"Like the eyes, the heart too has a way of adjusting to the dark." - Adam Stanley

Alachna City in ArBrae forest - Ardam 42

The wind howled and raged through the leaves of the trees. The sound was magnified by the countless trees in the forest. The moon was afraid of the night and hid behind black clouds, but Aylissa knew that she was there - lurking in the shadows.

Even with her keen eyesight that was incomparable to the weak eyes of simple humans, Aylissa struggled to see the fruits of the tree in front of her window. Aylissa felt a warm sunbeam penetrating her heart. It was so powerful that she feared that it could have ignited the forest and set it ablaze. She knew that he had come.

Eoghan was still asleep, but she had to wake him. He was the king. Eoghan and Aylissa have been married for almost a year. They married the day after Eoghan returned from the battle of the Second War.

He had been here many times in the past year, and his presence always unsettled Aylissa. It was different from the way she remembered him before her wedding. Before he was a distant figure that she only saw on some of the special days, but now she experienced more of him.

"Eoghan, my king, you have to open your eyes. Your friend," Aylissa clenched her teeth, "has come to visit you."

Aylissa did not like his visits, but she understood their necessity to the rebuilding of Ligtland.

Eoghan handed Aylissa her dress as she handed him his shirt.

She did not bother to brush her midnight-black hair. There wasn't enough time. They shouldn't keep him waiting.

They walked to the stone chamber where they have met him every time he came to visit.

It unsettled Aylissa that he had come at night. He always came during the day. It went against his nature to appear here when the sun was not shining.

The entrance to the stairs of the Stone Chamber was situated at the centre of the palace.

Eoghan and Aylissa touched the eyes of the statue that hid the stairs. It swung out of the way. They followed the narrow staircase into the depths of the mountain below the palace.

The Stone Chamber was the beating heart of their community and the most sacred shrine in the whole of the ArBrae Forest. All the decisions were made there. Only the twelve Elders were permitted to enter the stone chamber and only they knew of its existence.

It was the most suitable place for the Second One to arrive.

The chamber could only be entered through one door. The door was made of oak. Inlaid gold, emeralds and lapis lazuli depicted scenes of the forest. Eoghan pushed the door open and allowed Aylissa to enter first.

The circular chamber was made of solid white marble. Sacred gems decorated the walls of the chamber. In the middle of the chamber was a solid rectangular slab of marble, hollowed out to hold water from the sacred lake Avrir. The sides of the stone table were engraved with the words of an ancient language that very few understand - one even older than the Ancient Language known by some. Eoghan once told Aylissa that he wished he could read and understand the words on the wall. Aylissa did not see how that knowledge could be helpful in any way - especially if even the name of the language had been lost.

The Second One stood next to the stone table. His back was turned to Eoghan and Aylissa. His ocean blue cape hid his hair. The border of the cape was embroidered with golden thread forming a pattern of waves. He turned around and greeted them. He was holding a strange bundle of material in his arms. Aylissa recognized the cloth. She made the material, sky-blue silk with silver embroidered motives, during her youth and presented it to him as a gift during a previous Eeufeast.

"My lord, what service can we offer you at this late hour?" Aylissa phrased her words carefully. She did not want to intrude on his privacy, but she felt uneasy about this visit.

"My King and Queen, I am truly sorry to disturb your peace, but I have to demand a favour of you urgently."

He sounded tired and drained of energy. That was especially strange.

He continued in a monotonous voice: "I need to hide this from my family and the world. I know they will not find it if it is concealed by your magic."

"My lord," King Eoghan addressed the Second One, "you know we will do anything for you, you only have to ask. It is by your blessing that we live in safety and peace in the ArBrae Forest. I know you might not like the question that I am about to ask, but it is important that we know the nature of that which we must hide so that we can perform our duty successfully."

The Second One answered slowly: "I knew that you would ask that question, and you are not at fault, Eoghan Elderlight. You are wise and that is a fair question."

A glimpse of pain passed in his eyes, but it was so fleet that Aylissa might have imagined it.

"It is a flower of my making. It is unique and very precious to me. My family must not know of its existence, for their greed would destroy it and that would pain me greatly."

Aylissa knew that he was not revealing the whole truth. It was strange that one Council Member would choose to hide anything from the others, especially so soon after the war.

"The flower is asleep. It would remain in that state until I wake it. But for now, it must sleep."

Aylissa glanced at Eoghan. She could see his thoughts, just as he could see hers.

"His words are riddles. Do you think we must agree?"

"We cannot afford to displease him and he has always proven himself trustworthy."

"I know. But what frightens me most is that he would choose to hide something from the others."

"We cannot question his motives. He is our protector and friend. He does not act selfishly as the others and he righted his wrongs."

"They were selfish. If rumour has it right, he was forced to choose."

"Then we will agree to help him. We are his only friends."

"My lord, we will do as you ask."

He sighed with obvious relief: "I owe you much. It is not safe with me. Thank you."

Eoghan quietly disappeared from the room.

Aylissa had nothing more to say.

She lovingly touched her swollen belly. Her child would be born soon.

"Your son will be a great warrior and a good king," The Second One remarked kindly.

She immediately withdrew her hand from her belly: "Have you seen it?"

"That I have not seen, but you are his mother and Eoghan the father. Other things I have seen for you and your children, Aylissa, but that is something I just know."

He smiled mysteriously: "May I tell you something of the future, my lady? Someone I trust hinted at something a while back, and I think you would be pleased to know it."

"My lord, you know I can also sense things. The mirror you gave me proved that."

Aylissa did not want to offend him, but she knew that it was dangerous to know certain things about the future.

"It is not harmful knowledge. You doubt the Council's intentions, as would I if I were you. My faith in them is also broken. My lady, I will not harm your future or your children, for you are my people and I love you more than I love myself."

"Then you can reveal your knowledge. The world has just emerged from another dark age and everyone has lost faith."

"Thank you, dear queen. You will have three children. Your eldest will be a king. He will be greater than Dubhan Darkwood's first son. Your second son will have the power that you have - he will see that which is normally hidden. And the third child born from your body will be a daughter. She will be as special as the brother that she shared your womb with."

"I will have three children? I will be the first of my family to have three children?"

"Yes, you will have a powerful three."

A mountain climbed off her shoulders. She would be a great queen. Her children would have the blood of Faolan and Aedan Darkwood, and their fair and wise wives, Nané and Aishé. Her children would be greater than their ancestors. Aylissa would bring power and glory to her race.

That might make up for the pain of losing Reynyn.

Eoghan returned with an Amethe glass casket. It was a beautiful specimen. Markings in the Elvish language covered the casket. Amethe glass caskets were used to store treasures in. No force or key could open it once a treasure was concealed in it. Only the keeper of the treasure (the person who closed the lid and chose the password) could open the casket again. As a bonus, no-one could see or sense the treasure that resided within.

Eoghan placed the casket on the stone slab in the middle of the room.

"My lord, we will step out of the room for a while," Eoghan gently touched Aylissa's back and nudged her out of the room.

She returned to bed, leaving Eoghan to deal with his friend.