Ch. 4

 

4A

Neil had left Rosalyn in a small clearing so he could scout out a good path through the thick foliage. He had not gotten far when he heard a scream much like a woman’s from the way he had come and without any sort of command Black Moon reared up and turned, quickly dashing through the path they had created only moments before.

They crashed into the opening, Black Moon rearing and thrashing his hooves on the ground and Neil’s sword singing as it was unsheathed, only to find Rosalyn and Silver Fire, in the middle of a large group of men sprawled out on the ground, looking surprised.

“Look Neil, they aren’t dead only…sleeping.” Rosalyn nudged one of them with her sheathed blade. “It happened so fast.” She looked up at Neil with a smile, amused by his and his steed’s mighty entrance into the clearing, “One moment I’m waiting for you with everything silent, not even Silver Fire seemed perturbed, and the next these men had surrounded us. Silver Fire didn’t even have time to stand at her full height before they were on the ground in such a deep sleep. I had said something,” she waved her hand in annoyance, trying to work through her clouded memory, “I think I did anyways.”

“What did you say, Rosalyn?”

“I think it was…” Rosalyn didn’t know the power that the words held or their specific meaning so she said them in the same way she had when the men had ambushed her, “Elsep Lyepde.” When Neil slumped in his saddle and Black Moon’s head fell Rosalyn found she knew more of this new language, or rather, enough to wake them, “Kewa Sendirf.” Neil woke with a start and Black Moon whinnied with his eyes rolling but the men on the ground remained asleep.

Neil saw her confused expression and chuckled, “They didn’t wake because you said Sendirf, meaning ‘friends.’ And they,” he gestured to all the men laying about, “are not your friends.”His smile melted away and he looked at Rosalyn as if she were a new puzzle to be solved, “How is it you know the Gamic language?”

“I didn’t even know the Gamic existed, much less learn their language.”

“Apparently you do,” he studied the scene and Rosalyn with a thoughtful eye, “How old are you?”

“I’m 21, why?”

Neil waved away her question and continued, “And when is your birthday?”

Rosalyn frowned in annoyance but asked no further questions yet, “November sixteenth.”

He let the pause linger as he consulted his memory for the date. His thoughtful expression turned to one of surprise, “That’s today, you’re 22.”

“Happy birthday to me. Now tell me whatever it is you’re not telling me.”

Smiling mockingly Neil teased her patience a little more, “I didn’t know you had a temper.” He grimaced as her glare got worse, “Relax, I’m going to tell you. Some people out there change when they turn 22. They gain certain ‘abilities.’ Now, the only people who do this that I’m aware of are the Gamic and they are a…special race of near human people. Since you know their language and can use it as magic you’re Gamic. That means there is another ability that has yet to show itself and it will in only a matter of…Miet.”

Rosalyn stood clenching and unclenching Silver Fire’s mane as Neil attempted to explain everything and when he was supposed to say ‘time’ she noticed a strange difference. Not only in the words, she knew it meant time so she didn’t fret over that, but in herself. The world was changing, or perhaps she was changing, she hadn’t the slightest idea. She did know that it was right.

Silver Fire’s man slipped from her grasp as she sunk to her knees, head bowed and eyes starring straight ahead, unaware of Neil kneeling beside her with his arms around her shoulders mediating her fall. As her conscious mind spun away from the world she had known Neil laid her body out and rested her head on his lap, gazing at her with care.

4B

Rosalyn sat on the lush grass while wave upon wave of emotion crashed into her being, when the swirling of her soul slowed to a bearable rate she stood. All the pains of her body and the dirt from days of travel and living were nonexistent, instead raw energy was ripping through her veins charging her with power she could have never imagined. Rosalyn could have done anything she wanted, with the dirt gone from her body and mind, her highest pleasure was to run through the forest. So she did.

She was surprised to find the blades of grass bending beneath her feet instead of the hard soles of her dark blue riding boots excluding her from the feel of the earth below. Spinning in ecstasy the skirt of a thin, white dress fanned out around Rosalyn surprising her again, she had expected to be wearing a plain black riding dress. Feeling freer than she ever had before she leapt up into an old oak and swung upside down from a branch letting her long, golden tresses be closest to the ground for a turn. Rosalyn double took, once again she had been caught unawares, having expected to see a rough braid that was more like rope than it was hair. Like a child nymph Rosalyn laughed in delight and flew on dancing feet, darting between ancient trees and passing by calm woodland animals.

Her free run came to an end when she happened upon a woman gazing into a pristine pool. Despite the euphoric life swimming throughout her body Rosalyn kept herself still before the Lady of the Emerald Pool.

