George walked through a garden, over ridden with violets. A crescent
moon hung luminously in the sky, emitting enough light to direct his way
along the path. He would of sworn it was silent, but there was the
occasional rustle in the bush, or a chirp of an insect. George was certain
that the creatures disturbing the peace were some that he had never seen
before, and past his faint curiosity, he knew he didn't feel compelled to
search. Not that it was something he feared, but that it was something
kept the garden from being an ideal. His bare feet sunk into fertile soil
and a weak breeze ruffled his hair and robes. Instinctively, his hand
reached to his shoulder, where he knew there was a deep, fresh cut. But he
felt only smooth skin. Not wanting to dwell on the matter, he knelt down
and pulled a flower from the garden. It was purple with hints of yellow
around the edges. Starting on the path again, he pressed it to his nose
and let the aroma envelope his senses. It was beautiful to the sight and
delicious to the sense, twisting the flower in his fingers, he let his mind
empty.
"Are you enjoying this Yretri?" Without realizing, someone had appeared on the path in front of him. It was a women, black locks cascaded down her back and seemingly inhuman eyes shined with stars. Her voice was soft and deafening at the same time and made George think of baying wolves.
"Who are you?" George asked, voice light with wonderment. He shivered.
The women giggled, a crash of waterfall. "The Goddess."
George only nodded, not amazed or frightened by it. "You wouldn't be here to help a poor old mortal like me, would ya?" He gave a wry smile and brought the flower back to where he could bask in the aroma.
"Your rational, I can see why Alanna is drawn to you." It was a matter of fact statement from the God.
George nodded. "Yeah, the lass is to proud for her own good, it does her well to be around the likes of me." He let the flower drop from his hand, he watched it hit the ground, then the edges wilted and it burned in black flames until nothing was left. "I miss her, gods, it's like I can't breath some of the time, and it's not because of the.." He stopped and took a breath, eyes still to the barren area where the flower had fallen. "pain." His mouth uttered finally.
The Goddess didn't say anything.
"She's not dead, is she?" He drew his gaze toward his god and was greeted to silence. "Because I know a symbol when I see one, and that was a blatant one at best." His voice was beginning to quiver. "If she's dead I swear by Mithros that I will kill that bastard who call himself the king and-"
"It's not Jonathan's fault." The Goddess cut him off and met his eyes with her own drowning pools of sable.
George gave a harsh laugh and yet he couldn't find the humor. "I find that hard to believe."
"It wasn't his fault." She repeated again.
He shook his head. "This is another one of those dreams, isn't it? Well, I don't want anything to do with it. Last time whatever it was had me kill her, and I'm not doing that again, I'll go insane."
The Goddess blinked and suddenly the environment changed. Instead of the midnight garden, he was in an elaborate room, probably one of the palace. He was seeing through a birds eyes view, and there was Jonathan, crying to his wife's shoulders, blood pooled below them.
"Get away from her you bastard!" George try to move, but he couldn't. "This is another one of your tricks isn't it? Your not the goddess, what would the goddess care." He raged on. "Just kill me already, kill me and get it over with!"
Before he could say another word, he was in the garden again, and facing the god.
"You poor, poor soul." She muttered quietly. "What has this one mortal done to you all?"
George tried to say something, but couldn't. His emotions had been played again, he felt happy and content, though his mind was boiling with rage.
The Goddess held up a hand. "Let me explain."
He nodded.
"It was our fault." She said. "We knew that the man from Galla had more power then was normal, but we didn't expect that it was so... extreme."
"What do you mean by that?" George asked without realized that he could speak again.
"His gift rivaled that of even Mithros." She put simply. "But, we were all so preoccupied with the growing tension between Scanra and Tregeet that we didn't notice. Before our blind eyes, he had become the strongest sorcerer on the world." George watched as she took in a breath and wondered if gods needed to breath. "But he's a megalomaniac and needed more power. So, he stumbled across a writing about the Arian papers. He traveled to Tortall and, even for reasons lost to the gods, he became obsessed with the lady knight."
"The first time Jonathan raped me.." George re gathered his thoughts. "When I encountered the king, he asked where the Arian papers were."
The goddess nodded. "As you know, they allow anyone who can manipulate them to steal others gifts. And, because you hid them in Mauldawn, he had no idea where they were."
"How do you know..." The ex thief started, then silenced himself, reminding his jumpy mind that she was a god after all.
She went on as though never interrupted. "He thought the king might know of the whereabouts of the papers, so he enslaved his mind, took him under full control. Only then did he find that the king knew nothing of the Arian. But he was able gather the conversation that you and the king had had, the one where you told Jonathan about the papers and how you had hid them long ago."
George nodded solemnly.
"He went on to take Alanna as his own, knowing that you would go to find her eventually. And," She said. "You know the rest."
He looked around, "Is that it?"
"Don't just go running in." She gave a soft laugh. "Remember, Truth is at sight."
George awoke in the same dark room he had been beaten in last. He couldn't see anything through the darkness but a thin film of light streaming in from under the door. The chains which had grabbed his wrists and would of never let go, lay clumped in a pile. Just as he was about to head off, he noticed that there was no pain, letting one hand move to his shoulder, he felt a scar instead. Grinning, he set his hand on the door. He was going to Mauldawn.
