Bond Of The immortals

23: The Change [I Ahime-]

Thessalia was shocked when Ruven told her to go back home for a few days and talk to Ailwin and help him heal his wounds. She had been living in confusion, yet she wanted to help as much as she could. She was the Queen of the Light and her duty was to guide her people towards light and erase the darkness from the world. Lixiss as the Queen of Night, she stood behind her in the shadows of her light to protect the light from dying away. They walked together in the Bloodfire castle and were one as they discussed the plans with each other. After a month Thessalia left to visit her dear brother.

Ailwin was glad to see her again, yet he avoided her as much as possible. She spent her time with Orrian and his sister Elora. They had been friends for a long time. Thessalia had been alone when her parents had died, but only these two remained by her side. Even now they were by her side. "Elora, is he eating on time?" Thessalia asked as they walked down the corridor near Ailwin's rooms.

"Yes, but he sleeps after about a week or so." She replied and smiled at her brother who was shaking his head with a knowing look on his face. Thessalia smiled and patted lightly on her arm.

"Are you still looking for his attention?"

"No! I... I just..."

Thessalia laughed and put her arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. He will not abandon you. He is alone and will like to live like that, but he will never want to hurt anyone." Thessalia smiled and walked towards her brother's rooms. Elora and Orrian bowed, before turning around and leaving the corridors empty. Thessalia knocked trice before entering the room. She stopped dead as she saw Ailwin sitting on the edge of the bed with Rin in his arms and she was fast asleep. He looked up at her and gently laid the little girl down. And walked towards Thessalia.

"What brings you here?" He asked as he walked past her and locked the door.

"How is she?" Thessalia asked instead and moved towards the bed.

"She might look fine, yet she is not." He replied and moved away from the door. "She runs around and talks with other people and laugh, but deep inside she is broken. She cries every night in my arms and feels lonely. I don't know what to do." His heart was screaming but he didn't let his eyes tear. He looked at the moon, wanting to shout for his parents, to demand from them what they would have done. But he would never be able to do that.

Thessalia walked towards him and put her hand on his arm and turned him around. "What is it that you don't understand?" She asked, her tune unwavering.

"Where will she go if the war is upon us?" He replied and moved away from her touch.

"Send her to the nobles. To where Velana is." This idea had struck her when she came here two weeks ago.

"I don't trust the nobles." He said flatly.

"Why not?" Thessalia looked at him as he sat by the fireplace on a chair. She wanted to help him relax and become who he was when he was twenty. But it was in the past, past that was long since gone.

"Thessalia, come here." He called and pointed at the chair in front of him. Instead, she silently walked towards her brother and sat by his side on the floor, her dress spread around her. "You know that we were betrayed by Kegin when we lived on this island."

"Yes." She whispered as he waited for her answer.

"I was betrayed once when I was twenty. But that was not what changed me. After six centuries when Master vanished and Eldham was at war, I was betrayed again. Not by the ones I had left behind, but by the Nobles. They betrayed me and my Master. They worked with Kegin and brought war to Eldham just to take away the Nobilis and rule over Leran Entheas. But they were kicked out of there." He felt doubted in his judgment, yet he couldn't send Rin to that island all alone. Thessalia put her hands on his and squeezed them.