A soft melodic voice flowed through the room, its source being that of a
young woman standing upon a stage. She had been persuaded to entertain the
patrons of the Maiden's Kiss, a small tavern in the town of Testlar. The
smile on her face was big and genuine as she let her gaze shift around the
room. She loved to sing, and based on the reactions of those around her,
they were enjoying themselves as much as she was.
Shanna was not yet 95 and yet by the standards of her people she was still a child. But then, when you're nearly immortal, what is 95 years to you? One glance and you'd swear Shanna had just barely reached adulthood. With her long, glossy, coal-black hair, sparkling green eyes and pale skin, you didn't need to see the shape of her ears to tell she was elven, provided you hadn't already guessed by her voice.
Her voice lifted higher into song, pure joy evident in every note that passed her lips. She sung of flowers, rain, air and sun. Her song ended, the last note lingering around the room. A young man stood, his resemblance to her unmistakable. Aiden was Shanna's twin, something truly rare for their race. Because of their extended lives, childbirth was rare and therefore twins were even more so.
"Well done! Well done indeed!" Aiden spoke above the applause. "Pelltar would have been proud had he seen you progress so well."
Blushing from the praise, Shanna thanked everyone and took a seat beside her brother. "I do wish that Pelltar could have been here."
Aiden frowned, "You do still miss him, don't you?"
Shanna lightly whapped her brother in the arm. "Well that is a silly question if every I heard one. Of course I miss him, he was like family to us. And what's more, I miss his lessons."
Aiden made a show of wincing and rubbing his arm. "Fair enough," he conceded. His smile quickly returning, accompanied with a sparkle in his green eyes. It was a sparkle Shanna knew well. It usually came right before one of his crazy ideas.
"Why don't we go visit him? We'll be celebrating our birthdays soon and mom is always saying we need to see more of the world. She may argue we're still too young, but I think living here has helped us to grow a bit. Plus Kris would likely come with us and you know mom is fond of him."
Shanna was silent for a moment, thinking this over. It didn't sound crazy. Maybe a little dangerous since they'd never gone further than maybe 10 miles from home, and never alone. But then Aiden would be with her. As long as they were together they'd be okay. She wasn't sure how she felt about Kris coming with them, but then Kris was her brother's best friend and there was little she could deny her brother.
She smiled, her face lighting up with such a small gesture, "Sounds like a wonderful idea to me. Let's go talk to mom."
Shanna was not yet 95 and yet by the standards of her people she was still a child. But then, when you're nearly immortal, what is 95 years to you? One glance and you'd swear Shanna had just barely reached adulthood. With her long, glossy, coal-black hair, sparkling green eyes and pale skin, you didn't need to see the shape of her ears to tell she was elven, provided you hadn't already guessed by her voice.
Her voice lifted higher into song, pure joy evident in every note that passed her lips. She sung of flowers, rain, air and sun. Her song ended, the last note lingering around the room. A young man stood, his resemblance to her unmistakable. Aiden was Shanna's twin, something truly rare for their race. Because of their extended lives, childbirth was rare and therefore twins were even more so.
"Well done! Well done indeed!" Aiden spoke above the applause. "Pelltar would have been proud had he seen you progress so well."
Blushing from the praise, Shanna thanked everyone and took a seat beside her brother. "I do wish that Pelltar could have been here."
Aiden frowned, "You do still miss him, don't you?"
Shanna lightly whapped her brother in the arm. "Well that is a silly question if every I heard one. Of course I miss him, he was like family to us. And what's more, I miss his lessons."
Aiden made a show of wincing and rubbing his arm. "Fair enough," he conceded. His smile quickly returning, accompanied with a sparkle in his green eyes. It was a sparkle Shanna knew well. It usually came right before one of his crazy ideas.
"Why don't we go visit him? We'll be celebrating our birthdays soon and mom is always saying we need to see more of the world. She may argue we're still too young, but I think living here has helped us to grow a bit. Plus Kris would likely come with us and you know mom is fond of him."
Shanna was silent for a moment, thinking this over. It didn't sound crazy. Maybe a little dangerous since they'd never gone further than maybe 10 miles from home, and never alone. But then Aiden would be with her. As long as they were together they'd be okay. She wasn't sure how she felt about Kris coming with them, but then Kris was her brother's best friend and there was little she could deny her brother.
She smiled, her face lighting up with such a small gesture, "Sounds like a wonderful idea to me. Let's go talk to mom."