Chapter 92 The All-Mother
The bedroom prison of Clemente.
Danilo, Volker, and Chara were sitting with their eyes almost closed. They did not hear the words that the voice of the man and the Pegasus were saying to Olivia.
The voice: Olivia, you need my daughters. The bipeds need the Unicorns. The three of them need each other.
Olivia spoke slowly; her gaze fixed on something in the distance: They do not want me on the throne.
The voice: They do not know you. Courage, honor, and strength. You know what they believe in. Perhaps you can show them your heart.
The Queen: And what about the Pegasi?
The voice: You know more than anyone about my daughters. When you need them, your mind must be open.
The young woman tilted her head slightly. She closed her eyes fully and did not hear the following words.
The voice spoke in the language of his youth: Folker, you do not believe in your own heart. But you are braver than you think.
Volker: For a long time, I could not express my feelings to a woman I fell in love with the first time I saw her.
The voice: When you were asked an important question, you were brave enough to say yes. You show courage when it is truly needed.
Volker: I am afraid of failing at important things.
The voice: If you are brave enough to answer the call of another heart, you will succeed.
The young blond man closed his eyes like the queen. The rider opened her eyes slightly. Her mind was filled with images of places, of people, of Pegasi and Unicorns that looked different than the War Unicorns.
The voice: Chara, strong daughter. Your families need you. I need to dwell in your mind and heart during this important time for both families.
Chara: What do I have to do?
The voice: This is true magic. True magic requires sacrifice. Are you willing to die for your families?
Chara: Yes. That is my oath.
The voice: For bipeds, it is easy to make a promise, but I need to show you your death.
Chara watched her last minutes of life as if it were a dream.
The visions were as if she were in her own body, observing the world. She was riding her golden Pegasus. She saw a Pegasus flying very high above a mountain from which smoke was rising. She was enormous, and from her emerged a newly born Pegasus that began to fall toward a large fire inside the mountain.
In her mind, she thought, or the voice thought—she was not sure whose it was—: My son, dive towards her, quickly.
Golden Arrow lunged forward at great speed until he was alongside the new born Pegasus, and both plummeted towards the fire below. Chara felt the magic, and memories of the All-Mother surge from her mind and heart. The Pegasus opened its eyes and wings and began to fly. Chara closed her eyes and felt Golden Arrow falling in an uncontrolled spiral. Chara felt smoke in her lungs and a terrible heat on her skin. After that, everything went silent and meaningless.
Chara: When?
The voice: You know when. You saw a familiar face. You will see this dream every time you sleep if you accept me.
Chara: Can I choose?
The voice: Yes. You have the same option that this biped took before your parents were born. He sacrificed twenty years of his life and lived for decades with the dream of his own death. But it is your life.
The young rider thought about the images from her dream about death. Another person was riding the other Pegasus. A familiar face. The face looked exactly the same as the first time she had seen it.
Chara: If I accept you, I will die soon.
The voice: Yes.
The first woman who rode a Pegasus as a rider stood up and took his hand with both hands.
Chara spoke with wide open eyes and without the influence of any magic: I accept you, All-Mother.
After a few minutes, Chara returned to her post with images swirling in her mind.
Clemente looked weak and smaller, but he was alert and spoke in his own voice: I had years to learn to control the images in my dreams. Focus on the faces and the details of each image. For tonight, focus on the face of the queen. You need to get a little sleep and then examine the images. I will die before the next sunset. I have fulfilled my promise to the All-Mother. I have felt the pain of her death for most of my life. For me, death will come as a friend.
The voice of the All-Mother in the mind of Chara: You have sacrificed much for me.
Chara: I am now a rider, I have suffered heartbreak, and I believe I have felt the love of another person. I have met my hero, and I am a hero to a young girl. Who knows what things are going to happen to me next week?
The four people left the bedroom with a feeling of calm. Each of them believed that the old man had answered the questions of the queen with important information. But no one remembered the conversation in detail. Danilo looked for Heinrich to escort him up to the nest. The queen went to her chambers with a sense of urgency. The two riders were alone near the stairs.
Chara: Folker, I have not slept well in many hours. I feel very tired. Could we find a bed or a bench so I can rest for an hour or so?
Volker: Of course.
He led her to a small room that appeared to be unused. The woman sat down on the bench and looked at the handsome young man.
Chara, with a smile: Could you keep an eye on me while I get some sleep?
Volker: It is an honor to receive so much trust from you.
She leaned back and he used his vest to cover her shoulders. He kissed her cheek tenderly. He sat on the floor, his back leaning against the door. The young man thought about the kisses, her body, and the feeling of love.
In her dreams, Chara saw images of the queen, of great battles, of Pegasi flying in terror, and of Unicorns that looked different from the war Unicorns of the castle.
She had two very vivid dreams. One of them was about her death. This time it was slower and clearer. The face was the same. The hair of the young woman was exactly the same as now. The young rider began to understand how soon she was going to die. The last dream consisted of only three images, all during an great darkness. One of them was a mountain with a large cauldron of fire at the summit. The second was a large river delta. The last was a vast field covered in snow and ice.
She woke up with a gasp, and Volker got up to hug her.
Volker: Bist in Sicherheit, meine Liebe.