It was a pleasant morning. The sun shone brightly, the skies were clear and birds chirped a pleasant melody. Erlias thought it would have been better for his act if the day was a bit cloudy or at least windy… well this will have to do.
He bent over the cradle to gaze at a tiny figure sleeping peacefully. She'd been fed and bathed early today. 'Good. It'd be better if you sleep through what your guardian is about to do…' He smiles slightly as his eyes darken. 'This had better work..'
He leaves the room soon after the third bell and heads toward the courtroom. He's dressed in snow white robes with ascents of silver and light blue complimenting his sapphire eyes. A belt with the symbol of god of coming days fixes his robes and hugs his waist. It's a spiral pattern with curved rays from each point of circle converging at the centre. It also appears as if the rays radiating from the centre merge in a convoluted spiral of lines.
As if saying that while a person may start from a single point and have innumerable futures, he may start from innumerable points and have the same fate regardless of the choices.
Erlias found the meaning deep but he liked the design more.
"HIS HIGHNESS THE PRINCE'S ETERNAL PARTNER AND THE BELOVED PRIEST OF THE GOD OF COMING DAYS."
Erlias gagged a bit on inside at being called the brute's eternal partner but well….
He walks elegantly towards the throne and courtesies before the current king and queen.
"This one greets the sun and moon of this kingdom. May you eternally bestow this kingdom your ceaseless grace."
'Die bastards'
The king nods, signalling him to take his seat and the queen does the same, smiling a bit.
Erlias thinks she likes him. Not as he's a great strategist or a priest….he must seem a pretty catch who'd raise Darius' standing among those devout and desperate…
Erlias sighs quietly as he sits between Darius and Sinth.
The crown prince isn't quite expressive today….or maybe he doesn't really care about the annual peace conference.
It's held every year and all the dukes, dutchesses, counts and countesses attend it. Various concerns would be addressed and various parties would lose or gain some reputation and respect. It wasn't as interesting as it was important.
Erlias was almost sure that his plan would work. He'd seen it many times and had been yelled at by Sinth for doing it twice as many times…but it was a bit different every time. Equally disturbing and violent but...different every time.
He hoped it wouldn't be a peaceful one today …
The bargaining and proposals rained down for the better part of the day. Erlias sat patiently with his back straight and smiled amicably when someone looked at him. 'The audacity?'
It was nearly late evening when the meet concluded.
A slightly balding man, a count not quite significant enough for people to remember the name of hesitantly raises his hand.
Good
"Y…your m…majesty…if I m…may?" He looks at the king timidly seemingly asking for permission to speak.
"Yes?"
"T..today is the first day of the sixth month….it's the s…sacred day o…of the god of coming days.."
"And?"
"I…if this one may…he'd like to ask his highness prince Erlias to please bestow us with a vision of future? A…anything at all-!"
'Should pay him a silver less for every time the idiot stuttered'
Erlias looks up as if startled on being addressed suddenly.
"Well" the king says apparently tired and in a hurry to get the day done with as he looks at Erlias.
"What do you think? Can you?"
Erlias smiles softly, his brows furrowed as he speaks, " It is indeed the sacred day of my beloved god…and I'd be glad to attempt but as you're aware…it may or may not work… and if it does, the vision may not be anything significant.."
"No need to be worried dear Erlias.
A glimpse of mere sunrise shall suffice"
Erlias nods and walks to the centre of the court. He hesitates a bit then speaks, " Your majesty…if everyone is to see what I see, I will need a mage…and a rather strong one.."
The king nods and looks around eyes searching for a brown haired mage. He finds him beside the empty seat that Erlias occupied earlier. At a mere gesture Sinth stands, bows and heads towards Erlias.
Erlias kneels at the centre of the room, back facing the throne as Sinth hovers his hands centimeters away from Erlias's head. "May I?"
Sinth asks politely.
"Yes, yes please." Erlias replies sweetly.
