Chapter 80:

Chapter 80: Many things come from song, few of them harmless.



Eldar society is a complicated creature, not too dissimilar to that of any civilized species in the Great Wheel as civilization itself creates complexity in social interactions as multiple layers of meaning and thought intersect to grant individuals their position in society. Each society however has cornerstones, things that are fundamental to it and around which all other positions are made.

For Humanity those are the aristocracy, the priests and slaves as every single human society has these three groups even if they do not call them as such. The aristocrats are the upper echelon of individuals that have either accumulated the right kind of resources that allow them to rule over their society, or those that are the best at certain games and skills that the culture they are in desperately needs. The priests on the other hand are those who are best at manipulating all others into serving some greater being or purpose and the slaves are those who cannot do anything to anyone that are not like them but obey their orders.

For Eldar there are also three groups that are universal and those are the priests, the princes and princesses and Royalty. The priests in Eldar society are those who regulate the relationship between mortals and divine and unlike those in human societies they are not merely servants of divinity as they also instruct the Divines how it is best for them to interact with Mortals so that both sides get what they want out of their interactions. The princes and princesses are those individuals that have managed to gain control over a culture or sub-culture, the central nexuses that decides what the culture does and is headed towards.

Royalty is different from Princes and Princesses, for they are not merely a part of society but stand above it, for they are a singular existence that the civilization itself considers that without it, society would cease to exist and it will break or cease to exist if the Royalty is dead or leaves. They are not merely an important component of society, but something that society is based upon and that can exist separate of it, but without which society does not.

In modern times there are many civilizations without Royalty in them and it shows, for while Princes can act like them as they strive to become them, to live in a society that has never been graced by the attention and protection of Royalty is to be lesser for it as your civilization lacks a fundamental building block all Eldar civilizations need.

In times past, before our deal with the Old Ones, our societies were ruled by Song-Kings and Song-Queens, incredibly powerful psykers that could sing into existence all that they wished, that guaranteed our survival and passage of all artists into foreign lands and whose power and skill and ability to manipulate others ensured that our lifestyle was possible. They were the linchpin upon which our societies were built around and without at least one of them to manipulate reality until it fits our designs we would not be far from extinction at any given time.

It is for this reason that to disrespect that which the Eldar consider Royalty in any shape or form is to earn the enmity of every single other Eldar in existence, for Royalty's powers and Nonsense keeps the Children of The Stars free and capable of singing and dancing across time and space and guarantees our survival.

Unfortunately the Royalty of today and what we used to have before the Old Ones turned us into their children is not quite the same, for it is more complicated to become Royalty now as it needs to be done in such a way that the Rituals of the Old Ones cannot stop or prevent. In the past the best way to do so was to be the best Singer in a given culture by the Definition of the Children of the Stars, but now the would-be royalty needs to be the best Singer by the definitions of multiple beings at the same time, be they the Hybrid Definitions of the Divines, the definition of the Mortal Children of the Stars and those of the Small Singing Swords of the Ancients.

It's not harder to do so by the technicality that you can be acknowledged as such with the same acts as before, but it is more complicated as you need to make sure that being the best Singer also makes you capable of fulfilling the same role across multiple definitions, which is doable if the act that would convince all others of your title was done to save the society you are a part of from death or worse.

The best singers are those who have dedicated their lives to Song and have earned such renown in their skills that none doubt that their skills stand above all others. The best singers in a given culture in modern times are not royalty, not yet at least, but are the ones with the most potential to become such if they manage to find a way to turn their skills towards the salvation of their people and their survival becomes indistinguishable from that of the society they come from.

My wife succeeded in becoming such by manipulating a terrible and powerful creature into marrying her, into loving her deeply and made this creature bound to her designs and in doing so saved her people and made them strong and vanquished that which has threatened them and put them into a position of dominance and legal recognition and has done so with but a few words and Love.

With but a few words and love she manipulated a creature of Madness and Despair and Apocalypse to the benefit of her people and then turned it towards granting her people Power and Protection as even its kin fell in love with her people and agreed to protect her people for as long as her crown remains and she remains useful to our designs and as long as her people continue to put her above themselves her crown will last and thus the protection and Might it provides will remain as well and one will reinforce the other and her Crown will strengthen itself further beyond its birth too, making our own protection a part of its existence and not merely its sole reason for existing.

