Too* Close Brothers

Long ago, before the Melders and the Quarrymen were one people, two brothers were working up in the mines (The Melders came from the hill country, as you may know, where all the precious metals run thick).

Cobalt was the eldest, and had rich blue eyes that suited his name. And Vein had long silky hair with threads of silver and gold through it (No one knew if he'd done this on purpose or been born that way).

These brothers were tall and clever, and very proud. Even among their own people, they were hailed as two of the greatest smiths of the ages. They twisted and coaxed the precious metal straight from the rocks and formed it into the most amazing, beautiful objects. They could even, it is said, make the metal sing.

On this occasion, the brothers had hidden away in their deepest mine to experiment with new ways of melding. Vein was trying to merge the metal to his fingernails (in the manner some people use paints) and Cobalt was combing the metal from the rocks into thin workable strands.

As they worked over the same strand their minds connected through the metal, In the same way electricity travels through a wire. They were both so shocked by this, they tried to rein back their melding power and break the connection. Unfortunately, Cobalt was stronger then Vein; as he pulled his mind from the metal he accidentally pulled his brothers' mind into himself!

A mind, you see, is a very intricate sort of mess, much like a pile of jewelry left alone too long. The chaos of the moment and the shock of the brothers had them so tangled together, it was impossible to know whose thoughts belonged to whom.

It took the brothers four days to untangle themselves into two separate minds in one space. And it took a week further for them to figure out how to work through the same hands, and discover how they had become joined.

It was a close thing, but they managed to send Vein back to his own body. (There was some concern that it would shut down without 'him,' but it remained breathing and asleep).

Using the metal strand as a conduit again they sent Vein back where he belonged, and spent the next few weeks working in separate tunnels. You can imagine how sick they were of each other after such intimacy.

Separation would prove difficult however; the linking of their minds had created a permanent connection- a flowing current- between them, so they could hear each other even over a great distance. You can imagine how uncomfortable this was for them to live with. But live with it they did (for both were too proud to do otherwise) and passed the strange connectivity on to their children.

It is said that Galena The Eldest Of Us (who led her people to Masonry City and married the Quarrymen king Ganister) was a direct descendant of these brothers.

It was their mistake that let Melders hear thoughts and, consequently, led the Melders to seek out the Quarrymen (the only people whose minds were too thick to read).

So you see, if not for two proud brothers making a foolish mistake, the kingdom of Masonry would never have been.

[a story from "Tales and Lore of the Old Kingdom"]