Disclaimer: The song 'Possession' belongs to Sarah McLachlan. The prophecy belongs to me.
A page form a book whipped through the air and landed on a table, where Irnai's dream-self sat, organizing documents. The words written on the paper were clearly written in blood…
Black hair cascading down
By the wind let it be thrown
Eyes, staring pools of emerald-brown
Under the unspoken spell of seduction she weaves, men shall drown
Before the gods regain order and, all that was, will beShe shall have to answer to Tortall's plea
Her companion is the wind, soft and free
But there are others she shall see
Two siblings will join her in this rough ride
A white and black cat, drifting from their protective mother's side
No time to cower, no time to hide
Faced creatures, blood and greed
Retrieved the staff for Tortall's need
Destroyed the evil and came home in the lead
Tortall's kingdom has been freed
But all prices must be paid
Orders must be obeyed
Life must be in trade
Blood oaths must be remade
Bringing back victory for the king
Peace she will bring
So the troubled nation may sing
So that the song of bliss can ring
Bring back the light
Save us from this plight
Daughter of a lady knight
Irnai opened her eyes from meditation and sighed. "Another disturbance in life, I suppose." She looked over at her apprentice, relaxed and breathing deeply. Snapping her fingers in front of him she met the gray of his eyes. "You may go off now, Élan." She whispered, "Tomorrow we meet here again and practice with small visions."
"Yes, Irnai." The apprentice replied, standing and feeling around for his cane. Élan was blind and, like herself, could See the future. She had volunteered to teach the boy in his power and hoped he benefited from her teachings. Irnai helped him stand, handing him his cane and guiding him to his home, where his mother waited.
After saying goodbye to him, Irnai headed quickly to Kel's headquarters. Irnai knocked on her door and the lady knight answered. "What's wrong, Irnai?"
"I—the seer bit her lip and continued, "I had a vision…"
"A vision?" Kel ushered Irnai inside, closing the door behind her.
"Yes Kel…About Selinè, Midori's daughter…it was a page from a book with words on it, done in blood." Irnai tried to still her trembling hands, clasping them together.
"Midori's daughter!" Taken aback, Kel asked, "Are you sure of this?" The lines on the Protector's face deepened as she faced the woman, a hint of a frown on her aged face.
"I was correct about Midori's knighthood wasn't I?"
Kel nodded slowly, "What did this vision tell you?"
"About Selinè being the one to stop some sort of evil. About her and two others, siblings…" Irnai said her eyes troubled.
The lady knight sighed, hazel eyes reflecting concern. "Did the vision give you a time, any indication of when this was going to happen?"
The seer shook her head.
"I'm going to send you and your apprentice to Corus for the time being and if you have anymore visions…send a letter. Élan will be safe in Corus, safer then he will be here for now, and also perhaps the visions will come more swiftly and piece this puzzle together." Kel quickly wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to the seer. "Give this to the Raven, her name's Sheba. She will escort you."
Irnai took the paper, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Kel nodded and Irnai knew she was dismissed.
Hurrying to Élan's home, Irnai explained to his mother about the trip to Corus. The woman was reluctant to give up her only son, but finally complied when Irnai explained about his training.
Élan came to the doorframe, hearing his teacher's voice and smiled, "We're going to Corus?" "To do what?"
"To figure out my vision."
"Your vision was hard, you're worried. I don't need to see you to know you are."
Irnai smiled in return, "I am worried. My last vision I had, eleven years ago, came true and look where it led the Queenscove fief: In ruin."
"Not in ruin, Irnai, just in a little trouble." Élan reassured her, gray eyes sympathetic. "I'm always in trouble because I can't see. I can't even ride a horse and…well."
Irnai felt pity towards her blind student and patted his shoulder as he felt her face. "The worry lines will stay on your face if you keep fretting." He remarked. Irnai relaxed her face and saw Élan grin.
"Imagine the feel of water, cool on your face. Remember meditation." Élan said.
"I will. Maybe Sarralyn will teach you how to ride?" Sarralyn was the daughter of Daine and was to soon have the duty of the wildmage. Sarra's father, the famous black robed mage Numair, had died a few years ago of old age. Rikash, Sarra's brother, had joined a company of the Own.
"Perhaps." Élan replied, stumbling and shutting his eyes tight. Irnai caught him and felt him recoil at her touch. The seer saw Élan claw at his eyes as if the vision hurt his mind's eye.
Élan's mother didn't know what to do as her son struggled through the vision, shouting out random things like, "Selinè!" "No, don't…Brassal stop!"
"Élan!" his mother cried, face white with shock. But her blind son was out cold.
"Should I take him to Corus?" "The visions are affecting him and they've got the safest environment for him to live in."
"I'll come as well." The mother replied, taking Élan and putting him on a bed in another room and feeling his pulse and temperature and nodding, she pressed her lips together and gave the girl a tight-lipped smile. "He'll be alright."
Irnai sighed in relief, "I'd best tell Lady Kel that you're coming then."
The woman caught her arm, "I'll tell her myself. You get yourself home and rest. We may have an early start."
The girl nodded and hurried to her home, thoughts buzzing in her head like angry bees.
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In the Divine Realms…Midori remembered the night when she hadn't been able to sleep, tossing and turning in the sheets, thoughts never giving her rest. So she went to Kalen's room and slept beside him. It had been nothing more then that.
Yet the day she died and was brought to the Peaceful Realms was of a different matter…
The god of death regarded the lady knight and her lover with a silent feeling of regret, cloak of shadow making no sound as he turned and walked to a large silver gate that shone with the reflections of stars. Midori gripped Kalen's hand with a grim smile as the Black God nodded, the gate opening.
