Blessed Ch. 02: New Day, New World

Both Gladra and I gave the Elfess questioning looks. Looking at me, she said, "Aaron, I want you to watch my mouth as I speak. Do my lips form the words you are hearing? Do they form your word for 'centaur' when I say our word?"

My eyes were wide. She was right! Despite understanding each other completely, Rhaliyah's mouth wasn't forming the words I was hearing. Meeting her eyes, I gave a half-smile. "I assume you noticed this a while ago?"

She nodded. "And from your reaction to 'Neaphir,' I'm willing to guess that you don't have a word for beings that have a humanoid torso with a lion's body?"

I shrugged. "I think the term 'lamia,'" I stressed the word, not sure what they would hear, "can be used either for snake-people or for other sorts of creatures. If I recall correctly, one of the lamia myths has a woman's face and breasts on a lion-like body, and there's a... well, a game that has lamia in it that look like Neaphirs."

Rhaliyah made a thoughtful face. "'Lamia,'" she echoed, and I could see that she was actually saying the word.

Glancing over a Gladra, I saw that she had steepled her fingers and was leaning on her desk, frowning thoughtfully at me. "Perhaps it is another part of Au'rea's blessing that we can speak two tongues yet understand each other nearly perfectly. Only words that have no equivalent in each other's language fail to be understood. Perhaps you can think of one we would not be familiar with?"

"Computer?" I said after a moment's thought.

"Com-peut-ar..." The Priestess tried sounding out the word slowly. "Such an odd word." She thought for another moment, staring at nothing. Then, with a shake, she focused on me with a wry smile. "I suppose this simply means that you won't have any trouble speaking with others, regardless of where you are and with whom you are speaking. Such magic is not unheard of, but normally it is embedded in an amulet or ring.

"But I'm sure you have more questions. Ask, and while you break your fast, I will do my best to share what I know."

I thought for a moment, cautiously popping a grape-like fruit into my mouth. Okay, yeah, it was a grape. Rather anticlimactic. "So, I remember we're on Xeria, but what's the nation called again? What's the political situation?"

"Eldara - which is one of three major nations on the Mheres continent - is an alliance made between many various races, most prominently Humans, Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves. The other two organized nations are Gradeen, a kingdom ruling a conglomerate of Satyrs, Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins, and Skthetshis, a joint Naga and Mer Empire of the sea. There are also large stretches of relatively wild land across much of Mheres, where tribes of Lamia, Centaurs, and Neaphir have settled, and Dryads and Chakit are largely settled in the Niovru Woods."

I held up a hand to pause the Priestess while I finished chewing on a bit of meat - very pork-like - and swallowed. "Chakit? I don't know that one."

"Ah," Gladra nodded. "Kaoka is a Chakit here at the monastery; they are furred, slightly taller than Dwarves, and have quills on their backs."

I nodded. "I think I saw her talking with a... lizard-woman."

Gladra nodded. "Gridina, an Izaril. Several Izaril clans are members of the Skthetshis Empire, though they are only semi-amphibious, preferring swampy environs, but not capable of living underwater, and are hence more of a protectorate of the Empire than a full member.

"There are settlements of other races, but those I've spoken of are the main ones. On the whole, Mheres is at peace, though Skthetshis and Gradeen share a long and... debated border. Disputes flare up annually, but blood is rarely shed over it.

"However, all nations and races are threatened by the Fallen. They are twisted, cruel reflections of the races, and every so often, farms or small tribes, even a village will simply disappear, with evidence that the Fallen had been there. Making matters worse, there are cults that seem to be almost allied with the Fallen, though last I heard, we know almost nothing about their activities or goals."

I frowned, then swallowed - just a slice of bread and cheese, nothing to get worked up about. "Where do the Fallen come from?"

Gladra spread her hands, palms up. "None seem to know, though some speculate that those who disappear... well, whenever a settlement disappears, a fresh rash of Fallen attacks occur in the surrounding area. I'm sure you can guess what the rumors say."

I nodded, my jaw clenching. It was human - and apparently, other races' - nature to assume the worst. It was all too easy to see the logic that said that when a settlement disappeared, the Fallen were bolstering their numbers, which they would then use to attack tougher targets.

"I assume the Fallen aren't too big of a threat yet, or else I'm sure Gradeen and Skthetshis would have larger issues than border disputes to worry about."

