TGS - Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Pledging Fealty
Through the papyrus blinds, the gentle light of dawn fell upon the sleeping young princess's face. Her brow had smoothed out, her expression tranquil in sleep.
The sound of birdsong came from outside the window. Alyuin's eyelashes fluttered, and she suddenly opened her eyes.
She thought she had a dream.
In the dream, scenes from her childhood flashed before her eyes—happy ones, sorrowful ones—ending with the moment of her parents' death.
This wasn't the first time the young princess had had such a dream. On the journey to Kadera City, she had been jolted awake by similar nightmares several times in the swaying carriage, lying with her eyes open until dawn.
This time, however, the dream had changed.
The silver-haired river goddess had appeared before her, saying she would help her return to Akhet and reclaim the throne usurped by her uncle—
The young princess gave a self-deprecating smile.
She had already decided to stop believing in the so-called gods, yet this absurd dream had still stirred her heart. Could it be that, subconsciously, she was still blindly hoping to be saved by a deity?
How weak and self-deceiving.
If she continued like this, she could forget about returning to the royal city to clear her parents' names; even just growing up safely would be a struggle.
Alyuin pushed the chaotic thoughts from her mind and prepared to get up.
No more dwelling on it. Even if the gods truly existed, they wouldn't show mercy to the "daughter of a criminal" who had been driven out of Akhet.
From this day forward, all unnecessary emotions must be cast aside. Even if I no longer believe in the gods, I must pretend to worship the River Goddess in front of the priestess. Otherwise, I won't be able to survive in this temple...
Alyuin calmly and methodically considered her plans for the future when, suddenly, her gaze froze.
On the snow-white sheet, a smooth, round bead lay nestled beside her pillow. Its pure, light blue color was strikingly familiar, like the two blue chalcedony gems set in the statue's eye sockets, and even more like the placid eyes of the silver-haired goddess from her dream.
Blue chalcedony, the symbolic stone of the Goddess of the Yilu River.
The young princess picked it up, hearing the sudden, violent pounding of her own heart.
“—It wasn't a dream?”
“I hope the young princess won't dismiss it as just a dream.”
Lotus floated above the altar and sighed softly.
Last night, after her conversation with Alyuin, she had felt the surrounding scene become unstable. Transparent ripples had appeared in the air, and the ground had begun to shake.
Lotus guessed the dream was about to end. Considering the young princess would likely be unable to see her upon waking, she needed to leave a hint to prevent her from dismissing their conversation as a fantasy.
So, Lotus took the blue bead hanging from her collarbone and placed it in the young princess's palm.
She had an intuition that the bead could be brought out of the dream, for it was no simple ornament but rather a crystallization of power, created for the very purpose of being given to a believer.
The moment she handed it over, a wave of dizziness washed over Lotus. She showed no sign of it, however, even maintaining her elegant and aloof image to say, “The Yilu River will always protect you.”
The words had barely left her lips when she was unceremoniously ejected from the dream.
When she regained consciousness, Lotus was back in the sacrificial chamber where the statue stood.
She wasn't trapped and immobile inside the statue, but she couldn't move too far away, either. Her range of movement was limited to a circle with a one-meter radius, with the statue at its center.
At least I haven't turned back into stone... Lotus comforted herself.
Perhaps this was the consequence of expending her power?
Just as Lotus was lost in thought, the main door of the sacrificial chamber creaked open, pushed by the priestess.
This time, Alyuin's small figure followed at the priestess's side, half a step behind.
From the moment she entered, the young princess's gaze was locked on the statue, as if she were witnessing a true miracle.
A blue chalcedony bead was clutched carefully in her hand. Though warmed by her body heat for some time, it remained cool to the touch.
The noble and dignified statue before her gradually merged with the image of the goddess from her dream.
One was carved from stone, the other an ethereal spirit. Both were right before her eyes, yet they shared the same illusion of being immensely distant.
But even if she was high and mighty, she was the one who had reached out a hand to her.
Alyuin pressed her lips together.
The priestess stepped forward and chanted the customary hymn. Then, she turned to the young princess and said in a level voice, “I do not know what revelation you had yesterday that led you to seek me out this morning and ask to pledge your fealty to the Goddess...”
“But remember, once the oath is sworn, you will be a believer of the Goddess. The Temple of Kadera will not welcome any who forsake her—not even a princess. Do you understand?”
The young princess blinked and said earnestly, “Rest assured, Lord Priestess.”
“You are a princess. There is no need to use such honorifics with me,” the priestess said with a frown. But as she looked at Alyuin, her heart softened.
This young princess was quite obedient. Her silence yesterday was probably because she was new here and hadn't yet adjusted.
Alas, she is a child with a difficult fate. I will do my best to protect her in the future.
If this were in the royal city of Akhet, a princess's pledging ceremony would be a grand affair, no less magnificent than a festival. But Kadera was, after all, a remote town, and Alyuin's own status was currently awkward, so everything had to be simplified.
On the altar before the statue, three ritual candles etched with gold patterns were lit. The goddess's daily breakfast offering was cleared away, replaced by a silver platter of large aquatic flowers, their petals still glistening with dew—a ritual offering to the Goddess of the Yilu River.
