RuneScape Forum Archive | Echoes of the Gods

Chuk

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"Just come with us," she tried a final time, her tears flowing freely now. "No one will blame you. Leave duty behind, just once."

Erafae did not respond. He sat with his face in his hands, elbows on his knees. Aletayr still clung to his side. Eventually, he put out one arm and pulled his son closer. Then he turned, facing his wife. His eyes were dry, though lines on his cheeks and nose gave evidence to former tears.

"I want nothing more," he said, voice growing stronger and more resolute. "I could never have imagined wanting anything so desperately."

A moment later Aletayr felt his mother's arms lift him into the air. She settled Aletayr against her hip with one arm and wiped away her tears with the other.

"I know," she whispered so quietly that Aletayr could hardly hear her with his ear almost rubbing his mother's chin. Erafae stood and wrapped his arms around his family. All too soon he withdrew. He pulled his signet ring from his hand and pressed it into Aletayr's small palms.

"Keep this safe for me," he said with a sad smile and ruffled Aletayr's hair a final time. He leaned forward for a last kiss from Ellya, then turned away. He took a few steps and looked over his shoulder.

"I love you," he called. Then he broke into a trot and disappeared down the hall. Ellya stood watching, even after he had vanished around a corner, staring at the last place she would ever see her husband.

"Momma?" Ellya did not acknowledge her son, but he continued anyway. "Where's daddy going?"

"Shhh," she finally said, and gently pressed Aletayr's head against her shoulder. "Shhh."

Another moment passed before she finally turned, going down the hall in the opposite direction.

14-May-2010 00:30:56 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 06:57:31 by Chuk

Chuk

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::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
!- + -! Chapter One !- + -! Culminations !- + -!
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Aletayr sat on the edge of his bed and stared about his room. It was entirely barren except for a polished mahogany desk and chair, an empty wardrobe -- also mahogany -- with the doors hanging open, and the bed on which he sat. There was also a pack leaning against the wall by the door. It had been years since Aletayr had seen the room like this, when he had first moved into the Academy. He could remember that day, just ten years old at the time. The room had seemed so small compared to the one he had grown up with at home in Kryma, but all too soon he had discovered that it was more than enough space for his needs at the Saradomin's Elite Academy.

-My last night,- he thought, leaning back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. He could not deny that life at the Academy had been interesting, even fun at times, but he would not be sorry to leave it behind. Focused primarily on training leaders and military officers, he fit the life as well foot fits into a glove. The history lessons were enjoyable enough, but that was just the problem; his preferences lay in reading about battles, not preparing to fight in them.

Unfortunately, that left the question of what exactly he would do now, since there were no wars; his father had sent gold aplenty on the ship that brought him and his mother to the mainland, so he did not have a need to work; however, lounging around home would soon grow boring, Aletayr knew, perhaps eventually reaching the point where it would seem as unappealing as the thought of battle.

14-May-2010 00:30:57 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 06:57:48 by Chuk

Chuk

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After a moment he sighed, supposing that was a problem for another day. He knew that he would travel home to spend time with his mother for a few months at the least, since he had hardly seen her in his years at the Academy. That was enough to know for the moment. As if cued by the break in his thoughts, a knock sounded from his door.

"Yes?" he answered. "It should be unlocked."

"And it is indeed."

A young man swept into the room as if chasing the words he had so recently uttered. His tawny hair hung straight to his ears, bangs pushed back to one side. He wore a smile that seemed on the edge of breaking into laughter. He surveyed the room in a glance and turned to Aletayr, one eyebrow raised.

"This is what you're doing, Aletayr, sitting up here alone in this dark, empty, boring room?"

"And what else should I be doing?" Aletayr asked, his gaze still on the ceiling.

"The party, man. You missed it." He shook his head woefully; Aletayr just caught the movement in the corner of his eye. "Shame, really. It was great fun."

Aletayr sat up, chagrined. "What?" he demanded. "I didn't even know about a party!"

