Mists of Time

by Queen

Sailor Pluto is sent though a doorway into an era of legend.... (complete)

3. Mist, Which Obscures Destiny

Mists of Time

Mist, Which Obscures Destiny

Spring came, and with it renewed fighting along the borders of the petty kingdoms and the Saxon Shore. Uther finally declared himself King of Britain, with the death of his brother, Ambrosius. Ambrosius had been born in Britain, then when Vortigern had invited the Saxons to British shores, he had been smuggled to Brittany, across the Channel, with his younger brother Uther. After raising an army, the brothers returned, ousted the usurper, and killed the Saxon king Hengist, Uther then scrambling to regain the lands he had lost in Vortigern's betrayal of his country.

Morgan and Setsuna were informed by Igraine that they would go to the Isle of Mona when the weather cleared. Morgan was ecstatic, her dream finally happening. Taliesin would remain at Tintagel with Arthur. An escort was formed for the girls, and they left a month later. Along the road, Setsuna once spotted the Knight of Neptune when they traveled close to the shore. Watching me? Unsuprising. The other three are likely nearby. I wonder if they appear only when I'm traveling, or they're always around? If they were around all the time, I would have seen them. Maybe it's best. We've been left alone by raiders and armies. With all we carry, clothes and money for travel and such....Maybe they have somewhat to do with that. Kore whickered as though in agreement, tossing her black head. Setsuna stroked her neck in reassurance. Kore had been young when arriving in Tintagel, and was now a full grown horse. Morgan rode alongside Setsuna, and they narrowly passed Camelot, where Uther lived. Morgan kept her eyes averted from the place, but was the first in the retinue to spot Mona. "There! I see it! Look, Setsuna!" she pointed at a hazy disc on the horizon, wrapped in mist. They had hurried forward to the shore, where a longboat with several small men greeted them.

"Goin ta the isle, ladies?" One of the men asked, tiping his hat. "See ya are, with what ye got wit ye." He smiled, yellow, crooked teeth glowing in the morning light. One of their guards offered to pay the fare, but the man scoffed and refused it. "The druids, they give plenty of pay fer the ferryin'. No need to give me yer coins. Give 'em to the pretty girls fer their trips to the shore. Not that they'll get many, I'll wager." he winked. Morgan blushed. It was the first time anyone save her mother or father had called her 'pretty'...Setsuna didn't count since she looked just as strange. The clothes and money were put aboard one ship, their horses on another, and the girls cast off, several of the men poling them along the waters. They watched the shoreline recede, and waved to the guards that had escorted them there. They sat in the back of the boat, and white mists circled around them, breathing. "It's cold." Morgan whispered, and Setsuna pulled her cloak tighter around as did Morgan. They broke through the clouds, and pulled up to shore. A woman waited there for them, with long brown hair, trailing to her knees. A hairband wrapped around her head, circling it. Dark blue eyes twinkled as the newcomers stepped off the boat. A blue crescent moon had been tattooed to her forehead, freshly painted in blue woad. She wore simple clothes of dark blue, off setting her eyes. They were loose and baggy, with a hood on the neck, tied at the waist with a thin sash of silver color.

"I'm Nimue," she introduced herself, smiling at the girls. Her hands lay folded before her. "You are Morgan. And you...Setsuna. From Tintagel. Welcome to Mona. You are the last to arrive of your group. Please. Your horses will be taken to the stables and your clothes to your rooms, although you will be issued novice robes shortly. Follow me," she turned and her skirts swished against the path up the beach. Morgan and Setsuna followed. Nimue. Yes, I know that name. Too many versions of the tale around her to know which is correct. So here is she is a druidess. Last to arrive of our group? What group? I know we were expected, but I didn't know we had a 'group' and were 'expected.' "I will be your teacher while you are here," Nimue told them as they continued up the path. Morgan and Setsuna began to search for the houses and buildings, but saw none. They passed, eventually, a stone nemeton, arranged for astronomical work. Two women in robes like Nimue's were attending to a stargazer, marking movements on a chart in hand. Eventually they approached a thickly wooded area with many footpaths crisscrossing the space between trees. Women moved along them, bent over business or strolling easily, enjoying the scenery. One older woman led a troop of young girls in black robes through the space, heading towards the monolith. Nimue led them to a small hill...then down a hole into a earthen house. Of course! No structures. They live in the earth. The house was long and wide, slightly domed in the ceiling, with hard packed dirt between roots from trees above. The first chamber they entered was a empty room with tables and chairs, a game of chess half complete on one table. A case of books lined a wall. The second room was a sleeping chamber, with eight beds lining the wall, which curved around them. Two beds had no pillows, and had a black robe on each. "Your beds. Morgan yours is the inner one, Setsuna the outer, judging by the size of the robes. Your things will be placed beside them. The nightstand beside the bed is yours. A mirror will be brought for each of you. I'll leave you to change into the robes, then we will return to the others for lesson. Supper is at sunset. We wake one hour before the dawn to sing the morning hymns. You'll learn quickly. I'll be back shortly."

