Before - Legends "Legends of the Force"(epic drama with OCs), book 1, 32 Chapters, FIN

Hard to imagine a five-year old having to witness that and still be so mentally okay, even able to sacrifice her own health in such a calm way to prevent worse - but I guess Grianan has always been special, right? I hope Isabeau can help her not just be strong, but hopefully also happy, because that must be quite a burden.

And that little hint of how Lucien's hubris that he is in control impacts his personal life with the comment about how close their house was to this mayhem; the mother who found peace in sacrificing herself to limit the damage the dark side does via her eldest daughter. The more you think about it, the worse this scene gets. And of course, the uncle Kiaros who's still a bigot. You really work with complicated family relations in your stories AzureAngel2

 

For Isa you mean, earlybird-obi-wan? Yes, it is. A mental Force link can be extremely strong. No place for hiding anything.

DarthUncle: I love how observant you are all the time, dear husband. The past twenty-three years I have worked with a lot of strong children. Children stronger than the grown-ups around them.

Isa will be an important teacher to Grianán, true.

Lucien unfortunately does not see his hubris until it is... almost... too late much later on in his life.

As for family relations, are they not always complicated?

 

Family relations can also be very healthy, nurturing and easy, in my opinion, so I can't agree with 'always', but sure, they can sometimes be complicated in real life too.

 

True, DarthUncle. By writing the story the way it is I tried to show all the negative forms of attachment that the Jedi Order opposed of for centuries. The reason or even "excuse" they had to take Force-sensitive babies away from their families.

 

Family is always hard, be it when they want to help and you don't want it, or when you need it and no one is there for you. Those were very vivid scenes Azure. I liked it. Writing such things seems easy for me as you saw with my story, but I wonder how it was for you? Well Done.

 

Working with children for 23 years makes a kindergarten teacher/ secondary-school teacher meet a lot of families. It is not so difficult for me to get ideas, Darth_Furio. My main source is life itself.

 

DarthUncle, Darth_Furio, earlybird-obi-wan, Kahara... Dinner is served!

Sorry, I needed a time out in my personal "place of power" and to look out at the world.

Then I got myself a new job & gave some men who thought they were in power a nasty shock with my decision. Plus I granted my esteemed team a platform for their future needs and dire wishes during a parental evening. I am not the goddess Kali who brings chaos & destruction in her wake. I brought healing, but now it is time to fly off and try a different employer.

Here is my long delayed update now:



********************************************************************

The creature in front of me is truly the mighty god queen of Cunabula. The regent of billions of Draconian citizens. The mother of the snake spawn that I have dedicated my life to.

But what amazes me even more is that Arcānā has waited for me here on Draconis. I am the only reason why she has refused to leave her molten body yet. Me being here seems to be the most important thing in the entire galaxy for the god queen.

I try to focus on her emerald eyes and to shut out all the other sensations the emergency room gives me.

The beeping sounds of the monitoring consoles.

The holy leaves the three priestesses are burning for her.

The salty tears on the faces of her children.

The sullen doctors giving all of us dark looks for being simply being here in this room.

Fact is, Arcānā is dying. There is no escape for her. If she does not mind all the visitors currently in this room, the doctors should respect her wishes.

“Arcānā.” To speak her name feels reassuring to me.

“You came.”

Her voiceless words echo in my head, cheerful and relieved. Telepathy is the only means of communication to her now. Her lips will never be able to form a single vowel again. They are sealed forever. A molten mass of flesh.

“Of course I came!” I shout back, more driven by anger than of the fear she will not manage to hear me properly. “Do you think that grinning bastard has beaten me? Luçien is very wrong when he thinks that he has won.”

“So the son of Dealg is behind this?” Her surprise is genuine.

“He knew about the plans of the priest and his followers. This is why I ended up on that cursed boat in the middle of nowhere.”

“I see.”

The look in Adamah's eyes intensifies. I wonder in how much pain she really is. How she can stand so much sorrow without going mad.

“Do not bemoan me, Isabeau. Soon, I will be one with the Living Force.”

That remark makes me swallow very hard. “Any last words?”

It startles me to hear her laughter roar through my head, so wild, so free.

“Otherwise I would not have held out here, waiting for you, silly kitty cat.”

