Chapter III

Andrew sat quietly beside the fire and held his head between his hands. Everyone but Grandpa was quiet anyway so no one really noticed that he was in pain. He couldn’t stop seeing Eliana’s face or forget the way he felt towards her. It wasn’t exactly love but they had been close. She had never stopped talking about how they could escape and finally be free. There was so much he wanted to tell her. At least so he thought. But then he imagined seeing her again and not a word came to mind. He would have just held her, smelled her hair and kissed her lips one more time.

He raised his head only to find Andy staring at him. Andrew was sure that there was something odd about his little sister. The way she could smile and laugh at Grandpa's stories. She turned her head away but Andrew had a feeling she would be keeping an eye on him.

Andrew tried to find something that would distract him. Even if it was only just a little. Maybe a walk or a swim? No, neither of them felt right for him. Instead, he decided to listen to Grandpa. It had been a long time since he had done that.

"Do you remember what I said about my uncle?" asked Grandpa.

Andy nodded "He was a carpenter, right? Made beautiful boxes, like the one you got from your mother."

"It's good to know someone's paying attention," said Grandpa stroking his white whiskers. "Boxes were his favorites. Rich women from Carran often ordered them for their jewelry. One time a woman came to my uncle herself instead of sending a servant. She was a true beauty, long auburn hair that was braided, blue eyes deeper than the ocean itself. She was tall and graceful. The way she moved on the dance floor ..." sighed Grandpa, "No one could compete with that."

Andrew tried to picture the woman but there was no room beside Eliana in his mind. The ginger hair turned golden and ocean eyes were replaced by a deep green.

"My uncle wasn't only a brilliant woodworker, he was also quite a flirt. In the presence of such a lovely lady, he couldn't help but try his luck. So he invited her to a picnic. I won't go into details, but let's just say that he managed to charm her quite successfully. They found excuses to meet although the box she had ordered had been completed days ago. Some of the neighbors were already starting to whisper and so were my parents, thanks to who I know this story so well. After two weeks of scandalous courtship, the woman's husband started to suspect something was wrong. All of the letters he sent had gotten short answers and none of them spoke of his wife's return."

Andy was practically on the edge of her seat. She had always loved a good romantic story. Maybe Andrew would tell her of his own. When they were younger they had often talked of their dreams and fears, they had speculated over their father's death and their ancestors' crimes. They had been kids but they had also been happy despite everything else.

"On one night, my uncle and the woman met at his workshop. They had fallen in love, it seemed, though it was forbidden. As they were passionately um ... hugging on his table, the husband walked in."

Andrew looked around and noticed he wasn't the only one who had decided to pay attention to the story that night. His mother, Katherine, was also listening. As were Margaret, Madden, and Rhyn - his cousins. They all looked so similar, except Andy of course and Grandpa. Her blue hair and amber eyes left no doubt about her heritage. Granpa's hair, although he didn't have much left, had turned white along with his beard and mustache. But his eyes were the same as Andy's. How had it happened that they were the only ones to inherit the cirren features when the rest of them looked plain average? Andrew remembered having been jealous of her. There was something mystical about her, something that was at the same time compelling and frightening.

"My uncle had an advantage. He was a woodworker while the husband was a noble person who hadn't done anything with his hands in his whole life. So it shouldn't be a surprise that my uncle hit him on the head with the box and he fell unconscious on the ground. It wasn't really a fight at all. In the end, the husband divorced his wife and she could stay with my uncle. That woman became my aunt and your grandmother, Rhyn."

Rhyn seemed surprised. Unfortunately, he hadn't inherited any of the beauty from his grandmother. He had a chiseled jaw, weathered skin and two piercing eyes set too far apart on either side of his round head.

Andy broke the silence with her laughter she had tried to suppress. Grandpa started chuckling also. It seemed weird to Andrew but there was something comical about the situation. He didn't want to insult his cousin but imagining Rhyn with a set of long auburn hair and blue eyes made even him feel like laughing. It felt a bit strange but he allowed his mouth to curve into a smile. He deserved to be happy even without Eliana.