Nimue left, closing the door behind her. Morgan and Setsuna stared at each other a moment, then Morgan gasped. "We're here. We're really here!" she sank onto her bed, picking up the robe. "An acolyte! Oh, Setsuna...." She closed her eyes and held the robe to her. Setsuna picked up her own.

"Let's get dressed. Nimue may not give us much time. And a lesson already! We just got here!"

"I don't mind." Morgan stripped her tunic off and slipped the robe on, fastening the belt. "Did you see that nemeton? It's just like the Stone Henge! Smaller though. I wonder if we'll go to see it. Do we put the hood up?"

"Nimue's wasn't." Setsuna shook out her hair. "I didn't see anyone else's up either. What do you think the crescent moons are for?"

"Where?"

"On Nimue's forehead."

"That? That's the symbol of the Goddess."

"Of course." Setsuna lapsed into thought about that. The Goddess's symbol. Prayer to the Queen long gone. I wonder what the reaction would be if I said I'd actually met her. The Queen herself is not a goddess...not in the immortal all-powerful sense the druids must be thinking. I wonder if it is Queen Serenity they pray to, or the Power she serves? The druids are not fools. It must be the Power.The Goddess. Morgan refers to Her as though She were greater than the smaller, although still great, gods such as Annwn and Cerridwen and Brigid. Epona. Bran. Kernunnos. Perhaps here I may learn what she means. There was a rap at the door, and Nimue slowly opened it.

She led them down through the forest. "The men live on the island's opposite side. You will see them on occasion, and on certain holidays. Here," they reached a clearing, circled in ash and alder trees. The sun was nearly at its peak, but the thick canopy of leaves provided a great deal of shade. There were seven girls sitting around the clearing, most of an age with Morgan and Setsuna, while one was quite a few years younger. They lay around, some watching an anthill with interest, others sat watching birds fly overhead.

"Mama!" the youngest girl leapt up from the birdwatchers and ran to Nimue, who scooped her up, resting her on her hip. Morgan stared at the child. She was young, about five or so, with milky skin and blue eyes like lapis lazuli. But her hair was white, the color of sea foam, and wavy. She leaned around her mother Nimue, and owlishly watched the two newcomers.

"Viviane. This is Morgan and Setsuna. They'll be joining the group."

"Hi," Viviane tilted her head and watched them. "You have green hair," she told Setsuna. "Rowena had green hair, but it was lighter, and she went to the Goddess last year," she leaned on Nimue's shoulder. "You have violet eyes. Like Cliton. She's over there."

"Come. I'll introduce you to your new sisters," Nimue led them to the center of the grove, and eyes turned to them. "Morgan, Setsuna, this is Mazoe, Glitonea, Cliton, Tyronoe, Gliten and Thitis. This, as I just said, is Viviane. Everyone, this is Morgan, and Setsuna."

Amazing. Most of them look 'normal'...but Tyronoe has the bronze skin as Morgan and I. Gliten has...what? Aqua? Eyes. Cliton has red hair. Not the coppery red, but red red, like a ruby, and has eyes of violet. How strange! And Viviane! Yes, that is another name I recognize from the legends.

