The Lord's study of Varis keep is a handsome room. Located in one of
the towers, expensive glass windows span the east and west walls, flanked
at the north and south by two great hearths. Any wall space not occupied
by window or hearth was covered with bookshelves of dark mahogany. A large
desk stands in front of the west windows and a heavy table in front of the
east. The floors are covered by woven tapestry rugs from a kingdom far to
the south.
Aithre feels comfortable in this room. After she finished her mandatory, elementary schooling at the local temple, this study became her classroom. She spent hours buried deep within tomes learning the history and statecraft that she will need to take care of her lands and people when her father passes on to the Havens.
Lord Varis settled himself behind his desk as Aithre, Bergin and Malte make themselves comfortable in the leather armchairs ranged in a semi- circle in front of it. A quick glance at her father's advisors tells Aithre that they are feeling just as grim about this as the Lord they serve. This was not going to be a pleasant meeting.
"Well, I am quite glad that meal is over." Varis bared his teeth in a painful sort of smile. "That man is ignorant, obnoxious, and no more a proper lord than I am a donkey. I cannot believe I even asked him to come here! Old age cannot have affected my faculties that much." He sighted and turned his gaze to Aithre. "I am sorry to have put you through that, my dear. And I thank you for maintaining your decorum. An admirable feat, certainly."
"I have lived through worse, father. I distinctly remember a few punishments that were worse than that meal. But I must say that despite the large amounts of manure I shoveled during my month helping the stable boys, the company of the animals was rather superior to that of our noble friend." She winked and he chuckled. "How are you going to break it to him? Podargos was awfully sure that he would be the next Lord Varis."
"My Lord, I hear the woods around the hunting lodge are beautiful this time of year," Bergin said with a sly smile. "I am sure that Malta and I can deal with letting our guest down gently while you and Aithre attend to some 'urgent business' at one or another of your holdings."
"Yes, my Lord. Bergin and I can handle him quite nicely while you and Aithre have a few days of much needed rest." Malta smiled a little nastily. "We might even let him get home in one piece." One of the young ladies that Podargos had mistreated was Malta's young niece. Normally she was employed in Aithre's bower, helping to clothe the keep. She had offered to help the staff in serving the guest and his entourage, and for her pains had been lecherously pinched several times.
"Now boys," Varis said with a note of admonition in his voice, "I am not against a little rough treatment, but let's make sure that nothing permanent happens to our esteemed visitor." He grinned, and the corners of his deep blue eyes crinkled, a true smile this time. "And to think I got out the nice dishes for that lout. Maira will have my ears! That silver was positively filthy." Maira was the housekeeper, and she ignored authority almost to the point of insubordination. She was not afraid to give anyone, Lord or Lady, a good dressing down, and ran the household with an iron fist.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Varis." Bergin said kindly. "He seemed a different person when we met him in Haven last summer. I wouldn't have thought that he would be so two faced."
"I know. And I will feel much better when that cretin is no longer under my roof. I am more upset that this is going poorly for you, Aithre. I know it was uncomfortable for me when my mother began parading young women in front of me, but I don't know any better way to go about this marriage business."
There was a long silence. "What if," Bergin said thoughtfully, "Aithre travels with us to Haven when we go next? I know it isn't customary to have the entire family off the holdings at once, but there doesn't seem to be any way around that. In Haven, Aithre will have her pick of the young gentlemen, and she is a better judge of character than my Lord has shown himself to be."
Varis looked like he wanted to stick his tongue out at Bergin. The had been friends since each was a toddler, so Bergin felt completely secure in poking fun at Varis. "Well, my Lord Bergin," Varis began in an exaggeratedly unctuous voice, "that sounds fine with me. Aithre?"
"Fine with me as well. My Lord Bergin, I wish to thank you for so generously offering to stay behind at the keep and take care of things so both my father and myself may travel to the city this summer." Aithre grinned at him. "It was so very noble of you."
Bergin's face fell, and Varis snickered. Bergin loved the yearly trips to Haven, even if he complained about traveling every minute they were on the road.
"Well Bergin, it looks as if you won't have to undergo the stresses of travel this year." Varis said, still grinning. "Malta, I hope you don't complain as much as old-man Bergin does, or we may have to gag you."
