#kyda

The sun was already down when they saw the lights of a village up ahead. The prospect of finally spending the night under a proper roof and not on the ground, huddled behind some shabby rock, brought tired smiles to the faces of two friends.

– Are you sure they would let us in so easily? – asked Kyda with deliberately excessive concern.

– I’m going to haunt their village for all eternity if they don’t and as a result I die of broken heart, despairing at the humanity’s loss of compassion towards fellow people! – Ellian exclaimed with a dramatic flourish of his hand, and grinned impishly immediately after. – Don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of outdoor camping for this week. No harm in trying!

He spurred his horse onwards, and Kyda followed suit, hiding a smile in the corners of his mouth. Knowing Ellian for such a long time, he wouldn’t put it past him to actually fulfill that threat and become a restless spirit haunting his offenders. Still, their food supplies were running low, and hunter’s luck wasn’t on their side these past few days, so a stop somewhere populated was needed, and better sooner than later.

Sure enough, they were greeted by the guards patrolling the outskirts of the settlement, and after a short (but succinct and heartfelt) explanation were allowed to spend the night in an empty shed near the stream that marked the village border. The guards took their horses to the village stable as a precaution, and warned that the guests would be taken to the clan leader first thing in the morning. The shed was small and had only several piles of hay and some pelts inside, but that was more than enough for the exhausted travelers.

The next day, as promised, the guards took them to the clan matriarch, where Ellian went through the usual routine of explaining who they were and what the purpose of their journey was. The clan leader Irya, a woman of great age and even greater wisdom, was understanding of their situation and allowed them to stay in the village, but they were expected to provide something in exchange for the hospitality – such was the law that governed the grassland communities. The friends had some money and valuables on them when leaving the city, but as it turned out, the grasslanders preferred to be repaid in deeds.

Kyda overheard some men talking about the hunt that day, so he volunteered to help the hunters, and Ellian, confident in his cooking skills, offered to help the women prepare something special for the occasion from the spoils they would bring back. His proposition was met with a fair amount of doubt, though, and he was set on clearing that once and for all.

Kyda did look reliable, but the village hunters still wanted to test his strength, because no matter how impressive he looked, he was still a stranger, and none of them wanted to risk their lives blindly trusting him.

– I just hope they don’t ask you to shoot the wings off a fly while doing a backflip blindfolded, – said Ellian when Kyda came up to him to leave his belongings for the duration of a trial battle. The combatants were required to fight shirtless, wielding only one weapon of their choice. Kyda chose a spear, as did his opponent.

– Ugh, don’t remind me, – Kyda rolled his eyes, remembering that one village which followed utterly ridiculous rules and didn’t even leave them a chance to get anything. – These guys seem sane enough.

– Alright, off you go then, – Ellian gave him an encouraging slap on the back. – Good luck!

Kyda grinned and stepped out into the clearing already surrounded by the spectators. He made his way to the center where his opponent, a brown-scaled and scarred warrior, was waiting. Kyda twirled the spear in his hands and took a battle stance, noting whispers around as he did – he was using the style that was common among the city soldiers, so his stance always triggered such reactions.

Meanwhile Ellian didn’t seem interested in the fight at all. He was instead observing the crowd – apparently, more than half the village had gathered there – taking notice of the individuals who could make potentially interesting talk partners. For example, that girl with an eye-patch and a falcon perched on her shoulder – Ellian had yet to encounter a village that used birds for hunt, and this was a great chance to learn more about falconry. He had just made a mental note to come up to her later, when another woman standing next to the girl noticed him looking at her companion. The dark-haired white-scaled maiden shot him such a glare that it sent a shiver down his spine. He tried his best to keep calm, gave her the friendliest smile he could manage at the moment, and promptly switched his attention to some other part of the audience. There was another girl in the front row, with dark red scales and matching hair, she was watching the fight with keen interest, pointing at the combatants and saying something to the serious-looking young man standing beside her with his arms crossed. The two looked very alike, and Ellian thought that they must be siblings.

Apparently, Kyda noticed that keen attention pointed at him, and performed an especially flashy move that caught his opponent off guard and brought him to the ground, where Kyda pinned him down, the tip of his spear hovering mere millimetres from his opponent’s throat. The battle ended.

– Show-off, – Ellian snorted, while the crowd around cheered and clapped. Now Kyda was guaranteed a place among the clan warriors in today’s hunt.

They left about an hour later, after discussing the details and strategy. Ellian heard that they wouldn’t be back until late afternoon, so he had plenty of time to walk around the village trying his best not to look suspicious while asking about this and that. He wanted to check out the aviary, but decided against it after giving it some thought and remembering that obviously dangerous lady with white scales. He dropped by the stables instead to make sure that their horses were properly fed and tended to, and spent some time discussing the breeds used in the grasslands with the horsekeeper.

After that he took a stroll along the “main street” of the village, noticing a bunch of kids playing in the open. They were cautious of him at first, but a couple of simple tricks with the disappearing coin proved enough to soften their attitude, and the candy that he brought from the city was met with pure glee. In return Ellian asked the children to tell him about the games they liked to play, and was generously allowed to join them for a round of “Be my shadow” (he lost spectacularly).

His next stop was on the banks of a stream where several of the clan’s women were finishing up the laundry. He helped them carry the baskets of clothes back to the village, and was rewarded with a nice tasty red apple for that. Promising the ladies he’d come back for the evening feast preparations, Ellian continued his tour about the village, enjoying the juicy crunchiness of the fruit.

