CHRONICLE
BOOK ONE: LYDIA
PART ONE: OUT OF THE GOLDEN CITY
Chapter One, The Diary
Present Day
The priest leaned against his barrel-chested donkey and signed, hopelessly stiff and sore from the uncomfortable ride. Massaging his aching buttocks, he walked stiffly into the clearing and slowly sank to the ground.
He cleared a space and lit a fire, and then went about lighting the torches in the surrounding trees. He had come here knowing he would find sanctuary for the night, but he had been surprised to find the place deserted. He hadn't heard much from his fellow Villagers, but surely those few wild rumors he had heard weren't true! Nonetheless, the walled-in haven in the forest, usually staffed by human rangers, was empty. And dusty, and looking jumbled and rummaged-through as if the last residents had left in a hurry long ago.
The torches lit, the priest went back to the fire pit and seated himself by the blaze, casting a baleful eye at the sinking sun. He hoped it wouldn't rain anytime soon, but he smelled a storm on the wind, and while the isolated forest sanctuary would protect him from the night-monsters, it would do little to keep him safe from exposure. Roughing it was not an option for him- he was too advanced in years. His bones ached from the ride, and no doubt his arthritis would be at it in the morning, and that's if it didn't rain. He wasn't sure what he would do if it rained.
Shrugging off his backpack, the priest pulled out his codex and the green diary, hoping to do a little more work before he went on. He had nearly finished writing in the first chapter, but he had to make sure he made no mistakes. Propping up the books side-by-side in his lap, the priest began to read over his work carefully. He started with the earliest history of the world, as described in the green diary.
The diary began with the story Lydia's father always told her.
Years before: 248 F.E. (First Era)
Jonas awoke to a tiny girl's big blue eyes staring intently at his. Chuckling, he pushed off his blankets and carefully sat up, making sure he didn't disturb his wife beside him.
"Oh, Lydia," he sighed. "Nightmares again?" The girl nodded. Jonas held out his arms, and helped the child climb up onto the bed and into his lap. Jonas stroked his six-year-old child's hair and hugged her close.
"It's going to be okay," Jonas soothed, still stroking his daughter's hair. Lydia was still trembling slightly in his arms. Jonas felt a swell of loving pride for his girl. Lydia hadn't shown her fear when she came in. Jonas looked down at that determined little face, now buried in his arm. He looked over at his wife, still asleep, as her swollen belly rose and fell with her breathing.
When Lydia stopped trembling, Jonas lay back down and let her climb over him to settle in the space between him and her mother. Lydia curled up against him, and in minutes was breathing slowly and evenly, fast asleep. Jonas shifted ever so slightly and closed his eyes again, putting one arm over his daughter, and the other to his wife.
He watched his wife's deep breathing as he pulled the blankets back up over himself and Lydia.
It won't be long now, he thought to himself. You're going to be a big sister, Lydia.
The family fell asleep soon after.
The one thing Lydia enjoyed most was her father's stories. She would beg him every night until he gave in and sat down on the side of her bed, talking until she fell asleep. Her favorites were about the mysterious man he talked about from where he worked. The one that could make blocks appear out of thin air and fly up into the sky.
"I'll bring you to meet him some day," he always promised, "But first, there's more of the story to know. Do you know how I came to meet him?"
And from there he would go into the story of everything, starting with the creation.
"In the beginning, there were the brothers Notch and Herobrine." He told of how Notch had first called light out of the great darkness of the Void, and then made the World, layer by layer by layer.
"It was Notch that made the stone," he explained as Lydia watched him intently, "and Herobrine that made the ores and the caves. Notch made the sands and the grass and the skies, and all the rain and snow, and Herobrine made the animals and the trees. It was Herobrine that made us. And it is Herobrine that is still here. You see, Notch went away to work other parts of creation. He has not yet come back, but he will someday. Until then, Herobrine builds with us. Their shrines are in the Great Temple in the center of the city. I'll take you there to see it, someday."
Lydia waited expectantly until that day.