The priestess stood to one side as a witness, her hands solemnly folded before her. In a loud voice, she declared, “Princess Alyuin, today the great Goddess of the Yilu River will descend to this place to hear your oath... She is the embodiment of all clear water, and no lie can hide from Her. Therefore, does the oath you are about to speak come from your heart?”
Alyuin knelt on one knee and gazed up at the statue. She was lost in a daze for a moment, but she quickly recovered, not letting the priestess notice anything amiss.
“Every word I speak comes from my heart,” she said with a pious expression.
The priestess secretly observed her expression and, satisfied, lowered her head to continue reciting the formulaic words required for the ceremony, completely missing the complex emotion that flickered in the young princess's eyes.
After reciting a long string of prayers, the priestess finally said, “Now, speak your oath to the Goddess.”
Alyuin bowed her head deeply.
“Sacred Lotus, immortal Lotus, please hear my promise—”
“I will forever revere You, believe in You, never betray You, and never blaspheme against You, until my soul returns to the distant Kingdom of the Gods. If I should ever fail to uphold this vow, then may You let the torrents of the Yilu River deliver punishment upon this unforgivable forsaker.”
She softly spoke the final line of the oath: “...In the name of Alyuin, I swear this vow to You.”
With that, she stood up and picked up one of the aquatic flowers from the altar.
This flower was called a snowtu. Usually only found in white and light blue, it grew in the calmer parts of the Yilu River and was considered the flower of Lotus by the people of Solancia.
According to custom, the final part of the ceremony was to kiss the petals of a snowtu flower. But for some unknown reason, Alyuin first lightly brushed the flower against the hem of the statue's skirt before lowering her head to press a kiss to its petals.
She lifted her eyes, a light surging within them.
Her gaze was directed at the statue, but the young princess didn't know she was meeting the eyes of the spirit standing before it. While her own eyes did not reflect Lotus's form, Lotus's eyes reflected Alyuin's small, upturned face.
Meek and obedient, cute and pitiful.
But no matter how well-behaved, a wolf cub is still a wolf.
Lotus quietly closed her eyes, feeling a strange tide surge within her spiritual body. It was like the gentle, rhythmic murmur of the Yilu River, playing the prelude to a grand symphony where none could hear.
She knew that in that moment, the restraints binding her to the statue had been completely undone.
The oath completed, the priestess led Alyuin away, and Lotus followed lightly behind them.
“Princess, from today onward, you will attend classes in the temple school with the other children. Do you have any objections?”
Alyuin smiled. “I trust your arrangements.”
A hint of a smile appeared on the priestess's stern face. “Very good. I will escort you to the schoolhouse door. If you have any further questions, any of the scribes or junior priests in the temple can provide answers at any time.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The schoolhouse was on the ground floor of a small, three-story building not far from the sacrificial chamber. The priestess escorted the young princess there, then bowed and departed. As the one in charge of the temple, she had many other matters to attend to.
Alyuin straightened her clothes, held her head high, and strode into the schoolhouse.
Lotus, taking advantage of the fact that no one could see her, floated brazenly ahead.
The so-called schoolhouse was really just a single classroom. It wasn't large, and there were fewer than twenty students in total.
The seating arrangement was quite unique. Dozens of small desks and chairs were arranged in three concentric circles, with a wide opening on one side for entry and exit. An old scribe, serving as the teacher, sat in the center, shaking his head as he read aloud from a sheet of papyrus.
Alyuin's arrival interrupted their lesson. Little faces turned toward her, their expressions varied—curiosity, excitement, contempt, and hostility.
The old scribe cleared his throat. “Ahem, you must be Princess Alyuin from Akhet?”
The young princess replied politely, “Yes, Teacher.”
As she spoke, she even gave a small bow.
This startled the old scribe, who quickly stood up. “I am not worthy of that! Please, you mustn't address me as such...”
Although he knew in his heart that this princess likely had no future to speak of, she was still a princess! Before the late king's passing, a scribe from a remote temple wouldn't have even been qualified to meet her, let alone be called ‘Teacher.’
Alyuin shook her head. “One who imparts knowledge is a teacher. I know this much. Please do not refuse, Teacher.”
“This, this... Alas, as you wish. You may choose any empty seat. If there are no other questions, let us continue our study of this poem praising the first king of Solancia...”
Alyuin calmly walked to the outermost circle and found an empty seat with no one beside it.
Lotus's gaze swept back and forth among the students.
Tarsha, whom she had seen before, was also here. The proud girl kept her focus on the old scribe, not sparing Alyuin a single glance. Many of the other children, however, lowered their heads to exchange meaningful looks, and a restless atmosphere began to spread through the small room.
The young princess adapted quickly. In fact, given her talent and the education she had received in the royal city, the level of the children here was truly no match for her.
But Alyuin remained quiet, never showing off her abilities unless the old scribe called on her directly. Even so, she still earned the scribe's admiration, which in turn drew increasingly resentful gazes from several other students.
The lesson wouldn't end until noon.
Seeing that there was nothing that required her attention with the young princess, Lotus looked up. She willed herself to rise, passing through the ceiling to the second floor of the small building.
Every temple was bound to have a library.
And the library of the Temple of Kadera was located just above the schoolhouse.
Comments
Post a Comment