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December Free Fiction: Advent Story: Thear Collection: Trey: 920 words
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“Thank you?” Trey raised an eyebrow. “I'm really not sure I like you knowing everything about me.”
“You have to trust me.” Aisling sighed. “I know it's hard for you to trust anyone.” She smiled sadly. “I think I would be exactly the same if I'd been in your position, but I am the person Persephone and the other deities chose to be in charge of this, so I hope that, in time, you'll come to agree with them.”
“I don't know you.”
“I was sent to the training temple before my third birthday because I was born on the day of Persephone and Mother was terrified that someone might harm me due to that. In our village there is a priest of Poseidon who is one of the leaders of the Uisdro supremacist movement and he thinks that anyone born on the day of any other deity that Poseidon is born evil. From then on I was raised by priestesses and everyone believed that I was destined to be a priestess of Persephone.” Aisling shrugged. “A few of the girls I shared my life were also born on days and they were also sent to the temple early. They're people I trust, so they're also going to be helping. Everyone else was at the training temple because it was what their family did. I'm sure it was the same for you.”
“I only went to the training temple because Father was the High Priest of Herne, and my grandfather was too. There were those who wanted to be trained but couldn't go because the priesthood wasn't in their blood.” Trey shook his head. “Most of the boys I was trainined with never connected with a deity and I feel sure that some of those who never made it to the training temple became priests or priestesses, because it's not about blood.”
Aisling nodded. “I am what I am, and I am grateful that I was given a chance to be a part of what's to come because I know I would hate to be watching the world change around me. Being the High Priestess of Persephone automatically puts me in danger, but I know that there are other people who are in more danger than me, like you if your father ever finds out what you've been doing.”
“Father and I believe two opposite things. He thinks that mixing blood with the other races will stop us from being true Dormas, which I think probably happened a very long time ago, and his belief will eventually lead to the end of the Dorma race.”
“Trey...” Aisling looked at him, tilting her head to one side. “What is happening to the Dormas? I've heard rumours but not many people have any real information.”
“Watch during your first week here. There will be Dorma women arriving from all over the country because they can't have children. Some can't carry to term, others find that they give birth to live children and others never get pregnant. Most will pray to Herne, and ask me to bless them because I am the High Priest of Herne, but that won't help them.”
“What do you think the problem is?”
Trey shrugged. “Dorma pure blood marriages are the problem.” He bit his lip. “Whenever I find a Dorma woman married to a Dorma man, especially if I know that their family tree is also Dorma as far back as I can go, I know that it's going to be hard for them to have a child. Then there are those who have other bloods in their heritage, but don't know about it, and often they have healthy children who go on to live long lives like their parents.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It's possible I'm wrong and something else is causing this, but I don't think I am and it terrifies me because I know Father isn't going to back down.”
“When I went home just before I travelled here I found that they're having the same problems, although it's not as bad as the Dorma.” Aisling sighed. “There are a growing group of people, including the priest I told you about, who think that the Uisdro need to become pure again. A lot of the people I grew up with aren't pure Uisdro, because we've always had a close relationship with the Tein-Igni, and it's beginning to get to the point where they're scared that something might happen to them.”
Trey nodded. “The Dorma once had a close relationship with the Uisdro too, and I think that might have caused some problems in the past.”
“I hate not knowing our history.” She looked out at the sky. “Right now I need to go, because I'm meant to arrive at the Residence soon, but we need to talk some more. The first chance I get I'm going to visit North Square and when I have we need to start getting people moving.”
“Are you sure that's a good idea?”
Aisling looked at him and he could see the worry in her eyes. “I'm not sure about anything.”
Trey smiled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “We can only do our best, Aisling, and I think that if we're going to get everyone safe then we need to make the first move.” He squeezed her shoulder the same way she'd squeezed his. “If we wait then things are going to be much more difficult.”
“I'll see you later.”
© K A Jones 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
This entry was originally posted at http://kajones-writing.dreamwidth.org/39339.html. It currently has
comments.