The girls stood and welcomed them, smiling. Glitonea bubbled excitedly, hugging Morgan so hard she ended up gasping for air. Tyronoe grasped Setsuna's hand gravely. Gliten and Thitis stood to the back, holding hands, shyly waiting for their turn together. Morgan had tears in her eyes by the time the greetings were over. "All right." Nimue announced. "Back to work! Everyone gather around." Nimue took a seat on the ground, Viviane curling up beside her. They sat in a circle. "Goddess, bless our day."

"So mote it be," the girls responded in unison, Morgan and Setsuna a step behind.

"All of you are sisters now, sisters in life and spirit. Our group is complete. For you newcomers, I am your teacher and your mother. If you have a difficulty, you see me. All of you have been trained at home in the ways of the secular world. Many of these ways are erroneous. Insanity is not caused by a demon in the head. Babies that die are not changelings left by the fairies. The world, despite what is commonly held, is not flat," several sets of eyes shifted to Mazoe, who shrugged.

"You will learn why here. This is the beginning." Nimue picked up several pebbles before her on the ground, rattling them in her palm. "This is the Goddess," she took a deep breath of air. "This is the Goddess. The Goddess is not good, not evil. She is All things, life and death, the Triple Goddess, Maiden, Mother, Crone. They are separate, but one. She is all of us. All the gods you have been told of, whoever you choose is but one God, and all the goddesses that you serve and pray to...they are but one Goddess, part of one Power that is far beyond all.

"Life from Death, Creation from Destruction and Order from Chaos. Life is not a struggle between 'good' and 'evil'. The gods do not 'fight' for worshipers. Religion is not war. All aspects of the Goddess are part of Her. There can be purity in Light as there is in Dark. If you cannot accept these things, cannot come to terms with them, then the knowledge of Mona is worthless to you." Nimue stood. "If there are any here who change their belief, or cannot hold fast to the wisdom at any time, you are to speak to me at once. It is dangerous to have some knowledge, but not all. It creates strife and misunderstanding. Deception is a deadly art. For the rest of this day, you will remain within the grove. Learn about the earth under your feet. The air you breathe. Watch the creatures that live here. Pay attention, and assemble the knowledge of the work of the gods around us. Consider the words I have spoken. Return to the dining hall for dinner at sunset. I take my leave of you," Nimue bowed to the girls, then left them to wonder.

"All of you," Nimue began, holding a quarterstaff in hand, "will someday go to different places of the island, some even to the mainland. You must learn to defend yourselves. Druids are not commonly warriors, but there are times that a defense is needed," the girls stood in a semi-circle in a clearing. Two large stones had been set several steps from each other, with a large log laid between them, a few handbreadths from the ground. Viviane hung back by the trees, watching. "The quarterstaff is a simple weapon, easily thought of as a walking stick. It has no sharp edges. No metal. People dismiss a staff as a weapon that is...weaker. A quarterstaff cannot kill on the first strike as a sword. It is blunt. But the purpose is a defensive one, to protect, not to kill. It also can help you to take on multiple attackers. It has, unlike a sword, two ends that may strike. Hit with one end, you get a mark. Reverse the direction, and you have a second, without having to pull back your arm. It is done already. The staffs you hold have additional padding to prevent injury. Today we will begin. Many prefer to start slowly, giving drills. I, however, believe it best if we jump right in, then drill. So...Tyronoe! On the log!"

Nimue stepped up to one side and grasped the weapon. Tyronoe shifted on her feet nervously, then somberly headed up to the log, holding the staff before her, watching Nimue carefully. "Keep your head down." Nimue struck out, and stopped the end from impacting an inch from Tyronoe's chin. "If you're in a fight, an attacker will try to go for the throat. It's an easy target, and will kill on impact. Keep the chin down, lower the likelihood of having the throat cut or your windpipe cut off. Again!" Nimue struck out, Tyronoe trying to back away, lifting the staff before her to stave off Nimue's blow. The two pieces of wood impacted, but Tyronoe was thrown off balance, and slipped from the log, dropping the staff. Nimue nodded, and smiled. "Good. Mazoe! You're up. Tyronoe, work on balance and footing. Pay attention to your footing. Ready, Mazoe?"

