a work in progress
Prelude
"Where did you say you were from?" the ancient, wizened man asked, his voice raspy from the dust of the road. His brown hood rustled as he turned to glance at his companion.
"From around here, Old One. From Vel'Tru. I was born in Leth'El and moved here when my father was transferred when I was a child," the companion answered. He absently brushed back his thick black hair from his face. "Leth'El is far to the south and east of here, across the Bay of Shattered Dreams and the S'Arai plains," he said, gazing up into the star-filled night sky.
The ancient man stopped walking. His eyes keenly searched the side of the old dirt road, peering into the overgrown forest. Spotting a fallen tree a short way off the road that would serve a bench, he hobbled over to it. As he walked he motioned for his companion to follow him.
"Yes, Kord, I'm familiar with Leth'El. That's where-" he was interrupted by a fit of coughing. The younger man handed him his waterskin. Taking a deep pull from it, he continued. "That's where the twins were born."
The old man's companion, Kord, looked at him quizically. "The twins, sir?"
"By The Twins themselves! Do they not teach history any more to you soldier types at the Academy?"
"Yes, Old One, they do," replied Kord. He lowered his face to the ground, embarrased. "I was never one for school."
"Don't worry, don't worry. I was never one for school either. In fact, I never went!" The old man broke out into a raucous laughter. Kord started to speak, but the old man cut him off. "Here now, sit down. I'll tell you all about the twins." Kord sat next to the old man and made himself comfortable.
"I'll never forget the night the twins were born. I was there, you know. Back in those days I wasn't quite as feeble as I am now. Used to be pretty good with a sword, I was. The twins' father was a blacksmith of some renown. I happened to be in his shop that night as his wife went into labor." He took another drink from the waterskin. "His wife was quite a beauty. Fiery red hair that fell halfway down her back, and eyes the colors of emeralds, and just as sparkling. He himself had hair just as red. The both of them were from the far east. . .K'lynos. Or so they said.
"That night, just as she went into labor, a storm came up out of nowhere. It was the worst storm anyone could remember. Winds were so strong they were pulling the trees right out of the ground. Could hardly hear anything for the thunder. It never stopped, the thunder. All night long. As soon as one wave would end, the next one had already begun. And the lightning! Boy, I've never seen more queer lightning before or since. One second it would be red, then the next it was blue. Went through every color of the rainbow, it did. And like the thunder, it never stopped.
"There were voices in the wind. No one else heard them, but they were there. I heard them clear as I hear my own voice. They were...beautiful. And they were angry. So very angry. They weren't speaking to me. I just overheard them. They were arguing, the two of them. I couldn't understand but one word in twenty, but of them arguing, I have no doubt. I felt it in my soul.
"The labor was an extremely difficult one. It lasted all night and Tyria was in such pain. Horrible, horrible pain. None of the usual potions would work, and the herbs we gave her had no effect. I still hear her screams sometimes, in the deep of night. I'll never forget her screams.
"We were all surprised that she lasted as long as she did, what with all the pain. Sometime shortly before sunrise the twins were born. A boy and a girl. We were all rather shocked at what we saw. Remember how I said both the parents had the reddest hair? The twins were. . . .different. One, the boy, had hair as black as pitch, with eyes such a pale blue they were almost white. The girl was the exact opposite; her hair was as white as the driven snow, with eyes as dark as the night sky.
"After the twins had been cleaned up and examined by the midwife, they were given to Tyria to see and hold. As soon as she took possession of them the storm stopped. By The Twins, it stopped as abruptly as it had begun! The silence was throbbing in my ears. It took me a second to realize that the voices had stopped arguing. Now they were talking quickly, in what I can only guess was a whisper. As Tyria positioned the twins so she could see them, the voices started talking at the same time. They were both saying the same thing, over and over.
"Tyria never had but one look at her twin children. As she looked at them they both opened their eyes and stared at her. Her own eyes glazed over, and she started mumbling something very quietly, almost imperceptibly. I realized immediately it was the same thing the voices were saying, in whatever language it is they were speaking. Then she died. Her eyes closed, her mouth hung open, and she died."
Kord took a drink of water. "That's quite a story, Old One," he said. He handed the waterskin to the old man, who took it eagerly.
"Aye, and every bit of it's true, by The Twins." The old man's face suddenly became very sad. "Their story is a tragic one. Extraordinary, but tragic."
"Will you tell it to me, Old One?"
"Yes, Kord. I'll tell you the story of the twins."