A civil war rages in Talestor. A boy from a forest chases after his friend, leaving the safety of the trees and thrusting himself into a world he can barely comprehend, happening upon a weary sword whose only wish is for peace. A group of slaves are...
Nevay was really worrying Celestar. The moment they got out onto the open river and out of bowshot, he laid down, curled up, and went back to sleep.
He'd slept the night in the cave through, and the day's travel, and now he was sleeping again.
Maybe Nevay was sick, his mind supplied. Maybe Kaia has an idea.
Wow, head. You're actually being helpful for once? Apparently miracles could happen, after all.
After once last glance at the sleeping Nevay, Celestar walked over to Kaia at the helm of the barge. She seemed happier than before, sitting down and staring ahead with the faintest smile on her face. Her dark blue hair whipped around her face with the wind.
"Hey there, Celestar," she greeted him. "We'll be there in a few hours. Probably by sundown tomorrow."
"We'll have to hide the boat," said Celestar. "We can't dock at the city."
Kaia hummed in agreement. "You let me worry about that," she said. "And besides, that's not for a while yet."
Celestar nodded, then said, "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"It's Nevay," began Celestar. "Notice how much he's been sleeping?"
Kaia frowned. "Yes, actually," she said. "He's eating as much as I am, and given he's about my size, that should be enough for him. But he seems unwell in some other way."
"That's what I was thinking," said Celestar. "Do you have any idea what it is, Kaia?"
She thought about it for a moment. "Maybe it's because of his Wentarion," she said.
Celestar blinked. "I don't understand."
Kaia bit her lip, then attempted to explain. "It's like this. Some kinds of people are physically weakened when they're worried about the people they care for. I haven't been the same since Lore was taken. The cold gets to me more, and moving is harder. I'll be better when I know he's safe. Maybe Nevay's been worried about Wentarion for a long time. This sort of thing eats away at you, gets worse as it goes on."
"That would make sense," said Celestar. He heaved a sigh. "We have to find them."
"Yes," agreed Kaia. "We have to. And we will."
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Author's Note: Welcome back to Aer'denna, m'bros! *fedora tip*
I know this feels like trivia. At this point in time, it is. But this kind of thing's going to be a major component of the story later on, so I thought I'd better introduce it early.
Anyways, tell me what you think! I love to hear your feedback, and everything you say is taken into consideration.
Unless you're just being outright mean, in which case I will cheerfully stab a metaphorical spit through you and roast you over the metaphorical fire. (I say this because one of my friends recently got flamed on their story, and it was not pretty nor helpful in the slightest. Seriously. If you don't have something nice to say, do not say it!)
Sorry about that less-than-cheerful note, you guys. I just wanted to make it clear that non-constructive criticism is solely the business of whatever harmful soul that holds it, and should not be shared among polite people. Cheers!
