RIDERS OF TUATHA by Bert McKenzie Copyright 2010
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any real person alive or dead is coincidental and unintentional.
CHAPTER II
Scott spent the remainder of the night sitting on the terrace outside the king's chambers. He had lost sight of Robin crossing the crowded main hall of the green tower. Once outside he could not find him anywhere. Finally giving up the search, Scott returned to their chambers and waited.
As the sun rose, casting its first rays on the jeweled facets of the tower tops and sending prismatic rainbows of light cascading down on the castle below, Scott heard a soft sigh behind him. Robin had been standing in the doorway, watching him as he looked out on their kingdom. Scott didn't know what to say. He had never seen Robin looking so old and worn. The years of his actual physical age seemed to have caught up with him. "I missed you," Scott said at last.
Robin held out his arms and Scott ran to him, embracing him tightly. "I am sorry," Robin whispered in his ear as they held each other. "I felt the need to be alone for a time. I meant not to hurt you."
"I understand," Scott replied, trying to hold back the tears. "I was just so frightened. After seeing that, and then you disappeared."
"I should have listened to you. We should not have looked into the pool. Your heart is strong. I must learn to trust it when it calls to you."
"About those images . . ."
"Let us think not on them now," Robin told him. "We have a ceremony this day. We must needs be joyous."
"Robin," Scott said gently, "you look like hell."
Robin broke into hearty laughter at the concern on his partner's face. "I can always trust you to cheer me up, my love," he smiled. "Come, let us bathe and prepare for this day. The cold water will restore us."
"It will restore you. I'll wait for it to warm up for me." Robin laughed again as the two of them headed inside.
The sanctuary of the old worship grounds had not looked so splendid since Robin's coronation. The venerable old father, head of the priesthood stood before the altar of eternity, his assistant standing by with the scrolls and implements for the ceremony. The altar itself was decorated in cut flowers and held the trays and goblets of the joining ritual. A large crowd of courtiers and friends stood in attendance, awaiting the appropriate time. All was in readiness.
In a small antechamber Scott was doing his best to stay busy. Ellenia was dressed and prepared for the ceremony. There was really not much to do but wait for the bells to toll, cuing her entrance. "My lord, please sit down," Ellenia finally said, tiring of her friend's continual pacing.
"I can't help it. I'm nervous."
"I am the one binding, not you," she admonished him.
"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed.
"It is almost time," Rowana called, sticking her head in the door. "Are you prepared?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Ellenia replied, expertly mimicking Scott's human accent. They all burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, in a chamber just across the crowded courtyard the scene was much different. The bronze skinned wood elf was dressed for the ceremony in a gold and white tunic with a cloth-of-gold cape. But his attire was the only thing about him that was ready for what was about to take place. "I tell you I am ill," Clive was saying to Robin. "In another moment I am going to eject my morning meal."
"Relax, my friend," Robin said as he stood behind his short companion and massaged the tense shoulders, the way Scott had often done for him. "You shall not be ill. You shall be fine."
"What am I about? My lord, for what am I here?" he asked, turning to his tall friend. "I must be on a mind journey. I cannot be ready to bind! Please, help me get out of here," Clive begged in panic.
"Now, my friend . . ."
"Lord, please! Remember how I have always helped you? Can you not see what a mistake this is?"
"Very well," Robin agreed softly. "If this is truly what you want, then I shall help you."
Clive seemed to visibly relax. "And you shall explain to Ellenia when I am gone?"
"I shall explain everything." The bells had begun to toll. "Come. The ceremony is about to begin. If you would leave, we must go quickly." Robin stepped to the door.
"Thank you, my lord," Clive said gratefully. "I shall never forget you for this."
"That is certain," Robin said under his breath, and flinging the door open, shoved Clive out. The wood elf realized too late that the door through which he had just gone was the one opening into the sanctuary. A moment of terror gripped him as he saw all of the faces turned his way, all of the eyes on him. Then he looked toward the dias and made eye contact with Ellenia. She stood next to the old priest, and was flanked by Scott and Rowana. Her pale hair was interwoven with yellow ribbons and wildflowers. She stood taller than he had remembered, robed in a flowing white gown, decorated with silk flowers and gold trim. But the most remarkable thing Clive noticed was the sparkling color of green in her eyes. It was the green of his forest home. He slowly began the walk down the gold carpet toward her, followed by Robin and Melcot.
As the three reached the dias, Clive stepped up beside Ellenia and wind whispered to her. "You are beautiful," he said in a voice only she could hear.
