The book of the burning

[ChrisGibson]

And I certainly enjoyed sharing all of this. You have been the guinea pig.

 

[ChrisGibson]

AND NOW THE CONCLUSION OF BOOK OF THE BURNING, AND OF OUR WHOLE LONG TALE


The first morning of July the sky was clear and nearly cloudless. What clouds there were, were pearly and as bright as the crystal stones that lined the parapet, and the glinting windows and turret tops of the towers and palaces rising up from the white and silver walls of the city of Yrrmarayn. Beneath the city, the water was clear, green blue, and across the Bight of Dauman, toward the quay, sailed a swift boat with a great black mast and the orange, roaring head of Banthra, the Tiger. White and green banners waved with the same tiger head, the banners of Solahn and on the boat were the new King and the new Queen.
As the ship drew in to the harbor, trumpets and drums announced them, and soon, at the head of the gang plank, there stood, in green robes of state, his black hair swept up by a golden circlet, Rendan, First of that Name, and as he extended his hand, there, all in Solahnese white, shot with silver, and a matching circlet on her auburn hair, was his queen, who winked. They descended the plank something like regal, and when they reached the quay, they both gave a small bow to the King of Westrial and Queen of Chyr. In black doublet, his own short, golden hair topped by a silver crown mounted with a diamond, Anson nodded with a crooked smile and touched the sword at his side while Theone reached out and caught their hands, kissing them quickly. Beside her, all in black, a crooked grin on his his face and a gold star on his chest was her husband, and he kissed the new Queen and then she said, “Not bad for your old kitchen girl, eh, Master Orem?”
He smiled at Mehta and raising an eyebrow he said, “I do not think you were ever my kitchen girl, not really. And I am sure I was never your master.”
“You should have seen her,” Rendan said, amazed. “She actually commanded an entire ship. And then, in battle, well, she wasn’t like a queen or a kitchen girl.”
“Please stop,” Mehta said.
“I won’t. My uncle, that Bellami. He actually made a stab for my mother. He nearly had her. Well, Yarrow was down below on the field, commanding the battle, a real battle maid, and Mehta saw Bellamy carrying Mother off. Well, now, what does she do? She literally, and I wish I almost wish I’d done this, but I don’t know that I could have. He was my father’s brother no matter what he did. Well, she takes this battle axe and sends it through the air and well, to make a bloody story very short, she brought an end to him.”
They all looked at her. Cooly, Mehta nodded, and Arvad said, “Much more than a kitchen girl indeed.”
“Really,” Mehta said, “I did it from a distance, and in great rage. The truth is I’d rather not think about it. A few weeks on a pirate ship and there are many things a girl can learn.”
“You will be a legend,” Anson said. “Queen Metandil, who with an ax blow did away with the tyrant.”
“You will all be legends I’m sure,” a cool voice said beside them,
“This is all very well, and I hate to interrupt tearful meetings,” Ohean said from beside Anson, “but other people are coming off of that ship, I’m sure.”
And so they were, and as King Rendan and Queen Mehta parted, and Theone, Anson and Orem moved aside, coming down the steps together were two others, and beside Arvad, who was embracing Mehta and looking over her in disbelief, Kenneth dropped his sword and began to tremble. This woman was terrible and beautiful, strong and ageless. Beside her was a wild, dark, black haired man with slanted eyes, an Easterner, and his face was like a cat’s.
“Do not tremble,” the woman said, “and do not wonder. Do not doubt.”
And as Kenneth shook, Cayanne placed his face in her hands in wonder.
“You were dead. You were dead and the Lady brought you back to me.”
Arvad and Maud were looking at Kenneth and Kenneth was still shaking, his eyes unfocused.
Maud said, “My Lady, I think your son needs to be alone with you. I will lead you away if that pleases—”
And then she stopped.
Her eyes went to the deck of the ship now and Arvad took her hand from Caya’s shoulder and said, “Maud, do not worry. I will lead them away.”
And Maud nodded dumbly as Arvad led Kenneth and his mother from the quay back into the city.
Cheers were erupting now. Here was their prince. This was the one who had disappeared long ago at the request of Ermengild to find what was lost until he himself was lost. Everyone knew him. Maud knew him, and even the Kings and Queens on the quay separated for her as she came to the gangplank and Ethan came down to her, catching her face.
“My brave Maud,” he said.
Her face trembled. It never trembled. All the years all the loss, all the waiting, the doubts, the days when she knew that, yes, he was dead after all, fell upon her and she didn’t care who saw.She let her shoulders shake, she let her face melt, she let the hot tears run down, and he kissed her head and his eyes were full of tears too, and he held her and everyone knew what that was like, the long parting, the resurrection after you knew something was irrevocably dead, and so everyone watching them was full of joy.



