Awen was always the favorite of the four from the Court of Rotri. She would spend time with the children from Teyvat, telling them stories and singing them lullabies. As much as her father, Rotri, tried to keep her in the Otherworld, Awen loved going to Teyvat. The land held a feeling of freedom that the skies of the Otherworld could not even begin to express.
She always heard the songs and stories from the Teyvatians on the wind. They had a song specifically about her that went:
Awen, Awen
Songs in the wind
Awen, Awen
Known throughout time
Awen, Awen
As the bells chime
Awen, Awen
Birds are not pinned
When she felt trapped up above in the Otherworld, she would hum along to herself while listening to the people sing it, round after round. Other times, she would pick up her lyre that she was gifted on her birthday and play the songs she heard the people sing. Her wings would sway from side to side, acting like a metronome to the song. Her father and siblings would pass by and ask what she was playing, but she could never say that it was the songs of the people from Teyvat or else she would be lectured on the importance of decorum needed as part of the Court of Rotri.
In fact, she was sitting by the fountain in the main courtyard of the Otherworld, playing her lyre, when her father passed by and paused. “What are you playing, my little hummingbird?” her father asked.
When Rotri received no response, he looked closely at Awen’s eyes. Ah, she was in a trance. Her eyes were swirling that turquoise color of the wind passing through time. So instead of expecting an answer, Rotri simply sat next to Awen on the stone bench and waited while going over plans in his head.
The music paused beside him and he heard a sharp intake of breath. Rotri turned to look at Awen and said, “Welcome back, my little hummingbird, what did you see?”
Awen blinked her glowing turquoise eyes away, they went back to a duller green, and smiled at her father, “Time cannot say.”
Awen always said the same thing when it came to people asking her about the future. However, Rotri knew that she really only said that when the future she saw involved the people she was talking to or something that could change if people knew about it.
“Ah, of course, how silly of me,” Rotri said. He smiled back at her and pulled her into a hug. He continued on with, “Remember, Awen, the Court is to meet together tonight for the eclipse. A new era is coming to both you and I.”
“Yes, father, I remember that my siblings and I are supposed to be the ones heralding it in,” Awen said, absentmindedly plucking her lyre after her father released her from the hug.
Rotri stilled for a second before reaching out his hand slightly, “And that means you do not travel to the humans down in Teyvat to make sure you are on time.”
Awen stopped plucking and said, “Of course, father. You don’t have to worry.”
He smiled and stood up. He tilted his head for a second, his ear towards the shifting wind – listening for the changes in power – and followed the wind to where he had to go next.
Awen slumped on the bench once he was out of sight and said, “But Time did not say she would tell the truth.”
…
Awen sat, perched, on the log of a fallen tree in the forest. Once again, plucking her lyre and humming to herself. The birds around her were chirping along to her tune and her wings were keeping the meter.
“Hmmm, there is a little birdie that is supposed to be in, let’s say, another world,” she heard a deep male voice say.
“And there is a dark cloud that wasn’t supposed to form today,” she replied.
Awen looked towards the man. “Hello, Myrddin Emrys.”
“Welcome back to Teyvat, beautiful Awen,” Myrddin said jokingly as he did a deep bow.
She tutted, “You know the rules, handsome Myr, if you call me that and do that silly dance.”
Awen watched him smile, one that reached his dark eyes as the sun that was streaming through the tree glinted off of his black hair. He walked forward and eventually bent down so that he was at her height where she sat.
“One pat on each check is now due, Mistress Time,” Myr said. She reached up and gave a loving pat to each of his cheeks. Then just left her hands on either side of his face. Myr leaned his head into her hands and reached up with his own to stroke her hair. He said, “Your hair still reminds me of the sky I do not get to see often, Mistress Time.”
“Myr, you know that after tonight, it will be much harder to meet up?” she asked him, looking into his eyes with hope of maybe he would just whisk her away.
“Awen, you know that after tonight, the feelings between us will not change?” he answered back. He kissed her and continued, “I know, little birdie, but we will make due. All of us.”
