A Dragon's Tale Ch. 26

"Wow." Beth breathed.

It really was ahanging garden.

He was hit with an exquisite explosion of vibrant color and verdant beauty. Everywhere he looked there was a different flower or carefully grown vine. There were an enormous number of raise beds suspended at varying heights, and many of the flowers were literally hanging down from them, being interwoven with some kind of vine. It was like a lot of small waterfalls made of flowers interwoven with vines. Some of the trees were similarly draped in the same colorful flower-clad vine 'waterfalls'. In the distance, there was one particularly impressive flower-vine 'waterfall' which towered over thirty feet in the air.

It was breathtaking.

Walking paths of soft grass were carefully cultivated and wound their way through what might've been a field of wildflower. The variety and colors were incredible, and also looked wild and beautifully chaotic. Yet there was some undiscernible order to it too; some pattern he couldn't make out.

"Honored dragon, welcome." The wood elven king said. He was standing perhaps a dozen feet from the entrance and wearing similar clothing to the previous day.

"Uh, thank you for having me." Ethan replied.

"This is my queen." He said, indicating the Elvin woman next to him.

Standing next to the king was a breathtakingly beautiful elf. The queen's hair was golden, much like Beth's. However, her face looked rather familiar. It took him a moment to realize that she was Alana's aunt, and he could see the family resemblance. While he firmly believed that his own wives were the most beautiful women in the world, he wasn't blind. From an objective standpoint, the queen was easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in person, and it wasn't close. The only possible exception was that FBI agent, Selene.

"I'm honored." Ethan replied, hoping that was the proper response. Beside him, Beth curtsied.

The queen swept forward to stand next to his wife and beamed at her. "Now my dear, would you like to see the best parts of the garden while our husbands discuss their business?" He noticed a few passing similarities between the queen and Alana in their mannerisms, tone, and body language.

"May I?" Beth asked him.

"Of course." He replied immediately.

He got the distinct impression that the queen -- whatever her name was -- was similar in temperament to Alana, which could only be a good thing. The queen whisked the slightly intimidated looking Beth off deeper into the gardens while Ethan turned to regard the king.

"I meant no offense yesterday when I declined to invite your wives into the palace." The king said. It didn't sound like an apology, merely a statement of fact.

"Why did you 'decline to invite' them?"

"The palace is the seat of power, and power must be righteously wielded or it becomes sin. To admit the unrighteous -- including those who have dishonored themselves -- would be to admit unrighteousness into the seat of power, which would be sin."

Ethan blinked.

Then he frowned.

There was a twisted sort of logic to it, but 'twisted' was the operative word.

"Long have I desired to speak with you honored dragon, for true prophets of Illuminar are rare in these days, and the land wilts for lack of His word."

"I already told you..." He trailed off as he remembered that he wasn't supposed to contradict the king.

Ah screw it; what's the worst that could happen?

"I am not a prophet of Illuminar." Ethan said firmly. "I'm not. I realize you think the lightning and bringing people back from the dead is proof, but it's not. The lightning is just ordinary magic, and the technique I used to bring Kendra back from the dead in The Arena is common where I come from."

The king looked perplexed for a moment, then almost smiled. "It has been nearly four decades since someone told me I was wrong. Not since I was crowned has any man, elf, dwarf, nor other creature dared to correct me. Yet you do. Explain yourself."

Curiously, the king's final comment came off as less of a command and more of a question.

Interesting.

"I merely spoke my mind." Ethan replied after a moment.

The King smiled, seemingly pleased with that response. "You said that the technique you use to bring men back from the dead is common where you come from. It is a blessing to live where death is rare."

"Death isn't rare." Ethan countered. "People die all the time and the technique only works on a few kinds of death."

"Interesting." The king gave him a piercing look for several moments. "Walk with me honored dragon."

"Sure, but you can call me Ethan." He walked forward as the king turned and he found himself walking shoulder-to-shoulder with a king. The elf was an inch shorter than he was and his pace was slow but deliberate; a comfortable pace for a discussion.

"Ethan." The elf mused. "Such a strange name."

"From my perspective, it's not nearly as strange as having no name."