The singers in front of me are not Royalty, but Royalty-in-waiting for they await for the chance that their singing will be proven to stand above their culture and bring it its Salvation, but that day will never come, for Craftworlder civilization does not work like that and we can't just make it work like it. You can't force Royalty into existence, you can't give them a detailed instruction of how to become royalty and you can't overtly or even covertly manipulate them into becoming as such. They need to Seize the Day from circumstances outside of their control with their song and turn Doom into Might.

The craftworlders do not give their singers positions of authority and leadership and the singers rarely if ever seek such positions or care for them and thus even when the craftworld is in danger it won't be them its defenders turn towards or the singers who seek to use their singing to its benefit.

It took the last gasp of the Last of Holy Order of a Dead God to craft the proper circumstances to make a new Royalty from a princess trying to save her people and if we had failed we would have been doomed, but Royalty and its nonsense turned Doom to Might and the Divine Wisdom, known as Despair to Mortals, once again graces the Eldar as its priesthood once again walks in the open. This is the bare minimum that they would need to accomplish to become royalty and it is unlikely that it will ever happen.

A knock was hear on my door and they opened with the barest flicker of my will

"Be welcomed kind singers and be seated at my table and partake from my food." I welcomed the two with warmth in my voice as they came into my quarters.

Just because they have not earned their crown does not means I should not treat them with respect equal to that of a prince at the very least, for by the standards of the Children of the Stars at the very least, that is what they are, even if the Craftworlders or even most of the Empire do not know it. To sing and manipulate the emotions of others are synonyms in most Eldar languages and in those that aren't they are the same word and if I am not careful the two can and will manipulate the Craftworlders of Anaen against me and my order's designs.

The two may not be aware of it, but they are the most dangerous creatures on this craftworld as far as those like me are concerned and I need to ensure they do not take any of my words as insults or challenges.

"We thank you for the invitation holy one." The man replied cordially as he stepped in and held the red curtain up for his peer to also come in.

Both of them had hawkish features and black hair, but while the man's barely reach his neck, the woman's had centimeters before it touched the ground. Both of them were also dressed in copper robes whose meaning escaped me but I am sure that will become relevant.

Copper is associated with kindness and softness is various parts of the empire, but it is the mercy of a quick death, of the end of suffering and pain, and not the type of kindness commonly associated with Isha and it would not do to associate the Imperial meaning of the color to what the craftworlders claim as such. The Children of Anaen consider green to be the color of warriors fighting in the open after all, they don't have the same artistic consensus as the majority of our people.

The lady came in but remained silent and only sent me a burst of gratitude that smelled of homeliness. She called my quarters homely and I took the compliment in the spirit it was most likely meant with. This room of blues and white was not home, it will never be home for I had no home left and this room had far too few crystal corpses and fond memories of family in it to come close to it.

'The man is the vocal singer, and the lady the master of instruments.' I recalled from my younger sister's report.

She was not surprised by my request for as much detail as she can spare. She may not know exactly why the best singers on a world are important, but she knows very well that her father was desperate to marry the woman who had been called the best singer on his world and knows very well that he married up for it, especially as his background and knowledge can make use of her song even without her earning her crown.

"Please be seated and I thank you too for agreeing to this audience." I said as I gestured to the to sit on the red and white pillows that were as long as an Eldar was tall.

Eldar diplomacy is not done on chairs but on large pillows and couches one may lounge upon freely as they exchanged pleasantries and held discussion on whatever their hearts desired. I am not here as a diplomat but as a supplicant, but the same logic applied.

To be an eldar priest is to be a being of two worlds, of the Materium and the Warp and the most important thing to know about such an existence and that each book I have read on the topic is that being a creature of two worlds does not meant that I am only subjected to half of the laws of each, but that I am subjected to the laws of both, subjected to the disadvantages of both and will rarely if ever see the benefits of either, for the power of those that walk the Path of Priests is what others give us, not what we have made for ourselves, for all we have made is never enough.

The two singers took their seats and started to sample the foods I have made for them and I held nothing back on this feast. The last fruit and fish from my wives world were mixed with oranges from Hexas 3, potatoes from the same and even a few fruits from my birth world my sister managed to get for me were on full display. I even had some mint tea, and while it is a taste that most eldar care little for, it is one that the Divine has tasted and that Khaine approved of and as soon as the craftworlders will learn of its properties they will start stockpiling it.

