The Dark Blooded Duchess. Ep1

I left Morgen at her behest. After two of her bones were reset, she insisted that I remove myself from the vicinity. So did Hannah.

This brings me to storytime.

The community center is a large expanse of open space, with three floors with high ceilings and what seems like endless space.

One entire side of the building is smart glass and so it feels like you are outside inside.

It gives a certain feel to story time, like sitting around a fire.

‘This is the story of an ancient race called the Primordials’ I say, recalling the story I’d read close to a hundred times as a child ‘and how they saved the kingdom’

There’s scurrying as more children decide to join for storytime. An older boy tries to shove his way to the front by stepping over Dinara, who instantly shoves him off balance as he does. He face-plants right in front of me and I have to bite back a grin.

The older Mindher reprimands both and after sufficient scolding and adjustments, I continue my story.

‘In the exact moment of creation - where light and darkness split into two separate entities, the Primordials were born. An ancient race of unimaginable power that traveled from place to place, bringing light and dark, good and evil into balance wherever they went.’

’In later days, as the world grew and more mortals, immortals, and gods came to be in the different worlds, the great balance of light was a burden that was handed to the gods of those who worship them.

So it was that the Primordials settled in a village of their own. Their numbers decreased and increase as the balance needed them over the many eons of existence, but even as their numbers faded, their power remained puissant.’ judging from the confused looks on their faces I add ‘Puissant means mighty, powerful beyond belief.’

The majority of lights go on then so I continue ‘As great as their power was, greater still was their knowledge’

‘One day, one the greatest monarchs in our history, Queen Alina, sought the wisdom of the Tribeshead, he was a sage named Senan’

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a new face between the older attendees of storytime. Morgen, in an assist chair. She is sweaty and pale. They must be taking a break from resetting bones. It takes a lot of focus not to keep looking at her.

I clear my throat as I make my voice pitchy and as feminine as I can manage ‘‘Wise Sage,’’ I say and that emits a few giggles from the kids, but I continue most seriously ‘‘We have been shrouded in darkness this year. In many parts of our kingdom, the rains and floods have destroyed our harvests. In the areas with farms that provide for the outer villages, there is not nearly enough because clouds as dark as smoke have come and will not leave. Less than a quarter of what we need is all we could manage. Please, can you tell me how to save my people? Or else’ the Queen sobs ‘we will surely starve’’

‘‘You are a wise and wonderful Queen,’ said Sage Senan ‘let me ask you a question; in this world, which is most important, light or darkness?’

The Queen had to think about that, ‘Surely light’ she answered ‘for without light there is no warmth, no crops can grow and darkness will swallow us whole’

‘Ah but what of too much warmth? There would be raging fires’ says the Sage ‘what if there was only light and we could never sleep? What if our world could not rest, what then?’

The Queen frowned ‘We need darkness, then? Both light and dark,’ she answers.

‘Balance’ said the Sage ‘Go back to your people and tell them, both farmer and peasant alike to plant what little you have harvested, wherever they can-’

‘But winter is coming’ protested the Queen.

‘Do not fear’ said the Sage ‘My people and I can bring warm sunshine and hold off the cold for a time. But I must warn you when the winter comes, it will be the coldest and harshest one yet. You must take care, for the poor and the weak will not survive if you do not.’

‘I will have more silos built, we will store everything we can. We will have the sick and elderly move into the castle, I will guard my people with my own life. I swear it’ said the Queen.

‘Then, Majesty, we will help you,’ said the Sage, pleased by the love the Queen had for her kingdom.

So the Queen did as the Sage instructed, and the people both young and old, rich and poor planted whatever they could wherever they could.

And what do you think happened?’ I ask them.

‘The kingdom was saved!’ was the general consensus.

‘The kingdom was saved,’ I say, nodding ‘the people survived the winter because it was the most fruitful harvest they’d had in decades and the most fruitful for the decades to come.’

‘What happened to the Primordials?’ asks Dinara, curious as ever.

‘Well,’ I say crossing my arms ‘many believe they’ve left our world and will return only when the darkest of days descends on us.’

‘Will they chase the darkness away?’ asks another child, Frig, I think was her name.

‘Of course, they will’ I say, with a grin.

‘Cool!’

And so conversations erupted and the mindher eventually ushered them, with a fair amount of trouble, to their tents where they would be coerced to sleep.