The king touched his index finger to his heart and said "Yalba."

"Huh?"

"It means 'touch' in the elven tongue; it is what a sparring partner says when his opponent scores a point."

Ethan smiled. "We have a similar convention where I come from."

They walked in silence for several moments before Ethan thought of one thing that he needed to say. "Thank you for reuniting Alana with her father. I can't even describe how much it meant to her."

"It was my pleasure." The elf smiled broadly, and it looked like he truly was happy about that. "Navaro is a good elf, and I'm pleased he was able to meet his daughter."

"What happened?" Ethan asked. "I know some of the broad strokes, but not the specifics."

"Navaro and your wife's mother were star crossed lovers from the start." The king explained. "I remember the first time they met in my court; they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other despite still being children. Their attraction only grew as they aged. The day after your wife's mother became of age, Navaro asked her father for her hand in marriage."

"I take it he said no?"

"He did not." The king replied. "However, they spent a very long time -- nearly a year -- in negotiations for her hand."

"Negotiations for her hand? What kind of negotiations?"

"The bride-price of course. Having married a Lord's daughter yourself, you know how expensive it is to purchase a good wife from her father."

"Purchase a wife from her father?" Ethan felt a little bit of a growl slip into his voice and tried to restrain it. "Why not just let the pick for themselves?"

"We aren't pitiless barbarians." The king looked perplexed. "We wouldn't do something so cruel as to let an immature girl choose her own husband; she would surely choose badly and make herself miserable."

"You might be surprised." He replied through gritted teeth, but let it go. From the king's tone, that particular tradition was deeply embedded in their culture and he doubted that anything he could say would change it. "What happened to them then?"

"The negotiations stretched out, though not because of Navaro. I'm sure he would have happily traded away half of House Kalon for your wife's mother. His father was understandably insistent that the match didn't bankrupt their House though. Eventually, the impatience of youth spoiled the match. They..." The king paused, as if steeling himself to say something repugnant. "They fornicated together."

"And...?" Ethan said, not understanding what the big deal was.

"You are not elven, nor are we speaking the elven tongue; else you would understand the gravity of the crime." He explained. "They shared a bed without bonding to one another."

"And...?"

"There is no word in the tongues of elves, men, or dwarves for this abomination. To share your body without sharing a bond -- without sharing your soul -- it is unthinkable."

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, realizing he would need to bear with a lot when dealing with these wood elven traditions.

"You don't understand." The king observed.

"Not one bit." Ethan replied. "It might've been unwise, but they were consenting adults; they can do what they want."

The king shrugged. "You are young; your opinion will change once you have daughters of your own."

Ethan highly doubted that, but let the comment pass. "So why is Alana's mother shamed, but not her father? Wasn't he just as responsible?"

"Perhaps more so." The King replied. "But she would not give up his name. Further, he would not admit to it, almost certainly at her urging. Neither has ever had eyes for another living soul, nor did she claim to be forced. Illuminar -- blessed be He -- demands a confession in open court or the testimony of two or three witnesses for a conviction; Navaro cannot be convicted contrary to the law of Illuminar -- blessed be He. Thus, I cannot treat him as convicted, which is why I speak his name and entertain him at court."

Oddly there didn't appear to be any disdain or even distaste behind the King's words; they were merely a statement of fact. He stopped besides a small waterfall that was about their height. In the distance he could see their wives laughing and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Beth was certainly enjoying herself judging from their bond.

"Would it be possible for Alana to meet her mother?" Ethan asked. "Navaro said that it might be possible with a request from you."

The king looked out at his wife. "Were the queen not her sister, it would be impossible. But since she is, I could perhaps arrange for my wife to escort your wife to see her mother."

"Wait, the queen can see Alana's mother, but not you? How does that make sense?"

"My wife is her family; to turn your back on family -- even in their shame -- would bring dishonor to your family; for who can turn their back on their own blood?"

"Okay." Ethan sighed.

It was starting to sound like they could use their strange concept of honor to deny or permit just about anything they wanted. He wasn't against the concept of honor or tradition, but their twisted version of it was a bit unsettling. It seemed to leave little room for redemption and forgiveness, while at the same time making it easy to fall from grace.