As the men continued to merrily insult one another, Aithre pushed their bickering to the back of her mind. She had not been to Haven in some years, not since she had been eligible to marry. In fact, she had not been since her mother had died. The prospect was exciting, and a little scary. Was she really an able judge of character? Her father seemed to think so. Podargos had shown her that appearances can be deceiving. She sighed heavily. The realities of choosing a husband were much more difficult than she had ever expected.
"If you vultures will excuse me, I am off to my bed." She rose and smoothed her green velvet dress with her palms. "If I recall correctly, we have an early morning tomorrow. You had better not be up till all hours with these two scoundrels, father. I don't want to hear any complaining on the ride to the hunting lodge tomorrow." She walked to the door. "Pleasant dreams father. Uncles." She closed the door softly behind her and paused. There were two ways to her quarters from her father's study: through the courtyard, or the long way through the guest quarters along the western wall of the keep. She would go through the courtyard. She did not want to encounter Lord Podargos roaming the corridors of the guest quarters.
The late spring night was cool, but not uncomfortable as Aithre traversed the gravel paths that ran through the gardens of the courtyard. She heard footsteps crunching upon the gravel behind her, and assuming that one of the keep's guards was on patrol, Aithre did not look back.
Strong arms grabbed her from behind, and she felt the cool sharpness of a blade at her throat. "Hello, my pretty." Podargos. His voice was strangely void of inflection. Then Aithre felt the blade move across her throat. She tried to scream.
Aithre could see the stars. Why was she still in the garden? The memory hit her like a ton of bricks. Her hand flew to her throat, but the skin beneath her fingers was smooth, and her pulse thumped steadily under it. Was she dead?
She turned her head. This certainly was not the garden. Aithre was lying on the middle of a path that shone like the stars that punctuated the sky above her head. Unfamiliar stars, she realized, constellations she had not seen in any of her studies. She rolled over and pushed herself up to her knees. Wherever she was, it was big. She could see no end to the darkness, and the path stretched on in both directions until it disappeared.
Wait! Was one of the stars moving towards her? Her eyes followed the pinprick of light. It grew in size as it approached, and by the time it hovered next to her on the path, it was as large as her head. The air around the strange star shimmered and shifted as Aithre started in frightened fascination, making her a little nauseous. All of a sudden, where the star had been, was a man! He was tall, with an unruly shock of black hair that hid his eyes. His skin was sun browned and his face craggy. Smile lines were deeply etched around his mouth and dark eyes that reflected the stars surrounding the path.
Aithre turned to run, more willing to face what might lay further down the path than to see what the intentions of this strange creature were. :Wait! Childling, I am here to help. You have nothing to fear from me: His deep mind voice echoed through her head.
"What." her voice cracked. "What are you? Aithre was shaking. "Where am I?"
:What I am is not important. But this is the void. Your spirit rode here on the power that was released when your blood was spilt.: The man shook his hair out of his eyes with a practiced toss of his head. His eyes did more than reflect the stars, they were stars.
Aithre had heard stories of the void and it's sometimes inhabitants, and she knew that anyone with star fields for eyes was far from ordinary. "Are you an avatar of the Starry-Eyed? Do you serve the Goddess?"
He chuckled. : I am nothing so complicated as an avatar. But I guess you could say I do serve the starry-eyed one. At least she would say so. I like to think I am her equal. Her opposite.: He smiled a little, like he was laughing at an old joke that only made sense to him and one other person. Apparently that other happened to be a Goddess.
"V.Vkandis?" Aithre thought she was going to faint. A God. Who was she to meet a God?
:Clever girl. You have just as much right as any to meet me. And you are in great need.: He took her hand. Vkandis's fingers tingled slightly in Aithre's, like there was power moving beneath his skin. :You are not meant to die like this, Aithre. You must not let this man take your life. Go back to the waking world and reclaim your body.:
Aithre felt a great light in her mind, and the starry path began to fade. She could feel the pain that her body was in; could feel the horrible things that had been done to it. She did not want it! She wrapped her thoughts around the light in her mind, holding on to it with all her strength as she was pulled back into her body. :No! Don't make me go back.: The starry path faded completely, and as Aithre slipped into true unconsciousness, she thought she heard Vkandis gasp.