She nodded, and within seconds, Mazoe was in the dirt as well. Ha! This I know! Staff! All those years of training with the droid, and I'll finally, finally get to use it! Ha! Wait til everyone sees this! Nimue favors her right foot. There's a patch of moss on the left side of the log where I will stand. That's part of why so many go crashing to the left side, slipping. The robes won't help, but I suppose you never know where you'll be or what you'll be wearing, ne? There goes Cliton. I wonder how Morgan will do. Viviane's watching in the trees. Always watching. I wonder why she doesn't join in. There goes Glitonea. Oh. Morgan. Hmm...balance good...but she's hitting wildly. Losing balance...down Morgan. My turn!

Setsuna leapt up on the log easily, putting a foot forward slightly for better balance, and avoided the moss. She held the staff crosswise across her body, and her back forward slightly, ready to extend her arms. Nimue was tall, and she was still growing. Shortness was a disadvantage most times. Nimue said, "Begin." Setsuna struck out swiftly, with the bottom portion of the staff, intending to sweep Nimue off her feet. Instead, suddenly, the log vanished from under her, and she went sprawling, finding herself with a mouthful of grass. She spluttered, bringing the staff up and rolling over in amazement. Nimue stood frowning at her. "You held onto the staff. That's good, Setsuna. Don't lose your weapon. But don't be cocky, either. You get up here like you know what you're doing...I don't know where you learned the staff, but as of right now, it means absolutely nothing. Thitis! On the log!" Setsuna's face burned, flushing. She climbed up and dusted herself off, brushing the leaves of grass from her robe and taking her place in line again, chin up stiffly.

Beltane. Samhain. Candlemas. The months rolled by as they practiced, studied, drilled, observed. Messenger brought word to Morgan that Morgawse had again given birth, another boy that Lot had named Gareth. Word came to them from Tintagel that Uther had married Igraine. Morgan was in a sour mood the rest of the week after hearing that, only cheering when they were told they would begin spellwork.

They sat on a riverbank on a cool, sunny day. Willows grew along the river's borders, trailing branches into the water. Morgan's brows knit as she breathed, "Flower...birth!" From her hands, a flurry of petals and blossoms showered the ground at her feet. She smiled in satisfaction as the petals pooled around her, catching the breeze and blowing around the girls sitting there. "I controlled it!"

Nimue's smile broadened. "Good, Morgan. Summon the power carefully. Words can help you to concentrate the power. Setsuna, your turn. Choose your words carefully."

"What should I manifest?"

Glitonea offered a suggestion. "Lunch!" there were giggles from the girls. Setsuna smiled faintly, then held her hands before her as Morgan had, concentrating and closing her eyes. I do a form of this when I use the Timestaff...is shouldn't be too difficult... .manifest the power of...ah, food, I suppose, instead of the Temporal Flux. Please work. "Lunch...creation!"

Nothing.

Setsuna opened an eye to look at her empty hands. "It didn't work," she said, grimacing. I do this with the Timestaff! Why can't I make food?

Nimue leaned forward. "You're trying too hard, Setsuna. Relax. Try again."

"Food...creation!"

More nothing.

"Nimue!"

"Setsuna...don't try so hard. Let it flow from you."

"But my words...."

"Words are nothing. Language is arbitrary," at the confused looks by the surrounding girls, Nimue shrugged and explained. "In language, nothing makes this," she picked up a stone, "a pebble. Or this," she picked up a nearby stick, "a piece of branch. Their names could be reversed, and if you grew with the different titles for 'pebble' and 'branch' then this would be a pebble," she held up the stick, "and this a branch," she held up the pebble. "Words are words, and they are not set in stone. It is the meaning behind the words that is important, the meaning that creates the spell. Words help to concentrate, but they themselves are open to change and influence. Think, Setsuna. Think of the meaning behind the words when you conjure, or when you act."

The meaning behind the words. Hmm...the Temporal Flux...I've been doing that for centuries...maybe, just maybe, it's habit that allows me to summon the power...the belief behind the habit. Well...if words are arbitrary, then the words I say don't matter so much. Setsuna frowned, then closed her eyes again. Don't try so hard....

