Heirs of the Gods

Ch 27.2: Brineport

"I supposed you liked it," he said noncommittally, looking off into the pond and throwing a bit of his own bun at the demanding ducks below. She bit her treat and looked into the green water, saying nothing else.

"Why did the music sound so... different," she said after a moment, staring out towards the edge of the lake, where the elven musicians played on. She could make out the sweet, faint humming of their instruments.

"Right, don't quote me on this, but I'm quite sure that faerie music uses a 33-note scale. That may be why it sounds different." He held up his hands defensively, "Don't ask me to elaborate. I don't know where that rumour came from, but not all faeries are gifted at music. We appreciate art deeply, but some of us are utter pants at it. I for one can barely tell instruments apart."

Ella chuckled, shaking her head. She couldn't say much, she'd barely scraped by in her own piano lessons, as she had been more concerned with other activities. "It sounds so peculiar," she said quietly.

33-notes. No wonder it was so different. It tickled her mind in a way that was soothing yet exhilarating, making her hazy, melancholic and joyful all at once. She briefly wondered if this was why they said faerie music drove humans mad. Perhaps rather than making them insane, they simply couldn't properly understand it or even hear some of the pitches, and they became overwhelmed by the foreign sounds.

As she listened to the last notes of yet another beautiful, hypnotic melody, she smiled softly. "It's very beautiful."

Aedion looked at her for a moment, a shadow of a smile on his face. "Cinnamon pastries appear to be the key to getting you out of a sour mood. I'll have to remember that next time you throw a tantrum."

"With your track record, you might as well put the vendor on a payroll," she bit back. In reality, she was no longer as upset as she was before. Her anger had ebbed away, replaced with a feeling of almost ease.

She braced against the railing of the bridge, intent on sitting on the edge, even if one of her hands was occupied with her treat. She wobbled slightly and Aedion stuck out a hand quickly, grabbing onto her waist and stabilising her.

Aedion chuckled and leaned against the railing, Ella hummed contentedly and swung her legs back and forth against the bridge, biting into the sweet, doughy treat.

"You really do calm down once you've been fed."

Ella shrugged, not denying his claims. "How did you meet Val and Blaise?" she asked after a moment, wiping the corner of her mouth with the napkin.

Aedion side-glanced at her. "Couldn't stop thinking about that?"

She nodded, unashamed. "I don't like being left without an answer." Now that her irritation had burned out, it had been replaced by her ever-present curiosity.

"Nosy little thing." Aedion wiped off the remnants of crumbs from his hands before sticking them into his pockets. "We met at a party when we were young children."

"So, Blaise was right."

"He always is and he knows it. That one's an even worse of a clever clogs than you are."

Ella ignored his remark, instead intent on asking something that had been burning in her mind for a while now. "You met in Ardowen?" She was almost hesitant, sensing this wasn't a favourite subject of his.

She half expected him to make a mocking remark and steer the subject, but he only observed her impassively. The only sign of restlessness was the slight twitching of his mouth. She realized that she'd come to learn his little cues after observing him, perhaps with too much attention.