They journeyed from Yrrmarayn and the great barges took them into Kingsboro, where the people, the Queen and her children, the Prince and Princess, had awaited their King. The last coronation had taken place while an old king had lived and funerals and wars obscured. Anson came down from his estate in Pembroke, and Queen Bereneice was there, as well as Hermudis and Raoul and even Morgellyn. There was time to fill this cathedral with the royalty of all Ossar, the dark skinned, the chocolate and caramel skinned lords of Ossarian, Rheged and Elmet, of the Far Isles and even lords of Itzum. If Anson felt a jealousy for this he did not say, and it was not on his face. When Theone and Rendan and Mehta came into the city, the people of Kingsboro marveled at the splendor of these foreign lords. How impressive was the Queen’s husband, Orem, Archon of the Gold Star and beside him Kenneth, Dominar of the Silver Star. Kenneth rode with a handsome red headed man and then came a fiery, caramel skinned woman, Inark, the chief enchantress of Chyr. Also, the people of Kingsboro had seen few Zahem, save the Buwas, and they had certainly never seen the Prophet of the Zahem, so young and so fair, and the girl beside him must have been… well, she was too young for a wife.
Plain, but strangely compelling, all in black, short haired, face like a mahogany mask, rode Senaye, the Wandering Woman, Mother of Ohean, but greatest of all, and now given the name of Queen, all in silver and gold, so youthful she could be the King’s sister and not his mother, came Essily, Anthal’s sweetheart who once had saved the nation from plague, but been banished for it’s lack of gratitude. Fair and wonderful she was, and the daughters of the Queen who had succeeded her looked on her in wonder. Queen Essily was followed by many fairy women, and it was rumored that, though she would stay for a time, she would, in time, ride off with Senaye as wandering was her delight as well.
The choir filed back into their stalls while, slowly, majestically, the Prince moved down the an aisle long as two street blocks and, at long last, knelt at the altar as the hymn was finished and even the knights who had born his train left him kneeling, his hands folded before him on the kneeler while, at the altar, acolytes opened the great book for the Archbishop and he came before Anson while the hymn ended.

Not in this land alone,
But be God's mercies known
From shore to shore:
Lord make the nations see
That men should brothers be,
And form one family
The wide world over.

Abbess Hilda, who had led the entire service with Abbot Odo stood before the people at the marble altar, and now she came not to disgruntled Archbishop Cardalan, but to Ohean who wore both white robe and white mantle, and silver circlet on his head, a golden key hanging from his throat to match the golden key hanging from the throats of Nimerly, Essily and Theone. Solemnly, Hilda placed the crown in her hands so now, he raised it over Anson’s head and called out in all four cardinal points:
“Behold, in the east, Iffan, your undoubted King. Behold in the west, Iffan, your undoubted King. Behold in the north, Iffan, your undoubted King. Behold,” he called holding the golden crown aloft, “Iffan, your undoubted King.”
“My people, I here present unto you Anson, your undoubted King. Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?”
Anthony had looked to Cedd, and was surprised to see tears in his eyes, but then he saw that, head bowed, Anson’s eyes were wet as well. Cedd rose up, shouting with the rest:
“Aye!” and though Anthony saw Queen Imogen, beside her husband, brush her face with the back of her hand.
The Archbishop read: “Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of the Kingdom of Westrial and Locress according to their respective laws and customs?”
And Anson replied: “I solemnly promise so to do.”
“ Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?
“I will.”
“Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the ways of all people and all faiths with respect to none and respect toward all? And will you preserve the memory of the sacredness of this living land and all in it?”
“All this,” Anson said, “I promise to do.”
But King Iffan did not read from the book when he completed his vow. He turned from his aunt to his people.
“The things which I have here before promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me, my people. I promise to do.”
“All this, I promise to do.”

THE END

 

[CharmedFan28]

That was a wonderful ending! Everything was tied up nicely and I really enjoyed this story! I look forward to more of your writing in the other story and whatever else you post next.