The combination wasn't healthy.

"Come." The king said starting to walk again.

Ethan obliged, falling into step beside him. "Why did you ask me here?"

"As the king, I must strive to do everything according to the will of Illuminar -- blessed be He. When I heard a prophet of His had arisen, it was my duty to investigate." He paused. "Yet you say that He has never spoken to you; curious."

"I don't think I said 'never'." Ethan corrected.

The king made a thoughtful sound. "Go on."

"I think I met an angel once." Ethan then described how Gabriella had told him he would fight a deadly foe, beat her, and then commanded him not to let her die.

The king had an amused smile as they passed a particularly beautiful 'waterfall' of flowers which resembled daffodils. "Illuminar -- blessed be He -- sent an angel to you with a message about the future, and yet you claim not to be a prophet."

"I'm really not." He confirmed.

The king chuckled. "You appear to be in denial."

"No I'm not." He replied with a wink.

The king laughed. It was a hearty laugh that was both genuine and made Ethan want to laugh with him.

"I would have you be a prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- for then I could ask you a question."

"You can't ask one now?"

The elf shook his head. "No, for someone to know something that the crown does not would dishonor the crown."

Ethan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "So, you can't ask anyone any questions ever?"

"Of course not, except of Illuminar Himself -- blessed be He -- or one of His prophets." For a moment, the king got a wistful look in his eye. "I would like to remember what it's like to have a normal conversation, if only for a short time."

Ethan couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him.

* * *

After eating breakfast and promising to come back and say goodbye to Sarah before she left the area for good, Selene had struck out on the road towards the monastery. She figured that it was a good place to find someone who would know where a ruinedtemple was. There were no guarantee of course, but it seemed likely.

CAW! CAW!

She turned to see a single raven flying overhead.

It looked like the same one that had looked in on her that morning, which was rather odd. She thought she'd glimpsed it a few more times, but couldn't be sure. Regardless, it made her feel like she was being watched. She had half considered shooting it a few times, but didn't want to waste her precious few bullets. Besides, hitting a bird at that range was a difficult prospect at the best of times.

Unable to do much about it, she continued onwards.

* * *

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Ethan asked, sure he'd misunderstood King.

"I would have you meet Illuminar Himself -- blessed be He."

"How would I do that?" It didn't sound like a threat in the vein 'meet your maker', which made the statement very confusing.

"There isn't a single wood elf who hasn't heard of Mount Ianis." The King replied. "It is where the first king of the wood elves met Illuminar after his coronation. Illuminar promised him that when any future king of the wood elves truly needed guidance from Him, He would meet him at the mountain."

"So, you could talk to God whenever you want?"

The king shook his head. "No. Illuminar -- blessed be He -- said that it was only to be used when a king truly needed guidance. No prophet of Illuminar has been seen for many, many decades. Now you arise and no one is quite sure what to make of you."

"So, you want me to go to this mountain and just have a friendly chat with God?"

"Yes."

Ethan opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. This was truly the strangest place he had ever been, and possibly the strangest conversation he'd ever had. Just 'have a talk' with God? He wasn't even sure God existed. Granted, Gabriella seemed to be an angel which directly implied God's existence. However, it was far from proof.

Did he even want to talk to God?

Given all the crap that happened on Earth -- and all the pain, misery, and suffering that mankind endured -- he wasn't sure he wanted to meet the fellow. And what if he said the wrong thing? Would God fry him with a lightning bolt? That's if God even existed and the whole Mount Ianis thing wasn't a scam.

"Give me a minute." Ethan said to the King, then turned his thoughts toward his wives. *Ladies, you won't believe what The King just asked me to do...*

* * *

Selene reached the monastery without difficulty or incident. It was right where Sarah had said it was, though it was much larger that she'd expected. The stone building was large; easily several thousand square feet and quite tall. It was surrounded by a medium-gray stone wall about a dozen feet high, with a wrought Iron gate that was taller still.

