Chapter 185 New Beginnings and Old Traditions
Three months after the War of Succession.
Isla Oveja.
Red Sunrise ran in circles in the grassy field. Her rider and the Lady of the Island were standing, watching her. Her legs looked healthy and strong.
The Pegasus: I am ready.
Corsino thought, then spoke: Are you sure, my beautiful Red?
Sorcha laughed: It is hard to hear only one side of your conversations. But the worst part is that you use the same words for her and for me.
The Rider: I am sorry. I will try to change. I am very nervous. If her legs are not strong when she lands...
The Lady: She must try.
The man closed his eyes and thought. The Pegasus turned against the wind and began to run swiftly. Her wings spread wide, and her body rose into the air. A few more wingbeats, and she was flying over the sea. The two humans beheld a spectacle of great beauty. After a while, the Pegasus flew in a straight line, gradually descending in altitude. She landed carefully, yet firmly.
Corsino knelt: Thank you, Goddess of the Air.
Sorcha: Women are always stronger than men believe, Master Rider.
The man stood up and took her hand: I cannot believe this is my title now.
The Woman: In a year, we will have a nest for ten Pegasi, and you need to find riders for them.
Corsino: Perhaps we could use the nest for a wedding...
Sorcha smiled: No to your idea, but yes to the wedding.
In the Greenwood.
Emiliano rode Hoof Click, following behind Azure Death. They were deep within the forest, near the great Lynx River. The priest carried a large sack filled with the horns of dead Unicorns. The ancient animal guided them to a place where the horns of all those who had died previously were buried. Only the elder Unicorns knew the location. Emiliano had learned that wild families used the same places for centuries. Domesticated Unicorns used a single place for everyone. Only this ritual resembled that of the beasts of the forest.
Before arriving, they stumbled upon a strange scene. Part of the forest was dying. The trees, shrubs, and grass were dead. The ground had a strange appearance spanning a distance equivalent to the height of six men. The area was as wide as a Unicorn, from horn to tail. The man dismounted and approached cautiously. He perceived a fetid odor, like that of bodies that had been dead for a long time. But he found only twisted pieces of petrified wood and the shells of many river crustaceans and turtles.
He walked around that place; near the area of the dead plants, he found the body of a Unicorn. It had deep wounds in its flank and was missing a leg. Its horn had disappeared. The skull had been shattered into pieces. The horn had been taken by other unicorns.
Emiliano spoke not only with his voice, but also through the gestures of the language of animals: What happened here? What killed this young female?
Azure Death made a gesture indicating that he did not know, or that he was confused. Hoof Click made a gesture that did not appear among the scrolls the priest had read. But the gesture that followed was the closest thing to the word fear that the animals used.
The man meditated upon this mystery as they continued advancing toward the hidden spot to bury the horns. His unicorn halted, refusing to take another step, upon receiving a signal from the older beast. The reverence for the ritual and the secrecy displayed by the young male struck the man as truly impressive.
The office of the Count of Arms.
Esteban placed the parchment on his desk: Are you sure? With a recommendation from the Queen, you could be a squire to a Blue Knight or a high-ranking Captain. You could serve any man in the kingdom.
Antonio: I am sure. When we fought for the maids, when we were in the forest protecting the Queen and the nobles, I knew that I wanted to be a Royal Guard.
The Count: The guards receive neither lands nor riches, as a knight might obtain. Duty is difficult at times, and very tedious on other occasions.
The Page: I understand. I want to serve in the castle, like the men who protected the Queen that night of betrayal. I know there are things more important than land and gold.
Esteban: Very well. I accept you as my squire.
When the Queen asked him what he needed, Antonio replied that he needed an opportunity. He explained that he served as a page to Esteban and Tatiana because the warrior always accepted pages whom other nobles had rejected. His mother had been born on the Royal Isle, and his father on the Ridges, into a family from Puerto Blanco. With a written testimonial from the Queen, he could serve any man in the kingdom. What he had not told her is that he wanted to serve as a royal guard so that he could be close to the Queen.
The nest at Puerto Blanco.
Four girls between the ages of twelve and fourteen were sitting on a simple wooden bench. On another bench sat three boys between the ages of fourteen and sixteen. Facing them were a nineteen-year-old woman and an eighteen-year-old man.
The woman had memorized her phrases in the language of the candidates: I am the Master Rider of this nest. This man is my second-in-command. When I am not here, he is your trainer. My name is Chara, and my husband is Folker.
Volker: Yes. We are going to show you everything you need to learn to care for these beautiful animals. Most of you will probably never become riders. But if you have the mindset, the dedication, and the heart, it is possible.
Chara: Your bodies are ideally suited to become Riders...though that could change. Serving as an assistant in our nest is a position of honor. In the stone nest situated above the Royal Castle, the names of heroes are carved into the rock. These heroes were assistants who tended to the Pegasi and, when necessary, defended the nest from all danger.
Volker: If you are here only because Pegasi are pretty, leave. Our oath is sacred.
The Master Rider: This is your last chance to leave without your honor being sullied. If you do not leave now, the coming months will be the most difficult of your lives.
She looked at the faces, searching for doubt, fear, or uncertainty. After a minute, she smiled.
Chara: Welcome to our family. Do you have any questions right now?
A girl raised her hand: Yes. Do you want a boy or a girl?
Chara touched her stomach, which started to show and laughed: I care not, but I hope their feathers are like those of the father.