Chapter 14 The Omen

The hunting party gathered and went off into the forest. They caught birds, rabbits, deer, and elk. They cut apart the animals to dry the meat in the smoke hut. Tallow was melted with beeswax to make candles. Tendons were used to attach spear and arrow points. Bones were carved into tools and heated over the fire to add strength. Alexis traded heavily with the elves, centaurs, and fauns in nearby villages. As they settled down to tell stories at night, Alaric picks up where he left off. Empress Minerva gives birth to a son and named him Grand Prince Jason. Emperor Dion celebrates his son’s birth with banquets and sacrifices to the gods. At a banquet, Alaric is asked to predict his future. A bright future of him being crowned and becoming a hero remembered in song was announced. Prince Alaric continues to tutor Princesses Lexie and Dalia to visit little Jason every chance he got. Lilia arrived to study elf magic. Prince Linos is apprenticed to Alexis to learn sailing to visit the palace with trunks of treasures. News arrives of Princess Aphrodite’s passing and Alaric brings his pupils to her funeral. Princess Dalia daydreams of her betrothal her mother arranged with the King of Vinland to the west of Kadacia full of forests. Alaric is assigned to escort her to her new home. She takes ten maidservants with her to set up her household up the outskirts of the capital Aslaug along a large harbor complete with a lighthouse. A vast vineyard surrounds a stately house of limestone with carved columns to welcome her guests. Her dowry contains twenty chests of household goods made of metal and twenty chests of jewelry, robes, and shoes along with pottery filed with clay make up and perfumes. The final touch was the wedding gift Boudicca commissioned before the return of Rurick, a gold diadem set with Narva pearls and Kadacian pink diamonds. The prince of Vinland who became her husband was the quiet sort and very stiffly danced with his new wife. After a few days, he bid farewell to the princess and sailed away.

Soon news came of Persephone and Rodric marrying in full splendour along with the birth of twin girls from Boudicca. The following year, Persephone gives birth to an heir and joy is felt through the kingdom. A second heir came to the Emperor and again, Alaric was asked to do an omen ceremony. This time it was predicted a curse has been birthed in betrayal. Prince Oden will die young the same night his father is betrayed and murdered by hands he trusts. Outraged at a dire prediction, Alaric is arrested and banished from the empire. Emperor Dion demands he be taken to the border of the empire. Nobody is to speak or write his name, he longer exists, as prince nor citizen. Alaric is not allowed to take any of his belongings and his chambers are confiscated. Priestess Annica is removed from her temple to join him in banishment. Princess Kynthia is to be arrested and join them in banishment. His pupils Lilia and Lexie come with him on the ship heading towards Lotan. The guards pick up Kynthia and her husband vows to gather their household to find her later.

As they reach the Narva coral reef, Alaric jumps off the ship. He shouts to his children to do the same. They swim to the beach and enter sprite territory followed by the valley once called Leesville. He visits his aunt on Glacier Mountain. She tells the children of when the Blythans first came.

“Their home destroyed by a volcano, they sailed from Ionia and Lydia islands carrying whatever they could carry. Elves traded with their ships along the coast for many generations. They were masters of the sea reaching down to the South Sea while the elves only sailed the North Sea. They brought bronze tools to Lotan and stone temples. The Lotan were pleased with their new neighbors and the Blythans built villages. Night followed came to the creatures of Lotan. The Blythans were good farmers and traders to become wealthy from the land. They also taught the Lotans slavery. Many elves were captured and forced to serve masters. Elves moved north to escape them. Blythans prospered and grew in size. They took the land beside them and the Lotan people began moving north. Then finally the Great War that gave birth to the Lotan king and divided the land among the generals supporting their king. Humans fight each other when there is no country to fight over territory.”

