A sharp inhale brought Eorla's attention to the young woman. Callie had been reading a book in order to pass the remaining hour until her Welcoming, but she was now sitting straight up, her arms attempting to hug her torso, the book laying forgotten on the floor at her feet.
“What is this?” Callie breathed. Eorla moved to kneel in front of Callie, and placed a hand on her knee.
“Does it hurt?”
“No...it's like there's more...I don't know how to describe it...I feel like something was just added to me.” Callie wrinkled her nose as Eorla beamed at her.
“Yes, it does feel that way. I still remember it like it was yesterday.” Eorla assured her.
“Felt like what was yesterday?” Eorla and Callie looked to the door as Nenna walked in, Edda and Morwyn continuing on past after a quick nod to the occupants of the room. Callie exhaled and gestured to the light cobalt brocade chair next to her.
“Where are they off to?” Callie asked, jerking her head towards the doorway.
“Morwyn has to go to the Portal for the arrival of your Guardian...now, what felt like it was yesterday? And why are you so pale, Callie Erbryn?” Nenna inquired.
“Callie felt the Oath Binding.” Eorla said, a smile on her face. Nenna grinned and gently laid a hand on Callie's shoulder.
“Oath Binding...what is that?” Callie rubbed her temples, trying to adjust to feeling the additional...she couldn't even find a proper word for it.
“The Oath Binding is the moment when the Guardian selected by the Crone agrees to the Assignment and makes the Vow to the Three.” Nenna explained.
“But I thought that the Vow is done during the Welcoming...”
Eorla nodded. “Yes, it is...but it is the Vow made to the Three that creates the Guardian bond.”
“Now I see why I'm not supposed to be alone today. Everything's kept secret until the day of Welcoming, and then whoever is with me would have explained things to me? What would have been the harm in giving me some knowledge about this? I have been nervous about this day since I was old enough to understand what it was!” Callie groaned.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Erbryn Manor, Morwyn stood by the Portal, awaiting the arrival of Callie's Guardian. While he waited, he wondered what this Guardian would be like, where he or she would hail from. Every so often he'd glance at the undulating silver surface of the Portal. When the surface of the Portal became clear, he jumped up from the stone chair he'd been sitting on. He could see into the great Hall of Knowledge, in the Realm of the Three. The image began to warp and stretch as the Portal became brighter, until Morwyn closed his eyes. When he heard and felt a resounding snap, he opened his eyes and froze.
“What in the Three is this?” He whispered hoarsely, locking his knees to keep them from buckling. Visibly shaken, he addressed the Guardian.
“Welcome, Guardian...” he hesitated, hoping that the figure before him was simply a lookalike, or of the same race...but he knew in his heart what name would greet his ears. The man in front of him crossed his arms over his chest.
“Arndyr. You must be Elder Adept Morwyn.” Morwyn nodded silently and took a moment to compose himself. He glanced over to where Edda stood, failing to hide her shock. She met his gaze, a flicker of worry crossing her face.
“Ah...yes, Guardian Arndyr.” Morwyn said weakly. “Please, follow me. The Welcoming is set to begin soon.”
Nenna wrapped a long silver ribbon around the top of Callie's braid, knotting it at the back and then deftly crisscrossing the ribbon as she wound it around the thick midnight hair. When she reached the end of the braid, she took a short, slender stick of ivory that was rounded off at one end and had an eye similar to that of a needle at the other end. She threaded the excess length of ribbon through the eye and expertly drew it up through the core of the braid, effectively hiding the extra ribbon.
“Are you ready, Calais Erbryn?” Nenna said softly, with a hint of teasing in her voice. Callie stood and looked at herself in the mirror. Her simple cream-colored dress was embroidered with elegant, yet simple vines along the hem of the floor-length skirt portion. The soft fabric was gathered over her left shoulder, where a silver clasp in the shape of the crescent moon rested.
“I don't know. Yes...but no.” Callie whispered. Nenna smiled.
“Don't worry about your hesitancy, sister, I too felt the same way.” Callie relaxed at her friend's reassurance.
“Thank you, Nenna...and thank you, Eorla, for being with me today.” Callie looked to both women gratefully.
“I guess it's time...” Nenna said. Callie gulped.
