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Yes it is long.... and kind of boring...
It is the begining of Zen's backstory novel thing.....

if you cannot force yourself to read, don't worry about it xD... I just need someone to annotate and tell me how to fix this.

I need a better prologue....


















“Section 1”














Prologue



“What did you see Alcamede? I trust it is worth my time, is it not?”
“I remember it was dark. Stormy weather and glossy mist surrounded all in sight. There was music, music all around.”
“Music?”
“The hum of the rain, clash of the thunder and beat of footsteps was a chorus to a strange hymn that echoed in silence.”
“I find little sense in such you say girl!”
“You have no vision; only ambition. Of course, you couldn’t know. If you’re going to threaten me to tell you what I see, shut up and let me tell you. Otherwise, just leave me alone.” Alcamede expected a slap for her comment upon her freckled, young cheeks, but none came. She peeked over her shoulder. It compromised the strong front she tried to keep up in his presence, but for the moment it appeared she had overcome him. He was stooped over, hot and on the verge of sweating on his blue shirt. For someone so dark and tainted, the old guy always kept himself so clean and posh in his plain shirts and dress slacks. The wrinkled face looked over to her back. She barely managed to return her head to its position and fought to keep her dark hair from swaying.
“Fine, continue.”
“I remember that it was familiar; somewhere barely familiar, but so distorted, and changed that I cannot recall where. There were carpets and curtains in the darkness. On the carpet was a shape in the musical shadows, the shape of a man.”
“A man? Who? What did he look like?” The old man shouted at the child and demanded more of her memory, but she glared at him through ruffled brown strands of hair and continued on her own.
“I have never seen him before, and I know not who he could be. Like my brother, he had a head of red hair and the darkness was lit by his eyes.” The old man was astonished by Alcamede and she savored the look of shock upon his face. “Yes, I know I have a brother though you’ve lied to me. Anyway, I remember he bore the seal of my family, and yes, I know my real family. That is all I remember.”
“Was the man Lord Kyna?”
“I already told you that I couldn’t tell.”
“What am I supposed to do with this? It isn’t helpful!”
To Alcamede’s delight, her abuser stormed out of the room at last. He slammed the heavy red door, and clanked his boots on the tile like a troll. It pleased her so to see the torment in his mind. He was haunted by the last shard of information lacking to him. The curse of those who require all power was indeed to suffer in paranoia. What else could have driven the prideful man to rely on visions of a girl-child but the agony of the unknown? No knowledge could ever have helped him. Alcamede knew his single-mindedness denied him any real wisdom despite his age.
This very room was a perfect example. So many terrible and heroic deeds were done in this space. He never could learn from any of them, and he was far older than anyone else in the world. Alcamede loathed this room almost as much as the tyrant. Too many people, good people died here. Being alone in it was dreadful, but there was one thing that made her bear the feeling.
Following her heroine in her mind gave her an untouchable emotion of comfort. So long caged up by wrathful men, Alcamede retreated to the safety of her psyche. She learned to see beyond where her eyes strayed. She learned much from her visions. Alcamede had little care as to how they worked, only that she get them clearer and longer with each chance in this room. Her sights of the lady gave the child of six years courage. The woman’s real name (from what she gathered at least) was Ieylana Anthea. Alcamede watched the woman’s past with prophetic sight and came to admire her. The lady was an outsider with the power of far reaching sight, just as she was. Ieylana Anthea was still alive, and had the gall to torment the rampaging old man in ways Alcamede wished she could.
She decided to ignore his demands, and bide time by looking into bits of the past again. She definitely didn’t want him to find out who this unknown rival to him could be, but she needed something new on occasion to keep him satisfied. The future scared her, but the past was welcoming.
Being able to see the past and future, or places outside her prison, the young girl took a responsibility on herself—far beyond her years. They allowed her a freedom, and leverage against the tyrant holding her in this dark place. The images of times of light and warmth she could search for comforted Alcamede and made her strong. She would force herself to be strong, in order to one day experience such happy things in the flesh.
It was, in fact, Ieylana’s vision she had read. Whoever the man was in whatever place the darkness dwelled was seen by the woman long ago; yet, it had not yet occurred in history. It made little sense as to how that vision was in the past and future at the same time, but the old man need not know that. She doubted she could even explain it in terms he’d understand.
Ieylana, the last Anthea, had stood upon this very floor doing the duties her predecessor had left to her. Ieylana had stepped upon the same murals as Alcamede, and Ieylana had sought the future in the same manner as she. The beautiful woman with golden locks like the sun’s radiance and eyes like crests on the ocean had been flung into this same role that she now had to fill as but a girl.
Alcamede longed to view Anthea’s childhood in hopes that she may perhaps grasp some way to establish herself, or fight back. The earliest points of the woman’s past she found were only of Anthea’s first journey to the capitol. It was a mystery as to why so much of her intangible friend’s history was missing from time. Alcamede had long since given up on solving it, but ran the great play again and again in her soul. Every detail remained the same as she slipped past the walls of the cursed room and into the abyss of time and memory. Alcamede navigated the threads of being and existence she could feel around her in some ghostly manner, and followed the string that always lead her to Ieylana Anthea. She’d once more see the woman’s pilgrimage to the castle and eventually to this very chasm where she now stood in the present. Present, past, and future, to Alcamede, all was in pure perspective for she lived in all directions of time, and felt it in the world around her. A massive mind and loneliness were the two feelings required to create a person capable of seeing absolute truth.