On her seventh birthday, Jonas brought something special home for her as a present. Lydia's mother, Alayne, was standing over her daughter's shoulder at the kitchen table, helping the girl hold her quill correctly and form letters. Jonas grinned broadly as he tip-toed into the room, exaggerating his movements as he snuck up on Lydia, making enough noise to get her attention before he was close enough. Lydia laughed and squealed, leaping from her chair as Jonas pantomimed fright at getting caught. He held his cloak out in front of him, making it obvious he was hiding something.
"What is it, Daddy?" Lydia giggled as she made a grab for the edge of his cloak. Jonas shook his head and danced away, still grinning and staying just out of his daughter's reach. When Lydia finally stopped the chase and stood, arms crossed over her chest stubbornly, Jonas swept his cloak aside to reveal his gift: A diary, bound in green leather with a small clasp to hold it shut. Lydia looked at him curiously.
"Happy birthday," Jonas congratulated, and then he and Lydia sat down at the table again, and he showed her that she could write anything she wanted in this diary. Lydia handled the clean white pages reverently, as if she were afraid of staining them with ink.
"What do I write?" she asked, and Jonas made a wide gesture.
"Anything you want. You can write down the stories I tell you, if you want, so you can always keep them with you."
So, for that first entry, Lydia picked up her quill, and with careful, extra-neat script, she began to write down her father's stories.
Hanna was born only a week later. Alayne was cooking in the kitchen with Lydia looking on, when she suddenly doubled over, moaning through gritted teeth. Lydia, terrified, asked what was wrong.
"Get you father," Alayne hissed, and jerked as another contraction racked her body. Lydia fled the room and pounded up the stairs, shouting her father's name as she pounded on the workshop door upstairs. Jonas swept open the door.
"What is it?" He asked, his voice worried.
"It's mommy," Lydia began. "She said to come get you." Lydia didn't know what was going on. Alayne moaned again, louder this time, from the kitchen. Lydia saw a look of terrified anticipation cross her father's eyes.
"I have to go," Jonas said breathlessly, and he took his daughter's hand and went down the stairs as fast as she could keep up. He helped his wife to stand, and helped her into the master bedroom and into bed. Then he flew out of the house and onto his horse, and Lydia and her mother listened as he clattered away. "Watch over your mother until I get back," were his parting words.
A few anxious minutes later, he reappeared with a woman Lydia had never seen before that shooed the seven-year-old and her father out of the room. The door slammed behind them.
That was when the screams began.
Lydia looked at her father, terrified.
"What's going on?" She demanded, her blue eyes wide. Jonas looked between her and the door and swept Lydia up in his arms. "Where are we going?!"
"I'm going to take you to work," Jonas answered. "It's going to be okay, Lydia." He didn't want Lydia to hear Alayne in so much pain. He was antsy enough as it was.
Jonas helped Lydia up onto his saddle- it was much too big for her- and then he mounted his horse himself. Leaving his wife to the midwife, he galloped away towards the middle of the city. Lydia held on to the saddle horn and stayed frozen against her father, quite terrified.
That day became one of the most detailed entries in her diary that Lydia had ever written. Jonas steered his horse down gravel roads that quickly turned to cobblestone that clicked instead of clatter. Lydia watched wide-eyed and awed as they came into the city and the small family houses and yards gave way to huge buildings in every color in every shape. And there were so many people! Lydia felt small and frightened with so many strange people around.
Jonas turned his horse down off the main thoroughfare and onto a side street that went behind several high earthen embankments. Lydia drew close to her father again, reaching up to grasp her father's arms around her from where she sat in front of him on the saddle. Her father sighed and let his horse slow to a trot, so Lydia would be more comfortable. A few yards later, they were off of the trail and out from between the high walls, up in the open again. The father and daughter were surrounded by dozens of people milling about, working with tools and moving blocks in sledges and lifting them on ropes and pulleys. Jonas pulled his horse to a halt.
"Hark there, Jonas!" Someone with a light mountain accent called. Lydia looked around for the source of the sound.
"Morning, Drayda," Lydia's father called back as he slid off the saddle and reached up to lift Lydia. A dark-eyed woman approached the pair from where she had been discussing something with several others gathered around a workbench.
