„On Realms that had been dear for me… at the Gates of Heaven… I’ve seen Happiness there, tears, and beloved things: like the green and balmy fields, like the times that I loved till Madness, Times of story, that I’ve missed so much…

  And I understood there that I didn’t miss only Heaven. I understood that I missed my life around there, a life full of longing, that I’ve missed seeing peace around me, seeing smiles and dances, taking the courage with me while wandering the world, and that I missed seeing people greeting me when I was coming home…

  I also understood that I loved somehow seeing people concerned about me when I was alone, and this made me understand that Life isn’t all beer and skittles and that there are also tears and struggles on Earth.

  But also, Life taught me that there are still warm people, that there are still those there that will fight for you, that there are still beloved eyes that are shinning in tears just to show you that things didn't end there, where Death seems to have appeared…,” the waters that were glittering in the sun of the dusk whispered.

  Sighing while watching the water, Samaya murmured: „the water of the river, that flows now calmly then rushing down the valley, somehow cools not only the stones above which it passes, winding its liquid body, but it also tells the story of the Time, kept in the whisper of the wind, kept in the cloth of the night over which so holly flows the light of the stars of the dawn and of the dusk,” and her whisper somehow completed the rustle of the waters of the river that were hurrying down its bed.

  To her right was Nathaniel, who, as she, was deeply immersed in thoughts, for that stunning view, seen in front of him, wasn’t only making him feel melancholic, but was also awakening memories in his soul, memories he thought that he had forgotten, but which were sparkling at that moment in his head so alive and so burning.

  Especially fragments of a faraway moment were coming into his head, an event that happened when he was only a child and he went with his father to the river to fish.

  It was a sunny and beautiful day, with a lot of charming floating around when the two of them got to the river shore, and his father left his bag on the ground and sat down next to it, motioning to his son to also sit down.

  „But, father…,” the boy insisted, eager to start the work as soon as possible because not for nothing they have walked so far till they got to that part of the river and that there was still a long way home, to the camp, when they finish fishing. „We don’t have time to waste. The Sun is already up. We must fish as much as possible and go back. Mom and Yellen are waiting for us.”

  „You’re rushing too much, son,” his father calmly told him and smiled at him. „One must know to wait in life because it can bring you more important things than rushing. That’s why it’s a good idea to have nature as your friend, to know listening to its whisper, and also know how to read the truth on its lips.”

  The boy frowned, for he didn’t understand what was his father talking about.

  The man laughed instead, seeing that sweet confusion on his son’s face. „The truth I’m talking about is in your heart, Nathaniel and it's called love for your people. That’s why, even if we have to hunt or fish to live, to kill others to live, to madly fight to live, yet, we mustn’t forget to love what is close to us.”

  „Even if what is close to us is our enemy?”

  „Even if it’s our enemy, my boy because the enemy has also a mother somewhere, has also a sister that cries for him, a beloved woman that will be longing for him, as he has a father whose heart will bleed to death because of his missing son.”

  Only then, Nathaniel sat down next to his father and also watched the river, whose water was so beautifully glittering bathed by the light of the dawn sun.

  „But, father… why do we have to think about others if they don’t think about us? They don’t think about our mother, or our sister, or… the rest when they attack us or when they try to get what is ours.”

  The man smiled again. That time instead, his smile was sad because on the one side he liked the fact that his boy was smart, but on the other hand, he was sad to know a 9-year-old boy asking such questions about life.

  „Father?” Nathaniel called him and the man winced, awakening from his daydream.

  „Why?! …well, maybe because… maybe because they didn’t have someone to teach them such words. But yet, Nathaniel, never allow others to influence your deeds only because those others don’t have a soul or don’t know how to think right about something. If they don’t have it, at least you should have a soul and this is the important matter in life: to think about others too.

  And… remind this, son! Always keep my words in mind: never carelessly pass by a beggar - if you have only a small piece of bread in your bag, give half to him; if you see a child shivering because of cold or crying, put your coat on his shoulders or give him some comfort, and if you are somehow forced to take someone’s life, never forget to close his eyes before leaving him behind, for there’s no bigger sin in this world than the one when someone forgot about humanity.”

