Asazin watched as Coral walked next to Kallen. They made an odd pair of friends but they got along well. Toph and Soph sat under the nearest shade-tree and held hands, Soph had her head on Toph's shoulder. Thanat sat near the pond, she was nearly mute and spent most of her time with Nolan, teaching him how to concentrate well enough to pull off the spell of water purification.
Since she had visited Cold-coal more often, the girl had shown signs of waking from her coma. Though the fact that Kallen was in the room more than not might have something to do with it. She had fallen in love at first sight.
Nolan was avoiding her. He found more than enough excuses to stay at the arena or to practice with the mute Thanat. She knew it was selfish to try and stop something that was good for Thanat. He needed room. A new father that had thought both the mother and child was dead needed room. It was only natural. She understood why he avoided her. He had thought she would have told him. She had betrayed his trust.
Castias had started walking and was tugging on her skirts.
"Yes lovely boy?" she asked. Her son was beautiful. His hair was the color of snow and as thick as a pine tree in full bloom. It hung just above his ears.
He answered in a array of movements and coos. Pointing towards his father he tugged on her skirts again. She understood immediately. The boy wanted his father. She mustered what will she had left and picked her son up.
"Nolan, Castias wanted to spend sometime with you." she said as she sat Castias down next to his father. Nolan looked up and handed the boy a small lavender sprig. Castias cooed and smiled. A spark formed between the boy and the sprig. Lavender fell from the fragile sprig as it floated of the round above Asazin's head.
Thanat stood and backed up to the very edge of the pond. She made a small yelping sound and ran up the garden into the palace, leaving everyone staring after her and at Castias. Castias clapped his hands and pouted when the sprig of wood fell to the ground, causing lavender blossoms to coat his hair.
"How did he do that Asazin?" Nolan said. His eyes were clouded, most never saw an emotionally open Nolan. He was raised to be a perfect lord.
Asazin simply shook her head and picked up their son. Carrying him inside she left behind the pond. A cloud covered the summer sun, everyone followed her lead. No one wanted to be outside now.
Thanat dropped to her floor.
It's impossible. Castias should not be able to do that kind of magic, no matter how simple. He had no sign of magical gifts. None what-so-ever. How could he have done that.
How?
Think Thanat, what could explain the immense power signatures coming from the child near the pond. Nothing. That's what. Nothing could explain it. He isn't human.
You know what to do. Call her. She will help. But she is dangerous. How did she even know that vision. No don't call her. Call the Tree Child. He will help.
Thanat looked up as Gran Muma walked into her rooms. A sad look glazed over her eyes.
"Don't do it child."
"I must."
"Why?" the old woman hung her gray hair and bowed her head in silent solemn. She would never know why. Thanat would never tell her why. This she would take to her grave. This she could take to her grave.
Kallen leaned against a tree in the middle of the palace courtyard. It was called the Royal Birch. She had seen only a single servant around here and wondered about it. This was also the way Thanat had ran, and had disappeared. Her tight gray dress felt like an empty shell against the warmth of the old tree against her back. Usually she would be by Cold-coal's side. Today was different.
"Did you mother never tell you that leaning against someone else's door was rude?" a servant girl said. Her hair, in fact everything about her, down to her shoes, except for her skin, which was a light honey, was a deep sable color. Her hair was in a simple bun on top of her head. Her dress was seemingly loose and was tied around her waist with a sable belt. Her lips were full and a smile flickered on them.
"What do you mean?"
"I thought it was public knowledge now. You're leaning against Princess Thanat's doorway. She lives inside the Royal Birch. And, I need to get in please move out of the way." the servant said. She must be Thanat's maid, Sable, named for her eyes which had been sable since birth.
Kallen moved aside as a door opened to her left and Thanat walked out of the birch. Thanat seemed weaker than before and nearly fell after walking across the threshold. Kallen caught her and helped her walk towards her bed. Thanat sat there gratefully and accepted the Chamomile tea Sable handed to her.
"Thanat, you seemed troubled when you left the gardens. Is something on your mind?" Kallen asked.