"Awh, real shame man. Sorry to hear it. Sure would've beat…"

Another voice cut in, high and light, as a second figure pushed into the room. "You didn't know about it because *aran just made it up. You've gotta figure out when he's having you on, Tayr."

Aletayr sighed and opened his mouth, but Xaran spoke first. "C'mon, Ahri, can't even let me have my fun." He scowled and turned to Aletayr. "But you, man, you're a sorry case. What, ten years, give or take, and you still haven't figured out not to take me seriously. I'm disappointed."

Aletayr ignored his friend and turned to the young woman. "Thanks, Ahriele. I suppose that would be something good to figure out."

14-May-2010 00:30:58 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 06:58:11 by Chuk

Chuk

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"Definitely would do you good." She faked a sigh, but the corners of her mouth twitched as if holding back a smile, and her eyes sparkled with amusement. "What would you do without me?"

"Probably punch Xaran in the face a couple times once I finally caught on. Probably in his best interests, too, that you're around, I mean."

Ahriele laughed, clear and joyous, but Xaran snorted. "And I'd replace your head with a fireball if you so much as tried."

"Nah, you wouldn't do that," Aletayr retorted. "Then you wouldn’t have anyone for your little jokes. Anyway, what are you two up to, since you haven't been partying after all?"

"Nothing, obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't have at such a trusting bloke as yourself. No fun, when I don't even have to try. That fireball's looking better by the minute."

"You're an ass."

"C'mon, now, don't hate. I'm just having a bit of fun, and you take on all serious like."

"Then it's my turn to be disappointed." Aletayr's voice was deadpan. "After ten years, you have yet to realize the humor trait skipped me."

"No, no, I figured that out the first day. Just expected you to learn it, with how serious you focus on all your studies. Should be able to learn a little thing like jokes."

"Well then teach a class, and I'll see if I can't figure it out."

"Right you are." Xaran turned to Ahriele, who had been watching the exchange in mild amusement. "My dear Ms. Salocar, since you're the scholar here, perhaps you could aid me in this trying endeavor? I do feel sorry for poor Mr. Chaelom here, what with his sad lack of a single funny bone in his entire body."

14-May-2010 00:30:59 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 06:59:17 by Chuk

Chuk

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Ahriele chuckled. "I'll see what I can do, Xar. Later, though. We didn't come up here just to let Xaran engage in his favorite pastime, though he'll likely do it for the rest of the evening. We were actually going to see about having, not a party exactly, but a gathering of sorts. Cormin and Jerin are headed off right after the ceremony tomorrow. Might be our last chance to see them before they're gone."

"Yeah, sounds great. We're off to round everyone up then?" Aletayr said, and after Xaran's nod, climbed off his bed. "Let's go then. Sure beats sitting up here."

- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -

Nearly two hundred young men and women crowded the entrance hall of Saradomin's Elite Academy. Aletayr, near one wall, felt nervous excitement tingling through his veins, and from the buzz in the room, he was not alone in the feeling. The energy alone almost seemed to fill the hall to bursting. Ahriele stood by him, eyes wide as she regarded the room.

"Sure seems different today, doesn't it? The hall, I mean," she whispered.

"Yeah, definitely. Almost a completely different place from even the rehearsal yesterday."

He perused the room again, still almost disbelieving the changes wrought overnight. It had always been grand, but today the snow white walls had been polished to perfection; gilded busts gleamed as if from their own light, though sunlight blazed through the stain glass windows of the enormous dome above. The myriad colors danced across the tapestries decorating the walls, lending them life; the grass and leaves shone green in those, and seemed to rustle in a minuscule breeze; the cobalt sky matched that of the clearest day, and almost spread through the room.

14-May-2010 00:44:41 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:01:37 by Chuk

Chuk

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Even the students added to the effect, though normally so many would have sullied the majesty of such a scene. All wore tailored tunics and breeches of deep blue, and white trimmed the cuffs and collars. Four point stars adorned the front, woven from gold thread. Their cloaks were white with a blue border to match the tunics. These, too, had the golden four point star emblazoned in the center. A white beret, tilted slightly and precisely, completed the uniform.