4C

“Welcome Rosalyn.” The woman stood and to Rosalyn’s amazement was no human woman at all. Beautiful, feathered wings the color of emeralds extended from her back at an elegant arch. Swirling tattoos in a language Rosalyn could not understand were scrawled all over her body, glistening like wet ink but nothing less than permanent. Having lost herself in the possible meaning Rosalyn was startled back.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” her voice was soft, afraid Rosalyn would run away like the nymph she felt to be, “I have much to teach you Rosalyn, please come closer.” The emerald bracelets dangling from her wrist clicked together as she gestured to a soft patch of grass opposite her.

As Rosalyn came nearer an image of herself laying on the ground with her head resting on Neil’s lap showed in the emerald pool, “How do you do that? Is that really me? How am I in two places at once?”

The woman laughed and waved the image away, “Relax child. I do that by way of magic. Yes, that’s really you. You’re physical body is with B…Neil and your soul is sitting here before me. Anything else?”

“Yes, but you said that you had much to teach me so maybe some of my questions wont need to be asked.”

The woman sat down and made her self comfortable then beckoned for Rosalyn to do the same, “I am known as Jolia, Lady of the Emerald Pool,” she paused a moment, “When one of our kind is given a title, like myself, we become one with our task, taking residence in the spiritual world, unless you’ve the title of Queen who can go from world to world as she pleases. My task is to Remember and my pool is what lets this happen. There are many other tasks, but I won’t go into them. That is another’s job, mine is to tell you our history among other things.”

“There was a time when humans were of very small numbers, it was the Gamic people who populated most of the world. We lived in peace and prosperity with all living beings, animals included, and we were ignorant of war except for the few things we saw the humans do.

“Then he came into power with treachery and false promises close behind. The Gamic people started losing their inner selves to greed and mistrust. Those who Fell were cast out by the Pure. They couldn’t stand the thought of being less than the Pure and they had the upper hand for the Fallen knew our weaknesses since they were once part of us and we knew nothing of theirs. Thus ended our time of peace and prosperity.

“Despite our higher channeling power and talent with metals, fighting was as alien as war to most of us. There were those who had seen war, having fought with the humans for land and other mindless things. They had been the ones who had been far from the main home of the Gamic people, who had fended for themselves for many generations, who were now being called upon.

“All of them Fell because they came to love and long for more power that was right. All of them but one. Even when he was the last Pure Gamic person who had the knowledge of warfare, greed never took hold of his soul.

“When the war was over, the Fallen having dwindled to too small of numbers to pose a threat, the Queen of the time felt that the Hero had done so much good for his people that she granted him one wish. It took him many moons to choose his wish but in the end he chose eternal life. He did not ask for invincibility, mind you. If someone was to take his life he would die like any mortal being would, but so long as he remained alive he wouldn’t age.

“There was uproar when his wish was announced and granted. Many people thought the wish to be selfish and impure, they said he should have Fallen the moment he chose it for this wish. But there were those who saw his wish to be selfless because he would be watching generations die. His wife, his children, his grandchildren, all that he loved would perish before his eyes. He was putting himself through the worst kind of torture, the pain of the heart.

“There was a young Pure girl who had met him after his wish was granted and had stood with her back straight, looking him in the eye. After many painfully nervous moments she spoke one word, ‘Why?’ She later told her father that the Hero’s eyes had glazed over and while they pointed towards her they were looking far, far away. She remained where she was, undaunted, waiting for her answer, all the while the Hero was somewhere else completely, deep within his mind. When the silence was almost too much to bear the Hero spoke, ‘My leadership and my own hands have killed so many who were once one of us. That is a shame that should never die and if I am the only one willing to keep it in memory, so be it. My actions are to be punished even as they are celebrated, and I can think of nothing worse then watching loved ones pass on. I love all of our kind. That is why, beautiful child.’” Jolia stopped as if remember the occasion first hand.

While Jolia was telling her story Rosalyn had closed her eyes, seeing the past unfold before her. When Jolia stopped speaking Rosalyn’s eyes fluttered open in time to see a tear fall from behind a curtain of emerald hair shielding Jolia’s face and interrupt the pool’s perfect stillness. Before Rosalyn could move or speak to comfort her, Jolia spoke again.

“I am very old, Rosalyn. I do not mean in years, I am only slightly older than you. I mean my soul has aged so much. I have seen so much in my time and in times before mine. I, as Lady of the Emerald Pool, will live forever. This body will age and die and when that happens a new born child will be chosen to take my place. Not only will my life will become theirs but my memories will as well as the memories of all the Ladies past. I remember so clearly the lives of my predecessors that their memories become mine, so clearly we all become one. This pool shows me everything. Every heart broken, every loved one lost to war, everything is shown to me. There is good in the world though, I know it, but the pain felt by so many places a dark cloud over everything not letting me remember there are those that are kind and gentle. I hate my pool but it is my duty as the Lady to Remember all of it.” With a small smile Jolia raised her head to look Rosalyn in the eye, “Yet I love my pool above all else.”