"No."It was the first time Kallen had heard her voice. It sounded like soft beats of snow on a small bell as it rung in the wind. Like the silent beating of an owl's wings. "I am fine. Thank you for checking up on me."
"You're welcome. Though I think you're family might be a little worried about you. I'll make sure to tell them you're fine. Goodbye."
"Won't you have some tea with us first, miss?" Sable asked. She had already poured two more cups of tea and was picking out different tea leaves.
"I'm not sure," she said hesitating. Nolan was expecting her for tea in his quarters and her brother wasn't exactly known for being merciful towards his younger sisters. She still had the bruises from the last time he had beaten her, nearly two weeks ago, "Nolan is expecting me for tea."
"You're afraid of him. Why?" Thanat startled her with the question.
"I am not afraid of him. He is my brother." Kallen replied. Her dark hair fell in front of her face. Thanat knew the lie before it even passed her teeth.
"Does he beat you?" she asked. Sable stopped and put the tea leaves down on the counter.
"Yes."
"Sable was beaten before becoming my maid. As you know, she is really my Aunt. An illegitimate child of the former Empress by a Murasakian. Her elder brothers were very forceful with the fact that their shared mother's blood could do nothing to protect her. Why do you think he beats you?"
"He was sad and drunk. He thought his love was dead. He thought I didn't care that our sister was dead and that our niece was gone, probably dead. I would never say what he wanted me too when he asked about if they could still be alive. He hated the fact that I wasn't like my twin. That I was still able to go on with my job when everything I had ever known and loved had been burned below my feet. He hated me. When my sister and I were born he had agreed that one of us had to be sent away. He picked Fallen over me. He said that she had looked more like his father and no one would think that we weren't his children." she looked away from Thanat as tears streamed down her face. This child was about to become her niece. Why could she tell her these things? Why could she say to this girl what she couldn't say, even to herself?
"Do you hate him?"
"What?"
"Do you hate him?" Sable's voice was soft. Hardly more than a whisper.
"No he is my brother. I will love him even if he kills me. No one should hate their brother, even if he beats them, or is a monster." she said. Her life was miserable. The only reason Nolan beats her was that he didn't understand why she was still alive, why she didn't die with her sister. Why she didn't die and left him all alone in the world, with no one to care why he had jumped off the roof or the bridge or hung himself.
"What type of tea do you want? We have Jasmine and Oak."
"Oak please. It's my favorite."
Sable smiled and continued to swirl the tea leaves around in the pot. Everyone laughed as she said a joke. All bad things were forgotten.
April-dust watched as the three girls laughed. Their happy eyes were unmarred by the truths of age or the effects of war. They were all wiser than their ages. They had seen more in their young ages than most elders.
Kallen had watched as her friends and family had been burned alive, she had watched as the men she thoughts of as fathers and brothers were slaughtered. Sable had seen deaths and sicknesses left behind when loved ones died, when people had tried to kill her she still made an effort to smile, to put sadness behind. And Thanat, she had seen more than anyone should. She had seen what had happened far ago in other lands and times. She had seen what would become of this peaceful world in future times, when everyone hated their family and mistrusted their friendships and themselves.
Sable, the Barren Tree, to live and care for others but never have children. Kallen, the Lover of Fire, to love and be hurt over and over but still love. Thanat, The One Tree Singer, to see the future of all people and friends, to hold on to relationships even when she sees their ends.. They were all brought together by destiny and their friendship had blossomed overnight. They brought tears to her eyes.
She turned and walked down the back staircase. She would rather not go out the back door like an unwanted thief, but she didn't want to bother the children either.
She walked out of the palace grounds and into the common area of Center City. She would speak to Thanat another day. Hopefully she would be able to make Thanat change her mind before she did something rash.
.
Nolan didn't know how to handle it. He didn't understand why he needed to avoid Asazin. Their son was happy. He grew like a tree overnight, gaining an inch each day. His hair was so thick, it felt as if your hand was trapped in it.