  „Yet, why is it so important for us to close the eyes of those who aren’t among us anymore?” The boy asked with curiosity.

  „Because we are giving them the chance to forget their pain thus and start to walk on a different path. To allow them to rest, Nathaniel, for then, when a soul is rested and calm, it doesn’t look for doom, and when the spirits leave us, they also should be calm because only then they won’t look for turning back into this world only to hurt others.”

  One next to the other, father and son looked in the distance at the first sun rays that were so beautifully warming the nature around, blessing the world thus and giving a new chance for happiness to take over the surroundings.

  Nathaniel winced instead, with that holy image kept in his heart, seeing Samaya’s glance focused on the water as if she was following something. So, he watched in the same direction and he also saw the marling that was calmly swimming.

  This made Samaya happily grin and she suddenly transformed into a wolf and slowly stepped toward the water, for even if she was afraid of the water, the thought of eating fresh fish on the grill didn’t seem like a bad idea. Yet, she stopped when Nathaniel moved in front of her.

  „What?” She asked, seeing him crossing his arms on his chest and staring at her.

  „So are you going to get in the water?”

  „Yeah! Let’s say I’m a better hunter as a wolf than as myself. So…”

  „Out!” The man ordered her.

  „Of what?”

  „Of the wolf’s skin and you’ll see what means the real pleasure of hunting,” Nathaniel said, and, smiling, he turned his back to her and moved toward the forest, which wasn’t that far from the river.

  Samaya took back her human shape and, confused, she looked behind Nathaniel, wondering what he was planning at that time. But she hadn’t to wait for long and she saw him coming out of the woods and bringing two branches with him, straight as if being spears, about 8 centimeters thick in diameter and about 1.5 meters long.

  Then, the man sat down on the shore, took a small knife from his girdle, and started to shuck the wood, making it soft to the touch. Then, he sharpened one of the tops.

  This thing amazed Samaya a lot and she approached him, curious to find out what was next.

  When she was about two steps from him, Samaya has been forced to grab one of the sticks on the fly because, seeing her approaching him, Nathaniel threw it toward her, trying to test her flexibility and attention this way. Then, he continued his work because his stick wasn’t ready yet.

  „What’s this?” Samaya asked in amazement, curiously watching the stick from her hand.

  „A Harpoon. A primitive one, but a damn useful one,” he said, smiling, and, after he finished his weapon, he stood up, rolled up the leg opening of the trousers, up to the knees. After that, barefoot, he headed toward the river.

  Samaya followed his lead, but she only took off her boots and followed his footsteps, for wearing a dress long to the half of the hips was giving her the freedom to move and she could enter the water thus without being afraid of getting too wet.

  The river in that place wasn't deep instead and the water got only up to their knees. So, the crystalline water allowed them to see the bed river and everything that was under the water. But there wasn’t any fish around them.

  „I think that…,” Samaya said, but she kept silent, spotting Nathaniel’s motion by touching his lips with the finger.

  Soon, when all around them was only the rustle of the water heard, Samaya saw a lot of swordtails swimming toward them. So, she smiled, and raised her right arm up, squeezing the harpoon and preparing for the attack as she saw Nathaniel doing.

  And… they waited. And it was a kind of fight against time with their own patience at that moment, for even if both saw well the fish swimming toward them, they had to wait till they will be close to them and be sure that they won’t fail by throwing the harpoon thus.

  The first to attack has been Nathaniel, but his harpoon hit the sand of the river bed instead, and the fish only showed his tail to the young man when he passed by him, making Nathaniel frown.

  But this made Samaya smile. However, she kept silent, seeing Nathaniel watching her like an upset child, a hint that she punctured his pride. Yet, Samaya was a fighter and she rarely allowed others to have priority in front of her. That time hasn’t been an exception too, for her hunter instinct, even if she never killed before, suddenly awaken somewhere deep inside her, and when Samaya threw the harpoon, she made to stab a fish with it, a big one actually and she right away took it out of the water.