Gladra nodded, "Yes, but I fear that it heralds something worse. The Fallen have always been a threat to all, for as long as any can remember, at least since the time when the Divines walked among us. But it has only been the past decade or so that the danger they pose has begun to increase."

I frowned thoughtfully, staring at my near-empty plate. "I hope they're not why Au'rea brought me here. I'm no fighter, nor a general."

Gladra tilted her head. "Then what are you, Aaron?"

I looked up sharply, then off to the side, withering under her quizzing look. "I..." Sighing, I leaned over, resting my elbows on the table and cradled my forehead in my hands. "I'm no one. Nothing."

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Rhaliyah laid a hand on my arm. "Everyone is somebody, Aaron. Perhaps you simply have yet to find yourself."

I snorted, shaking my head. "I've been cleaning out horse stalls for a year after failing half my classes at college. I live - lived - with my grandparents. I'm a failure. So if Au'rea has some plan for me to do something important, then she fucked up big time by choosing me."

Gladra opened her mouth, her face sad, yet kind, but the voice which spoke first was not hers, nor any I recognized. And yet, I felt as if I knew it almost as intimately as I knew myself.

"Of that, you could not be more wrong, Aaron Wells."

A warmth filled me, and I gasped, standing as I recognized the feeling as a far, far less intense version of the burning that scorched me from the golden woman from the woods, when I touched Au'rea.

A gentle glow came from my left, and the three of us turned to look at the golden, gossamer- dressed woman who now stood in Gladra's office. "You weren't a hallucination," I breathed, tears filling my eyes, though I couldn't say why. Gratitude for my life? Relief that I wasn't insane?

"Au'rea!" Gladra exclaimed, though if she was saying it as a swear or simply in shock that the Golden Goddess had actually appeared, I wasn't sure. Regardless, the Priestess stood abruptly, knocking over her chair, eyes wide. Beside me, Rhaliyah's hand, which was still on my arm, had tightened in shock, and she had stood up as well.

The Goddess smiled at Gladra, then past me at Rhaliyah, before her gaze came to rest on me, causing my tears to flow freely as I was overwhelmed by the selfless, complete love she expressed with her eyes and lips alone.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice shaking. "I'm nobody. Why choose me? What did you even bring me here for?"

"I chose you for your heart. For your spirit, your empathy, your sense of morals." Vaguely, I realized that her lips actually did form the words I was hearing, though why my mind picked that up beat me. Perhaps I was trying to take refuge in the inane. "And I chose you because a great evil intends ruin and subjugation for all of Xeria. The Fallen are but a symptom, and merely the first, the vanguard for a flood of evil that will consume this world."

"And what do you want me to do about it?" I cried, trying to be angry, to rail against this woman, this goddess that took me from everything I knew and dumped me here without warning. But that damned expression of love... no love as pure as what she was expressing could possibly be faked.

"Save Xeria," Au'rea replied serenely.

I slumped in my seat. "I will not force you," she continued, "and perhaps I could find another to take your place. But the chances are slim, and if you do not take up this burden, then this world will almost certainly be consumed."

I squeezed my eyes shut, tears sliding down my cheeks. She wanted me to take responsibility for a whole world, for millions of people? Me, who routinely forgot to do the dishes or laundry at college?

I heard Gladra and Rhaliyah gasp, and opened my eyes just as Au'rea cupped my cheek in one hand, turning my gaze towards hers. Pity, regret, compassion, and... faith. I could see all that in her eyes.

"I... I'll try my best," I whispered. I didn't want this, I didn't even think I could do it. But to say anything else was to condemn Xeria callously. So what else could I say?"

Au'rea stared deep into my eyes, and after a moment, smiled. "In nine years time, Blessings of the Trine must thou maketh thine." Then she leaned in, and placed a kiss on my lips, a kiss that was simultaneously chaste and lustful, motherly and sensuous. And for the second time in not even two days, my entire being burned, and I had no sense of anything.

When next I could see, Au'rea was in front of Rhaliyah, and while I could hear their voices, I couldn't make out any words. Rhaliyah's eyes went wide at something the goddess said, but after a moment, and a glance at me, she made a resolute face, and nodded. After another moment, Au'rea gently touched Rhaliyah's cheek, and the Elfess' entire body glowed, much like Au'rea did. After only a second, Au'rea vanished.

Rhaliyah, looking rather stunned, though still aware, looked at me. "You're glowing, Aaron," she said flatly after a moment of hesitation.

