Chapter Fifty Four – Stones

Shuna met them at the gate. Sheeta was relieved to see him, if he was here, it couldn't be all bad.

"What is it?"
"Several Councillors to speak with you."

Her heart bounded, please no

"Is it bad news?"
"I do not know, but they seem excited about something. I am not privy to their intentions."

Pazu dismounted.

"Shuna, stay. If anything bad happens I want you to keep close to Sheeta, if for any reason I can't protect her, you shall."
"I understand Paetsu."
"Shuna, please, it's Pazu."
"Let me stable the horse, you two go in. I will be there at once."

Sheeta's parlour seemed to be full of elderly women, and two men. For the Gathering a typical divide of the sexes. The councillors were not wearing formal dress but warm traveling clothes. Had they just arrived here tonight? It was most unlike members of the Gathering to arrive at a destination late in the day and proceed directly to business. More usually a good meal and a bed were needed before the talking could commence the following day.

Therefore, something was wrong.

Sheeta and Pazu looked around. He recognized Councillor Kamaesa and went to speak with her but she indicated a direction with her eyes. He glanced over. Sheeta had already noticed the thin tall red-haired woman. Pazu remembered her from his questioning over two months ago.(1) She bowed to Sheeta and pressed the palms of her hands together in greeting. She spoke.

"My Lady, Mister Pazu, please may I ask your forgiveness for such a rude intrusion unannounced so late in the day? May I introduce myself? Councillor Auyhonia of Moraecq.(2) I trust you will remember me from Penaerth?"

Sheeta gave a small bow in return. The red-haired lady's presence comforted her. She was one who had been on her side.

"Indeed. I recall that you were the only courteous lady present."

Auyhonia smiled

"Thank you, Lady."
"Please, I must offer you hospitality. Remove your traveling cloaks, some drink? Food?"
"My Lady, time is short, please do not be offended if we refuse your kind hospitality, we mean no offence, if circumstances were different we would most gladly partake."
"I will make tea."

Shuna had spoken. Waiting for neither agreement nor refusal, he went through to the kitchen. Sheeta noticed that he left the kitchen door open. Good, if there was to be trouble, he would hear.

"Please, at the very least, be seated."

The five elderly women and two men looked around. What on? Sheeta didn't have enough chairs. Pazu went upstairs and brought down the chairs from the bedrooms and a blanket box. Eventually there were at least enough places for the visitors to sit. Councillor Auyhonia remained standing.

"Lady, we do not intend to stay long."
"How can we help you tonight?"

Sheeta could not keep the tone of concern out of her voice.

"I will try to be brief, although there is much to say. My Lady, you and Mister Pazu must make a decision soon. We bring information that may assist you in making it. However we do not have much time. We know that the town of Heyng under Councillor Ptuomasa is already gathering an army. They have two or three thousand under arms ready to march. They are no more than four or five days away. Other towns and villages in Tohro province are restless also."
"Ptuomasa was the rude bald Councillor wasn't he?"
"Yes. The southern provinces are the most agitated."
"What about?" asked Pazu.

He was stood by the window, arms folded, looking out into the yard.

"Mister Pazu, they fear the unknown. They fear change. They fear the disruption of a comfortable cosy existence. They fear their world being turned upside down. Your return represents potential for all those things. I doubt they will use force but their irrational fear can be assuaged by having force ready to hand. The key is to not resist force with force. Although it may be your initial reaction to do so, down that path lies certain disaster.

"My Lady, we come here tonight because of your stone. Everything links to the stone. Yours is the last one. The very last Royal Daughter Stone in the world. You are the last Queen; the fact that you are both the last is not a co-incidence. The fact that had Mister Pazu been recognized as royalty he would have been a prince without a stone was one other factor in the Gathering's deliberations, although we could not say so at the time.

"Please listen carefully. It is vital that you understand all the subtleties of what I am about to tell you.

"In times past many royal family members had a stone. Not one stone for each family as you may have been taught, but several in each family, passed down, generation after generation. Each Councillor, each member of the Gathering also had one. Each Councillor was the senior official for one island. There were once a great number of islands. Each Royal or Gathering Daughter Stone was cut from an Engine Crystal, the two forming a pair, parent and child, or as we think of them, mother and daughter.