I sat on my large pillow after them as their rituals dictated.

All craftworlds had customs and I've managed to get some of my patients to reveal those of Anaen to me during my consultations.

A proper audience starts with the welcoming of the guests, then the one who has been sought for an audience is to eat first and sample 'the tribute' the supplicant has offered and then the introductions would be made. I am combining multiple rituals into one as the ritual of receiving a guest is different from that of an Audience but it is hardly something important for the song of my guests tell me that they are aware of it and are curious at what I want from them and most importantly are not worried.

This is excellent as it means my sister informed them that this is an informal and friendly gathering.

The two singers sampled the fruits and took a few of the grape like fruits and nibbled on them as I awaited for them to introduce themselves. A silent conversation happened between them and I could feel that the woman was slightly annoyed by it but I did my best not to listen in as it would not do to insult my hosts.

"We thank you for the warm reception Holy One, I am Marrea Solas and I will let my partner to introduce herself." The man said as he took the lead.

Oh, it seems the young lady wished for him to introduce her as well.

The girl half-sang her introduction to me. A woman of noble birth that stood as black waves swirled around her at her command.

"Well met Marrea Solas and Bea Tonnha, know that I am Bessar Agail, priest of Hoeth, diplomat, Master Soul-Healer and holder of many titles I would rather not bother with enumerating. I thank you for agreeing to meet with me.

The woman was surprised I managed to 'divine' her name for she rarely uses it and while the man's name is known hers is only guessed at.

A question unanswered, knowledge unknown and a mystery to be discovered and plundered.

"I am a diplomat of the Eldar people Lady Bea Tonnha, and while I may not be familiar with most of the Eldar languages I am familiar with most forms of communication our people use and it would be quite shameful to not know of yours for it is the one that took us from our homeworld of Mallus into the void." I replied.

"Truly? Does that mean you can sing as she does then holy one? I can understand her and some of the seers can as well but most struggle to understand the meaning of her words in full let alone sing like her" The man asked.

The woman did not jolt from her seat but I could see her focus on me increasing.

The voice of divinity, a revelation brought through joy and a history unknown of multiple Divine.

I could feel surprise in both their song and see it with my own eyes in their stances. It's not every day you learn that the Divine have a favored mode of communication after all. Sure, the gods could talk in any other way the Eldar are capable of talking in, but it doesn't mean that they do not have favorites.

Gea, Cegorach and Lileath prefer talking through physical movement, but the others except Khaine and Asuryan prefer the half-song and the twins each have their own unique form of communication. Khaine speak through death and murder and Asuryan through light and portents and Hoeth when he was alive preferred the Written Word.

I took some food from the plate in front of us, as I wished to taste some of them before they were gone and it will be a long time until I will taste the food of my wives world if ever.

A whisper, a desire to learn and spread knowledge of speech and song.

Bea Tonnha wanted me to teach others how to sing like her, and I could feel that her partner, while he did not oppose her wishes, to say he encouraged them was a bit of a stretch. He would be glad if her way of communication spread and ambivalent if it didn't. The only reason he cared was because she cared and would be happy if she was.

I had just the thing, I pulled with telekinesis one of the crystals in my drawers and gently placed it in her arms.

The feeling of the half-song interpreted through speech, a half word of a greater sentence.

It didn't take her long to respond.

Gratitude and Confusion felt at the same time yet separate.

She wanted to know more and so did her partner. He heard of a type of song he was not familiar with and that was far more important to him than anything else could be.

"May I speak like this then? It is easier to explain it like that, for while I am proficient in half-song it is not a way of communication I am comfortable with." I asked.

I am capable of using the half-song to communicate with others, but I am at the end of the day a priest of Hoeth, I think in the written word and I am most comfortable with the written word and while I can use it with ease, speech is far less uncomfortable than half-song to use.

"I do not mind." The man allowed with barely hidden interest.

He took a sip of the mint tea and I could feel he liked it.

The woman just nodded in embarrassment as she was taken away with the fact she has another eldar that she can speak comfortably with.

"It is taboo to speak of it, but what the lovely Bea Tonnha uses to communicate is called half-song, a rudimentary form of The Song of Our People that few Craftworlders can hear and I would like your assistance with teaching this craftworld how to hear it again. If they do so, then it is possible, if unlikely, that the information in the dream crystal I've given you Bea Tonnha won't be needed to spread half-song through your home." I informed them.

