House of N'Dak: Beginnings

[NDak 0]

The sun rose high over Hein’Rhe, her golden rays fluttering across the sun drenched backs of the I’ranuii Mountains that encircled the village. Smoke had already begun to creep out of the chimneys from the morning fires that would cook firstmeal, and the first workers had begun filing out towards their jobs.

 

A dusty path traced its way through the town and then up a hill and down into a small valley where a small, yet stately home had begun to stir, much as the town had on this glorious spring morning. In the kitchen of the two story home, Vae t’Silaeir kneaded at dough as her three children began to slowly wander down from their sleeping quarters.

 

Normally she would have already called them down, at least twice, to hurry along so they would not be late for schooling, but today she let them sleep a while longer than was normal—after all they weren’t going to school today. No, today was a special day.

 

Outside, Arrei tr’Silaeir rubbed a polishing cloth gently against his Garavaeh flitter, causing it’s already bright silver color to shine even brighter in the rising sun. While it wasn’t by any means the most luxurious flitter in the world, or even the region, Arrei had saved for months to have enough to buy the upscale Garavaeh, and today especially he wanted it to look it finest, even if it would be less up to date and upscale than those it would be parked next too.

 

Back in the kitchen, the three children of the house had rattled down the stairs in procession, eldest to youngest and were beginning to lap up the simple porridge their mother had made. Even on a day such as today, their firstmeal remained simple, as their mother considered lavish meals a waste for so early in the day.

 

Vae smirked as her boys and only daughter annoyed each other. Let them play. She thought to herself, it was not as if they were going be enjoying themselves at the ceremony, no matter how much it would affect their lives when they were older.

 

Almost bouncing in his seat, the youngest, Aeher was already going on about how glad he was not to have schooling today. Beside him at the rounded table, Nievae was twirling her shoulder length brown-black hair discussing how silly she thought her two brothers were, while her older brother Maeir was gulping down the meal so he could go help his father play with the Garavaeh.

 

Air almost completely consumed the eldest of her children, and she knew he was destined to be a flitter pilot, a feeling she now felt almost certain about when considering the event that would take place in just a few hours. Smiling at them briefly, she returned to the kneading of the sweet bread that she was preparing.

 

“Ri'nanov?” The sound of the bowl smacking against the table told her it was Maeir more than the voice. “May I help di'ranov with preparing the flitter?”

 

“Just don’t soil your good clothing,” she said, though her voice wasn’t chiding…yet. “I would not want au to present yourself to the hru'hfirh in au school clothing.”

 

“Ie, Ri'nanov” he said quickly, already half way out the door. “I will be careful!”

 

“Why don’t you scold Mair for eating so quickly?”

 

Smirking at her youngest sons inability to pronounce his brother’s name correctly, she let it pass before turning to face him. “Because Maeir is an older boy, and knows how to properly eat…you on the other hand little io…you are still learning…”

 

Aeher sighed and sullenly returned to his porridge. Everywhere he went, they were also calling him ‘little io.’ It was na his fault he was so short, even for his age.

 

“And by the looks of your height,” his eldest sister added quickly, “could use more food.”

 

This prompted him to stick his tongue out in reply.

 

“Now, now do na tease the little io,” Vae said returning to her work. “He will grow to be strong one day, I have a feeling about this.”

 

Back at the flitter dock, Maeir had taken over polishing while Arrei supervised, drinking a cup of tea. He was proud of all his children, but Maeir most of all. He was growing to be a fine young man; a man who he could expect to carry on in his place and inherit the new family name.

 

“So father,” Maeir said, continuing his work. “After today…I will na longer be Maeir tr’Silaeir?”

 

“That is correct.”

 

“Then who will I be?” Maeir continued polishing the silver hull of the flitter in rounded strokes, stopping only to place the polishing cloth in more solution. “For as long as I have been able to remember, I have been Maeir, son of Arrei of the House s’Silaeir. You taught us to ever honor our house name. Throwing it away does na seem to honor it.”

 

Peering at the boys work, half-inspecting it, half giving the appearance of doing so, he took another drink of tea from the earthen mug in his hands before responding. “We are na throwing it away.”

