The Abbey

The sun had set and the full-moon was shining when they reached the Abbey that marked the half-way point between the capital and Tsevest. He had seen the Abbey before, but never stopped at it, the royal caravan always went on to Thorn Castle, closer to Andyr. He looked at the road heading that way, a two hours journey through the valley to reach that fantastic castle with its impressive battlements and the elite guard. Not many hours after that the entrance to the great passage, the tunnel under the mountains that led to Kalnes, the incredible passage built by the Dwarves and Elves over a thousand years ago, still standing as a testament to what the ancients could accomplish.

Aarni had always felt drawn to that passage, to the kingdom of Elves beyond it, it was magnificent, mysterious and felt full of adventure. He was looking that direction when Ania put her hand on his shoulder.

“Help me bring the prisoners in.”

Aarni nodded, and joined her. There were several other women helping them, they were very attractive but looked like fighters, more like Ania than Darya. He turned to Ania.

“You’re a sister of peace.” His voice showing his surprise and his realization.

She laughed. “What did you think I was?”

“I just didn’t realize it till now, I guess it should have been obvious to me.”

“You are blind to the world, absorbed by your own troubles. It is good that you see something now.”

She wasn’t wrong, he had been wallowing in his own misery, he’d missed more than Ania being a sister, and Darya could have been hurt because of it.

The other sisters were surprised when they saw Aarni.

“Sister, you travel with a man, was he a victim of the bandits?”

“No sister, I will explain, but not now.” She nodded towards the bandits, and her sisters understood.

Aarni untied a horse and started leading it to the Abbey, the rider was slumped over and started to tip. When he went to wake him up, the body was cold and stiff. The man had died.

“This one’s dead.” He stated, and one of the sisters took the reins from him, “We will deal with the body.”

As she led the horse away, the moon light caught the face of the bandit, it was the one that had touched Darya, the one he had stabbed. A man he attacked who was disarmed and on the ground. A man he had murdered. . .

Ania came over to him, “Do not mourn him, young one, he deserved the fate you gave him. He will never lay hands on an innocent again.”

Aarni looked up at the moon, it looked almost identical to the one he looked at last night as he left the castle for the temple, one day and an entire lifetime ago. He felt the weight of his ancestry, the weight of destiny. He had always felt he needed to do something great, he just didn’t know what.

Now, banished from his home, he was just trying to survive.

The sisters were already building a fire to burn the corpses, one of the ones Ania had fought died as well. The sisters secured the horses, then took the surviving prisoners inside the abbey, and down into the basement. Aarni was looking around, he had been past the Abbey, but never inside, and he had heard stories of the sisters of peace. The cold smooth stone interior of the Abbey fit his imaginings about the sisters.

“Halt, stranger, you go no farther.” Two of the sisters blocked his path with spears. He had followed the prisoners to the stairs going down, and apparently, he would not be permitted to follow farther.

“Sorry, I’ll take him,” came a voice quickly, it was Darya, and she pulled him away.

“You don’t want to go down there Aarni.” She said.

“I’d like to find out more about them, they were trained like soldiers.”

Ania had caught up with them. “The sisters will find out all they know, you don’t want to witness how.”

“Would they let me talk to them afterwards?”

“Oh little one, there won’t be anything to talk to afterwards.”

Ania led Darya and Aarni through the Abbey to a large set of heavy wooden doors with a single guard.

“We are here to see the mother.” Ania stated.

“She awaits.” Was the response as the guard opened the door.

Inside was beautiful. The walls were dark oak, a bronze brazier in the middle of the room burned what smelled like cherry wood. He looked up to see the angled ceiling that funneled the smoke out the top of the room. The ceiling was painted, scenes of the hunter, the goddess and what looked like Sune the pillar. It made sense being this close to the passage. The walls had weapons and armor on them as decorations, and one weapon in particular stood out.

Aarni blurted out, “Is that Sune’s spear?”

“You know your history well, stranger.” Came a voice from behind a large wooden chair facing away from them.

“Mother Fillit,” Ania began, bowing, “This man is not a stranger, but the young prince Aarni, son of Astra. We brought him from the capital under Mother Blomte’s word.”

“The son of Astra has come to us.” Mother Fillit, said, there was weight to her words, as if it meant far more than Aarni knew.

Darya interrupted. “His life was in danger, he had to flee, please help him Mother.”

Ania grabbed Darya and shushed her.

“I’m sorry Mother, this young one doesn’t. . .”

“It’s okay Ania, her eyes tell me all I need to know, don’t worry young disciple, we will let no harm come to the son of Astra.”

Aarni understood why they called him the son of Astra, his mother was one of them, but there was a weight to their words when they said it that he was curious about.

“Why does everyone care so much about me?” Aarni asked, trying to approach the subject tactfully. “My brother is the heir, my birth didn’t change the line in any way, I’m just a backup if something happened to my brother.” His words were true, all the nobles, the stewards, his teachers and especially his brother made it clear he was not important, and he knew many still doubted that he was his father’s son.

He could see the pause in Mother Fillit. She looked at Ania and Darya like they didn’t belong there in that moment, took a breath then said. “Your destiny is chosen by the Goddess, not by man, that will have to be enough for you. But tell me how you came to be here and how we may help you.” That line was spoken to Ania, not to him.