The banished make baskets and buy sprite pottery to gather food for winter. Enki the unicorn welcomes them and informs them how nobody settled this valley after the war beleiving it is haunted by ghosts. The ghosts of his villagers comfort Alaric. He spoke with his parents, his friends, his neighbors, and trade partners who died here. Lilia and Linos befriend each other talking about his sea adventures and her showing off her magic Lexie taught her. Kalulah arrives and introduces her children to her father. Iris arrives to introduce her young twin sons, Aelous and Laeos. Her son Jack stays behind to begin making the first autumn morning frosts. Even though Jack’s father was Eris, Alaric grew fond of Jack Frost and welcomed him to his home during the winters. They embrace Lexie and Kalulah as their sisters and inquire where Eurick was located. Iris meets Kynthia’s family as Alexis guides them to the valley. Kiko in Oakleigh brings his family to meet each other. His wife Amber curtsies to her father-in-law and presents a jar of her apple butter. During the winter, Linos returns to his family in Akaiyah. He returns in the spring to announce his grandfather King Lagash’s death from winter sickness. He left his city Atalissa and crown to his granddaughter Sophia and her new husband, a Varrick warrior who was born in Dellasburg. The spring also brings the wedding of Princess Dinah to a Blythan priest from Atalissa. Alaric visits the temple in Kia’a Akaiyah to mourn the daughter he hardly knew. Princess Madoni was buried beside her priestess mother Thalia. Alexis’s son Athar mourned his wife bringing white roses she loved so much. Queen Kia spared no expense on her daughter’s wedding. Dinah soon gives birth to Ophelia who is declared a special child belonging to the gods. The Hermit noticed his nephew Max, the thunderbird god, visiting Dinah and her daughter. He fully denies fatherly Ophelia and first viewed Dinah pregnant in a prayer pool begging for a father for her child. Ophelia’s father worked in the stables and died from fever. Max promised her a husband if her child belonged to the gods. Dracon stirred his memory of a man who visited his cousin Dinah during festivals and she never explained who he was when he suddenly disappeared. When Ophelia learned magic from The Hermit and Tatiana the Great, the story continued, she was given a magic crystal by Max.

Ophelia adds to the story that her stepfather Max was the one who suggested being an apprentice to Tatiana on Glacier Mountian and introduced her to her husband Aelous. Dinah brings her child to Alaric to determine what her future holds. Lilia predicts she will marry a god and become a priestess upon high. The Oracle of Nix was born that day. Dinah spread the news of the prophetesy to her relatives. King Dylan enjoyed his grandson Prince Wilmar and collapsed with joy hearing the news Persephone is pregnant again. A fever soon ravaged the king’s body and the next day, Crown Prince Rodric was given his crown and scepter from the Lady of the Lake. Persephone bowed to her knees to receive her crown as queen. Rodric may have been given the crown, but his mother Boudicca was the sword and she made sure everybody knew it. Dowager Empress Boudicca toured her country and arranged supply trains to keep her army fit for battle. The Varrick settlers greatly admired her strength and followed her into battles with pirates along the coast. She had forts along the coast built and those who stood out in battle were given the city forts to rule. Akaiyah was besieged for two years before the invaders left carrying spoils and slaves. Prince Eurick raised their children in the royal palace and prepared for the coming birth of Crown Princess Penelope. Upon her birth, Persephone asked for an omen ceremony. Prince Eurick predicts the Lady of Lake chooses her as the new monarch upon the death of King Rodric. She chooses a great warrior to be her king who will be recited in tales for generations.

Then a maidservant from Illium arrived and requested to see the Dowager Empress. She brought news of the death of the Prince Oden and Emperor Dion. Prince Oden was sick with fever and died in his brother Jason’s arms. The parents came to mourn their son. They separated to rest in their bed chambers. There, Dion met an assassin with a dagger. The guards heard Dion calling for the guards and declared he was the Emperor to the unknown intruder. The response the guards heard behind the locked door was “not anymore”. Guards charged the locked door and more rushed into chambers to get to the servant stairs to stop the assassin from escaping. The man tumbled down the stairs with guards gripping him tight to arrest him. He was brought before Empress Minerva who demanded his head removed. The maidservant was with the Empress when the guards dragged the assassin to the dungeons while he screamed how he was the true father of Prince Oden and was promised to be crowned the next emperor. His head was placed on a spike at the entrance gate of the palace. Empress Minerva never looked at it as her chariot passed by riding in the funeral procession. Young prince Jason was struck with despair and fear of dying too. Empress Minerva assured her son of her love and how he was predicted to be a great emperor recited in song. The maidservant left upon a ship after hearing the order to murder all royal family members who could usurp her. Her devotion had to warn them. Boudicca swiftly drove a chariot out to Akaiyah and Atalissa to forge a treaty to pay her tribute instead of Empress Minerva. Tatiana and Linos were moved to to Akaiyah. Hector was attacked at a temple in Adea while he was praying, but a guard killed the assassin. Rodric gave his food and drink to his cat to taste. If the cat refused it, then he would not eat it either. He met an assassin parading to the temple during the Harvest Games and hit in the shoulder with an arrow. His guards caught the bowman and tortured him to find out Minerva’s plans. Little Crown Prince Wilmar died screaming in pain after vomiting all evening after watching the Harvest Games. Many believe it was poison ordered by Minerva.