Morwyn led Arndyr out of the courtyard, through the archways that led straight out into the lands surrounding Erbryn Manor. In the center of a meadow stood a simple, circular building with what looked to be an incomplete dome as a roof. It was larger around than the walls of the structure, and supporting the overhang around the circumference of the building were smoothly polished marble columns, with green vines twisting around them. Moss hung from the edges of the overhang, and meadowblooms grew along the foundations of the building.
“This is the Temple of the Three,” Morwyn explained to Arndyr. The Guardian nodded, no flicker of recognition or acknowledgment crossing his features. Morwyn cast a frustrated glance to Edda, who frowned and shrugged.
“Calais will be here shortly, so we had better get you inside and under the Threshold, Guardian.” Morwyn said weakly.
“Look at him, Mother! Every Guardian is at least halfway curious about the Temple, and this one can't even be bothered to observe his surroundings! How is he supposed to guard Calais if he isn't even aware of what is going on?” The Maiden shrieked. The Mother sighed.
“I know, Young One. But our Wise Mother has Her Wisdom, and I am sure She would not place Calais in such danger.”
“Indeed I would not.” The Crone sniffed indignantly as she nearly floated into the room, coming to a stop at the font. “Arndyr is one of the best of the best. You think he does not see...he sees more than any. He will know of any threats to Calais, and he will stop them before they become more than a whisper.”
“Pity any man who tries to court her, then...if Elder Adept parents and the status of being assigned a Guardian doesn't scare them off, that dour-faced Guardian will!” The Mother said with a laugh. The Maiden stilled, remembering back to an earlier conversation.
“But that's what You want, isn't it, Old Mother? That is why I am not allowed to seek out her soul's Companion. Why You have chosen it already for her. You have plotted him for her, for some reason, haven't You? I hope You realize what You have done. You have doomed Calais' to never reach full Understanding. She will reach her end having known Life, Death, Birth, Joy, and Sorrow...but she will never know completion, because that...that...thing...will never be able to show her.” She said venomously. The Mother turned to the Crone.
“Wise One, is this true? You know his soul was bound for his crimes in the Disputes...” she breathed, aghast.
“Disputes? Call them what they were, Learned Sister...they were the bloodbaths.” The Maiden sniffed.
“Do not question me on this. Arndyr...because that IS his name...has taken his punishment with grace and knowledge that he brought it down on himself. He knows he is to serve for eternity, and he knows that he is bound to do what he is commanded to do: Protect Calais Erbryn at all costs.” The Crone said imperiously.
“But You have failed in even that, for You did not make him swear to sacrifice his life to protect hers if necessary! Might I remind You that he slaughtered his last charge as she slept in her bed!” The Maiden snapped. The Crone glared at her.
“And might I remind YOU that she had committed an Unforgivable, and Arndyr was acting on MY command! As for Calais, as I have already made clear, there was no need. His life is already hers and cannot be overridden by even a command from Us.” She shot back triumphantly. “Now if You two young doubters will excuse me, I need to watch over the Faefolk at the borders of Nerem. They need to make it to Erbryn Manor safely, but not too soon. There is a Welcoming that is about to commence.”
Indeed, Arndyr did notice everything. He'd already mentally mapped out the Temple, decided where any threats could hide, and as people filed in and took their seats, he scanned their faces, analyzing the features of a few who seemed a little less than friendly. No one could see his face under the hood he wore, but his new charge would change that at the end of the Welcoming. He watched as The Circle filed in last, a figure wearing a forest green hooded cloak that hid their face. That must be Calais Erbryn, he thought to himself. No emotion flickered within him, the Three had seen to that. He felt no trepidation as he had during the first Welcoming ceremony...there was nothing there this time. Morwyn led the cloaked figure to stand in front of Arndyr. He towered over her by nearly a foot, and could only see the top of her hood as she kept her head tilted down.
“Brother and Sister Adepts, tonight, we welcome a new member into our fold. Calais Erbryn, Daughter of Elder Adept Bran and Elder Adept Avryn.” Morwyn had invoked the Ceremonial Voice, and it echoed off the walls of the Sacred Chamber. Arndyr watched the Young One shivered slightly at the timbre of the Ceremonial Voice, though it did not have the same affect on him, as tonight was not the first time he'd heard it.
