The Weight of Expectations (Part 1)
White orbs, oblong — and not an option. Yet their soft shimmer calls to me. Captivates.
I lean closer, my nose nearly brushing their seafoam-fragile shells. And for a breath, I am weightless — adrift in the cool hush of the cavern deep beneath my family’s palace. Weightless, like a decision made. A calm surety — something I’m not sure I’ve ever really known…
Then —
“Tristyn!” my sister calls. And doubt rushes in again. “Come away from there, please.”
I linger a moment longer, swaying with the water’s gentle tide. Then I kick my tail lightly, and swim away — the weight pressing in again.
The cavern is tight, its walls craggy and pocked with dozens of small holes. Each one vanishes into the extensive tunnel network the ancient Hinni Snails call home. A handful of them slither about, nibbling at the algae clumps nestled in the cavern’s crevices — their cleaning a salty, slimy feast. Bright red-gold sunlight filters into the cavern, washing dim their already soft, colorful bioluminescence.
It’s the eggs, though, I find more striking. Four large clusters hug the walls, each with the pulsing glow of a thousand tiny lives. All eager and waiting to hatch.
Yet today, only one life will twine with mine.
I hope we can become friends. Whoever you are…
Once at my sister’s side, she takes my webbed-hands and squeezes.
“There is no wrong choice. Okay?” She offers me a warm smile. I feel only chills.
But there is. Just nobody will say it.
I resist the urge to glance back at the cluster of white snail eggs. It’s hard, like trying to ignore some extension of myself.
Such a fool for hoping…
We turn as one to face Syllis — a wizened black Hinni Snail, dappled with small purple spots and large enough to fit comfortably in my palm. Perched on a narrow ridge halfway up the cavern wall, her long antennae-eyes sway, assessing us. It is her duty to oversee the pairings, to ensure her kin are paired with responsible Dhargonian matches.
All I know is how to be “responsible.” There was never another option…
When she realizes she has our attention, Syllis begins flashing her purple spots to communicate: Welcome Tideress Orawyn. Rising Tristyn.
We both nod politely.
Will Tidal Elwryn be joining us? Excited flashes.
I bite my lip to keep silent, tension lining my jaw.
“I’m afraid not,” Orawyn says, obviously wanting to make light of our brother’s absence. “Resolving disputes in the outer territory.”
It’s not every day a Rising chooses his Hinni-match. The slow rhythm of disappointment.
“He would be here if he could,” Orawyn adds, her tone placating.
Would he?
Syllis’ eyes narrow and glance at each other before focusing on me.
I trust you understand the significance of this day?
“I do.” My voice cracks. Heat flushes my cheeks and I tuck my chin to my shoulder.
Syllis flashes joyously. This is a special time in any Dhargonian’s life, young Rising. There is no shame in growing older — time comes for us all in the end.
I manage a nod, still looking away.
We are four. Syllis’ gesture to each cluster in turn with her antennae-eyes.
I know their kind well.
There are the blue-spiked protectors, I think, eyeing the pulsing blue cluster — fearless, focused, routinely temperamental, like Elwryn’s companion. The green-spiraled nurturers. I glance at the soft green glow behind Orawyn’s ear, where her companion tends to perch. Caringly assertive, patient, always meaning to be supportive, but… Then there are the purple-spotted tradition-keepers — like Airyn’s companion, before she passed and Elwryn ascended the throne. Clever, methodical, almost bitterly stern.
My gaze settles again on the white cluster.
And then there’s you guys — the white-splotched academics, like…
I sigh.
No one.
Leaders act. That was Elwryn’s lesson — his scolding, still fresh, thunders through my mind. We do not laze about, cowering behind scrolls, or lose days to wasteful ponderings, as you seem so aggravatingly prone to do. We are to be focused and committed. Decisive. There are wrong choices in life, brother. But it is a leader’s commandment — one that will one day irrevocably become yours — to make as few of them as gods-willingly possible. Understand?
I had understood then, just as I understand now.
And while most Dhargonians view choosing a Hinni Snail companion as a symbolic rite of passage, in my family, the long-standing — and suffocating — belief is that this choice reveals the callings of our hearts and defines the kind of leader we are meant to become.
And consequences ripple through every choice…
Take your time, Syllis flashes. But do be attentive. As we are deep in spring, many eggs have already begun to hatch. And while we believe the choice should reside with your kind, we connect with him whose face is first we see. So, consider. And hurry.
I nod with a smile, then take a deep breath. Once more, my gaze drifts between the four pulsing clusters — all the countless snails waiting, my decision weighing…
And, mind blank, I hesitate. Considering.
Hinni Snails live for decades — longer even than we Dhargonians. And they can reincarnate. Fragments of their past lives cling to them like stubborn barnacles, granting them insight, memories, and invaluable perspective.
That’s the true weight of this choice.
I’m not just choosing a companion — but a mentor, an advisor, a guide. Specialized by lifetimes of honing the skills they know best.
We give them the world beyond their cavern. In return, they give us what time would otherwise forget.
There is no wrong choice.
But there always is…
Hey! Glad you read to the end! Click here for part 2!
Stay tuned for more Elspar Stories — coming soon!
Or… if you want more now, check-out these stories that are already available:
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Meet Oming! A Buroden Rising who breaks tradition and suffers the consequences. (Political Intrigue, Sibling-Bickering)Promise in Pearls —
Meet Marette and Keon! After seven years of “not really dating,” Keon makes Marette a promise, drawing even the gods’ intrigue. (Romance, Forbidden Love)Gar’dumor’s Truth —
Meet Gar’dumor and Demitra! After years as close friends, Gar’dumor convinces Demitra to slip away from her research for a night of privacy, ready to confess a secret they have long kept silent. (Adventure, Romance, Drabble Series)If you like what I do and want to support my upcoming stories, check out my !
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