The Choosing (38 page)

Focusing on Sara to keep his mind from wandering to darker thoughts Seth rose to his feet.  Sara rose with him and the two stood for a long moment in each other’s arms.

“I think it is time to adjust your mood.”  Sara said, her teasing smile appearing on her lips.

“Is that so?”  Seth asked innocently, his dark thoughts fading as he looked to her angelic face.

“Yes let’s go to bed.”  Sara replied as she turned and strode across the room exaggerating her hip’s twist as she went.

“To sleep?”  Seth asked already knowing the answer.

“Perhaps at some point my love.”  Sara said over her shoulder still walking away.

Seth too crossed the room to his side of the bed and began to undress.  Unbuttoning his tunic he revealed the small leather bound tome that was his gift from the Goddess.  Not wanting to dwell upon his bleak future yet again he tossed the book upon the floor, and using his foot slid it beneath the bed.  Undressing quickly Seth crawled into their bed and pulled the covers over himself.  Seth had settled into bed just in time to watch Sara pulling the silky top over her shoulders.  She faced away from him and he took a moment to admire her beautifully shaped body.  Sara turned to face him, once again revealing her barely disguised figure.  Seth smiled as Sara crawled into the bed like a graceful feline.  Sara too slid beneath the covers and inched her way the remaining distance to Seth’s side.  Rolling to her side Sara wrapped one leg loosely over him and laid her head upon his bare chest.  Feeling her small warm body pressed once again against his own Seth fought his body’s urges.  As Seth tried to sway his changing blood flow Sara slid her hand up his side and began to dance her fingertips across his bare skin.  With a loud sigh of defeat Seth let go of his inhibitions and in spite of himself he grinned as Sara watched his face quietly giggling.

The night passed for Seth and Sara much like the previous night.  For long hours they experimented pleasurably with one another’s bodies, finally finding sleep when their eyes could remain open no longer.

Late into the night Garret and Ashton stumbled back into the front door of The King’s Herald.  Garret swayed this way and that uncontrollably as Ashton attempted to guide and support his larger friend.  They precariously made their way through the building and up the stairs to their floor.  Guiding Garret through the door to the room they shared Ashton strained as he led his friend through the room.  Bringing the large man to his bed Ashton let him fall heavily upon it.  Within mere seconds Garret had begun snoring and Ashton too undressed and climbed into his own bed.

The intoxicating effect of ale and rum was not enough to spare Garret from what sought him this night.  Deep in a drunken slumber Garret dreamed lazily about the things he had done and seen previously in the evening.  He watched once again as beautiful women swayed and twirled before him in perfect rhythm, dancing to the music of a nearby group of minstrels.  Garret’s dream again changed focus as he again visited a booth in the street with his friend.  The booth was filled with carved wooden puppets each unique in their design.  A small man stood inside the booth smiling, revealing several missing teeth.  Again Garret’s dream shifted focus and he stood outside the magnificent temple of Gorandor looking up at its intricately carved walls.  Stepping forward Garret began towards the temple’s entrance.  He walked through the door that stood open into the evening air and paused to let his eyes adjust to the light within.  Garret waited patiently as his eyes adjusted to the new light, and he looked around the temple as it came into focus.  The temple’s rows and rows of pews stood unattended as Garret walked between them towards the far end of the room.  As he walked he noticed a man kneeling before a statue of Gorandor at the altar across the room from him.  As he neared, the man stood and turned to face him.  He was a tall man, taller than Garret by a head.  He too was thickly muscled with bulging limbs and a thick neck.  He had a strong jaw and was clean shaven.  His hair was black as night and curled loosely upon his head.  Atop his head amongst the black curls sat a shimmering crown of gold studded nearly to entirety with Gems.  The man stood facing Garret with a welcoming smile as Garret closed the distance between them.  The man looked familiar to Garret yet he could not recall the name of the man nor where they had met.  The man began to speak then.  At least it looked as if he were speaking.  The man formed words with his lips only Garret could not hear them, and thinking the man whispering Garret leaned ever closer in an attempt to decipher the man’s words.  No matter how near Garret got, no word escaped the man’s moving lips.  As Garret tried in vain to hear the soundless conversation the world again heaved and the temple and the man vanished.

