A Dream of Empire Ch. 020

"Far... for the gods' sakes, Cass, it doesn't matter. You're exactly the same as I remember. I'm holding you, right now. Surely you don't believe in this... this nonsense, right?"

"Nonsense?!" the elf thinly exclaimed, wrestling herself away from Talos' grasp. He let her go, but they both remained on their knees as they gazed into one another's eyes.

"Sorry, Cass," Talos exhaled. "Please, tell me what happened. What haven't I heard? What did you see after you touched the stone?"

Casiama squinted. "You spoke with Faranya."

Talos rolled his head indifferently, but remained silent so not deflect the conversation away from the answer he sought. Casiama huffed, reaching out to Talos to place her hand on his leg.

"I saw you, my love. I saw you and nothing else as I floated in an infinite void. Although..." she gave him a cute half-smile, "you had pointed ears. You looked pretty silly."

"Hm," Talos smiled. Casiama softly continued her story, the tears in her eyes be damned.

"You spoke to me. By the Lady, I was so fearful, but the first thing you said to me was that I should be calm. You said that you loved me, and that everything would be okay, and that you would come find me soon. And... here you are."

"Here I am," Talos softly agreed.

"You then told me who I was. You told me that I would carry a great burden on my shoulders, although you could not tell me what. You also said... to forgive you. For you did not know your sins," Casiama softly explained, furrowing her brow.

"Mm. I'm hearing that a lot today."

"I did not know what you meant. I still don't," she shrugged, frowning. "And that is the... gist of it, as you say? Then I awoke in a field beside Faranya, wearing nothing except for," Casiama glanced at the sword on her hip, wrapping a palm over it's sapphire pommel, "Dawnbringer."

And then she was led so astray. Oh gods, Cass...

Talos tightly clutched her hand. "It's fine. It's fine. Because we're leaving, Cass, and we'll have all the time in the world to rediscover ourselves out there. Alone."

"Alone...? But, my love... the moon turned green while I was in the heavens. And you yourself said that I was Kian'ra, and that you are my eternal husband."

"I didn't, Cass. I'm right here. I couldn't have possibly spoken to you in the heavens."

"You do not know!" Casiama exclaimed, tearing her hand from his grasp. She gracefully hopped to her feet, then turned about to look away from him. "You think this is all but a coincidence, don't you? That the moon turned green, that I hold Dawnbringer, that you yourself told me that I am Kian'ra!"

Talos groaned as he found his own feet. "Yeah. I do."

Casiama spun about, her gaze hard as stone. "And is it a coincidence that these elves of the Mossy Tree believe that I'm Kian'ra as well?! That I, a direct descendant of her, am the fated harbinger of the Fourth Age? That you yourself told me that I had a great burden to bear?!"

"I didn't say that," Talos harshly declared.

"Yes, you did! And it is my purpose to lead these elves west, and to collect all the tribes of elvendom to march against the Empire! I'm to right the wrongs of Imperia, and you as my husband are to help me!"

Talos glanced to left and to the right as his fists trembled at his sides. His mind was aflutter with a thousand thousand thoughts. His heart threatened to burst from his chest. His patience unraveled before Casiama's eyes.

"Fine. You think you're a goddess?!" Talos yelled at her with arms outstretched. "Then tell me, Kianra, why is the sky blue? How was the world formed? Why do bad things happen to good people? Do you know?"

Casiama glared at him, her lips curling in disgust.

"What's heaven like, then? A goddess would know that, at the very least."

"Dark," she answered through her teeth.

"Dark? Is that all you have? Think about this, Cass; if you are truly Kianra, shouldn't you know something?!"

Talos looked on her trembling form with pity and regret. Why were the fates so cruel, but to play with such a vessel?

"You don't know anything because you're not her. You're my Cass, and you need to run away with me. We need time alone, away from all things and everyone. Don't you love me? Don't you trust me?"

"Yes! Of course I do, Talos! You're my everything! And together we are love," Casiama cried as she twirled away from him. She slowly swayed about as she spoke, wandering everywhere yet nowhere at all. She seemed so very distant from him.

"We are... that calm breeze that blows on an otherwise-tragic day, where nothing else seems right and all hope is lost. We are the twin-tailed comet, the precursor of dawn. We are the oak and the ash, the two trees that hold the sky in place. Together we have all the power in the aetherius to right the wrongs of Imperia, and you would instead have us do nothing?"

