Proclamation

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

When he returned to the castle, Stecky came running. "Your Highness! A message from Yis for you."
"Really?" Taréz took the scroll, wondering what the news was. He hardly heard Stecky excuse himself to attend to a visitor's ring.
The prince hadn't heard much from Yis recently, partly because he was so busy. It contained surprising news: dark Vle were now interned in the camp, having been arrested by the army as ‘light Vle sympathizers.' Yis was relating the story of one ex-monk in particular who had led many such groups, right up to Dronac.
"Your Highness?" said Stecky nervously. "An important visitor...."
"Prince Taréz, attend me," said a benevolent voice from below the grand staircase.
Taréz looked over the landing to see the Representative of the Great Master climbing the steps, and dropped to his knees. "Your Holiness! I am not worthy to receive you." He paused. "May I inquire as to the purpose of your visit? I have not known the Representative to leave Kezantopil for reasons other than Deschule celebrations."
"Unusual times call for unusual measures. Is your father available?"
"He is."
"Please, stand, my son."
Taréz did, and nodded in excusal to Stecky, who moved off on a new errand. Then, the prince noticed the two young Vle behind the Representative, but wasn't sure how to phrase the question in his mind.
But the question was answered anyway. "Let me introduce you to these two youngsters I just met. This is Mecora, who lost two of her best friends to the camp. And, if you'll excuse me my presumption, my dear, is half light."
The boy appeared astonished, while the girl stammered. "Y- you can tell?"
"I am a student of Vlekind, Mecora. Even though you may be dark enough to escape internment, it is clear that one of your parents was light."
"You never told me that!" said the boy.
A discussion seemed about to follow, but the Representative preempted that. "And this is Stecky. He and his parents are Varmacian, and were unfortunate enough to be visiting our country when the Proclamation was made."
"My father will definitely want to hear this. Please, follow me, Your Holiness."
Taréz turned and walked at an easy pace for the chambers. It wasn't his custom to walk so slowly, but now he felt himself to be in the chamberlain's place, in comparison with so holy a person as this. He even used some of the procedure for announcing a guest to the King in the royal chambers.
"Father, a very important guest has arrived. May I show him in?"
The king gave a look askance at his son, then checked himself over. "Yes, please, who is it?"
"May I present the Representative of the Great Master. He wishes to speak to us regarding the internment of the light Vle."
Taréz father did an admirable job concealing his surprise, and, groaning, he knelt. "Your Holiness! I am not worthy to receive you."
"That remains to be seen. Please, let us sit at the table."
"Yes, please, do." Taréz led the pontiff to the head of the small meeting table; the children continued to stand.
"There are some facts I would like you to know. My investigation showed that Gardric made accusations about strikes, riots, and even a dock burning?
"Yes. The strikes and the riots threatened the security of our nation."
"I submit, King Lajot, that the security of your nation is very undermined anyway."
"So it has turned out."
"Worse, however, is that many of Gardric's accusations were manufactured. A private stationed in Hantas confessed to starting the dock fire. The strike riots were by a small minority, less than one hundred Vle at a time. The light Vle are a very sensible race, you know."
"I know. My chamberlain has shown that. But what of the bank strikes? If we hadn't been able to take them over, our nation would be bankrupt and taken over by now."
"Also manufactured. That Gardric is a wily one. Again, through confessional, we learned that he paid a few of his troops to intercept the mining audits so he could make it appear to the bankers that the miners weren't being paid enough, when in fact they were receiving competitive pay. Quite simply, the light Vle were never a danger to Larmania."
The king whimpered, and fell ignominiously onto his voluminous belly. "No, no... How could I have been so blind..." he whimpered.
The Representative contnued to converse with Taréz. "I am gratified to learn that His Majesty's heart is indeed pure of intention. Did you know that even dark Vle and non-citizens have been rounded up to be sent to the camp?"
Taréz felt sick. "Perhaps it would be healthier for Gardric to never arrive."

Kezantopil

It was really a very beautiful city, with many, many structures treesculpted over the many centuries since the Great Master came. Clearly, a majority had been constructed a thousand years later, during the height of the Light Vle Empire. Their architecture was distinctive, being very geometric despite the resistance of life to such precise forms. There were corners, points, and edges throughout.