"When each island came to earth words of sleep were spoken and the Engine Crystal fell asleep, preventing that island from ever flying again. When the mother slept the Royal or Gathering Stone, the Daughter Stone then lost all, or almost all its power. It was either simply kept as a powerless trinket, discarded or if some power remained it was kept inside the head of a staff. Over time the staff stones would also die and when they did, that Councillor position was lost, given up. There were originally tens of thousands of Gathering Stones, now less than three hundred remain.

"In the same way that your stone is the last, and you, my Lady are the last, there is also one last staff without a stone – Councillor Kamaesa's. It is empty awaiting your Daughter Stone. It is no co-incidence that Councillor Kamaesa is the Gathering's representative in your village, my Lady. And also, in the same way that there remains but a single stone, a single queen and a single staff there is still alone in the world a single Engine. Just one."
"I know. I've seen it." from the window, looking into the yard, Pazu turned and faced the room.
"You have seen the last Engine?" Councillor Auyhonia seemed shocked.
"Yes. What of it Councillor?"
"The fact that you are alive, is what, young man. This would be under the mountain, yes? Across the lake?"
"Yes. And I don't believe that it's a coincidence that it too is here. The crystal that's generating the heat that creates the hot springs, warms the lake and, if I'm not mistaken, keeps this community alive with its own local warm climate. It allows crops to grow earlier and later in the year doesn't it? Far more fish live in the lake I assume. And keeps the snow levels down?"
"For a newcomer you learn fast. You are to be commended on your keen perception. Yes, without that Engine crystal, this valley would not be so bountiful. Life would continue here, but it would be harder. But descending into an Engine cavern is certain death. If you went there and survived you must have had the Daughter Stone with you?"
"Yes. It was sheer luck though that I did. Sheeta offered it to me."
"When was this?"
"Some weeks ago. I had heard at the Suethelhin that there were caves under the mountain and went to investigate."
"Just casually? Alone?"
"Yes."

Auyhonia was stunned.

"That was an extremely stupid thing to do. You might have died."
"It wasn't hard to find. It's only a mile or two into the mountain. Don't inquisitive children go in there from time to time?"
"No, they do not. And it is not an easy place to find. If you found it then you must have skill for navigating underground. Tell me," she turned to Sheeta, "my Lady, what led you to give Mister Pazu your stone?"
"I don't know. I was just uneasy. It seemed the right thing to do. I did feel afraid for him."
"Were you bleeding?"
"I was, well, just starting. I began that evening. How did you guess?"
"I expect your condition gave you a deeper affinity to your stone. I would imagine it wanted to go and imposed it's will on you and thus you gave it to Pazu. That is how it works. The royal female is very much attuned to her stone during the time she bleeds."

Shuna unobtrusively returned and moved quietly about the room serving tea.

"But what about Laputa? Another Engine is still running under Laputa," Pazu was puzzled.
"And it has a living Daughter Stone also. But, if I may, I will speak of that later. Right now, and fascinating as this discussion is, we are being distracted. Let me press on. If my Lady goes to the cavern and puts the Engine Crystal to sleep, it will die. It is the last island crystal. Then the last Royal Daughter Stone will lose much of its power and will be placed in Kamaesa's staff. It can still be used for some healing, some illumination, some finding and other minor spells but it will be weaker and it too, one day will eventually die."
"They are alive then, aren't they?" Pazu asked.
"Indeed, they are, in a way. The Daughter Stone being separated from the Mother Crystal is a little like giving birth. The Daughter Stone loves its mother like a human daughter does. It would have become much stronger when it got closer to its mother. You mentioned this, my Lady, in your testimony, how it took both of you to stop it the night you drew the fire spell from it here."

Sheeta nodded.

"Mister Pazu, what happened in the cavern?"

Pazu smiled, now he understood.

"They talked. They had a conversation. I think the big crystal was angry."

An expression of sadness came over Auyhonia. One of the other lady Councillors gasped and the remainder acted as though this were significant.

"In the cavern they were talking because they had not met for decades, if not hundreds of years. The Engine wasn't angry, she was unhappy. She had met her Daughter for a short while only. When we flew in the skies Engines and Daughters were never far apart and met frequently. The Engine under the mountain has been separated from her Daughter for a long time.

