As her mother tucked her head around Aelin's body she inhaled her mother's familiar scent. The warm, rich and homely scent of Sohalia filled her nostrils. Trembling with both excitement and relief as her mother wrapped her neck around her own and pulled her closer. Aelin went willingly, pleased to feel her mother's touch and warmth again. "Mai...mai...mai." The girl whispered the word three times, also like a hymn - a praise to the being who had grown and birthed her. The pain of her mother's absence had been felt but being held by her mai now allowed every prick of pain to be felt at once. In her mother's embrace she was strong enough to bare the pain.

Her mai's apology allows a watery smile to pull at Aelin's lips, her heart growing heavy at how her mother's grief was making her tone deeper and rougher than normal. Nodding at Sohalia's words, Aelin accepted that her mother hadn't left her on purpose. A weight lifted from her shoulders, something she'd been worried about. Finally an answer to a question she'd been carrying around within her. There had been so much going wrong in Aelin's world that she didn't stop to consider her selfish thoughts. To the girl, this was about assuring herself that she hadn't done anything wrong. This had become a time for the sandy princess to be told that she was still a nice, decent soul. Selfish, no wonder Hawke left you. It's no wonder because you clearly don't have the heart of your family. Shame burned through her chest at these thoughts, she concealed this from her mai. At least for now. For now she wanted her mind taken off her troubles, a story.

At her mai's smile Aelin settled down, keen to listen. Ready to allow nothing but her mother's voice fill her. After all, these vocals brought her comfort, this was the only sound she knew for the first months of her life.

A story, said her mother clearly thinking. The sandy girl grinned, patiently waiting for the Transcended to think of something. As her mother released her hold, Aelin watched as she cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. Eyes flickered towards Astraeus as he chirped. She hadn't noticed him perched on her mai's hindquarters, chirping his own greeting to her. "M'ath hazze. Ishish ato asshekh kisha laz afis." She spoke softly to the bird, cooing at him. Speaking in her native tongue was what came naturally to her. While in the beginning she'd struggled to master the harsh, guttural tongue, it had quickly become her preferred language.

When the story began she settled down, allowing her mother to speak uninterrupted. 'Someone before her ave?!' A strange idea for the girl, she'd always pictured her parents only loving each other. Yet it made sense that others would have loved her mother before her father met her. She was a beautiful mare after all! Aelin smiled at her mother, a smile that faded as she learned of her mother's abandonment and the fates that fell her older siblings. "Ojil mai." She would never knew her older siblings but her heart ached for her mother all the same. Yet she quickly became delighted as her mother demonstrated her magic. A pretty stone on the ground began to take shape and the girl smiled. The stone ended up sparkling in the light, it would make a very pretty pendant indeed! Delighted she gave a quiet chuckle, knowing that it was for her. "It's so pretty mai! Thank you!"

"So, has ave ever loved someone other than you?" Aelin asked then pondered on her wording. Moments before the Transcended had told her that it had not been love with Note. "Or just been with someone else...I guess." Aelin wasn't upset by the idea that her parents were together at first, it made sense. The girl found herself again being eased back into her mother's story, she listened silently. Once her father made an appearance in the story Aelin perked up. Hearing about the two before they had children together became the strangest idea to the girl. Having never met her older, now deceased siblings, it was an odd idea to think of them as Sohalia's first. To Aelin it would be her strange older sister who would, at least for now, continued to be thought of as Sohalia's eldest and her oldest sister. It would probably be best if she patched things up with Zenobia, their first meeting hadn't exactly been smooth. Aelin added her sister to her mental list of family members she needed to track down.

Yes, she knew all about her sisters nature. When they'd met a few months ago, Zenobia had been terribly overbearing, too loud and pushy. Only a few months old at the time they had met, Aelin had found the encounter stressful. Yet that didn't mean that she shouldn't work it out with her sister and the way mother spoke of her...she sounded honest and loving. Aelin nodded in response to mai's question of The Heart Caves, she'd flown past them quite a few times yet had not explored them yet. Still, living for months within a cave sounded awfully dark and claustrophobic. The girl also smiled at the mention of her father, hearing of his protective nature towards her mother's affections. It was so romantic! Challenging another to make sure he couldn't even attempt to claim her mother! Aelin smiled, wondering if a great love like that was in her future.

She hadn't known that her mother had lead The Throat for a time! That was certainly amazing! Aelin knew that her mother was a strong soul, she birthed and raised children then survived through that ordeal in the caves. Now she knew that mai had been a strong leader of the herd! It was amazing! Frowning at her father's disappearance and the confusion that clouded his mind, the sandy girl felt her stomach turn. It must have a good ending or else she wouldn't be here right now...right? Yes. All was well and that brought about the birth of...twins? Aelin simply adored Rhoa, she loved her big brother with every part of her soul. Yet she had no idea that Rhoa was a twin! He'd never mentioned it to her, something else they had in common. They were both missing their other half. Aelin quite liked the idea of Gaucho and Sohalia ruling side by side, they were such a strong pair in her eyes. Only it came to an end. Why didn't the good things last in her mother's life? It wasn't fair! Her eyes grew wide when she spoke of the band of mercenaries from her homeland who kidnapped her. Nodding sadly at her mother's loss of position, Aelin sighed.

A flood?! That sounded awful, how on earth would the inhabitants of Helovia had survived that without a boat? What about the animals that weren't invited onto the boat? Prehaps only those who could swim were left behind. Yes. She liked that thought. It was nice to hear about the times her family had spent bonding. Something that she greatly desired would be for her entire family to gather and spend time with each other every year. Then came the time for her own arrival to be added into the story. Finally her and her brother's birth had come and Aelin beamed up at her mother. Not that she really remembered much about or after her birth. Yet she pictured it as a happy time for both her mother and father. It was the day that she and Hawke had taken in their first breaths together. That must have been a wonderful sight.

Aelin shook her head at her mother's embarrassment. "No mai, there's nothing wrong with trying!" The sandy princess certainly was not embarrassed for or by her mother! Aelin had never been able to see herself as a warrior, she was small, weak and lacked any offensive magic. She desperately wanted to be seen as a strong daughter of both Gaucho and (as she learnt from her mother's story) Sohalia. Yet how could she? The Dreamwalker only commanded dreams, not the fear in other's hearts. "I think you're able to do everything you want. You're amazing mai!" The girl said proudly.

If she thought no time had passed then surely she'd not been too concerned about her and Hawke? It made sense then, why mai had not returned immediately. She probably thought both of her new children were safe within the Throat. Which they had been, yet like all children eventually they wonder and began to look at the wonders outside their homes. While she'd caused pain it had never been intentional and Aelin's heart had only hurt because she believed that it was her fault that her mother had left. She'd misunderstood her mother's actions and why she'd stayed away from the Throat. Then Aelin realised that perhaps mai didn't know that Hawke had disappeared. Her heart sank and she looked away, no longer able to meet her mother's gaze anymore.

"You came back to me." She kept her gaze lowered, eyes studying the ground closely. "I don't think Hawke will though." Sniffling she tired to soften the blow her words might cause. "mai, mae's ... gone." Aelin finished lamely. "He's vanished into thin air and I don't know if it was something I did." Suddenly her eyes welled up, the tears leaking down her cheeks. They began dripping onto the pretty stone that her mai had made for her. "He said we were meant to stay together, always." Her heart thundered, pain searing through her chest. "Kifindirgi ajjin me ajjin disse anna?"