Songbreaker

Chapter 2: Catch

Yvana travels to Sendaria to meet with Thalleous and finds that he knows more than he's letting on

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As Yvana arrived in Sendaria, she took a moment to admire the atmosphere that differed wildly from her homes in both Ataraxia and Kaltaria. She wasn't unfamiliar with being surrounded by rivers and streams as she traversed the flourishing grasslands and they brought her a renewed sense of peace as she felt the fresh breeze caress her face and the soft dirt beneath her feet. She always had an admiration for the simple things in life – something that Galleous had taught her when she was growing up. It helped to separate her from everything that she had to do. It helped to centre her focus when it would all get too much.

She rarely visited Sendaria, these days. Not since Thalleous and Galleous had their argument and Thalleous had decided not to visit Ataraxia so often. She used to travel between the two brothers when they visited one another, and she would take the journey back with one of them. Since then, she stopped travelling so often. A part of her missed it – the two brothers would often tell her stories between locations, taking detours on the routes to show her some of the many wonders of Ardonia.

They really treated her as if she were their own.

Yvana paused overlooking a small river that separated her from three Ardoni that gathered by the Sendaris Ardoni shrine on the opposite side. She would recognise the markings of the old man from anywhere as Thalleous shouted to the two smaller Ardoni various commands, clapping his hands and egging them on, skipping sideways as he kept up with their movements. He would periodically jump with excitement, throwing his arms in the air and the sword on his back would catch the midday sun, glinting in all its glory.

Yvana smiled.

Thalleous was fantastic with the young.

She clambered down off the riverbank and waded through the water to the other side, tapping her hand on Thalleous' shoulder as she appeared from behind. The Sendaris champion jumped in surprise at the Kaltaris champion's arrival.

"Yva! You made it!" he exclaimed, wrapping the Ardoni into a hug.

"You doubted me?" Yvana replied in jest.

"Never!" Thalleous turned to the two young Ardoni as they sparred with wooden swords, rolling each other this way and that way; one Sendaris and one clanless. "Senn! Ria!" he called. "Come over here!"

Senn and Ria dropped their swords and ran over to Thalleous in excitement, wondering who the new girl was.

"Kids, this is Ky'Yvana Kaltaris," he introduced. As Yvana waved, Thalleous leant into Senn's ear and smiled. "I rescued her, too, you know?"

Senn turned to Thalleous, his eyes wide in amazement of the hero that stood before him. Senn always admired Thalleous – right from the start – but with every tale he told, his curiosity and admiration would only grow, and his eyes would sparkle in the blue tint of the Sendaris champion's markings, ever a reflection of honour.

Ria shuffled on the spot, giddy as she clapped her hands.

"Ky'Yva! I've heard so much about you! Ky'Thalleous says that you survived the Great War!"

Yvana laughed. She was only a small child when the Great War had struck the land of Ardonia – to say that she survived was a bit of a stretch, although she had wanted to fight for Ardonia, even back then. She looked at Thalleous and slapped him on the back.

"It's all thanks to this guy," she mused.

Thalleous blushed a little and his face turned a crimson shade. He may be a bold-headed champion, but he was still somewhat modest; plus, he liked it when Yvana showed him some appreciation – it was one-upping on Galleous, as far as he was concerned; something he revelled in from time to time.