Dawn Comes

Dawn came for Queensbreak. The sun began its normal rise over the city, and despite the warnings of the Equinox, everyone was unscathed. 

Aelin stood atop a tall tower, watching as the first golden rays of dawn touched the city, bathing it in warm light. It made her feel peaceful, these moments between night and day. 

Hoof steps clattered on the stairs behind her, and she turned to see Synnove appear in the doorway.

"Thought I would find you up here," Synnove said, with a slight smile. 

"It is peaceful," Aelin admitted. 

She had been lost in thought for many hours, watching the stars above fade, and the rising colors of the dawn appear. She had used her magic yesterday, used it for a purpose. Something that felt good, felt right. It was as if it had opened a well within her, where the fluid magic bubbled, waiting for its next use. 

That was the most concerning part. Aelin was a young mystic, and while she had played with Haukea when she was a foal, she had never touched her magic. The Icy Region deity had never pushed, either. Perhaps that was for the best. Her growing years had been spent wandering the Icy Region, engaging in harmless play, but never getting too close to anyone.

That uncertainty in herself welled again, and Aelin turned away from Synnove. But the mare was observant. 

"I know how you feel," Synnove admitted.

"Oh?" Aelin said, a bit noncommittally. 

"I was not born a Quirlicorn. I was reborn one," Synnove said softly. "I have not yet had time to get used to this body, nor the magic held within it."

"It must be strange," Aelin offered. "Do you remember your past life?" 

Synnove smiled, a sad smile, and her gaze seemed somewhere else, somewhere beyond the horizon.

"I had many adventures in that life," Synnove said. "But I am blessed by the Sisters to have come to a place where I have friends."

"The Sisters?" Aelin questioned.

"They were the Deities of my world," Synnove explained. "The Eldest sister, the Queen, and her younger twin sisters, the Huntress and the Witch. When the Eldest was born, she was born with immense power. The Huntress was gifted in the ways of the wild and wood, and the Witch was gifted in the ways of mana and arcana. The Queen was gifted in too many ways to count. 

"One day, the Witch was taken by a greedy man who wished to break her spirit and use her magic for his own, for she was immensely powerful. The Huntress used her power to track down her sister, and upon rescuing her, it was discovered the man who had taken her was a noble. Rescuing the Witch brought war to their lands, and the Queen, seeing the strife that was caused by such powers, took their loyal followers and left that world."

"So the entire kingdom disappeared?" Aelin gasped, fully enthralled in the story. 

"Only the ones who remained loyal," Synnove replied. "The Queen cast about until she found the perfect space, and created a new Realm for them, creating the world where I came from. She and her sisters ruled for many years, until it was time for them to move on. They took their places among the stars, the Witch and the Huntress chasing each other across the skies every year, and the Queen watching over all. Certain times of year their constellations were most visible, and it was considered lucky to be born upon those days, and that the foals born then would exhibit traits of the goddess they were born beneath." 

"Who were you born under?" Aelin asked, out of curiosity.

"I was born under the Queen. As the firstborn princess of my line, it was a very fortuitous event. The celebrations went on for days."

Aelin gaped at Synnove. The worldview was so different from her own that she could barely fathom it. Such a strange way to live to exist.

"What happened then?" 

Synnove sighed, her eyes clouding over. "I was a spoiled princess. I wanted for nothing, and wanted nothing to do with my people. My younger sister was more ambitious than I. She used a foul spell to knock me out, and stuffed me on a boat. When I woke up, I was in a strange land I had never heard of." 

Aelin gasped at that.

"I wandered for a while, then eventually met a mare there, Cyrenne. She was a lot darker then, freshly leaving the Witches of the Wood. She ran a small magic and enchantment shop, and she took me in. She taught me the things about life that I hadn't realized as a princess, and helped me learn how to live as a normal equine. She took in Eisling a year after I arrived, and helped raise her as well." 

"Eisling, as in the mare who found me Eisling?" Aelin asked.

"The very same."

Aelin looked behind her, to find Khaalida approaching. She had been so enthralled in the story that she hadn't noticed the Queen. 

"And Cyrenne was the same mare who raised me, and helped me handle my magic when I was young. I think it would be good for you to meet her. She isn't as powerful as she once was, but she has so much knowledge that I'm sure she could help you," Khaalida explained.

Aelin marveled at how all their lives connected. "And now you are all here," Aelin mused. 

Khaalida smiled and nodded. "I actually came to find you for a reason," Khaalida added, and Aelin noticed her cat familiar on her back, using her forepaws to keep a small creature steady. As the cat shifted slightly, Aelin gaped.

"Is that a fairy?" Aelin gasped. 

"Indeed," Khaalida said. "She is injured, but we do not know where or how best to help her. I figured with your magic, you might be able to speak to her."