As if summoned by Myrddin’s words, a sound came from his shoulder bag. It was a crying chirp and both of them saw the flap of the bag move up as if something was trying to push it up from the inside.
Myrddin looked at Awen and said, “Looks like someone is awake from their nap.”
Awen smiled and pulled open the bag. A hooded head popped up and looked at Awen. It babbled, “Mama, mama, mama.”
“Deryn, my little hummingbird, I hope you were good for dada while I was away,” she said and lifted up Deryn from the bag. As Awen held Deryn in her arms, Myrddin sat next to her with an arm resting behind her on the trunk while he looked at the little wind sprite.
“I’m still surprised that someone from the Void and someone from the Otherworld would create a wind sprite. A very Teyvat elemental creature,” he said.
“Well, I suppose the product of us was going to be somewhere in the middle,” she laughed and continued, “It’s been a year, why does little Deryn still surprise you?”
“Cause you gave me a gift that no one has before, I get to see elements of you everyday with him,” Myrddin said and nuzzled her head.
They both looked at Deryn who had hair that went from his father’s midnight hair to his mother’s sky blue hair. His eyes held the gem-like eyes his mother had with beautiful streaks of a darker depth.
“Excuse me, my hummingbird,” Awen said and then flipped over Deryn. She then carefully inspected his wings, “His flight feathers should be coming in soon, so be careful.”
“Oh no, is it going to be like teething all over again,” Myr said with a slight twinge of apprehension in his voice.
Awen just smiled at Myrddin which made him groan in exhaustion. She said, “Apparently, my father would put oil along the lines of my new feathers to help with the pain if that is any help.”
“Well, oil should be easy to get a hold of, the Void has an overflow of it,” Myr said.
She wacked him over the head, “Not that oil, you brat, try to get some lavender oil. Or apples, you know he loves apples.”
“Is there even apple oil?”
“Yes, it’s actually a good –”
“Okay, I love you, Awen, but I do not need a lesson on apple oil right now,” Myrddin cut her off, “However, what I don’t understand is why Deryn even has a physical form like this. All the wind sprites I know look different.”
Awen stopped herself from scolding him for cutting her off and paused. She then said, “It’s because these physical forms are our first forms. While he might be categorized as a wind sprite in Teyvat, he is first: our child and therefore he is always going to be different to pure wind sprites. So his original form will be more like ours, but I imagine that he has a more wind sprite form that he hasn’t shown us yet.”
While they were talking, Deryn was sitting up in Awen’s lap and looking at the birds around them. He would reach out towards them and babble, every once and a while laughing. Awen asked, “Has he shown any powers that come from the Void?”
“No, thank goodness, powers from the Void are hard to control and even harder to get used to feeling wise. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” he said. Myrddin lifted up his fingers and let wisps of black smoke come from them before clenching his fist.
Awen took the fist in her hand and leaned into Myrddin a little more. He kissed her on the check and they sat there, watching their son have fun watching the birds.
The peace froze when Awen felt the sun hit her eyes and she realized it was sunset. She was going to be late.
She quickly handed Deryn back to her lover and kissed Myrddin one last time. With no more time, she flew off.
Deryn started crying and his eyes started to glow turquoise. He started to cry harder. Myrddin felt tears start to fall slowly down his face and he said, “I know, I’m sorry, Deryn, we didn’t have time to ask her about her own powers. I’m sorry that you are seeing things that neither of us can understand.”
He held the wind sprite close to his chest and tried to calm his crying down. Myrddin went to stand up, but noticed something laying on the log to the side of him. It was Awen’s lyre. He knew he should leave it there, but he wanted something Deryn could look at and feel of his mother’s, so he picked up the lyre and put it in his bag. With that, Myrddin Emrys with Deryn in his arms walked off through the forest to go back to the darkness.
…
“Awen!” she heard father yell, “What did I say about remembering about the Court?”
“I’m sorry, father,” she answered back, having a lie ready at her lips, “I lost track of time.”