Chapter 1:
Forward


Now that the journey was complete there could be no return. It was not like anyone with logic to do anything off of gut feeling. Intuition was a terrible thing to have, especially when one was inclined to act on it. Nothing in her life could compare to the task she had set upon herself and Ieylana could not shake the stinging thoughts of regret she hoped to bury.
She left her husband and child permanently for what could be a stupid misconception. The notion haunted Ieylana as a fresh wound. She tried to remind herself it was far too late for such ideas as she knew the consequences from the beginning and there was no use grieving over what was past now that Ieylana had arrived at Tintagil.
There was a seeping feeling that momentarily crushed her aching thoughts as she entered the palace. It was if she was passing into the holiest realm she could imagine, and the sight of it along cured the pain of its cost. It could only be the city of the Higher-Ones, so at least she ended up in the right place. Ieylana thanked the heavens that she could speak at least a dialect of the Highers’ language. It wouldn’t be long till she’d have to brush up her skills at it on the crowds of people in Tintagil. It was already bigger than any building she had seen in her life, and she was only at the front. She awkwardly turned about with her eyes upward, trying to witness every detail of the palace.
What she was able to take in was lit glamorously with spring sunlight pouring through the tall wall of glass to her back. That glass entrance way seemed to be made in case something the size of a ship decided to sail into the area. The whole floor sparkled like diamond in the light. The murals danced and reflected onto passersby’s’ ankles. Ieylana finally decided it was to be a circular shopping center of some sort, with at least seven stories; it was hard to tell from far down below on the first floor. Roses were sewn about the rails and escalators proved to make a dizzying red and gold spiral up the mall. Practically everything shimmered up to the chandelier dangling around the Rotunda’s ceiling paintings. Unable to swallow all the glory of the palace, Ieylana exhaled, but only to be drowned out by the uproar of liveliness in the urban center.
She was also extremely grateful that her clothing fit in with the diverse spectacle before her. Ieylana wasn’t wearing anything particularly bold, just a laced white dress with a waist tie and bow in the back, but she had little idea of what the Higher-Ones wore up till a few minutes ago. She had seen a few of them, but all she had come across sporting crafted armors or gowns. It was quite a relief that they all didn’t look like that, though everyone in here was still shiny and grand enough to match the building’s architecture. The little golden heels of her white boots clicked while going from floor to floor. The light silver dress flew around her ankles and her bronze hair bounced on her shoulders. Up and up—it seemed to Ieylana like she was getting nowhere after so many swirls round and round the rotunda. It all added to her frustration.
There was simply no way she could find a small child in this labyrinth. She had no idea when and where he’d be here, and it salted her heart’s wound with doubt. The least she could have done before accepting such a bizarre and foolish mission would have been to demand more information. It was not likely that the Highers would let her search their great castle for some boy she could barely describe. She imagined the fair skin on her cheeks and arms would be flushed pink with panic by now. People shopping gleefully looked at Ieylana like she was crazy for running up the escalators as fast as she was able.
Blond hair glinted in and out of the sunlight like golden wings upon her back as she sprinted to the highest point in the marble rotunda. She could no longer stand to bathe in the mystery of the encaging circle’s shops and pictures and hoped to fly somewhere else. Trying to return to breathing normally and her normal skin tone, she took a moment to rest, closed her hazel eyes, and felt her thick lashes touch the cheeks flushed red.
“You think it’s her?” Some man in the area asked someone else in the language of the Higher-Ones. Ieylana’s goal was to relax, but was too close to the conversation to ignore it.
“Looks just like the miniature portrait they gave us,” a second male voice replied, “We better get someone from the Priory.”
“Alright, you go and I’ll talk to her. I’ll see her over there.” Ieylana opened her glassy eyes to see a large man in a red, militaristic uniform approaching her and a second man hurry though a secured door at the end of the floor’s hall.
“Madame, if you would come with me, the Eminent Anthea has requested an audience with you.”
Ieylana blinked and let her hands slide from her narrow face. All the hot color blew out of her skin and some shiver of hope hit her, “oh… ok. Let’s go.” There was not much else to say, so she just followed him down the hall. The beautiful tiled floor turned into a dark carpet on a narrow path.
She had no idea what or who an Eminent Anthea was—she wasn’t even sure she had translated it correctly. None the less, she was again thankful for the stroke of luck, or fate, which had just befallen her. A large, securely bolted blue door shut behind them and severed the light and symphony of the mall she had just climbed. Ieylana resumed being irritated with herself as all she could once again do was to carry on—forward—down the hall all the while letting herself be blindly lead by some man on what could be a death march.
~~~~* * * ~~~~
It was absolutely amazing that there weren’t grooves across the floor by now. Who knew how many others had paced this room in the same manner as history was being played out by those who worked here. It was true that all Togada had done was tread around while thinking of her next move. At least it must’ve counted as some form of exercise, even if she was having a grueling time trying to decipher the sights she had seen in her mind. Her best friend, Finigan, had to play servant and fetch her food. The poor fellow even had to remind her of the time of day constantly. Despite the meaning of this shrine, she only shut herself in here because it was quiet. Hardly anyone was allowed to enter, let alone touch the door.