Boudicca vowed revenge for her son and grandson. She sent Kia’s son Linos under disguise to befriend Grand Prince Jason who often plays in the streets with urchins, according to the maidservant. Prince Linos did as commanded and bought a tavern along the docks. He used magic he learned from his tutors to alter his appearance into an old man. He discovered the urchins in the marketplace as he ordered food to his tavern. He saw them stealing from vendors by having one pretend to purchase items and other swiped what they could before the vendor noticed. They always ran off towards Baker Street where many bread merchants had shops. One day, he walked in through Baker Street and asked a boy dressed in rags, so nobody would notice his royal status, if he would like to help him carry bread to his tavern. He would pay him with one loaf of bread. Jason offered his friends to help him and ran off to get them. The boys came to the shop and carried away baskets of bread to the tavern. Linos offered a meal a day for any of them wanting to work for him. They came every day to do chores in the tavern and left after their meal. One night, a storm came in and Linos offered blankets so they could sleep by his fire pit. Jason rejected the offer because he had to return to his home or his mother would worry. Linos escorted Jason to the palace he had viewed before. Realizing this was the heir to the throne of Empress Minerva, he bowed and extended an invitation to visit him whenever his wished. Jason would come every day he could and listen to him spin tales of other lands. He even bragged on having a half-sister that was an Amazon priestess and a half-brother that was an Anakian prince. Boudicca secured Queen Anamosa’s aid in invading Blythe with help from Queen Persephone mourning her son. The final piece of alliance was secured when an emissary was sent to the Amazons. The new Queen Kaitlyn vowed to pledge support if she met with her half-brother Rodric in person. The monarchs met on the Plains of Juia and Kaitlyn bestowed a request. When she left Illium after refusing Dion’s proposal, she was carrying his child. Once Prince Alaric told her that Rurick was her father, she could not marry her half-brother and ran away in shame. She explained that under Amazon law, boys are returned to their fathers. Sadly, she couldn’t send her son to Dion because his next wife would kill him. Queen Kaitlyn raised her son in the Amazon ways and now asks for Rodric to raise his nephew in his court. Prince Kadmor wept as his mother wished him farewell as she prepared for battle. She instructed him to be strong and obey his family.

Then the war began. Queen Anamosa invaded from the west. King Rodric invaded from the north. Dowager Empress Boudicca invaded by sea. She knew her former city well and set up a siege around the walls of Illium. City dwellers fled on ships to the Blythan islands and cities along the coast when the Lotan war ships arrived on the horizon. As the warning bells tolled the encroachment of a great armada, Linos found Jason confused why the streets were empty as he came for his daily meal. He guided the prince to docks and hid him in an apple barrel on Alexis’s ship. They sailed to Adea where King Hector welcomed his cousins into his palace. In the evening as they rested in the guest bed chamber, a dark figure appeared at the window. It came to Linos and its hood removed. It was Lexie. She slapped him and cursed him to die a horrible death by the hands he trusts. Jason begged her to cease. Lexie gazed upon him and told him that he looks just like his father. She relented that he would not die in the near future, but when he dies it will brutal. She disappeared as fast as she arrived. Jason inquired who that woman was. Linos explained she was a goddess born from magic, but refused to say why she cursed him. You can probably guess it was the coming birth of Ishtar and Cassandra by Lilia whom she was very close to. Now that is enough for tonight. Off to bed everyone. Alaric the Great laid down on his straw mattress wondering how he was going to explain the death of Minerva at the hands of Kia. Boudicca received no resistance coming into Illium through the harbor. Everyone had fled in refusal to battle their Empress. Boudicca entered temples full of ill residents and their families. Guards laid down their swords and knelt to beg not to be harmed. Boudicca assured no harm would come to those would fail to attack her army. Minerva used the escape tunnels and was nowhere to be found. The city was pillaged and the palace guards resisted destruction of the royal chambers. Finally, the buildings were set ablaze and the army returned to their ships. Perhaps, Jason should return to his human self and tell that story.

The next morning as everyone finished their breakfast of bread and fruit perserves with slices of dried deer meat, Grecken the wolf changed forms into a man with dark hair wearing a long blue robe. Dracon is in awe viewing his father for the first time. Then a mermaid arrived and sat upon a stone. It was Nix and a little mermaid soon jumped out of the water named Layla. The elves cheered the coming of Lexie and welcome her to the fire when she arrived. She is the most beautiful creature the human boys had seen. Homer reacts how she resembles Gilda he had seen up in the temple. Lexie smirks, but says nothing in reply. The Hermit announces that Jason will continue the story where they left off.

“Come children gather around, there are adventures to be found. Let me tell you a tale of lore, nothing you have ever heard before.” begins King Jason.