I could see I had their full and undivided attention now. The man started focusing on me when he heard of a song he had never heard before, while the girl's focus intensified when she heard more people would be able to sing like her.

Half-song is rare among our people these days, due to the fact that speech comes easier now and the normal psychic communications we hold with one another are tainted by it and thus operate by its rules. Half-song does not care for speech, for our species developed it before speech and our people have learned that they like it more.

"I would like to hear more."

Desire.

Excellent, I do so love it when things are simple.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Craftworld Anaen and its children continue to be a den of vexing creatures.

Now that I know that their society is built around hiding secrets from outsiders the logic behind their actions became obvious. Each of their actions was made on some layer of deception either to myself or each other and the fools are not quite aware of it.

When they talk with each other, they do not merely say or do what they mean, but they also say something by not saying or doing it. When Bessar hides something it is done in such a way to get me to learn, to bring me closer to a usable answer, but what the craftworlders do is purposefully hide various parts of what they reveal so that the end result you reach towards is always wrong and incomplete, assuming even that you can reach it.

In retrospect I can see that my home did something similar, but to a far lesser degree, for while my parents and our servants would trick me, it was always through some alternate means to their words and actions and very rarely through them withholding information. Craftworders on the other hand handle trickery through omission and misdirection for what they tell is may or may not be the truth, but it is always so incomplete that to understand what is going on it is easier to ignore their words and only focus on their actions.

"I thank you for agreeing to this Lady Laciena Fiora." Diseth Aisse said.

"It is of no issue, for I too wish to talk with some of my nieces or nephews." I replied.

We were walking towards his family's quarters through the growing craftworld, the normally bone-white and light blue walls now a soft red as the growth of the craftworld was being accelerated.

Diseth Aisse agreed to help me find a navigator for Bessar's ship as the Masters of the Void have been sabotaging my attempts at finding one for some arcane reasons. Bessar would say it is the fault of the seers or farseers, but he has cowed our wild former kin into not interfering with our plots while we are here, so it is the seers that are handling things behind the curtains as they plot for the benefit of their craftworld.

Something is coming, I do not need the ability to sense the future to feel it, it is at the edge of my perception that the darkness awaits and it smells of death and regret.

"I do not understand why you would need my help, as I have looked over the ritual my older brother has given you and it does not need my assistance and it will hold when dealing with a senior priest of Cegorach if they appear." I informed him.

I appreciated his assistance with my issue, but it did not change the fact that if my help wasn't actually needed I would remain in his debt. There are expectations one has to fulfill as a priestess and one of them is that when we receive payment for services rendered our services need to actually assist the one paying us.

We can't just be present somewhere and have our presence be payment, it needs to actually help the one that needs it and just my presence is not needed as Bessar was thorough in his instructions and the small ritual he crafted should be enough to prevent his family from being pulled into the Narrative of the Priest coming for the Soul Eater.

My brother has been doing his best to do so for Anaen too, despite Anaen refusing to cooperate and according to him she will learn what that means. His attempts at getting Anaen to 'harmonize' with him whatever that meant stopped for now at least, and the two planetary masses of Narrative Momentum stopped clashing and making the craftworlders that cannot feel it be constantly on edge.

"Part of why I wish for you there is insurance, the other is that my instincts are telling that there is something going on in the shadows and having a priestess there to help smooth over any issues and keep my family safe. Also, Bessar Agail has helped my family and spared my life in the past when I have intervened in his sibling's mission and helping you also helps repay that debt." He revealed.

I hate that answer but I will leave it be.

Him wishing extra protections for his children reminds me of my father but the rest of his answer creates ambiguity as to our relationship. I want things to be simple, I want this to be a simple transaction where I provide a service and he provides another, but he decided to involve life debts and familial connections and I could feel my own Narrative Momentum spin and the house sized thing became connected with his.

The fool now made his future and mine connected.

There is a reason Bessar tries his best not to connect his future to that of others, as if it is not done appropriately then there is no coherency, if there is no coherency then you cannot adapt to the situations this creates and if you cannot adapt to it, then chaos and death follows.

This situation is not that bad at least, for Anaen agreed to send it's more 'wild' youth to assist the Cult of Strife and the Hexans in their crusade against slavery, to both get the more idealistic of them blooded and to create connections they could use. The connection between us is not a bad thing, but I need to get into the habit of not forming them unless I intend to because if I don't I will regret it.