"I would," Talos croaked out. "Cass... if it is truly fate that you must burn down the realms of man, then why work so hard to see it true? If it is truly fate, then won't it happen anyway?"

Casiama spun about to look him in the eye. "Fate requires the fated to play their part, lover!"

"Fate requires nothing from you! And it deserves nothing. You are who you are, and those who say otherwise are merely pushing their falsehoods onto you."

"You said otherwise!"

"I am right here, Cass! I didn't say those things! I traveled half the world to find you, and if I knew you would have a fever-dream of me telling you to disbelieve my words, I would've said it first!"

"This was no dream. I am Kian'ra, and you are my eternal husband; Talo'nir."

Talos' heart skipped a beat, as did the entire world and beyond. Yet, he still convinced himself it was all merely a coincidence. He fought the tears in his eyes just as fiercely as he fought the fates themselves, and the conviction of his love ascended.

"No. No-no-no. I only see you, and me, Cass, surrounded by the insanity of a thousand thousand dreams."

"Then you are blind." Casiama turned away from him and unsheathed Dawnbringer in one fluid motion. She pointed it towards the heavens.

"Behold, lover. The Bringer of Light."

Talos looked towards the heavens, as the storm clouds above him were swept outwards in an instant, creating a circle of cloudless sky which shone down upon Casiama, himself, and the entire mesa they stood upon. The thick clouds enveloping that cloudless patch began to slowly rotate, quickly gaining momentum over the course of half a minute.

Talos' jaw slacked open in disbelief. This was quite the impressive display of elemental magics. He then heard the chants of a thousands elves at the foot of the mesa as Casiama lowered her sword.

"Kian-ra! Kian-ra! Kian-ra!"

Casiama spun back around, smirking, as if all the mysteries of the world were already solved, and Talos was the only soul that wasn't made aware.

"Humans are a blight; a blemish on perfection. Three-hundred years ago they fought a war to erase all memory of us. They changed our names as if to change our story. They killed our beloved and our devoted, as if we only draw power from those who believe in us, and not the aetherius itself. You and I are the harbingers of fate; the closing curtain on their empires and their lies. Join me, husband, and right the wrongs of Imperia. Join me, and ride the fated winds to whatever shore they may take us. Just like in the north. Just like you did here. Just like last summer, when your human mistress led you to me with a dream then never dreamt again. This is how it must be, and to fight against fate is to fight against reality. You are on the losing side, husband, but I am your eternal savior. You do not need to wander."

"'Human mistress'? Is that truly what you think of Alanna now? The girl that fucking loves you?"

"That's all she is, Talo'nir. A distraction from your true purpose."

Talos looked on the grass at his feet, two drops wetter than they'd been but a moment ago. He drew his blackened sword, Cassandra, and raised it at the girl he loved.

"Insanity," he muttered. "You believed all this elvish prophecy shit the first day we met, but I'd thought you'd changed for the better. To think that you forgot all those lessons of love and life... why, it's hard to believe that you lost yourself so quickly. But I won't let you do this, Cass. I am human, no matter what lies you choose to believe. You'll have to kill me first."

"I will do no such thing! And you cannot force me now," Casiama cried as she clutched Dawnbringer and her skirts, as if straddling the line between hapless maid and invincible goddess.

She'd gotten one thing wrong, though; Talos was a man of the world, and the world didn't run on hate. He would force her to see reason.

Forty feet separated him from the precipice of insanity. Forty feet.

Talos lunged at her, pirouetting around a sudden gust of wind which threatened to blow him away, then through a cloud of shimmering dust he'd thrown from his pocket to counter the next. He raised his steel to strike at the girl he loved, but he intentionally let his hand slip, and his sword clanged against sword at the very last moment.

Cassandra exploded into a hundred pieces when it's steel met Dawnbringer. Talos was thrown to the ground with another gust of wind. Casiama then pointed her heavenly sword at him as he tried to crawl away, and cried out her commands over the chants of her followers of insanity.

"Then return to the mistress that you think you love! The one who poisons your actions, your thoughts, and your better judgment! I will spare you, and her, so you may together gaze upon the realms of man as it burns to ash around you! Only then will you realize the truth."

