The air was cool, with a mild nip to it, and dew from an overnight mist sparkled on the grass, which was still quite vibrantly green, even as the leaves of the trees he could see were well into their turning, leaving yellow, orange, and red leaves scattered over the grass around their bases. A light breeze from the near coast made the leaves that were still attached to the trees waver, causing dew to glisten, as well as pulling some of the leaves free of their branches to spiral down to the grass with the others.
Aodhán wasn’t sure if the fact that he was born in the autumn was an influence on his feelings for the season, but he had always felt particularly fond of the season, never being quite as sad as some to see the leaves turn colour and begin to fall, which heralded an increased quantity of rainy days, as well as the bleak and dreary time of year where the grass and evergreens weren’t so green as usual, and all the leafless trees were grey and desolate-looking.
Descending the stairs, Aodhán walked down the driveway, which curved around a fountain which was shaped like the Star of Enne, which was the sixth basin into which the water tumbled.
The top basin was a triangle, followed by a hexagon, a nonagon, a dodecagon, and a pentadecagon, all of which had water in them that was rippling in the slight breeze, but otherwise unmoving, as the mechanism that made the fountain flow hadn’t been put into motion for another day.
Aodhán noticed a couple leaves floating on the water, clearly having been carried on a stronger breeze than the current one from a nearby tree. He carried on past the fountain and toward the gate, which was also adorned with sacred symbols.
Hidden within them, however, was a smaller gate for the admittance of a man without horse or carriage, and Aodhán spied it before reaching it. Unlocking it was a bit of a challenge, more because of corrosion that indicated a lack of use than because of any complexity in the locking mechanism; in fact, he was able to lock the gate again from the outside.
The road turned from the driveway almost immediately to his left, descending gently down the rise on which the castle was perched, giving it a good overview of the isle’s largest harbour, nearer to which clustered the homes of the common people.
Starting down the road, Aodhán wondered as he walked whether the common people of Finscéalta had many interactions with the residents of the castle, or if they were, like the residents of Gealach, inclined to find their Lord and Chief an aloof man with whom they had no hearing.
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