Second Chapter of The Saga of Lady Merdressa
as written by
Ilvoren, Bard to Merdressa, Queen of the Lands of Cerdrinal, The Mysty Realm of the Elves.
She walked into the chamber and took her normal seat. “Greetings Milords.
Miladies. Shall we begin our deliberations for the day?”
An older elf gentleman stood up slowly from his seat at the other end
of the chamber. He leaned heavily on the old oak table, the fingers of his old hands
spread wide to support himself. “Gracious Queen. We, as your advisors are
concerned. Concerned about the gentleman that never leaves your side. We wish
to know who he is? And what is he after?”
The Elf Queen looked over her shoulder at the one standing behind her.
There was a shy tender smile on her face, as she looked at him. She looked back at
the Lords and Ladies in front of her and the smile disappeared. “I am his consort
that is all you need know.”
One of the younger ladies, stood up from her chair. “But
Your Majesty, you are our Queen. Shouldn’t he be your consort? Who is he
that he would make you his consort?” The young elf lady sat down rather
abruptly, as the doors to the chamber opened wide to admit a tall dark haired elf.
“Ah, the Queen at work. It is always refreshing to see that
her advisors are willing to help her, in ruling both herself and her kingdom.”
the elf said slyly, as he walked up to the queen and kissed her on the cheek.
She lifted her cheek closer to him. “And to what do we owe
your appearance old rascal?”
“I’m just passing through. Visiting. Aren’t
I allowed to do that?” dark haired elf asked.
The Queen laughed softly. “Of course you are. After
all, who would dare stop you from visiting?”
The elf glanced down the oak table at the young elf lady that had
protested before. “Oh no one. No one at all. But this is obviously
very important so I will go sit down over there and observe.” And the elf
walked over to a vacant chair at the table and sat down. He was glared at by several
of the other advisors at the table. But none of them dared to protest beyond the
initial glare.
One of the other Lords stood up, he was rather handsome, with his sandy
hair pulled back into a braid down his back. It added a bit of color to his black
velvet doublet that he was wearing. “My Queen. You must have a husband!
And your continued relationship with this individual prevents this! Why do
you persist in this foolish relationship? A persistence that your advisors all
declare to be unnatural. Especially if you do not acknowledge who he really
is!”
The dark haired elf raised his hand. “Excuse me?”
Half the table glared at him. The sandy haired elf just sneered.
“Yes Mihnal? You wish to comment? Maybe talk some sense into her?
Why should you do that now, when you have never done that before.”
The elf queen sat up straighter in her throne. She felt the touch of
her lover’s hand on her shoulder, giving her an anchor for her calm.
“Cevric, that will be enough! Let Lord Mihnal speak?”
The sandy haired elf slowly sat down, chastised. But he continued
to glare at Mihnal.
Mihnal sat back in his chair, tapping his chin with his finger.
He didn’t even bother to get up. “Why are you all so adamant about the
Lord standing there and his consort. Surely after so many years of rulership, you
know your queen well enough to understand that once she makes up her mind, there is no
changing it. Not even I can do that. And I am her father. Her father and
if you must be reminded her former master. I know my daughter’s mind in this.
Even though I too disagree with her continued relationship, I know that arguing
with her will not change her mind. Only strengthen her resolve. No amount of
shouting, haranguing or pleading will make Merdressa change her mind in regards to her
Lord. Or change Lord Shallan’s mind in regards to Merdressa. I am sorry,
you are all going to have to accept the fact that they are one and deal. As
reluctantly, I have.”
One of the matron advisors stood up, smoothing her dark wine colored
skirts. “Is this true, my queen? Is he really Shallan, Lord of the Shadow
Moon?”
Merdressa smiled softly down the table at her. “Yes
Bethanna, he is really Shallan. And he is really my Lord and Love. And nothing
this group of Advisors can say or do will tear us apart. Not even those who used to
court me in the past, Lord Cevric, or even my own sister, Merla.” She gazed
down the table at the other two that had recently protested.
The young elf lady just blushed in embarrassment. Lord Cevric, on
the other hand, just continued to glare at Merdressa’s father, who just sat back
in his chair and smiled. “Yes, Lord Cevric?” the dark haired elf asked,
eyebrow arched.
“No.”
The Queen rose from her place at the table. “Good, if that
is all?” she asked of her advisors.
They all rose signaling their agreement that the session was over.
Lord Cervic was the last to rise from his seat. Mihnal didn’t even
bother getting up. Mihnal sat there lost in thought. He almost didn’t
notice the old elf sitting next to him. “Why?”
“Why what, Lornal? Why her? Why Shallan, Lord of the
Shadow Moon? I cannot tell you that. I really wish I could.” Mihnal put
his head in his hands, leaning on the old oak table. “She is so like me, and
yet I don’t understand her. I understand Merla better, and we have never gotten
along as anything but a cold father to his cold daughter.”
The old elf placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“That is not true and you know it. You and Merla, have a relationship that is
as rich and as fulfilling as your relationship with Merdressa. And to answer your
questions, yes why does she have to be with Shallan? Doesn’t she realize that
he is a God, and that is the most dangerous part. Gods never do anything unless they
have a reason. And what could his possibly be? What could he want with our
Queen. The Leader of the Arch Mage Council. Your daughter, your student.”
“I know perfectly well who she is Lornal. She is my daughter
and my queen, as well as my student. As well as the Chief among the Arch Mages, of
which I am the eldest. And I have only one answer for you. The answer that I
have been searching for almost 300,000 years now.” The Arch Mage sadly closed
his eyes, shaking his head.
“And what is that?” Lornal asked softly.
“Love.” the arch mage answered just as softly.
“You have to understand Lornal, they love each other. Love each other so much
that they do not care that she is mortal or that he is a god. Their love brings them
past the pain of her half life because of Zibeth’s curse on the Council.
Shallan is why Merdressa goes on each day. He is why she comes back when the Council
calls to her to live out that damn day! I am in there too Lornal! So I
know!”
“Know what? Mihnal, I wish to understand. She never talks about
it.”
“How can she? How could she explain to all of you, the pain
her soul feels every time she goes into that damn council chamber? How she must
relive that day? The day she killed her mother, and sacrificed herself to save her
father. To save me, Lornal! To save me from being bound in there with the Arch
Mage Council. Dammit!!!” The Arch Mage rested his head on the table,
softly crying.
“Father?” a voice softly called from behind him.
And a long fingered hand reached out to gently smooth his back. “Father
please.”
He heard the rustle of silk next to him, feeling the hand on his back
shift to a position on his shoulder. Mihnal looked up to see a glorious pair of
amber eyes gaze sadly at him. “Tell me the truth. Tell your sad
heartbroken father, that his little girl has finally found love. A True Love.
One that is part of his daughter’s soul as well as heart. One that stops the
pain, he knows his little girl feels every time she steps into Lashanna’s temple.
Tell me.”
Merdressa rested her head on her father’s shoulder.
“Yes old rascal, Shallan is my True Love. So true, that He has taken me to be
his Consort. He will have no other. And neither shall I. We are
One. He eases the pain. I wish he could stop the pain, but only on the
day I am free can the pain truely stop.”
“I understand.”
The old advisor looked at the father and the daughter, and finally
realized that maybe, it wasn’t so bad for Merdressa and Shallan to be together.
Maybe it wasn’t at all.
Chapter Three in the Saga of Lady Merdressa