Talos glared right through her and her brittle words, and lifted himself to his feet. He threw the hilt of Cassandra to the dirt. He turned his back on prophecy.

"You loved her too," Talos muttered as the clouds closed in once more, showering the world in tears.

-=-=- King Alfred II of Solais, Suzerain of Cormina and Asuria -- 6^th of Last Harvest -=-=-

Alfred strolled through a row of neatly-placed tents, lined with the many colorful banners of his many knightly subjects. It was still the early morning, and a bitter wind collided with the camp, forcing the many tents to flap harshly in the breeze.

His army had been on the march for almost two weeks now, albeit making slow progress while they awaited reinforcements from the east. But, today was the day that their dull march would likely come to an end, as he had just received troubling news from his scouts.

Alfred nodded to every other knight that he passed, each and every one acknowledging him with a fist against their chest. He noticed his man Solomon playing cards with a group of men-at-arms and strode towards him, and placed a mailed hand on his shoulder when he neared.

"My tent, Solomon," Alfred commanded. Solomon complied with a nod, and sought to instantly pack up his coin and cards. "In ten minutes, or so."

"Sire," he monotonously replied. The King released Solomon's shoulder so he could attend to his business, then continued his stroll down the row of tents.

Alfred was looking for his new Court Sorceress, and, being the ever-discreet woman that she was, Alanna was camped somewhat far away from Alfred's own tent. In fact, she was domiciled in one quite similar to every other tent in the row, and Alfred only figured out which one it was due to the lack of heraldry at it's fore, and the fact that Talos the Warrior and Tanya the Sorceress were speaking in hushed tones near it's entrance. Alfred overheard the end of their exchange.

"I'm sure it isn't like that," Talos murmured sympathetically, his hand on Tanya's arm. "We'll try again next month, okay?" Tanya bit her lip, nodding.

"Yes. Okay," she sniffled.

"Talos. Tanya," Alfred gruffly greeted the pair. Tanya spun about to meet his gaze, and tried to perform a curtsy even though she was wearing pants. Charming.

"Sire," Talos replied with his ever-present smirk. He'd just returned from gods-knows-where only two days ago, and had since taken most of Alanna's free time for himself. Alfred folded his arms at his chest.

"Could you inform Alanna that I'd like to see her in my tent at her soonest convenience?"

"Yeah..." Talos answered, glancing towards the sky as if in thought. "Though, she's ready now if you'd like to tell her yourself," he added, motioning an arm towards the tent flap. Alfred grunted and showed himself in, only to find a sight entirely unexpected.

The inside of the tent was enormous. It was four to six times larger than it should have been judging from it's exterior appearance, and it held a large bed, rugs lining every wall of linen, and had a smoke-less fire burning at it's core. Alfred's amusement only multiplied when he found Alanna at the far wall, preparing herself for the day next to an full-sized boudoir. She glanced at him as he entered, and gave him that perfect smile that she always wore.

"Alfred," she greeted him with a giggle, placing her kit of makeup on the wooden stand below the mirror. "It's Tanya's doing; conjuration something-or-other."

"I see," Alfred smiled. Alanna's necessity to answer every unasked question would take him some getting used to, but oddly enough he never found it invasive. "I only stopped by to invite you to my tent for a meeting, although I'm now pondering if I should have held it here instead."

"I've not the chairs for it anyway," she giggled, standing up from her mirror. Alfred looked on her as she smoothed out her dress; a new garb of hers that clung somewhat-tightly to her curvaceous form until meeting her waist, where it flared out until falling all the way to the ground. It was black and purple, obviously meant as a display of her new position as Alfred's sorceress, and she looked positively radiant in it, just as she always did.

"Do you like it?" she bubbly asked, running a hand down her side as she stepped towards him. "I'm worried purple makes me appear chubby, but I do appreciate how it compliments my hair."

Alanna delicately swept a hand through her full locks of blonde, and only beamed brighter the longer Alfred stayed silent. She was likely already receiving all the compliments she needed from his thoughts, but Alfred decided to vocalize them.

"It's befitting of your position, sorceress, and the color certainly doesn't interfere with your figure."

"Glad to hear! It is for your benefit, after all. What's the meeting regarding?"

Alfred finally found the willpower to look away from her. "Our outriders finally caught wind of the elvish host. They're encamped not six miles south of us."