Darkness swirled around Garret for a moment and his stomach turned awkwardly.  Fighting back the bile that rose in his throat Garret commanded the whirling nothingness to retreat, and as if obeying his command it did.  When the misty blackness subsided Garret once again stood upon a battlefield.  This time was much like a previous dream he had had.  Looking across the body littered field Garret watched as black masses coagulated across the field from him like pools of aging blood.  Realizing he had seen this scene before Garret then turned his attention to the men beside and around him.  To each side of him were men dressed in the armor of the knights of Valdadore.  Behind him more knights formed rows, and as he met their gazes each nodded to him.  Garret then extended the sweep of his eyes to include those further away than the knights.  Behind the knights, and to either side of them thousands of men in various types of armor stood ready for battle.  Garret could not distinguish any familiar faces, so he turned his gaze elsewhere.  Seeking out something familiar Garret looked through the front lines of the massive force until his gaze fell upon a face he had seen every day since his birth.  Seth stood mere yards away, facing the enemy across the field.  He was easy to recognize though his face had changed tremendously.  He looked tired, wore out, a withered image of himself.  His clothing too was different.  Instead of a tunic and leggings as was usual for him to wear, Seth wore a long robe made from a black fabric trimmed in a deep red color.  He did not notice Garrets gaze, he stood focused across the field as if concentrating.  Confused and concerned Garret tore his eyes from his brother and again tried to scan those around his brother.  He quickly located what he sought.  Sara stood beside Seth, opposite of Garret.  He could not see much of her, his view obscured by his brother, but she was there at Seth’s side, refusing even in the threat of battle to leave the man she loved.  Garret nodded his approval silently to himself as he noticed the mood of the men around him change.  As he turned to seek out the cause of this change he noticed Seth pulling up his sleeves and extending his hands as if to point toward something across the field.  Following his brother’s motion Garret turned his gaze to where the enemy faced them, only now the enemy rushed across the field as bolts of blue lightning began to rain down among them.  Garret faced his coming enemy and began to mutter words he himself could not distinguish as his body began to shimmer.  Everything went black, and the intoxicating effect of all the liquor he had consumed earlier in the evening returned, and refused to let him awaken.  Garret snored heavily, sleeping uneasily until morning when he woke with a pounding head and uneasy stomach.

The next two days passed much like their second day had.  They explored the city each day, sometimes splitting into pairs to go their separate ways.  Seth and Sara used this time alone to reread the scrolls and books brought to them by Borrik, and they too visited the temple of Ishanya each day to speak with him of the Goddess though this led to no new answers.  Borrik, each time they visited, asked Seth for orders to carry out though Seth each time had none.  Seth now had a loyal servant that at present he had no need for, but he had a feeling that in time his link to Borrik would be one of much more substance.  Seth spent the days drowning in mixed emotions.  The knowledge of his seemingly inescapable future disturbed him and left him feeling empty and burdened.  Yet having Sara all to himself made him feel relaxed and focused.  Her presence filled him with such adoration he knew he would never be able to fully express his feelings for her in words.  It was a strange mix of emotions that caused his mood to swing frequently negative, only again to have Sara light the way back to normalcy with her depth less amber eyes and disarming smile.

Garret and Ashton too visited the temples.  Ashton went each day to pray to his Goddess, and Garret went each day to visit the temple of Gorandor trying to decipher the meaning of his multitude of dreams.

Each evening Seth and Sara would return to the inn foregoing the city’s festivities to instead spend quiet time together.  Garret and Ashton however spent each night enjoying the multitudes of performers and indulged themselves with foods from around the realm.  Garret continued to drink his fill of rum and ale each night, however he had gained a new respect for the effects of alcohol and so drank more responsibly.  The days and nights passed quickly, and before any of them were ready the day had come that had been their purpose in coming to the castle city of Valdadore.

