Dynalya
Aquietness filled the Norrlen Estate. They were in the grand hall as they waited for Eldred. The Magi Master had gone into the other room with Aerina as they spoke with King Leif through her orb.
Lucenna sat on a chaise with Keena on her shoulder, soaking in the warmth of the fireplace. Behind them stood Klyde and Zev, keeping an eye on Von, where he lingered on the opposite side of the vast room. He paid them no mind. His tired, bloodshot eyes fixed on a random spot on the stone floor, lost in thought.
Dyna sighed. She hated the tension between them. Hated more that she could hear Aerina’s soft cries, knowing all of this was her fault. She looked up from the wingback chair she sat in, to the open courtyard doors where Raiden stood outside on the terrace. He stared blankly at the gardens, motionless.
He had yet to cry or show any other emotion, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
Rising to her feet, Dyna walked over to join him. A soft breeze rustled the bushes. The air was sweet with the scent of flowers and herbs. “How are you feeling?”
Raiden blinked down at her, as if surprised she was suddenly there. “I’m…” A thoughtful curl formed between his brows, as if confused by the question. “I’m fine,” he said feebly. Clearing his throat, he turned to face her fully. He reminded her so much of Rawn she had to lower her gaze out of guilt. “I’m all right. Please pardon me for my curtness at your arrival. We have had ill guests as of late. Thank you, Lady Dynalya, for coming all this way.”
A knot of emotion tangled in her throat at remembering Rawn’s kind voice when he referred to her with a title. “I’m sorry to bring this to your door,” Dyna said quietly.
“It was necessary...” Raiden glanced at the estate where his keen hearing could undoubtedly pick up the sound of his mother’s weeping. “My father, he had a bonded horse with him.”
She tried to hide the shakiness from her voice, but it was futile. Her vision welled as she looked down at her satchel. “Fair was lost during the confrontation.”
A soft sigh slipped past Raiden’s lips. He held out a folded handkerchief to her.
She accepted it with shaking fingers and wiped away the tear that had escaped. “I’m sorry.”
It was all she could say.
“I would not fault someone to show their care, more so when those tears are for my family.”
That wasn’t what she was apologizing for. She wanted to confess that she brought about Rawn’s capture, but the words lodged in her throat. The only way to make amends was to fix what she had done.
“I suppose this must be your first visit to Greenwood. Have you ever seen your namesake?” Raiden asked.
Dyna blinked, taken aback by the question. “Only in herbology books. Well, and today when we arrived.”
The last of the evening light caught his eyes as he glanced away to the gardens. He nodded for her to follow him.
Raiden led her through the gravel paths and brought her to a fountain obscured by hedges. Adorning the circumference were flowerbeds of beautiful red blooms. The wind carried their sweet fragrance around her. The petals were truly the exact shade of her hair.
“I see why that name was given to you.”
For a moment, an old memory surfaced of her mother brushing out her hair by the fire as she sang to her of crimson fields.
“There. No more tears,” Raiden said at her small smile.
Had he brought her here to make her feel better? She was the one who should comfort him.
“And your name? Who were you named after?”
Raiden frowned at the fountain, crossing his arms. “Tradition, I suppose. In Greenwood, you will find the first-born son tends to take the first letter of his father’s name. It started several centuries ago with the noble families to bestow honor. Now every family does so as a sign of love and respect.” He looked back at the estate. “And my mother certainly loves my father.”
His fingers drifted over a wooden pendant he wore around his neck. It was squared with a convex surface, whittled with an intricate weaving in the wood. He faced the fruit trees that were beginning to blossom.
“There is one missing among your group,” Raiden said, canting his head. “There was mention of a Celestial in his previous letter.”
Dyna’s pulse jumped at the sudden change in subject. “Yes…” She fidgeted with a loose thread in her sleeve. “He is not with us anymore. He had other matters to attend to.”
“Oh.” Raiden’s tone hardened. He held out an arm to shield her as he gripped the hilt of his sword at his hip. “Then who is lurking over there?”
Dyna whipped around. A winged shadow lingered within the trees. The leaves rustled as her red-winged guard stepped out.
