[Mkguild] The Harvest Festival (19/20)

[Hallan Mirayas]

------- =


 =


   The sun had fallen
behind the edge of the Dragon Mountains, bathing Metamor Valley in a warm
scarlet twilight. As the light began to fade, lamplighters walked the stree=
ts
to keep the city illuminated throughout the night. The Autumnal Festival wa=
s in
full swing, and revellers would spend many hours yet celebrating a bountiful
harvest. For one horse-like man, the celebrations had not yet begun.

 =


   Duke Thomas stood
upon a balcony in one of the towers overlooking the city. At his side was t=
he
Lady Alberta Artelanoth. She was dressed in a radiant gown of lavender. Aga=
inst
her grey donkey-like hide it made her seem to glow like a Spring flower =AD=
 a bit
of life in the midst of death. But what truly made her glow was the look of
delight on her face, her eyes bright with heady excitement from a long day =
of
festival, songs, dancing, and games.

 =


   The Duke's eyes
fell upon her sublime grace, noting the way her long ears turned from side =
to
side to capture the raucous singing of Keepers below. His nose drank in the
sweet scent of equine musk laced with delicate perfume. His hoof-like finge=
rs
reached out for the back of her gown, feeling the powerful yet feminine mus=
cles
beneath. His tail flicked nervously from side to side, his nervous heart
pounding in his chest Thomas could have stayed the rest of his life in that=
 one
moment.

 =


   In his younger days
when his only responsibility was learning the ways of statecraft from his
mother =AD his father had passed on before he was old enough to have known =
him =AD
he had often wondered what it was like to love another so fully that life
without them was empty. Many times he had caught his mother crying quietly =
when
she thought none could see her. But all throughout his youth he had always
known that he would marry who his mother and Thalberg chose for him.

 =


   He had met several
girls that they hoped he would be interested in; boorish ladies from southe=
rn
lands who had shown more interest in pleasing mother than in him. Thomas tu=
rned
from them all back to his studies. It was not until after he became Duke and
Metamor was cast under the yoke of the curses that this foolishness came to=
 an
end. Who would want to marry a man who looked like a horse? Even a prostitu=
te
would be loath to sleep with a beast like him.

 =


   But now, as everything
that was Alberta filled his senses, he knew what love was, and was grateful
that it had finally come to him too. She leaned forward, her hoof-like hands
gripping the marble railing tightly as she tried to see some detail below. =
The
railing pulled at her dress, drawing taut the lace across her bodice. Thomas
felt his heart skip a beat as he saw soft grey-hide flesh slip free.

 =


   Swallowing quickly,
the horse lord gestured to the city. "My Lady Alberta, I can see that you
have been enjoying the festival."

 =


   "Aye, Thomas. 'Tis
a marvellous wonder thy people hath made. The songs! The dancing! The shows=
 of
skill and the silly plays! Oh, 'tis like a dream that ne'er ends!" Her
voice was filed with the wonder of all that she tried to describe. She smil=
ed
to him, and Thomas stood taller. Though he resembled a horse and she a donk=
ey,
she was nearly as tall as he. She was more a Steppelands donkey called an
Assingh, and they were just as large as horses. They were found in no other
land. By the gods, she was beautiful.

 =


   "And dinner?"
Thomas asked.

 =


   They had not eaten
in private as they often did. Instead, Thomas hosted a banquet, with Albert=
a at
his side. Jugglers and jongleurs had provided entertainment to the assembled
Lords and Ladies of the Metamor Valley. A few of the Keep's younger mages e=
ven
performed a few tricks of their trade, making various lights and illusions
appear. While it 'rained' on them in the hall, Thomas had given the caster,=
 a
familiar lad named Kindle, high compliments for his work. Alberta had joined
him in the toast, and her words of praise were even more efficacious in
securing the applause of all assembled. The poor boy had been thoroughly
embarrassed.

 =


   But what had most
impressed Thomas was the look in his Steward's eye. The alligator Thalberg =
had
always been suspicious of Alberta, a fact that pained Thomas. But over the =
last
few months, some of that suspicion was being allayed. And for the first tim=
e,
Thomas could see genuine affection and admiration in his yellow eyes when h=
e looked
upon Lady Alberta. No other of his counsellors had she left to win over now.
And finally Thomas felt he could do what he had yearned to do for some time
now.

 =


   "Dinner wast
lovely," Alberta replied as she stood upright. "I wish the festival
would ne'er end. 'Tis silly though. I wilt one day want to go riding again."