The gate was currently open, though a very large man with a quarterstaff was sitting on a stool just outside of it. He was over six feet tall and built like a tank. He had a full, dark beard and slightly wild-looking face, but kind eyes. He wore robes that were clearly supposed to be white, though it was more of a natural linen color than the brilliant whites on Earth. The robes had a sun made from yellow fabric that she figured was supposed to be gold. He broke into a smile as she came closer, and she definitely got a 'gentle-giant' vibe from him.

"Hail traveler." He had a deep voice. "What brings you to these parts without your husband?"

"I'm not married." She said with a sigh. Why did everyone on this world assume she was? Was it some unwritten rule or something?

"Oh, my apologies." He said with a bow. "What bring you to our humble monastery?"

"I was hoping to get shelter for a night or two, and information on a local landmark."

"It would be our honor to provide lodging for you. Illuminar -- blessed be He -- instructs all men to be hospitable. And between you and me, it's been a while since a stranger has come by. We'll look forward to hearing the news at dinner tonight."

"Thank you, though I don't have any real news to share."

"That's a pity." His face fell slightly, but brightened moments later. "I'm brother Kalen, welcome."

"Selene Dawson, pleased to meet you."

"Come, I'll show you around." He stood and motioned her through the gates.

* * *

*Oh wow master.* Taloni thought to everyone as she covered her hand with her mouth. *What an honor.*

She could feel her wings fluttering in subconscious excitement as she thought of her dear master meeting with the wonderful God of Light who had brought him to her. She could scarcely believe it was true.

*Wow, I wonder what that would be like?* Beth chimed in, her boundless curiosity always shining through. The Fey girl loved that about the human teen.

*That's... that's just amazing Ethan.* Alana said with a reverent tone. *To speak to Illuminar Himself... that's just... just wow.*

"What's going on?" Rachel asked, looking between her and Beth. The redhead had been pacing the weather deck all morning, clearly with something on her mind. She had declined to answer when either Alana or herself had asked what was wrong. Now the teen mage had clearly noticed that something was up.

"The wood elven king asked Ethan if he would meet with Illuminar on Mount Ianis." Beth said.

Rachel took a sharp intake of breath. "I hope he said yes immediately."

Taloni shook her head. "No, he wasn't sure--"

"Tell him to accept now." Rachel said, cutting her off with an urgent tone. "That's one of the highest honors the wood elven king can give, and it's only offered rarely; not even once a century. For Ethan to refuse -- or even hesitate -- could be a grave slight to the king."

Taloni relayed the message to Ethan, doing her best to convey Rachel's urgent tone.

There was a several second pause, then Ethan replied. *Done; accepted. Please thank Rachel for me.*

Alana and Taloni both did so.

*I won't lie ladies, I'm a bit nervous about this.* He said after several seconds.

*Don't worry master. You're such a wonderful person; I'm sure Illuminar will be very happy with you.*

He didn't answer for several seconds. *I hope so; the King just called for Delabor to make a small airship ready to take me to Mount Ianis. Apparently, I'm going today.*

Taloni bit her lip.

She desperately wanted to ask Ethan if he could ask Illuminar if she was a good wife, but wasn't sure she should. I mean, her husband's meeting with God Himself was incredibly important and her question just didn't seem as important next to that. Still though, she wanted to know if Illuminar thought that she was a good wife because she really wanted to be one.

*Hey honey* Ethan said privately to her. *Are you okay?*

*Yes master, just excited for you, though I'm a bit nervous.* She replied before she'd thought... then she nearly kicked herself. Why hadn't she just asked Ethan to ask Illuminar?

* * *

Brother Kalen had led Selene on a short tour of the monastery, which was rather impressive. There were three main buildings; the monks' dormitory, the chapel area, and the lodging place for guests. There were multiple smaller buildings that looked like sheds plus a few green houses. She also learned that the monastery owned the land around it and the farmers paid their rent in food for the monks and any travelers who sought lodging within its halls.

"Here shall be your lodging." Brother Kalen said, indicating the large room with over a dozen beds. It looked like no one else was there at the moment, so she would have a bed all to herself. It was strange; she'd always taken that for granted on Earth.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." She said with a smile.

The monk smiled back. "Aye, 'tis our pleasure."