  „The beginner's luck,” Nathaniel sullenly murmured and pulled his harpoon out of the water. However, the second and the third attempt had been also unlucky, when Samaya succeeded several times.

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  Actually, Nathaniel was a good hunter, and not only once did he fish this way. But he felt somehow awkward that day, like a newcomer next to her, and he didn’t understand why, for he would have wanted to show her that she could count on him, that he was able to feed a family, to keep a house. Now instead, he ruined all with his own foolishness and this made him frown again.

  A slight tap on his shoulder made him wince and, looking behind him, he saw Samaya staring at him with her eyes bathed in a strange light and smiling at him while showing him ten fish stabbed in her harpoon.

  „Come on! Stop pretending you don’t know how is doing this,” the girl told him in a cheerful tone. „If you decided to give me the chance to win only because I’m a girl, I tell you that you are so wrong. I love to fight… honestly.”

  „Is that a challenge?” Nathaniel asked, rejoicing, for he, like Samaya, loved challenges.

  „Why not?! I’d like to beat you with my own weapons,” she cheerfully said, heading toward the shore, to take the fish out of her harpoon and be ready for her small competition with Nathaniel.

  However, she had been so amazed to see Arion, Fenrir, Bestla, and Sephir coming toward them, even if it seemed that they have watched them all that time while she and Nathaniel played in the water and this made her wonder what were they planning.

  Caught red-handed, Samaya often blinked from her eyelashes and tried to pass by.

  However, Fenrir knew well what kind of game she was playing. So, he stepped to the side and cut her off, happily grinning at her. „Challenge, you say, huh?! Interesting how this challenge will end,” and his eyes sparkled somehow wildly, for even if he loved his sister till madness and he wanted her to be happy, he was still feeling jealousy for her… as a brother, who was ready to break everyone into pieces only to protect her. But he also saw a rival in every man that was approaching her.

  „Stop fooling around,” Samaya told him in a snarl and she passed by him eventually, putting the fish in the sack Arion brought with him, for they also came for this: to fish and prepare for the trip, for the People of Siar and of Dike decided to halt over the night in that part of the forest, next to which that beautiful river was passing by.

  The four however came there empty-handed, but Nathaniel’s trick seemed to be a good idea. But… they decided to wait for a while, for that innocent game Nathaniel and Samaya were playing in the water was damn curious and they all wanted to see how it will end.

  „Let’s bring some wood,” Arion told Fenrir, slowly tapping him on the shoulder and awakening him from that sweet jealousy, for he was staring both at Samaya and Nathaniel, who was still in the water.

  But Fenrir was doing that not only because of his jealousy: he was pretty sure that those two were planning something that they weren’t yet aware of.

  Yet, even if he wasn’t that eager to follow Arion and lose part of what will come, Fenrir has been forced to do that, especially when a small stone hit his shoulder, and when he turned his head and furiously looked over there, he saw that who threw the stone has been his wife, who was piercing him with the glance, for he couldn't hide his jealousy of her and namely this „hint” made him bundle off, following Arion, until Sephir didn’t get really mad because that part of her he already saw and he wasn’t so eager to see it once again.

  Only when Arion and Fenrir were already in the woods and too far to hear their whispers, did Sephir get next to Bestla and Samaya and she asked: „what’s going on between you and Nathaniel, Samaya?”

  The girl curiously looked at her sister-in-law. „About what?”

  „With you two. Don’t think that we didn’t realize that something happens between you two. Something related to your heart, Samaya. Or… do you think Fenrir is jealous for nothing?”

  „Jealous? Of his own sister?” Bestla asked in amazement, staring ox-eyed at Sephir.

  „Aha. We don’t have a brother and we don’t know what this means. But it seems that Fenrir disliked the idea of seeing Nathaniel rounding Samaya,” Sephir murmured in a cheerful tone, making Samaya frown.

  „Stop talking nonsense because nothing happens between me and Nathaniel. We are only fellows for the battle.”

