- ❀ ｝ ┉┉ AxxxL O N GxxxT I M ExxxA G O . . .
- 》 ┉┉ I have lived a long time. However, it would be ignorant to assume there are no events that predate my existence. Old tomes tell of a small island alone in the great ocean and on that island a small tribe. They fought to live off the land. The people were always thankful for the bounty they acquired and worked hard to restore as they consumed. The mighty god that presided over the land was pleased by their reverence and in return expanded the island haven, providing the tribe with access to more fresh water and large plains on which to grow food. The tribesmen were beyond grateful for this and used the deity's gifts to their fullest potential. The population began to grow and the need for social organization became a necessity. One charismatic man stepped forth and took charge. He began to lead the rest of the populace. When he passed, his son rose in his footsteps and his son after him. The entire island ran more smoothly under their guidance and before long the family could count themselves as the rulers of the island.
》 ┉┉ Alas, the island kingdom had grown so large and so successful that other lands began to take notice. Jealous of the riches and tropical abundance of the kingdom of Seahaven, foreigners came by boat equipped with strange weapons. The concept of war was unfamiliar to the island nation. People fell to the invasion and blood soaked the dirt roads and fields of the kingdom. At first they prayed to their god, but their god would not save them. He had grown vexed since the royal family had come to be. They then pleaded for mercy, forfeiting all they had. Reprieve was, at long last, granted. The king of the invaders took their female leader as his bride and declared himself the new king. His reign was brutal but it was not unjust. He wished to have the island's bounties to himself so many of the living villagers were allowed to work as usual. Citizens of the king's homeland oversaw labor. Eventually, the king even had a castle erected in his honor.
》 ┉┉ Despite all he had won, the king was not happy. He had grown paranoid of outsiders seeking to steal his spoils. Thorough searches were conducted of trade ships and guard towers were erected along the beach to spot oncoming fleets from miles away. The towers were fitted with state of the art weaponry intended to be used to defend the island. By all means, native villagers would have described such tools as mythical. The citizens, torn from their natural pursuits and driven to long hours of back-breaking manual labor were not happy either. They had no time to pursue personal relationships and food was hoarded by the king and his nobles. The working class received little to eat. The queen had not forsaken her people though. Even under the watchful eye of her husband, she raised her son to despise the current regime. When the boy at last came of age he was sent to his father's distant homeland for schooling.
》 ┉┉ When he returned, years later, he brought with him a powerful army. The king's defenses did not stand a chance and him and his invaders were driven off the island. Having gone through two wars, the island's population was dwindling. The queen and her son were concerned over the future of the island. Even after ten years had passed since the original invaders had been driven out few children had been born. Morale had fallen to abysmal levels during the occupation and no endeavor the ruling family had undertaken had shaken the dread looming over the people. Almost no person wished to bring an innocent child into the world when they feared another invasion. More dire still, those whose spirits had been rekindled were content to focus on personal pleasures rather than seeking to bond and compromise with others. Even mildly happy people did not seek relationships. Desperate, the queen sought the help of a witch who had resided on the island since as long as anyone could remember.
》 ┉┉ I was greatly amused by the woman's plight and agreed to lend my skills. I cast a spell over the island that would mark every newborn with a special marking. The marking received by each child would match only the marking of one other and the two that had matching marks were guaranteed happiness and prosperity. Of course, the original intent was to encourage relations that would result in children, so the spell was limited to matching opposite genders. The queen spent the rest of her years urging the population to produce offspring. As promised, every child born had a special mark. When the system had proven to work, unmarked parents were even more joyous that their children would not face the same challenges that they had endured to form relationships. Their young ones would not have to forsake an ounce of personal selfishness on behalf of their partner. The queen passed before she was able to see the population begin to upturn. The kingdom was then left to her son.
》 ┉┉ Generations passed. The royal family continued to guide the island and assure there was food and shelter for all. The citizens only job was to follow their dreams, grow food and be happy. The island prospered and knowledge of the witch, the wars and the invaders' technology fell into obscurity. It is here that the tale turns back to a slighted deity. The god had reveled in watching the people's misery. They had established a ruling family that was idolized and praised as his offering and prayers dwindled. While the marking system thrived he had been forgotten. I can assure you that my magic is no match for a being of his caliber. The spell that I so intricately wove was unraveled by a few well placed cuts by his hand.
》 ┉┉ The original spell had ensured matches that would be prosperous and had the potential to result in offspring. With the tampering that occurred, the latter requirement came undone. Females were born being matched to females and males to males. Newborns would be matched to those as much as a decade beyond their years. While the abnormalities were rare at first, the royal family was distressed. Couples that could not cement the future of the island were useless. They made an effort to rematch people for whom the system failed, ignoring the marks they were born with. When the couples disagreed or continued meeting with their intended partner in secret they were imprisoned.
》 ┉┉ Some citizens objected to the royal family's reaction. They held protests in response to the imprisonments. They claimed the matching system had always brought prosperity and happiness. Why would the royal family forsake one of their greatest accomplishments? The island became fragmented. There were those that remained loyal to the royal family. They had never been led astray by the family's decisions and despite the success of the marks, the royal family had to have reason to ignore the system. Those that opposed the royal family's decision did so in two ways. When their original matches fell within the royal family's specifications, they ignored their own matches. When they did not, they followed them. There was little the royal family could do when half the population had chosen to ignore their decree. The original purpose of the spell had been to give people courage to pursue the idea of family but they no longer needed the results to find such an outcome.
》 ┉┉ As the king of the time aged and was lying upon his death bed he had a change of heart. His first grandson had been born without a mark at all. Rather than focusing on the growth of the population, the king believed that the purpose of the marks had shifted. They were a safety net for the people and worse than any unusual match were those born without a safety net at all. The king declared that his second grandson was to be the crown prince instead. The king thought that if his successor reaped the benefits of a marked match they would come to know the benefits of the system after all the years he had spent calling it flawed. In his final breath he had hoped that his grandson would rule according to those discoveries.
》 ┉┉ A decade has passed since the late king's passing. His son is the acting ruler until the crown prince takes over the throne. Internal strife about the island has wavered. Some, empowered by the changes of the past decade ignore their match entirely and set out to find someone even better. No matter what the citizens do in their personal lives, the ruling family ensures that this island haven continues to prosper. While the god has aired his displeasure in numerous ways the king has combated less than desired harvests by further opening borders to neighboring islands. With more trade and contact has come an entirely new category of contentions. For the time being this have remained peaceful.
❀ ｝ ┉┉ T I M ExxxD O E SxxxN O TxxxC E A S E . . .
- 》 ┉┉ And yet, it is impossible to supply a summary of what is yet to be...
kuranchii