Aelin moved closer, and looked at the little fairy. They were pale, but Aelin wasn't sure if that was normal or not. 

"Hello there," Aelin said, her voice automatically switching to the language of faeries. "What can we do to help you?"

The little faerie's eyes opened, and met Aelin's gaze. "My wing," it, no, she, croaked out. "My wing is broken." 

Aelin relayed the information to Khaalida, who frowned. "Will our magic work on her?" Khaalida asked, and Aelin relayed the question.

"It will heal on its own. But it will need a splint to heal properly," the fairy explained. 

Khaalida nodded at the information, "We have healers who can assist. Aelin, would you join us to translate?"

Aelin nodded, and followed Khaalida down the tower to where the healers were. She stayed with the fairy the entire time, and even past that, when Khaalida left. 

"What is your name?" the fairy asked, looking better than she had before. 

"My name is Aelin," Aelin replied. "What's yours?" 

"It's long and complicated. But the translation in your language means Dawn," the fairy said. 

Aelin smiled. "Elantaire means dawn as well," Aelin mused.

"Oh, I like that better than Dawn!" 

Aelin grinned. "Tomorrow I will be exploring the city with my new friends. Would you like to join me?" 

Elantaire sighed. "I can't keep up without my wings," she admitted.

"You could rest upon my back," Aelin offered, and Elantaire smiled. 

 

"This is the main square, where any time we have a festival we gather," Khaalida was explaining. 

Aelin followed behind, Elantaire sitting on her head between her ears. Synnove and Sadira had joined them, since they were also new to Espeor and hadn't gotten a chance to explore. 

"At the end of the week vendors set up stalls here as well, selling their wares," Khaalida added. "Soon, once Yule arrives, the square will be covered in twinkling lights and soft music plays. It really is quite beautiful." 

Aelin could smell food from the shops down to her right, and glittering jewels and vibrant colored silks to the left. The street on the other side of the fountain led to more shops, selling more things than Aelin could have ever imagined. 

"This is a good place," Elantaire said. 

"How do you mean?" Aelin replied, talking softly as to not interrupt Khaalida's explanations of certain shops. 

"The energy here feels good," Elantaire replied, and Aelin hummed her agreement. 

 

"Get that rabid thing!" 

The peace of their walk was interrupted as a strange looking, thin creature came barreling through the streets. It looked like a wolf but not any Aelin had ever seen. She quickly scrambled back, careful not to disturb Elantaire too much as she did. 

"What is going on?" Aelin asked, but before anyone answered Synnove had leapt into the center of the street, facing off with the skinny wolf creature. 

The wolf, for Aelin had realized it was indeed a wolf, a young and scrawny one, skidded to a stop in front of Synnove. 

The two stared at each other for many moments, and Aelin realized she was watching something happen. 

"Get this wolf some food, they are not rabid, only starving," Synnove said, her voice laced with an air of authority that nearly had Aelin jumping to do her bidding. 

"Interesting," Sadira murmured from beside Aelin. Aelin watched as the stallion who had been chasing the wolf looked between Synnove, who was standing quite like a queen, to Khaalida, the actual queen. Aelin relaxed slightly as Khaalida gave her nod of approval.

"What's interesting?" Aelin asked, now that some of the tension had left her body and the stallion was doing as he was bid to.

"I believe Synnove just found herself a familiar," Sadira said. 

"You can tell these things?" Aelin gaped. 

"I may not have the magic I once had, but that sixth sense lingers," Sadira explained. "Synnove chose to see more than a beast, and the wolf chose to see more than a potential snack." 

"Is this how it always happens?" Aelin said, surprised. But it was also tinged with sadness. From everything that Aelin had read, Mystics did not form a familiar bond. Their magic was too wild, and had the potential to overcome a familiar. 

"Not all the time. Sometimes it happens after long times spent together. Sometimes it never quite happens," Sadira explained. "I have read much on how this world works, and have found that the magic is not always as it seems." 

"Hunh," Aelin mused. "That's for certain. New Mystics were not born until recently, from what I understand. And there have been talks of magic acting strangely, and the zombie business..." 

Aelin watched as the stallion returned, offering a hunk of deer to the wolf, who bit into it ravenously while Synnove stood watch. Khaalida said something, too soft for Aelin to hear.  She then approached Aelin and Sadira, with a soft yet bemused smile on her face. 

"I think Skygge was quite startled by her tone of voice," Khaalida joked, and Aelin smiled. 

"It must be strange, to no longer be Queen," Sadira agreed. 

"How is our little friend holding up?" Khaalida asked. 

Aelin grinned. "Her name is Elantaire. And she is doing well! Her wing is feeling better, and she is enjoying the vibe of your city," Aelin explained. "The splint is helping the wing heal properly, which is really good. She should be able to fly soon!" 