 =


   "And I with
you," Thomas replied, unable to do anything but smile anxiously. He
fumbled one hand into his breast pocket while she looked away. He held its
contents tightly and put his hand behind his back. Nervously, he tapped his
wrist against the root of his tail.

 =


   "My Lady,"
Thomas began , edging closer to her, "I love you."

 =


   Alberta's ears
folded back and she blushed demurely. "I love thee too, my Thomas."

 =


   "Not as Duke.
Not as a Hassan? Not even as a horse, but as a man? As just Thomas?"

 =


   She lifted her
hands and laid them against his chest. Her snout lifted to his and he felt =
her
warm breath tickling the hairs of his nose. Thick, supple lips opened and s=
he
smiled, her broad flat teeth still freshly white from her transformation on=
ly
four months ago. "I love thee as Thomas, as my man. Thou art nothing else
to me."

 =


   Thomas breathed an
anxious sigh and smiled as well. "I will always love thee, my Alberta. My
lass. My Lady. You have stolen my heart, and there is only one way I could =
ever
have it back."

 =


   "Tell me,"
her ears folded back even more, and her eyes brightened. "My ears art
thine."

 =


   Thomas nodded and
stepped back slowly, letting her hands remain upon his chest. He shifted the
ceremonial buckler and blade that he had worn that day with one hand while =
he
knelt. His knees were no longer quite the same as when he'd been a man, but=
 for
this he would manage. His hooves scrapped against the stone, but he could b=
arely
hear it over the beating of his heart.

 =


   He lifted up his
hand and held out a large golden ring with a brilliant yellow diamond and
several topaz jewels in pav=E9. Alberta stared at it in shock, her chestnut=
 eyes
so wide that the whites nearly showed. With tender voice, he said, "This
ring has been in my family for generations. My mother wore it, and my
grandmother before her. It has always been worn by the Duchess of Metamor K=
eep.
And now I present it to you, My Lady Alberta Artelanoth. I present it you a=
s I
seek your hand in marriage. Will you be my wife, Alberta? I would have no o=
ther
stand at my side the remainder of my days. I could bear to have no other th=
an
you."

 =


   Alberta reached
down and cradled the ring gingerly between her thick fingers. He'd had the =
ring
resized in secret so that she could wear it. One of the drawbacks to being
equine was their thick clumsy fingers and hoof-like nails. Over the years
Thomas had overcome that difficulty, and already Ablerta was showing some
facility with them. But she could not manage to grasp the ring effectively
then, even though she dearly tried.

 =


   "Oh, my
Thomas!" she cried, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. Her ears stood
upright, and her long ropy tail flicked energetically from side to side. "I
wilt be thy wife! There art no other man for my husband than thee!"

 =


   Thomas smiled
broadly and gripped the ring carefully between his hard black nails. He then
lifted his other hand and slid it beneath her wrist, feeling the short fetl=
ocks
that sprouted from her frilled cuff. She held her hand still and he slid the
ring carefully past her nail and over her knuckle. It settled at the base of
her finger, and glimmered in the evening twilight like a bright yellow star.

 =


   Alberta brayed a
short joyous laugh as she admired the ring gracing her finger. It fit snugl=
y,
but not too tight. Thomas smiled and rose to his hooves, his hands framing =
her
arm between them. "My love, my sweet Alberta. I cannot tell you how happy
I am right now. I love you and will always be here with you."

 =


   "And I with
thee, my love, My Thomas." Alberta leaned into his chest, her hands
clasped tight between them. Thomas held her, wrapping his arms around her b=
ack.
The frills of her dress rubbed between his shins, and it was all he could d=
o to
keep from crying out in joy so that all of Metamor could hear. They would h=
ear
soon enough. And then=85

 =


   Thomas nuzzled her
ears and lipped at them gently. "You know, that tomorrow there will be a
celebration unlike any other in recent memory here at Metamor. Perhaps ever
before. I will announce our engagement tomorrow morning. There will be trum=
pets
blown, banners waved, voices raised in cheers and song like you have never
heard before." He stared up at the sky for a moment, his eyes wild with
imagination. "It will be, something I have never seen before either."

 =


  Alberta lifted her
muzzle and gently lipped his cheek. "'Tis for tomorrow. Tonight, I want
thee. All I want be thee, my love."

 =


   Thomas felt his
heart jump in his chest. "And the ball? We'll be late if we don't hurry."

 =


   Alberta didn't
stop. "They wilt understand."

 =


   A loud neigh
escaped his throat at last. He swept her into his arms and in a flight of f=
ancy
he carried her back inside. She brayed in merriment the whole way, her eyes
never leaving his equine face.

