The first hint of light shone through the canopy above as Christill walked into the campsite. The soldiers were already up and preparing to move out. None seemed to pay much attention to him as he approached. He received a few unpleased looks from some of the older soldiers, but was not hindered in his journey to the carriage. Just as he reached it, the door opened and Queen Triel stepped out to bask in the morning sunlight. Christill bowed, enthralled by the young Queen. Looking up he could see the same sorrowful expression that she had carried whilst she was in Andron.
"You must be Christill," she said softly. "Dievu mentioned you would be joining us."
"Yes, your grace," replied Christill, awkwardly.
"Very well," said the Queen. She then walked off towards the lake with an exhausted face, accompanied by several guards.
"Troubled times create a troubled king," came a voice.
Christill turned to find Dievu leaning against the frame of the carriage. He was staring at the Queen, as she walked off, a sympathetic look on his face.
"You mean a troubled queen," said Christill.
"It is an old saying," smiled Dievu. "But yes, you are right. The Queen is the one who bears the troubles of Feldom on her shoulders."
"What of the King, why does he do nothing?"
"That is not my business...so I do not ask. The Karmanians do not meddle in matters beyond their authority. You too must learn to know when to stop asking questions," said Dievu.
Christill nodded in acceptance. "So where are we going?" he asked.
"South...then west...then east," answered Dievu. "We will finish the royal tour and pass through the major western cities. Queen Triel will sound the call to arms and in the end return to the City of Skiye. If you are still with us at that point, you will accompany me to Karmena."
"Understood," said Christill. "But I must get a message to my brother. He will be expecting me in Precedin."
"That will not be difficult," replied Dievu. "Are you sure that you can leave him? I do not know how long you will be at the Academy if the Council accepts our request."
Christill had thought long and hard about Thibalt. He had never been apart from his brother for a long period of time. Yet Dievu's words to him the night before had made him realise that he did need to stop acting like a child and choose a life for himself. There was nothing for him in Precedin. The call of war did not stir any emotions in his heart. And it was not forever. Eventually Christill would be able to see him again. Thibalt would understand.
Once the Queen returned, the caravan was packed and once again moving. They followed the road south until they reached the small city of Beldney. Here the highway forked east and the caravan stopped to purchase supplies. They did not linger in Beldney, and once the Queen had addressed the citizens, they headed along the main highway towards Summerstone.
The journey was pleasant for Christill and he was thankful for Polthus' company as the pace of the caravan was much swifter than his legs were accustomed to. He was accepted into the company of the soldiers readily which surprised him. However after a while Christill attributed this friendliness to the trust the soldiers placed in Dievu.
A few days out of Beldney, Christill was subject to his first experience of Nyrune's hold over the weather. Short miles after trotting through modest sunlight over grassy fields, they passed into a scorched and barren wasteland. The clouds parted from the sky and the sun glared down upon them menacingly. The ground had lost its moisture and was devoid of the rich plant life he had been so accustomed to seeing. The landscape reminded Christill of the Miirvkin Desert and brought unpleasant thoughts to his mind.
"How can it be that in such a short span the land can change so dramatically?" asked Christill, wiping the sweat from his face.
Dievu stretched in the saddle of his black mare, Vithanu, and replied, "When our race was created and Skiye and Beon blocked Dargon off from the rest of the world, Nyrune was also angered. In her rage she changed the climate of the world. To the hated Dargonian nation she gave an eternal winter that would not allow them a hint of happiness. To the Miirvkin, who had forsaken our land and crossed the seas, she gave great heat in the hope that they would one day flee that lifeless island and return to the mainland. Little did she know that they would learn to flourish under the harsh conditions," Dievu laughed. "To her own beloved children, the Karmanians, Nyrune gave the Misty Forest. It is undoubtedly the most fertile place in the entire world. Never have the Karmanians endured ill weather within our borders, and ever has Nyrune provided us with all that we need from within the forest."
"But what of Feldom?" Christill asked anxiously.
Dievu raised his finger. "You are eager to learn. That is good. But patience is a virtue that you must learn if you are to persuade the Council of Elders to grant you tutelage under their own watchful gaze."
"Sorry Dievu," Christill apologised.
"And you will call me Master from now on," Dievu commanded. "Now...after Nyrune had created the Misty Forest only one nation remained."
Christill smiled. He was thoroughly enjoying the lessons with Dievu as they travelled beside the Queen. Unlike the Disciple, whose lessons were ultimately biased, Dievu spoke the truth about anything Christill asked.
"Up until this day," continued Dievu. "No one has found the true reason as to why Nyrune chose to mould Feldom's climate so heavily. She separated the nation into a veritable puzzle of regions, each different from the other. Nyrune was so precise that these changes come about so suddenly, yet seem almost unnoticeable at first glance. So do you understand?"
Christill dipped his head. "Not fully. I find it strange that Nyrune chose to punish the Feldonians."
"Ah...but she did not punish them. She merely gave them a different way to live. Trust me Christill, the actions of the gods are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. The great Silphuras Hilke died still asking questions about the gods, though he had spent over fifty years talking with Skiye."
"I see," replied Christill with a frown.
"Do not trouble yourself. There will be a great many things that you will learn which will not be easy to understand at first. With time they will make sense," said Dievu. "We have now passed into the Plains of the Gods. It is not unlike your old homeland."
Christill quickly rebutted angrily, "That hell was never my homeland. Understand that. I hold no link to the Miirvkin people and they hold none to me. Never again will I walk amongst them."
"You have every right to be angry," replied Dievu. "The theft of an infant is a vile act that should be justly punished. But if you do not come to terms with your feelings towards them you will never lead a fulfilling life. Rid your mind of that hatred and your thoughts of vengeance. From this point onwards your study will be the only thing in your mind. If you cannot rid yourself of these thoughts, you will fail."
Christill did not respond. Dievu's lecture had upset him, but he again realized that he was right. His passionate detestation of the Miirvkin only served to cloud his judgement and would ultimately stop him. He was not going to let anything stop him from talking to Nyrune.
Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One) Page 41
