Chapter 293 - The Founding of a Friendship (1/2)

*Eldovian Era 1714, 15th day of the 2nd month*

”...Old Joe, did know,

All the rocks, from the toads,

By the light of the day and the night life.

But his boat, wouldn't float,

O'er Old Jerry's moat,

So the toads croaked his sorrows to the bird life!”

Aegin clapped twice energetically as he looked to the others, ”Come on! Sing it with me!”

Tigin smiled but didn't attempt to sing with him as Aegin launched into the verse again. Rima dug her hand into the sack beside her and withdrew a potato, hurling it as Aegin's head. He caught it and looked at her in surprise.

”Would you shut up? You've been singing the same stupid rhyme for an hour. It doesn't even make sense,” said Rima.

”Well, don't blame me, I didn't write it,” Aegin huffed, dropping the potato into the sack beside him.

”Your Eldovian jingles and songs are so simple and senseless that they sound as if a child wrote them,” said Rima, ”Do you not have any good songs? Surely in a whole continent somebody could come up with something better”.

Well sure, thought Aegin, but he'd heard most songs from taverns and inns. And the performers there didn't tend to make much of an effort seeing as their audience was either drunk or on their way there.

”Wasn't there a place called the Singing Sands in Eldovia?” asked Tigin, ”Are there good songs from there?”

”It's a desert in the north,” said Aegin, ”So no”.

”Then why is it called the Singing Sands?” asked Rima.

”Because the wind sings as it passes through the dunes,” Aegin replied, ”Like whistles. If you're sick of Eldovian songs, why don't you sing one from here. Besides, my throat's getting parched”.

”Like you need the water,” Rima huffed from behind the scarf that hid her face and neck from the heat. Nearly a week into the Hava Rastellan and they'd brown bored from the lack of scenery. Tigin had suggested they sing a few songs to keep them occupied, Aegin had been opposed at first, but he'd quickly taken over after Tigin proved to be a terrible singer.

Rima huffed, ”Fine, my mother used to sing me a lullaby once, the original is in the Western Tongue but the translation fits the tune just as well”.

”A lullaby?” asked Aegin, ”Well, if you insist, but if I fall asleep, don't wake me up. I'm supposed to be sleeping now anyway”.

Rima rolled her eyes at him, ”If I knew you were going to complain so much, I would have left you in Rene”.

Aegin scoffed, ”Please, I'm currently your best bargaining chip”.

”And the only one among us capable of travelling leagues to get some fresh meat,” said Tigin.

Aegin pointed to Tigin in triumph, ”Exactly”.

He crossed his arms proudly and Rima sat back, ”You want me to sing or not?”

Aegin drew his fingers across his lips in the action of locking them up and then tossed the invisible key behind him.

”Deepest oceans, and mountains tall, valleys green, and lands of gold,

Come one, come all, come feast this night, come silver, grey, black and white.

From the North, West, South and East, from the new lands and the old,

Deepest caverns, and forests tall, fields green, and lands of red,

Before, before the paths were split, from Chaos, Order's lamp was lit.

Sevethen did command the scale, to not be tipped or all be dead,

But six gods all against the one, made fear their ink, and banishment writ.