Aelthir's Morning Rituals
From Reydala
It was early morning when the paladin opened his eyes from his bed in the Freehaven Guild Headquarters' lodging area; he wasn’t sure what time it was, but with a quick glance around at his comrades, he knew it was still night as they were all still asleep, or seemed to be at least. Shuffling out of bed quietly, the elf in silk sleepwear quietly moved to his bag and gathered his sewing kit and a carefully folded large piece of blue material before leaving the room as quietly as he could, not paying attention to who he may have awakened and moving to the closest prayer room.
As he expected, the room was completely empty save for him and a generic altar that served as a medium between all the divine souls that rule the outer circle. The young elf approached the altar slowly, no other sounds being heard in this sacred room of peace and knelt in front of it quietly. He’d open up his sewing kit quietly and removed a golden necklace from within it. Hanging from it would be a golden pendant emblazoned with the divine symbol of Triana. He’d open it up and take a good look at the pictures of his family which rested inside as his long hair fell over his eyes, his muscles tensing up as if he was resisting tears. In one photo were a man and a woman, both looking very dignified and both looking happily in love; in the other, a young elfin boy and girl, hanging happily off of one another.
He closed the locket after what seemed like an eternity and placed it over his heart. “My goddess, I know my parents and my sister are not followers of yours, but please take heed of the words of one of your loyal followers. Despite all their wrongdoings unto me and their lack of understanding, please protect them and bless them with your luck, even if that means protecting me any less. To you I pledge my sword, my strength, and my life.” He prayed, placing the necklace around his neck and closing his eyes.
“I am the soul of my needle.” He whispered, gracefully reaching into his sewing kit and pulling out a needle with precision.
“ Cloth is my body, and thread is my blood.” He whispered, pulling out a spool of thread and threading the needle easily, only his sense of feeling guiding him through the motions.
“I have tailored over a thousand pieces of cloth. Not known to man, nor known to wife” he continued, tying off the thread and placing the spool of thread and needle upon the altar.
“I have withstood mistakes to create many masterpieces.” He raised the cloth over his head and onto the altar, beside the needle and spool
“Yet this body will never wear any.” He placed what looked to be a white rose on top of the cloth.
“So, as I pray.” He stopped talking so that he could pick up the sewing kit into his arms and stand up at the altar, his expression one of seriousness and focus. There was another line to the prayer, but Aelthir never spoke it. Only when the day came that his masterpieces became truly sacred would he utter the ending to his personal prayer.
“Visualize the masterpiece.” He started, taking a deep breath and staring at the cloth. “The shape, the texture, every thread, every cut, every stitch; visualize it all in your mind and craft a masterpiece. The measurements are within your mind; focus and create a path to victory!” He demanded of himself as he pulled out a pair of scissors and got to work.
A couple hours passed quickly, the only sounds being heard in the prayer room were the sounds of Aelthir’s craft, but finally, surrounded by tattered scraps of cloth and tools; a deep blue robe which had a which a white rose stitched into the back of the neck rested on the altar like a sacred garment. Of course, there was nothing sacred about it. Without a word, he carefully replaced his tools in his sewing kit and removed the necklace from his neck and hid it within the case. He then folded up the remaining scraps of cloth into the finished robe, whispered a few words and left as gracefully as when he entered the prayer room.
Returning to where he and his comrades rested, he quietly walked into the room, once again ignoring whether anyone was actually awake, the paladin seeming like he was in a trance as he laid the robe on his bed, and kneeled down to his satchel.
After gently replacing the sewing kit, he’d take his compact mirror, his brush and of course some clean nobleman’s clothing before heading off to the bath house to go soak in a nice hot bath to clean and relax in.
He didn’t pay attention to anyone who could’ve been in the bath house, and simply went about his business, shutting his eyes as he felt the warmth of the water give the man warmth.