"Impressive, isn't it," Aletayr continued when Ahriele said nothing more. "All this just for us. I know what they told us, but I hadn't realized it'd be like this."

"Yeah, I did not figure on such a display as this," a third youth said, joining Ahriele and Aletayr. His fair hair was as long as most girls', but the beginnings of a beard set aside any confusion. From a distant and remote corner of Saradomin's Kingdom, Keran Fallos had an oddly distinct way of pronouncing his words. "It is hardly a wonder they have never let us attend one of these before. We might have begun to think ourselves kings before we were half finished."

Aletayr hardly blinked anymore when someone brought up royalty as a joke; no one, not even his professors knew of his right to rule. Though it had been nearly fifteen years, he still remembered stepping onto the mainland after weeks at sea, his first step on dry land since fleeing Relnor. He had wanted to run off, to play in the summer grass, but his mother pulled him aside, warning of undue attention. He had been too young to understand, and as long as he was free to play and explore, it had not mattered if he was the young king of a fallen nation. His mother had repeated the caution when he left for the Academy, but by that point, he was so used to not thinking about it that he paid hardly any attention. Now that he was old enough to wonder about the command, he planned to ask his mother soon after he was home.

14-May-2010 00:44:42 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:02:33 by Chuk

Chuk

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"Yeah, must…" he started to respond, but cut off as the hall quieted around them. The Assistant Headmaster, gray-haired and venerable, stood by the door motioning for silence. He wore sky blue robes, a white star on the chest and each sleeve.

"Positions, please," he called once the hall was quiet. "It's nearly time to begin."

Within minutes, all two hundred students had formed into five rows, exactly even, each student a precise pace behind the last. Aletayr stood at the front of the center line. Ahriele was to his right, and past her, Keran. Xaran was on his left. Beyond him was another of Aletayr's good friends, Cormin Velos. Five more of his friends filled the second place in each row.

Aletayr glanced around, doing his best to appear calm, to let nothing of his nerves show. Inside, he was roiling; nervousness fought his excitement, and trepidation battled joy. The feeling of accomplishment was almost buried beneath everything else. However well he was hiding his emotions, though, he knew he was no match for Xaran. His friend shot him a wink and a sly grin that almost seemed to imply the opportunity for a joke or prank. Certainly it did not fit with waiting on the verge of perhaps the grandest, most formal occasion of their lives. Aletayr barely managed a weak smile in return. Then they began.

"It is time," the Assistant Headmaster said.

As he finished his announcement, the great doors swung wide, opening to the sunlight. At the same instant, a bugle sounded a long, rising note. A drum roll joined after a moment, followed by more instruments building to a rousing fanfare. At the start of the drum roll, Aletayr began to march.

14-May-2010 00:44:44 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:04:40 by Chuk

Chuk

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Every other student matched his stride in unison. His left hand rested on the hilt of his sword; his right swung by his side with each pace. The other students did the same; they all had a sword or a long dagger at their belts. Hours spent practicing the day before now paid off; their precision in matching each movement to those around them was such that they could have been controlled by a single mind.

They paraded into the courtyard following a wide stone path that shone brilliant white in the late spring sun. Grandstands filled the back half of the courtyard. Several paces in front of those was a raised stage with a podium at one end. On one side of that, covering much of the remaining grass, were lines of white benches that faced the stage. Opposing these benches, arranged in the same fashion, waited almost two hundred sparkling white chairs. The students filed through the benches, leaving the chairs vacant. Aletayr and his friends filled half the first row, and like the others, remained standing. The crowd in the stands, which had risen for their entrance, followed their example.

