and walked away.

“You said you had information.” She said.

“Lady, when I say I have information for you, then I have it. And I will tell you it when the drinks are arrived.” He said calmly. Not long after that, the drinks were served.

“like I said” he started “I got news over your brother.”

“Yes I did understand that already. Continue” Aiyren replied.

“I can tell you three things. One; he is alive, and healthy as a fish. Second; he is indeed in Kor-Lá, where he has a lot of power now because, three; he is a student of my former master Maur.” And he took a sip of his drink. “Believe me when I say that it’s not a good sign. I was once a student of him, and you see what has become of me.”

He lowered his hood and she saw a big burn wound on his cheeks. His face was mangled, he had plums on his ears, like a Lynx has, and he had big yellow cat eyes, and he was bold. The rest of his face was humanlike.

“Looks weird ey? I got the burn wound when I defeated Maur for the first time in a duel. And what the scar on my jaw has to tell you, well I got that one from your great-grandfather Kayle.” He drank his beer up, and breathed normally again.

“And about Morfëa; he can not get away for the next three years. In three years you can save him from that monster Maur. Make sure you are strong enough when the moment comes.” He standed up, and lay down some money on the table for his drink.

“I will contact you when the moment is there. Good luck, and goodbye for now, Aiyren.” And he was gone.

Aiyren stayed for a moment, while she drank her warm drink. She lay down her money for her drink on the table and walked home again.