"Abracadabra, poof!" she shouted, flinging her hands outward towards the center of their circle. From above them, there was an explosion, and a downpour of honey and wheat cakes fell on their heads. Everyone shrieked, some happily, some in surprise. Some covered their heads, and others, especially Glitonea, went scrambling for the food falling from heaven.

As they settled down, Nimue commented dryly, "Good, Setsuna. Except next time, consider aim as a part of your spell," she reached up a pulled an oozing honey cake from off of her head. "I think this means we end for the day," her hair ran with the sticky goop. "You're dismissed."

Summer came, summer went. Samhain, Lammas, Autumn Equinox, Candlemas. More studying, more training, more drilling, never ending. The eight novices studied together, ate together, trained together, and slowly became, as Nimue had first said, sisters. More time passed. Another year. Again Beltane, Samhain, Candlemas. They learned scrying, pendulum work. Prayers for health, spells for healing. Morgan often commented to Setsuna in privacy, of how they were not treated like freaks here, in Mona. Morgan continued to excel in her studies, rapidly absorbing the information, and was able to explain it back. Setsuna did well also, but Morgan slowly began to emerge as the leader of the group, often the source that helped anyone who did not understand the day's lesson. After the initial mortifying experience on the log, Setsuna had flung herself into relearning everything about the staff, begging extra lessons from other teachers than Nimue if she were unavailable. Viviane eventually began to join another group of acolytes of her own age.

When Beltane came that year, the girls were told they would be able to participate in the festivities. Setsuna worried. The others were extraordinarily excited, for Beltane was of the few occasions that the boys from the island would be mingling in the crowds. Glitonea was ecstatic, practically leaping on Beltane's eve, when one of the older girls in another group told her an interesting secret about Viviane. Her father, it was said, was none other than Taliesin! Glitonea's rumormongering was infamous, but when confronted, Nimue did not deny it. "Born of a Beltane rite. It is no secret, nor a thing to be ashamed of. As you will see," the girls knew what Beltane was, but had been forbidden to participate past sunset, Nimue claiming they were too young as yet. Apparently, sixteen, some seventeen, was considered 'old enough.'

"Lots of girls are married at fifteen!" Glitonea shouted, clapping her hands. "My sister was betrothed at fourteen, and married only three weeks after fifteen!"

Morgan rolled her eyes. "And my sister at seventeen, with a child at eighteen. Glitonea, sit down. We have studying to do. There's spellwork to finish."

"How can you study at a time like this? We'll be women within the week!" Setsuna watched them quietly, then turned from the group and headed outside.

Beltane.

The rebirth of the fields. The Goddess bringing life again to the soil. A Maypole was erected in the forest, and the men from the islands' opposite side came to participate in the rituals. Food was cooked and served, roast venison, sweetmeats, pies, roasts. The air was fragrant with the smells, and of incense burning slowly in some huts, wafting into the air. It was night when the true rites of spring would begin. It is sacred, holy. I understand that. Respect that. It is life, and brings life. It is the Earth. But...I cannot allow this on myself. To spend the night with a boy...man...I have not met, whose name I do not know...I cannot. Some say that purity is of the body. I wonder at that. Is there not purity of the mind? Of the soul? We're told it avoids embarrassment later...the young to learn with each other. I wonder if I will ever wed. What kind of a man would brave the halls of time? Beltane.The others have been raised to accept this as natural. Normal. I cannot. Not like this. I should at least meet such a man....

The fire had danced high as the circle had formed, and chanting began low and soft and deep. The words resonated, whispered, echoed. Life from death. As the figures around the fire swayed and chaunted, Setsuna broke away, catching Morgan's eye. She was surprised, then nodded, gravely, once, and returned her gaze to the blaze before her.

