What follows is the tale of Aiia’s favored, and the creation of the sun and moons, as told by an Aiian priestess.

In the early days, Aiia walked among us, teaching as a mother would;for in that time, our people were still young, and unfamiliar with living. Hundreds of cycles passed with the child goddess in our midst, carrying all the while her brilliant satchel, the contents of which is the source of the kindle: the soul-fire, the life-flame, that heat which burns in all of us, even today so many years later.

In that time, the kindle was still unhidden, and any Aiian could see it: strapped to Aiia’s side as it was, covered with many layers of heavy leather and wool so as to dull its tremendous brilliance from our mortal eyes. As we know, there were no lights in the sky at that time, save the stars of the sky-god, but this mattered little.

The kindle gave off enough light, covered as it was, to illuminate the entire town of Ai’shelan, which means first-town, and most beloved town. The golden, streaming brilliance provided a constant warmth, and all of Aiia’s creations flourished before it, plants, animals, and her most favored, the Aiians themselves. It shown from Aiia’s side during her waking, and from the top of Aiia’s tower bedroom, hanging from a silver hook, when she slept.

In the cycles after the singe-time, it became clear to Aiia that the kindle was no longer safe out in the open. Now that the watchful eyes of Ilseus were trained upon the island of Aeel, the sky-god would doubtlessly take interest in the kindle, and perhaps even covet it. Should he choose to pluck it from her, what could our child-goddess do? Lady Sylrie could no longer help her, already the sea was becoming a brooding thing, the Lady’s flesh changing as the vile deeds acted upon her in the singe-time took their toll. Indeed Aiia had not heard from Sylrien in some time, and feared her gone mad.

Also around this time, the very first followers of Luren were becoming active, spreading their foul mischief and lies, responding to the far off glimmer of the Lurenlight, known to sailors as the Lodestar. Ilsean demons prowled the waters about Aeel, some even darting into the bays, and there was even talk of foul creatures lurking at the edge of the kindle’s brilliance. Waiting for it to sputter so that they may advance on Ai’shelan and gobble her people whole.

No, the kindle was not safe, even held at Aiia’s side as it was. But what could be done for it? If hidden completely, her people would freeze in darkness. Aiia took to spending her days in her tower, searching for an answer. The priestesses, worried of her hermitage, and failing mood, forbade the people to see her, unless they were expressly asked for.

In this time there were two young women living in Aeel, thought of by all to be the most devoted, and the most zealous of Aiia’s children, each in turn: Oona, the milkmaid, and Lissel, the archer.

In Aiia’s effective absence, there rose a querulous debate about the taverns and food-houses on who among the people was the most virtuous among them, on who most exemplified the qualities of a model Aiian.

After much arguing, the people came to the conclusion, that Oona, the devoted milkmaid was doubtlessly Aiia’s most favored. “Look at her!” They exclaimed. “She has the most devotion of any of us, that is certain. Watch how she collects the milk every day, her face turned to Aiia’s tower in reverence. Every evening she is to her bed precisely at the hour in which we see Aiia hang the kindle on its silver hook, and take her own bed. Why without the milk she harvests, we would surely be of a terrible thirst, and the young toddlers, past their mother’s own nourishment would certainly have great want for the rich milk, and shrivel! She gives food and therefore life to us all, surely she is Aiia’s favored!”

And this was widely agreed upon, and it was declared that this was the case. The next day, however, Lissel the archer returned with a group of men, having successfully warded off Ilsean demons from two of the southern bays, and was outraged.

“I command a group of men forty and two in number, leading them to battle the angels of Ilseus who menace our harbors. I have given my womanly status up. In my zeal to serve our goddess, I now defend as a man does. My bravery is unmatched among our people, and you say this milkmaid is Aiia’s favored? I contest this! -I- must be Aiia’s favored, for how can such steady, simple action be more meaningful than my quick and violent defense of our land and people?”
The people murmured and nodded, swayed by this new argument: Oona risking nothing, while Lissel had given up her own womanhood in order to better serve the child goddess? Surely she was the most favored.

Oona was in the food-house that evening, and heard all this. She stood angrily.

“This non-woman you say is the favored? Why she hardly gives reverence when she is away! And when she is here, she feeds more than any of us. I have personally seen her consume gallons of my milk and wheels of my cheese, where the next Aiian eats less than half of what it took to fill her belly! Of course you all are wrong!”

And the people murmured, discussed, and argued. Surely Oona was correct, and she was the favored, after all.

“Preposterous!” shouted Lissel. “She has never endangered her life! She claims to feed me? Where would her cows be if I did not protect them from the grasping things at the edge of the kindle’s light?”

And again the people quarreled and frowned. What a perplexing matter!

In all this time, Sonessy, a simple gardener, was watching the scene. She knew what came of shouting and pride. Often thought of as the most gentle of all Aiians, she saw clearly how the quarreling of others trampled her carefully planted flowers, her lovingly tended fruits and vegetables. Why just the last week, a young lad had ruined a whole patch of begonias. The flowers had little chance in front of his crushing feet as he was pushed into them by an angry fellow. All had died, their petals and stems ruined. Son took no side in the angry debate, and left the food-house rather than get involved.

