The Visitors
Ymiden 2nd 720
Astra Rel Alivilida
The world was wet on this Ymiden trial. Jasper had spent much of the trial at the Citadel spending time meditating and also listening as his fellow Aesir worked to figure out what was going with the blasted rain. Jasper felt a headache coming on but continued towards his small house, and smile on his face and a nod of greeting to all he passed. He had his Grendel cloak pulled up tightly against the rain. Jasper had been busy with the day to day routine of his life recently and he was beginning to feel a bit antsy and the spark in him was saying he needed to go home for a visit, just a quick one.
Jasper was considering it seriously as he came around a bend in the road leading to his house and found himself looking at crowd of people on his door step. The young man’s forehead crinkled in confusion, not because he never had guest. His neighbors were known to swing by and visit him but they also knew his hours. So they wouldn’t be hear this early and if they really needed him would have found him at either the Citadel or the estate. These people had clearly parked on his door waiting for him.
Jasper moved to the side of the road and paused to look more closely at his unexpected guests. He quickly realized that there were only three of them, but also like him they were all in cloaks against the rain. There was something about the cloaks that was familiar. The brown eyes narrowed in focused though and then he realized where it was that he had seen them. He had worn one himself until his mother had presented his with the Grendel cloak. They were a common cloak worn by the citizens of his home Alivilda. They were plain and practical designed to fight the weather not the impress. None of his people would have worn the fancy cloaks he saw around the capital as they would mock the fashion statement.
The young Aesir stepped away from the wall and almost skipped towards his door and waiting guests. As he came closer and his booted feet stomped through the water on the road the three heard him and turned to looked in his direction. It was then that Jasper was pleased to see that they were in dear friends, family even. The closest of the three was none other than his brother Aurelius. Jasper moved across the distance and wrapped his brother in a bear hug. A few years younger then Jasper, Aurelius had the same dark hair and eyes as the rest of the boys and even the same height. His face was handsome and his body trim but he didn’t have the muscular build the rest of the men had. Aurelius calling wasn’t the farm no it was music and story telling and that was what he had spent his free time doing. Aurelius seemed momentarily surprised by the hug and then returned the hug.
“Aurelius it’s about time you came to Raelia.” Jasper said as he held his brother at arm’s length and looked him over. His brother Embla was a series of musical marks that extended from below the ear and down either side of his face to his chin. Jasper was pleased to see him wear them proudly. “We will have to get you into the bard school.”
“How did you know?” Aurelius gasped.
“I have been hinting to mom about it for a while now.” Jasper said and then turned to the next cloaked figure. “Asmund.” He said at also clapped the other man in a bear hug. Asmund was his cousin and had been his childhood best friend. The two were only a couple seasons different in age and had grown up doing everything together. Asmund also had brown hair but his eyes were a gray blue set in a handsome face. He was a bit shorter then Jasper but plenty tall. His embla was symbolic of his choice to work on the farms but also his skill with the blade to protect his family and lands in necessary.
“Asmund your presence here is a wonderful surprise.” Jasper said grinning at his cousin. At this point the third member of the group spoke up.
“Boys, these greetings would be better done inside.” A feminine voice said both cheerfully and impatiently from where she stood next to the locked front door. Jasper’s brown eyes looked up towards the only woman in the group that had come to visit him. It was hard to get really get a good look at her face as she had her hood as far forwards as possible to keep out the rain, but he knew that voice and that tone. It could only be Asmund’s younger sister Astra.
Jasper laughed in good humor as he made his way through the crowd and unlocked the door to him home. He opened the door and held it open for his guest to come into his very simple but homely house. Astra was the first threw and moved far into the room so that everyone would have room to come in. His guest began to remove there cloaks as Jasper closed the door and then quickly moved over to the fire and began to bring the hearth back to life. Once the flames where bright and well Jasper removed his own cloak and hung it by the flames so the heat could dry the rain off. Aurelius and then Asmund handed him there cloaks so they could also dry off.
Jasper then got his first good look at Astra. He had grown up with the young woman and knew her fairly well since he had been in their home many times and given they were part of the same hold many extended family events had brought them in contact with each other. Jasper remembered her being a rather skinny, to skinny actually. Her hair had been nice, but she had a aceny problem last Jasper remembered seeing her.
