Post by Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn on Nov 12, 2020 9:14:39 GMT -7
August 2025
“We’re coming!” Aidan called ahead as he and his father jostled each other in their rush to be first to the doorway and therefore the prize: first taste from the barrels of cider they’d rolled over from the closest farm in the vicinity – still several acres away but the closest thing the Ó Cuinns had to neighbors in the Wildwood. He could hear his mother’s shouted response from inside the house, a warning that they’d better not have traded more than what they’d agreed beforehand. Aidan and his father shared a grin – her concern was legitimate because Aidan had inherited her tendency to pour an insane amount of energy and enthusiasm into any task, more than what was strictly necessary…which sometimes led to less than equal barters if he got carried away.
But he’d had his father’s calm temperament to moderate that impulse today and Bedwyr had been the one to evenly arrange a fair trade for the cider. Born and raised in Hy-Brasil, Bedwyr was everything Aidan was not – tranquil, contemplative and therefore slow to act until he’d considered all his options. But he’d never led his family wrong and he’d had more dealings with their finicky neighbors in recent years than any other Ó Cuinn. Which was an extraordinary achievement when one considered the fact that no Ó Cuinn ever willingly left the family home – never permanently, at least, until their death. So they’d made a good trade, exactly what Isolde and Bedwyr had decided on before he and his son had set out. And it was a good trade! The Ó Cuinns never grew anything but the best on their farm, all the essential grains and even some exotic fruits. And apple cider was always a treat in the coming season.
“I won!” Aidan crowed as he danced in victory, leaning his barrel against the door and hugging his mother enthusiastically when she came to inspect him (and more likely the barrel) for damage. First taste would go to him this time! His father laughed – one of his characteristic laughs that started deep in his chest – before giving Aidan a solid pat on the shoulder. “Go check on your grandmother,” he said simply (he never wasted a word where one wasn’t needed), so Aidan gave him a toothy grin before entering the unusual home and leaving his father to finish up with the barrels and greet his wife. When he was younger, Pa had always beaten him in the barrel races. As Aidan grew older, he’d begun to beat out his father in the competition, but even in his 40s Bedwyr proved to be a formidable opponent.
As far as Aidan understood, most mainlanders had rather funny homes – made of wood or brick and built solidly on the ground with a pointed roof. He’d laughed the first time he’d seen examples of such buildings in Hogsmeade because druids had a different way entirely of arranging their homes. He’d seen them built into caves or hills, perched on trees, and otherwise blended perfectly into the nature around them. And as a result, they were only constructed with natural materials that meant they could live alongside the environment rather than on top of it. The Ó Cuinn home was no different. They had built their home into one of the largest and oldest trees in the Wildwood, and the house had a rather round and wooden feel to it as a result. True to his family’s chosen profession as farmers and Herbologists, there were dried herbs hanging from the ceiling, interesting and unique plants growing on and around the walls, and curious-looking ingredients in a floor-to-ceiling cabinet filled to the brim with jars (which Aidan was not allowed near under no circumstances after an unfortunate accident at the age of 6, enough said). Every plant here was magical, and the crops they grew were of a quality unheard of anywhere else besides Hy-Brasil.
And strictly speaking, his father hadn’t sent him to check on his grandmother so much as his great-great-he wasn’t sure how many greats grandmother. Abria was celebrating her birthday this weekend, and she was the most important Ó Cuinn by far, after all. She was ancient (although Aidan had received a slap upside the head the last time he’d said that out-loud) and had been an Elder for seemingly decades. As a result she knew more about druids and Hy-Brasil than anybody Aidan had ever met, and she was willing to tell stories to anybody that had the patience to sit through them. That usually didn’t apply to Aidan, who had the attention span of a plimpy, but he’d been using his grandmother as an excuse more and more often to visit home. His parents couldn’t protest that, really.
Speaking of, he found Abria seated on her usual chair, although she was already deep in conversation with his actual grandmother (no greats attached). His grandfather had died recently, only a few years ago, and as Niamh had married into the family she’d likely been concerned there’d be a new distance between her and the rest of the family. A concern that had never become anything since Abria would never allow that to happen.
Well…almost never. And that story was the one she’d never tell, but which Aidan had pieced together through enough gossip from the rest of his family – mostly his mother, who came from a druid community in the far north rather than from Hy-Brasil, and therefore had a more unorthodox way of thinking than most of the family. In fact, Isolde’s peculiarity was rather perfectly captured in her brother and his family as well, which explained why his cousin Virva made such unusual decisions.
But anyway, she’d explained to Aidan exactly why he was only a half-blood druid, and not a pureblood like the vast majority – not that he’d ever particularly wondered why, but she’d always attributed his sense of curiosity to be something more developed than it actually was. And strangely enough, it hadn’t come from her side of the family (who were pureblood through and through, despite not being from the island) but from his father’s. Great-grandma Maeve had in fact not been a druid but a Muggleborn witch (lucky her to have been born with magic and not subjected to such a sad and pointless life like her Muggle family). She’d come to Hy-Brasil, and naturally fallen in love with the grandson of an Elder – because really what other ending could this story have? Elder Abria did not approve of this match, but what choice did she have except to allow the marriage to happen? It had been the gossip of the family for a while, until other more interesting things had happened.