The argument went on for weeks, and while earlier Aiia might have given council, and stopped the matter, now she was absent and the quarrel raged on unabated, dividing the town.

One day Sonessy (tending to some of her gardens upon what is known even today as ‘Son’s Ledge’) heard shouting. Looking to see what was the matter, she left her trowel and seeds and walked near the edge of the cliff.

There she saw Oona and Lissel shouting and pushing at each other. She frowned in dismay. Certainly if they did not stop their quarrel, they would tumble over the edge, and topple to their deaths! This area was rife with uneven footing, she knew, and the fall off the ledge was far. Being young yet, barely into womanhood, it was apparent to her that she could never hope to overpower the two older women; but the walk to town and back was an hour at best. She ran to the two woman pleading for them to stop.

“Ladies, please, the ground is unstable, you will fall from the precipice!” she shouted.

But a driving rain had begun to fall, and a rumbling in the clouds above drowned out her speech. She saw the two edging close to a slippery stretch of grass, near a drop, and she doubled her speed. They could not see the drop through the rain, they would fall!

“Ladies, please! Please! The cliff!”

But the treasonous sky again rumbled deep, drowning out her words with its own.

She saw the women begin to fall, their eyes widening in shock, and she leapt for them as they did so, grasping at their clothing, trying to pull them back. But there was no purchase for her feet. All three woman fell into the dark, under the ledge and driving rain, and upon impact, their lights were doused completely.

At her people’s dismayed cries Aiia broke from her meditation, looking out her window. Already she could smell death, and with her heart tight in her breast, she ran from the building, clutching the kindle to her side. The brilliance of both the goddess and her cargo flamed down the stone path as she followed the cries of her people. At last she found them, gathered about the three dead woman at the base of the drop. Before the words bubbled from her ashamed children’s lips, she realized what had transpired, and she wept.

“Oh, my foolish children, did you not realize? You would never have found my most favored through argument. She whom I preferred would never enter the quarrel in the first place. And now you have killed her.”

And at once the truth dawned upon the people assembled as Aiia bent to lift Sonessy’s broken form from beneath the other two bodies.

“Do you not see?” Aiia wept. “Zeal and devotion are qualities of high importance, but greater than the two is simple, selfless, gentleness, and I shall always prefer it.”

The people were ashamed. The lesson had come at a great cost. Aiia then spoke again.

“These women all are victims to this conflict. Rise, my children.”
And the Aiian’s assembled gasped, for in response to Aiia’s words, both Lissel and Oona began to sleepily clamber to their feet. Sonessy, cradled in Aiia’s arms, opened her eyes in drowsy shock, and, as Aiia let her down, she stood as if in a dream.

“Your lives are spent, my children, but you all came to this fate due to my own lack of guidance, and absence, and you will bear a measure of compensation.”

“Lissel,” she said, raising one silver-shining hand. “Of the three, you are third in my favor. Rise to the sky, your zeal will be a lesson for my people.”

To the surprise of all assembled, Lissel began to rise slowly to the heavens. As she did so, the arrows in her quiver caught flame, and her entire body began to glow a faint, deep red.

“Oona,” Aiia said, moving her shining hand to hover over the milkmaid. “Of the three, you are second in my favor. Rise to the sky, your devotion will aid you in your final task.”

And Oona’s eyes softened, for as her gaze had fallen upon Aiia’s own eyes she was imbued with knowledge of the final task appointed her. She began to rise to the sky, her skin taking on the pale-white of milk.

“Son,” said Aiia, smiling sadly. “Yours will be the most important task of all.”

And to the shock of her people, Aiia unshouldered her satchel containing the kindle, and handed it over to Sonessy. The young woman’s eyes began to glow, and her hair rose as a warm wind began to pour from her.

“You will carry this with you to the sky, and in three days, it will disappear. Only you will know where it has gone, for only it has knowledge of where it is going, and you will take it there. You will guard this secret.”

Sonessy’s skin had begun to shine, the orange light much like the kindle’s own. Her long hair was aloft about her head, each strand glowing as a candle flame.

“As the kindle’s ward,” Aiia said, tears streaming from her eyes, “you will know no cold, and you will know no darkness.”
Sonessy had begun to rise into the sky now, slowly. Already she was a foot above the ground…then two…then three…

“…And your light will tend all the gardens of this world.”
With a crackling and the sound of a hearth catching a new log, Son burst into brilliant flame, her mouth wide at the sensation. All assembled fell back with a shout, covering their eyes and shrinking against the sudden heat. When they could bear to look again, Son was already high in the sky, the satchel at her side, and burning with a brilliant light and heat which illuminated the land.

A few bits of charred leather and wool fell to the ground about the group - the coverings of the kindle having now been thrown off. The people had never seen such a light, nor felt such a warmth. They looked amazed at the wide seas stretching out in all directions, the waters glimmering, and now in full sight in this new brilliance, the waves stretching on into infinity.

This was the first dawn.

Later it would be explained to the people, that for Son to keep the kindle’s secret safe, she could not shine upon them all the hours of their lives. In the times when she must flee and hide from Ilseus’ grasping hands, Oona and Lissel would do their best to light the land. Of course, without the kindle’s secret, they could only hope to shed a pale light below.

Thus passes the story of Sonessy, and the departure of the kindle.