With the apple eventually gone and most of the village observed, he had only one place of interest left unvisited – the aviary. Having mustered enough courage, Ellian braced himself for the inevitable confrontation, but hardly had he started (rather reluctantly) in the direction of the aviary, when a sudden commotion at the edge of the village made him stop in his tracks. As it turned out, the hunters had returned, bringing with them two huge wild boars and a dozen wild geese. The spoils were swiftly taken to the kitchen, and almost half the clan set out to prepare for the festivities, while the hunters went to wash themselves and get some rest, though not after receiving their share of praise and gratitude. Kyda was practically beaming with joy, and Ellian could hardly remember the last time he had seen his friend so content.

While Ellian was busy showing off his skills in the kitchen (even going as far as starting a friendly contest with the head chef) Kyda was more than happy to teach the village warriors some of his favourite battle moves (which earned him more than a couple of curious glances from the passing girls). The preparations for the feast were in full swing, and the air was filled with cheerful anticipation.

At last, the tables had been set, the food was ready, and everyone gathered around the large fire to partake of what the spirits blessed them with today. Kyda and the hunters were retelling the events of the hunt, playing out the most thrilling moments for the utmost enjoyment of the audience. Ellyan was watching them, sipping his drink and actually enjoying that special kind of tiredness that you get after completing something that yielded a very satisfying result.

Eventually Kyda returned to their seat, grinning from ear to ear, and plopped down beside Ellian. He started to say something, but noticed the unusual quietness around. The festive clamour died down, and two young dragons rose up from their seats to come closer to the fire. These were the siblings whom Ellian noticed in the crowd during the trial fight. Now he knew their names – Vygo and Indrys – and that they were not just siblings, but twins. They took each other by the hands and started singing. Ellian didn’t understand the words, but the melody seemed familiar, as if he had already heard it before somewhere.

– Hey, isn’t this song… – he turned to Kyda and stopped mid-sentence: his friend was staring wide-eyed at the singing twins as if transfixed, fumbling for the belt pouch where he kept his flute.

That was the moment when everything clicked. Ellian remembered where he had heard this song before, and Kyda’s reaction made perfect sense – because for him that song was much more than just familiar.

Kyda’s hands were shaking when he brought the flute to his lips.

A third voice joined the resounding duo – a wordless one, coming from a simple wooden flute. The twins faltered for the tiniest second, but didn’t stop. Instead, they slightly shifted the tone, as if embracing the melody and at the same time riding on its gentle waves.

The song ended, and several moments of silence were followed by solemn applause. Worried, Ellian glanced at Kyda, who was sitting very still, his face blank, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

– Hey!

Ellian turned to the sound and saw Vygo stomping angrily towards them, Indrys right behind him, ready to stop her brother from doing something he would regret later.

– This is the song of our clan! How come you- – he stopped short, taken aback by the sight of Kyda’s tear-streaked face. – What the-?

Kyda blinked, as if just woken up, and rubbed at his eyes hastily.

– I-I’m… - he tried to take a steadying breath, but it sounded more like a broken sob.

– His grandfather was… – ventured Ellian, but fell silent when he felt Kyda’s hand on his shoulder.

– It’s okay, – Kyda said quietly. – I’m okay. Thank you.

Vygo, his initial outburst now subsided, sat across from them, ready to listen to the explanation. Indrys sat beside him. The rest of the clan also turned their attention to the guests.

Kyda took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and exhaled slowly. Ellian shifted a bit closer to him, unable to shake off the strange uneasiness.

– This song… My Grandfather taught it to me. He was from the grasslands, he spent almost half of his life here before moving to the city. He told me, that my Grandmother loved to sing this song, because it held the memories of her birthplace. She had left this world before I was born, so I don’t know much about her, but Grandpa loved her with all his heart.

– What is your grandfather’s name, dear guest? – the question came from Irya, the matriarch, who was listening closely to the story unfolding, and it looked like she had a certain idea forming in her mind.

Kyda rose from his seat, showing his respect towards the leader – the woman, the elder.

– Vadreen, o clanmother, – he answered. – Vadreen of the Clan Bluebird.

The name was greeted by a quiet murmur from the older people present. Irya raised her hand, requesting silence, and smiled.

– And your grandmother, – this was not a question, but a statement, and seeing Kyda open his mouth, eager to answer, she gestured gently to him not to speak yet and continued, – was named Lyrra.

Dumbfounded, Kyda couldn’t utter even a single word, so he just nodded, because that was indeed his grandmother’s name. Irya smiled again.

– I remember her well, – she said, a hint of warm sadness in her voice. – She was one of the best songstresses in our clan, and everyone’s beloved older sister. We saw her off with a light heart, because she would never want to see us – her family – being sad because of her. I am happy to know that Lyrra’s song got a new verse that will certainly bring with it even more new ones.

Irya closed her eyes, falling silent for a moment to honor the memory of the late songstress.

– Clan Bluebird is located in four day’s way from here, to the north-east. You will have a map and enough food for the journey. We will not hold you if you decide to leave first thing tomorrow morning, but remember this, – she smiled again, – you are always welcome here, Lyrra’s grandson.

It took Kyda a few moments to grasp the full meaning of her words, and he still couldn’t fully believe in what he had just heard. At a loss for what to say, he simply walked towards Irya, stopping about five paces in front of her, and bowed slightly, his right hand over his heart in a gesture of gratitude.