 =


   Together, the
engaged couple celebrated their newfound joy. And tomorrow, all of Metamor
would celebrate with them. It truly was a happy day.

 =


-------

 =


   That night at the
Duke's Ball, Xavier leaned against the railing of the balcony just off the
ballroom. His night-black fur and dark gray suit all but vanished into the
evening sky, and only his silver hair let Tessa find him. "Hey, handsome,"
the leopardess said as she slipped up beside him, offering him a glass of w=
ine
to match her own. Her sky blue gown counterbalanced her yellow fur fetching=
ly,
and the white lace trim softened her predator's lines. "So=85 'The Honorable
Xavier Marcus', hmm? I always knew you were upper-class, but an actual
nobleman? You don't act like it."

 =


   "A nobleman of
Lorland, Tessa," Xavier replied after a long drink. "It's not exactly
the most prestigious place for a noble to be from. And the Marcus family na=
me
hasn't commanded a great deal of respect anyway, not in generations." He
sighed and slipped her hand into his. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be this
gloomy when I asked you to come with me. It's just=85" He looked away.

 =


   "What is it?"
she asked, concerned. He sounded more bitter than she had ever heard him
before. "What's bothering you?"

 =


   "Once, long
ago, the Marcus family owned most of what is now Lorland. But my
great-grandfather, he was a dissolute, drunken fool who gambled away most of
our land=85 and all of our prestige. Even after three generations of hard w=
ork,
we're still barons with barely enough land to qualify for a baronetcy." He
downed the last of his wine in a single gulp. "We're more known for our
merchant network now, something -they- think is 'low' work."

 =


   Tessa took the
glass away from him when he wound up to throw it, torchlight reflecting like
forked lightning off the metal threads in his sleeves. "You're drunk,
Xavier," she said, her voice saddened.

 =


   He growled and
pushed at her. "Don't look at me like that. I don't need your pity,"
he said, and then gestured back into the ballroom, "any more than I need
their condescension. It was a mistake to come here. These are the same peop=
le
who turned away when Altera Loriod was blackmailing my father into keeping =
my
sister and me from mage training. I should have been here years ago, and my
sister should have been enrolled in the Mage Guild in Marigund even longer."
He scoffed. "Some friends. We had better support from our peasants than
from our peers."

 =


   "Is that why
you're such close friends with Drift and Wolfram?"

 =


   "Yes. Either
one of them would lie down in market day traffic for his friends. Especially
Drift. He's lost so much." The leopard-man sighed and held his hand out to
Tessa. When she took it, he drew her nearer and reached out to stroke her
cheek. " I'm sorry. I was wrong to push you. "

 =


   Tessa eyed him, not
entirely mollified. "Do you want to leave here and go somewhere less
stressful? I'm sure we can find another balcony to watch the dragons' airsh=
ow
from."

 =


   Xavier opened his
mouth to correct her grammar, and then shut it again. It wasn't worth it. "=
Yes.
That sounds like a good idea," he rumbled, and gestured toward the crowd
of nobles with the back of his hand and the glint of extended claws. "I've
definitely had enough of -their- company."

 =


   As they walked arm
in arm after leaving the ball, Tessa asked, "If you really despise the
nobility so much, why do you keep your title? Why not abandon it?"

 =


   "Abandon my
birthright?" Xavier replied, ears back in shock, and then shook his head
sharply. "Out of the question. The Duke may have blocked the Marcus family
from resuming its rightful place in Lorland, but that may change in time. U=
ntil
that occurs, I will use what power the gods have seen fit to entrust in me =
to
watch over those few that still remain under my care."

 =


   Tessa frowned
slightly, but decided not to inquire about exactly who he felt was under his
care. Instead, she changed the subject. "You know, I've always wondered
something=85 how did you manage to get silver hair?" She reached up and ran=
 her
fingertips through his bound ponytail. "And of such a strange texture,
too."

 =


   They rounded a
corner, stepping out onto a high wall between towers and sitting down on a
bench Kyia had thoughtfully provided. The view was spectacular, even at nig=
ht:
the bright stars above, the blackness of the mountains, with the torches and
fires of the Festival making a gleaming island of light amidst it all. "I
can answer both of those at once, my dear," he said. "It's metal."

 =


   "Metal?"
she asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "How?"

 =


   Xavier chuckled. "A
jealous older sister and a potion from Pascal."

 =


   "Two very
dangerous things to combine," Tessa said once she stopped laughing. "Still=
=85
it's very pretty."

 =


   Xavier leaned over,
slipping his hand onto her knee. "Not as pretty as you," he said, and
leaned in for a kiss=85

 =


   BOOM! Both of the
leopards jumped as a detonation resounded over the festival grounds.