"They talked because they were happy to see each other. And there is more. The connection between royalty and the levitation stones is deep and subtle, very fundamental. You will recall how interested the Gathering was in determining the relationship between Her Highness and Mister Pazu. I regret that we were somewhat clumsy in our questioning. It was of course a deeply personal subject and we were simply not at liberty to explain our actions but we did at least attempt to uncover some facts. We were unsuccessful however in deciding."
"Deciding what?"
"Whether you were with child or not."

Sheeta stared at her.

"What on earth has that got to do with my stone?"
"Your relationship was important to the Gathering because if my Lady were to be with child the bond between a royal mother and child would mirror the bond between Engine and Daughter Stone. Putting the Mother Stone to sleep would put the royal mother of the child to sleep – this was why the Gathering were so interested in trying to discover the relationship between you – but we couldn't tell you why for obvious reasons. Please, my Lady, forgive us."

Sheeta and Pazu stared at each other; the surprise was almost too much to bear. Sheeta actually burst out in nervous laughter.

"Oh. I see. Uh, well, you have no need to be concerned. I am not carrying Pazu's child, nor anyone else's."

Councillor Auyhonia bowed to her and Pazu and Sheeta both felt a wave of relief pass around the room.

"This was why the royal families of the Heart, the Head and the Hand died out – they chose death and the death of their Engine Crystals. The Hand died out too except for the branch of the family that descended from Phom, who were disowned. My Lady lived because her Engine Crystal is still alive in the mountain."
"I thought Laputa was my crystal?"
"No, as fate would have it, and I am sure this surprises you, Paztsu Romuska's life was tied to that Engine, and he died, so now without a life linked to it the Engine Crystal of Laputa is free, but alone in the sky. The Daughter Stone of Laputa resides in the staff of Chamberlain Lammnia, the only staff that contains a living Daughter."

Pazu and Sheeta both frowned. This was becoming complex and difficult to take in.

"I don't understand. Why would I possibly wish put my Engine to sleep? And why put my Daughter Stone into Councillor Kamaesa's staff?"
"My Lady, because they are all linked. Engine, Daughter, staff… and Queen."

The thin red-haired lady paused. She seemed for the first time to actually be an old woman, and to be a little tired. She looked at Sheeta, she looked long and hard and carefully at the girl, watching to see if the understanding would come.

"I… I would die?"
"No, my Lady, not you. Your royal status. Without your stone you would no longer be queen. There is a corollary to sending the Engine Crystal to sleep. And it is why we have come tonight. This is the purpose of our visit.

"A member of the royal line cannot remain royal without their stone. Your stone will be passed to Councillor Kamaesa when its mother goes to sleep. At that point you will no longer be Qu-elle Lucita Toelle Ur Laputa, you just become Sheeta o-Bruaendell. And of course, at that point, you become a commoner. And," she smiled, the first time she had done so, "as a commoner you are free to marry whosoever you wish. In addition to which, without you as royalty, it becomes impossible for Mister Pazu to be recognized as royalty since you are the last queen. Without that, the reason most people in Gondoa have to interfere in your future becomes moot. Pazu can no longer be a royal leader since you can no longer be placed under duress to recognize him as such. Of course it would need a statement from him declaring he had no intention of continuing Pastzu Phom's aims and intentions, and since I do not know you well Mister Pazu, nor know your true purpose here, this might be the hardest thing to do."

--I--
---o-o-oOo-o-o---
I I

Silence fell in the room. Pazu was still at the window, although now he let his folded arms drop. Sheeta had been at the fireplace near where Councillor Auyhonia stood. She lifted one hand to the mantel and leaned on it. She needed to. Else she would simply collapse in a heap. Despite his best efforts, not one person had tasted Shuna's delicious timsu infused tea. Now someone did. Sheeta reached for her cup and with a shaking hand she drained it, in a most un-queenly way, in one go.

In those few perfect moments of silence something happened inside her. In the coldest, deadest, most unhappy corner of her aching heart, a heart that had been slowly and agonizingly breaking for weeks, Sheeta saw something, some tiny little thing. It was like the tiny spark of life that was created each month in her belly, an insignificant fragile thing. A mere transitory moment. Like the egg her body created, if it did not meet a man's seed within the designated time it would die. This tiny thing in her heart now, needed a seed, or it would fade and be gone. Like the egg of her womb it had to be helped in order to become life. Alone it was just a spark and would go out. It needed… She needed…

"Pazu?"
"Sheeta."
"Councillor Auyhonia, Pazu and I need some privacy. To talk."
"Of course my Lady. We came here tonight merely to inform. You do not need to make a decision now, there is a little time yet, two days, perhaps three…"
"No, I wish to talk now. If you would be so kind as to excuse us."

