Aveera Nyaalie: 06 - Bare Emotions

Aveera Nyaalie appeared much older than her eleven years. Her sapphire, silk gown tapered to emphasize her slender waist and long legs. The floor length concoction brushed the tops of the ladylike heels that her twice great-grandmother Yasquire had brought her a few weeks previous from the Material Plane. The golden blonde tresses twirled and twined atop her head, the ringlets controlled and precise. Her typically lavender eyes were a hard violet. By her side, a somber Kaie Nyaalie wore a gown identical in cut and style. The only difference was that her gown was pure gold, an amber only a half-shade lighter than her eyes. Her dark locks were straight, hanging down to her waist. Her expression was as indifferent as her companion’s. When Brecbrennoch Nyaalie’s guards opened the doors of the massive receiving chamber to admit them, her granddaughter linked a thin arm through that of her best friend. Midnight and Midday entered the chamber side by side.

Nearly the entire sithen had gathered, though only the woman in the center and Kaie knew what was happening. No one looked directly at Eirienwyn, as the Queen’s edict had not been retracted. Supposedly, the beautiful Fae was not there. Brecbrennoch Nyaalie, Queen of the Sithen, was allowed to admire her many times great-granddaughter. No one else could acknowledge her. And, from the manner in which the duo walked past her, one might be convinced that the lady was simply a ghost.
Aveera’s gaze lightened as she looked upon her grandmother. Delicately, she curtsied before the throne. At her side, Kaie mirrored her precisely. The two girls walked with matched steps up to the regal Tuatha de Danaan. Leaning in at the same time, Aveera kissed the queen’s left cheek at the exact moment that Kaie kissed her right. Then, without preamble, both smoothly sat on the stairs directly before the throne at the feet of their ruler.

The gathered Tuatha de Danaan intermingled and whispered among themselves. The woman in the center, though, stared directly forward with composure. Her shoulders were straight, and she did not even breathe. Aveera listened half-heartedly to Kaie’s dialogue of those who had returned to the sithen from wandering and who had left to visit family elsewhere. Mostly, she was furtively observing the woman who had birthed her. So, when the stranger pulled a dagger and plunged it directly into her heart, Aveera could not stifle her gasp.

Unheeding of her own decree, Brecbrennoch rushed to where Eirienwyn had collapsed. From inches away, she knew that the weapon had been forged of iron. No healer could save the fae from the death wound. The queen motioned for Aveera to join her. Kneeling by her queen, she did not look at the body until ordered to do so. “See the woman who carried you in her womb. Look into her eyes and see the love she feels for you before it dies with her.”

When Aveera met the eyes of the lady, she saw regret and pain. She saw knowledge gained. She even saw love. However, Aveera’s eyes only held pity. The emotion was felt for a stranger, not for a mother. Brecbrennoch and Rena were the only mothers she knew. Bare moments passed before the pupils of Eirienwyn’s eyes dilated as her soul fled.

Aveera Nyaalie: 05 - "Time Flies"

“Ah-veer-ah!”

From her vantage point in a knee-high cul de sac, the eleven year old Aveera could look up at her pursuer without her pursuer spotting her. The dark clothing she wore blended well with the midnight marble that graced every wall, ceiling, and surface in the Nyaalie sithen even if her golden-blonde hair had to be covered. Kaie was also crouched at her side beneath the ledge and was watchful in case the hunter wizened up to her quarry. Neither girl spoke nor breathed, holding the air back though their lungs burned for oxygen. Luckily, the Tuatha de Danaan did not truly need to breathe. Now, if only all Fae had the gift for speaking mind-to-mind, Aveera would be able to ask someone why the tutors were screaming for them on their free day. By the Goddess, though, she knew they weren’t going to find her.

Once the searcher was beyond the corridor, Kaie flashed her sister of the soul a mischievous grin that fairly lit up the hall before grabbing her hand and slipping out of their hiding place. Without a word, the two girls broke into a barefoot run toward the next niche. So far, they had encountered four people looking for them in this section of the sithen. That meant dozens more were spread out and around their home. However, once they reached the Deserted Corridor they would be home free. Few people braved the spirits said to linger in the oldest part of the sithen, and even the Queen of the Nyaalie sithen could not order her people into the dark halls. Thus, less than a handful of people would dare to follow them there. And, over the years, they had successfully haunted the rooms enough to memorize the maze. Some of their most prized possessions were kept in a closet-sized room with blankets and reserves of food.