"How's Alayne?" Drayda asked, stopping just in front of Jonas. She was taller than him by several fingerbredths. "Last I checked she was near due. I thought you took leave for that." Jonas looked at Drayda with a nervous expression.
"She's ah...it's happening now. The, uh..." Jonas stuttered, and Drayda threw back her head and laughed.
"And the midwife threw you out! For a good reason, too. Now who- Oh, Lydia! Wonderful to see you again!" Drayda bent down so that she was at Lydia's height and gave her a hug. "Scared about mommy?" Lydia nodded. Drayda grinned. "It'll be all right, don't you doubt. Your mother is a very strong and healthy woman. There won't be a problem." Lydia looked between Drayda and Jonas, confused. She didn't know what was going on. At seven, it hadn't yet been explained to her where babies came from.
"I hope not," Jonas muttered in a much less cheerful tone. Drayda put her hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, man, lighten up. It's a baby, not a bushfire. Besides," She added, with a meaningful glance at Lydia, "You're frightening your young one here." Jonas glanced at Lydia's face and closed his eyes, turning away. When he turned back, he was smiling, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I can't help it. Can you do me a favor and show Lydia around? I promised her, but I... I'm not sure I can." Jonas's voice was strained. Drayda nodded knowingly.
"I'll give her a tour. You go get yourself a drink and see what you can do about the southeast corner on the foundation. It's too swampy there and the stones we lay keep sliding. Just get your mind off of this, because I know Rebecca's not going to let you back in until she sends for you herself. The old sourpuss." She and Jonas chuckled and parted. Drayda took Lydia's hand and guided her across the big open space to a huge half-finished structure.
Lydia knew Drayda as one of her "aunties", a close friend of her parents. She and Alayne had been rangers together for a time, until Drayda injured her leg with a bad fall. When Drayda couldn't go back to patrolling, she took to engineering on the advice of one of her brothers. Now she was one of her father's coworkers. Drayda still had a small limp, but she could walk again, at least. She was a tough woman, and both Lydia's parents trusted her with nearly anything.
"Want to see what your father's been building this past year?" Drayda asked, and Lydia looked up at her with anticipation.
"Yes, please!" She answered excitedly. Drayda smiled and led the seven-year-old into the construction site.
"You don't need to worry about things falling in this part," The tall woman explained. "The walls and the arches in the main structure are finished. All we have to do is add the rest of the covering."
"What does that mean?" Lydia asked, looking up at the empty space above, framed by high cross-arches and the tops of the wall.
"It means something like this: When you build something like this, you have to start with the base and the frame. The base, or the foundation, is what everything sits on. The frame is what holds everything up. It's what everything else is built on. In this case, that would be the pillars," Drayda pointed to the huge stone pylons that flanked them, "and the arches." She pointed above their heads. Lydia thought she understood.
"So this is our head architect's daughter?"
Drayda and Lydia both turned to see a man walking up to them from the entrance end of the unfinished hall. He was a lean but well-built man with dark eyes and dark hair that grew to his jaw. He wore a black shirt and blue pants, much like any other worker on the site. But despite is unassuming appearance, Lydia felt that there was something about this man. Something that was different than everyone else.
"Lord Herobrine," Drayda addressed the man in a friendly tone. Lydia blinked. Her father had talked about someone named Herobrine. Wasn't he the one that...
"Lady Drayda," Herobrine responded in kind, stopping and crossing his arms over his chest. There was a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. Drayda snorted.
"I'm an ex-ranger, not a lady," Drayda protested, and Herobrine laughed- a light sound that made Lydia want to laugh with him. He raised one eyebrow.
"Formality to formality, old friend," Herobrine said, uncrossing his arms. "Call me Lord and I call you Lady. I'm only your creator god, after all. No need for titles."
Drayda and Herobrine both laughed as though this was some old mutual joke. Lydia looked between the two, confused. She wasn't sure what to think. Jonas had told Lydia that Herobrine was indeed a creator god, and very kind, but she didn't imagine this was what he was actually like.
"Lydia, is it?" Herobrine asked, kneeling down to Lydia's height. Lydia gasped and quickly hid behind Drayda's leg. She trusted Drayda, but strangers made her nervous. Herobrine looked down and shook his head, chuckling. "Come on out. I won't bite." With Drayda's encouragement, Lydia slowly came forward. "That's it. Come out where I can see you, child."