Aithre feels comfortable in this room. After she finished her mandatory, elementary schooling at the local temple, this study became her classroom. She spent hours buried deep within tomes learning the history and statecraft that she will need to take care of her lands and people when her father passes on to the Havens.
Lord Varis settled himself behind his desk as Aithre, Bergin and Malte make themselves comfortable in the leather armchairs ranged in a semi- circle in front of it. A quick glance at her father's advisors tells Aithre that they are feeling just as grim about this as the Lord they serve. This was not going to be a pleasant meeting.
"Well, I am quite glad that meal is over." Varis bared his teeth in a painful sort of smile. "That man is ignorant, obnoxious, and no more a proper lord than I am a donkey. I cannot believe I even asked him to come here! Old age cannot have affected my faculties that much." He sighted and turned his gaze to Aithre. "I am sorry to have put you through that, my dear. And I thank you for maintaining your decorum. An admirable feat, certainly."
"I have lived through worse, father. I distinctly remember a few punishments that were worse than that meal. But I must say that despite the large amounts of manure I shoveled during my month helping the stable boys, the company of the animals was rather superior to that of our noble friend." She winked and he chuckled. "How are you going to break it to him? Podargos was awfully sure that he would be the next Lord Varis."
"My Lord, I hear the woods around the hunting lodge are beautiful this time of year," Bergin said with a sly smile. "I am sure that Malta and I can deal with letting our guest down gently while you and Aithre attend to some 'urgent business' at one or another of your holdings."
"Yes, my Lord. Bergin and I can handle him quite nicely while you and Aithre have a few days of much needed rest." Malta smiled a little nastily. "We might even let him get home in one piece." One of the young ladies that Podargos had mistreated was Malta's young niece. Normally she was employed in Aithre's bower, helping to clothe the keep. She had offered to help the staff in serving the guest and his entourage, and for her pains had been lecherously pinched several times.
"Now boys," Varis said with a note of admonition in his voice, "I am not against a little rough treatment, but let's make sure that nothing permanent happens to our esteemed visitor." He grinned, and the corners of his deep blue eyes crinkled, a true smile this time. "And to think I got out the nice dishes for that lout. Maira will have my ears! That silver was positively filthy." Maira was the housekeeper, and she ignored authority almost to the point of insubordination. She was not afraid to give anyone, Lord or Lady, a good dressing down, and ran the household with an iron fist.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Varis." Bergin said kindly. "He seemed a different person when we met him in Haven last summer. I wouldn't have thought that he would be so two faced."
"I know. And I will feel much better when that cretin is no longer under my roof. I am more upset that this is going poorly for you, Aithre. I know it was uncomfortable for me when my mother began parading young women in front of me, but I don't know any better way to go about this marriage business."
There was a long silence. "What if," Bergin said thoughtfully, "Aithre travels with us to Haven when we go next? I know it isn't customary to have the entire family off the holdings at once, but there doesn't seem to be any way around that. In Haven, Aithre will have her pick of the young gentlemen, and she is a better judge of character than my Lord has shown himself to be."
Varis looked like he wanted to stick his tongue out at Bergin. The had been friends since each was a toddler, so Bergin felt completely secure in poking fun at Varis. "Well, my Lord Bergin," Varis began in an exaggeratedly unctuous voice, "that sounds fine with me. Aithre?"
"Fine with me as well. My Lord Bergin, I wish to thank you for so generously offering to stay behind at the keep and take care of things so both my father and myself may travel to the city this summer." Aithre grinned at him. "It was so very noble of you."
Bergin's face fell, and Varis snickered. Bergin loved the yearly trips to Haven, even if he complained about traveling every minute they were on the road.
"Well Bergin, it looks as if you won't have to undergo the stresses of travel this year." Varis said, still grinning. "Malta, I hope you don't complain as much as old-man Bergin does, or we may have to gag you."