I sighed and resolved myself to get better in the future, for I could do little else.

"I will stay close by to ensure good behavior, but I assure you that it is not needed. You have already repaid the favor you think you are owed by bringing Anaen into the Sight of the Holy Order of the Speakers of Apocalypse. Your craftworld was already instrumental in several of our designs and it has caused it to be favored by my siblings as you have noticed in the number of Apocalypses you have been subjected to." I replied evenly.

"It doesn't feel that we are favored, we often times barely survive through lucky coincidences and breakthroughs." The man replied with barely concealed bitterness.

The fool does not realize that they are lucky, incredibly so, to have so many tests thrown at them to make them strong and not merely kill them off. Their princes become ever more skilled at seizing the day and the fools do not realize that it is by design.

"I could explain if you want, but the costs will be steep if you consider the Benevolence of Apocalypse to not be so."

Apocalypse by the definition of the priests of Hoeth is Truth, it is the truth of Existence that no matter what happens, things will always get worse, that all one has built will crumble in cataclysm and that if one wishes to survive then they must accept this fact and grow mightier and craftier from it, and that you must do so until you are so Mighty that most Apocalypses that could once bring you down can no longer do so and crafty enough that those that can do so are not able to keep you there.

The man shuddered at my words and I sighed again. It appears he will choose to live in Ignorance like most other Eldar.

"I will take that as a refusal."

"I apologize, but I do not wish to know what price you would consider steep." He replied much to my annoyance.

I did not say the price is steep or that I consider it so, only that he will but I remained silent. I cannot erase the link between the two of us now, but I can limit it and with some luck perhaps it will wither on its own. A fool's dream, but I'll stick to it and hopefully it will be made true.

We continued walking through the Wraithbone halls that glowed a soft red until we reached his quarters. We were welcomed into the Craftworld by a man with red hair and blue pants and shirt and I entered without word.

"Son." Was the older man's only word to his son.

"Father." Was the reply of the son.

The faces of the two had some resemblance but I did not pay it much heed, for Diseth Aisse wished for the rest of his family to not be involved in our dealings.

I looked over the quarters as the two had a private conversation.

The quarters were… quaint… would be a word to describe them. It is a generous one for while all that could be find in it was of high quality there was so little of it. A few vases, a few embellishments in the architecture and so very little objects with personality and history that this did not feel like a home, but as the temporary quarters my father would give to guests, but home it was.

I can feel the connection between those here and the rooms I was in, this was their home and they will defend it to the last. This sparse thing was an Eldar home and not a guest quarters, which meant that whatever the craftworlders used to make a home theirs was hidden from me too.

"A quaint home, my hosts." I interjected.

There is propriety to be observed and while it would no do to intervene into a private conversation, I am a guest of princely lineage. Offering me a place to sit was the bare minimum of decorum they must offer for me to not be offended and I have waited more than I should have to be addressed.

"Thank you for your words holy one, I will take you to my youngest son's room and share some food and drinks there."

I smiled softly at this but remained silent. Diseth Aisse wishes for his family to not be involved in any way with me and I will respect that and that means reducing any and all chances of me forming a bond with any of his household.

We entered the room in question and it was little better than the entrance, if anything it was worse. Prayers to Isha were written on the walls and a small statue rested at the head of the small fenced bed the sleeping soul eater slept. I also felt the cleansed soul in the bottle my older brother made for the creature and I barely stopped myself from shuddering.

I sometimes forget it, but my brother is a terrifying creature by his design, that of a dead god and that of our siblings. He has to, for his duties involve interacting with the Divine directly and despite the Veil being meant to offer protection to Mortals and Divines from one another, said protection will only last as long as the Divines wish to enforce it.

The veil will fall when the Matton will shatter and there are already enough kill-switches into them that all one needs for it to happen is a signal and the Divines will once again be able to interact with us freely and make their desires of us extremely clear.

I settled on the couch he prepared for me and looked over the sleeping baby to act as a guardian while food and drinks are provided.

My host came with two plates one to myself and one to my niece who was always there much to his surprise.

"Niece."

"Aunt."

Warning received and acknowledged.

I could feel her Momentum, it was the size of a mountain, and she was a shadow-seer and senior priest of Cegorach.