Later construction included the use of color, a development that came roughly two hundred years after the Empire disintegrated. Of course, the color had to a large extent disintegrated, too, so one could only guess at the former brilliance of the green, yellow and pink hues. They seemed very pale to more recent blues, purples, and reds, all done in graceful curves.

And, finally, the most modern places were natural colors once more, influenced by the rural churches that couldn’t afford coloring. The forms, however, were thicker again.

Not a single structure there was without some church-related purpose. From the stables to the lodging houses, all had at the very least a chapel within, and the work done was for the church’s guests and resident priests.

The Proclamation

The sound of the horse approaching on the ancient road (long ago constructed by the light Vle when they ruled here) alerted the town to the messenger’s imminent arrival. All work stopped, and someone put a wagon in the center of the plaza. The rider came up the lift, and stood officiously on the wagon.
“Hear ye, hear ye!” he cried as he took out the scroll. “Our Lord and Sovereign, King Lajot the Twenty-fourth, has hereby declared the following:”
Finally, he unrolled the scroll, to preserve officiousness. “From this day forth, all those who account themselves Light Vle, to wit those who trace their ancestry to inhabitants of the land of Kamilea, are to reside in a camp, which shall be called Light Vle Camp. It shall be located ten miles west of His Majesty’s royal city, Dronac. All Light Vle in this village are to leave for that camp immediately; an army patrol will come in two days to aid in the process. Take only what you can carry. His Majesty expects his good loyal subjects to aid and not hinder this movement. All Light Vle who attempt to remain behind shall be accounted debtors under common law and dealt with by local councils in such manner. So ends the word of our great and wise ruler, King Lajot the Twenty-fourth.”
Amid mumblings of surprise, he climbed down from the wagon, and returned to his horse; up in town, a few elders stepped away from the crowd and began to organize a sending-off festival.

The dream

The garden was at the very edge of the forest, about forty feet above the ground, to get the most sun. All sorts of fruits and vegetables grew there, blessed by the spirit of the Dog Star [...of the Great Master! called a faint voice...]. The sun, which gave its light and heat to all living beings, hung just above the trees across the meadow, swathed in a growing shadow. Ruteby [Hyran!] raised his arms to the sun, his mother and siblings doing the same, and he felt an incredible harmony with everything...
[Harmony...] Now he was at the house, looking at the same garden, now dead. Nothing grew there, and the soil in the basin was red. He had only been gone for a few years, having left to find work in a nearby village. And now there was no sign of the family...
That did not mean violence had occurred here, almost certainly not by other elves. The trees were safer than the ground, but snakes lived in the trees, and other animals...
[The Great Master has plans for you....] as he discovered soon after. A few missionaries stopped by, and found him wanting in many things. It is difficult enough to support a family alone in the forest, but at least the family can help. Here, he was struggling to provide himself with enough, since the garden could not produce. When the missionaries of the Great Master came and brought him Salvation, he took it and their generosity as a sign....
The days soon after he had chosen to dedicate his life to the Great Master were heady times. Was he ready? [Trust...] Would he be worthy? [Trust...] Could he truly stay within the confines of the vows? [Trust...] Would the days of mentorship ever end? [Trust...] And indeed, Brother Allega had come along and shown him the humor in life and behind the confines of religion, found when you could [Trust]! But would he ever see his mother or siblings again? [.......]
The garden quickly became his favorite place, however protective Gouan was of it. Many times Hyran would sit amongst the citrus trees, breathing their wonderful aroma, or he’d walk through the plot of wheat, or he’d lie on the thick tangle of roots and berry vines that ran from one garden pot to the other. Invariably, the old gardener would find him eventually, and shoo him off. “Nature’s not to be enjoyed!” he’d say. “It’s here for us to control. If you’d do more of your studies instead of playing hooky here in my garden, you’d know that!” At least once, he’d find a bee or a blue-spotted redbeetle and squish it for emphasis.
[I have nothing to do with nature, only people...] Hyran once asked, “Is that why you’re here, then, to try to control your part of nature?”
“No, I’m here ‘cause someone’s gotta grow the food. Might as well be me.” [He was ‘volunteered’ for the job...]
The dreams of the past ended there and moved into the random ramblings of unconsciousness.

Proclamation

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Kezantopil

The Proclamation

The dream

Mimbaya tubes

Azhe

The view from the window

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Chamberlain Yis

The Chief of the Army