Kallen hadn't showed for tea and he was upset with her. He knew that she had friends and would be with them. Somehow he felt himself blaming her for Asazin not telling him about Castias before she had left. Try as he might he couldn't push that thought away. Asazin's alcoholic elder brother Connor proved to be no company at all.
Nolan had been standing on his deck for hours it seemed before Connor had got up to tell him someone was at his door before leaving. Nolan knew it could be either Asazin or her daughter Thanat.
Walking across his somewhat bare room he opened the door to find that it was neither. Instead of Asazin or Thanat it was Toph, Asazin's eldest son. He was dressed in a gold knight tunic and wore worn leggings. His hair was in disarray. "Why have you come to visit me?" Nolan asked as Toph squeezed his way under the arm blocking the entrance. He noticed as Toph sat down that the boy was holding his hand to his chest.
"Help me, please." Toph said as his eyelids flickered shut. It seemed to take all the energy the boy had to open them before sinking farther into the chair. "Nolan, help... m... me."
Toph's hand fell from his chest covered in blood. Nolan felt his eyes widen. A stab wound the size of his spread fist from fingertip to wrist sliced the boy's chest. It was more than a finger length deep and was almost a hair width away from his lungs. Grabbing a towel he pushed it upon the wound and called for a servant.
"Sir! You called?" a servant boy said as he ran into the room.
"Hurry now boy! Go get a healer. Prince Toph has been attacked." as Nolan screamed the orders he used the slight healing gift he had to try and stop the bleeding, but it kept coming, the blade had been spelled so that no matter what the prince would be dead. If it was closed he would bleed inside until he died, or he would die from the wound spreading to his heart. Either way, Toph would bleed to death.
Asazin ran into the room and stopped halfway to the chair.
"What happened?" she asked. Her long hair was loose as if she had been awakened by the cry of the servants as they heard the sad news of an attempt on their prince's life. She wore a simple shift of pink cotton.
"I do not know. I had been about to go to sleep when Toph walked in. All he did was to ask for my help. Then he just collapsed." Nolan said, he felt a tear drip down his face,but couldn't whip it off. His hands were covered in blood seeping through the towel. Asazin bent down and took her son's cold, limp, hand in hers before reaching out and wiping the tears from his cheek. He looked her fully in the eyes before dropping his gaze to her son's face.
Toph's face was framed by light brown hair that fell around his closed eyes and on to his cranberry lips. A single strand of hair was caught in the drying blood trickling down from his temples. He looked so delicate, an innocent sleeping. His small face seemed so sad, hurt glistened in the tears that were locked below his eye lids.
Asazin took a wet cloth and wiped the blood from her son's pale face. A tenderness was formed in those gentle motions that he had never seen before. Love, that was what that tenderness was. He had never experienced motherly love. His mother had been hard as stone, she had hated him, beaten him. Fallen and Kallen had been the perfect excuse, he could get rid of his mother and still keep a sister. He had wanted to keep Kallen, but father had said no. To find it here would be so much to ask.
He looked towards the doorway. Soph was pushing her way through the crowd of servants and trying hard to keep from crying. A single tear dropped on the floor. She didn't bother to wipe at the tears flooding down her cheeks. She paused before taking Toph's other hand, her pretty little face spoke of betrayal.
---
Toph stood. He was in a dark room, surrounded by ruined furniture. He righted a table and noticed an object standing out in the dark. Two small dolls, a golden link chain bracelet, and a jade necklace lay as if they had been stored to protect them. He knew these items. The dolls belong to Thanat and Castias, the golden link chain bracelet to Coral's son Giyl, he had made it for him. The necklace was Soph's, he had bought that for her on their thirteenth birthday. He had gotten Thanat a rose quartz one, the pale pink of those stones were her favorite color. He found Thanat's in a separate corner, blood and ashes spattered all over it.
He fought against the awareness in his mind. This could only be a dream. He knew that none of this was real. Running outside he stopped. Everything was burnt. The palace lay in ruins on the forest floor. No longer was it high above the world in the tops of the trees. He screamed with agony and lost everything. Nothing lived here anymore, no trees grew. He curled into a ball and sobbed. His tears were silent, stifled by a pile of ashes and his own body.
----