Fourth part to my story

After breakfast Kian and Aislin went into the courtyard, where the morning sun had dried up the previous nights attempts at flooding.

They spent the rest of the morning running about the inner courtyard playing little games and stopping to enjoy the warm early summer’s sun.

When lunch rolled around they were called in to the castle to watch, or listen to, in Aislin’s case, the summer solstice’s yearly ritual of putting out the castle’s main fire, though the kitchen fires would be kept up, but the rest of the house would spend the summer long without a fire in any hearth.

A great feast was held that night, all of the winters leftover stores were eaten, and a few jugs of last summers ale was brought out for the ‘tasting’. A ritual that included the downing of seven pints of ale, in the quickest time, the winner sat at the head table with the lord of the house. The lord Temes of course could not participate in such events, being the host of such a large party, and preferred to sit at the head table and watch all the crazy things people would do.

It was nearly midnight and Kian and Aislin had snuck off to the castles only tower, to watch the sun set.

“Aislin, me aither is sending me away at the end of summer, to the high Kings court.”

Aislin said nothing, but laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat.

“Will yee come back for the winter?” her voice broke a little.

“nay, Ais’in, I’ll be gone, for five strait years. Not ain me own maither will be a seeing me, unless she comes to court herself.

At this point tears filled both Kian and Aislin’s eyes. They both sat down in the light cast by the towers west facing window. Aislin cried quietly until Kian nudged her softly.

“The sun ‘as set now Ais’in, we best be getting to bed. And don’t worry I’ll be with yee the rest of the summer.” With that Aislin calmed down, and they walked down the tower steps and back to their rooms.