  „Aga, of those that kiss each other at dusk,” Bestla cunningly murmured and grinned when Sephir hit her with an elbow.

  „Where do you know this from?” Samaya asked in amazement. „Don’t tell me that you used your trick of reading my mind again, Bestla?!” And Samaya really looked upset that time.

  „Not yours… anyway,” Bestla said grinning and she motioned her to watch Nathaniel, who was heading already toward them, bringing a few fish with him.

  „Hold your tongue, Bestla,” Samaya commandingly whispered between her teeth, „or… I might allow some scattered thoughts to be read by Arion by pure „chance."

  „You won’t dare!”

  „Try me,” Samaya told her in a sure tone and she entered the water again, passing by Nathaniel without even watching him, for she really felt ashamed that her little secret has been discovered by others too.

  Nathaniel looked confused at Samaya at first, then he looked at Bestla and Sephir, who seeing his look of question, shrugged and played the fool because they knew very well that if Samaya threats someone it isn’t in vain, and if she said that, it means that her secret had to be a secret till the end.

  „Will you just stay there and do nothing for more time?” Fenrir told Nathaniel in a shout when he spotted the „rival” with his back at him and staring at Samaya, who was looking for fish. „Don’t be lazy and help us,” Fenrir said and his angry tone made Nathaniel eventually approach them, even if he didn’t understand why the twin was mad anyway.

  The three of them worked in silence for a while, but each of them was spying on the three women that were in the water and having a secret conversation.

  „What are they planning this time?” Fenrir asked with curiosity because, for an unknown reason, he couldn’t prick up his ears and listen to what they were whispering. Also, the teleportation didn’t work. „Too suspicious! I can’t even use magic this time,” Fenrir wondered, frowning.

  „This is Bestla,” Arion said, smiling. „And I advise you don’t even try to break that ice wall, for if she „catches” you spying, then it will be woe betide your back then,” and Arion laughed with all his heart.

  Fenrir frowned again because the curiosity was beyond the safety of his own skin for him, and... he wasn’t afraid of Bestla anyway, but… of Sephir… because he knew that his wife dislikes tricks. That’s why he eventually decided to give up and continue what he was doing.

***

  „I love such moments with many stars sparking so alive in the sky,” Sephir murmured while laying with her head on Fenrir’s chest and watching the sky.

  „Me too,” the man said in a whisper and, laying his head on his arms, he allowed the candles of the sky to mirror their shiny body in his glance while his chest was rhythmically moving up and down in a sweet breath, having his soulmate next to him, the woman he loved with all his heart and for whom he could give up on everything just to see her happy.

  That’s why they were often sneaking out of the camp: just to spend the night only the two of them, because he knew that Sephir loves solitude and he was ready to take the risk for her, leaving a safe place as the camp was, where they could be protected, and hiding in such places.

  Well, related to „sneaking out of the camp in great secret,” Fenrir was really naive. And this happened to Sephir too, because even if they considered their leaving as being secret and unnoticed by others, everybody in the camp actually knew about this, but everybody was keeping silent and was only secretly smiling, and if someone saw them entering the woods, there was a fugitive whisper heard around: „eh, youth!”

  „Listen, Fenrir, do you really don’t like Nathaniel?” Sephir asked, raising a little bit and supporting her head with her hand while lovingly looking at her husband.

  Fenrir preferred to watch the sky instead. Then, he sighed and murmured: „it’s not about that I don’t like him, but… I don’t know, I feel a certain flurry in my soul.”

  „Flurry? Like?”

  „Like… losing her. I don’t know… at least this is what I feel, for I and Samaya have been always together, for better or for worse. Now instead, I feel a certain distance between us.”

  „And… don’t you think that’s normal? In the end, you both grew up. You… are already married, somehow fulfilled or at least this, I hope. I think that Samaya has also the right to feel that.”

  Only then did Fenrir look at her for a long time and somehow confused, but not because he found out a big secret related to Samaya: that she also had the right to be happy, but because he heard Sephir telling him that she wasn’t sure that he was happy with her.