Khaalida smiled, and Aelin noticed a cat come trotting down the street to sit upon Khaalida's back. 

"Is that your familiar?" Aelin asked. 

"Yes, this is Cat," Khaalida said, and Aelin tilted her head. "It did not feel like I should choose a name for her," Khaalida explained.

"Do you have a name?" Aelin asked Cat, in the language of felines. 

"I am Cat, as my master says. I do not need any other name than what she gives me," Cat replied. 

Khaalida raised an eyebrow. 

"She likes being Cat, because it is what you named her," Aelin explained, and Khaalida laughed. 

"That is good to know!" Khaalida exclaimed. "I had always worried she was missing out on a proper name." 

Sadira smiled, the gems woven in the dreamcatcher strung between her antlers glittering in the light. "I feel that I, too, will find my familiar soon." 

"Dreams?" Khaalida asked. 

"Just a feeling," Sadira said, with a secret smile.

Aelin was a bit confused, but decided to just roll with it. 

"Are they your family as well as friends?" 

Aelin flicked her ears slightly at Elantaire's question.

"They are good Quirlicorns," Aelin answered. "But I have only recently met them."  

"Your bond is growing stronger," Elantaire commented, and Aelin smiled slightly. 

"I hope so," Aelin admitted. "I really like them."

Synnove returned then, with the wolf trotting at her heels, looking a lot better after its meal. 

"This is Rigel," Synnove said, a soft smile on her face. The wolf gave a lopsided grin, looking a bit sleepy after his meal.

"Nice to meet you, Rigel," Aelin said, in the language of wolves. 

"Oh, you too!" Rigel said, sitting up straighter, surprised to be talked to in his own language. "I'm very happy to have found my companion!" 

"I'm glad," Aelin replied, then looked to the others. "He is happy to meet you all, and more importantly, to have found Synnove," Aelin translated. 

Khaalida smiled. "I am happy to hear that. Would he like to join our tour?" 

Aelin translated, and at Rigel's happy agreeance, they set off again.

 

There were so many streets, so many shops, that Aelin knew one tour was not going to give her an idea of much more than the main square. She knew she would be asking for directions for weeks to come, if they allowed her to stay that long. They stopped for lunch, which was a happy affair filled with chatter and joy. Conversation flowed easily, and Aelin found herself reconsidering Elantaire's question. Was this what it felt like to be part of a family?

Aelin didn't know her mother or father, and her earliest memories were of playing with Haukea as a foal. But as she grew older, she found herself traveling a lot more. Now, at the tender age of three years, she found herself farther from her homeland than ever before... and yet feeling more at home.

 

The tour lasted long into the evening, and then a dinner was held in Khaalida's manor. Aelin thought it was more of a castle, but who was she to judge? 

Eisling and her wolf stood close with Synnove and her newly discovered wolf familiar, the two wolves cautiously getting to know each other. Khaalida's Cat was curled up with a Russian Blue cat, and Khaalida was talking quietly with a deep blue stallion who had been introduced as Aurelion. Sadira was talking with Melione, the Mountains Mystic, and Aelin sat by herself, observing. Well, all most by herself. 

"What are you thinking about?" Elantaire asked.

Aelin shrugged slightly. "How strange, that they come from different worlds, yet all managed to find their way here, together," Aelin said. "I never much believed in fate or destiny but...." 

Elantaire hummed slightly. Aelin looked over the Fairy, who was indeed looking much better. Her skin had returned to a blue hue, and her delicate wing was bound, the other fluttering almost thoughtlessly. She sat on the table in front of Aelin, nibbling food and watching the others as well.

"It does seem like they were all brought here for a reason," Elantaire admitted. "Perhaps we all were."

"How so?" Aelin asked. 

"Was it mere chance that I broke my wing so close to a place that would be safe? Mere chance that you were here, who could understand me? Mere chance that Synnove was there right when Rigel was being chased? It seems more than chance to me," Elantaire explained. 

Aelin thought over the words. "You think we are all meant to be here?" 

"Yes, for one reason or another. I know Khaalida is a deity, but I don't think Fate is done with her or her bloodline yet. And I think a gathering of so many transported souls... it might not be only our worlds Fate driving them all."

Aelin took those words in silence, considering. "Will you stay, once your wing is healed? See how the events play out?"

"If you would have me," Elantaire replied.

Aelin looked at the fairy in surprise. "What do you mean?" 

"I wish to become your Guardian," Elantaire said, with a soft smile.

"Why?" 

"Because I feel it is right." 

 

Dawn came for Queensbreak, as it had the day before. Aelin stood atop one of the highest towers, her Guardian sitting between her ears. Peace settled within her. It was a new dawn, a new day. And quite possibly, a new adventure.