NaNoWriMo 2005: 5166 Words

The Temple gate was shut, and all within were devotedly praying for the life of Queen Lilien. Supposedly. Pearl thought that some of them probably were not. She had come to notice that some of the Wise Ones rarely prayed at all. But in any case, they were all observing a time of silence and worship, and so no one was bothering to wonder where the girl was. They all called her the girl, most of the time, unless they were in a good mood. Only Celwyn called her Pearl all the time. She doubted Lord Maddeg even knew that she had a name.

But it was such a nice day, she didn't want to think about Lord Maddeg. He was gone, anyhow, for now. Pearl wished he could be gone forever. She wished she never had to go back inside those gates.

For now she was pretending that this was the case, that she was completely free. She had already picked a bouquet of the wildflowers that grew on the hill, and currently had one tucked behind her ear. She was lying on her back now and watching the birds, even starting to hum, a little. The pretend game was working so well-- she would probably cry when it was over and she had to go back to the dark of her room tonight.

No. There was no tonight. There was just now. Now, in this moment, with the sunlight and the breeze and the flowers and the grass and the blue sky and the birds. The birds... the birds were acting funny.

Pearl frowned up at the birds flying overhead. They seemed to have formed up into a line, and were making patterns. They flew into a ring, a spiral, diving and soaring, all in a single long line. Pearl gaped and sat up as more and more birds joined the procession, the show. The dance. This was no imagined dance, now, but a real one. She couldn't even begin to count them. They were flying in intricate overlapping designs now, reminding Pearl of the fine artwork in the Temple. She had never seen anything like this-- not anything at all. It was a miracle.

She thought suddenly that she should get up and go fetch Lady Celwyn-- that maybe she would know what this sign meant. But she couldn't move. Then, abruptly, the birds broke their lovely dance and flew away, flapping and crying madly. Pearl stood up to see where they were going. They were all making for the Sacred Gardens at the base of the hill, alighting in the trees so thickly that they looked like leaves. And, emerging from between those trees, was a man on the back of a dapple grey horse.

He was coming slowly, but purposefully, up the crest of the hill. Pearl watched him in silent, wide-eyed fascination. Was this man a god in disguise? Had he commanded the birds to behave in that way? Pearl strained to see him better, and started. He was wearing a white robe! It was one of the Wise Ones come back, and he would drag her back into the Temple and...

Except his robe did not shine like the Wise Ones’ did. He was not so clean, nor so carefully groomed, nor apparently so proud. His shoulders slouched in the manner of a weary, travel-worn man, instead of being straight and dignified in the manner of a priest. Yet there was a certain dignity about this man.

Pearl wondered whether she should run away, but even as the thought crossed her mind realized that it was too late. He was staring straight at her, and she thought he looked angry. Her knees started to tremble, but she stubbornly stared back, thinking, He’s almost as dirty as I am. Now that he was closer, she could see that he was old, his hair and beard were white. He stopped before the Temple Gate. He’s going to beat me, Pearl thought. He’s going to take me back inside and beat me.

But then he smiled at her, and his smile was that of a mischievous boy. It was so unexpected that Pearl thought she must have flinched. But his eyes, she noticed now, were almost kind. Had she only been imagining his anger before?

The old man nodded at her. “Hello, Pearl,” he said.

And with those words she knew that she would not be beaten, and she would not be scolded, and she would not be thrown into the dark room. All of her fears were instantly swept away and a calm came over her. She smiled back. Then she took the man’s hand and led him in through the Temple gates.

Celwyn was waiting in the courtyard, and she was beaming.

The priestess helped the man down from his horse, and bowed to him. He bowed back. Pearl moved to takes the horse's reins and stable it, but Celwyn shook her head. She was smiling tenderly at this strange man, and Pearl realized that he must not be so strange to her-- they must know one another from somewhere. Pearl could not imagine Celwyn having a life outside of the Temple. She could not imagine what was making her smile like that at this man. But she was smiling; Pearl had never seen her smile like this before. The stranger was smiling back. They were saying things, Pearl thought, with their eyes, in a language she cold not understand.

Just then the Wise One Dirnas strode into the courtyard, glowering, and Pearl shrank back. The stranger, though, held firmly to her hand.

"Who dares to disrupt this sacred hour in the Temple?" Dirnas demanded.

"I do," the stranger answered simply.

Dirnas's mouth opened and shut in helpless indignation. He looked like a fish, and Pearl almost giggled. She clung tighter to the man's hand. Finally, not knowing what to say, Dirnas turned to face Celwyn.

"My Lady Celwyn, who is this man?" He said "this man" in the same tone he used to call Pearl "the girl." "Does he not know that we pray as the life and soul of our great Queen hang in the balance?"

"I imagine he does," Celwyn answered, and her voice betrayed amusement. "Do you not know whom you address, Dirnas?" The priest looked blank, and slightly panicked. Celwyn drew herself up to her full height. "This is Talwyr, the Great One, the Wizard, the Servant of the Gods," she proclaimed, "and none shall tell him to go or stay."

The color drained from Dirnas's face, and he looked suddenly as though he were going to be sick. His eyes shot back to the stranger's impassive face, and he threw himself down at the man's feet.

"I am sorry, Great Lord Talwyr!" he babbled. "I apologize! I did not know it was you! Oh, my Lord!"

Pearl had frozen at the word "wizard." She stared down at Dirnas's bowed head, and then up into the stranger's face. A wizard!

There were wizards long ago, Pearl knew, because she'd heard stories about them. They knew everything under the sun, and they could do magic. Pearl knew now that that was what she'd seen happen to the birds-- a wizard's spell. That was how he had known her name. She was holding the hand of a real, living wizard! She gulped and looked down again at Dirnas's head. This wizard had power even over the Wise Ones. Maybe he was working a spell on Dirnas right now. Would he be angry and do one on her if she tried to take back her hand?

Somehow, she didn't think so. He seemed like a nice man, even though he was a wizard. He had called her by her name.

"Enough, Dirnas," he said now, and exchanged another speaking glance with Celwyn.
As the priest stood, Celwyn thrust the horse's reins into his hands. "Stable Lord Talwyr's horse, Dirnas," she ordered.

Dirnas bowed a few more times, then quickly fled, the horse in tow. When he was gone, Talwyr held out his other hand to Lady Celwyn, and she took it gently, almost timidly. Pearl had never seen the great Lady so meek before. She seemed almost a different person than the one Pearl had spoken to just yesterday. She simply could not understand it.

It must be wizard's magic, she thought. He makes everyone act funny around him. Even me.

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