  „What?” She asked him in a whisper when she saw his eye focused on her.

  „Do you really think that I’m not happy with you?”

  „It’s not that. I simply feel that I’m not enough for you,” Sephir said and she slowly bowed her head, watching the ground with sad eyes.

  Fenrir deeply inhaled the fresh air of night, trying to gather his thoughts this way. Then, he sat down on the ground, forcing Sephir to take a similar position. After that, he touched her chin and forced her to deeply look into his eyes, whilst the sparkle of light was seen so alive in the eyes of both. „Happiness can be in many ways, Sephir: one of them can be related to the fact that I’ve seen the sun once again; a second one can be because I still hear the song of nature, but something different and totally unique is the happiness I feel for Life.”

  Sephir looked at him puzzled, for even if Fenrir’s words were clear, she understood them as if being said in an ancient langue, weird, unknown to her, for she always felt that she missed happiness, even if it wasn’t so.

  „You are my happiness, Sephir,” Fenrir told her and kissed her on the lips for a long time. „My family is my happiness,” and he stole a kiss from her again. „My happiness is made up of everything around me, even if it sometimes means fighting for it. But yet: even if I’m fulfilled next to you, this doesn’t mean that I can fight against myself and that I won’t be worried for others. Especially for Samaya, because we’ve been born from the same womb, we shared the same bread, we breathed the same maternal love, Sephir. I think it’s normal to be jealous of the one who’ll steal all this from me, for then, when Samaya will throw in her lot with another man, I’ll lose these moments of happiness next to her.”

  „But you can be happy by my side,” Sephir said, with a shaking voice and Fenrir felt jealousy in her voice for the first time. He smiled instead, for understanding how weird and awkward had been they both.

  „I have no doubt about that, but yet… tell me, if Bestla and Arion will pair someday, won’t you feel that you are losing the bond that links you as sisters?”

  His words made her think. „Like?”

  „The smile… the beautiful words… the secrets you shared since little children, the feelings born in your chests after everything you’ve seen and lived together, and the dreams you talked about all the time. This is what I feel that I’ll miss because when Samaya and Bestla will be with their husbands later, they will share everything with them, and not with us, who are their brothers.”

  Sephir sadly smiled: she actually understood what Fenrir was talking about, but the matter was that she had never lived such things, for even if they were three sisters, they never shared secrets between them.

  It was more like a sweet rivalry between the three while each of them tried to demonstrate to the other her abilities, her power, the possibility of learning something new, and looking to get the approval and the recognition of the other one and this was what impeded them to feel and think like sisters.

  And… it wasn’t their fault that they lived like this: they had been taught to live like that, for being all the time threatened by Ahi and by Coallar, and the three sisters had been thought to never trust anyone if it wasn’t themselves.

  Samaya and Fenrir lived another story instead: they’ve learned from others to trust people, especially close people, and the fact that they were twins connected them with a secret connection, unknown and misunderstood by others, and namely, that connection made them be so close to each other.

  „A brother's jealousy is closely linked to his love,” Sephir murmured and she finally smiled. „That's what you wanted to tell me, wasn't it??”

  Fenrir slowly nodded yes. „Nobody ever taught me how to show my love for Samaya differently and, I must somehow tell the other one that my sister isn’t alone and if he makes her cry, then he will face me.”

  Here Sephir became cunning. „And… don’t you think that the other one can do the same?”

  „Like?”

  „To defend himself. More, feeling that his love is threatened. I don’t think Nathaniel is that weak to give up on Samaya only because her brother is jealous.”

  Fenrir primmed his face. „I hate to recognize when you’re right, but this doesn’t mean I’ll give up.”

  „Why?”

  „Because that's how I feel,” and he suddenly hugged her, holding her to his chest, and lay on the warm ground again, looking at the beautiful sparkles of the sky, that were the only witnesses of their love.

  Sephir calmed down this way and she couched at her husband’s chest again, closed her eyes, and deeply breathed in his pleasant scent, for namely that scent was the elixir of her love and what was bringing happiness in her life.