Long ago when time was young, the king of Elkar had two sons. Their names were Elden and Fayim.
Elden was methodical, somber even. They lost him in the library once. He sat down to read in a corner. He didn’t hear them calling his name. The story was too loud. Fayim was wild—always running places. Everything he touched broke, and he touched a lot of things. The two of them were different as the craggy peaks and the shore. They were inseparable.
The details are hazy. Elkar fell centuries ago. Still, a few things are certain. Elden was regent under his father. Fayim was a general, off in the corners of the kingdom, keeping the peace in the midst of some conflict that nobody remembers. And Gea the wizard discovered a dangerous magic. She was forbidden to practice it on pain of expulsion from the guild. Enraged, Gea turned her magic on the city.
Fayim received a vague report that something terrible had happened. He appointed a substitute commander, assembled a small strike force, and returned—only to find the city guarded by giant birds. Magic giant birds. Many tried and failed to best them, but Fayim stole past while they were distracted. Inside, the city was empty. The populace had vanished without a trace. Alone, Fayim made his way to the castle. There in the throne room was Gea. Fayim did not know what had happened. But he knew that Gea was a wizard, and that whatever curse had come upon this place had suspiciously passed her by. Before Gea could notice him, Fayim grabbed her and jumped out the window—seven stories down to the courtyard.
Elden saw it all and did nothing. He could do nothing. Gea had turned the people into birds—powerful magic creatures who would do her bidding. Their minds were not their own until Fayim gave his life to kill her. Elden was there in the throne room. He could not think to save his brother until it was too late.
The Elkarin were divided after that. Elden took the others who had been cursed and flew north to settle in the places of the earth too steep for humans to reach. Fayim’s son was left to rule what was left.
That is not the end of the story. The bond between Elden and Fayim lives beyond death. Elden watched over his brother’s son, and his son’s son, and his son’s grandson. (The curse of Gea was strong—Elden’s Elkarin live a long time.) It is said that the heirs of Fayim will always be counted as the brother of Elden, and if Elden ever dies, it will be the same with his heir,
and so on forever, until the end of time.