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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Thinking Out Loud: Fadeless.

Originally posted here...


It wasn't even her real name; "Mirror" was what they called her because that's where they'd found her: next to the Mirror Pond, one of the places where water settled in the wide open desert. She had been with the Deyshann for seventeen years now, more or less; adopted into their ranks, even doted upon by the Kardis - the great ruler of all the clans - but she didn't even know her real name. She had been six or seven when they had found her, curled up. She was human, something that the Deyshanni Elves hardly cared about, mostly peaceful as they were. Of course, the Commander of the Knights of the Veil had had a word or two to say about that, but Kardis Myriahl had stepped in and that was the end of that and Mirror had been adopted straight into her household as a ward. This meant of course that she had had an adequate playmate in the Kardis' only child, a son named Dahr'kyr. Dahr would not inherit his mother's crown or throne, that would pass to her nearest female relative, in this case a young cousin who Mirror rarely saw.

She stared up at the sky now, absently pucking at the embroidery on the veil that clung to her face. All Deyshann wore them, the longer and more elaborate the veil, the higher your status was. Ironically, only the Knights didn't wear them; practicality must have won out over showmanship.

"What're you thinking about?" Dahr asked her and she became aware that he had been watching her for some time now.

"This..Feranathi princess of yours - " Mirror started hesitantly.

"Rayhn?" Dahr offered with some amusement.

"Yes...she's a little short tempered, isn't she?"

"You have no idea, rai," Dahr told her, laughing loud enough to draw the eyes of his mother and fiance both.

Mirror studied the shapely form of Princess Rayhn Saldin-yn'Ameandir, the eldest and only daughter of Cordin of Feranath. She had heard that the the elven princess was a Visionary, able to see flashes of the future. Rumour had it that she was terrified about this marriage to Dahr on accounts that she had foreseen herself as the cause of his death, and yet, because they loved each other - and no doubt, because Dahr had probably spun a foolishly masculine line like 'I do not fear death' - they were going ahead with this anyway. Part of Mirror thought it was highly romantic, but the overpowering sense of pragmatism that she had told her that this mushy business, alliances or no, had a chance of killing her Prince. She sighed and shook her head.

"You'll like her, little sister," Dahr assured her, "in a lot of ways, you two are well-matched."

"Well, for you, I will try," Mirror murmured and Dahr smiled reaching across the distance between them to ruffle her hair.

"Hey!" she protested, trying to keep her veil in place as she tried kick back at him from the saddle. Dahr laughed again and booted his horse, catching up with his fiancee and mother.

Mirror watched him in silence for a moment as she adjusted her attire. "Well," she thought to herself, "if you love each other then be happy, but I for one will not let you die."

It was then that she saw a look that passed between the princess and her intended. There was such joy there, such unbound happiness, limitless that it made Mirror's eyes well up. That in itself made it all worthwhile, didn't it? To see Dahr this happy?

Mirror looked up into the sky and breathed in the desert air, dry and rough as it always seemed to her. High above them, the moon was full and brilliant, and all around the caravan the desert was thrumming with its age-old rhythms. Mirror smiled.Truly a beautiful night, even for one with a name not her own.

Had to change Dark'yn's name to Dahr'kyr, the pun was getting a little childish and old. I think I'll like Mirror, she might even become a regular character in Fadeless, she'd be a useful tool to spark Rayhn's temper for starters.

I realised I haven't really done a lot of work in Deyshann. I know very little about them save for the random on-off mentions of them. The Knights of the Veil already existed on accounts of their appearing in one of the battles listed in the Feranathi history. I'll have to work a little more on their structure, and on the culture as a whole.

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