She wore the black robes of Cegorach and the Opaque Mask of her position and I was glad that we did not have to kill each other as I doubt I would be the one to win our confrontation.

I could feel her Narrative Momentum engulfing mine but remaining separate, for propriety and the guest rights offered to us by Diseth Aisse prevented us from engaging in violence while under the protection of his home.

Our souls glared at one another with suspicion. Neither of us wished to become subordinate to the other's designs and goals despite the fact that we are allies and family, and so our only option to remain independent would normally be violence and to the victor will go the spoils of all that we are as is appropriate of the true priests and swords of different gods.

Thankfully that does not need to happen, for our rituals hold and now we can interact freely with one another.

She took off her helmet and lowered her red hood and drank some of the water and took a bite of the fish that was offered and I quickly did the same. It was quite good.

"I am a shadow-seer of Cegorach my hosts and I have come for the child, Fair One, Aunt. I wish to fulfill my mission and leave in peace." She said blandly.

She did not appreciate being caught in a net like the fish she just ate, but she is a senior priestess of an Eldar God being offered guest rights in the home of the man whose baby she wants to take to join her troupes. She must either accept or engage in combat if she wishes to maintain her position.

"I was brought here to guarantee good behavior, so unless something is to go awry you can both pretend I do not exist." I replied to her unspoken question.

My presence here is not needed, I can feel that the ritual Diseth Aisse has started is more than enough to keep the older woman from acting in any way that would be disrespectful to him, but I was invited and so must make the reason for my presence here clear.

The way to keep her from just taking the boy was simple too. Each night the father would leave food and water near the sleeping baby as well as a small letter asking the creatures of the shadows to partake in the food and leave his son alone until his father is ready to receive guests properly.

The priests of Cegorach being treated as honored guests was enough to stop them from acting like thieves in the night and so they had to delay fulfilling their orders until they could be received. There is a limit to it naturally, but there is no hard line and each day of delays decreases the price of action until the price becomes negligible or it actually starts rewarding them for tricking someone that merely pretends to offering guest rights.

And naturally nobody but the priest knows exactly when that is.

"I thank you for agreeing to come and induct my son into the priesthood shadow-seer, albeit I am curious in what way is you position different from a farseer as I was lead to believe the priesthoods of Hoeth and Cegorach were not fond of them." Our host asked.

I do not like having to think of farseers and the more I learn of them the less I liked them.

Farseers were created to be one of the many types of priests of Hoeth, wise men and women tasked with asking the Past, the Present and the Future 'How' in order to accomplish various missions and assist the war efforts of the Pantheon with data gathering. Them choosing to betray the priesthood had obscene consequences for our Order, including requiring us to beg the Priests of Lileath to save us and put us into eternal debt to them until we can repay the favor.

The Followers of Lileath did not understand what that meant when they took in the deranged remnants of Hoeth's children and have been running scared from us ever since.

"The shortsighted ones ask 'How' of the Skeins of Fate while those who see from the shadows ask 'Who'. The difference is grand and while the treachery of farseers was grand as well the priesthood of Cegorach could not afford to be left blind to the future and the past like that of Hoeth."

She spoke and I had to intervene now, for while she spoke out of ignorance I cannot let her words pass.

"We are not fully blind, for while Older Brothers cannot peer into the future or the past, the Younger Brothers and Sisters can if they choose to, albeit they can only be seers thanks to the grace of Lileath and her followers." I interjected.

Her neck almost cracked from the speed at which it turned but I did not say anything. The fish was expertly cooked and seasoned and I liked it quite a lot and so I took another bite.

"It seems the followers of Hoeth have been playing quite the prank on us." She replied tiredly.

"That we have. You should really eat more of the fish niece, I do not recognize the species but it is quite tasty."

She sighed at my warning but did as I asked.

She is not here to lament at how foolish she and her priesthood were to fall for a prank I knew little of, she is here to fulfill her role and she should not forget that.

Our host has done his part of the ritual with making her comfortable and engaging in friendly conversation, and now it's her turn to be forthcoming and repay the trap she was placed in with warmth and well-wishes, and her kind aunt was brought here to ensure that she will do so.

It would not do for the older niece to shame her younger aunt after all.

AN:

Marrea Solas→ Mac Dearg na Solas = Red Son of Light

Bea Tonnha→ bean nan tonn dubha =lady of the black waves