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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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<blockquote data-quote="ellinor" data-source="post: 5984761" data-attributes="member: 14561"><p><strong>31x01</strong></p><p></p><p>Rose bent down to pick up a piece of torn cloth from the ground. It skittered out of her reach, caught on the wind, and landed a few steps away among a small pile of glass shards and debris. She lurched after it for a few steps, before the wind caught it again, blowing it again out of reach. The city streets were empty of people now—the military and the Inquisition had cleared them—but they were still littered with wreckage, mental and (Rose could not help thinking) emotional, of the riot. The cloth flitted out of sight. Whisper flew after it. He returned a moment later with the scrap caught in his talons.</p><p> </p><p>It was nearly dusk, and they were walking to services for Sedellus Rising—or Sedellus Fallen, as the Sovereigns called it. After they had arrested the Mother Superior, Yudai had searched her office and quarters, and had found a wealth of evidence that not only further incriminated the Mother Superior, but also revealed future plans of the Tide. Everyone else’s mood was somber, but hopeful, as they walked: They had, no doubt, undermined the Tide’s plans for Cauldron. By doing so, they hoped, they had brought themselves one step closer to meeting Lady Akiko, the head of the Inquisition in the Sovereignty and heir to the Lord High Regent, and to fulfilling the first admonition of the Prophecy about Rose’s destiny. <em>Find the last breath of the dying king…</em> </p><p></p><p>But, Rose knew, it had come at a price—<em>everything about me comes at a price,</em> Rose thought, feeling the exhaustion deep inside her, an exhaustion as deep as any she’d felt. She recalled the anger of the rioters, the voice in her head telling her that their efforts were futile, that she needed to die, that she should let herself be killed, that her friends would kill her . . .</p><p></p><p>Tavi, walking beside her, put his arm around her shoulder. “Easy now. You’re safe now,” he said, and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. Tavi could always read her expressions. She took a deep breath and tried to feel safe, tried to remember <em>safe.</em> Her mind wandered to <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-july-26-2012-a-45.html#post5869850" target="_blank">Taku, and their night together,</a> how it had felt. It was the only thing she could think of that felt safe—or easy, for that matter.</p><p></p><p>As the sun began to set, the services began, with Sister Sweet Scent—bruised, but strong—presiding. “It’s the first time ever that a priest of a Godling has presided,” Nyoko explained as they filed into the pavilion, surrounded by Cauldron’s elite. But if that was revolutionary, the service was still foreign, as Sister Sweet Scent, rather than praying for Sedellus to grant the bounty of autumn harvest, praised Kettenek and the earth for the crops it provided. </p><p></p><p>Nyoko raised an eyebrow when Sister Sweet Scent praised the earth as “it,” rather than “he.” Perhaps this service was a change, after all.</p><p></p><p>Of course, even a Hennan service for Sedellus Rising would have been foreign to Rose’s experience. At home, Sedellus Rising was her mother’s annual “locking of all the doors and staying inside” ceremony. “Weird to be out on Sedellus Rising, isn’t it?” Twiggy whispered as they retired from the service to dinner beside the pavilion, hosted by the Ring of the Priesthood. The meal was, like so many Sovereign meals, a combination of simple and sumptuous, delicious and disgusting, carried by servants on massive platters to the silk-lined tables. The group had its own table, near the front of the room, away from the other tables. A position of honor.</p><p></p><p>“If you get the button, don’t swallow it,” Nyoko advised. </p><p></p><p>“Wait, which one is mutton?” asked Kormick.</p><p></p><p>“Not mutton, Honored Justicar. Button.” Nyoko followed up with an explanation of Sovereign holiday tradition: One of the dishes contained an inedible button, made of amethyst. It apparently represented the poison with which Sedellus betrayed Rikitaru. Whoever got it was said to “have the Lady’s eye on them,” for good fortune or ill.</p><p></p><p>Over dinner, they chatted about their fight with the Mother Superior. All agreed that it was frightening, and serious. Nyoko pointed out that it was, from a historical standpoint, unprecedented.