 =


-------

 =


   The crowds started
gathering long before nightfall. The prime viewing spots on the Keep's tall
towers and walls and on rooftops all over the town had been filled long bef=
ore
darkness finally settled over the valley. The moon was still hours from ris=
ing,
so only the stars above and the torchlight below dimmed the night's purity.

 =


   All the waiting
people fell silent when a bright light appeared on the top of the highest t=
ower
of the keep and rocketed skyward. It arced up and over the houses below, and
exploded with a bang above the festival grounds into a thousand sparks of
multicolored light. Those sparks slowly drifted downward, glittering like
fireflies before winking out of existence just above the curtain wall tower=
s.

 =


   It began slowly.
Small sparkles of light winked into existence all over town, on the tops of
tents and poles and even along the entire length of the curtain wall. They
glittered and shimmered and began to move. People gasped in delight and
surprise as the sparks of light danced and weaved through the crowds. A doz=
en
lights, each a different color swooped down on a group of children, dancing=
 and
flittering like glowing dragonflies among the laughing little ones before
darting off to play with another group.

 =


   The entire
fairgrounds and town was aglow with the lights as they raced and swerved and
danced about, outshining all the torches and festival bonfires. People danc=
ed
and played along with them and the sound of regret when the lights danced up
and away was universal. The lights danced and swirled and gathered together,
building expectations as they all returned to a single bright light. What w=
ould
it become?

 =


   That question was
answered as a blazing horse dashed through it from the north, scattering it=
 in
a shower of sparks as it passed. The fiery horse galloped through the air,
leaving flaming hoof prints that lingered in the air before fading away. The
flaming horse galloped across the sky and circled beyond the curtain wall,
snorting and squealing in thunderous power before wheeling to a halt at the
gatehouse of Metamor, facing the Keep. The fiery stallion reared up on its =
hind
legs, pawing wildly at the air with flaming hooves, saluting the Keep. Then=
 the
stallion dropped back down to all fours and exploded into a thousand points=
 of
light. In its place stood a small reedy sapling. This sapling grew quickly,
growing taller and stronger by the second until it became a mighty oak with
thick broad branches that reached high into the sky.

 =


   Hundreds of
sparkling butterflies burst from the tree's limbs and scattered all over the
sky, filling it with glittering pinpoints of light that glowed in a thousand
different colors. Then, from the top of the tree came a glowing golden ligh=
t: a
beautiful egg in its topmost branches, shimmering with all the colors of the
rainbow. It hatched, and from it burst a phoenix who scattered the tree and=
 the
butterflies to sparks with a single downbeat of its massive wings. Drawing
those sparks back into itself on the upbeat, it hovered overhead for a mome=
nt
as all below watched in awe. Smoothly, grandly it swept around the high tow=
ers
of the Keep, banking in great circles as it rose before landing atop the
highest tower and spreading its plumage to proclaim Metamor's return from t=
he
ashes of the past and its promise to the brightness of the future. Only then
did it fade, leaving the valley to the darkness of the night=85 and the ech=
oing
thunder of applause.

 =


-------

 =


   Drift and Alexis
watched the lightshow from the same rooftop that they had watched the stars=
 so
many times before. "Are you sure you didn't want to go to the Duke's ball?"
the fox-bat asked, snuggled into Drift's side, her head pillowed on his arm,
one wing draped across his belly. "I'm sure I could have finagled you an
invitation."

 =


   The samoyed shook
his head. "No, that's all right. Let Xavier have his fun with the 'upper
crust'. I'm happy right where I am." He smiled and kissed Alexis on the
bridge of the nose. "I love you."

 =


   Alexis smiled. "I
know."

 =


   Beneath them both,
a trapdoor rattled on its hinges. A shrill female voice sounded from
below.  "You vagabonds get off my
roof right now! I mean it! Get off the door, I say! Get-"

 =


   "Mama, mama,
look what a courier just brought!" a child's voice called, sounding
muffled through the roof tiles.

 =


   Drift thumped the
roof twice. "Payment for using your roof, ma'am," he said. "Four
garrets for four hours. Now please leave us be so we can watch the show."

 =


   A long silence
followed, while Alexis buried her face in Drift's side to muffle her laught=
er. "Alright,"
the owner of the house finally replied, sounding thoroughly baffled. "Just
as long as you're off with no funny business when you're done."

 =


   Alexis patted Drift
on the belly once things settled down. "You learn quick," she said,
her admiration plain.

 =


   Drift kissed her
again. "I had a good teacher," he said, and then both settled back to
watch the show.






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