A/N: I'm back! W00t! Thanks again to my reviewers: Morgan Scarlett or Mneme and Raistlins Lover! As the story progresses, you might notice that Mirouaene's story is VERY similar to Morgaine's. That is why they are very close friends and can relate to one another and depend on one another. I have also made some changes to my plot, therefore cutting out some of the new characters and adding more to the list of them which I mentioned in the prologue. About the title, I know it sounds awkward since the title of the first chapter had the word "world" in it as well, but it's the only one I could think of that really describes the chapter. I was half inspired by the Aladdin song…lol. Anyways, enjoy this chapter, and please review! I love getting feedback and having to know what I am doing well and what I have to improve!
Disclaimer: I own Mirouaene, and in this chapter, some new characters appear so I own them too. I own my plot, of course, but I own nothing else. I give many thanks to MZB for letting me borrow her wonderful characters for a story that I hope will turn out well.
Chapter 3: A Whole New World
I reluctantly awoke the next morning, still shivering in recovery of last night's trauma. My gown was slightly damp from the heavenly water of the mirror pool, for I had been too distressed to change. Today I would be entering the priestess school for the first time. I glanced underneath my bed to see a richly embroidered blue robe dotted with tiny sequins, accompanied by a small piece of parchment.
Young Mirouaene, I am deeply sorry about my presence last night. I understand that you may have never seen me or any priestess in that form. It is all only a trick of the eyes, which you will be taught sometime during your training as a priestess. Anyhow, it is your first day today and I commend you for being so courageous as to accept the challenge that Avalon has set for you. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you know that the Goddess will always make sure that you accomplish much in days to come. I have left for the king-making ritual today and will most likely not return for a long time. With best wishes and love from Morgaine. I read silently, absorbing the words as they were written with Morgaine's precise hand. The ritual—it is too late. I thought sadly, hanging my head. I had half a mind to forget about my schooling and pursue Morgaine, sternly warning her once more. However, I remembered that Avalon was a large place, and Dragon Island was somewhere far away, in a place where fertility reigned over the land, and the people worshipped the Earth Mother. I could speak to Viviane, but I had no mind to become entangled in her wicked affairs. I sighed unhappily. The only solution was to let the warning go to waste, to let this situation pass.
I donned myself in the beautiful blue robe before exiting the bedroom into a narrow passageway. I questioned passing priestesses, many much older than I, the way to the meeting hall, and I was eventually following a short, stocky woman into my new life as a priestess.
"You are that new priestess, Mirouaene, whom Viviane had always been talking about, are you not?" asked the stocky woman in a jolly, musical voice.
"Y—yes", I stammered in reply. She led me into a spacious room, with a high domed ceiling. My teeth chattered as I stared into the never-ending sea of serious faces whose eyes returned my gaze.
"Oh don't be afraid, they are all sweet girls." The woman gestured lightly for me to move along into the crowd. "Now run along and try to find a grown priestess to lead you to your first lesson."
I bid the cheerful lady farewell and determinedly joined the throng of priestesses. I recalled being jostled and pushed around that day when Morgaine had come to fetch me from Benwick, and began to ponder more about whether these blue-clad priestesses cared even less, when I tripped suddenly over the dress of a small, dark girl with thick, flowing hair. I fell, all the weight pushed on one knee, and I cried out into the foggy chatter.
"Oh my Goddess! Are you all right? I am terribly sorry; I believe my robe is coming loose." The girl said looking shocked while tying a ribbon on her robe. She held out a hand to help me from my painful position, which I gladly took.
"I should be the one to apologize, for it was I who was daydreaming. It's a habit that I am still to rid myself of." The girl smiled sweetly and was joined by another of about her height, but with hair in tight curls that contrasted with the first girl's wavy locks.
"Are you new to the House? I have never seen you before. Lady Viviane told us some time ago that a new girl was to come join us and would in time become a great priestess. Are you that one?" The girl's eyes lit up with excitement.
"I suppose she is, for I have heard news of no other." The curly-haired girl finally spoke in her low voice, thick with an accent that I did not recognize. She suddenly blushed. "Oh! Forgive me for not bothering to introduce myself as a priestess must! My name is Marian, and this is my sister, Suuven." She said, holding one hand out to me and gesturing towards the wavy-haired girl with the other.
"How nice it is that you have kin of the same age as you, whom you might trust with every word spoken in your mind." I murmured under my breath as I shook Marian's small hand awkwardly.
"No…" Marian said in a sharp tone, glancing at Suuven. "All of us priestesses know each other as sisters, for we are all daughters of the Goddess, the Great Mother."
I'm sorry. I thought silently. Were all priestesses of Avalon critical? I looked down at my sandals while Suuven spoke.
"Lessons begin soon. Do you know where you are headed off to first?" She asked in a perky voice.
"I was told to speak to an older priestess about that."
"I would hope that you and I are in herb lore together, for that is what I always start with."
"I am keen on knowing your skill with the Sight. Viviane said you could read into the future. You will be a source of competition among the priestesses." Marian pointed out in a voice as hard as the stone floor we were standing on.
Without a word in reply, I began to grope through the crowd for an older woman who would guide me to my first lesson. I was given an instrument with gilded wires stretched across its delicate body. My hands shook as they tried to keep hold of the heavy gold. I made my way to a window, bathing myself in the welcoming rays of the sun. I had found that Avalon was like a mosaic, each piece adding its own color to make the final work all the more gorgeous. Suuven represented a fiery, sprightly color, with flowing patterns and shades. Marian, on the other hand, was more of a gray, harsh, but with some beauty. Morgaine could be the color of the sea, calm and loving. It would not be I, however, who would declare myself as a piece in the mosaic. That was for Avalon to decide. I allowed myself to be consumed in the sun's warmth, as it reached, like a large hand from the heavens, and kissed me with its touch, planting what I soon knew to be the emblem of Avalon on my forehead. I had temporarily united with the Goddess.
A/N: This might be considered a bit of a cliffy for some of you, but the next chapter will be much more interesting, I promise. I was kinda lazy in writing this one…lol. I will take any constructive criticism that you offer .