Suddenly, Kaie paused. A half-step later, Aveera also stopped. Looking behind them, before them, and to each side, the younger girl wondered why her best friend had paused. Then, the older Fae sighed. “We need to go to the throne room, now.” Aveera blinked, realizing that whatever had happened was important. Kaie never gave up the opportunity for a good hunt.

“Why?” Aveera’s lilac eyes gazed deep into Kaie’s amber ones. She knew when the golden orbs stared back that her friend had experienced a vision. “What is happening, Kaie?”

Kaie gripped the hand in hers more tightly, feeling every second of her extra three months of life, and began leading her back the way they had just run. “Our queen is in mourning. She wants her family near.” The air whistled slightly at the black-haired Fae’s exhalation. “Your mother Eirienwyn has returned from gan treabh to die.” Aveera nodded, accepting Kaie’s words as truth… except for one thing. Eirienwyn was not her mother.

Aveera Nyaalie: 04 - Dreaming

A startled scream awoke Aveera Nyaalie from a deep sleep. Until she opened her lavender eyes to see her cousin Kaie staring at her in shock, she did not realize that the shout had been ripped from her own throat. At six years old, Aveera still had not figured out how to control her reactions in the physical world to events in the Dream World. Luckily, her thrice-great grandmother and teacher assured her that she would learn soon enough. Until then, though, her roommate sometimes had a rude awakening. “You okay, ‘Veera?” her best friend in the whole sithen asked.

Rolling onto her side, Aveera wrapped her arms around her pillow. “I’m okay,” she whispered back. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was the casual shifting of the two girls as they tried to get comfortable. “I dreamt about [i]him[/i] again.” She sighed softly. Across the room, she heard Kaie rise. Within a minute, the edge of her bed dipped as her cousin joined her. “He is growing up faster than we are,” she admitted, somewhat sadly. Obviously, if he grew up too quickly, she would not have a chance to catch up.

Kaie laid her head on Aveera’s lap, allowing the younger girl—by three months—to run chubby fingers through her long, jet-black hair. “Is he? Will you tell me about the dream?” Kaie half-begged. She knew that Aveera would describe what she saw, because the duo had shared all of Aveera’s past dreams about the brownish-blonde headed little boy with the mischievous brown eyes. From the time when he had discovered the murdered bodies of his grandparents in the Welsh sithen to the birth of both his siblings, Kaie waiting impatiently for the little boy to enter Aveera’s dreams.

Of course, since Kaie was the prescient one, she often wondered why [i]she[/i] didn’t get to have the dreams. However, Maighoa told the girls that any number of reasons could have influenced it. For example, perhaps the little boy in Aveera’s dreams was long grown and was simply remembering his own childhood. Or, maybe, Aveera had a link to the child that Kaie did not. Still, in the end, Aveera shared the details with her. So, it was nearly as good as having the dreams herself.

Aveera’s gently worked the tangles from Kaie’s hair, absently fanning the mass out. “He is still skinny, just taller. One of his brothers was with him, too. He was playing in a large tree, like the one Aunt Siene said she saw on the Material Plane. Then, his brother changed to his alternate form… He’s a cat, like you. But, bigger… so he could climb the tree, too. When he got to the top, though, he couldn’t get down. So, being the big brother, he tried to help the cub down. When the cub pounced, though, he knocked him from the tree.” Kaie gasped, causing Aveera to nod. “The fall hurt him, but I woke up before I found out how bad.”

Aveera and Kaie lapsed back into silence as they considered the import of the dream. Finally, though, the two yawned their way back to drowsiness. Eventually, Aveera laid down so Kaie could snuggle up to her. Just before she fell asleep, she heard Kaie whisper, “I’m glad we don’t have little brothers that push us from trees.” Nodding her agreement, Aveera slipped back into dreams of war and death. When she woke, she wished that her dream friend had returned.