“I am not that important,” I state uncomfortably, wondering what mad scheme she has come up with now.

“You are my only hope of setting things right.”

“Great,” I blur out. “Pin all your precious hopes on me.”

“Those hopes do carry names that are dear to you.”

“The children.”

“It is all about the children. They are my heritage to the universe. Care for them. Be the mother they need! Bring an era of peace and happiness to the realm.”

“Do not overestimate my skills,” I warn Arcānā, wondering if she is already in delirium. “I am not schooled in statesmanship at all. All I ever was and all I will ever be is a huntress.”

“You are capable of more things than you can imagine.”

There is a new tenderness to Arcānā. She radiates that clearly into the room.

“And this is why I want you to be my regent until the day Caelestris is old enough to sit on the throne.”

I look for the girl's face in the crowd of family members, medical staff and snake priestesses.

Caelestris is as frightened as she possibly can be. Her face has a pale and drawn look. I wonder if she has eaten at all the past days.

“Are you sure that she is the one?” I raise an eyebrow.

“For now she has to be.” Arcānā sounds casual. “As for Éleos and Sereno, sent them to Elfin foster parents.”

“You must be out of your mind!”

“In fact, I will be soon. My time is running out.” Arcānā is giggling. “Nothing can stop that. What can be fixed though is our politician relationship to the Elfin nations.”

I roll my eyes at her. “Boys, your mother wants you to go to the courts of some back country rulers of Elfin origin. Fancy that?”

The fact that they manage happy smiles on their anguished faces puzzles me. “We would love that very much,” they reply in unison. “There is much to learn and much to see.”

“So be it then.” I give the priestesses that are present the most smug expression that I can manage. “I will not be questioned, overruled or denied.”

The women seem to be willing to start a fight, but then their shoulders sag and they relent, tired and worried. “We will obey You, Holy Consort.”

“Holy? Consort?” I give the dying Arcānā a bitter smile. “Well done, queeny. Now the whole realm will believe that you have gotten me after all.”

“As if you would care for what people think.” A sparkle of humour shines in the deep green iris. “This is why I gave you the position after all. Only you can fill it.”

“This is what I always hated about you, queeny.” I smelled death approach. “You made me do things.”

“Not without your agreement. You always had a choice, when you think about it.”

“You have not enough breath left for me to take time to consider that.” I sigh. “And what of the rest?”

“The young ones need you the most. Keep them close, but not so close that they cannot breath properly! Daná needs the most guarding. She is as wild and free as an eopie foil.”

“More like a young rancor, bringing havoc to the neighbourhood.”

Luckily the child in question is asleep in Jocus' arm. Her face is puffy and red. Tears stains are visible on her cheeks. I hope she will sleep on. She will not take her mother's death as lightly as everybody else. The concept of letting go is difficult for her to understand. I will have to deal with her in due time.

“And Grianán?” I ask carefully.

“Try to keep Grianán as long as you can at your side. Hide her as you must. Teach her all that you can. That you know. And...”

“Yes?” I feel the telepathic link getting weaker and weaker.

“Go to the dune sea with her. It is of great importance.”

“I am banished from Sapuhru for good.” I am outraged at the request. “Any other Lidérc can take my life if I refuse to keep away from my home planet.”

“You will find a way. You always do. Against all odds. You are strong andthe Force is with you, Isabeau. Always.” Her eyes try to find somebody else now. “Tell Agathos, that I loved...”

God queen Arcānā Tamisra Tjiehenet, just twenty-five sun years of age, is gone for good. Within a single heartbeat her horrible outlines vanish from of the bed.

A priestess that I know steps forward. “The queen is dead, long live the queen!” Clementia smiles at me. “I mean, long live the Holy Consort!”

The royal children gather around me like abantha herd that need a new shepherdess.

I have become the regent of an entire planet. With only nineteen years of age.

I am sure this is not what Luçien had planned, when he did not stop a bunch of religious fanatics. He also has not taken a lot of other things into account. The impact of events on the health of his friend Agathos. Or the reaction of the inhabitants of Amnion towards Force users.

“To wash your hands in innocence never works, brother,” I smirk, while I hug the children around me back.