It was classified information just to know which room in the corridor this was. It was perfect place to be alone and ponder the meaning of her visions, even if it was the holiest shrine in the world. Togada’s matted sandals paced up and down on the red stone platform ceaselessly. Art and paintings were everywhere in the large cavity. It was a miracle the intricate engravings on the main platform were still intact after all the treading upon they had felt generation after generation. Togada saw enough of the shrine not to care about the dazzling artistry. Only the Gate of Avalon itself could occasionally catch her interest. It seemed to loom there. Its ominous shadow flickered in the dim torches’ lights. The magnificent door watched her struggle with the riddles it most definitely knew. The Gate did little to help. It merely stood and cast its shadow over the persons who paced in its wake as it did for anyone from any earlier era.
“Wretched thing, this is the source of power in the entire world and yet they won’t even install electric lights for me? I’m going to go blind and I’m still a teenager.” Togada grumbled in her soprano girlish voice. Frustration was mounting, so much so that she almost believed her yellow hair had turned red in the fire’s crackling. It was tempting to hope, but she knew there were no answers to be had by the Gate of Avalon. Only people could have answers to what troubled her, and only more questions arose from the doorway. More than one of her kind wasted away in front of the Gate. Each silently begged it for any sign or clue to the trials besieging the country at their time.
“Togie! That –one-lady-person is finally here!” Finigan’s high voice sounded from behind the entrance’s door. Finigan would come and make a bit of racket on occasion to compete with the solemn atmosphere. A lot of fuss came from him, even though he was such a small man. He never ran out of energy or stamina for a guy who had been an advisor to the Antheas for ten years. Togada walked down the few stairs at the base of the platform and hurried to bend the glowing glyphs that kept unsanctioned people out an ignorant of the Gate’s shrine. Being her second, it was fine for Finnie to come in there, but the lady would take some working. There were a bajillion seals she’d have to bend to get her in there, but this was an emergency. She felt the barrier’s boarder with her gut, and twisted it aside with the mass of her mind and flick of the tiny wrist.
“Al righ,’ bring her in Finigan.”
The door vanished, only the countless protective seals shone in its spot. Finigan waddled inside and leapt next to Togada. A very timid, tall lady in white followed and awkwardly looked around. She was exactly as Togada envisioned, she had named her “the swan lady” for lack of something to call her and the feathery white dress she wore, but now there could be a name to the face. She had a very soft tone to her lips and cheeks and defined features. The swan lady’s neck was long and straight and she seemed to be rather scrawny. Hopefully, something would finally make sense. Togada wouldn’t wait for her to finish gawking at the room, so she deepened her speech and spoke first, “Who’re you?” That definitely made the girl sound like a rude brat, but it couldn’t be helped.
“I should be asking you.” The Lady had a very odd accent and eyed the teenager. Togada sighed, knowing it was the usual shock to see the Eminent Anthea was a kid.
“I am Togada Anthea.”
“Are you the queen or princess of this land?” Togada had not expected that question, but wasn’t clueless as to its origin. The accent was unfamiliar, and she had heard many.
“Not exactly, it’s complicated. I’m one of three rulers I guess, balance and all to be preserved. It’s better off if I don’t know where you’re from, so don’t bother making up a story. I won’t ask much more, it’s better for everyone in the universe if I don’t, but it’d help to know your name and why’ you’re here lady.”
“I’m Ieylana Lantyne… How old are you?” The Swan Lady was still rubber necking at the shrine and doing a great interpretation of an adult tourist. Togada rolled her eyes; it was a question everyone asked her sooner or later. “If you must know, I’m seventeen. If it makes you feel better I’ve only been the Eminent Anthea for two years. There’s been even younger than a fifteen year old who’s stood in my shoes in history.”
The lady finally grew tired of starring and focused on the conversation, “So why did you want to see me? How did you even know I was here?”
“Why do old-people always need to interrogate me? I’m the ruler of the Priory for a reason, and this gate isn’t a decoration. That would be why I am the Anthea.” She sighed and rubbed her ear after chucking braids of fiber and web of glass beads aside.
“But that gate only a wall behind it… it’s not even attached to the wall at all!” Ieylana focused on the gate behind the girl. It was not as flashy as the room, but huge, magnificent, and intimidating. It was rather detailed and finely crafted with many mythical looking figures, but seemed to be made to be disassembled or refurbished easily. She noted the strange tracks and grooves it was secured in, what function they served she couldn’t fathom. Why did a door need to be mobile?
“Guess you’re even more of a tourist than I thought. I’m sure everyone in the world knows what that gate is. I’ll explain that later, important things first.”Ieylana watched Togada turn and face the giant doorway. She almost imagined the girl could see through it and into whatever lay behind (besides just the wall). Finigan flailed his arms in impatience, “tell ‘er what you’ve been seeing Togie!”
“What I saw—you know, in the weird psychic visions the members of the Priory all get—was harder to grasp than most have been. I get lost and confused when trying to think about it. It flees my mind like a dream, but I remember you lady. The tall woman in white, like a spirit you walked through the hall to the shrine of the Gate of Avalon before me, as you have just done moments ago. There will be a huge imbalance of all the world for generations and our rule by three will be trampled upon. Even more treason will spew when our protection from this horrid doorway is gone, and I am dead. Our goals are the same. You’ll have to do what all the great Antheas of the past have done—battle the temptations of the Gate and its monsters.”
Ieylana starred at the teenager, completely dumbfounded by what the girl’s somber voice spoke. She had no idea what the girl was blabbering on about so suddenly. Togada had an absurd lack of feeling at the mention of her own death. She was deeply troubled as a mother to hear a child talk of such things so casually. The girl turned back around and her expression told that she expected some form of reply. It was very difficult to stop the shaking in Ieylana’s words.