"I feared you might not come, lord," she replied with a smile. Clive only returned a sheepish grin.
The old father came forward to stand between the couple. "Who brings this lady to give over to this man?" he said in a strong voice, despite his extreme age.
"I, Scott Quartermain," Scott said taking Ellenia's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze before handing it to the priest.
"Who brings this lord to give over to this woman?" the old man asked.
"I, Robin Goodfellow," the king answered taking Clive's right hand and placing it in the priest's left.
The old father joined the hands of the man and woman. He turned to his assistant who came forward carrying a long, narrow piece of golden cloth decorated with fringe and tassels. "With this sash, we bind these two spirits freely to join in one love and pray that they may not be parted again on this plain." Taking the gold sash from his assistant he draped it over the joined hands and wrapped it carefully around their wrists and forearms. "May you be forever one," he said and then turned to walk around to the other side of the altar as the couple approached it.
"May the taste of this life giving food that you share bind you as one," the priest said as he handed a tray to Robin and a tray to Scott. They in turn held the trays for the couple as Clive selected a piece of fruit from his and Ellenia selected a piece of bread from hers. They each took a bite of the food they had selected, and then reached out to feed each other.
"May the drink of this life giving fluid seal your pledge to each other," the old priest continued as he poured water into two goblets. He handed them to Scott and Robin who in turn handed them on to Ellenia and Clive. Again each took a drink and then held the goblet out for each other. The priest came around the altar to stand again before the couple. "You may now declare your bonds."
"I pledge you my love and my life," Ellenia said, smiling into the eyes of her mate. "I shall try my best to live with you and join my life to yours. I shall support you in all good things and give counsel to you in times when I feel you are in need. I shall look to you in times of joy and sorrow and rejoice with you when we finally depart this land in search of our next forms on the eternal journey."
She finally grew silent waiting for Clive's pledge. He stood, gazing into her eyes in silence. Robin had to finally prompt him with a silent reminder. "It is your turn."
Clive jumped and began loudly with his pledge. "I give you my love and my life. I accept your gifts of mind, body, and spirit, and pledge mine freely in return. I shall seek your strength and blend it with mine. I shall weigh your good counsel and return my thoughts to you. I shall be one with you in my heart all the days that the two shall beat. When at last they cease, I shall be one with you yet in spirit forever more."
The priest came forward and began removing the sash of unity from their hands. "As I remove this outward symbol, be aware that no one can remove the inner bond which it represents. Be forever joined and celebrate your oneness of mind, body and spirit." Clive drew Ellenia to him and their lips met in an emotion charged kiss. The crowded sanctuary was suddenly filled with cheers of joy for the young couple as the bells mounted high in the walls overhead rang out in celebration. The couple followed by their friends then turned and left the worship grounds to head for the white tower where a party in their honor awaited them.
The music and dancing seemed to last forever. The party had begun almost immediately after the ceremony, and now as the night neared midnight it was still going strong. Scott had joined in the merriment off and on, as had Robin, but now the long day was beginning to tell on him. He sat in a corner and tried to stifle a yawn as he watched the dancers whirl by. He was startled to alertness as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, Scott looked directly into the deep brown eyes of Rowana standing beside him, her thick red curls framing her delicate features. "Would you not walk with me in the garden, lord?" she asked. Standing slowly, he followed her out a small door and into the quiet little garden behind the tower.
"My lord, may I speak freely to you?" she asked when she was sure they were alone.
"Of course," he replied.
"This has been a most happy day, especially for Ellenia and Clive," she began. "But even so, I have sensed buried emotion that seems to linger on the very threshold of awareness, like a cloud on the horizon."
"I don't know what you mean," Scott said.
"That is not so, lord," she countered. "There is an uncomfortableness in your heart that I have not felt before. And my master Robin is carrying a great weight of sorrow." They walked on among the night-blooming moon flowers for a time. "My lord," she finally began again, "I know this feeling began yesterday at the magic font, and I am responsible."
"You aren't responsible," Scott assured her. "We saw something bad and it just got to us."
"But if I had not brought about the magic . . ."
"Then someone else might have," Scott finished for her. "I don't want you to be feeling guilty because I saw something I didn't like."
"May I be so bold, lord, to ask what you saw?"
Scott sat heavily on a low bench under a small, flowering rose tree. Rowana sat next to him, her face a picture of concern. "I saw the world from which I came," Scott began.
"The land of humans," she gasped in disbelief.
"Yes, and an old friend that I left back there was in serious trouble."