As the men continued to merrily insult one another, Aithre pushed their bickering to the back of her mind. She had not been to Haven in some years, not since she had been eligible to marry. In fact, she had not been since her mother had died. The prospect was exciting, and a little scary. Was she really an able judge of character? Her father seemed to think so. Podargos had shown her that appearances can be deceiving. She sighed heavily. The realities of choosing a husband were much more difficult than she had ever expected.
"If you vultures will excuse me, I am off to my bed." She rose and smoothed her green velvet dress with her palms. "If I recall correctly, we have an early morning tomorrow. You had better not be up till all hours with these two scoundrels, father. I don't want to hear any complaining on the ride to the hunting lodge tomorrow." She walked to the door. "Pleasant dreams father. Uncles." She closed the door softly behind her and paused. There were two ways to her quarters from her father's study: through the courtyard, or the long way through the guest quarters along the western wall of the keep. She would go through the courtyard. She did not want to encounter Lord Podargos roaming the corridors of the guest quarters.
The late spring night was cool, but not uncomfortable as Aithre traversed the gravel paths that ran through the gardens of the courtyard. She heard footsteps crunching upon the gravel behind her, and assuming that one of the keep's guards was on patrol, Aithre did not look back.
Strong arms grabbed her from behind, and she felt the cool sharpness of a blade at her throat. "Hello, my pretty." Podargos. His voice was strangely void of inflection. Then Aithre felt the blade move across her throat. She tried to scream.
Aithre could see the stars. Why was she still in the garden? The memory hit her like a ton of bricks. Her hand flew to her throat, but the skin beneath her fingers was smooth, and her pulse thumped steadily under it. Was she dead?
She turned her head. This certainly was not the garden. Aithre was lying on the middle of a path that shone like the stars that punctuated the sky above her head. Unfamiliar stars, she realized, constellations she had not seen in any of her studies. She rolled over and pushed herself up to her knees. Wherever she was, it was big. She could see no end to the darkness, and the path stretched on in both directions until it disappeared.
Wait! Was one of the stars moving towards her? Her eyes followed the pinprick of light. It grew in size as it approached, and by the time it hovered next to her on the path, it was as large as her head. The air around the strange star shimmered and shifted as Aithre started in frightened fascination, making her a little nauseous. All of a sudden, where the star had been, was a man! He was tall, with an unruly shock of black hair that hid his eyes. His skin was sun browned and his face craggy. Smile lines were deeply etched around his mouth and dark eyes that reflected the stars surrounding the path.
Aithre turned to run, more willing to face what might lay further down the path than to see what the intentions of this strange creature were. :Wait! Childling, I am here to help. You have nothing to fear from me: His deep mind voice echoed through her head.
"What." her voice cracked. "What are you? Aithre was shaking. "Where am I?"
:What I am is not important. But this is the void. Your spirit rode here on the power that was released when your blood was spilt.: The man shook his hair out of his eyes with a practiced toss of his head. His eyes did more than reflect the stars, they were stars.
Aithre had heard stories of the void and it's sometimes inhabitants, and she knew that anyone with star fields for eyes was far from ordinary. "Are you an avatar of the Starry-Eyed? Do you serve the Goddess?"
He chuckled. : I am nothing so complicated as an avatar. But I guess you could say I do serve the starry-eyed one. At least she would say so. I like to think I am her equal. Her opposite.: He smiled a little, like he was laughing at an old joke that only made sense to him and one other person. Apparently that other happened to be a Goddess.
"V.Vkandis?" Aithre thought she was going to faint. A God. Who was she to meet a God?
:Clever girl. You have just as much right as any to meet me. And you are in great need.: He took her hand. Vkandis's fingers tingled slightly in Aithre's, like there was power moving beneath his skin. :You are not meant to die like this, Aithre. You must not let this man take your life. Go back to the waking world and reclaim your body.:
Aithre felt a great light in her mind, and the starry path began to fade. She could feel the pain that her body was in; could feel the horrible things that had been done to it. She did not want it! She wrapped her thoughts around the light in her mind, holding on to it with all her strength as she was pulled back into her body. :No! Don't make me go back.: The starry path faded completely, and as Aithre slipped into true unconsciousness, she thought she heard Vkandis gasp.