Read the second part of this story (LJ link).
Read the third part of this story (LJ link).
“Thank you?” Trey raised an eyebrow. “I'm really not sure I like you knowing everything about me.”
“You have to trust me.” Aisling sighed. “I know it's hard for you to trust anyone.” She smiled sadly. “I think I would be exactly the same if I'd been in your position, but I am the person Persephone and the other deities chose to be in charge of this, so I hope that, in time, you'll come to agree with them.”
“I don't know you.”
“I was sent to the training temple before my third birthday because I was born on the day of Persephone and Mother was terrified that someone might harm me due to that. In our village there is a priest of Poseidon who is one of the leaders of the Uisdro supremacist movement and he thinks that anyone born on the day of any other deity that Poseidon is born evil. From then on I was raised by priestesses and everyone believed that I was destined to be a priestess of Persephone.” Aisling shrugged. “A few of the girls I shared my life were also born on days and they were also sent to the temple early. They're people I trust, so they're also going to be helping. Everyone else was at the training temple because it was what their family did. I'm sure it was the same for you.”
“I only went to the training temple because Father was the High Priest of Herne, and my grandfather was too. There were those who wanted to be trained but couldn't go because the priesthood wasn't in their blood.” Trey shook his head. “Most of the boys I was trainined with never connected with a deity and I feel sure that some of those who never made it to the training temple became priests or priestesses, because it's not about blood.”
Aisling nodded. “I am what I am, and I am grateful that I was given a chance to be a part of what's to come because I know I would hate to be watching the world change around me. Being the High Priestess of Persephone automatically puts me in danger, but I know that there are other people who are in more danger than me, like you if your father ever finds out what you've been doing.”
“Father and I believe two opposite things. He thinks that mixing blood with the other races will stop us from being true Dormas, which I think probably happened a very long time ago, and his belief will eventually lead to the end of the Dorma race.”
“Trey...” Aisling looked at him, tilting her head to one side. “What is happening to the Dormas? I've heard rumours but not many people have any real information.”
“Watch during your first week here. There will be Dorma women arriving from all over the country because they can't have children. Some can't carry to term, others find that they give birth to live children and others never get pregnant. Most will pray to Herne, and ask me to bless them because I am the High Priest of Herne, but that won't help them.”
“What do you think the problem is?”
Trey shrugged. “Dorma pure blood marriages are the problem.” He bit his lip. “Whenever I find a Dorma woman married to a Dorma man, especially if I know that their family tree is also Dorma as far back as I can go, I know that it's going to be hard for them to have a child. Then there are those who have other bloods in their heritage, but don't know about it, and often they have healthy children who go on to live long lives like their parents.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It's possible I'm wrong and something else is causing this, but I don't think I am and it terrifies me because I know Father isn't going to back down.”
“When I went home just before I travelled here I found that they're having the same problems, although it's not as bad as the Dorma.” Aisling sighed. “There are a growing group of people, including the priest I told you about, who think that the Uisdro need to become pure again. A lot of the people I grew up with aren't pure Uisdro, because we've always had a close relationship with the Tein-Igni, and it's beginning to get to the point where they're scared that something might happen to them.”
Trey nodded. “The Dorma once had a close relationship with the Uisdro too, and I think that might have caused some problems in the past.”
“I hate not knowing our history.” She looked out at the sky. “Right now I need to go, because I'm meant to arrive at the Residence soon, but we need to talk some more. The first chance I get I'm going to visit North Square and when I have we need to start getting people moving.”
“Are you sure that's a good idea?”
Aisling looked at him and he could see the worry in her eyes. “I'm not sure about anything.”
Trey smiled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “We can only do our best, Aisling, and I think that if we're going to get everyone safe then we need to make the first move.” He squeezed her shoulder the same way she'd squeezed his. “If we wait then things are going to be much more difficult.”
“I'll see you later.”
© K A Jones 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
This entry was originally posted at http://kajones-writing.dreamwidth.org/39339.html. It currently has
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