"Oh! That's... good, right?" Alanna asked, losing her smile.

Alfred shrugged. "I'm not sure. Hence, the meeting."

"Of course. Just give me but a minute so I can do my eyeliner, and I'll be ready."

"I'll be outside."

Alfred removed himself from Alanna's opulent tent after appreciating her quick curtsy and her contagious smile. He looked back on the abode once he'd left, shaking his head at just how tiny it looked from the outside.

"Tanya. What's a King have to do around here to get a tent like this?" he warmly asked as a jest towards the sorceress-in-black. She cleared her throat.

"Well, um, sire, i-it requires a great deal of willpower, a-and it must be summoned anew each and every night, so... um..."

"I'm joking," he gruffly reassured her. How could a sorceress so skilled be so utterly ignorant of social cues?

"Oh! Good one, sire," Tanya exhaled. Alfred looked away from her when Talos gripped her waist, an act which visibly calmed the nervous sorceress.

Alfred did not muse on how a man like Talos was gifted with the devotion of two sorceresses, but he did wonder how he kept them from murdering each other. He only gave it a moment of thought, though, due to more pressing concerns on his mind. Fortunately, Alanna met him outside the tent but a moment later, sliding her hand onto his arm.

"Do I get a royal escort to your tent, sire?" she teased.

"Of course," he replied, motioning a hand down the row of tents before they casually made their way there.

-=-=-

In the end, the decision was made to meet the elven army in the field this day, two votes to one, with Alanna voting against the better judgment of Alfred's scouts and commanders. She was no warrior, though, so her dissension did not phase him.

So, here they were. Alfred, mounted upon his armored stallion Rexus, was positioned in the center of his intimidating host of seven-hundred knights. They were lined closely together, shoulder-to-shoulder, in preparation for an inexorable charge down the hill towards the elven host.

To his left and to his right where small glades of oaks, and his outriders were combing them even now to ensure they were empty. And to his fore was a thick treeline, marking the boundary of the Forest of Asuria. Only the first couple lines of elves were visible there, on foot with shields and spears in hand.

A charge could not persist through the trees, of course. His army was positioned here to prevent the elves from advancing further, and he could not envision any outcome today which would allow the elves victory. A stalemate was the worst outcome this sun could bring.

A shining star of white suddenly burst through the forest canopy ahead of him. An offer of talks. Alfred smirked, and he told Alanna to produce the same in reply. She raised her hand and conjured her own shining star, one of white which fizzled into a dark-hued purple as it flew further skyward. Good girl.

He then spied three elven riders emerge from the treeline ahead, one in white flanked by two others in white-and-green. He then told Solomon and Alanna to ride with him, to meet them in the center of the field.

"Alfred, wait. This is so obviously a trap."

Alfred glanced at Talos over his shoulder and scoffed, "what other choice do I have, man?"

"Retreat from here to join with the rest of your army, then return better-prepared."

Alfred scanned the faces of his advisors and those knights nearest him, and was disgusted by their worried visages. They were likely in agreement with the man who thought his preference was superior to that of a King's. How ignorant they all were, to believe that such a choice was to be made so simply.

"Ya!" Alfred shouted, urging his horse forward to meet the elvish emissaries. Solomon and Alanna followed him there. They met the trio of elves mid-field, in between the armored nobles of Solais atop the hill and the forest's edge, which concealed the majority of the elvish host.

Riding at the center of the emissaries was an elven maid, who was clad in gleaming white armor from head-to-toe. She rode atop a white steed wearing similar white armor, and had a shining sword at her hip in the style of a bird's talon clutching a gigantic sapphire. She appeared absolutely divine, and there was no doubt in Alfred's mind who this elf was. The other two were far less notable, garbed in intricate elven armor of whites-and-greens. One of those elves shouted to Alfred and his companions once they'd arrived, heralding the elven maid.

"You gaze upon the Princess Casiama of Tor Valliya, Fourth of Her Name and Kian'ra on Mundus, Bestower of the Infinite Sky and the Bringer of Every Wind."

To Alfred's left, Alanna softly cleared her throat. "And you are in the presence of King Alfred the Second, Protector of these lands. Your arrival in Solais is unannounced and unappreciated, Princess Casiama. Speak your desires, so that we may avoid the shedding of blood this day."