 

“So what are we doing?”

 

“We are gaining our own house name.”

 

Stopping in his work Maeir looked at his father, pride beginning to form in his expressions. “I will have my own house name?”

 

“Ie, after the ceremony this morning you will be known as Maeir, son of Arrei, eri'hfirh of the House s’N’Dak.”

 

Vae had joined them at the flitter, bringing a fresh cup of tea for her husband. “Ie, the first sons of the House of s’N’Dak…may the elements help us all…”

 

Smirking, her husband exchanged mugs and nodded to his wife as she headed back to the household to finish preparing for the journey to the capitol city. Perhaps now that he had his own housename he would be able to afford the luxuries she deserved, starting with a house servant. Of course he wouldn’t be able to afford the luxuries of the truly wealthy, but a few things here and there to make her life easier. And she did deserve it. Without her, he would never have been able to earn the honor that was to be bestowed upon him today. It was as much her reward as it was him.

 

--

 

The heavy, yet stately Garavaeh flitter finally moved into position in the upper access ways above out-lying parts of the capitol city and began to slowly infiltrate the city itself. The three children in the back bucked against their restraints to look down at the city below while their mother and father grinned. Even for the two eldest Rihans it was uncommon to be in the great capital of the Two Worlds, and they were enjoying the view as much as their children.

 

Arrei smiled and placed his hand on his wife’s and squeezed it gently. They were going to give his children opportunities that neither of them had ever had growing up, and that alone had made the sacrifices and the hard work worth it. Putting his hands back on the controls, his mind fluttered in nostalgia as he saw the rising spires of the capital begin to come fully into view.

 

“When I was your age,” he said to the three awe-struck children, “I only saw the heart of the Two Worlds from this view once...”

 

Sometime and a dozen stories from both their parents later, the children found themselves gawking from the other side as the flitter continued onto its destination, which was beginning to take shape in the distance.

 

Just far enough out of the city to be free of the noise and pollution, but not so far as to be isolated, the country estate of Praetor Nnvila tr’Silaeir set nestled in a long valley, dissected by a gently flowing river that was lined by purple-pink flowering trees and a coble stone path that had begun to take clear shape as Arrei’s flitter began it’s descent.

 

The house itself—actually it wasn’t even fair to call it a house—the castle itself already appeared to be busy with life, much as it had always been, even if rain had begun to fall on what had been a glorious morning. A few meters away, several flitters were beginning their descent ahead of Arrei and the Garavaeh. Their landing destination was a padock that was almost the size of the regional flitter port that served all of Hein’Rhe.

 

Glancing over to her husband, Vae spoke calmly. “Be careful Arrei,” her voice was warm. “I doubt the Lord would be happy if you scratched the paint on his friends flitters…”

 

Smirking, Arrei pressed the control stick down and the bulky mass of the flitter turned to begin its slow, final descent into the docking clamps of the flitter paddock. With a gentle thump, the clamps engaged and Arrei opened the side and front canopies, allowing for their exit.

 

She’d barely begun to undo the restraints on Aeher when a rush of servants approached offering their welcome and their aid, which Vae gladly accepted. A woman who identified herself as hru’hfe, Aaido, explained that children were all to be taken to a nursery area where they could play with the other children. Despite Maeir and Nievae’s early protestations, Aaido convinced them they would enjoy themselves.

 

After watching her children go off to play in the lap of luxury, which no doubt she’d regret because they’d come to expect the same luxuries in their own home, Vae joined her husband who was already talking with one of the Praetor’s Auethnen.

 

“Praetor tr’Silaeir is most pleased with you, Arrei son of Aethilion,” the auethnen said as the group began walking towards the main home. Vae smirked, that was a statement of the obvious; after all, the praetor had personally delivered the news about Arrei’s honor to their home.

 

“The naming ceremony will take place in his private study before he presents you to the other members of his House and Clan as well as his honored guests from the Senate and Galae.”

 

“Of course,” Arrei said as they walked up the stairs that led to the main entrance. As the doors swung open, Arrei found himself physically forcing the muscles in his jaw from opening. The grandeur of the home really was astonishing. One day, he told himself, his own house would be as grand.