Tia frowned as she ran her finger slowly down the faded old paper again. The strange inscriptions swam before her eyes as she scanned the page once more. For all the strange usage of unconventional words in Gwentian prose, the syntax was not dissimilar to Dernexan. With frequent references to modern text and the occasional assistance from her scribing colleagues, she was able to slowly but steadily decipher the ancient scrolls assigned to her. They piled up to the level of her eyes and seemed a daunting task, but she was pleased by her progress.

The candlelight dimmed. She lit another one, bathing her wooden table with the warm yellow glow. She pored over the paper again, her green eyes taking in each word.

It could not be right, she thought, her frown deepening as she referenced the translation again. No, she wasn't mistaken. She had translated these words without a single mistake.

Wind spinner.

"Demi-god...of reverence...able to calm the storms and summon raging winds under their jurisdiction," she muttered under her breath, her heart thumping. She skipped several paragraphs she couldn't interpret before another new word caught her eye.  "...our thanks to the messenger of nature...blessed with the gift to analyse the calling of the wind and predict natural disasters...allowed the people to survive the storm of four and ten days...some are able to replicate the sounds...committed to the tunes of the wind...."

She took the next scroll with a shaking hand and ran her index finger down to the relevant section.

Wind prophet. Wind caller. Wind mediator.

Different records described those beings differently, but there was no denying the traits of these individuals and who these texts referred to: Windcasters.

She eased back with disbelief, running a hand through her fringe.

These records are over a thousand years old, she mused, lining the relevant scrolls in a row. Windcasters have always been part of Dernexan history and no other country. So why do they already stand in in significance in ancient Gwentian history? This makes no sense.

She jumped as the dinner gong sounded. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she had forgotten the sun had set and the time to eat was fast approaching. Tidying her scrolls away, she then slipped into the queue with the other scribes and headed to the dining hall; her mind was already made up as to where she was going to spend her evening.

****

"But why the sudden interest?" Sarpanit asked, bemused as she leant against the wooden barrier. They were two floors above the ground floor, overlooking the centre where the scribes' tables stood. "Tiamat?"

Tia didn't speak for a good fifteen seconds, her fingers dancing along the spines of the heavy books before drawing one out, flicking through the pages. Her eyes watered as the dust from the old book flew into the air, but she persevered.

"Here!" She thrust the tome at the Gwentian, who staggered under its weight. "Read for me."

"Can't you do it for yourself?" Sarpanit complained, straightening up.

"No. I need an accurate translation. Please, Sarpanit."

"I haven't done ancient scribing in a long time," Sarpanit said with a sigh, but obliged. "During approximately 1000 A.F. – you're looking at history several thousands of years old, Tiamat." Tia nodded, gesturing for her to continue. "The conflict within the royal family escalated to unprecedented levels. Assassinations were rife and the One Kingdom became very unstable due to the fierce and bloody competition for the throne.

"When the last king died, his three sons went into civil war. They were the strongest, most headstrong, and strategic ones that had survived the relentless backstabbing and poisoning, which had killed the other princes.

"Using their personal amassed army men and connections, the conflict resulted in a violent war that raged for many years, ultimately resulting in a schism. One brother was forced to the coast where he made a strong stand until his brothers relented; that land near the coast became Dernexes."

Sarpanit paused.

"Continue," said Tia, running her fingers along the spines of the books in the next shelf.

"For several more years, the two remaining brothers continued the war, eventually resulting in the better brother claiming the large lands in the east and the weaker brother banished to the west. Neither was able to progress in their attempts to push and extend their borders; thus Gwent and Dormis were formed.

"The conflict and hate between the brothers meant the animosities between the three countries are perpetuated throughout the centuries... so?" she added, closing the book. "I could've told you as much; this is mostly common Gwentian knowledge."

"Now read this." Sarpanit groaned under the weight of another heavy tome.

"'Mythical Beings and their Origins'?" read the Gwentian princess, in surprise. "I don't think I've ever seen this before... what use is this to you?"

Tia's mouth turned down at the corners. Sarpanit sighed again.

"From a far and distant land, these travellers journeyed to the One Kingdom at a time when the kingdom's balance was at stake. They appeared poor, sickly, and obviously useless as soldiers, and so were disregarded by the two brothers who would later form Gwent and Dormis. Only the brother who subsequently founded Dernexes took pity upon them, although it is likely that the act was out of the need for increasing his population rather than kindness.

"And so these strange foreigners settled in Dernexes without much difficulty; the population of Dernexes had dwindled to such a point due to the casualties of war that the country was having great difficulty maintaining its borders. Constant harassment from Dormis and Gwent made the people of Dernexes extremely agitated and in constant anxiety."

Tia's ears were tuned in to every word and every detail. She barely noticed Sarpanit shaking her head before she continued reading.

"During the preparation in defence of one particularly aggressive assault from Dormis, one of the travellers' sons stepped forward. Where most of the travellers' integrated off-springs had been allowed to mix into the civilians' lifestyles, for unknown reasons sometimes sons and daughters would be taken back in again by the original travellers, isolated from the rest of the people as they mature. The son was one of these off-springs.

"The son proposed that a ravaging storm was coming in from the seas to the southeast within a week that would wreak havoc upon Dormis, thus rendering that country at its weakest. He refused to give further details or explanation as to how he could forecast the event, but the king believed his words.

"The storm came and went, just as the son predicted. With Dormis on its knees, Dernexes was able to mount a significant battle against its neighbour. Dernexes was not entirely successful in storming the country, but it managed to expand its borders southwards to include what is modern-day Londis, Dernexes."

The slow realisation grew within Tia as the pieces began to fall into place.

"With that success, the travellers were shown the greatest gratitude and respect; thus they became known as the Wind Prophets for their ability to predict the ebb and flow and the temperament of nature. Their prophecies of impending disasters and fruitful harvest seasons were always fulfilled. Because of their wondrous gift, Dernexes prospered year by year, and her people regarded these messengers as nothing less than demi-gods, fearful and in awe of them at the same time."

Sarpanit paused again.

"This is just ancient history with charming fables, Tiamat," she said at length. "I've heard the stories of these travellers before, but they disappeared into history. I somehow doubt that they even existed to begin with. They're just tales to make kids fall asleep and dream."

"Do you not understand who these travellers are, Sarpanit?" Tia could barely suppress her excitement.

"How do you mean?" There was confusion on the other girl's heart-shaped face.

"They predicted the storm that would strike Dormis and give Dernexes the most advantage. They can forecast the weather. Wind messengers. Wind prophets. Wind callers. Wind mediators. Wind spinners. Do you not see?"

Sarpanit still looked blank. Tia let out a laugh.

"Sarpanit, these are my ancestors."