“I’m only here looking to protect a small boy. I know nothing of what you speak of.”
“A boy?” Finigan was very anxious to finally have a chance to talk. He crossed his suave orange sleeves to illustrate the point. He was a strange looking man in a suit that was bright enough in color to force the eyes laid on it to blink constantly. He had a bit of grey in his hair and dark eyes, but could have easily pretended to be younger than the girl.
“Yes. I know not of whom he is or where, only that his name is ‘Zensekai,’ he has a head of red hair and blue eyes.”
“The twirp is definitely a royal then, but I’ve never heard of anything close to that name on any of them,” Finigan bounced with a confused look.
“No there’s no royal male of that name. It is a very unusual name and I’d surely remember it as I studied all the lists of hundreds of royals while trying to find someone to take as an apprentice. Finnie is my successor as of now, but he’s not the quite the kind of guy to put up with my job for long. BUT, now you’re here lady…” No one could tell who Togada was addressing, Ieylana, or the silent Gate way all six eyes in the room had unconsciously become fixed upon.
“Are you saying you want to name me your heir? Just like that? Sorry, but I can’t see the future as you apparently can.” The culture shock (and general shock) was even worse than Ieylana had expected. It was completely bizarre to her that the Highers would place a teenager on the throne… or what seemed to be one of three thrones. Why would they do that? They had always been so proper and glamorous... but indeed, there was something beyond powerful and unnatural about Togada. The idea of a young girl mentoring her was indeed the ultimate role reversal to someone from a village governed by elder chiefs. Of everything, it was the giant door ominously floating in the back of the room that was the strangest, most foreign image she had ever seen. Ieylana wasn’t even sure she’d want to know what that door was exactly, let alone have a showdown with something from within it.
“Yes you can see, you just fear it or deny it for whatever reason,” Togada mumbled in boredom, “If nothing else SOMEBODY has to teach you about Masamune, so no one else will wonder where you came from. I’m not letting anyone know what I know about you.”She fidgeted with her hair ornaments.
“What about ‘er? She doesn’t look to special.”
“I cannot tell you Finnie, sorry. I believe Ieylana here can fix things that are going wrong, so I can’t risk shifting events further into chaos.” Togada tried to assure Finigan, and sighed. It’d definitely be hard teaching that woman not to stand out like a sore thumb. “You name is now Ieylana Anthea. Never tell anyone otherwise. My servants will make you room in the Priory. You’re obviously too old for schools, so you’ll just have to explore and annoy other priestesses and clerics around. They’ll tell you anything you want really, they love to brag.”
“Just don’t ask anything too stupid.” Finigan added with a grin.
“Especially when I have to get you appointed by the Emperor; reputation is everything in that aspect. You really shouldn’t ask him anything stupid. If he doesn’t appoint you, it’s illegal for me to take you on as my student. I’d still do it anyway, but you better not tell them that. Finnie, go get Apolline would you? Make up some sap, bizarre story like ‘she’s lost her memory’ and get her to show Ieylana around and tutor her in our ways.”
The short advisor darted through the glyphs and out of the room. Togada hoped Finigan wouldn’t trip on his energy. Ieylana just stood, out of place. She never really expected to have to learn to be one of the Highers themselves and she’d just been thrown into whatever was going on in the affairs of state in Togada’s domain. She’d always pictured the trip as short lasting, to the point. It was painfully clear she was unable to cling to the identity of her heritage among many other traits. Still, she couldn’t complain. Wandering the practically endless streets of this world would not have been preferable to encountering Togada and her sidekick. That alone proved the girl had an amazing ability and that the Highers were truly mystifying. All Ieylana could do in order to keep up with her life was follow where she was told to go… for the time being.




Chapter 2:
Magic

Togada assigned an apartment in a wing of the Priory to Ieylana. It was close to the back edges of Tintagil and the quarters of the Eminent Anthea. Togada had obviously intended it to be isolated to prevent spying from anyone else, so Ieylana had few people around to talk to. Any of her neighbors next door were always gone to work elsewhere in the giant conglomerates of buildings.
The apartment was the most luxurious place she had ever lived. Togada was indeed the princess, or whatever she claimed to be in order to provide such housing free of charge. Sweet scents and velvet were everywhere. At night there was a sparkling light show of countless skyscrapers on the horizon, and at day the blue sky contrasted with the orange mountain tops. A sea of green trees dressed the mountains and hills between the large buildings far below. Inside, room service kept everything tidy and offered excellent food. It was very uncomfortable for Ieylana to have royal treatment—she was a housewife from a rural town.
A bit of reassurance came to the woman when she finally figured out where she was, however surreal the scenery outside her bower. She was in Tintagil, the capitol of the Highers. Tintagil was in their world—Masamune. Masamune was not a planet that orbited a star, like all others she had known to have civilizations. It was apparently flat from the appearance of the horizon, or perhaps shaped like an egg. Ieylana did not yet know enough to come to a conclusion on how possible that could be. “The Priory” was some section of Tintagil, and somehow devoted to that Gate thing she viewed at her meeting with Togada. She still had yet to determine the function of the Priory. Relearning everything for a new way of life was not coming off as easy as it seemed at first. She had to constantly make excuses for anything she had to ask.
The only other way to find out more would be to explore it and she didn’t dare venture too far alone. If she got lost, she’d never find her way back, but the strange girl had thought of this in advance. Ever grateful to Togada’s uncanny insight, Ieylana chased Kiki Apolline. Despite being asked to babysit Ieylana by the orders of the Anthea, Kiki had amazing patience.