'Such a wonderful person his highness Darius found'
'He looks ethereal'
'I'd let him stab me if his hands touch me-'
People as a whole admire Erlias quite a bit…
'How mild mannered ….he'd be eaten alive by politicians..' Kahnesr The chancellor thinks.
Sinth places the tips of his fingers on Erlias's temples and Erlias closes His eyes seemingly praying.
A blinding white light envelopes The courtroom and a while later an image forms faintly before them.
Erlias's eyes are glossed over and Sinth seems to be focusing as well.
The Image shifts a bit as a sun is seen. Rising and bathing the world beneath it in it's light…just as his majesty asked. A sunrise.
But..
Gasps of disbelief and fear sound throughout the room.
It's a blood red sun.
Except the sun is as it always is.
There's blood on the ground, on the walls, stairs, the mist is crimson and the clouds are red…
The mist and the clouds and air collectively make the untainted sun
appear cursed and malevolent…
And worse yet…it was the view of the capital…the indestructible and untouchable capital…drenched in crimson
And then…the vision dimmed, disappearing Slowly as Erlias groaned, swaying a bit.
Sinth supports him, helping him stand a bit unsteadily.
And suddenly there's absolute pandemonium. Gasps and yells sound throughout the hall and mutters of disbelief and horror echo through the huge hall.
"QUIET" the king commanded. A loud command that echoed in the hall.
There was prompt silence…
He looked at Erlias pinning the priest under his glare,"What is the meaning of this?"
Erlias, who's leaning slightly on the mage responds, " Y…your majesty I don't know. Just like everyone else here….I too saw it the first time. I'm shocked as well."
"Haven't you ever seen this sort of vision before?"
"No your majesty! Wouldn't I have informed you of it if I had?"
"....."
"Can you attempt to do it again? If what we just saw isn't a mistake we need more information"
There's a hushed agreement from the audience to that statement.
Erlias hesitates a bit before speaking nervously, "Your majesty…so soon-"
"Please ... .do attempt. It is after all the matter of the safety of the kingdom and our people"
Erlias still frowning, seems to make his mind before resolutely nodding.
"As his majesty wishes"
He kneels again assuming a praying stance,a hesitant sinth bringing his hands to Erlias's temples as Erlias, with visible effort this time falls back into a trance, eyes glazing over.
Another scenario plays out, this time it's a serene view. The birds are heard chirping quietly, a couple of squirrels run about and a peacock Walks by majestically. There's no trace of any violence formerly shown nor is there any sigh of apparent impending doom.
Some people sigh in relief. The one before must've been a mistake. See-
This is fine. There's no blood, no broken castles, the sun is radiant as ever and nature smiles as always; benevolent and kind.
The imagery shows a quiet place with unclear marble figures at regular distance. Many are quite artistic. Some are simple, there's some large ones and some smaller ones.
A quiet brook is heard cheerful and melodious. Water cascading down in giggles and laughter creates a joyful sound that is both calming and refreshing.
Many start smiling in relief. It was alright. The priest must've been mistaken before right-?
Maybe it was another kingdom's capital closely resembling their's?
Yes yes.. that must be it.
There's a sudden cry of horror from a minister-
"T…THE …THE STONES-
THEY'RE-!!"
Many seem confused at the sudden exclamation.
They peer closely a morbid feeling growing within their hearts when the image clears further, moving the focus from the bountiful nature to the man made figures.
They're not merely figures or statues.
They're graves. The first five most decorated and with intricate patterns belong to the royal Family.
There's tens…no hundreds of them. It's the carnias plains. They're well known for their fertile soil and calming brooks and trees. The flora and fauna are quite eye pleasing as well.
The entire length of the plains visible are studded with similar white and black stones. There are some graves at the peripheries without a stone or a marking Dug haphazardly with only a stick or a sad broken rusted sword to denote the existence of it. There's many such hand dug un cared for graves throughout the plains between the proper ones and the well marked ones.
