NaNoWriMo 2005: 10020 Words
That night the young priest, whose name was Belan, stood high atop the Temple walls watching the stars. Beside him stood another novice priest, Herel. The two of them were on guard duty that night, assigned to prohibit any of the uninitiated from entering the Temple while the Speaking was taking place. In fact, they themselves would not have been allowed into the tiny chamber where the high priests were gathered even if they had not been assigned to guard duty. Due in part to the sacredness of the Mystery of the Speaking, and partly due to the size of the chamber, novice priests and priestesses were never allowed in. They could only wait, and hear the high priest's interpretation of what had been Spoken afterward.
They sky was very clear this night, Belan reflected. In his heart he grieved for the death of the Queen. Dark-haired and pale, though well-built, with grey-blue eyes, Belan had chosen to become a priest not for the power that came with the position, nor because it offered a lifetime of security. He was a poet, a musician, and he wanted to be in a quiet, holy place where he could commune with the Gods.
"A lot of sky dragons tonight," he said to Herel, who was dozing beside him.
The other guard turned sleepy eyes toward a bright shape streaming across the sky. "Yes," he said. "Funny, seems like there weren't this many when we were kids."
"Maybe the dragons have found each other, somewhere up in the mountains. Perhaps there are dragon eggs hatching."
"Oh, come," Herel waved a hand dismissively. "You don't really believe there are dragons up there, do you?"
Once there had been dragons in the Kingdom, many of them. But the knights who guarded the borders had long since slain most of them-- huge, fire-breathing, snake-like creatures. There were still reports though, from time to time, of dragons seen up in the hills and mountains to the north. It was said that these strange flying lights sometimes seen over head were the last of the sky dragons, so high they could not be clearly seen.
"Well," Belan responded, "what else should they be?"
Herel paused. "Shooting stars. They're only shooting stars."
"Shooting stars that sometimes change direction, that flash on and off as they fall? Shooting stars that never reach the ground?"
"Have it your own way, then." Herel shifted irritably.
Again Belan's eyes scanned the sky. "There should be a shooting star tonight, though. A star to mark the passing of the Queen. That's supposed to happen, isn't it, when Kings and Queens die?"
"Only those born to rule," Herel said authoritatively. "Lilien wasn't Queen by birth."
"She may has well have been," Belan argued. "She was the most noble lady I ever saw, and good and kind and wise."
"You never saw the Queen."
"I did."
"Parades don't count," Herel added, amused.
"Not just in parades. When I was a little boy, my father had an audience with her, and he brought me..." Belan's voice drifted off as the memory rose in his mind. He forced himself to put it away for now, though, because Herel was bound to make fun of him. "Besides," he continued, "She's been ruling the Kingdom herself these seven years, since King Perrian was wounded."
This was something Herel could not argue with. It was fact that King Perrian had suffered wound under mysterious circumstances which confined him to his bed and weakened him so that he could no longer rule. The Kingdom would have fallen into chaos then if Queen Lilien hadn't emerged from the King's shadow with her strong will, her devotion to justice, and her determination not to see the Kingdom fall to the control of outlaws and men hungry for power.
"Too bad she couldn't have held on till Prince Emryn was a little older, though." Herel turned suddenly thoughtful. "He's not a boy like he was back then, but not a man yet, either. Will they follow him, I wonder?"
"We'll know soon." Belan turned his gaze down to the buildings of the Temple below. "We'll know tonight."
And Herel, stoic though he tried to be, felt himself shiver at those words.
Please do not copy or republish Erin's work without her express written permission. Thank you!
They sky was very clear this night, Belan reflected. In his heart he grieved for the death of the Queen. Dark-haired and pale, though well-built, with grey-blue eyes, Belan had chosen to become a priest not for the power that came with the position, nor because it offered a lifetime of security. He was a poet, a musician, and he wanted to be in a quiet, holy place where he could commune with the Gods.
"A lot of sky dragons tonight," he said to Herel, who was dozing beside him.
The other guard turned sleepy eyes toward a bright shape streaming across the sky. "Yes," he said. "Funny, seems like there weren't this many when we were kids."
"Maybe the dragons have found each other, somewhere up in the mountains. Perhaps there are dragon eggs hatching."
"Oh, come," Herel waved a hand dismissively. "You don't really believe there are dragons up there, do you?"
Once there had been dragons in the Kingdom, many of them. But the knights who guarded the borders had long since slain most of them-- huge, fire-breathing, snake-like creatures. There were still reports though, from time to time, of dragons seen up in the hills and mountains to the north. It was said that these strange flying lights sometimes seen over head were the last of the sky dragons, so high they could not be clearly seen.
"Well," Belan responded, "what else should they be?"
Herel paused. "Shooting stars. They're only shooting stars."
"Shooting stars that sometimes change direction, that flash on and off as they fall? Shooting stars that never reach the ground?"
"Have it your own way, then." Herel shifted irritably.
Again Belan's eyes scanned the sky. "There should be a shooting star tonight, though. A star to mark the passing of the Queen. That's supposed to happen, isn't it, when Kings and Queens die?"
"Only those born to rule," Herel said authoritatively. "Lilien wasn't Queen by birth."
"She may has well have been," Belan argued. "She was the most noble lady I ever saw, and good and kind and wise."
"You never saw the Queen."
"I did."
"Parades don't count," Herel added, amused.
"Not just in parades. When I was a little boy, my father had an audience with her, and he brought me..." Belan's voice drifted off as the memory rose in his mind. He forced himself to put it away for now, though, because Herel was bound to make fun of him. "Besides," he continued, "She's been ruling the Kingdom herself these seven years, since King Perrian was wounded."
This was something Herel could not argue with. It was fact that King Perrian had suffered wound under mysterious circumstances which confined him to his bed and weakened him so that he could no longer rule. The Kingdom would have fallen into chaos then if Queen Lilien hadn't emerged from the King's shadow with her strong will, her devotion to justice, and her determination not to see the Kingdom fall to the control of outlaws and men hungry for power.
"Too bad she couldn't have held on till Prince Emryn was a little older, though." Herel turned suddenly thoughtful. "He's not a boy like he was back then, but not a man yet, either. Will they follow him, I wonder?"
"We'll know soon." Belan turned his gaze down to the buildings of the Temple below. "We'll know tonight."
And Herel, stoic though he tried to be, felt himself shiver at those words.
Please do not copy or republish Erin's work without her express written permission. Thank you!
posted by Erin at
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