**** I present this idea for rewrite by any author out there with an actual knowledge of historical settings and to anyone who has some good ideas on making the flavor of the story better. This is a G rated story, PLEASE do not revise it any other way, I do not want any smut to pervade this tale. ****
Also, the key idea surrounding the story WAS NOT mine. If you are ever in the seventh-dimension web site, look up a little tale called "Morning" by Megan McCormick. IT IS GOOOOOODDDD!!!! Anyway, it is from her story that I obtained one of the main characters.
So without further ado........
MEMORIES HOLD THE KEY
Jathon looked somberly down into his wife's Ezwala's eyes. He could not believe what was happening was happening. How could he have been so stupid, so short sided, so selfish. Now because of his crime, his decision his family would receive a fate worst than death.
"Jathon, son of Betok and Shayla, enemy of the people do you understand the judgment of the council against you and yours?"
"Yes, magi, I do"
"Now take your pregnant wife and sons and be gone from our presence. Your family shall never set foot on Kintaka again until the sorrows of your selfishness have been felt for thousands of generations. Not until the third moon of Kena has set shall your miserable progeny be allowed to re-enter our gates. You and yours shall watch your progeny be born on the planet of you exile knowing that you may never go near them, without causing them physical harm. You shall be estranged from all you future children; you shall have many, enough to repopulate Cinra but you shall not be able to hold any of them. You will not know their joys, but you shall be the cause of their pain. Now go to the planet that could have save the lives of billions of our children, the planet of your shame."
The chamber was then filled with the boos and hisses of the entire council and magistrate. As Jathon's family was shoved toward the space dock for boarding onto their poorly equipped singlet ship the crowds lining the pathway screamed curses and threats. Never was there anyone as hated on the entire planet as Jathon. Even when Emperor Yetan on the continent Sina released the toxic gas as retaliation to the council's verdict on his government's policies the world did not demonstrate such raw hatred. He deserved it; if he has not withheld the information about the third planet in the Kintsenta system the government would have learned of it too, and billions around the globe would not have died of dehydration. If only..."Hush Jathon." Ezwala whispered. "Morning the past can not change the future. Our fate is sealed. Your morose waves are troubling the child." Yes, the child, Jathon though as he glanced down at his wife's midsection. It was for that child, and the future children of his sons that he made his chioce. And now, the consequences would bring endless sorrow to those unborn children. "Jathon..." Ezwala warned. I must stop thinking negative thoughts, Jathon said to himself. The child will sense them and internalize them as his own. Jathon shuddered as he remembered what happened to Dosea's son. She and Miku fought bitterly over sharing some of their crops with the villagers in their precinct before Kinat was born . Jathon shuddered again as he remembered the video images of the carnage Kinat had wrought when he turned 26 and was able to express all the resentment Miku had transmitted to him. All those headless corpses.... No, Maethas would only receive glad thoughts from his father. Hope and life, that's what Ezwala and he decided to name their third child. They were shocked to learn that Ezwala was pregnant, so late in life and in the midst of the great drought. He had been counseling Mathon, the eldest, to avoid impregnating Sapa until the global council's rainmaker project had been completed. He had forgotten to be as careful with Ezwala. Maethas's life-force was the impetus for Jathon's silence regarding Mathon's discovery of an extraterrestrial water source. He wanted to keep it to himself, and his own to insure that they would be cared for. He wanted..."Jathon, the child is still turning" Ezwala snarled under her breath. It is good that the child can not read his mother's waves. Otherwise there would be no hope of him ever learning how to smile. "I'm sorry my dear, I shall think of happier thoughts."