Kiki was a godsend. Ieylana felt perfectly at ease around the woman who miraculously was about the same age as she. At first, with the awkward questions like “What does my clock say?” conversation was slow, but soon a flourishing friendship took its place. Kiki Apolline was one of the senior priestesses working in the Priory, and very intelligent. Ieylana wasn’t sure if she could predict the future like the Anthea, but she was certainly good with people. Today, Kiki was going to bring lunch to the apartment like a picnic in the wake of magnificent terrace view. Ieylana made it her strong goal to ask her friend about the Priory’s political organization. In order to blend into the culture of the Highers, she’d definitely have to understand their form of government (she was hoping desperately that she wouldn’t end up having to run it at some point).The Highers were always so crisp in their attire; their politics could never be easy to understand. From the view of shining skyscrapers and endless towers, it was obvious their population was greater than her home country’s and perhaps even her world’s. She needed to fully know what she had gotten herself into.
Ieylana thus concluded it was better to try to mimic their appearances first. She could no longer be a plain woman if she had to contend with formally dressed aristocrats every which way as her equals. Her village kind stressed politeness and humility in such formal displays of socializing, but she had not the slightest idea on what the Highers deemed polite or proper (especially not if Togada was a model example).
Ieylana humbly accepted the dozen free dresses her servers left in her closet. They appeared to be terribly expensive, and she did all she could to avoid damaging them. She moved to the full length mirror across the bathroom. With a little wooden brush Ieylana stoked her waist-long, wavy yellow hair. When she was done, she let the curled tips fall back at her waist. The halter dress she wore was nearly the same shade as her blond locks. Peach lipstick accented the hazel eyes upon Ieylana’s pink face.
The doorbell rang. She slapped the brush down on a vanity and rushed to answer.
Instead of the slender form of Kiki Apolline, it was the teenage Anthea. The girl-goddess had the same plain look of boredom as before. Kiki stood behind the child and tried not to laugh. Togada’s adolescent look of perpetual non- amusement was indeed very funny to both women whom each had a daughter of her own.
Togada had amber beads tying the coils of blond hair to the back of her head—for the usual exotic effect—and a green floral pattern on her robes. Kiki, with her gorgeous black head of silk, let her hair fall behind her in a plain cascade upon her uniform. This was the common feature of the Priory robes, with a skirt tied over them. The woman’s gleaming oval face passed through the doorframe and into the living space as the teenager broke the silence.
“I guess I have come at a bad time, so after you grown-ups are done playing, come to the shrine of the Gate of Avalon.” Togada walked off right afterwards without a second thought. Both women crooked their necks to watch her stroll down the hall in an awkward moment.
After the Anthea entered an elevator, Kiki sighed, “blunt and to the point as always. As adorable as she is, she’s so strange all the time!” Ieylana burst into laughter. Kiki went on, “I bet all the Antheas are like that though. In Terrasyl, the heiress of the family funding the construction is a lot like her Eminence.”
“Really?” Ieylana found the idea of another Togada fun to imagine. She’d only seen her a couple times, and that was already enough to give a strong impression. It was rather reassuring that the girl wasn’t the greatest social role model in this society.
“Oh yes, the Haotyur heiress was the leading candidate for Anthea after the last abdicated, but strangely that old woman insisted on installing our dear child instead of her. It made many of us Terrasyllians infuriated for a while.”
“Why?”
“Well, because we have so little say in the affairs of the government. The legislature deems Terrasyl is currently part of Tintagil. It’s a mess really. The project and construction of Terrasyl has gone on so long, it practically is its own state with how large it has grown. Millions of people live in it already, though it isn’t ready for space yet.”
“Space? Where is it then Kiki? I’ve never seen this Terrasyl on the map of the castle yet.”
“It’s on the castle dear. Look up; you’ll see the towers change from red metals to blue metals about half way up. Tintagil’s always had the most access in terms of people resources. It was best to just build the colony on top. So anyway, as I was talking about the heiress…”
Ieylana gazed in surprise. She had never known a civilization capable of launching a colony into space, much less one of such scale. She only barely snapped herself back to listen more on her guest’s story. Ieylana took a seat across the table, almost stumbling while looking at Kiki with amazement. The two women continued talking while unpacking the food Kiki had generously brought with her.
“The heiress always has to have her tea swirled right to left, and gets in trouble quite often. She has some habit of wrestling with the boy athletes and winning. That’s hardly appropriate for a woman of royal blood to do unsupervised—since Terrasyllians are very much more conservative than most else of Masamune. The heiress sleep walks as well as talks in her sleep! I’ve been told she’s made several prophesies that way.” Giggling kept both girls from drinking any of their tea for some time.
“Even Togada, with her strange expressions, bluntness, and knack for creating embarrassing nick names for others, seems tame in comparison to her!”
“But Ieylana, you haven’t known our sweet Anthea very long,” Kiki snickered and put her drink down. “Her Eminence is very talkative once she gets started. She can talk for hours on end about anything, especially when she has Finigan with her. I don’t envy you later, I can only guess how long she’d go on talking about training and her talking ends up looping over and over again.” An eruption of laughter distracted the conversation for quite a while.
“So Kiki,” Ieylana remembered what she had intended to ask, “What does the Anthea do exactly?” She was amazed at the poise in her friend’s posture as she put a cup to her mouth. Kiki’s make up was perfect, and every bend in her wrists to sip her tea, or eat her food looked ritualized.