AN: Blech, the voice in this chapter sucks! Sucks sucks sucks! Ok, well, if you did enjoy it, I want..hm.. 70 reviews, yes, that sounds good. Oh, and sorry for the long delay, life caught up with me, hate it when that happens. The story will be ending next chapter, and I hope this one cleared up some confusion.
"Are you enjoying this Yretri?" Without realizing, someone had appeared on the path in front of him. It was a women, black locks cascaded down her back and seemingly inhuman eyes shined with stars. Her voice was soft and deafening at the same time and made George think of baying wolves.
"Who are you?" George asked, voice light with wonderment. He shivered.
The women giggled, a crash of waterfall. "The Goddess."
George only nodded, not amazed or frightened by it. "You wouldn't be here to help a poor old mortal like me, would ya?" He gave a wry smile and brought the flower back to where he could bask in the aroma.
"Your rational, I can see why Alanna is drawn to you." It was a matter of fact statement from the God.
George nodded. "Yeah, the lass is to proud for her own good, it does her well to be around the likes of me." He let the flower drop from his hand, he watched it hit the ground, then the edges wilted and it burned in black flames until nothing was left. "I miss her, gods, it's like I can't breath some of the time, and it's not because of the.." He stopped and took a breath, eyes still to the barren area where the flower had fallen. "pain." His mouth uttered finally.
The Goddess didn't say anything.
"She's not dead, is she?" He drew his gaze toward his god and was greeted to silence. "Because I know a symbol when I see one, and that was a blatant one at best." His voice was beginning to quiver. "If she's dead I swear by Mithros that I will kill that bastard who call himself the king and-"
"It's not Jonathan's fault." The Goddess cut him off and met his eyes with her own drowning pools of sable.
George gave a harsh laugh and yet he couldn't find the humor. "I find that hard to believe."
"It wasn't his fault." She repeated again.
He shook his head. "This is another one of those dreams, isn't it? Well, I don't want anything to do with it. Last time whatever it was had me kill her, and I'm not doing that again, I'll go insane."
The Goddess blinked and suddenly the environment changed. Instead of the midnight garden, he was in an elaborate room, probably one of the palace. He was seeing through a birds eyes view, and there was Jonathan, crying to his wife's shoulders, blood pooled below them.
"Get away from her you bastard!" George try to move, but he couldn't. "This is another one of your tricks isn't it? Your not the goddess, what would the goddess care." He raged on. "Just kill me already, kill me and get it over with!"
Before he could say another word, he was in the garden again, and facing the god.
"You poor, poor soul." She muttered quietly. "What has this one mortal done to you all?"
George tried to say something, but couldn't. His emotions had been played again, he felt happy and content, though his mind was boiling with rage.
The Goddess held up a hand. "Let me explain."
He nodded.
"It was our fault." She said. "We knew that the man from Galla had more power then was normal, but we didn't expect that it was so... extreme."
"What do you mean by that?" George asked without realized that he could speak again.
"His gift rivaled that of even Mithros." She put simply. "But, we were all so preoccupied with the growing tension between Scanra and Tregeet that we didn't notice. Before our blind eyes, he had become the strongest sorcerer on the world." George watched as she took in a breath and wondered if gods needed to breath. "But he's a megalomaniac and needed more power. So, he stumbled across a writing about the Arian papers. He traveled to Tortall and, even for reasons lost to the gods, he became obsessed with the lady knight."
"The first time Jonathan raped me.." George re gathered his thoughts. "When I encountered the king, he asked where the Arian papers were."
The goddess nodded. "As you know, they allow anyone who can manipulate them to steal others gifts. And, because you hid them in Mauldawn, he had no idea where they were."
"How do you know..." The ex thief started, then silenced himself, reminding his jumpy mind that she was a god after all.
She went on as though never interrupted. "He thought the king might know of the whereabouts of the papers, so he enslaved his mind, took him under full control. Only then did he find that the king knew nothing of the Arian. But he was able gather the conversation that you and the king had had, the one where you told Jonathan about the papers and how you had hid them long ago."
George nodded solemnly.
"He went on to take Alanna as his own, knowing that you would go to find her eventually. And," She said. "You know the rest."
He looked around, "Is that it?"
"Don't just go running in." She gave a soft laugh. "Remember, Truth is at sight."
George awoke in the same dark room he had been beaten in last. He couldn't see anything through the darkness but a thin film of light streaming in from under the door. The chains which had grabbed his wrists and would of never let go, lay clumped in a pile. Just as he was about to head off, he noticed that there was no pain, letting one hand move to his shoulder, he felt a scar instead. Grinning, he set his hand on the door. He was going to Mauldawn.
AN: Blech, the voice in this chapter sucks! Sucks sucks sucks! Ok, well, if you did enjoy it, I want..hm.. 70 reviews, yes, that sounds good. Oh, and sorry for the long delay, life caught up with me, hate it when that happens. The story will be ending next chapter, and I hope this one cleared up some confusion.