~*~*Interlude*~*~ The sky was dark and the air was stale on that day, Aelthir could easily remember as he marched on toward the gates of Allrevan with his head held low. It had barely been two days since his father caught him worshipping the Goddess Triana and his not-surprising ‘removal’ from the family; after all, his family prided themselves on following the old code that had been the ground work for the House of Baequi’via for several hundred years and what had he done? Chose to worship a goddess of the humans. Their lack of understanding devastated him; for as much as he expected it and accepted it long before it happened, it still hurt him inside that the people he loved so dearly would abandon him so easily. He wanted to cry, but he refused to let the tears fall. Not until he was past the gates at least.
Just five more steps and he’d say goodbye to his former home. A step, and then another, a third one followed that and then a fourth. Then he hesitated from taking the fifth step to clear the gate. He’d take a deep breath and raise his foot to step through…
“Big Brother!” a young elven girl yelled out after him, causing the paladin to freeze. Not her too, his father nearly destroyed him, his mother watched silently in disappointment, but he couldn’t take her hating him too. He had to move, take a step forward and run; but he knew he couldn’t do that. So he slowly turned around, and gave the brightest smile he could muster. He then kneeled down to her level and just waited for her.
Much to his surprise she leaped into her protective big brother’s arms and he hugged her. Although his nearly tearing eyes were hidden by his hair, he kept smiling brightly as he his younger sister. “Big brother… why are you leaving? Don’t you like playing with me?” the girl asked him with a saddened look on her face, staring at his face.
“Syllae…” he whispered as he held her. “Don’t be silly.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I love playing with you, you know that.” He whispered to her quietly.
“Then why are you leaving? Mommy and Daddy won’t tell me, and I’m not going back until you give me an answer!” She says, staring at him with a serious, yet still saddened expression on her face. As the paladin of Triana struggled inside his mind for an answer, it seemed a different god had mercy on his soul as the rain began to pour down on top of them. Somehow, the water raining down onto his face was just what he needed to let his own tears pour silently. “There comes an age when a person needs to venture out into the world and see where life takes them.” He whispered to her, smiling softly as she buried her face against his chest once more, crying.
“Big brother, I don’t want to lose you!” She sobs against him; it was muffled, but he could understand her. After all, he was the big brother who always protected her when she needed protecting.
“Syl… you’re not losing me, I will be back one day.” He held her tightly. “I’m going to need you to be strong. Crying is alright, but do not ever lose hope in me. I promise you, that I will come home someday.” He whispered to her, tears running down his cheek and being washed away by the rain.
“Okay…” She whispered back after a moment, finally letting go of the paladin.
“Hold on.” He said to her as he unclasped his necklace and pulled off the ring on his finger. He slid the ring onto the chain and hung the necklace around her neck, clasping it closed. “Now part of me will always be with you to protect you. All you need to do is believe.” He kissed her forehead gently once more. “Now get home, before you get sick. You don’t want mother and father worried, do you?” he asked her, ruffling her long hair.
“Big Brother…” she whispered as he stood up. “Be careful.” She finished, trying to not cling to his leg to keep him there.
“I’m always careful.” He smiled to her. “You grow up happy for me, okay kid?” He asked her, smiling lightly and then marching off in an elegant manner. He was fabulous to the end, no matter the situation. He would return one day, when people were more understanding. For now, he had to find his place in the world.
~*~*Interlude Out*~*~
The paladin would finally open his eyes and finish taking the time to clean his body. It had been many years since he had left home, and it had been a long time since he played that memory back in his dreams, the rain always had a peaceful effect on him, and then he’d dream that very dream. He wondered just how his little sister would be these days. Happy and grown up, he hoped as he dried himself off and moved to a cooler part of the bath house to brush his hair and apply his makeup. People looked at the elfin male with odd curiosity, but he just remained unfocused, deep in thought for a moment. He then smacked himself on the cheek and gave a fabulous smirk. “I’m telling her to be strong, I should verily speak that to mine own self.” He nodded to himself before focusing fully on the mirror as he ran his favourite brush through his hair.
After applying his makeup and dressing in his casual attire, the elf walked back to the room that the group slept in and took a deep breath. The beautiful knight was ready to face all upcoming challenges with calm and noble stature, ready to spread love and beauty as his solemn prayer and morning rituals were completed for another day.
~*~*END*~*~