</p><p></p><p>“Will there be stories about us someday?” Twiggy asked, with a combination of eagerness and trepidation.</p><p></p><p>“No doubt songs are already being written,” Nyoko replied.</p><p></p><p>“I prefer to think that when they tell stories of us, you’ll all be played by very famous actors,” Kormick said, indicating the rest of the group, “and I’ll be played by the clown that survives at the end. That’s how I sleep at night.” </p><p></p><p>Everyone laughed, but Rose knew that even Kormick wouldn’t find it easy to sleep that night. The topic shifted to the events of the fight itself. </p><p></p><p>“It was terrible,” was all Rose could bring herself to say as the others discussed what each had heard in their heads. Savina comforted her. </p><p></p><p>“We should be encouraged that we are stronger than the voice,” said Nyoko.</p><p></p><p>“But what was the voice?” Twiggy asked. “Who was it?”</p><p></p><p>“The first voice, I don’t know,” said Kormick, “but the second was my sister.”</p><p></p><p>“What second voice?” asked Tavi.</p><p></p><p>“Telling me not to kill Rose. My sister,” Kormick continued, matter-of-factly, “must be an angel of Alirria.”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t think that’s how it works,” said Twiggy. “People don’t become angels. But . . . I don’t mean to say . . . I mean . . . I believe you heard her. Just not—anyway, I just heard the one voice.” Twiggy looked down, guilt sounding in her voice. Rose touched her hand lightly. Twiggy couldn’t help what she heard. </p><p></p><p>“I also heard two voices,” said Mena. “The whispering telling me to kill Rose, and then another. The voice of my mentor at the Keeper’s temple.” She gazed for a moment at the scars on her hands and arms. “He said I had a choice.”</p><p></p><p>“And you, Arden?” Twiggy asked. “Did you hear a second voice?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” Arden replied. “A—a friend, who died when I was enslaved.” She ran her thumb along her cuff, as she so often did. “He told me ‘no, you need not do this.’” </p><p> </p><p>No one could explain the voices—only that they were powerful. And that, following their ordeal, everyone was thankful that Rose was safe.</p><p></p><p><em>Safe,</em> Rose repeated in her mind as they walked home. <em>Safe,</em> she thought, as she silently, secretly, fingered the amethyst button in her pocket.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ellinor, post: 5984761, member: 14561"] [b]31x01[/b] Rose bent down to pick up a piece of torn cloth from the ground. It skittered out of her reach, caught on the wind, and landed a few steps away among a small pile of glass shards and debris. She lurched after it for a few steps, before the wind caught it again, blowing it again out of reach. The city streets were empty of people now—the military and the Inquisition had cleared them—but they were still littered with wreckage, mental and (Rose could not help thinking) emotional, of the riot. The cloth flitted out of sight. Whisper flew after it. He returned a moment later with the scrap caught in his talons. It was nearly dusk, and they were walking to services for Sedellus Rising—or Sedellus Fallen, as the Sovereigns called it. After they had arrested the Mother Superior, Yudai had searched her office and quarters, and had found a wealth of evidence that not only further incriminated the Mother Superior, but also revealed future plans of the Tide. Everyone else’s mood was somber, but hopeful, as they walked: They had, no doubt, undermined the Tide’s plans for Cauldron. By doing so, they hoped, they had brought themselves one step closer to meeting Lady Akiko, the head of the Inquisition in the Sovereignty and heir to the Lord High Regent, and to fulfilling the first admonition of the Prophecy about Rose’s destiny. [i]Find the last breath of the dying king…[/i] But, Rose knew, it had come at a price—[i]everything about me comes at a price,[/i] Rose thought, feeling the exhaustion deep inside her, an exhaustion as deep as any she’d felt. She recalled the anger of the rioters, the voice in her head telling her that their efforts were futile, that she needed to die, that she should let herself be killed, that her friends would kill her . . . Tavi, walking beside her, put his arm around her shoulder. “Easy now. You’re safe now,” he said, and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. Tavi could always read her expressions. She took a deep breath and tried to feel safe, tried to remember [i]safe.