Stumbling, his legs wavered under his body as tried to fight away the blurring edges of his eyes. What normally would have been a few moments of a walk was taking if felt like hours in one weak step, reach out and grab the wall, take a moment to breathe and then push on once more. Already the bells had sounded it was close to the high-noon hour and the ends of prayers were about to finish.

Nelson could only grip the edge of the broken wall, feeling the sharp ends biting into his left to use the lingering pain to keep from passing out. Cursing under his breath for the flare of his gift to take over and yank him away for the moments back to the past.

Normally, his gift let him feel emotions or energies, and then he would channel that energy into his paints and drawings. Letting them come to life in small movements, like the smile of a mother to her child or a young lamb taking those first steps into the new world. It had been the only way to keep in check all these years and keep the Hearth from looking at him. Small gifts like that where ok, just when his got out of control he worried.

Second sight was the given term and seen as very dangerous by the Hearth. Given they said only the Sisters would bless their Chosen with visions to lead them into a better life. Such as the king would get in his holy meditations before the Sister's Flame every year. So for a Sorrow to have such a forbidden gift, he would have found himself right to the Flames or cast away into some secreted place by the Hearth of the Three Sisters to be used for their own reasons.

Nelson had learned to channel the energies from his mother, knowing her son would be seen as a danger as he got older. Just now, it was getting harder and harder to control, even more in places of heavy energies of the past.

"Foolish boy...." he thought, feeling useless in his skin as he could only walk. Catching the scents of the fresh water on the winds from the lake.

Just, he was not alone at this moment. Only the chains rattling gave his silent walk away. His sleeves looked a little worn from his days of service as the once deep crimson of his robe had dulled hue. Yet he bore this robe with a sense of duty and pride, it was his first robe. Raven hair laid cropped short to his head, his nose wide with thick jowls and a rounded chin, his eyes once the color a dull green now laid a deep ruby hue. Feeling the fire burning under the skin, begging to be used for the holy doings of the Hearth.

He had lost three fingers on his left hand, leaving only the thumb and pointer finger. Cut away by his own hand in his sacrifice to the Three Sisters to prove he was ready to serve them! How many years had it been? Given the thin scars over his massive body, moving with the grace of a dancer from years of training.

Which is what he did now, following the traces of that flare, ripping over his senses to make his signals on his chain glow a blood red in witness of the gift? His lips pressed together, the dip on his upper lip from a fight with a heathen deepening. This castle was a teller of the times before the Sisters had blessed them. Spitting on the ground, he could still feel the old magic in the root of this place.

"It should be burn, cleansed to ash..." He thought, his hued eyes gazing over the emerald life spreading out.

Walking down the path, a few of the paving stones still could be seen from under the grass of the walkway. Leading to the lake, the swans gliding along the lake with other waterfowl. A dock had once been at the end of the walkway with boats to use for pleasure by the family or any other person freely. One might have normally taken in a moment to breathe in the fresh air, find peace and reflection in the yielding golden light of the sun on the water.

He only saw more reminders of the pagan family and their ties to the immortal, demons who lived in some other world. The silver elms had been their ties to this world, letting them pass onto this earth and make people walk a sinful path. Thankfully the King had ordered them burned, to protect this holy land and her wayward people.

Unknown, a pair of violet eyes framed in a pearly white narrowed at seeing the flash of the man's robe. His chain gleaming from the sunlight as the swan could only hiss softly from his beak. Fury swelled in his body, making it shake as he paddled closer. Every feather in his poised body wanted to bite that man.

Then he caught something, turning his head a little to the west, seeing the shape of a moving man. Not a man, a youthful boy who was stumbling as if misplaced in the world. His burgundy hair flashing coppery in the eyes of the swan as they widen, all anger gone. That was his boy! Why was he here?

Don't you idiot! Can't you see him!? He's going to see you!

He only could honk, his wings beating to get the boy to see him! Look at me! Only the boy did not, walking in his daze as the Chain Bother paused if sensing something, turning to look at the path that the boy would be stumbling down from a path.

He had to protect him!

Wings spread in a half flight, water training after his form in a straight shot to the brother. Splashing, it caught his gaze as a shot of white and the strong coal beak found his face with hissing filling his ears. The massive body of the swan pushed him back from, weighing him down of the speed of the attack. Already, his hands glowed a reddish taint, the spell ready to set this devilish creature to burn.

Nelson blinked, his daze lingering, hearing the sounds of hissing and a man shouting brought him back. Glancing around, it was better to take a more hidden way. Not feeling the need if he ran into anyone of explaining why he was near the ruins and why he was acting so dazed.

Walking down a more overgrown path and away from the sounds. The swan flapped his wings, beating them in the air as he felt the heat of the fire the brother was ready to use on him. Just also relief, the boy's aura fading in showing he was moving away from them.

Darting back into the water, he felt and smelt the snagging of a few of his feathers burned. Hearing the curses of the monk, if he could, he might have smiled in knowing a few bruises would soon bloom on the face of the man from his powerful neck and peak hitting. Making his way for the cover of the willows and thick grass to hide from whatever else the monk might throw at him.

Relief filled his simple mind, the soul inside even feeling joy? The boy was protected for now, just how long? Already the monk was leaving, eyes full of hateful lust at the shape of the swans on the lake. He would kill every last one of them to get the one with the purple eyes!

Foolish

It was a word the swan could think off, the first one in a long time of a grasp of a deeper meaning to words. The boy was a fool to show off his powers openly! Nipping at a grass, his eyes narrowed in feeling lost of his feathers, heavy in the pull of the moon growing fuller to make him a man again.

Soon......

Notes: Ok, so I got to chapter three done! I had to rewrite this a few times to feel I liked this chapter. I wanted to show a bit more of the hidden side of the swan and how he feels about his friend, even if can't name him. Also, the appearance of the Chain Brother does mark an event that is coming up in The Swan Prince! Which we get to see more of the darker side of the Hearth of the Three Sisters and how they will come to play in the world of Erdin!