Lindsay, a willowy young woman with blond hair, stood at an open window staring at the rising sun, as she had done every morning for the last two years. As the sky grew increasingly brighter, her eyes grew increasingly wider. To her lover, a petite woman with short, curly chestnut hair, she called excitedly, "Mel, it's happened! It's finally happened!"

Mel sat up and rubbed her eyes groggily. She had been sleeping in a large bed with an oak frame and canopy, from which a white see through fabric fell in folds. She pushed the fabric enveloping the bed aside and stood, completely naked, and then strode over to the other woman, who was also naked, covered only by her long blond hair, which fell below her waist. She slipped her arms around her lover and kissed her shoulder before asking softly, "What's happened?"

Lindsay replied, excitement still bubbling in her voice, "Look!" Then she pointed to a spot in the sky above the sun, which was now peeking over the mountains in the distance.

Mel gasped. In the sky, halfway through its path southward from the zenith to the horizon, the moon stood. It was full and glowed a deep rose color. "What! I…." Mel sputtered.

Lindsay wheeled around, smiling brightly. "Just as the prophecy said!"

"What prophecy?"

"Here, let's sit down. It's a long story." Lindsay pulled Mel quickly to a pile of satin violet-colored pillows lying on the floor.

"Eight years ago, after I had just come of age, a woman came to us. She brought her son with her, as well as a powerful magical object bearing the sign of the Huntress. That's why she thought we could help her. Because of the talisman. Back then, the high priestess was Selene. The Vigan woman, Jennifer, I think her name was, was sobbing, begging Selene to take the boy. He looked six or seven. He was a shy, quiet blond boy. It's a shame Selene had to refuse."

That got Mel's attention. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "She refused?"

Lindsay nodded. "She had to. Because of the prophecy."

"The prophecy? You mean…"

Lindsay was so excited that she cut Mel off and nodded furiously. "That a boy without clan, without family, without history would become the consort of our true king… that, through love, he would save our king and that our king, in turn, would save us. Everyone knows that part of the prophecy, but what is less commonly known is the part about his mother and about the gift from his father. Selene recognized the bracelet the woman, Jennifer, wore. It bore the sign of the Huntress and the Shining One's union: the rose crescent."

Mel gasped.

Lindsay nodded and grinned. "I was so fortunate to have Selene as my mentor, for this allowed me to sit in on her conversation with Jennifer and to hear Jennifer's story. Selene asked her to relay it, just to be sure. Jennifer said that shortly after she came of age, she was out walking by the sea to the south of the quarters one evening when she met him."

"Who?"

"The king's consort's father. A mysterious handsome stranger. He seemed to rise out of the sea. Jennifer was immediately smitten with him, and he with her. They made love for the first time right there on the sand with the waves softly lapping at their feet on the night of…the rose crescent."

Mel gasped again.

"Jennifer didn't understand the significance, but Selene did, of course. And, his name was Ki'ezo!"

Mel raised her eyebrows as if to say, "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

Lindsay sighed in exasperation. "Jennifer was Vigan, remember?"

"Oh….in Vigan, ezo means bring and…"

Lindsay interjected brightly, "Ki or cah means light. So Ki'ezo means to bring light or light bringer."

Mel was stunned into silence.

"Yeah. In all, Ki'ezo and Jennifer spent a week together. During the day, they walked through the Quarters holding hands and talking, and, at night, they made love by moonlight, falling asleep naked and entwined, lulled by the waves lapping softly against the shore. One morning, Jennifer awoke alone, no trace of Ki'ezo save one, the bracelet on her wrist. Actually, there were two, though she didn't know it at the time."

Mel just stared at Lindsay blankly. Lindsay laughed and gave Mel a little shove. "The boy!"

"Oh…"

"A month to the day they had first made love, Jennifer discovered that she was pregnant. To name the boy, she put uzajus (heart) and timi/tini'uo (our) together, which, in Vigan, means our heart. Later, she shortened Uzajustini'uo to Justin."