Setsuna returned to the mound of her home, sitting on the leafy knoll that was its roof. The sun set, and the chaunts from below her began, rising in cadence, then falling, rolling in sound. She stretched out her legs and arms, looking up to the silvery round orb of the moon in the sky. It looks like a pregnant woman's belly. Stars glittered above her, winking. I wish I could see Pluto. Too far away. Even their telescopes on the monolith are not strong enough to see home. Home. Is Pluto my home, or is Mona? There's Mercury. Princess Ami, when will you be reborn? Jupiter. The greatest planet in the system. And Mars. Princess Rei, I wonder if you can scry in a bowl of water as well as in a fire...if not, maybe, someday, when you are born again, I can teach you...and Venus, preparing to set. All so lovely. Haruka. Michiru....and the Destroyer of Saturn. When will your turn on the Wheel come again? Always spinning, ever turning like a spiral galaxy...even now, as Beltane is consecrated anew. Fires are beginning to be lit on the hillsides....

"Setsuna?" a girl's voice asked.

"Viviane? What are you doing up? It's late."

"I can't sleep." Viviane settled down beside her. "Why aren't you with the others?"

"I have...reasons not to. Viviane, go to bed."

"I said I'm not sleepy." Viviane set her face in stone, looking out over the hillside. She tucked her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "What's it like, off Mona?"

Setsuna watched her, her profile. "It is big."

Viviane laughed. "Big. How big? Big as all the sky?"

"Bigger. All the sky in all the times to have existed. And that will exist."

"You sound as if you know."

"What I know isn't important, now."

"I think it is."

"Viviane, you're too young to sound like an old druidess."

"So are you."

The girls chuckled. "I'm older than you."

"Older than mother, too," Setsuna turned to her calmly and said,

"I don't know what you mean," but Viviane only smiled and held a finger to her lips. "Don't worry, I won't tell. Are you of Avalon?"

"I go from Elfland to Avalon, now?"

Viviane shrugged, leaning over her knees. "There's little difference. No one knows where either is. Elfland is supposed to have a border of some sort...Avalon... Avalon exists everywhere. No one knows how to get there. Some say that it is hidden in the mists. Between one time and another, unreachable by mortals. Near...far...both and neither."

"You've paid attention in class."

"Maybe. Sometimes...I don't know," her brow wrinkled as she looked out over the hills to the land beyond, where Camelot lay. "There's fewer fires this year than last."

Setsuna followed her gaze. "You're right."

"Mother says it's the Christians. They deny the Goddess, or make Her a demoness." Setsuna remained silent. "They'll take over, won't they? Take all of Britain? No more Beltane, or Samhain. They will conquer Britain, won't they?"

Setsuna tried to distract her by lightening the mood. I'm afraid to tell her. I can't tell anyone the future. But she Sees it. She speaks as though she has Seen it. "Conquer? You sound like it's an army of old men come to lay siege to Mona."

"It is. The old ways...they're dying. Sometimes, Setsuna, I sense such great things of the future...but...it's like a rose blooming. Small at first, then blossoming, the petals extending...then they overreach themselves, and wilt, dying in their own beauty. I've lived my whole life on Mona. I've never been off it. I like quiet, Setsuna. But...I want to see Britain, before the Britain I have been told about is gone. If the Christians conquer Britain, then what becomes of Mona? One of their churches? And the sacred springs, the gods, the holy groves?"

"Viviane. It is in the future. For now...learn all you can. Learn of Beltane when you're older. Of the spirits that walk on Samhain. The future comes on its own terms. Let be. Go. It's late. I'm going to bed." Setsuna stood, and a moment later, so did Viviane.

"Good night, Setsuna."

"Good night, Viviane."

Setsuna turned to descend into into the dwelling. I'll light a Goddess candle, and maybe read a bit. Then.… From the side of her, a crackle of footfall came. Setsuna sighed. "Viviane, go to bed. It's late." A figure too large for Viviane came stumbling from the shadows cast by the trees. Who...?

The young man stuttered nervously. "Uh...." Setsuna tilted her head to the side, folding her arms and waiting. "Setsuna?" he asked.

"Yes?"

He stumbled forward a few more steps coming up the crest of the hill. "I'm Gwion," he thrust a bouquet of flowers at her. She stepped back a pace, eying him carefully. Clumsy...and yet...blonde hair, short. Brown eyes, large, with wide lips...tall and slender. Long hands...bard's hands. Graceful hands. Flowers...? "Asphodels?" she reached forward and took the bouquet, brushing her fingers across the modest petals. "Where did you get these?"

