Garden's Tears

by Timothy Goodwin

 Prologue

He was a Master Musician. That is what the kings and queens were calling him; Master Bard, Master Minstrel. Master. Even now he thought that it had a strange ring to it. Master. What is thy bidding, my Master? Xaneth smiled at that and looked down at the empty parchments on his desk.

He had already come up with songs and ballads for the concert he would perform in four days, the day of Queen Siilvers Birthday. Some he had been able to write in just a few hours time, but now he was looking for something to enhance the show. His dedication to Joshua Heit he was sure would go over well, self-centered sanctimonious sonofabitch that he was.

His face settled into deep creases, which was difficult to see behind the mustache and goatee that he wore, but could be read between the locks of silver-white hair covering his forehead. His eyes were kaleidoscopes, and no one--save those who knew him--could say for sure what color they were.

He imagined the parchment screaming up at him--Hey, what's the hold up; you can do this in your sleep.

And maybe he could.

Yes, he could. He had done it before. And maybe that's what he needed to do, go to sleep and find the song that eluded him. He could almost see the words and notes on the parchment, almost.

He was all Narth'ues' depository and voluble distributor; surely he could come up with something. Something about the Queen? Her daughters? Palimaar itself? Or maybe weave a tale of faraway lands and adventures? Something in the past? All of the above? Sure. Why not?

He would come up with something that would involve all of these elements.

But wait.

How do you reduce the elements and at the same time give them all equal credence?

There was the incident on the Squalos Island, where two people from a village--with the help of a dragon--foiled the plans of a handful of Lich Kings.

But what does that have to do with the Queen or her daughters?

Maybe he could start with the Queen and her daughters and incorporate a question: Has the radiance of Palimaar ever seen...a broken king?

Wait-a-minute...Darion Mariis was engaged to Princess Sefarini. In time he would be king. And everyone knew and loved Darion; Xaneth could go in that direction--beginning with Darion. With a broken heart he came from so far away... That had a nice ring to it. And it would challenge Heit's Ballad. He was the one who had been inadvertently responsible for Darion's arrival in Palimaar. A curse turned into a blessing... That sounded good too.

Grabbing up a glass and his bottle of idsi, he stepped out onto the porch of his beach house. The sun was an hour away from touching the horizon of the sea, and the waves were always a welcomed sight. And if you listened just right, you could hear her sing.

But hers were primarily songs of those who sailed her. And Darion hadn't been riding her when his family was lost to her bosom. That's what brought Darion to Palimaar. Or maybe it was just blind luck, random chance, or fate...? Who knew the designs of the gods? Xaneth certainly didn't. He wasn't even sure if he believed in them.

It’s a chaotic world we live in where the best intentions turn sour. Who's watching the fort then? Where are all the angels when you really need them? Where were they when Darion needed them? He was a broken man.

Some say it was Tiisjharianna that put the smile on Sefarini's face which in turn mended Darion's broken heart. And maybe it was. Who could say? For whatever reason, the light in the man's life burned brighter when he was around Sefarini. And hers burned brightly too when she was around him. They were the perfect match. And everyone agreed.

It was settled then; Xaneth would write a ballad about Darion and Sefarini.

But wait--wait a minute. What about Rayamond Cole and Aeisha? Everyone knew about them too. Cole, the bipolar and Aeisha, sorceriine, whose mother was an advisor to the Queen. The only ones who didn't know that Aeisha and Rayamond were in love was quite possibly Cole himself. There was a ballad too. Never letting it show... That was Cole, always trying to keep everything under control, under lock and key.

Would we have two ballads then? Xaneth thought about it as the waves crashed in and hit the shore.

It looks like we're going to have two ballads then.

And maybe...even a third song. About what? About the history of Palimaar of course. Xaneth's enthusiasm was beginning to sour.  He didn't know if he could pull off three songs in four days--three days. He wasn't sure he could pull off two songs in three days. So he had to decide which takes precedence. That would have to be Darion and Sefarini; after all, they would be writing history one day.  And if there was enough time, he would pen a ballad about Rayamond Cole and Aeisha. People who want history can always look in the history books.