"Did your father tell you about me?" Herobrine asked in a soft, soothing tone. Lydia nodded shyly. Herobrine smirked. "I hope he didn't say anything embarrassing," he added, looking up at Drayda. Lydia was silent. She didn't know how to respond.
"Here. Let me show you what it is your daddy does." Herobrine took Lydia's cautious hand and led her to the far end of the hall, telling her all about the things Jonas did to help build it. Lydia began to relax, feeling safe around the powerful man. It wasn't long before she was pulling on Herobrine's shirt and reaching up with her little hands, a clear gesture to be picked up. Herobrine smiled warmly and swept the girl up in onto his shoulders, letting Lydia look around the hall from his height. Lydia giggled with delight.
Some time later, Jonas appeared at the entrance to the hall, hair mussed and dusty and out of breath.
"Lydia!"
His call got everyone's attention. Lydia, Drayda, and Herobrine all looked up, and Herobrine instantly knew what was going on. He bent down to whisper in Lydia's ear.
"You might want to hurry. Something exciting has happened." Lydia nodded, and she ran across the tiled floor to where her father waited. Without waiting for Lydia to ask what was going on, Jonas picked Lydia up and rushed across the construction site to where his horse was tied. Lydia was pushed up onto the saddle and Jonas leaped up behind her, and they went galloping away, down the streets without stopping until they were home.
Lydia wondered if she had done anything wrong. Jonas was unusually quiet, and he was tense on the saddle.
The strange woman was standing at the door with her hands on her hips.
"About time," Rebecca the midwife grumbled. "Get on inside. Alayne's been waiting for you."
"How is she?" Jonas asked breathlessly. Rebecca sniffed.
"Don't get your knickers in a knot. She's just fine, and the babe too. Now in with you! She's been working hard for the past six hours, and looks pretty good for it. Stop your worrying, she's fine!" When Jonas didn't move, the midwife grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him in the door. Jonas shook himself once he was past the door frame. Freeing himself from the ruthless midwife, he rushed past and into the house, bursting through the door to the master bedroom.
A joyous shout followed.
"Lydia!" He called, sticking his head out the door. "Lydia, come here!" Jonas was ecstatic. Scooting around the midwife, Lydia hurried after her father.
Alayne was in bed with the covers pulled up to her chest. Sweat soaked her hair and the sheets around her, and there was a basin of cold water and a damp rag sitting on the side table. An open bag with its contents spilling out was sitting in the corner. The midwife breezed in and looked around, then gave a grunt of satisfaction. She gathered up the bag and went up to Jonas, her hand extended expectantly.
"Everything went well, so no extra charges," she said shortly. Jonas fumbled in his pocket, and drew out a few bright emeralds, pressing them into the midwife's open palm. She nodded, and left the room without another word.
"Lydia," Alayne called softly, and Lydia came to the edge of the bed. Alayne struggled to sit up- Jonas quickly moved to help her and stack the pillows behind her. Alayne held something in her arms- Lydia didn't know what it was. It was something bundled up in cloths.
"This is Hanna. She's your little sister, Lydia. You're a big sister now." Alayne moved so that Lydia could see what she was holding. She recoiled in surprise when a small red fist extended towards her face. A thin wail emitted from the bundle. Lydia's mother quickly drew the child close to her chest and rocked, cooing and humming. The wail became more urgent, and the little fists fought free of the wrappings to wave in the air. Lydia pulled closer to get a better look. This was her little sister?
Big brown eyes stared back, and Hanna gave a delighted squeal, wrapping her hands into Lydia's loose hair.
That night, Lydia was sitting up in bed, balancing her diary on her knees as she tried to remember everything she had seen that day. Especially Herobrine. She even added a tiny doodle in the margin of one page, but she couldn't seem to get his face right. When she finally finished, she left the book open on the floor under the bed for the ink to dry and crawled under her covers, exhausted.
She dreamed of Herobrine like he was told in her father's stories that night, with those dark eyes full of joy.