Summer Ail
A short snapshot of Raithea’s youth. I couldn’t resist.
“I have always wanted to feel how is to be a summer ail* kidnapped by spring bruthi**.”
This sentence, told to him in whisper, just two days ago, made him bolder. Everything was bathing in the summer glory. Wherever his feet led him, the nature was lush, green and wonderfully familiar. Tiny tree spirits were observing him, releasing spores, which danced on his hair and hands, touching him in almost intimate way – that was the only way spirits could connect with ailin***.
When he found her in the flower arbor, she was surrounded by her – he must have said that, even only if to himself – too loud and too drunk company, celebrating the summer solstice. Dressed in her white vest, with her white hair dancing around her face – she was a spell, cruel cruel spell. Cast in the name of the Mother herself and the Sun, her husband.
The celebration gathered all families, as one, in the center of the Rhuita, the great forest of birches. His own land, over which he kept protection as bruthi. Even Katri, the bottomless elves were present, and they rarely were leaving their caves and underground passages.
Summer ail laughed, like no one ever laughed before; clearly, purely, like raindrops falling on sun-licked skin. That made him reckless. Made his blood run hot. He wanted to show off, please her and win her once again.
When he took her by her slender waist and carried her away, the guests laughed and cheered. Summer ail screamed playfully, knowing that nothing wrong could happen to her, in this Rhuita forest, which smelled of amber and leaves.
“You are made of viciousness, Lord Rhuitaure” she laughed again, when they reached his destination, a small grove, which beamed with black-and-white bark.
He smiled mysteriously.
“My summer ail is not weeping. Does she like being kidnapped into the vast overgrowth, where no one can hear her?”
“Ah, you fool!”
“… or maybe my summer ail likes the person of her kidnapper?” his eyes gleamed, as he teased her.
“Stop that!” she swatted his arm, rather strong. “You fulfilled every bad thing of this tradition, now, can we have some good?”
“For me, it was rather good,” he grinned at her shamelessly.
“Yes. You and your jokes. One could think that you are not a spring bruthi but a youngling first time allowed to stay up at night.”
“Mmmm…” he got closer, much closer. “I wouldn’t mind staying up all night. As long as you stay with me, solstice princess…”
His face buried in her hair and she involuntarily sighed. They were together for almost twelve years but Raithea always was weaving new ideas, new tricks to keep her interested. He courted her, even if he didn’t have to, she was already his. That won her even more, he was a rare example of a bruthi that was both kind, intelligent and… curious. Just as she was. Curious of the world and everything that was binding them.
Curious of life, curious of her and who she is.
“So…” she decided to play along. “What does my kidnapper decide to do with his innocent prey?”
“Send her to the stars…” he whispered in her ear. “… and beyond.”
And so he did. Sent her into the heart of the woods, into soil wet from rain, and her hair filled with dew, and her fingers clenched on moss. They were just that and only that. Sun and Nature, feeding on each other’s passion, to create another grove. Summer ail and a spring bruthi, joined through a pure essence of the forest.
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* ail – princess
**bruthi – forest owner, lord of the forest
***ailin – royalty; elves