But...there was so much richness and inspiration to be found in history.  There was, for example, The Elderiine Wars. Certainly the people would know about the wars that reshaped the continents.  They happened only a thousand years ago. History books, history books. Let them read history books. Inspiration. So much inspiration. Xaneth decided to let the matter drop. He realized that he probably wasn't going to get to a third song written anyway.

What about two hundred years ago?

What about two hundred years ago?    Where the hopes and dreams were balanced on dragon's wings...?

Xaneth admitted that he liked the sound of that. But it would still be the third choice.  And there was still the matter of history books.

What about..."Hopes and dreams balanced on Angel's wings...?"

That could fit in the ballad of Darion and Sefarini.

But again, where to begin?

Springtime of course, that's what's happening now. And it's a time of love.

It was settled.

Xaneth went back inside, set down his glass and decanter, and seated himself before the parchments.

"A somber, yet elegant theme would do nicely to set the mood."

Looking deeply into the prodigious pools of her eyes, they tell you all you need to see...

Prodigious?

Wondrous...?

Xaneth decided that he liked that better.

Rayamond Cole walked through the woods east of the Nial'ni, heading for what he liked to call his Tree of Meditation overlooking the ocean. He had passed the laborers who were constructing a stage for the bard's concert to be held in four days; the festivities of Olias Visitation had been briefly put on hold until evening. That was fine with Cole, he wasn't much interested in the festivities, not unless Aeisha were involved, and right now the sorceriine was back at her house, studying.

Rayamond found his tree, and setting a small lunch down next to it, he sat down and brushed his back up against the trunk. .  He looked out to sea. A breeze blew his hair back from his brow. He liked the sea, the ocean, the waves crashing on the surf; there was something very majestic about it and at the same time something very serene.

After a moment of quiet observation, he turned to his lunch, which he had packed in a small sack--ham and cheese, potato slices, jerky, cookies, and laras-obra, the latter kept cold in a tall resealable mug that Aeisha had cast a simple dh'antra on so that beverages would stay either cold or hot.  It was a moment of peace, something that was hard to come by with Cole; he had a mental disorder called melancholia.

Turning to his bag, he retrieved a small pillbox and took his medication, downing it with the icy black grape-tasting drink. Then he turned to his cheese and ham, took a couple of slices, and watched the waves crashing against the surf as he chewed. It wasn't long before his eyes grew tired--an effect his medication sometimes had. He awoke to the weight of something perched on his boot. His eyes came slowly open as he looked into the luminous countenance of a small gold avian.

"Squa-kit," the dragonet squawked at him.

"Hello," Cole said in return. "Are you here by yourself? Are you looking for a hand-out?"

No one was sure where the avians came from. Some believed they were a mutation of the bigger dragons, but even the dragons didn't know for certain; their minds were hard to read. What information they were able to gather, came from eggs. What laid these eggs, however, no one really knew. Studies and research had been done on the dragonets. It was only a matter of time before the answers revealed themselves.

Interesting fact: the dragonets were notoriously shy, and the concept of them coming up to a person unabashedly was unfathomable. But they seemed to make an exception with Cole, and even he didn't know why. Aeisha said, "It's because you're such a loving person, and they sense that in you."

"More likely they're as crazy as I am," Cole said in return.

Who could really say why they singled Cole out? The fact of the matter was that they did, frequently.

"Squa-kit,"

"Okay, I heard you. How do you feel about ham and cheese?"

"Kitta-ka. Tat,"

"Alright, let's see what we got here." Rayamond reached into his sack and pulled out a small slice of ham. He handed it to the Dragonet which looked at him with a tilted head. Then the creature lowered itself, and timidly took the ham. It lifted its head and shook the morsel down its long neck.

No sooner was the piece of meat gone than another Dragonet appeared. This one, unlike the first, was an emerald green.

"Squa-kit,"

"Okay, you'll have to wait your turn," Cole explained. "It's first come, first serve around here."

The emerald waited patiently as Cole fed the gold a slice of cheese. At first he thought the Dragonet would balk at the dairy product, but it took it down just as happily as it did the ham.