It is the largest cemetery they'd ever seen.
Abruptly the scene cuts off as Erlias jerks forward with a harsh groan clutching his head and sinth quickly withdraws his hands from his temples catching the priest before he could fall forward.
For a cursed moment of collective denial, there's absolute silence in the courtroom excepting the harsh breaths by the priest.
Blood trickles down his nose as he leans a bit forward, staining his marble like skin and startling white robes. A moment later, he lifts his head and some blood accidentally enters his throat causing him to promptly choke and cough out The offending blood. The sound draws some people out of their revries and there's some muffled sound in the background yelling for a healer.
Sinth holds the priest in a half sitting position lowering his head forward and attempts to stall the blood by pinching the nose that elicits a groan from the white clad man who's barely conscious at this point. A nervous murmur breaks out as the king summons a healer.
Erlias's breaths slowly start turning into small gasps as he weakly attempts to swat the annoying hand pinching his nose.
Erlias's thoughts are a confused bundle of complaints addressing Sinth and his general state of being.
'Why wouldn't you let me lie down? Let go of my nose? This is uncomfortable as hell.Why am I nauseous? Whoever invented leaning forward when having nose bleeds is a sadist- Is this revenge? Let me breath-!'
A healer is called and sinth is instructed to float the patient to the infirmary. He quickly complies and soon erlias is sat down on a rather stiff bed and the sheets feel starched and scratchy.
A quick spell seals the nosebleed which also brings a stop to blood that went through the wrong pipe being coughed up. All that remains is Erlias and his unending misery.
'Probably should've listened to the idiot …' he'd die the hundreds Of deaths he's seen before admitting it though.
"Ugh-" another groan is heard before his body seizes. Muscles spasm violently for a second before he yells again, more startled than in pain. His nose bleeds once again as he's hauled up in a sitting position to prevent any unfortunate involuntary choking.
The healer, a middle aged man with mild greying frowns and places a hand on Erlias's forehead. A while later he seems to come at a conclusion as he withdraws his hand. Another hand, a smaller cooler one is placed on his head and there's some words being Said that he's too delirious to understand.
The smaller hand withdraws and the man mutters a couple of spells and the pulsing headache gradually subsidies and the annoying nosebleed stops as well.
For a precious moment, Erlias is absolutely delighted by the state of precious painless existence and almost smiles before remembering his purpose and slumping back limply.
Someone takes his hand, pressing against the delicate wrist before letting it go. A thin sheet is Pulled over him that almost makes him snort. If he really was cold, this wouldn't do shit.
He cracks open his eyes and immediately regrets it as white light assaults his senses.
So none of that it seems.
"Ah do take it easy your highness. You've taken quite a strain on yourself. Why'd you attempt this again when the past endeavors have been so unkind?"
Erlias assumes a complicated look as he says softly, " How could i deny his majesty-?"
There's a small gasp heard from behind the healer as an apprentice overhears the Conversation. She rushes out on being glared at and there's silence once again.
A quick sound proofing spell is cast and the healer sits down beside the royal. "When you said you'll be creating a scene I expected a mild bleed or a simple fainting. Not you half dying!"
"Ah-" Erlias starts before coughing a bit and grimancing at the metallic taste in his mouth. He's handed a glass of water which he takes gladly and drinks. He sighs and hands the glass Back. During this he accidentally looks at his clothes and raises an eyebrow. That was a bit more blood than he expected-
"It's less than a third of it. There's more on the courtroom floor and the bowl here."
Ah… so a lot more than he expected. He closes his eyes, suddenly tired of Sinth's future lectures.
"Well…" Erlias says… "I had to make it look real? I didn't know you would be treating me.."
He couldn't have tampered it down if he wanted but they didn't need to know that-
The door's to the infirmary slam open shattering the sound proofing spell. Sinth in all his royal mage glory stands in the doorway….
'Ah…he's mad this time'