That wasn’t the case anymore. She had finally filled out so her body now matched her height. Her face had also blossomed as it had promised to for all of those years, and her hair was still as nice as before, and Jasper had to fight the urge to run his hand through it. The young man was finding it hard to remove his gaze from the young woman he had seen all of his life.
Jasper was considering it seriously as he came around a bend in the road leading to his house and found himself looking at crowd of people on his door step. The young man’s forehead crinkled in confusion, not because he never had guest. His neighbors were known to swing by and visit him but they also knew his hours. So they wouldn’t be hear this early and if they really needed him would have found him at either the Citadel or the estate. These people had clearly parked on his door waiting for him.
Jasper moved to the side of the road and paused to look more closely at his unexpected guests. He quickly realized that there were only three of them, but also like him they were all in cloaks against the rain. There was something about the cloaks that was familiar. The brown eyes narrowed in focused though and then he realized where it was that he had seen them. He had worn one himself until his mother had presented his with the Grendel cloak. They were a common cloak worn by the citizens of his home Alivilda. They were plain and practical designed to fight the weather not the impress. None of his people would have worn the fancy cloaks he saw around the capital as they would mock the fashion statement.
The young Aesir stepped away from the wall and almost skipped towards his door and waiting guests. As he came closer and his booted feet stomped through the water on the road the three heard him and turned to looked in his direction. It was then that Jasper was pleased to see that they were in dear friends, family even. The closest of the three was none other than his brother Aurelius. Jasper moved across the distance and wrapped his brother in a bear hug. A few years younger then Jasper, Aurelius had the same dark hair and eyes as the rest of the boys and even the same height. His face was handsome and his body trim but he didn’t have the muscular build the rest of the men had. Aurelius calling wasn’t the farm no it was music and story telling and that was what he had spent his free time doing. Aurelius seemed momentarily surprised by the hug and then returned the hug.
“Aurelius it’s about time you came to Raelia.” Jasper said as he held his brother at arm’s length and looked him over. His brother Embla was a series of musical marks that extended from below the ear and down either side of his face to his chin. Jasper was pleased to see him wear them proudly. “We will have to get you into the bard school.”
“How did you know?” Aurelius gasped.
“I have been hinting to mom about it for a while now.” Jasper said and then turned to the next cloaked figure. “Asmund.” He said at also clapped the other man in a bear hug. Asmund was his cousin and had been his childhood best friend. The two were only a couple seasons different in age and had grown up doing everything together. Asmund also had brown hair but his eyes were a gray blue set in a handsome face. He was a bit shorter then Jasper but plenty tall. His embla was symbolic of his choice to work on the farms but also his skill with the blade to protect his family and lands in necessary.
“Asmund your presence here is a wonderful surprise.” Jasper said grinning at his cousin. At this point the third member of the group spoke up.
“Boys, these greetings would be better done inside.” A feminine voice said both cheerfully and impatiently from where she stood next to the locked front door. Jasper’s brown eyes looked up towards the only woman in the group that had come to visit him. It was hard to get really get a good look at her face as she had her hood as far forwards as possible to keep out the rain, but he knew that voice and that tone. It could only be Asmund’s younger sister Astra.
Jasper laughed in good humor as he made his way through the crowd and unlocked the door to him home. He opened the door and held it open for his guest to come into his very simple but homely house. Astra was the first threw and moved far into the room so that everyone would have room to come in. His guest began to remove there cloaks as Jasper closed the door and then quickly moved over to the fire and began to bring the hearth back to life. Once the flames where bright and well Jasper removed his own cloak and hung it by the flames so the heat could dry the rain off. Aurelius and then Asmund handed him there cloaks so they could also dry off.
Jasper then got his first good look at Astra. He had grown up with the young woman and knew her fairly well since he had been in their home many times and given they were part of the same hold many extended family events had brought them in contact with each other. Jasper remembered her being a rather skinny, to skinny actually. Her hair had been nice, but she had a aceny problem last Jasper remembered seeing her.
That wasn’t the case anymore. She had finally filled out so her body now matched her height. Her face had also blossomed as it had promised to for all of those years, and her hair was still as nice as before, and Jasper had to fight the urge to run his hand through it. The young man was finding it hard to remove his gaze from the young woman he had seen all of his life.