The last note died away into silence, and a few moments later, two more men left the Academy's doors: the Assistant Headmaster and his superior. The Headmaster wore robes that might have once been similar to his assistant's, but in his flowed gold embroidery, winding to and fro through the blue cloth. It lined the white stars and the cuffs. It danced along the sleeves and swirled up the front and down the back in elegant, beautiful patterns. His white hair and matching beard hung just past the collar. Despite his age-wizened face, his eyes glinted brightly even from a distance, and he moved with poise that fit the opulent robes. Every eye followed as the two men made their way to the stage; the Headmaster stopped in the center while his assistant continued to the podium.

14-May-2010 00:44:45 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:05:12 by Chuk

Chuk

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"Welcome, friends, to this most prestigious gathering, this four-hundred and thirty-first graduation ceremony of Domi's Elite Acadmey. Hail our Lord Domi's willing servant, the Exalted Headmaster. As he is seated, so may you all."
Following his words, the audience settled into their places. Once they were all still, the students sat as well, all two hundred in the same instant, as if they were one. When the courtyard was silent once again, the Assistant Headmaster continued.

"You have come today, all of you, to witness the elevation of these young, outstanding men and women. Today, they begin their journey into our Lord Domi's world as bearers of his shining Glory. May they be an example to us and to those they meet in the days to come. May they be strong and faithful in this service, fulfilling the Divine Will of our Lord."

The Assistant Headmaster continued into his exhortation, his voice ringing through the courtyard. Beneath the warming sun, Aletayr struggled to sit attentively, and that took almost all of his focus. It was impossible to actually pay attention to the words. Turning his head for surreptitious glances, he caught Xaran at the end of a yawn more than once. Every time he peeked at Ahriele, though, she was leaning forward, eyes focused on the speaker as if enraptured by the grandiose words. When Aletayr looked back to Xaran, he found his friend juggling arcs of lightning from one hand to the other across his lap. Aletayr sighed. That was asking for trouble, even if no one else seemed to notice.

Finally -- it seemed hours since the beginning, though the sun had hardly moved -- the Assistant Headmaster began to close his speech, and Aleteayr returned his attention in time to hear the last sentence. "With our Lord Domi's blessing, we will now recognize these young students as beacons of His Divine Will. Let us begin the ceremony."

14-May-2010 00:44:46 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:06:04 by Chuk

Chuk

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Cheers greeted the statement, both for the conclusion of the address and for the students ready to be raised. After a moment, the Headmaster stood and nodded to his assistant, who raised his hands for quiet. As if reading from a list, he spoke again.

"First, we will recognize the ten students who excelled in their particular studies, young men and women who climbed above the taxing requirements of the Academy and truly shone in their brilliance."

He paused and glanced at the Headmaster who nodded imperceptibly. Aletayr thought he saw the assistant sigh before continuing. "The first we shall recognize is Cormin Velos, a truly remarkable battle physician. Graduate Velos, please rise and cross over."

As the graying man finished speaking, Cormin rose smoothly and stepped towards the platform, back straight and head up, his pace dignified. He ascended the stage, and a stride before he reached the Headmaster, he stopped, unsheathed his sword with a flourish and dropped to one knee. He held the sword by its blade, the hilt proffered to the Headmaster. His voice was loud and clear.

"If I have failed our Lord Domi, Exalted Headmaster, my life be forfeit for my transgressions, but if I have achieved and surpassed expectations, may the Exalted Headmaster grant me the honor of joining the Divine Will of our Lord Domi."

The Headmaster hesitated a moment, as if considering. This was the part Aletayr feared. He could hardly believe any of them would be killed after coming so far, but they had to say the words. And there had been dark rumors lingering from previous years; ghost stories, he had always thought them, but now, watching the Headmaster's hard, weathered face, he could almost believe. But then that face smiled.

"You have done well, Graduate Velos. On behalf of our Lord Domi, I bestow upon you the honor of joining His ranks to carry out His Divine Will. Welcome!"

14-May-2010 00:44:49 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 07:07:06 by Chuk

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