35th of Autumn, 480 AV.
It had been two weeks. Two weeks since the flash of light and then the sensation of falling, followed by a splash and warm, salty water. Two weeks since she had wept for hours under the silver rays of Leth, lamenting over her loss. Two weeks since he had found her. The vantha astronomer with the jet black hair and rainbow eyes. Balthazar Avidenith, who through a profound hatred of his forename, insisted on using his surname in it's place, resulting in several dozen variations. Nyea called him Avid.
He was a caring, intellectual man with a great love of the sky and it's wonders; first and foremost were the stars. He had given her the temporary name Itzel "Star of the Aurora Sky". She never liked the name. Yes it had a beautiful meaning which was also relevant to her situation, but it sounded horrific, which resulted in her shortening it to "Itzi" for all of the three days she had to answer to it. After that Leth saw fit to grant her mercy; Avid found a suitable name. Nyea Delaisse; The Forsaken One. She loved it, but she never asked it's meaning, assuming it was something elegant and flowery like that of Itzel.
After that he began his role as father and mentor to the newborn Ethaefal; teaching her how to speak with the fluency expected of a young woman, to read and write and all the manners and courtesies she would need to live the life he thought she would. Although Nyea exhibited vast intelligence and a terrific memory, she was incredibly shy and lacked common sense. In that way, she possessed the mind of a young girl; intelligent, optimistic but oblivious to the dangers of the world. So he had decided to teach her about something that would not destroy her positive outlook, but would encourage her to come out of her shell once in a while. Something he felt she would have as much of a passion for as he did, given her origins. The stars.
Which left Nyea lying on the blue velvet couch in Avid's study, her dress flowing down to the wood-paneled floor in a billowing stream of silver-violet. She blinked slowly, dark lashes kissing before parting to bare large silver eyes to the room around her. Her moonlight gaze flitted from one end of the room to the other, studying the carvings on the wall in an effort to dispel her boredom. Her hair was the pale gold of the fall moon, it fell down past her shoulder and across her chest in a tangle of waves, thin braids scattered throughout the mass of liquid sunlight strands.
She drummed her fingers against the fabric of the sofa, the other hand holding up her head. The heavy velvet of her dress drew attention to the curves of her body, the colour highlighting the opalescent sheen of her skin. But that wasn't the most mesmerising point of her appearance, no, that which drew the gazes of all who glimpsed her in the hours of night was the pair of glassy horns that flowed from her temples around her head, forming what looked like a crown of living glass. They changed colour with the seasons, and in autumn the horns were that same banana tinted cream found on the edges of yellow rose petals. They gave her beauty that sense of being alien, not of this world, but of another.
To any who would glanced at her, she could have passed for a lounging princess waiting to be entertained. Which was true, minus the princess part. She twisted her neck to look up through the glass roof and felt her arm cramp. She winced, letting out a sharp gasp. Nyea straightened, stretching out her arm to ward off the slight pain.
She stood, clucked her tongue and sunk to the floor, her dress pooling around her in a puddle of soft silvery velvet. She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. She sighed, reaching up to push a stray lock of liquid gold behind her ear, then leaned back, resting her head on the seat of the sofa, gazing up through the glass at the night sky. |
|