Rosalyn stared deep within herself, wanting to know if she could ever have the strength to do what it was Jolia did, letting Jolia regain her self control. Soon Jolia’s voice brought her back from her musings, “The Hero was vigilant in keeping his immortality a punishment by keeping track of his family’s and friend’s descendants and learning to be part of their lives by loving them. In the end he mourns them as he has done for so very long. Not even her majesty lives as long as the Hero, generations of queens have passed under his eye and all have trusted him beyond all others to hold what is best for her people in sight. As he said to the young girl, he loves all of our kind, both Pure and Fallen, and mourns for all who pass on.

“Not much has changed since the war. We still live by the same laws and traditions and we have kept our history short, but it seems we were not able to keep it sweet.” Jolia paused for a moment, “So, what questions do you have?”

Rosalyn sat there trying to remember all the questions she had wanted to ask while still immersing herself in the tale, before long she had what questions she could recall, “You always called the Hero, ‘Hero.’ Does he not have a name?” She watched Jolia make herself more comfortable, “Should I ask all or one at a time?”

“One at a time would be better, leaves less chance for me forgetting one. To answer your first question, he has been called Hero for so long that not many remember. But seeing as it’s my job to Remember, I know his name. Beau, the ever so heroic and pained Beau.”

“In the beginning you said, ‘Then he came into power.’ Who is ‘he’?”

“He wields an accursed name, I will not say it. It may be only superstition but that is one I will not cross. I can tell you this though, the world needs balance, and without balance everything would be lost. He was part of the negative half of the balance, and when we had lived for far too long in peace he was imbued a great amount of power to counter the positive in our lives. That is my theory, he had an excuse of his own, a bad childhood. But that was nonsense, his Father and Mother were both powerful Pure people.

Rosalyn had never heard anyone say the world needed evil before but once she had wrapped her mind around the notion it began to make sense.

“You mentioned queens. How are they chosen or does it stay in one blood line?” she stole a quick glance at Jolia’s pool and was relieved to see nothing but beautiful emerald water.

“Her majesty is chosen in much the same way as the Lady of the Emerald Pool is. I was chosen by the pool, the queen by a rose. A very long time ago the first queen was chosen by a Pure person and she soon noticed her daughters were not worthy of the throne. In fact they had gotten so used to the power of being princesses that they ordered many around unkindly, were very impolite to those who volunteered to be their aids and were in many other ways unfit for ruling. One by one they turned 22 and always they Fell soon after. The queen was unable to bear any more children so she called in all of the most skilled in magic. She told them what she planned to do and those who did disagree, there were few because the Pool had been choosing the correct person for long before the queens plan, only had to see the last daughter who had not yet reached 22 to change their mind. She proposed that they take an item and bestow upon it the power to choose the rightful heiress to the throne. When she passed on every woman would be required to show their inner selves and if she changed to find a rose tucked behind her ear then she would be the queen.

“To answer a question I know you have, no this pool does not appear to the next Lady. Emerald is not a normal color for the inner self, if a woman should change and be emerald then it is her time. Does that make sense?” Rosalyn nodded, “Wonderful! Any other questions?”

“You have only mentioned two titles to me and they have both been for women only. Are there not titles for men?”

“There are, I just had no need to mention them.”

“This is my last question; how do I find my inner self?” Jolia laughed until she had to hold her stomach in pain, the whole while Rosalyn’s face was growing redder.

Jolia managed speak between fits of laughter, “Dear child, I had thought you would never ask you took so long!” Soon her fits subsided and she tried to grow more serious but a smile played at her lips.

“Now then, Rosalyn, this is what I want you to do. I want you to close your eyes and to envision a bud of your favorite flower,” Jolia’s voice became smooth and meditating, “Let your heart slow and your mind focus on the bud only. See it open slowly, there’s a light coming from within. Remember, slow heart and mind only on the bud. Once the bud opens to a full flower the light is dim and at the center. Imagine the light growing stronger and enveloping your body.” Jolia stopped, switching to soft humming. A sound so beautiful the noises of the forest ceased to listen.

All the while a true light was growing around Rosalyn, so brilliant it drowned out the natural light around Jolia. It began to subside, revealing to the world a being so stunning, so majestic it left the forest in awe.

Rosalyn raised her head and opened her eyes, only just aware of the world going silent. She stood glancing at Jolia before looking at the pool and what she saw was no image of the outside world but of a woman glowing with radiance. Her wings were golden feathers reflecting the sun to add to her glow, her hair was more than blonde but seemed to be true gold trained into strands as fine and smooth as real hair, the beauty almost countering the wings. She wore a simple white gown with gold trimming, along a deep v-neck, the cuffs and the hem, that framed small perfectly detailed golden roses and the slippers she wore were simple but perfection from toe to heel.

To Rosalyn’s surprise this woman straight from the sun itself was not only an image but a reflection of herself.

Jolia came to stand next to her, “Welcome to the Truth.” Before she knew it Rosalyn was back in Neil’s arms, waking as her normal self.

“Welcome back,” he whispered with a caring smile.