At first the couple saw nothing but the blackness then the blackness gave way to fields of bright green grass and colorful flowers that shone and blinded them. On the field of flowers was a small home made of wood, it was peaceful but no birds sounded around them, which made the place eerie all the same.
"This is your home now." The black god said with a wave of his shadow-hand. "This door," the god indicated a door made of pale golden gate with pink stones embedded inside. "Leads to the Mortal Realms. You may not pass it unless given permission."
Kalen and Midori nodded and walked through the gate.
She remembered a year after he proposed…
Listen as the wind blows
From across the great
divide
Voices trapped in yearning
Memories trapped in time
Midori sat on a boulder by a great ocean and sighed as the sea breeze ruffled her hair. She saw the waves as they slapped the shore, falling into a rhythm as she lay, bathed in the moonlight.
Kalen met her, his brown eyes traveling over her curvaceous body and firm beauty. She and him had changed, grown older in both mind and body, yet it hadn't changed anything about their love. They were still passionately, still simply, in love.
The lady knight grinned as Kalen snaked a hand around her waist, holding her close. In this moment nothing mattered, nothing needed to be said. They knew only to gaze into each other's eyes and everything that needed to be done or said was in their eyes.
The night is my companion
And solitude my
guide
Midori turned to Kalen and wrapped his arms around his neck; "It's been a year already?"
Kalen nodded and kissed her cheek. "It has, my golden hawk, it has."
"Just because I've been blessed with the form doesn't mean you bring it upon me so." She replied, mockingly.
He chuckled and ran his hands through her hair, as she took him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the edge of the water a smile on her face.
"Come on!" she cried, running into the water in her bare feet, laughing as the cold water embraced her. Kalen chased her into the waves, and tackled her down, kissing her hard.
Both came up gasping. "No, don't stop…" she whispered, kissing his lips softly.
Kalen turned to her, the moonlight turning his deep brown eyes an alluring black. Midori imagined his eyes were the night sky, and the stars—the light of the moon—had come to dance. She was swept into the heat of the moment that she failed to notice anything as Kalen trailed kisses down her jawbone, and caressed her cheek with his hand, moving down to kiss her collarbone.
"Do you wish to?" he asked, remembering when he had asked her about giving themselves away.
"Yes." She whispered, voice husky.
Would I spend forever here
And not be
satisfied
Kalen kissed her, as
the waves crashed around them. Midori slowly deepened the kiss as she
felt his hands around her waist. She felt him rise from the water,
carrying her.
And I would be the one
To hold you
down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
She felt him place her down into the sand, and felt Kalen's lips upon hers, eyes glassy with passion. "Let me fly, brave hawk." She murmured, and felt him tremble as he stroked her cheek. "Are you sure?" he asked.
She sealed it with a kiss.
And after I'd wipe away the tears
Just
close your eyes dear
Through this world I've stumbled
So
many times betrayed
Trying to find an honest word
To find the
truth enslaved
Knighthood was far behind. It had been left far behind upon her death. Now only the passion that he and she displayed mattered. The sound of two wildly beating hearts, the catching of breath, the feel of lips upon skin…
Oh you speak to me in riddles and
You
speak to me in rhymes
My body aches to breathe your breath
You
words keep me alive
And I would be the one
To hold you
down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after
I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear
They slept that night, her hand clasped in his. Midori had never known such craze could be shown between them. She watched as he slept, chest gently rising and falling with each even breath. She gazed at the stars above and sighed.
Into this night I wander
It's morning
that I dread
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to
tread
Oh into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without
pride
Nothing stands between us here
And I won't be denied
Midori paused as she
sat in the field of flowers, finding strange comfort in the silence
of the meadow. Sighing as she slumped rather ungracefully into the
flowers she forced down another wave of nausea and closed her eyes,
willing herself to sleep.
And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss
you so hard
I'll take your breath away
A few weeks later, Midori tried to hide her condition but with the morning sickness getting worse, she soon had to confess to Kalen. He was overjoyed at the idea of parenthood but that night he had a vision of Midori's labor and of the child being born dead. He woke with a swallowed scream in his throat and tears on his cheeks. Midori woke up and took his hand, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He lied.
"There is something wrong…just tell me." Midori persisted gently.
Kalen sighed, "I had a vision or a dream…of your labor and of the child being born…" He swallowed hard, "—dead."
Midori's face paled and her hand gripped Kalen's painfully tight, "You're sure?"
"Don't worry. The Goddess sent me that vision and I know where we should go."
"But we can't leave, Kalen! We're dead." His wife pointed out.
"True." "Yet the Goddess said to me we have her permission to have a home in the Divine Realms…the child, if left here, would instantly die upon its birth."
"No." Midori's voice was choked.
Kalen held her close and wiped the tears from her cheeks with a hand, "Just close your eyes and sleep." He soothed.
And after I'd wipe away the tears
Just
close your eyes dear
Those memories seemed so long ago, yet only eleven years had passed since then. Midori watched as father and daughter practiced with bow and arrow, Selinè teasing him by stealing his arrows from the quiver. Midori laughed as Kalen gathered her in his arms and tickled her as punishment.
Selinè ran up to her mother, green-brown—surprisingly not hazel—eyes twinkling with mischief and black braid flying. "Teach me the glaive, ma!"
Midori chuckled, "Do you remember about the lessons yesterday?"
Selinè nodded.
"And the rules." Midori asked in mock-sternness.
Selinè nodded again and rolled her eyes, "No chasing squirrels, no poking, no stabbing, and most importantly…"
"No threatening the boys." Mother and daughter replied in unison. Midori grinned and told her to get the practice glaives from their rooms. Later on, Midori would teach Selinè with her real glaive but right now she was just learning.
Selinè would need the teaching; it would do her good later in life.