"Then your heart is heavy with concern for this friend?" Rowana asked sympathetically.
"Yes, and I'm afraid because of other things I saw," he answered. "I think I saw my own death, and Robin was hurt and locked up in jail or something."
"And that is his sorrow for you and your friend."
"Rowana," Scott asked suddenly. "Could it all be a mistake? Could that not really be the future?"
"The magic is strong," she answered cautiously. "But it is the dust of foresight. As with all vision, things may be illusion, or distortion. Perhaps this was all but a reflection of your own fears."
"Yeah, maybe that's it," he said feeling a great relief. "I was nervous and afraid to look in the pool. I guess it just reflected that fear. It's kind of like having a nightmare after watching a scary movie." The allusion was lost on Rowana. Scott stood up, feeling happier than he had felt all day. He had to go tell Robin.
"My lord," Melcot had come down the garden path to where the two friends were talking, his yellow hair reflecting the moonlight. "Our king has given me a message for you."
"A message for me?" Scott asked glancing from Rowana to Melcot. "Where is he?"
"He bid me tell you he would meet with you in your chambers on the morrow. He was going to speak with Old Thomas this night." Melcot looked uncomfortable.
"Great," Scott mumbled and turned to leave. He headed back to their chambers. It had been a very long day, and had followed an extremely long night before. If Robin was off to seek the counsel of his old advisor, Scott knew there was nothing else he could do for now but go upstairs and get some sleep.
Old Thomas was a human like Scott, only he had been a resident of Tuatha for several hundreds of years. Because of his wisdom he had been chosen to serve as Robin's tutor and upon the coronation, Robin selected him as a personal advisor. During the turmoil that surrounded the ascent to the throne, Thomas had served Robin well, and was even a good friend to Scott when he first arrived in the land. It was Thomas who had taught Scott the Tuathan language. But once the council had affirmed Robin and he had actually become king, things had changed. Thomas seemed to grow more and more resentful of Scott. He accused him of weakening the king's position as ruler of the land, and undermining his own advice. Robin tried to be tolerant but the friction eventually forced him to make a choice, and in his staying with Scott, the old man lost face. He retired to a chamber in the green tower and was not seen again. He was apparently very ill, and the healer said it was his heart which was failing.
Scott suffered from pangs of guilt over this unfortunate turn of events. He had truly liked Old Thomas and knew that Robin felt for him as a son would for his father. Even though the old man no longer served as an advisor, Robin still often went to visit him and discuss affairs of state. When thinking about the situation, Scott decided that the old man might be a little jealous of his special relationship with the king, kind of like a mother-in-law who thinks no one is good enough for her son. He also thought there might be a bit of homophobia present as well. But despite the obvious hard feelings, Scott knew that Robin loved his old advisor and listened closely to his words. Scott could only hope Robin's heart would temper anything Thomas might say.
"It seems fairly evident," the white haired old man said. He was sitting on a reclining platform, propped up with a number of oversized pillows. His eyes were as full of life as ever, although they seemed to be sunken deep in the thin face. The long white beard dropped down limply on the old man's chest. His body seemed to be no more than a skeleton loosely covered with flesh. "What you saw in the magic mirror is a possible future."
"Then you think I can avoid this?" Robin asked him.
"Of course you can. What good is seeing the future if you can't learn from the experience?" Thomas asked.
"Then what action must I take?" Robin questioned.
"Nothing. You must do nothing, that is the key," the old man replied. "These images you described, they came from the world of man. It is your consort's human blood that calls to him, that still connects him to the other world. He wants to return, and he should. He still has ties there. But you must do nothing. You must let him return and you must not follow!"
"No!" Robin said, standing up and pacing the length of the tiny chamber. "I cannot allow him to leave! I love him."
"But you must let him leave. If his blood calls to him, he will have to go."
"Then I shall go with him."
"You can't!" the old man said vehemently. "If you go you will fulfill those images you saw. You will die in that world. And then what will become of your kingdom?"
Robin sank heavily onto the chair next to the old man's pallet. He dropped his head into his hands and sank into despair. "Even if my life were to end, and my world forfeit, I cannot desert my heart's calling."
"Then indeed, you are both lost, as is the rest of our entire world," Thomas said angrily. "Leave my chamber. Leave me in peace while it still exists. Go back to your man-child and do as you will."
"But father," Robin said, looking up with tears in his eyes.
"I am not your father. If I was I would disown you. No son of mine would trade a kingdom for a few moments of earthly passion."