The Thieves of Otar

Gylden House

The Queen's face cleared of that misty look and her eyes fell. "I suppose that is the great mystery of all this, isn't it?" She tried for a smile but it was short lived. "Well, I guess there's no better way to start than at the beginning."

Zia wanted to ask, "The beginning of what?" but she had a feeling she would find out shortly.

"What do you know of the royal family, Zia?" the Queen asked.

Odd question, Zia thought. But she answered, "I know that they're all descended from the first King of Otar, King Dirk."

The Queen nodded thoughtfully. "That's mostly true. And what do you know of the legend of the Golden-Eyed One?"

"Not much," Zia said honestly. "I only learned of the myth on my journey through the Westfell Pass."

"This does not surprise me. Like all legends, the details are often forgotten or changed according to the pleasure of the storytellers over the course of time. But please, little though it may be, tell me all you know of the tale."

Thinking this was a very odd conversation, Zia said, "I know that the Golden-Eyed One was allegedly a gift from the Silver Dragon to the people of ancient Otar to use as a way to call on him should the kingdom ever face war again."

Fraya nodded thoughtfully. "That's mostly true. Though the Golden-Eyed One was said to have other powers than just calling on the Peace Maker."

"I'm sorry, My Lady," Zia interrupted, getting frustrated with all the mystery, "but does this have a point?"

"Everything has a point, my dear," she said. "Even perfectly round circles are made up of thousands of tiny little points. But, of course, you want answers, not my odd sayings." She gave Zia a small smile. "Back on track, then. Tell me, Zia, do you know what happened to the Golden-Eyed One?"

Zia tried to shrug, but it was hard to do while lying down. "Not really. If I had to guess I'd say she grew up, got married, had a child, and that child carried on the gift that she had."

"That's also true," said the Queen. "But I bet you did not know that King Dirk made her a noblewoman."

Zia shook her head. She remembered what Elaina had told her when she had told Zia that legend of the Golden-Eyed One: My ancestors were determined to steal the child and convince her to call upon the Silver Dragon to give them the victory in a new war. However, Dirk the Delusional got wind of their plans, and sent the baby to live with a poor farmer and his wife. Hard as the early Skilaens searched, they did not find the child. At least, that's what legend says. My father says it would be just like an Otarian to fake something like that. Now that Zia knew who Elaina's father was, she could clearly picture him saying something like that. Zia almost wished Daxtor were here to hear what the Queen was saying. Daxtor had made it clear he thought all Otarians were simple-minded and stupid. How Zia wished she could see the look of rage on his face when he found out that the first Otarian King had not, in fact, hidden the Golden-Eyed One, but had made her nobility!

"Skilaens have done a better job of keeping the story of our kingdom's formation alive through the ages than we Otarians have," the Lady Fray said sadly. "They were furious that the wars that had plagued our land at the time were brought to a sudden halt, and they passed the story on to their children and their children's children and so on, fueling them with an ever-growing hatred toward us. However, one of the few things that they've lost from the story as well is that the original Golden-Eyed One was made nobility.  And, as you said, my dear, she grew up to have a family, and the gift that she had was carried throughout the generations.

"For years the family of the Golden-Eyed One, or the Gylden House, was revered and respected. But soon the tale of the family's origin faded into legend, and the people of Otar began to think nothing of their heritage. But heritage is a great part of us, Zia," the Queen told her sincerely. "It's where we came from, and, sooner than we might think, what we become to future generations."