Luçien also hadn't counted on Arcānā finding her way tothe Living Force out of love for her children. I will make sure that each serpent-spawn will get a chance to surprise him too.

 

Touching scene Azure. Isu us going to feel the weight of ruling and having to care for the children.

 

Thanks for reading & commenting, Darth_Furio!

Be assured that I will continue this fic!

 

A pivotal moment in the story and Isa's life; I guess in only confirms the role Isa has to play, we have felt her importance and influence in the family, and therefore to the realm for a long time, but now she has to officially take up that mantle that she picked up shortly after arriving, with Arcana now officially recognizing and noting it. I think it can be quite hard to have a believable turn from the dark side, and official legends stories haven't always done it well, but you have carefully built towards it, with Arcana showing she listens to Isa's advice when it concerns her children, and then in the last chapter, her giving up herself and the dark side to save something of her eldest, and save the city and her family. This is a good capstone to that.

 

Thanks, husband DarthUncle, that you always believe more in me than I believe in myself!

And that you tell me straight out that Arcana´s journey back to the light was believable.

I wonder if earlybird-obi-wan has time to read the latest update, too.

 

a big role for Isa. And returning to her home? She will find a way

 

Well, I actually have forgotten to update in here. Too much on my mind, recently. Too many things going on in RL.

Anyway, here the new update:

DarthUncle
earlybird-obi-wan
Kahara
Darth_Furio
Darth Gangrenous

Please tell me if you do not want to be linked when an update appears!


Chapter 20:

During my last meeting with Arcānā I had resolutely pushed aside everything else. But the future does not want to be ignored.

The young man with the bad temper is roasted alive. The heat of a nearby lava stream reaches out for him, setting his body on fire. He denies himself his own death though. His blind hatred turns him into a warrior in black. A nemesis like no other before.

Stirred by the things that are to be, I wake up in the middle of the night. I am not screaming, but my pillow is sweaty. And my nightgown, too.

I leave my bed and the room altogether.

My destination is clear. It is but a short distance.

In the pale moon light the royal pyramid gleams like a holocron when activated by its user. Greenish ley lines crawl towards the top like giant snakes. The light side and the dark side meet right above the children that I care for.

Èleos, Caelestris, Sereno, Iocus, Blandita, Rubio, Daná, Calathus and Grianán – they are together now. They sleep in the nidulus, bed nest. For me it is too warm, too sticky and by far too claustrophobic. I am too much of a desert creature.

But there are other ways to be there for my wards. I want to teach them self-control, humility and mercy. Things the man in black from my vision seems to lack as much as Luçien.

The desert has taught me that life is process of constant change, and its practices aim to take advantage of this fact. Therefore it is my solemn believe that one can change for the better.

A good education is of course no guaranty that things cannot go utterly wrong. As a nanny I am fully aware of that. But it might give the serpent-spawn knowledge and understanding to make the right choices.

********************************************************************

Soon it figures out that my life as the Holy Consort does not differ much from my tasks as a royal nanny. The pace of daily affairs stays pretty much the same, too, which I regard as the greatest luxury of all.

One thing that amazes me though is the cheerfulness of all the royal subjects. They give me smiles, flowers, fruit, jewellery made from germs of simple pearls, cotton for my tunics and all their love. I bare all their affection with silent dignity and the traditional greeting: “May the Force be with you.”

For this particular gesture I need to bend my arms from the elbow upwards and face the two palms of the hands. Then I place the palms together and keep the folded palms in front of my chest. While I say the ritual words, I need to bow the head slightly.

The Force touches every being and each aspect of daily life on the Holy Isle of Cunabula. Even though the Ophidiae pray to a nourishing mother goddess. But even Ishtar is a personification of the almighty energy field, that binds life together.

Slowly recovering from his heart attack, Agathos aims to take over the majority political tasks. All those meetings with official people. The regular audiences with Draconian subjects from all over the globe. Nobody did oppose him. Neither for being male nor for being an off-word person.

Even the humans from the North and various Elfin lords come to see him. He is wise beyond his years, regarded as a diplomat with great cultural knowledge.

The religious tasks are solemnly preformed by Aerumna, the high priestess of Cunabula. For this I am grateful as well. I have no wish to participate in fertility rituals or give my blessings to infants. The royal princesses and princes I love with all my heart. For the offspring of others I simply cannot warm up.