Then Cole turned to the emerald and offered it a piece of ham.

"Kitta-ka Tat,"

"You all don't mind now if I eat some of my lunch, do you?"

"Kee-riita,"

Katti-tiiii--raaa,"

"Thank you."  And Rayamond began nibbling on his cheese and ham, while the Dragonets watched him unimposingly.

"What is it that brings you guys around here, anyway? It can't be my sunny disposition. Is it my cologne?"

"Riita-kit kit," the gold replied.

"Where do you come from?"

"Skatta-kat,"

"Can I quote you on that?"

"Katta-tat,"

"Well wherever you guys came from, I just want you to know that I'm glad you showed up. I do kind of like having you around. You sort of make my day. As corny as it sounds; you're like my little drops of sunshine when it's cloudy." Rayamond held up his cup. "So, here's my thanks for you guys being who you are, and giving me a little cheer..."

"Tatta-kat."

 PART ONE

FLAMES AND SHADOWS

CHAPTER I

VISITATIONS

Spring was creeping in over the Li’reighian realm of Narth’ues.

Blossoms in a wide variety of bright colors pushed up and scattered liberally around the massive bases of trees that were the summation of the Freeland Woods; sixty square miles surrounding the Kingdom of Palimaar. The Woods wrapped around the city of Whispiirheart, which bordered the coastline that reached out to the Eastern Ocean. The woods themselves stretched to the north and south and bordered the highland hills of Orn.

Within the Woods, sap creaked through the trees of rudwoods, aspoors, and oaks, slowly spilling forth from the gliinwoods, trimbelins, and elms, glistening in the sunlight. Birds sang a variety of tunes, tittering amidst the community of structures set high in the trees. Ravens cawed as they flew over and past the roofs, bridges, walkways and terraces of wood and stone, melding together in a manner known as sauriis, that in turn, connected the Li’reighian establishments to each other.

The homes and structures of the Li’reigh were a marvel to see, craftsmanship that was blinding to the eye. It was unseen anywhere else outside the Freeland Woods except for Palimaar. With the Le’igro spreading throughout the forests, the process of sauriis, of melding wood and stone together as one, created spiraling lattices, where it was difficult to distinguish where the branches and vines ended and the stonework began. All the while, the wood of the trees lived and flourished even as it wound its way through the rock.

The result was wondrous to behold, beautiful and enchanting.  The Freeland Woods glowed continuously. At night, amidst the luminescent pamalrose blossoms and starlight, the Woods were a shimmering enchanted forest. Dwellings and establishments were built above, around, and inside the trees, especially the great aspoors, whose trunks could grow in width to fifty feet. The trees climbed two hundred feet into the sky, where the structures that looked like conical alien flowers found their place fifty feet above the forest floor. They floated above and amidst the leaves of the great trees, their vast canopies spread throughout the Woods, hiding all within from the prying eyes of the outside world.

An eagle landed on the railing of the Queen's terrace.

Queen Siilvers approached her balcony, setting aside the staff of Rhiin. She was careful not to startle the bird, as she examined the small capsule tied to the leg. She removed it with the greatest of care, and opened the small scroll inside. She wasn’t entirely surprised by what she read:

The Xentariine have their eyes on Sharn. The wizard Yanthi assembled a host and marched against Unamein. Now it would seem that an alliance with the Pentaniis Dragon Cabal is in the works

The Xentariine was a network that worshiped Balach, the god of murder, death, and lies. The Pentaniis was a compilation of fanatics who worshiped dragons of shadow, believing them not only to be divine, but also that they would one day rule the world. An alliance of the two would make a considerable adversary. And although Unamein was more than a thousand miles away from Palimaar, the network had sleeper cells spread across the Eight Continents. Queen Siilvers believed this information definitely needed to be brought to the attention of General Caladine.

On the outskirts of the Woods, on the grassy plain known as Nial’ni, the hired help were putting up a large platform for one of the Guests of Honor for the following night’s extravaganza.  A bard and his band were scheduled to play for the Queen Eldari Siilvers. The bard’s performance would mark the end of the seven-day celebration of Olias’ Visitation, a weeklong commemoration to Olias, a cleriist that influenced the unification of clerics and druids and their religions so that the believers of different faiths could live together harmoniously.