"I made them. Well, I created them," he blushed furiously, shifting from foot to foot.

"Why these?"

He paled and stuttered, looking at the ground. "I thought...I thought you'd like them. I know they're not roses, but...asphodels...I thought they would be your favorite." And so they are...asphodels. In the myths of Hellas, the palace of Hades and Persephone is in the Fields of Asphodels. Hades. Pluto. "Why are you here?"

"What?" Setsuna looked up, surprised.

"Well, everyone starts at the fire, then leaves. I almost missed you."

Setsuna's eyes widened, and she held the flowers tighter. "You were looking for me?"

"Yes. I..." he blushed even darker. "Were you meeting someone? I didn't want to...." he trailed off, then looked at her evenly. "No...you're alone. I'm glad. I thought maybe you had someone."

He looked for me away from the fire, specifically? There are plenty of women there. Why me? "You searched for me? Why?"

"Last year," he began promptly, looking in her eyes. "Last year, I saw you at the Beltane festival. You and your friends, you were at the river, helping with the cooking. I wasn't allowed to participate last year. I found out who you were. I wanted to meet you then, but..." he shrugged sheepishly. "I wanted to know who you were. Before Beltane."

Wanted to know who I was...before the rites are celebrated. Asphodels. He is handsome, and kind enough to bring me these asphodels. That was unnecessary. But...I have met him just now! Still...yet...what of the consequences of such an action? I can't...can I? The hands of a bard...and such dark eyes....

Setsuna brought up the flowers, burying her nose in them, breathing in the heady scent and closing her eyes as she breathed out again. She opened her eyes slowly, watching Gwion. Then she gave him a sad sort of smile.

Seven more years passed.

Setsuna and the other girls grew into women, and they prepared themselves for their final trial. That night, on the full moon, they would undergo a final test of magick and ritual. Hymns were chaunted. Potions of herbs were drunk. Night finally came. Stars glinted through the wispy purple clouds, and Selene's round face shone softly on the eight women in the clearing as they waited. It was not a ritual for the group, not something to be conquered together. The visions that would be seen here were for them and them alone. The were only told they would be different for each. Wind combed the trees, swaying them. They dispersed into the night, searching the unfamiliar portion of the island of Mona. Never had they been permitted here before. All parts of the island had been open to them, save this. The soft calls of birds stilled here, and the insects and frogs in the pond lay quietly, reverent in the silence. Untold and unordered, they broke apart from their circle, each drifting into a direction of their own, some near each other, others far apart.

Setsuna dreamily drifted toward the stilled pond, watching the shimmering eternal stars above. They're clearer from Pluto. But they're still pretty here. And here I see the moon. She knelt beside the pool, and was faintly aware of a figure pass behind her, walking of her own accord into the darkness. Blooming along the shore were lilies on pads. Ripples on the water connected with strands of starlight, reaching up into heaven's vault. The moon is a disc, not a cradle tonight. Serene. Peaceful. It reflected on the water, laying in the center, a coin of silvery color. Mist began to spin around the pool, slowly winding around the edges, surrounding Setsuna's kneeling figure. Shadows of Britain cast before her in the mirror of water. Another face took shape in the water, with garnet eyes and black hair glinting emerald. The figure spoke to her, smiling in the water's quivering reflection. Look to the water, Setsuna, Sailor Pluto.

"Who are you?" Setsuna asked the visage in the water, knowing the answer even as she whispered the question.

