10 months ago,
Camelorn,
"She will be tall and graceful as the columns of the temple of our great god Robos,"
The whole court and the people shouted "Ay!"
The palace was filled with men and women, both nobles and common; although the nobles could easily be seen in all their glorious lengths of expensive clothing. The rich silk robes and gowns, the rustling of satin scarves, the expensive wool of their coats and the hard, black, shiny boots of the men, boots cleaned and blackened with coal by the commoners for 2 copper coins, the women in their expensive slippers, intricately and delicately made by hands of the commoners for at least 5 pieces of silver if the design met the approval of the rich buyer. The commoners if not recognized by the fray edges of their clothing alone, the fact that they kept to the shadows as did the servants made them easily recognizable.
It was a day of joy, a day for all freeborn of Camelorn to rejoice but one never forgets his social standing just because of a feast thrown to announce the queen's pregnancy. The social demarcation still existed but it was at its minimum today for the Camelornians were not gathered to pass judgment on a slave or a poor hapless commoner but they were there to rejoice with their king and queen so everyone raised a glass, everyone cheered, everyone ate and slipped expensive cutlery pieces and delicious food items into hidden pockets in their clothes.
Angus, seated as his place by his king's right-hand side as his king's Advisor stood with his goblet raised, "May she be even more beautiful than our queen"
The whole court laughed drunkenly. King Phillip IV laughed along and stood on unsteady feet "Still doesn't mean I'll give her to you in marriage, brother" he slurred, and once again the whole crowd laughed and more folks slipped more items into their pockets.
"And her hair will shine like the gold of the ripe corn at harvest time"
"Ay!"
"And her skin will be the fairest among maidens of her peers"
"Ay"
"And her eyes will be the bluest, bluer than the clear sky on a nice summer day"
"Ay"
"And so shall it be because the gods have declared it"
And at the corner of the room, away from the merriment stood a lone figure bent forward as if burdened by a heavyweight, watching with sharp eyes the feast, the guests, and most importantly, the queen.
10 months later,
The king's court was gathered at the throne room waiting for the sound of the cry of a newborn. Waiting since the first hour of dawn when golden-haired queen Emilia had gone into labor. Anticipation and happiness rested on the chest of King Phillip. For hours no sound was heard from both mother and child.
The midwives had not appeared either to give accounts of the progress of the birthing. So the nobles waited until the shadow of the evening came upon them. Servants came and went, bringing platters of roasted meat and bread and stew and jars of wine and the nobles ate while they waited and chattered among themselves.
And then…
The old wizened midwife came out of the inner chambers and stood before the whole court. The look on her face was one of amazement, she sweated like she had escaped the jaws of a wild beast and her hands hung limp beside her.
"Well?" Phillip asked impatiently. "Is both mother and child alive and well?"
The midwife's face contorted to one of misery, she balled her fists in the bodice of her dress and bawled "I wish that was the case, my lord. The queen has birthed a stranger"
As soon as she finished her sentence the door opened to admit a younger woman who held a swaddling and in it moved the tiny hands of an infant who stared up at her with clear unteary eyes. Every member of the king's court stood to look into the swaddling and simultaneously gasped at the sight.
"Well…she certainly isn't as fair as her mother," Lady Amelia said voicing everyone's first thought.
"Nor does she have hair as golden as the ripe corns in the fields," Lord Fergus chipped in.
"And what's with the bald head and gray eyes?"
