A Wolf's Kiss

Chapter V - The Legend of Qēlos Dārys

How to pronounce the names:

Rhaenya Vaelralis = Ray-Nee-Yuh V-eye-l-ral-eess

Raelyx Vaelralis = Ray-lix (a lot simpler)

Naerella = Nigh-rel-uh

Qēlos Dārys = Quay-los Dar-is

Vhaera = V'uh-high-ruh

Rhaenya stood on the palace balcony overlooking the sea. It was a beautiful view, one that always sobered her no matter how many times she looked at it... but it was always quite an empty feeling. She would watch as merchant ships sail in and out of the shores of Vraehissya, she would watch the citizens below all moving about on their own business. Some stopped just to admire the grandeur of the palace, but she thought most of them had seen it so many times it wasn't really anything special to them anymore.

Sometimes, she felt like a god that high above the ground... but she wondered, did gods feel as lonely as she so often did.

"My lady, your bath is ready." Said her handmaiden Naerella, a slave girl from the shadow lands of Narhiso.

"Thank you, Naerella." Rhaenya said as she stepped away from the balcony.

Naerella had always known just how to prepare the bath. She knew all the scents and oils that Rhaenya liked, and knew exactly how much to put in. And she always did the most wonderful job of washing Rhaenya's hair, a task that always proved demanding.

Rhaenya loved Naerella, and she was possibly the only person in the world she could say that about. Rhaenya did not love her brother, in fact she hated him with all her heart. Naerella was kind, loyal, understanding, and in exchange for her friendship, Rhaenya had made sure the girl ate the best food, dressed in clothes just as fine as she did, and that no one ever laid a finger on her. And no one did, it had seemed Rhaenya was much better at protecting others than she was protecting herself.

Rhaenya disrobed, and entered the bath. It was hot that day, as it almost always was in Vraehissya, which is why Rhaenya usually took her baths in cold water. She much preferred it like that anyway.

The Narhisi slave girl immediately got to washing her hair, and Rhaenya shivered at the touch of her hands.

"I had that dream again..." Rhaenya said, closing her eyes and feeling Naerella's hands. "The one with the falling stars."

"Dreams are a sacred thing.." Naerella said as she labored. The Narhisi had all sorts of legends and superstitions, to Rhaenya they served as little more than entertaining fairy tales, but still she liked to think of them as somewhat real.

Narhiso was a country whose ways were largely unknown to outsiders. Even though the Vraehissyans and the Narhisi shared a continent, still very few went to the dark shadow lands. It was a country that had been founded and ruled by witches, and was now governed by a collection of religious cults. Rumors told Rhaenya that still, witches practiced their magic openly, and Naerella confirmed this. She had been trained as a girl in the ways of witchcraft, but never truly had the gift of magic.

Naerella had always told the best stories. Rhaenya loved hearing her tales of dragons, and ancient witches, and more than anything she loved hearing of the Aetherites. Naerella had told her that they were the most powerful race of magic users to ever walk the earth, and heroically battled against dark spirits everywhere they encountered them... but Rhaenya's brother, Raelyx, had told her very different stories...