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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4125772" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 5A DAY OF FAREWELLThe sky was a glorious swath of blue unbroken by clouds, the brilliant orb of the sun blazing high above as it ascended toward its zenith.  Despite the brightness of the day, there was a chill in the air, augmented by the breeze that blew in off the adjacent bay, bringing with it a salty tang. The cold did not dissuade the thousands that thronged Camar’s streets.  The crowds, clad in dark, heavy clothes that they wore thick around them against the wind, followed the course of a procession that had made its way slowly through the city since midmorning, passing through the Docks Quarter along the waterfront, then up into the Trades Quarter, down avenues with usually-busy shops and craftshalls that now stood shuttered and quiet.  The procession was preceded by fifty men and women of the City Watch, their uniforms pressed and spotless, who were followed by fifty soldiers of the First Legion, holding their standards high above their heads.  In the center, drawn by a team of eight large horses, rode the coffin of Velan Tiros, First Citizen of Camar.  The wagon bearing him was flanked by two dozen men and women on foot, the members of the council that ruled Camar.  A small marching band comprised of Legionaries, accompanied by the famous bard Gelian Sinar, filled the air with a mournful song of sad notes that nevertheless left its listeners feeling a faint afterimage of hope.As the Highsun hour approached, the meandering procession entered the Gold Quarter, and the massive open square that dominated the district.  The ominous Wall of Regret that had once bordered the square had been destroyed over a decade earlier, but its other prominent feature, the huge Cathedral of the Shining Father, loomed high over the multitudes gathered here.  The church had been full almost since dawn, but the great doors stood open, and criers stood perched throughout the square to relate the words of the Patriarch to those gathered.  For all the emotions of the people collected here, the mood was surprisingly restrained.  Maybe it was the feeling that he would not have wanted disruption, or that a fuss be made on his behalf.  In contrast to the press in the square on the front side of the cathedral, the walled courtyard at its rear, part of the complex of buildings that formed the administrative structure of Camar’s primary church, was relatively deserted.  A few white-clad priests made their way hastily under a variety of errands, and a handful of guards stood watch at their traditional posts, but other than that the area was fairly quiet. A small, recessed door in the rear of the cathedral, almost invisible from more than a few feet away, opened to discharge Maricela Uliedes.  A tall figure appeared almost at once as she turned from closing the door, and she nearly leapt into the air in sudden startlement. “Kiron!  You nearly killed me with fright!”The knight’s expression shifted into a grimace, and became a shade more crimson.  Clad in a suit of heavy armor polished to a brilliant sheen, his surcoat bearing the sigil of the dragon in silver thread, he was resplendent.  But one look at him was enough to reveal that his heart had already been pierced by an arrow against which there was no defense.  The young priestess saw the young man’s distress, and took his hands in hers.  “I’m sorry, I only have a minute or to to spare.  The ceremony will start as soon as the procession reached the cathedral, and I must be there to help the Patriarch.”“Even if it is only for a minute, I will thank the gods for that chance to see you,” the knight replied.  “It kills me to be apart for you for these days.  I haven’t seen you since that night at the palace, and then we could not speak, with the Patriarch and those others there.”“I know, I feel the same.”  She pulled him into the alcove, away from the door.  “I meant to tell you.  That night, the Patriarch mentioned you by name, and praised your abilities to General Dar himself!”“The General is retired,” he said, but he was clearly impressed by the compliment.  “The Patriarch said that you were blessed by the Father.  You see, he knows of your gifts!  You could petition to join the church, if you wished.  We could be together in our service...”Kiron’s expression darkened subtly.  “You know that I cannot, love.”Maricela’s nod told that she knew his reasons.  “I... I do understand.  But what happened to your brother... it is not all that the church is.  You love me... and I am part of it.”He took her chin in his hand and lifted it so that her eyes met his.  “I do love you.  And I know, in my mind, that what you say is true.  But sometimes my mind has a tough time convincing my heart.  And that is a good thing, or perhaps I might have never believed that a priestess of the Shining Father could love a common knight of ordinary birth...”Her cheeks flushed, and she started to lean into him, but a group of servants carrying bundles came past at that moment, and she drew back, reddening further. “Will I get a chance to see you after the ceremony?” he asked.“I will have duties...” she began, but on seeing the look on his face, added, “I will, if I have to sneak away and jump over the walls of the rectory!  The usual place?”He nodded.  They kissed then, briefly but intensely, and then parted, the woman opening the door with a key, and then vanishing inside before he could say anything more.  The knight turned and headed back toward the gate that led toward the front of the cathedral.  While Knight Commander Darius was holding his space inside, and had granted him leave to attend to his private errand, he knew that missing the beginning of the ceremony would extend past the limits of his lord’s patience.  He hastened, nearly bumping into a pair of priests that were just coming around the corner of one of the buildings that adjoined the cathedral.  “Excuse me,” he said, hastening past.  For a moment, he hesitated, and glanced back, but the pair were moving almost as quickly as he had been, and all he saw was the backs of their white robes as they moved into the shadow of the cathedral and disappeared.  He lingered for another second, suddenly uncertain.A loud cry from the square drew his attention back around.  He was going to be late, if he wasn’t already, and making his rendezvous with Maricela was likely going to cost him more in the way of demerits.  The thought of dishonesty to conceal his tryst did not occur to him; he would accept whatever punishments or additional assignments were required of him with equanimity.  While he was already one of the most skilled of the Knights of the Dragon at twenty-one, rank had not yet kept up with talent, and if anything his potential put more burden of responsibility upon his shoulders.  The priests were forgotten as the young knight hurried back toward the square.</blockquote>

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