Seth lay still staring at the ceiling above the bed he and Sara shared.  He was exhausted, the revelations of days past had been eating at him slowly making sleep a nearly unobtainable commodity.  He could not recall actually waking up and he wondered if at any point he had ever fallen asleep.  He slid carefully to the edge of the bed and stood to dress moving slowly as to not wake Sara.  As he pulled from his pack the clothing given to him for this day he stood to see Sara standing opposite of him across the bed watching him.

“Good morning angel.”  Seth said smiling at the beautiful woman before him.

“G’morning my love.”  Sara replied.

Smiling momentarily at one another they then dressed quickly and Seth sat down upon the edge of the bed.  Sara joined him as he pulled on his boots and she smiled at him provocatively.

“What’s gotten into you?”  Seth asked.

“You look very handsome in those clothes love.”  Sara stated beckoning towards his outfit.  “You look very important as well.”  She added.

“You think so?”  Seth asked raising one eyebrow.

“Yes I do, I just hope none of the other girls at the ceremony notice.”  Sara said smiling slyly.

“No matter if they do Sara, I will never want any other than you.”  Seth said honestly.

Sara smiled proudly knowing he was being honest, and happy with the knowledge that though she might not deserve him, he was hers and no other’s.  Seth rose from the bed and pulled Sara into his arms.  Today he knew would be a life changing day.  Today was the choosing.  It was a day he was sure he would never forget, and he hoped now that he would be making good memories this day.  If it did not go well however, he would return here to the inn to meet Sara and they would run together to somewhere the Kingdom would not care to look for them.  The plan was made, the day had come, now all there was to do was see how it played out.  The ceremony was scheduled to start two hours after sunrise, and sunrise was upon them.

Gathering their belongings Seth removed the small black tome from beneath the bed and placed it within his shirt, tucking it firmly at his waist.  Then without a look back he and Sara left the room and headed to the dining hall.

Garret and Ashton both awoke feeling renewed and well rested.  They both were excited about the coming ceremony.  Both of them fairly certain what it held in store for them.  They rushed to dress and gathered their things before leaving their room.  Taking the stairs two at a time and skipping the last few all together they made their way to the first floor and down the hall to the dining area.  Rounding the corner they were amazed to see the room full of people.  They had hardly even been aware of any other guests up until now, however the dining hall was filled nearly to capacity this morning and it took Garret a moment to scan the dozens of faces who looked up at him as he entered the room.  Looking from table to table Garret located his brother and Sara and led Ashton across the room to join them.  It was not their normal table they attended this morning, instead having to sit at one against the wall.  They all greeted one another as Garret and Ashton sat themselves with their companions.  Looking around Garret noticed that nearly all the people here this morning were their own age.  Most of the people in the hall were already eating, or empty plates stood upon their tables having already finished their meals.  Each of the companions anxious for their own reasons, waited impatiently for Felix to arrive.

After some time Felix did arrive, accompanied by a young woman.  They each carried large trays filled with plates of food which they delivered to several different tables.  The meals delivered, the young woman and Felix then gathered empty plates from those guests that were finished, and too from tables that now were deserted.  Having gathered everything there was to gather, Felix sent the woman back to the kitchen her arms heavily burdened with plates and bowls before turning to approach the four’s table.

“It appears you are a busy man this morning.”  Seth said to Felix as he came beside the table.

“Indeed I am Master Seth.”  Felix replied.  “And good morning to you all.”  He added.

They each in turn greeted Felix, and when he asked what they would be having for breakfast he was not surprised when Sara spoke for the group.

“Felix, you should well know by now that you can prepare for us anything of your choosing, as no one I am sure has better taste in food than you.”  Sara said all the while beaming a giant smile at the man.