[/i] Her mind wandered to [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-july-26-2012-a-45.html#post5869850"]Taku, and their night together,[/URL] how it had felt. It was the only thing she could think of that felt safe—or easy, for that matter. As the sun began to set, the services began, with Sister Sweet Scent—bruised, but strong—presiding. “It’s the first time ever that a priest of a Godling has presided,” Nyoko explained as they filed into the pavilion, surrounded by Cauldron’s elite. But if that was revolutionary, the service was still foreign, as Sister Sweet Scent, rather than praying for Sedellus to grant the bounty of autumn harvest, praised Kettenek and the earth for the crops it provided. Nyoko raised an eyebrow when Sister Sweet Scent praised the earth as “it,” rather than “he.” Perhaps this service was a change, after all. Of course, even a Hennan service for Sedellus Rising would have been foreign to Rose’s experience. At home, Sedellus Rising was her mother’s annual “locking of all the doors and staying inside” ceremony. “Weird to be out on Sedellus Rising, isn’t it?” Twiggy whispered as they retired from the service to dinner beside the pavilion, hosted by the Ring of the Priesthood. The meal was, like so many Sovereign meals, a combination of simple and sumptuous, delicious and disgusting, carried by servants on massive platters to the silk-lined tables. The group had its own table, near the front of the room, away from the other tables. A position of honor. “If you get the button, don’t swallow it,” Nyoko advised. “Wait, which one is mutton?” asked Kormick. “Not mutton, Honored Justicar. Button.” Nyoko followed up with an explanation of Sovereign holiday tradition: One of the dishes contained an inedible button, made of amethyst. It apparently represented the poison with which Sedellus betrayed Rikitaru. Whoever got it was said to “have the Lady’s eye on them,” for good fortune or ill. Over dinner, they chatted about their fight with the Mother Superior. All agreed that it was frightening, and serious. Nyoko pointed out that it was, from a historical standpoint, unprecedented. “Will there be stories about us someday?” Twiggy asked, with a combination of eagerness and trepidation. “No doubt songs are already being written,” Nyoko replied. “I prefer to think that when they tell stories of us, you’ll all be played by very famous actors,” Kormick said, indicating the rest of the group, “and I’ll be played by the clown that survives at the end. That’s how I sleep at night.” Everyone laughed, but Rose knew that even Kormick wouldn’t find it easy to sleep that night. The topic shifted to the events of the fight itself. “It was terrible,” was all Rose could bring herself to say as the others discussed what each had heard in their heads. Savina comforted her. “We should be encouraged that we are stronger than the voice,” said Nyoko. “But what was the voice?” Twiggy asked. “Who was it?” “The first voice, I don’t know,” said Kormick, “but the second was my sister.” “What second voice?” asked Tavi. “Telling me not to kill Rose. My sister,” Kormick continued, matter-of-factly, “must be an angel of Alirria.” “I don’t think that’s how it works,” said Twiggy. “People don’t become angels. But . . . I don’t mean to say . . . I mean . . . I believe you heard her. Just not—anyway, I just heard the one voice.” Twiggy looked down, guilt sounding in her voice. Rose touched her hand lightly. Twiggy couldn’t help what she heard. “I also heard two voices,” said Mena. “The whispering telling me to kill Rose, and then another. The voice of my mentor at the Keeper’s temple.” She gazed for a moment at the scars on her hands and arms. “He said I had a choice.” “And you, Arden?” Twiggy asked. “Did you hear a second voice?” “Yes,” Arden replied. “A—a friend, who died when I was enslaved.” She ran her thumb along her cuff, as she so often did. “He told me ‘no, you need not do this.’” No one could explain the voices—only that they were powerful. And that, following their ordeal, everyone was thankful that Rose was safe. [i]Safe,[/i] Rose repeated in her mind as they walked home. [i]Safe,[/i] she thought, as she silently, secretly, fingered the amethyst button in her pocket. [/QUOTE]
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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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