Aeryn walked out of Academy Clothes for Youth quite confident and calm. Her anger with Alyssa had subsided a little, and her footsteps had become lighter. She wandered if skipping to the city walls will be a good idea, but considering the fact that she was almost fully grown, she decided that won't look very acceptable. She settled on walking faster, than usual, and after about ten or so minutes, Aeryn reached the city walls.
The walls had always been a special place to Aeryn, particularly because of the view it supported. Though there were rumors that high lords of the government have beautiful towers and mansions with beautiful views of the sea, mountains, and the forest, Aeryn was not envious of those homes. She was content with the fact that she can just enjoy the beauty of the sea, and thugh it would definitely delight her greatly if one is going to present her a home like that, Aeryn did not thought it necessary in her life.
The sea was always beautiful, especially with the clear sky, and Aeryn sighed to herself as a cool breeze enveloped her. If there were such moments that one remember to the end of his or her life, this is certainly a scene Aeryn was going to remember. Absorbed with the boats going by, Aeryn almost lost sight of a dragon landing near the port.
"Oh, a dragon!" Aeryn exclaimed quietly. Dragons, animals that only live naturally in the Mythic Isles, were something Aeryn could never afford. Dragons were creatures that are bonded with riders, and it took a lot of time and money to train the couple. Riders began training when they graduate feom the academy and reach adulthood. Elves, mAfter training, they would carry messages for the military, information, or fight at battle. Dragons were almost immortal, meaning that they can die when they are slew. They were wonderful creatures, but training them required a lot of magic. For Aeryn, having a dragon was a dream that was just too far away.
"What are you doing here?" Aeryn jumped as the voice of Erdaes woke her up from her gazing. "Erdaes, you surprised me! What are you here for, to play a joke?" Aeryn replied. "No, not at all. I just came here to see if everything is all right. It's a part of my routine, you see."
"Well, is surprising me also a part of your routine, my prince?"
"No! I just did that for fun. I though you liked it. Didn't you?" Erdaes asked. Aeryn scanned her friend, decided that he was being playful, and smiled at him.
"So, why is this your daily routine? The emperor isn't even here. He's at Ishterrarium, our capital," said Aeryn. She was really curious, why Erdaes was at the walls when he didn't have to.
"Oh. Uh, well, my father told me to do it," Erdaes answered.
Ah, yes. Erdaes's father was Emperor Teriol, the Cold. His icy personality and ruthless attitude towards goblins had helped a lot in the safety of the empire, but it did not stop there. He always expected the best out of everything, even from his son.
"Isn't it tired, Erdaes?" Aeryn asked, "I can, you know, go with you. If you don't mind, that is."
Erdaes's face brightened up. "Oh, that'd be great! We have to just round up that corner. You can see the commander's mansion from there!" By the commander's mansion, Erdaes was meaning Ecthelir's home, Aeryn realized. Ecthelir's tower, the Diesuss Tower, was great in height, size, and luxury. Those who visited it said that it almost feels like another palace in a city. Aeryn had never went to that section of Paredhel, since it was the place of the military, so this was going to be her first time. As they walked around the city walls, Aeryn could not hide her smile.
"Do you know that the commander has three brothers?" Erdaes asked Aeryn as they neared the Military Center. "She did? She never told me. The only thing I know is that she is not an elf, nor a laelenyn or a laelonyn," Aeryn answered with surprise. Laelenyn and laelonyns were god-like beings, laelenyns more powerful than the latter. They were immortal and had powerful magic, but Ecthelir was not one of them, nor an elf, who also had immortal lifespans. That was one of the most curious things about the Diescuss family. Ecthelir did not reveal a lot about the Diescusses, so many things were a mystery.
"She has three brothers. Don't expect a lot from me because I know very few of what they do. Their names are Erytos, Ergalis, and Eryen Diescuss. Erytos is a author, Ergalis is a leader of a great mercenary, and Eryen's occupation is a musician and an artist. They are said to be beautiful, but very few saw their true faces, since they always wear a mask when they have nothing to do. Oh, they are less powerful than their older sister, as it looks like."
"But I did not see any masked people while I was living at this city. Could they be at the Istherrarium?" a surprised Aeryn asked. She had been always curious about her mentor's family, but Ecthelir refused to speak about them to her students, saying talks like that are meaningless. Aeryn sometimes thought that since Ecthelir had lived long, there is something youths do not understand.
"Of course you can't see them. They don't live here. They don't have a permanent home. They are wanders in the wilderland."
"The wilderland? But what for? They can enjoy a good life here."
"I don't know the reason. I just know they do," said Erdaes. Erdaes had read this at the imperial library when he was young. He had been absorbed by Ecthelir's accomplishments and had fascinated him. As he read on, he discovered an extremely short interview of Ecthelir revealing her siblings' existence.
Their conversation moved from topic to topic, sometimes about dragons, other times sports, and academy homeworks. Just as Aeryn and Erdaes turned the corner, an enormous mansion appeared before them.
Elfin mansions were more like a collection of towers and buildings, bigger and more beautiful than those men, which were mostly rectengular. Anyone who saw a properly built mansion of a lord or lady were certain to gawk at the size, but Ecthelir's mansion was undescribable.
The mansion had intricate designs decorating every corner and a big size, but the most appealing factor was its grandness. Every tower had beautiful windows and spacy rooms with a balcony that one can see the sun rise and fall. The views it provided were certain to be awesome, and the fact that it belonged to the most secretive family in the empire also triggered Aeryn's attention.
"It's grand, isn't it? But this is not the main mansion. The one at Ishterrarium has tall towers and turret that go above the trees! Imagine that! And the one at Corlis has staircases that entwine with trees. The whole mansion is bbuilt on top of trees! Isn't it beautiful?" Erdaes asked. Aeryn could only nod. There were times when she thought that she can live ina house like that, but now she knew that dream was never going to be true.
As they descended, Erdaes reminded Aeryn of something she might have forgotten if not for him. "By the way, Aeryn, we have to go to the academy this afternoon. Orphon told me that he is going to go with Alyssa, so how about we meet up at the tree arch near the entrance?"
So Alyssa had waken up. Aeryn sighed to herself inside her mind, but replied to Erdaes with a smile. "Yeah, okay! I'll go eat lunch!" As Aeryn ran to her dorm, she felt that she was going to fly with the normal daily joy blooming inside her.