I glanced down. Definitely a glowing golden aura around me. I gave Rhaliyah a lopsided smile. "So are you," I replied, wiping the drying tears from my face.

The Elfess blinked, then frowned and looked down at herself. "S-so I am," she stuttered before sitting down in her chair carefully.

I frowned at her. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

"N-no, it's just..." She held up a hand, examining herself closely, even as the glow began to fade - from both of us. "Au'rea asked me to do something. I agreed."

"What did She want from you?"

Rhaliyah looked at me, her gaze intent and worried. "To go with you, and protect you with my... with everything I can."

I felt my heart falter. She was totally about to say, 'with my life.' And sure, I didn't know Rhaliyah too well, despite having fucked her without even a first date. But the thought of her - of anyone - dying for me was a scary thought. The knowledge that she practically volunteered herself (I doubted Au'rea had forced her to agree) only made it scarier.

"I seriously hope you don't ever have to put yourself in mortal danger for me," I told her. "That being said, I'm a stranger in Xeria, and I've never been in a fight. If I'm supposed to stop the Fallen, and whatever they're a symptom of, I'll need a lot of help."

Rhaliyah smiled at me, nodding confidently. Then we both looked at Gladra, who had sat back in her chair and was looking at nothing with a shocked, yet contemplative expression. After a moment, she blinked, then glanced between Rhaliyah and I. "These are... interesting times," she eventually said. "Blessed, for none have seen Au'rea or any other divine for centuries. Yet also cursed, if what Au'rea says is true. And if conflict is coming to Xeria, then perhaps..." she frowned in troubled thought, then stood, pacing in front of the fireplace for several moments. Finally, she returned to her desk and rang a small bell. The sound seemed small, but after several seconds, Di'ia opened the door.

"Yes, Priestess Gladra?"

"Make a change to everyone's schedules, starting today. Four hours of every afternoon shall now be dedicated to combat and war training." Di'ia paled even more than her natural porcelain complexion, her ears and tails tensing and the fur on the latter standing up straight, but nodded. "Once you have informed the instructors, gather the other Head Priestesses and bring them here. Aaron has received a mission from Au'rea Herself."

The Kitsune's eyes widened in shock, and she glanced at me, ears pricked forward in interest, before she nodded again and closed the door.

Gladra sat again, then gestured at Rhaliyah and my half-eaten breakfast. "You should finish your breakfast," she said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lip. Then she picked up a quill, dipped it in an inkwell, and began hurriedly scraping out something on a piece of paper.

As I began to slowly eat again, I watched her write, squinting at the letters, but I didn't recognize any of it. Clearly, Aurea's blessing of tongues or whatever didn't extend to writing. The runes she used were comprised mainly of straight lines, reminding me vaguely of the Norse alphabet.

Rhaliyah and I ate silently while Gladra wrote feverishly, stopping after each line to re-dip her quill. She would pause occasionally, brushing the feather of the quill against her lips absentmindedly while she thought before continuing. It was cute, though I vehemently shook the idea from my head the moment I had it. Gladra was probably in her thirties or early forties, though wrinkles were remarkably absent from her beautiful face and gorgeous, practically-nude body. I doubted she would be interested in me, especially after I had confessed my uselessness. And besides, our ages were too far apart for it to make sense. Even if she was astoundingly beautiful.

Squeezing my eyes shut and mentally shaking my head, I resolutely turned back to my plate, keeping my eyes away from either of the women I was with. I managed to just finish my breakfast when Di'ia came back with a soft knock, Othri and Vlere following her in. Gladra nodded at them, finished signing her memo or letter or whatever, and gently placed the quill back in the inkwell.

giving everyone in the room a small smile, she stood from her chair, clasping her hands together below her waist. "As I'm sure Di'ia informed you, Aaron has received a mission, a quest, from Au'rea Herself. Furthermore, she had given him, and us, a warning: that the Fallen are only the harbingers of a calamity poised to bring ruin to all of Xeria."

The Priestesses gasped, their gazes flashing between me and Gladra, and their leader allowed their shock to run its course before continuing. "In response, we will do three things. First, we shall prepare for conflict, for the growing threat posed by the Fallen will surely reach us eventually, and even if not, we who would serve Au'rea, though we be healers and companions, must also fight should the need arise.