“Calais Erbryn, please approach and stand here, in front of the Guardian the Crone has Assigned to you.” Morwyn said, though not unkindly. Calais took a step forward, then paused. Her lips moved silently, a prayer to the Three. Arndyr could almost hear her voice, though only echoed through the beginning of the Guardian Bond. Oh Maiden, Mother, and Crone, please give me courage. I am so afraid...What he was not expecting was the response that resonated through the thread of the Bond. Darling child, fear not. I have Assigned the very best to serve as your Guardian, and he will not let you come to any harm. Now hurry up, we haven't much time before...
Before what? Arndyr wondered, but his attention was soon brought back to the Elder Adept and Young One standing with next to him.
“Calais Erbryn, you have finished one stage of your Journey and have moved on to the next. You are no longer a Young One, and now are one of us, a fully grown Adept. You have been assigned a Guardian by the Crone herself, in acknowledgment of your future role within the Circle. Do you accept that one day, when either of your parents reach their appointed Ending, that you will take the vacant spot in the Circle that they leave behind them?” Morwyn asked. Calais gulped, and nodded, before her voice rang out resolutely.
“I, Calais Erbryn, do vow that I accept my future role in the Circle, and accept the Guardian that the Crone herself has assigned to protect me.”
“Do you understand the duties you have to your Guardian as their Assigned, and swear to abide by them?” Morwyn asked. Arndyr raised a brow.
“I, Calais Erbryn, solemnly swear to treat my Guardian as I would any other of the creations of the Three. I swear that I will confide any concerns about my safety to my Guardian, so that the concern may be assessed, and any threat can be dealt with by them.” Calais vowed, her voice becoming stronger as she gained confidence in herself. Good, youngling. Arndyr thought. A weak charge would have made his task much harder.
“Guardian Arndyr,” Morwyn began, pausing for a moment at the sudden gasp that sounded. Arndyr turned his gaze to his charge. Calais stood still, not having moved. Did she know the reason for the reaction to the name? If she did, she certainly showed no sign of it. Morwyn pressed on.
“Guardian Arndyr, you have been commanded to safeguard our newest member, Calais Erbryn, as she sets out on the next part of her Journey. One day, she will join us in the Circle, and beyond that, one day, you will guide her home to the Realm of the Three. Do you understand the duties you have to your Assigned as her Guardian, and swear to abide by them?”
“I, Arndyr Norlaeyn, solemnly swear to protect Calais Erbryn's life as it is more precious than any others. I will listen to any concerns she brings to me, and investigate any hint of threat or danger, and eliminate it. I will follow her wherever she may travel, no matter how far, and will protect her anywhere, from anything or anyone.” Arndyr's eyes never left the top of Callie's hood as his stoic voice recited the words of the Vow. She could feel them, nearly burning a hole through her fabric. She was confused though, why everyone seemed so shocked to hear his name.
“Guardian Arndyr, please remove Calais' hood, and commit her face to memory, that she is the only one whose safety you are concerned with from here on until her appointed End.” Calais trembled as her hood was pushed back, and she blinked, adjusting her eyesight. She looked up, but could see nothing from her Guardian's hood, other than the glow of two silver eyes. Wait just a second...she thought, but could think no further as the very last part of the Welcoming was upon her.
“Calais Erbryn, remove the hood of Guardian Arndyr, that you may remember his face. There may come a time when he will be the face of your only ally, though may the Three grant that may never occur.”
Arndyr stood unmoving as Calais pushed back his hood. He watched as she froze in shock, heard her sharp intake of breath. The others gathered had already known what he was, his name was one they knew well. The only Guardian who had ever turned on his Assigned and killed her. Calais, however, did not know the story. It was before her time, and no one ever saw the need to tell her. Even Nenna looked slightly confused until the hood fell back.
Calais dropped her eyes to the black boots in front of her, traveled up the thick suede pants to the tunic gathered by a leather belt from which would normally hang the throwing blades worn by her Guardian's people. She gulped as she took in his face. Stern, almost haughty, aquiline features. Long blonde hair so light it was nearly white, skin the color of the bottoms of stormclouds...somewhere between light and dark gray...the glowing silver eyes, the tips of pointed ears slightly peeking out from between the strands. Callie was seeing something she had only read about. Why in the Realms had the Crone assigned one of his kind to her? What hardships did She see in store for Callie's journey?
“By the Three...what danger am I to be in? You...you're a Dark Fae.” And with that, a plethora of unfortunate things happened at once.