Heir of Spring

The Dawn Court (Continued)

"You're not really supposed to be here."

Asta stuttered nervously, "Sorry, I can leave-"

"Oh no! Don't worry!" He gestured to the arm clutched close to Asta's chest. "But if I'm going to heal you, we probably shouldn't do it here. The priestesses can get a bit tetchy." He smiled. "Come with me." He spoke differently to those in Asta's court. He pronounced his syllables more, less of a drawl then at home. Asta had to jog to keep up with his wide strides as the exited the temple and started climbing up a narrow flight of stairs. A steady stream of fae passed them as they walked, holding books and papers and mysterious bottles. Two High Fae huddled close to each other as they hurried down the stairs. Asta heard a pained yelp as they passed.

"My knee! Ow!" The girl groaned.

The other female giggled.

"No! Now I've spilt my tea..." They spoke with the same clipped accent as the Peregryn. "It's all over my book..."

"Hurry up. We'll be late, idiot." They staggered around the corner and out of sight.

"There are usually rooms we can use up here..." He mused, popping his head through each door as they passed. "No, no, no... here we go." Asta followed him into a tiny room and sat on the table as he indicated.

"Not to pry, but I always thought the Peregryns were the Dawn Court warriors," Asta said as he took her arm.

"Not me," He smiled. "I was born with my mother's wings and my father's powers, and I found I prefer helping people rather than hurting them. I need a jug..." He grabbed one from a table against the wall and quickly rinsed her cut. Asta watched in wonder as he held a hand over the cut on her arm and her skin started to stitch back together, much faster than usual. "There." He grinned. "I'm Aiden, by the way."

"Asta."

"Nice to meet you." He perched beside her on the table. "Where are you from?" He chuckled. "Now it's my turn to pry. Sorry. It's just... you don't exactly look like you're from here."

Asta shook her head. "No, I'm not. I'm from the Spring Court. I'm here to visit."

"Like a holiday?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, I've been wanting to get out of here all day. How about I give you a tour of Easthaven?"

***

Easthaven was breathtaking. Aiden led her through the quiet streets, pointing out little details about the buildings or the architecture.

"Oh! I have an idea. Are you hungry?"

Asta nodded.

Soon they were sitting at a tiny table outside a cafe, eagerly wolfing down some fresh fish.

"This place is amazing." Asta looked up from her greasy plate. "You must love it here."

Aiden shrugged. "It's beautiful, but I've never really..." He sighed. "The only reason I'm here is that my dad told me to train until I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" Asta asked. Her companion laughed.

"Who knows. Dad was always annoyingly cryptic. Usually, he just spoke a load of rubbish." He started licking his fingers. "I guess I'll know when I'm ready. There will be some kind of sign from the Cauldron." Asta nodded solemnly.

"You'll figure it out."

"Indeed. Shall we get some souvenirs to remember your stay?"

***

Asta and Aiden found themselves in a square, lined with shops displaying all kinds of Dawn Court goods. She noticed a chocolate shop and was inside in seconds, looking for the caramel stuff Braelynn loved. She realised the girls from the stairs were there too, now changed out of their long healer's robes. They were hurriedly swiping stuff off the shelves, whispering to each other.

"Elovi! Winnie! How's it going?" Aiden grinned at the females. They turned sheepishly, one girl sporting a mouthful of free samples.

"Oh. Hi, Aiden." The slightly taller one pushed her large round glasses higher up her nose and glanced at Asta. "Who's this?"

"Asta, this is Elovi. Elovi, this is Asta. And that's Winnie." Winnie waved sheepishly, desperately trying to swallow the load of chocolate in her mouth. Her short hair was pulled up chaotically, lots of thin strands escaping and framing her face. She sneezed, emitting an exaggerated 'atchoo!' sound before looking up with slightly red eyes.

"Sorry, it's the hayfever. Nice to meet you!" She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "You'd think being a healer would help this somehow," pointing to her streaming face, "But sometimes the pollen is just too persistent."

"So you guys are healers?" Asta inquired politely. Elovi grimaced.

"We're trying to be. Haven't finished our course yet."

Asta sighed. "I wish healers were more common in Spring. It would be so-"

"You're from Spring?" Winnie asked excitedly. "That's on our list!"

"Your... list?" Aiden raised his eyebrows.

"Winnie and I made a list of places we'd like to visit. Or live. We don't really know." Elovi fidgeted with her basket and shrugged. "We aren't keen on staying here much longer after we pass exams - hopefully - at the end of this year."

"Well, you are both definitely welcome- oh!" Asta gasped, as a wave of inspiration passed through her body. "I have an idea. I'd have to run it past Tam- Tamlin, but I can see. Can I talk to you guys again soon?"

Winnie nodded, slightly confused. "We'll be around."

"And we want to hear about the Spring Court," Elovi added.

***

Tamlin,
I've made some progress here! Some new friends and I've bought lots of chocolate. Luckily not too homesick!
Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask you about. I've met a few fae training at Siva's Temple. They're healers, and they're talking about moving away when the time comes. We've been meaning to set up a medical centre in Gwenwyn - I was thinking we invite them to come to live in Spring. They can do whatever needs to be done, and they'll be perfectly capable - can you get better healers than from Dawn? Anyway, tell me what you think.
Love, Az
Xxxxx

***

Dear Az,
I'm glad you're enjoying the trip. I miss you. I hope you come back soon, but take whatever time you need.
This is a great idea. Invite these new friends to live here, but you better tell them the pay won't be great. Our court isn't the most wealthy. Also, they'd have to actually do work. Don't hire slackers.
Best wishes, Tamlin.

***

@weareagoodteam xxx