“Why don’t you just ask our dearest when you see her later? She’ll give you an earful more than you ever wanted to know and who better to hear it from? If you want I’ll come with you. I know she’s a lot to handle, despite her intentions.”
Ieylana nodded her consent; it’d be nice not to have to face the strange child, or any sudden realization in her destiny alone.
~~~~* * *~~~~
Kiki was the first to enter the shrine in the afternoon. Ieylana followed after her, nervous about what her day could lead to. Togada sat on the plat form’s stairs. It was a surreal image. The Gate of Avalon stood far behind her like the backing of a massive throne. Finigan sat a few stairs below her—he was playing with a box torch at the rail. The signature neon colored jacket looked impossible to ignite due to its blinding blue thread.
“Took you long enough, Finnie nearly set the castle on fire several times by now. Time to get lessons now Swan Lady.” Togada gestured with her hands to emphasize impatience. Kiki Apolline bowed at forty-five degrees from her hips and approached the teenager. Ieylana stood like a rock and paced up along-side.
“Good, Apolline can help me teach you the basics, I’m not good at that kind of thing, but she is. Can you sing Swan Lady?” Ieylana sighed. That was apparently what Togada was going to call her for a long time. She couldn’t help but be confused at the question.
“Why would it matter? I guess I’m ok, never studied music or anything,” She shrugged.
Finigan stopped fidgeting, and Togada got up. Togada tread over the platform, facing the Gate. She gathered her words for a while, looking over her shoulder. After a long pause, Finigan brought her a strange object. He gave Togada a long flute instrument carved out of a red wood and polished brightly. To one side was a knob looking to be turned with one’s thumbs. Everyone watched the girl intertwine it into her fingers and rest her thumbs on the dial. She put the mouthpiece to her lips and closed her deep blue eyes.
The girl blew into the pipe and gorgeous rough sound flowed out instead. Long, winding and reverberating notes played out, drawing all attention—even Finigan’s. Each flicker of her fingers made a new subtle curl to the music and it was blissfully stirring. Her smooth, young face began to grow darker with her concentration on every note played. Deep drawn tones and then high twirling bars of music played at intervals for several minutes. Faster and faster pace, more and more dancing of her fingers went on by her head, but her stance and poise remained the same. Finally, a falling in the music began. The final curl crackled and then slowed it to a vibrating halt. Togada looked up, still in her position with her feet placed elegantly.
There was a dim light from behind Togada. Ieylana was too busy looking at the child ruler to realize it earlier. The light was from the Gate of Avalon, it was apparently cracked the slightest bit imaginable. The light showing through revealed that for only an instant before fading away with the dying sound of music.
As soon as it was deafly silent in the room again, Ieylana nearly shouted, “What did you do Togada?” Togada put down the flute and handed it to Finigan. “I pulled energy from the higher-world beyond the Gate to our plane.”
“By playing that flute instrument? How is that possible?” Ieylana figured she was demanding now, but she had to know. She had avoided asking what exactly the Gate was for—it had always given her the shivers when looking at it—but this time, the question was going to be quite called for. It was time to meet her future foe.
Togada turned around to face the giant doorway again, performing using her hands and talking in a suspenseful manner. It was one of her instant mood changes, into the person who surely was a sovereign. “Some say the sound waves give some command to the energy like an unknown language spoken… Some say the feeling and beat in the music help the priestess reach a trance or level of concentration that allows her to interact with the higher planes beyond the Gate… Scholars have debated ever since the first person figured out how to get this massive door to work—no one knows. Through history, just about every form of music or dance imaginable has been used by an Anthea in this shrine to provide power to our castle and world. Of course, the Emperor directs the energy from there—it’s dangerous for us to use it ourselves, but there is not a specific type of music. Most have sung divinely, my voice is not that strong I have to say.”
“Whatever you just did tha’r was divine enou’h Togie!” Finigan hugged her awkwardly. Kiki laughed, Ieylana figured it was because the two were nearly the same height. Finigan’s bright blue suit made him seem almost as small as the Anthea. The two were very colorful in dress, though Finigan beat her painted robes hands down. She was wild looking with the beads in her hair and a symmetrical sleeves, and he plain but bold with the suit jacket and matching loafers. They were odd kindred spirits with their quarks.
“It is better off no one knows how it works. No doubt it is one of those things no one is meant to understand. Everyone already knows for a fact that music is magical, no matter where or when you’re from.” Togada was inspired for once and showed it with her big eyes. “Now you get to try!”
Ieylana tried and tried, but at the end of the day her voice was scorched. Vocal lessons had not been in the job description before. Singing in the language of the Highers created too much vibrato she couldn’t control and finding whatever invisible things on other planes Togada ranted about while trying to keep pitch was equivalent to finding a corner in a round room. Ieylana left the shrine dreading the next session. It was inevitable that she’d have to accompany Togada out in public for their scheme to succeed, and it would be an instant disaster if things continued at this rate.
She was even unable to tell Kiki goodbye out loud back at the apartment, but the smart woman understood and bid her goodnight after ordering her some soothing tea. Ieylana threw her shoes across the room; she was in no mood for the light show outside, or perfumed carpets. She was too tired and sore to shout any angry words that came to mind in her native tongue. Her hair now drooped over her, and her long limbs ached with pain felt in her soul. Ieylana knew how this one way journey would end, but this was not the state she wanted it to be in. She flopped on the bed and let a fresh pillow massage her damaged throat. Before she knew it, she was calm again in the darkness.

