31The color of Divinity
Part I – The delusion of reality
By Ellnyon
Summary
Edyane is a young prince falling in love with his father's fiancé. However, he will quickly learn that one's status brings not only privileges but also obligations. So he's torn between love and power, not knowing that both are waiting for him, closer than he thinks.
Notes and warnings
This is a work of fiction. All events, places, religious themes or others, characters and plots are inventions of the author. Any resemblance to real things is unpremeditated and nothing but pure coincidence.
This tale involves homosexual relationships between males and is rated T. If you are somehow offended by these themes or aren't legally old enough to be reading about such in your region, I highly suggest you do not continue further.
If you want to archive this anywhere, you can do it. Just please tell me first.
That said, enjoy your reading.
Prologue
N'Alaera was a land of opportunity. From any point on the enormous city bustling with activity you could see the colours and faces of prosperity.
Encased at the base of the Mague's mountains N'Alaera's capitol city had six levels. The first one, on the top of the lowest mountain of the Mague's chain, was completely occupied by the King's magnanimous palace with its marble walls, lush gardens and crystal fountains suspended in the air in the middle of the elegant turrets. Rougher but a thousand times more imposing, were the stone walls that descended from the palace and embraced the rest of the city, like a lover's arms. A welcome protection when the nature showed her fury or men decided to quarrel. For two thousand years those arms had been there: detached from the changes in the outside world or in the minds of its rulers, aided in their trial by the solid rock of the Mague's.
On the second and third levels of the city, the palaces of N'Alaera's nobility could be found. Mostly deserted, they were used only in time of celebrations and important meetings. A large part of the older nobles preferred their much calmer estates beyond the gates of the capitol. They usually took the youngsters, their successors, with them. The capitol was the heart of the kingdom and brought opulence to its people. But she was also a source of many dangers. Especially to young nobles who had too much money and arrogance and too few experience and cleverness.
The fourth level housed the wealthier bourgeoisie. Traders that had gained from the city's abundance in the absence of the nobles. They had no aristocratic background but had managed to, through their own efforts or various artifices, accumulate large quantities of valuable goods and were now an important section of N'Alaera's economics, having an influent role on the palace's politics.
Certainly the loudest of the levels and the most crowded, the fifth hosted the lair of the common commerce. The market. It was ruled by common people. Those, who didn't have the kind of goods capable of achieving great wealth or the intelligence to preserve it. Every day goods were traded, gold exchanged and it was said, anything could be found on N'Alaera capitol's market. However, it was on the 5th of each month that merchants from all N'Alaera and neighbouring countries came to the capitol. And more than a business, on those days, it was a festivity. There were jesters, circus: attractions of all kinds. Of all kinds, as well, were the people roaming the streets on those days. The inns being full, you could find on the same city level human nobles and peasants, Eth nobles and commoners and also various other races.
The sixth level had the harbour: the Maguerer demanding it. One of the biggest, the Maguerer river accompanied the Mague's coming from the East country of Crano'en. Receiving lesser tributaries from the mountain chain, the giant grew even bigger and formed a large delta at the base of the capitol, flowing freely after it, towards the West country of Meya and the big sea.
Many attributed N'Alaera's wealth to its huge richness in natural resources. Others, to the Maguerer itself and the flow of trade it brought along with its waters. Others still, to the country's location: N'Alaera was situated in the middle of four other countries, being its capitol city almost an indispensable passage town from one to the others. The local people, however, believed N'Alaera's prosperity was due to the protection of the Maguenta's Temple on the high peak of the Mague's.
Maguenta, God of Gods in the Eth mythology and the God of Wisdom, Strength and Magic on human mythology had once descended from the High Heavens and resided in those mountains in the beginning of times. But His words were too powerful and mystical and the earthly beings could not decipher them. The beings weren't pure enough. And so, many days passed without solution to the problem and word of a God living in the mountains spread. Many individuals from races all over the world appeared in front of the God and Maguenta grew frustrated. He had so much knowledge to share and no one was able to comprehend it. Until one day, three ethereal beings came from a country near the big sea. One of them, the smallest and loveliest of the three, the one with long shiny black hair, came to Him gliding across an abyss and bowed. And not only did he understand His words, he was also able to speak to the God in the same language. From that day on, those mountains were called the Mague, the river at their bottom the Maguerer and the earthly beings shared in Maguenta's teachings.
But the Maguenta's temple at the Mague's top peak and its order of monks was not created right away.
The humans were furious. They thought the God didn't believe them worthy of recognizing His words and rebelled. Maguenta was forced to ascend to the Heavens and the three Eths were killed. Only their child, born in the Mague's, was spared and taken back to Meya. The world fell into chaos and thousands of years of wars ensued.
The Order of Maguenta's monks was formed only two thousand years ago by a strong warrior child. This human child managed to assemble a force of warriors capable of destroying the menace of the Black Wizards' order. They were an army of zombies and monsters called and created by a race of Death Whisperers from the far South. Their only goal: the utter extermination of the races on the North. Brutal, malicious and masters in black magic they knew neither pain nor despair and spared no one.
Under the leadership of the human child, the races of the north united and banned the Black Wizards from their lands. The Eths forgave the humans and a treaty of peace was made between the races in the north. The temple was built as the fulfilment of the promise the boy made to Maguenta and the order formed to ensure the North allegiance would never be broken.
This boy was called The Maguenta's Heir.
It is said that each 500 years, a Maguenta's Heir is brought to the world and will appear in front of the Temple to command the North's army against the alliance's enemies, especially the Black Wizards' still existent threat.
However, the prophecy says as well that to win the war, the Maguenta's Heir must have by his side, someone able to speak with the God, a descendant of the first pure soul and the strongest of all Eths, the only seventh level one. The black-haired Ethen.
Eths are a shy race of warrior-sorcerers inhabitants of Meya country. Blessed with intellectual and physical strength and beauty, they are tall males with stoic manners and aloof behaviour. Mainly a warrior force, their small numbers are due to the fact that only a few of them are able to have children. Those, the Ethen are cherished and protected. They are not as strong as the other Eths, nor as tall, their features are effeminate, their hair is always fair and their ways are a lot warmer. Their beauty is known to intoxicate every mortal being alike. Nonetheless, every thousand years, a single black-haired Ethen is born, his powers and beauty surpassing everything known to the world.
Because of their affable nature, their easy smile and amazing beauty, it is comprehensible that when an Ethen appears he is compared to a ray of sun. So, when the king of N'Alaera, Fenaleos, decides to marry a young noble Ethen to strengthen his alliances with Meya country and such Ethen, Meanea, accepts and heads to N'Alaera's capitol city with his family and guards: N'Alaera's people become ecstatic. . .
TBC…