As for the underground scientists, who seldom leave their laboratories, they can manage perfectly without me.

And so, each morning still starts with me getting up in my guest room in the bungalow of Agathos.

After a brief shower in the garden, as usual with the daily amounts of the rain water tank, I get dressed in my traditional desert tunics.

Then I have breakfast with Agathos and Narthex.

When the three of us have finished all the necessary discussing and planning for the day, I walk over to the royal pyramid. There the eager serpent-spawn waits for me, the so-called mater familias. Agathos has offered them to move in with us, but they kindly refuse to leave their mother's sanctuary.

A new familiarity between the children and me since Arcānā, following Phosphoros and Adamah, had become one with the Force. None of the other children have any problems adjusting to her last wishes. And so I am de facto the so-called mater familias, the very head of the royal household.

********************************************************************

One time, during a visit to the desert village of Sendero, a very old woman comes towards me. Her step is slow, yet the dignity with which her walking stick holds her up amazes me. In her youth she must have been a true beauty. Now she radiates wisdom.

“Only you made the god queen turn away from the dark side,” she calls to me over the village plaza. “Without you she never would have learned to take care of her children or rethink her past actions again.”

I walk towards the old hag, amused. “The choice was hers and hers alone. Do not give me too much credit!”

“The dark side is twisted. The ones who get lost to her do need strong persons to help them back to the light. Arcānā was sufficiently lost. She never would have made it back on her own. Her own fears were by far too great. The hatred in her was too mighty.” She smiles at me, an almost toothless smile in a wrinkled face. “What you did achieve with her and the royal family is a miracle.”

“I just love. That is all.”

A very thin hand shoots forward, resting on my left cheek. “Love is the most powerful thing there is in the universe. It makes a difference, Marquise Isabeau Riwalan. Because you feel this love for her serpent-spawn, you were able to make a difference. You showed them that this precious love of yours is greater than any fear in their heart. That it is more powerful than any act of anger.”

“But I can't always be around,” I sigh, melting away under the touch of the old fingers. “One day I will be gone too, like their mother. Like their siblings, that are alreadyone with the Force.”

“True, true. And difficult choices they will have to make then, all of them. Some will choose the darkness and some the light. They have lives of their own. Destinies of their own. Yet you will have left footsteps in their heart.”

“A nomad leaves no footsteps. The sand of time blows them away.”

“Your courage and dedication leaves echoes.” The wrinkly smile widens, reaching her tender eyes. “You will be the idol and the inspiration of the Tjiehenet serpent-spawn. Therefore you will turn into a piece of history. You will be an important story.”

I cannot help to smirk. In all of my visions of the future I never had dared to look into the lives of the children.

“Do not!” The old woman warns me suddenly, which proves me she is an able telepath. “Love them for who they are. The Living Force is about the here and now.
Your people call it The Way. Teach them to live by it. Everything else will come together sooner or later. You cannot stop a sand storm with your bare hand. What you can do though is to prepare for it.”

With that, the hag walks away again, disappearing in one of the low huts. She leaves me standing there and pondering about the future once more.

********************************************************************

(To be continued!)

 

Though the people thank Isabeau for Arcana finding the importance of love before her end, I think you begin by showing here, through Isa's thoughts initially, and through the reaction she evoces in others, that her learning to love also changed her; now she even thinks of mercy, not the mercy-kill, and sees the ever changing details of the desert, even if it seems static from a distance.

Is it odd I expected the old woman to dissapear without a trace after delivering her message? But a life-and-blood person is maybe even better, with the talk about what footsteps people leave thanks to their choices, and with discussing The living Force.

 

DarthUncle: Thanks for being alert! And such a long, fitting comment. No person is an island and so Isa changes due to the community of the Holy Isle, not only through the royal family.

As for the old woman, sometimes the elderly make sense. And we should listen!

 

Thank you for another terrific update.

 

Thanks for reading and commenting, Darth Gangrenous. This always means a lot to me.

 

love to see this update and Isa with Agathos and Narthex

 

I try to be back on track with this fic, earlybird-obi-wan, because Nagina and her boys (= Sheev, Orson & Lor) keep my mind so busy these days. And her three fan fic threads: the main story, the vignettes and now those drabbles.