[Okay, I am apologising now if any of this comes off snappy. I got the strapping off my hips this afternoon and I's sore and suffering insomnia. I just have the prologue for now, but I'm working on the rest. As I said in iScribble, the prologue is good, but goes on a bit too long. In my edit, I have cut out all mention of Ieylana because I think it would be far more dramatic to mention her in bits and pieces throughout the novel. Foreshadow her, so that when we find out she is, in fact, alive and Alcamede is following her, we are all shocked and enthralled. Annnd...I've forgotten what else I was going to say. If I remember, I'll add it to the bottom.]




“What did you see Alcamede? I trust it is worth my time." is it not?”
“I remember it was dark. Stormy weather and glossy mist surrounded all in sight. There was music, music all around.”
“Music?”
“The hum of the rain, the clash of thethunder and thebeat of footsteps was were thea chorus to a strange hymn that echoed in silence.”
“I find little sense in suchwhat you say, girl!”
“You have no vision; only ambition, of course, you couldn’t know. If you’re going to threaten me into telling you to tell you what I see, shut up and let me tell you. Otherwise, just leave me alone.”
Alcamede expected a slap across her freckled cheeks for her comment upon her freckled, young cheeks, but none came. She peeked over her shoulder, nearly shattering the strong facade she had tried to It compromised the strong front she tried to keep up in his presence. But, for the moment, it appeared she had overcomefooled him.
He was stooped over, hot and on the verge of sweating on his blue shirt. For someone so dark and tainted, the old guy always kept himself so clean and posh in his plain shirts and dress slacks. The wrinkled face turned, once again, to stare at her back.looked over to her back She barely managed to return snap her head to back inits position; she fought silentlyand fought to keep her dark hair from swaying.
“Fine, continue.”
“I remember that it was familiar; so distorted and changed that I cannot recall where, but it was familiar. somewhere barely familiar, but so distorted, and changed that I cannot recall where. There were carpets and curtains in the darkness. On the carpet was a shape. in the musical shadows, The shape of a man.”
“A man? Who? What did he look like?” The old man shouted at her, his commanding voice demanded answers. But Alcamede simply the child and demanded more of her memory, but she glared at him through ruffled brown strands of hair and continued on her own.
“I have never seen him before, and I know not who he could be. Like my brother, he had a head of red hair and the darkness was lit by his eyes.” The old man was visibly astonished. by Alcamede and She savored the look of shock upon his face. “Yes, I know I have a brother though you’ve lied to me. Anyway, I remember he bore the seal of my family, and yes, I know my real family. That is all I remember.”
“Was the man Lord Kyna?”
“I already told you that I couldn’t tell.”
“What am I supposed to do with this? It isn’t helpful!”
To Alcamede’s delight, her abuser stormed out of the room at last. He slammed the heavy red door, his boots clankingand clanked his boots on the tile like a troll. It pleased her so, to see the torment in his mind. He was haunted by the last, missing shard of information. lacking to him. The curse of power was, indeed, paranoia. those who require all power was indeed to suffer in paranoia. What else could have driven the such a prideful man to rely on the visions of a girl-child, but the agony of the unknown? No knowledge couldwouldever have helped him. Alcamede knew his single-mindedness denied him any real wisdom, despite his age.
This very room, this prison, was a perfect example. So many terrible and heroic deeds were done in this space place. He would never never could learn from any of them, and he was far older than anyone else in the world. Alcamede loathed this room almost as much as the tyrant. Too many people, good people, had died here. Being alone in it was dreadful...her only comfort was in his torment. but there was one thing that made her bear the feeling.
No...no that was not quite true. So long caged up by wrathful men, Alcamede had learned to retreat retreated to the safety of her psyche. She learned to see beyond where her eyes strayed. And she She learned much from her visions, more than she would ever tell her captor. Alcamede had little care as to how they worked, only that they grew she get them clearer and longer with each chance in this the room. Present, past, and future; to Alcamede, all was in pure perspective for she lived in all directions of time, and felt it in the world around her.
A massive great mind and loneliness were the two feelings required to create a person capable of seeing absolute truth. But Alcamede was no longer alone. No, her visions had grown and the child, snared betwixt the paranoid fingers of the old man, had found herself a heroine. A woman from the past, the last of her family.
And one who had once dwelt in this very room...

