Aerion Lyles Leaves

From TFC Galactopedia

Shouts and crashes… Cursing in the dark woke her from a child’s peaceful slumber. They were at it again. Every night it seemed they felt the need to explode at each other. They thought she didn’t hear; that she slept soundly with her siblings here in the nursery. The girl-cub shivered and buried her muzzle in the soft fur of her sleeping pet furzen. She might only be three lemlei, six years old by standard reckoning, but she was old enough to figure out her parents could not stand each other.

Beyond the closed nursery door the shouting stopped, and the girl-cub raised her head in curiosity. Usually she dropped off before the fighting finished. Heavy footsteps stomped away from the royal bedchamber- Her father storming away in a foul mood, no doubt. She reached out tentatively to his mind the way her special tutor had showed her not long ago. For a moment she thought he didn’t notice the touch, but then the footsteps stopped and the door swung open.

Aerion Lyles stood silhouetted by the dim lights in the hallway beyond, visible to her only as a dark shadow. A small shiver ran up her young spine as she stared up at him. The black form moved into the room and came to kneel by her little bed.

“Still awake, child?”

She nodded, not saying anything. She could see his face now that he was in the room by the glow of her nightglim, the night black mane of hair escaping its thong and curling around aristocratic cheekbones, stray tendrils before his expressive brown eyes. He smiled at her, though grief and anger warred with each other behind those eyes so like her own.

“You should go back to sleep, little one.” He reached out a hand to ruffle her mane."

So young and yet so strong… I do not wish to leave her with Candas, but what choice do I have? I cannot take my Zannah with me, not this time.

It was a thought she knew she was not supposed to hear, but with the turmoil in his mind it slipped through his normally tight shielding. It frightened her and she nosed his hand, backing her little ears. “Da? Why do you and Mumma fight? Why are you going away? Was I bad again? I’ll behave, I promise!” She clung to his hand, her eyes pleading with him.

“No, child, it was nothing you did. Your mother and I have certain… differences of opinion. I cannot stay here any longer.”

She bit her lip to keep it from quivering while her eyes filled with tears. “But you’ll come back, won’t you? You’re not going to leave me all alone…”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, Zannah, I just don’t know. I will be gone a very long time, if I return at all.”

She flung her arms around his neck, sobbing, “But I don’t want you to go!”

You’re the one who takes my side, mother doesn’t like me at all and Snow teases me. If you leave I’ve only got Tigre and he’s too little to understand…

Aerion’s mental anguish increased at the unshielded thought that burst from her mind and he hugged his firstborn close. “You will see me again someday, child, I promise you that.” He gently pulled her away and tucked her back into bed, smoothing down her ruffled hair. Zannah sniffled and hugged her pet closer.

“I’ll miss you, Da.”

The sight of her laying there looking so lost and forlorn nearly broke his heart, but he had already made his decision, and would not go back on it. “I’ll miss you too, my little one.” Aerion stood and strode to the door sparing a single glance back. “Sleep now, child. Things will look better in the morning; they always do.”

Zannah curled herself into a trembling ball as her father, her only support and stability in the whirlwind that was her young life, turned his back and walked away. She did not sleep for a long time afterwards; just lay there alone in the darkness and cried for the father who was no longer there.