The following day would commemorate Queen Eldari’s seventy-fifth birthday, and for a Li’reigh with the capacity to live to be one-hundred-fifty, Queen Eldari Siilvers was often told that she didn’t look a day over forty-five. (Elves and Li’reigh had the marvelous capacity for appearing ageless.) 

The day of The Visitation would bring with it a wide range of festivities: parties where folks exchanged gifts, a lengthy and sumptuous series of banquets, festive masquerades, and solemn religious services. There would be contests of all types, so all contestants could display their skills, and a mock sea-battle just outside the harbor off Iicapas Bay.

A week prior to the festivities, dozens of rovers, gypsies, Gnomes, and Dwarves had begun setting up a carnival a quarter mile south from where the hired help were working. The pavilions, tents, and rides for The Whispiirs Festivo required the entire day to erect.  Most of the rides had been designed, crafted, and engineered by the Gnomes of Kiltaar and the Dwarves of Maramaar.

By noon of the following day, the carnival was ready to fly. Special horse-drawn customers’ coaches circled the carnival and the historic sections of the Woods hourly, traveling between the Whispiirs Festivo and the city of Whispiirheart, wherein lay the palace of Queen Eldari.

The people of Palimaar adored their Queen; she was of the rarest stock of goodness, benevolency and wisdom. She saw to it that none in her land were without a home, lest they chose to be. In all things she did her best to be equal and fair, especially where monetary matters were concerned. The Queen insured that there would be a remission of taxes whenever tragedy or disaster struck. And she created the Cleriists’ Hospital which followed the second celebration of Olias Visitation.

Queen Eldari had been married to King Ryan for almost twenty-one years and she had borne him three daughters but no sons. Tragically, twenty years following their marriage date and the king was killed in a hunting accident in which a dragon interrupted the party, leaving no opportunity for a male heir.

The creature had been a copperhead, appearing out of nowhere, crashing through the underbrush with nostrils venting wisps of dark smoke, and scales of copper and sable glistening under the fading moonlight. It was a large beast, having seen several seasons of mottling. Stark fear acute and tangible rippled through the hearts and minds of the men accompanying the king that morning. A dragon had the inherent capacity to instill terror in mortals, and before they could recover, the creature unleashed a horizontal geyser of fire that covered the majority of the party. The king knocked an arrow, a tear falling from his eye, along with the perspiration that rolled down his face in rivulets, as he watched while his men died, writhing in agony as flames embracing danced across the human pyres. The king’s arrow whistled and found its mark in the left eye of the great beast. The iris burst milky goo that was immediately followed by a thunderous howl from the dragon. In the next instant the king was engulfed in flames as well. It had been a lance, driven through the pyrosgills in the throat that finally saw to the creature’s demise, the weapon wielded by Captain Kideon Avaras, and although there would be meat during the long months of winter, Palimaar had lost a king. He had been a beloved man and the Queen had been in mourning with her daughters for almost a month before the potions of the cleriists drove away the sadness and the madness that made the wound from the loss diminish.

That was almost fourteen years ago.

Now it isn’t uncommon for great men to call upon the Queen. Courting her, in an effort to fill the seat of the throne. However, Eldari had yet to find a man that she believed to be her equal--or maybe she just wasn’t looking hard enough. And whether others might think that she was being fair or not, she had yet to meet a man that could equal the disposition of her late husband. And she strongly believed that it was quite likely that she would not find another that could make her feel the way that King Ryan did And for this reason it was not unlikely that her eldest daughter, Sefarini, would be the next to wear the crown.

For it was that Royalty need not die to pass on the crown. And when Queen Eldari finally deems the crown to be too heavy, the eldest of her three daughters will step in and replace her. And the Queen, already feeling the weight of the crown, would give herself perhaps another ten years-maybe fifteen, before she turned her crown over to her daughter Sefarini.  And that was just fine with the Queen; because already her daughter had her eyes on a man whom she strongly believed would make an exemplary husband and King of Palimaar.