"Second, a warning must go out, at the very least to our sisters, though I would warn the secular nations of the coming storm and well. I have composed a missive to Her Radiance Kheseila, explaining the situation and my response, and requesting further guidance. I would have Chio deliver it as soon as a mount and provisions can be prepared.

"Finally, Aaron, though he has been assigned a great task by Au'rea, currently lacks the skills needed. I believe it is our duty, as Her servants, to help him prepare. And though he has been given nearly a decade with which to accomplish at least part of this task, I believe that time is of the essence."

I frowned at her. "Sorry, but what makes you think I have a decade?"

Gladra visibly smothered a laugh. "Do you not recall the words Au'rea spoke to you right before she kissed you?" That proclamation sparked another bout of gasps from the other Priestesses, but Gladra ignored them.

I frowned, racking my brain. I did remember Au'rea saying something that rhymed, but since I immediately felt like I was on fire - again - after, I didn't really have time to commit whatever it was to memory.

"I, uh... in my defense it was a really powerful kiss..." I muttered.

Gladra closed her eyes, then recited, "'In nine years time, Blessings of the Trine must thou maketh thine.'"

I nodded, repeating the rhyme in my head a few times. "I can guess what the blessings are, but what's the Trine?"

Gladra looked surprised for a moment before she smiled and shook her head. "Of course, how silly of me. You are yet a stranger in Xeria, so of course you do not know." She looked at the three Priestesses who were all looking at me with something between fascination and reverence. I decided I didn't like being looked at like that. "I will begin Aaron's education now; the rest of you see to those under your care, and inform them of our mission. Though some might prefer secrecy, I would not conceal Au'rea's mission from Her servants, and I do not doubt the conviction and loyalty of any of our disciples. Di'ia, see to it that this missive and Chio are on their way as soon as possible. Afterwards, come find us."

Di'ia took the letter from Gladra, who had sealed it in an envelope with wax and a stamp before handing it over to Kitsune, then hurried out of the office. Vlere and Othri followed her out, speaking in hushed tones.

Gladra came around her desk, opening her mouth to speak, when Rhaliyah stood abruptly.

"Sister Gladra, I've a request."

Gladraxs gaze went to the Elf. "Of course, Rhaliyah, you need only ask."

"I insist I train Aaron in combat. I do not doubt the knowledge or training of your warmaids, however, given my charge from Au'rea..."

Gladra smiled, holding up her hand to pause the Elfess. "You need not try and convince me, Rhaliyah. In fact, I would have requested at least your presence for his combat training had you not volunteered."

Rhaliyah nodded, stepping back with a small smile of relief, and Gladra turned her attention to me. "Now, Aaron, let's take a walk."

*****

The open-air courtyard at the center of the monastery, while white and covered with snow, was still lovely. It seemed to be mainly a garden, with trees and bushes and ponds and a fountain and a gazebo, but also had some open spaces. The walkway around it was cold, but cleared of snow, and even wearing sandals and dressed only in our gowns, the chill air barely bothered us. Though I took Gladra at her word not to try wandering around in the snow without something sturdier on; apparently the warming enchantments in the robes were powered by a magical focus in a shrine, as a sort of central hub for the magic that empowered all the enchantments of the Priestesses. Wandering too far away would eventually break the robe's connection with the focus, and the enchantment would be broken.

"The Divines of Xeria are as numerous as its peoples," Gladra began once we began our circuit of the courtyard, after a thorough explanation about the enchantments and being reassured that we wouldn't freeze. "However, nine are given places of honor, and are known simply as the Nine. Yet among those nine, three are known to be more powerful, and records indicate that they lead - or at least, led - the Nine. Those three are known as the Trine."

"I doubt we have time for a full theological lesson right this second, but who are the Nine, and which are the Trine?"

"In order, they are Au'rea, who you already know some of; Fethle, Goddess of law and justice;

Dasnumir, God of the arts; Salier, He Who Commands the Weather; Kairko-Okriak, Đi Who Balances the Self and The World, Đi Who Understands Both Điþself and Others; next is..."

I frowned once Gladra started on Kairko-Okriak's title. "One second," I interjected before she could rush on, and the Priestess stopped and turned to me, patiently - and, I think, eagerly - awaiting my question. "Thee? Like..." I racked my brain for a good example, then smiled as I recalled a quote by Robert Frost that I had thoroughly enjoyed, back in my high school English class's poetry section. "'Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee...'"