10 months ago Eyrotia King Barigo of Eyrotia stood a head taller than the whole village. His shiny bald head gleamed under the hot sun that was common to the Northern parts of the world. The ritual of purification for his now pregnant wife was underway and the villagers in their cloth of animal fur and tanned leather danced around the village seer who stood in the middle of the square with a gourd of fire in one hand and staff on the other. The staff was said to have been handed down from one generation of a seer to the next. It was said to have chosen the people, in fact as the inhabitants of the land rather than the people choosing it. The seer raised the staff to the skies, the same staff that was used to beg the gods for the rain to bless the Eyrortian people's fields. The villagers came to a stop and the seer, an old shriveled man, pointed the staff to the queen, Herentik, and chanted under his breath. Aloud he said "Our queen has been blessed by
How it started in Camelorn… Octavius van Camele before he became King Phillip IV rode on his majestic black horse with his brother and best friend, Angus van Camele, riding by his side on an equally majestic steed. "Do you think she will be there?" Octavius asked, his brow laced with worry. "We will never know until we get there," Angus replied, laughter in his voice. His brother was definitely in love with the young Intavian princess, Emilia. His eyes shone like stars whenever her name was mentioned and his arms failed to work every time she came near. Even now his elder brother rode his horse with fury in his haste to meet with his one true love. His coat of fur billowed behind him and his breath came out in vapors as he rode hard in the harsh winter towards the Summer Palace. The guards at the tower looked down, sighted the coat of arms on the saddle of the horses, and gave the signal to open the gates. Octavius and Angus rode into the bailey
After being together for two days Emilia packed the few items she had brought with her and back to her kingdom while Octavius and Angus did the same, mounting their horses and rode back to Camelorn. Octavius practiced, with fear in his heart, the right way to tell his father he had fathered a child. His greatest fear wasn't in telling his father but having his father reject Emilia but his mind was made up, if Emilia was rejected then he would reject his duty to the throne too and relinquish power to Angus. He had said as much to Angus who had called him a dolt and rejected the offer. "Father would have a heart attack if you forfeit your duty to the kingdom for a maiden no matter how beautiful she may be. Think how much worse a condition Garius would be in when he hears of such," Angus had told him as they packed their things to head back to Camelorn. "When my child is born my duty will be to my child and its mother not the throne" "I am both happy and
The village was a bustle of activities. Villagers moved around with carts filled with goods for sale, sacks of clothes for sale at the market, trays of fruits, bread, cheap pieces of jewelry, and many more articles. The shacks of some traders housed flour, wheat, jars of milk and honey, and some even goats. The crowd, though busy and occupied with exchanging services, made way for Octavius as he approached and it helped that another guard wearing the complete armor went ahead of him and Dextus. As he approached the men bowed and the women genuflected, a few of the soldiers who were off duty among the crowd went on one knee to pay their respects. Octavius raised a hand to everyone without sparing them much of a glance for his heart was not in their respect but on seeing his father and knowing the reason for his summons. The temples of the gods were built long before the reign of his father and then the population of the people was still at a hundred but years have pas
"This way," Angus said to the small hooded figure beside him. He rounded the corner and turned to a narrow alley where filth lay. There another figure stood clothed in a dark robe but the cowl of the robe was lowered to reveal Octavius' face. He was waiting impatiently under the full moon of the night, shifting from one foot to the other. He turned sharply at the sound of approaching feet and relaxed when he saw it was only his brother and his guest The small hooded body ran to him and clung tightly to his body. He held her too and pressed his lips to her hair. Emilia held on to him like he was her last chance at survival. "Make it quick," Angus hissed in the dark "Anyone could chance on us at any moment and report this to father" "It's not going to be a surprise to him since he already knows about Emilia and me but I do appreciate your concern brother," Octavius murmured back at his brother. Emilia took a step back and stared up at him in the dark. "
The robe covering Octavius' tunic scraped the floor gently as he made his way to the Counsel Room where he knew his father and his court were waiting. He wasn't supposed to have kept them waiting but he had received news from Emilia that morning elaborating on the plan they had made during their previous rendezvous and he had sat back to write a letter to her sending it through the ever-faithful Angus who had waited to collect it. His father would be furious that he had kept the court waiting when were supposed to be judging matters and making plans for the battle preparation. The guard in front of the Counsel Room dressed in complete armor except the helmet bowed before him before opening the huge doors for him. The court was a restless group of men and one woman, Liliah, who was the noble in charge of Camelorn festivities. Maids with platters of cheeses, figs, and apples came and went with from a side door hidden behind the large velvet curtain that covered the room. As Oc
Octavius pulled on the reins of his horse willing it to go faster. While the soldiers were training under the ever-watchful eyes of Festus and Garius he had taken off into the stable and had taken one of the smaller horses, one his father would never notice was gone if he decided to search for him. Angus had come back with news from Emilia and it had taken two days before Octavius had been able to escape his father's watchful eyes. He had once again implored Garius to cover up for him. Emilia's message had been both worrying and hopeful. She was sure the gods of Intavia were willing to help but afraid of what the price for their help was goi
Octavius shifted his weight from one leg to another as he looked down at Emilia. She crooked a finger at him and started towards an alternate entrance. The main entrance was covered with flowers of different colors but this one was without the decorations and no one used it but a priest who stood there with his hand tucked into the folds of his cloak. On his forehead, he had a black dye dot at the center. Emilia approached him and whispered. He shook his head looking from her hooded figure to Octavius and tilted his head indicating they should follow him. He led them to an alcove where a tray with two jars of honey and baked pastries covered with crumbs of sugar laid for everyone knew Psagon, the Intavia god of love had a sweet tooth. "My lady, you requested for these," the priest said. He picked the tray and handed it to Emilia, reached over to Octavius with outstretched hands, took his hands in his, and led it to the tray in Emilia's. "Lovers who seek favor from Ps