Rhiannon, the eldest of the four siblings, scoffed and said, “How did the Angel of Time lose track of it?”
Awen glared at her elder sister and let the wind around her stir a little, making her eyes glow the same turquoise color they did when she was seeing through time. She said, “Quite easily, nothing I think the Angel of Death could understand.”
“Enough, the both of you,” Rotri snapped, “Awen, where is your lyre, you know you need it for the Court ceremonies.”
Awen froze in her spot and felt the wind around her completely still. She had left it. Right next to her lover and child, she had left it. Oh, she hoped Myr didn’t take it. Awen, trying to be lighthearted to throw them off, “Oh, no, it fell.”
“It,” her father started, “fell?”
“Yes?”
“Awen,” Rotri said slowly, “do you want to try again with the truth this time?”
Awen took a deep breath and said, “I accidentally left it behind on Teyvat.”
“Even after I told you not to travel to Teyvat before the Court tonight?”
Awen felt a pressure in her head and said, “Time cannot change.”
All of a sudden she heard a voice next to her saying, “Beautiful Awen, what are they doing to you!?”
“Awen, Awen, come back to us,” another voice that sounded farther away said, “do not fall into a trance right now.”
Awen blinked and saw her father standing right in front of her. When he saw his eyes lose their glow, he sighed and looked at her. He said tiredly, “Awen, do you want me to get your lyre?”
“It’s ok, father,” she said, “I can go back and get it qui–”
Awen took a step and her knees buckled under her. She tried to take another step, she couldn’t let her father retrieve the lyre. She didn’t know if Myrddin and Deryn were still there. Or worse that they had taken the lyre with them.
“My little hummingbird, you have had too many trances today,” her father said while supporting her up, “Your body cannot handle it. Let me go get it.”
Her father led her to the bench and left. All the while, she feebly whispered, “Please, no, father. You don’t have to.”
She sat slouched on the bench, a hand covering her eyes and a tear escaped out.
…
Awen must have fallen asleep because all of a sudden she wakes up to shouts.
Her father yelled, “I demand you tell me why you have the Angel of Time’s lyre in your bag, you Void scum!”
Then Awen heard something that made her freeze in fear. Myrddin replied, “I’m sorry, High Angel Rotri, I– I didn’t realize what it was. It was just lying in the woods.”
Awen then heard the crying chirp of Deryn and she leapt from the bench to run where she heard the shouts. She entered the CourtRoom and saw in the center Myrddin kneeling on the hard ground. Deryn was flapping his wings and crying out in Myrddin’s arms. In between replying to her father and trying to shush Deryn’s crying, Myrddin looked the most flustered she had ever seen him.
Her father was standing in front of his throne with her lyre in his hand. He looked at her and said sternly, “Ah, Awen, you are awake, this man was stealing your lyre when I caught him. He was near the entrance to the Void.”
Awen squared her shoulders and walked into the room. She looked briefly at Myrddin’s face as she passed him and he gave her the tiniest shake of his head as if trying to say, “Deny us, please, deny us.”
What neither of them expected was that in that moment for Deryn to catch a glimpse of Awen. At that moment, he cried out, “Mama!”
Both Myrddin and Awen froze, Awen stood stock still right next to Myrddin and they both looked at Deryn who was trying to reach his mother. Rotri’s eyes widened and he looked at the baby closely then at the two of them. His jaw clenched and his face became unreadable.
“Awen,” he once again said slowly, “why did the wind sprite refer to you as Mama? In fact, why does this new wind sprite have a form like this?”
Awen did the first thing that came to her: fly away. She grabbed Deryn from Myrddin and took Myr’s hand to pull him with her. Awen continued to pull him as she ran through the Palace of the Otherworld.
They heard a roar, “AFTER THEM!”
As the teleport entered their sight, a group of guards came running out and blocked the entrance to the teleport off. They also heard the feet of guards following them.
She looked to the side of the walkway that led to the teleport. It was the only way. She yelled out, “Myrddin, hold on to Deryn and trust me!”