[Ending, in red, is a bit crappy. Just something to think about as a way of wrapping up the prologue that foreshadows Ieylana and intrigues the reader enough to make the turn the next page. I did cut out a good chunk, as you can see. Not because it was bad, but because it just does't fit/work as part of a prologe. Too much telling, not enough showing, essentially.

Foreshadow. Foreshadowforeshadowforeshdow! Angela will tell you I am nuts for this and often set up, in the first few chapters, hints that will lead to the ultimate conclusion for each character (such as hich characters may die, Angela, mwahaha). It is a great technique because it keeps the reader hanging in there, desperate to know what will happen. A tantalising hit here, another there, and they'll devour the book trying to work who/what/why. It makes the final revelations so much more powerful.

Anyway, blah-blah-blah from me over. Let me know what you think of this edit before I keep going so I don't get muddled by which bit we're discussing.
And all my edits are advisory only. Feel free to change them back if you like xd

PS: I hope your tests/doctors appointment you were discussing in the auction went okay. My prayers for you.]

Lol! But that's a good thing. Make them guess! And the fact that we don't talk about Ieylana in the prologue makes her appearance in the next few chapters seem inocuous until - ta da! - you reveal who she is and how she relates to the girl in the prologue/ the girl who pops up during the plot. They seem like two seperate stories until, suddenly, you draw them together. Suddenly we aren't watching some story from the past that Alcamede is clinging to, but actual events. That's what makes people go, "Oooooh...OOOH!" and start to connect dots. And it makes your piece very clever and makes the reader feel clever if they've picked up o nthe foreshadowing as they go along.
A prologue doesn't have to map the novel out, but it does have to draw the reader in. Losing them at the prologue doesn't tend to help the whole novel selling process xd So, even if it doesn't tell you where the story is headed, it still works bloody well as a prologue.
Trust me, I knows these things wink

I hope it is all okay, too. Not nowing is the worst part. Once you know, you can sit down and deal with it. *hugs*

...also, nekkid Nicu is starting to creep me out, lol. You guys are your crazy stripping *shakes head* ...is...is that a stripper pole?!

>=O My stripper outfit was no where near as bad as the rest of you. Though...Nespin seemed to really like it. <.<;;; And...it did seem inspire a mass strip down in the thread, which was a bit weird. XD

I...did not take any. razz

It was fun. It would have been neato if you'd dropped by. XD