 

Isa is growing before our eyes. She has a great arc Azure. Well Done.

 

I hope the following update adds to this arc, dear Darth_Furio:


(Still Chapter 20)

****************************************************************************************************

Precisely three sun months passed before a neatly written letter arrives. It is addressed to me. I gaze at its seal and decide to leave it unopened.

The next one arrives but seven days later. It shares the fate of its predecessor. I store it in a drawer.

A third letter is not send though. The sender comes to meet me herself, in all her dark and terrible glory.

Her Holiness Mórag MagUhidir makes a rather impressive arrival at the Holy Isle. She is all by herself in a bark that shines like her pale skin. The bark moves all by itself. There are no visible oars and no servants on-board. I guess that her midi-chlorians make overtime.

Despite the moist and warm climate of Cunabula the abbess wears an anthracite coloured travelling cloak, that is made out of felt. Her raven black hair is done in one of those complicated hairstyles that Northern Elves love. With strange hand gestures she passes all Shesha guards unharmed. Nobody dares to go near her, though all weapons are pointed directly at her.

I look at the big mass of people that moves towards me, while I am having a civilized afternoon tea with Agathos and Narthex. The three of us enjoy cinnamon bisques to eat and are in the middle of a deep conversation.

With regret, I put my coffee mug down on its saucer.

“Your Holiness! What an unexpected pleasure!” I call out to the abbess, trying hard to keep an expression on my face that fits the occasion. It is difficult to find one.

“If you would have taken care to read my letters carefully, it would not have been necessary for me to come all the way out here.” She marches up to the veranda, the edges of her long gown wet with mud. “I will not be ignored that way.”

“I see you!” I announce with a serene face while saying these ancient desert words of greeting.

“Good that I am finally noticed by you, milady. I hope that the belongings of Èleos, Sereno and Grianán are packed?”

Agathos face turns into a very unhealthy colour, while Narthex makes an audible gasp.

I shake my head. “No, you are mistaken. Nothing is packed.”

“You do not only insult me with this decision of yours. The druid council and a great Elfin Houses from the Plains will be upset, too. After the unfortunate events of Princess Aréte's death we want to make amendments. You should give us a chance to prove our good will to you. When the shocking events of Polysýndeton became known to us, our determination to help the royal house of Tjiehenet grew even stronger.”

Her already black eyes turn darker with each word that she speaks. It seems that no sunlight can shine into the depths of her heart. Her very soul is like a black pool.

I also do not like her to use the term 'we' so often. Nobody knows better than me how broken the Elfin nation is. There are so many fractions out there, that it is simply not possible for their leaders to form an alliance. Get two Elves together and you already have three opinions.

“Isa!” Èleos shows up some yards away, hand in hand with Sereno. They are both carrying small bundles.

Controlled, I get up. “Is it what you wish for, boys? For yourself? Not because your mother wanted it on her deathbed?”

Èleos gives me one of those smiles that sinks deep into my heart. “I would like to learn the ways of the druid priests. The way that they see the universe and use their powers interests me a great deal. This is the right age to begin my training as an initiative.”

I give the boy a court nod. “And you, Sereno?”

“Lord MacDubh is known for his knowledge of plants and animal live the Montes Nubii. If the duties of his house would not have denied him to become a healer, his fame would be even bigger. There is much to learn from him.” His eyes gleam with delight. “Please say yes, Isa! My brothers and sisters also say yes.”

I should have known that the royal serpent-spawn had done more than playing ordinary hide and seek in the jungle. It had been too quiet, too uneventful.

They all had helped to pack. I can clearly see that children's hands have stuffed those bundles together. The possibility that I have to send missing items after the boys is very high.

Yet I have to admire their courage and determination. They have made very grown-up decisions. It fills my heart with joy and sadness at the same time.

I turn around, facing the two human men behind me. Even though they look concerned and sad, they nod to me in unison.

“This leaves only one child to question.” I gather a lot of air in my lunges together, before shouting. “Grianán, please tell me your choice!”

A soft wind comes up, blowing some old leaves together. They start a strange ballet dance, shivering back and forth.

More and more leaves gather. They form a big column, reminding me of a sand twister on my home world.