Years later Maeve had disappeared, and the Ó Cuinn family gossiped to this day about what exactly had happened to her. There were family members who steadfastly argued that she had gotten homesick for her former life and left the island to go back to her other family and mainstream wizarding society. That seemed like a reasonable enough explanation. And there were those who were convinced Abria had somehow arranged for her to leave or disappear. Either way, Maeve’s involvement with the family was imprinted in his blood and it was certain to come up sometime during Abria’s birthday dinner. Being a half-blood had never seemed to affect Aidan’s abilities – because every family member since had married pureblood druids so no diluting had occurred – but he knew some people still disapproved. He’d had friends in school that hadn’t cared, but there were a few ultra-traditionalists who didn’t want to risk the chance of tainting their blood with his. Aidan had always valued the company of creatures more than people anyway, so he’d never given it much thought.
Remembering that he was supposed to be checking on Abria - although the idea that something could happen to such a stubborn member of the family was laughable – Aidan slid along the floor to greet Abria and Niamh. “Can you tell me you’re fine so I can tell Pa I checked and then I can go?” he asked in a rush. Niamh laughed, but Abria only raised an eyebrow at him, so Aidan sunk to his knees to be at eye-level with her in her chair, and changed tactics with an easy smile. “Grandmama, I’ve missed you so much! I think about you every day I’m gone and pray to the gods that you stay healthy. Please tell me my prayers have worked and I can tell Pa how strong and wise you are, which is obviously the truth anyway.” He finished it off with big, pleading eyes – his trademark puppy eyes that seemed to linger between his human form and his animagus form as a dog. This try got more sympathy and Abria quirked a smile as she patted his head fondly. Aidan popped back up, stooped to give her a kiss on the cheek and Niamh a warm hug before zooming back out of the house.
The majority of the family home was built inside the tree he’d just exited, but the family had constructed rooms for Aidan and his sister to be nestled in the branches of the tree (more of a treehouse-style than anything else). Aidan deftly climbed the ladder up and entered his room, dropping onto his bed with a satisfied sigh. He was rarely home nowadays but had sorely missed his room, filled with his odd treasures and reminding him of his childhood at every corner. There were random items he’d found around the island and brought home, things he or his friends had made and gifted each other, and family mementos everywhere.
Sending him away had been his mother’s idea, naturally. Bedwyr, like most of the druids in Hy-Brasil, rarely left the island. He’d gone occasionally for school or business, as it was required, but he was as traditional as the rest of the family and saw no reason to acknowledge the outside world, much less visit it. But his mother came from the far north and her druid community was much more integrated with the local folk. As a result she went back to visit often and insisted on bringing Aidan and his sister. She’d been successful enough with his sister – she was desperate to leave Hy-Brasil and took every opportunity to leave that she could. But Aidan had turned out like his father – he saw no need to ever leave the island when everything he could ever want was here. Every trip away was a difficult and stressful journey (although he did enjoy seeing his cousins) so he’d always done the best he could to get away with staying as much as possible. He’d actually started to see Virva much more often since leaving the island than before.
His mother had noticed his reluctance to leave. And she worried that he had become too sheltered on the island, and that seeing the mainland would do him some good. Toughen him up, maybe, or teach him some good life skills. Aidan wasn't quite sure. All he’d known was that she didn’t want him back until some indeterminate date when he was sure Hy-Brasil was his future. That could’ve been today, as far as Aidan was concerned, but he loved his mother and wanted her to be proud of him. So he stayed in England, and trained as an apprentice veterinarian. Those were skills he could bring back to the island, he supposed. But he still couldn’t wait for the day he could move back to the family home (maybe after he finished his apprenticeship). Then he’d be able to care for magical creatures, find a nice druid girl, and start the next generation of Ó Cuinns on the right track. Aidan’s dreams were small, and he didn’t want much more than that. He didn’t feel he had changed much since leaving (besides a marked improvement in his English) but someday his mother would have to be satisfied.
Aidan must have dozed off, because when he tumbled off the bed it was noticeably darker outside. He lay on the floor for a moment, trying to remember what had woken him, when his sister’s voice rang out from below. “He better come fast before I take his cup!” The cider! There was no way Aidan was going to lose his prize to his baby sister, so he yelled down warnings of various kinds as he rushed down the ladder and into the main house. Most of the family had already arrived, but a quick count revealed they were still waiting on a few from the farm. “I’m ready for my prize!” he announced excitedly as he picked up his sister and twirled her around for a moment before setting her down. To get her dizzy, of course, and make it harder to steal what he’d rightfully won. He edged around her, a few uncles and aunts, and eventually wound his way to his mother who had already poured the first cup.
Yeah, he couldn’t wait until the day he could come back. It might take a year, or a few more, but Hy-Brasil was paradise and Aidan had everything he could ever want right here with him.
Mentioned characters: @virvatuli