"Daddy, daddy, did you see it. The funny little blue bird swooped underneath the branch after that butterfly. Oh its so nice to be outside the compound." Maethas beamed up at his father. Jathon only smiled at his young offspring. The others couldn't exit the compound, the earth's atmosphere was too alien to their lung system to breathe the fresh oxygenated air around them. Maethas didn't have any problems at all, his system partially developed here on the new planet and he was well adapted. Jathon was also, but the council had prepared him so he could perform the grim task of distributing their children. Ezwala was already pregnant with their third earth child and Keshon's wife was almost due with their fifth. Mathon's wife had only had two, they were deliberately trying not to become pregnant but with limited success. It tore at everyone's heart when Jathon took the child, fresh for their mother's wombs and dispersed them around the new planet. They did not know how the children fared, it some one would be compassionate enough to care for their young. No one had aged visibly since coming to this planet. The magi had laughed when he said the atmosphere and gravitational pull of the planet would affect their metabolism. He said it would serve to length their punishment. Maethas seemed unaffected by the planet but Jathon was not sure. All the babies screamed as if they were in horrible pain when he carried them. The minute he walked away from them they all calmed down, as if he were the cause of their affliction. Jathon knew the planet's radiation patterns would alter the way his waves would affect his offspring, but he didn't anticipate such a strong affect. Maethas displayed the same grimace, but some how the pain wasn't as intense as it was for the babies. The little boy once told his daddy that he made his head hurt, but that he loved him anyway. Jathon smiled within himself. Ezwala's fears about Maethas were unfounded. He was a happy, well adjusted child. In fact his presence made everyone's lot seem less dismal. As long as Maethas's happy laughter could be hear, the loss of the other children wasn't as painful as it could be. "Daddy, come here, I want to show you my friend the otter" Maethas cried. Jathon happily ran over to his son to see what new earth creature he had found. Jathon regularly traveled amongst the earth people to learn their tongue and ways. He did this especially to find out were the safe places would be to leave the children. His cloaked cloud skimmer allowed him th travel across the entire planet in a matter of hours. He taught Maethas the languages he had learned so that he would know them when the time came.....when the time came. Jathon bit his lower lip to kept from uttering the swelling sob in Maethas ear range. The magi had sent a watcher agent down to make sure the prisoners were following the rules. The watcher informed them that since Maethas was born on this planet he too would have to live among them. Maethas was the keeper of their history; their true nature and information on the home world. The memories would be locked up in his life force, only to be open at the end on their sentence, when the third moon of Kena had set. Jathon didn't expect any of them to still be alive but Maethas and the other children might be. The watcher said he would have to live among the earth people; their punishment was to lose the joy of family and children since they treasured it so much. Maethas would have to leave soon, before the watcher guard returned. Otherwise the council threaten to behead Maethas.
Maethas was so happy. His father and he had gone fishing earlier that morning and now they were going to walk through one of the earth people's towns. Maethas had never been allowed to go near the earth people before. They didn't look any different from him or his family, but he knew that they were not the same. Father had taught him many of their funny sounding languages and there wasn't a single earth sound that he couldn't make. He was so excited he couldn't keep still. He didn't understand why father looked so sad as the afternoon approached. His waves were particularly strong and Maethas had to concentrate to keep from being overwhelmed by them. Suddenly his father stopped walking towards the town and told Maethas to come close. "Son, never, ever forget how much I love you, how much we all love you" Tears were streaming down his father's eyes. Maethas began to shake, he had seen his father cry before, but never so violently. "Father, what's wrong? Why are you unhappy?" "Drink this Maethas, it will make the journey easier." Maethas drank the liqueur handed to him. Suddenly his mind became cloudy and his sight became blurred. As he stood staring into his father's face, recognition began to fade away "wahh, what is this?.... who are you? daddy? Jathon? where am I?" Maethas's small frame slowed slumped down to the ground. Jathon could barely see his son's frame for the tears pouring down his face. He carried Maethas over to the small farm house he had spied five weeks ago. The owners were nice enough, they often handed out food and clothing to the more needy people in the village. The family was poor but they had a kind heart. Jathon hoped they would take care of his son. Maethas would not remember much of anything for a long time.
Maethas awoke to the sound of a woman softly singing. Although he understood the words she was saying, her language sounded different, strange. He slowly sat up in the bed and asked "where am I and who are you?" "well, I'm glad to see your feeling better", she smiled. "My name is Ketana and Gilme is my husband. We found you lying in our vegetable bed. You didn't look like a runaway slave, although your garments are unlike any I've seen in this area. You speak quite well. What is your name?" Maethas listened quietly to the woman. Although she looked totally unfamiliar, he was not afraid of her. He felt safe in her presence but her last question troubled him. Name, what is my name. He looked at her blankly for a few minutes. "Uh, I think its M..M...me, mae, me, thas" The women wrinkled her nose. The name the child tried to speak didn't sound like any in this area. "Methos?" she asked for clarification. "Yes, yes Methos".
Eighteen years later Methos was tending the sheep of his adopted father Gilme. Next week he would finally be allowed to take Shema in marriage. He had proven himself to be a fine herdsman. As he was dreaming about the life he would have with Shema he heard one of the sheep baaing at a distance. Oh no, he though to himself. I can not lose one of father's sheep, Shema's father will hear of it and remove the marriage promise. Methos ran quickly to the ledge where he could hear the faint baaing of the animal. Below, in the valley Methos could see the camp of some nomadic Cannaites. They were notorious for capturing defenseless villagers. Most believe that the unfortunate ones would be sold off in slavery. I better be careful reaching of this sheep, though Methos to himself. Slowly he began crawling down the cliff's edge to the sheep trapped on the lower step. Methos thought his foot was secure in the crevice before adjusting his weight. He was not, and he began to fall, down, down down toward the camp of the Cannaites. When he landed at the bottom of the cliff, his heart stopped beating and he died.
end of part one
any ideas for subsequent chapters? please email