When the leaves finish their unusual performance, the shape of the number nine lies unmistakably on the ground.

I smile, very much relieved. “I think that is a clear answer, Your Holiness. Please come back when Grianán is nine sun years old.”

“This answer is unacceptable.”

“It is the only one that You will get.” I straighten my back. “I will not force any of her children to act against their own hearts wishes.”

“You will regret this choice.” The icy gaze of the Sleah Maith rest on me.

“Au contraire! Each of the royal children is strong in the Force. Èleos seeks a code that enables all Force users to serve the common good. Sereno likes to speak with animals and intelligent plant life. As for Grianán...”

Life comes into the leaves again. They rise once more and settle back into the shape of a heart.

“Grianán still has to choose which path she will thread on,” I state. “She is not ready to face Your darkness yet, abbess.”

The mask of calmness breaks. Her Holiness Mórag MagUhidir shows what she is really made off. “There is no darkness!” she screams. “There are only lies about my order. We preserve the light.”

“At what cost?” I muse. “The bonfires are alight these days. So much destruction, so much pain.”

“I do not expect a desert nomad to understand the delicate matters of the Elfin nation.”

“I propose you sit down with Vicomte Luçien Ankou. Dealg is his father after all.” My words cause an ugly colour to show up in her snow white face. “There are also Asrai that would like to consult with you about the fate of your race.”

“One does not speak of the Dead.”

“The Water Elves, whom I was allowed to meet once, seemed pretty alive to me. And so did the Scatel, that hide among the humans of Amnion.”

“You have no idea what you are dealing with.” Violet lights crackle around the finger tips of the abbess.

The Shesha becomes unsettled. With their third eye, hidden in the midst of their forehead, they can see the power of the dark side gathering as well. And they have very intense memories of the belated Arcānā with her fits.

“Caelestris may be the true ruler, but at present I am the regent of this planet, Your Holiness. And I am a very concerned and interested regent. Of course, I am aware that nobody can take a grip on the Korriganes, not even your holy order. They are too wild and untamed.”

My words have the effect of poisoned arrows. The abbess gets herself more and more into a rage.

“Then there is the matter of the peaceful Gwyllion, which are hunted down for they carrying of both Elf blood and...”
“Stay out of the affairs of our great nation! There is no conflict!”


“Actually, there is no nation to speak of. You are scattered leaves in the wind.”

She whirls around, snapping her fingers towards Èleos and Sereno. “We are leaving, now!”

The twin brothers look at me, big eyed.

“Come here!” I say gently, opening my arms. “I wish you two a good journey and hope you stay in touch. Also try not to upset the abbess in any way!”

Sereno gazes up to me. “There was no reason to make her this mad.”

“She carries a lot of madness inside her, making her angry all by herself, dear. To have a reasonable conversation with her is not possible.”

I watch the Mountain Elf storming away from the clearing. Her coat is blowing behind her.

The man in black moves among his soldiers like a powerful shadow. He towers above them.

Slowly, he looks at all the destruction and death around him sharply, his skull-like helmet moving slightly from left to right.

But he does not care.

His heart is cold and his soul withered.

I shake my vision off, moving on with my little speech. “This proves once more that the dark side clouds the mind and makes people unable to control their emotions. Stay away from the meek promises of the dark side! And brush your teeth at least every night. Let me be proud of you.”

“Why put an effort in for it? You are always proud of me,” the boy answers, sniggering.

I give Sereno the old travel blessing of my people while his brother Èleos kisses his father and his grandfather good-bye. “Just be good!”

Grianán comes running out of a nearby bush, her twin siblings Iocus, Blandita, Rubio, Daná and Calathus in her trail. Their clothing is dirty. On their faces are signs of camouflage.

“Come here, your rascals! Say your brothers good-bye! They will be on a very long journey.”

Actually longer than all the books that Narthex gave me to read about Elves up to the present day.

********************************************************************

(To be continued!)



Perhaps Kahara, earlybird-obi-wan and DarthUncle are interested, too.

 

So sad to see two children leaving. But I hope those two can step up to their master.

 

So - very - Isa!