The Councillor was embarrassed.

"Oh, I am so sorry, yes, my Lady, we will step outside and leave you alone together."
"No, no, no. Don't do that! Please stay. Pazu?"

Sheeta held out her hand. The tiny thing inside her, that was hope, needed a seed. It needed him. He stepped across the room, he still had not removed his riding coat, the thick fur covering, nor she hers, and his riding boots left mud from the yard across the floor. Her hand beckoned him.

"Pazu, please come."

He closed the space that separated them and held out his hand also. Her small white hand touched his and holding it tightly she led him from the room, into the kitchen and out into the back garden. She led him to the garden gate and out into the blue orchard. Ptamos was risen early and there was gentle blue moonlight here separating the dark puddles of shadow of the trees. The first small green shoots were appearing on the apple and pear trees and they would soon be in full blossom. Down here in this valley by the lake they blossomed earlier than over the hill to the south in the next valley. No one had ever been able to work out why. They looked at the night sky, the myriad stars. She hardly dared speak.

"Pazu, what do I do?"
"Sheeta, this is your decision."
"No, it's ours. It affects us both."
"It affects you much more, it affects this village, all these people, your friends, the change in heat here will affect their lives. This whole country, the end of royalty."
"Pazu, I didn't mean that, and you know it. This is about us. We can be married. Don't you want that?"
"My beautiful lady, you know what I want. There is nothing more in the world that I want so much, but it's such a big price."
"No it isn't! It's a tiny price. We stop the war in one go! We don't risk all those lives! You cheat Maerth-dhu! You can stand there on top of that grain tower and stick your tongue out at him, and laugh at him. You can lift your riding skirt and stick your bare bottom out at him if you like. Give him a whiff of his own stink!"
"Sheeta!"
"Laugh, you… yau taeg! Come on, laugh! It's funny!"

He smiled. He grinned at her. It was funny, she was funny. It had been so long since she had smiled. Since she had laughed and he had laughed with her. Her eyes shone, she saw a seed of promise for her tiny egg of hope.

seed, come to me, give this hope birth and make it become life

"But you won't be queen. You won't have the stone."
"I'll have you, Pazu, my great big idiot! I am happy to be nothing as long as I have you. If you go, without you, I am nothing anyway. I may as well be nothing and have you."

There is no logic in a broken heart, yet in Sheeta there was a grain of logic still left. What she said did make sense. Especially to a person so much in love with her.

"My dream is to fly, build flying machines."
"My dream Pazu is to be your harbour. Have your children. I want those things so much. Please, let me do that for you. I'll happily die if I can do that."
"Well… I think we've decided already haven't we?"
"Hm. I think so. Would you…? Please would you hold me?"

He opened her yaoko pelt coat and slipped his arms inside it and around her. Running her hands inside and around his shirt and feeling his firm warmth, she held him too and for a few minutes they merely rested against one another. She spoke.

"Don't wake me."
"What?"
"If this is a dream, don't wake me up. I want it to go on and on."
"I hope it is a dream, our dream. I hope it has come true. I hope it never ends."
"Pazu, I love you very much."
"Sheeta, marry me."

Her hope that was a tiny fragile egg and the seed of his promise joined together. They became one. Cautious yet, and unsure, but joined.

She was quiet, she did not want to speak, to tear this moment up into pieces with words and thoughts, to make shreds of now. She wanted it to go on, make it last as long as she could. So for her reply she did not speak but merely held him tighter.


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(1) Please remember that in my universe this society has eight months each of 45 days making a 360 day year. Weeks are still seven days of 24 hours. So a month is a little over six weeks long.
(2) Her name is pronounced "Eye-honnia" but with a more open first syllable, more of an "o" sound, "Oye-honnia". The name of her town is pronounced "More-hek".

For author notes about Chapter Fifty Four, please see my forum (click on my pen name)