I am you. I am the you that is hidden. Look to the water, Setsuna. Look at the moon, who you serve. Open your eyes and see the beauty of the Moon. Can you see? All time is one time. You walk down hallways filled with locked doors. You carry the key to each. Behind each door is a time, a place, filled with people and places, their lives and their loves. They exist at one time, each in accordance with each other. If that harmony is to be broken, then Chaos will break free from its eternal banishment. Some say all things repeat themselves, a Wheel on which time turns. Others say that it is a line, with a beginning, and someday an end. Whatsoever brings that end, or turns that Wheel is the power that you are to protect. Time itself is to be protected, for it is far more fragile than it seems. Time and space exist in all times and places. Without time to power energy, to permit change and growth, nothing will come from nothing. What can be created if there is no moment of time for it to exist in? And without creation, what good is destruction? Time is patience. Time is eternal. Use your power to protect time. Ensure its safety. This is your power, Setsuna Meioh, Guardian of Time. Now, go. Go and see the world in your new light. Time has passed longer for you than the others. Let the sign of Pluto be beheld by the world for its first time.

The glimmering figure smiled before her, and Setsuna reached out to the water to touch. Her hand met the water, and the reflection blurred, vanishing into the mist that brought it. Quietly, Setsuna stood, and the mist gathered about her, cloaking her in the dawn, her aural red gleaming through the wisps of white mist. Rays of light, pink and sunny were dawning in the east as she returned to the grove, her strange cloak shrouding her shoulders. Nimue waited for her in the oaks, stepping forward as she approached. Two nights had passed since they had gone into the wood, some emerging quickly, others later. Setsuna was the last to remain. First, Nimue was uncertain if she had been successful or not, as she stepped from between the columns of the trees. No blue moon shaped mark graced her brows. Instead, a softly glowing red letter lingered there, the shape of a P, tailed at the bottom. Nimue had never seen such a thing before, and no one had ever written of it in the annals of history. But then, no one came shining with the grace of the Goddess as Setsuna did now, cloaked in the mists of time.

"Morgan?" Setsuna tapped on the door to the sleeping chambers. Morgan sat still on the edge of her bed, a pile of clothing set beside her. "Morgan? What are all these clothes out for?" Setsuna walked over smiling, and picked up the top hose. Morgan's hand snapped out and slapped her hand away, making her drop the clothing. Bewildered, Setsuna asked, "Morgan?"

"You were there, Setsuna, in my vision," her words were cold. Morgan looked at Setsuna in the eyes, watching her like a viper, fire flickering in her eyes. "You were Sailor Pluto."

Setsuna backed up a step, staring back at Morgan in confusion. "Morgan, what does that have to do with...?"

"Everything!" Morgan spat. "The night that bastard Uther came to Tintagel! You interfered. It was never Taliesin. It was you. You convinced him that Uther should come and rape my mother." Morgan's voice was low, dangerous. The two women faced off on either side of the bed. Setsuna began to collect herself.

"What were you shown in your vision, Morgan?"

She laughed harshly. "I just told you. You came to Taliesin. Told him that he should send Uther to my mother. You knew, Setsuna. You let Uther come and rape my mother. You let him go off the next day and murder my father. Why, Setsuna? Why?"

Forgive me, Morgan. Foreknowledge. If that harmony is to be broken, then Chaos will break free from its eternal banishment. I knew this must happen someday, that the vision of yesternight be tested. But why Morgan? Why so soon?

"I cannot say."

"You cannot say. Cannot, or will not, Setsuna? You let all this happen. You knew that I hated Uther. Why didn't you tell me? I had to discover this in a vision. A vision! About my...best friend," she let the last two words drip scathingly off her tongue. "I couldn't believe it. I faced it. That is why I bear the mark of the Goddess. I faced my fear. You don't even carry a sign. No one would believe you succeeded if Nimue had not seen that bizarre symbol on your forehead. A P with a tail! What does that symbolize? Pluto? God of darkness and death. You let Uther kill my father. And now..." she raised a finger to the air, voice becoming resonant in the small room. "May Uther die a horrible death in battle, with his tongue scalded black and his eyes gouged from his sockets. Let you live for an eternity with the knowledge that I, Morgan le Fey, hate you!"

The curse had radiated outward from her hand, and the druids had shuddered across the Isle of Mona. Morgan returned to Tintagel. To Igraine. Arthur had left the season before, coming to Camelot where his father lived and worked through most of the year. Igraine had held Tintagel too long to leave it. She held it well, protected it, and Uther trusted it to her keeping. It would be many years before Setsuna saw Morgan again.