Two Months Later
"Wake up sweetheart." Aelin opened her eyes to see her father looming over her. She was almost four now, and knew what to expect when her father woke her up in the middle of the night. A smile bloomed across her face.
Aelin jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. There she put on a pair of shoes and grabbed a woolen cloak. It might have been late spring, but the temperature still drooped dramatically at night in the northern region.
She ran to meet her father at the door, where he took his hand in hers. These nights were her favorite times.
For an hour or so, all formalities were dropped. Her father, mother, and uncle were just her family sharing their knowledge and joy of their country with her. No guards. No fancy dresses to worry about ruining. No nobility watching their every move. It was pure bliss.
As they climbed the steps to the top of the tower, Aelin heard the voices of her mother and uncle talking. For once, they were not discussing business or politics, but people. Uncle was telling Mama a story about how Aelin's father was like when he was child. It always made Aelin laugh to think of her family being as young as she was. They each had different qualities that made them seem as if they had never been small.
As her and Father went around the curve of the stairs Uncle smiled and Mama bent down and held out her arms. Aelin ran into them. Her mother was always warm, and smelled of orchids and water.
"Good morning, my beautiful girl" Mama breathed. "I hoped you slept enough." Aelin had, gratefully. She had asked her maid to tell her whenever one of the blackouts where scheduled, so she would know when to go to bed early.
In most places in cities in Terrasen, there was a city wide black out once a month, depending on when it was deemed "appropriate". This was so one night a month, no matter where you were, you would have a few hours to look up at the sky and see the stars. The blackout was not enforced of course. Everyone just followed it anyway, if not for the fact that they wanted to see the stars themselves, then out of consideration for their neighbors who did.
On these days, it was a Galathynius tradition to gather on the last floor of the highest tower in the castle and listen to the telling of the old leends. They drank hot chocolate and watched the stars shine in the sky until they faded into a beautiful sunrise.
As her mother put her down, Aelin ran over to hug her Uncle Orlon. He kissed her on the cheek, and then she turned to her cousin. Aedion sat on the edge of the tower roof frowning. When he saw her looking at him he jumped off the edge and came to stand by her. The young princess leaned in to his, feeling his warmth surround her. She was already cold.
As they all settled down on blankets that were lain on the floor, her uncle smiled at the all,and began to speak.
"Once, long ago, there was a young man named Brannon. He was beloved by Mala the Light Bringer, and thus given the power to control the element of fire. His power was so great that he was able to call on it with the barest of thought. No one had ever seen the likes of it before, or since… ".
And he continued on. He told of Brannon in the Valg Wars, Brannon becoming king of the great nation of Terrasen, of his love for his daughter, and many of the other legends of the prestigious Galathynius family, Brannon's descendants. It was the story of them. The true one.
The young girl looked up to the stag in the sky and let out a contended sigh.