Awen heard a quick, “What! Don’t tell me you are–”
But he was cut off as she pulled them off the walkway into the sky.
They fell.
Or rather, they flew.
Awen’s wings opened up and she used the wind to lift some of the weight up. She heard Myrddin call out to her, “Awen, I love you, but I never want to do this again! I was not meant for flying.”
Accompanying her lover’s shouts, Deryn was laughing in his father’s arms. Awen yelled back, “But Deryn and I are!”
She laughed and continued a quick descent to Teyvat. Her laugh stopped when she heard her father yell, “Stop them! Capture them!”
“Sir! If we try, we might knock them out of –”
“Do it!”
Awen saw something fly past her and then another. She tried to control the wind and her flight so that she could avoid them all, but with everything going on it was too much and something heavy hit and broke her right wing.
She screamed from the pain and they started to plummet.
Awen and Myrddin held each other with Deryn between them as they fell.
“Awen, forgive me,” she heard Myrddin say, “I’m going to try something.”
She looked at him and saw the black smoke start to curl around them. Slowly, the smoke formed wing-like shapes and grew denser. Awen looked back at Myrddin’s face and saw the concentration set in his face. However, she also saw the growing streaks of Void black grow across his skin.
The wings flapped just in time to start controlling their descent before they hit the ground. “Myrddin Emrys, you genius, you saved us,” she whispered to him.
They touched the ground and Myrddin crouched down trying to reign in the powers of the Void. Awen heard him switch between panting and growling. She saw him shake and heave.
“Awen,” Myrddin croaked out, “You have to go, I don’t think I can control it.”
Awen shook her head fiercely, holding Deryn tighter to her chest, “No, Myrddin, you can do it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“AWEN,” he started to yell, “YOU HAVE TO–”
“You have to because he has already given in,” Awen heard her father say behind her.
She spun around and said, “What? What do you mean?”
“The people of the Void can only have wings if they give their souls to the Void. The only thing keeping from the full powers of the Void and also the full influence of the Void is the light in their souls. When they give in, they give up their own light,” her father said as he looked at Myrddin.
Awen looked at Myrddin and saw him with his head hung. He lifted his head and looked at her with tears in his eyes, “I couldn’t let either of you die.”
“Myr, my love,” she said and started to rush towards only to be stopped by her father holding onto her arm.
“You cannot go near him, my little hummingbird,” her father said, “He will poison you if you do.”
Deryn at that moment started to hold his arms out to his father and said, “Dada!”
Myrddin gave a watery smile to Deryn and turned to her father, “Please, High Angel Rotri, let Deryn stay with Awen. Let him stay with at least one of his parents.”
“So you know what I have to do to you then?” her father asked Myrddin.
Myrddin just nodded. Her father continued after some thinking, “The child can stay with her as long as he shows no sign of powers from the Void. And I cannot promise either of you how we will be treated by those who live in the Otherworld.”
“Father, what,” Awen said, “what is happening?”
“Court of Rotri!” her father yelled out, “take Awen and her child back to the Otherworld! I have to nail down a curse.”
Her father looked at Myrddin and shifted into a familiar pose. He was going to nail down Myrddin to Teyvat so that his powers of the Void would not reach up into the Otherworld. She cried out, “Father, no! Please!”
…
It wasn’t often the people of Teyvat got to see the powers of the Otherworld in such grand display. However, on this day they saw a nail rain down from the Otherworld and pin something down to the ground. They all just shook their heads and said, “Another evil is gone from the land and we can thank High Angel Rotri for saving us all.”
What they did notice is that after that day, Awen traveled and played with the children less. Instead, each time she was seen, it was with a small wind sprite flying beside her and she kept flying into places unseen. Thousands of years into a new era, a wind sprite heard the playing of a lyre that reminded him of his mother and flew into a storm that hid a civilization away.
The world would say, “You remind me of someone, your wind feels familiar.” But none would never realize why and none would realize that to his mother, the wind sprite reminded her of someone she loved. After all Time cannot say and cannot change.