Heh, Isa does like to live dangerously, stocking up the fire! Not quite sure what she wanted to achieve with it, apart from unsettling her opponent enough to not make her more difficult about Grianan. But she's also great with giving those kids opportunity to decide on their own fate. It too is a bit of her 'the deset moves on without you too' mentality I guess.

 

DarthUncle: And there he is, my wonderful husband. Straight to the point with a crystal clear annalist of a character, plot twist and so on. It is indeed her desert mentality. One could basically say that Isa brought the desert straight into the great heart of Cunabula.

 

Dry update on princely education and round-up of the chapter, earlybird-obi-wan, DarthUncle, Kahara & Darth_Furio:


(Still Chapter 20)

********************************************************************

Right after the encounter with Her Holiness Mórag MagUhidir I begin my special training with the children.

All knowledge is worth having. Theirs is focused on the Daoine Sidhe and the pale faced, dark haired Sleah Maith from the icy mountains regions of Draconis.

With the consensus of Agathos and Narthex I explain to the royal bunch how the Asraileft Draconis and settled down on the neighbour planet of Sapuhru. There they started to take care of the underground water wells.

I move on to Dealg, the god like Force bender. He had lived in absolute symbiosis with his Midi-chlorians. His teachings on the concept of the Living Force are priceless and mind blowing.

Not just Caelestris, but all her brothers and sisters have to hear about the Korriganes, the Elfin answer to the clones and zombie armies of Cunabula. Their loyalty towards their makers grew weak over the centuries. At some point most of the Elfin mutants disappeared into the wilderness, and there they turned into legends.

It is after that point that I feel the right time has come to speak about Sionnach, their Elfin blood cousin. If she ever shows up in front of her royal family, they will welcome her with open arms.

I also introduce the children to the Scatel, who had been upset about the dark deeds of their Elfin brothers and sisters. Running from the war against the Ophidiae, they had moved to Amnion long before the human Star Fleet showed up there. Since then they co-existed with their neighbours, eager not to be recognized for what they were.

Other facts of the history of the Chrysolith sun system, the non-Elfin stuff, I leave to Agathos. Therefore he has to explain why the political relationship with Amnion is frozen for the time being.

Why the events of the tragic assassination of Phosphoros had made the Human League stronger.

Why it is for the better to not visit their grandmother Techné any more.

And why the contact with their uncle Kairos should be left at an absolute minimum.

Narthex has the lighter task: the introduction to Terra's old philosophers and their teachings. Themes that do not appeal to Daná. Thanks to her fierce requests he also begins to teach other things, like cooking, the rules of etiquette among noble houses and domestic household matters.

To my surprise it is Grianán who asks about physical exercises. They had been taught by Arcānā's weapon master before Doom's Day, but this seems not to be enough for her.

Together with her twin sibling Daná we start meeting each morning after breakfast. Either on the veranda or at the edge of the old stone staircase, that leads towards the river. There we engage in the exercises of my former desert tribe.

The rest of the serpent-spawn is more enthusiastic about the things their father suggests to them: painting lessons, musical education and geographical matters.

And so Agathos, Narthex and I manage something which the children never had before: a fixed timetable of lessons.

Before, they just had roamed the jungle, being allowed to sharpen all their seven senses. I had trailed along with them, watching over their precious lives. Their mother had introduced them to a lot of languages, of course, and their surroundings had encouraged them even further. There had been a lot of holocrons eager to share their knowledge. There had also been some basic weapon training: daggers and swords.

*******************************************************************

The following three sun years pass by and are blissfully uneventful. Regular letters arrive from Èleos and Sereno, now thirteen, telling us about their adventures.

To be precise: Èleos tries his best not to give too much away of his druid training, but he writes us about the landscapes he travels through and the food that he eats.

There seem to be a lot of cakes, bisques and breads in the Elfin kitchen. I wonder what helps their lot to stay so unbelievably thin. Never before has a fat Elf crossed my way. There must be a trick about that. Nobody can eat such amounts of food without putting on weight. Perhaps their magic burns so strongly in their bodies that they simply cannot put on any amount of fat.

Sereno composes lively essays about his excursions with his foster-father Lord MacDubh, obviously a friendly and very adventurous character.

All in all I am under the impression that I will be able to address each ant and every tree personally if we ever visit Dún Barr again.