Dream Fragment - To Heaven Chained (II)
Athame, her father had said. There's something I must show you. Come to the top of the Tower when court adjourns.
She'd never been quite this far up before; the royal bedrooms were still a few floors below the top. From the last window, just before the final door, she could see the whole of Ciel stretched out beneath the Tower. It was... humbling, in a way. In fifteen years, she still hadn't come to fully understand how large the city was. How many people down there gazed up at the Tower every day? How many people felt shelter in its shadow?
One day, she'd know the answers. Just as each king and queen before her had. She stepped into the circle on the floor, and a moment later she rose into the air on a platform of shimmering lights. The trapdoor above her opened, shutting only after she was safely in the circular room above. Great designs were lain into the stonework beneath her feet, sweeping lines and runes that she couldn't immediately identify.
And, standing in the center of the room, her father nodded to her and beckoned her closer.
"Father? What is all this?"
"This... is the last work of Omen and Aradia. The heart of the Tower."
"What does it do?"
He smiled at her, regal and kingly. Then he sighed, and the illusion was broken. "No one living knows."
She blinked at him. "H-huh? But..."
"It was their last work. They spoke of its importance, but... if they told anyone of its purpose, it has been long forgotten."
She frowned, eyes tracing along the spiraling lines in search of patterns. "But..." She glanced up, frowning, when her father chuckled.
"That is exactly what I'd hoped for. Athame, my prodigy of a daughter. I have never met another that understood magic as you do. Tell me, without prevarication – do you believe you can make sense of this chamber? Divine its purpose and function?"
His voice had shifted again, no longer simply her doting father but the King of Ciel. Thus, she stilled her immediate response and took her time. She walked in great circles, following one sweeping runic arc after the next. She knelt down on the cold stone and studied it. Finally, she stopped before him... and bowed her head. "Yes, father. I can do it."
"Then from this moment forward, you are not only the princess. You are the Mistress of the Tower; whatever resources you need, you will have. You will spend your time studying, seeking the meaning and purpose of this chamber. You are equal to all others with a royal directive, my daughter. Do not let them gainsay you."
She nodded firmly. "I understand. Sh... should I begin tonight?"
"You are the master of this project, Athame. You decide."
It was long before she slept that night.