Dream

[averygoodun42]

Long, long ago, we had a queen of very long standing. She ruled for many, many years. No one understood how she could live so long, but they did not dare question it aloud for fear that she would hear them. But, though the people were silent, they were not approving. They grew restless that someone so unnatural was ruling them, for in our land, there was no god, only the queen.

Then, before your great-grandmother's memory, the queen vanished. The land was left to rule itself, and, over time, the memory of the queen became nothing but a story to scare little children with. All of her ceremonies and rituals, festivals and holidays were lost to time, except, of course, for the Lare Lent, though that is nothing to what we celebrate now.

Stories tell us that the Lare Lent used to be a sacred time the queen used to confirm her rebirth and rule. She was the only one who wore the ropes of hair, and held the Staff of Light. No men or commoners were allowed within the sacred cave, only the queen's most trusted priestesses. I have no doubt that if the queen were to see the governor perform the rituals as he did today, she would be greatly appalled.

The stories don't tell us much, for the fears surrounding the queen's unnatural powers were still very great for a very long time. All we know is distorted by that fear, so the times were told to be darker than they undoubtedly were. But be wary, my daughter, of stories which tell us there was no corruption or darkness under her rule. Do not sentimentalize that which you do not know, for the fear surrounding the queen was surely not born of superstition alone.

***

Amy remembered her mother's long ago warnings as she watched the new governor raise the Staff of Light within the dark cave. She shivered. The ritual felt different this time, though she wasn't sure why. All the participants were wearing their robes of orange and gold, they were all wearing their hair in ropes, mimicking the governor's big, blond wig. Everyone was watching the governor as he made his way down the uneven steps to the sunken altar, and everyone bowed their heads as he knelt in front of the Great Chair and said his prayer.

But something was different this time. Perhaps the words of the prayer had been altered, or perhaps the intent behind the prayers was more potent, for when the prayer was finished, and people looked upon the governor once more, he was not alone on the altar, but was kneeling before an unknown woman.

She looked around the room in a bemused way, though seemingly catching everyone's eye before smiling down at the governor. Amy fled even before the others started screaming; she fled at that smile. The queen was back, and she knew the queen could not be happy to see her ritual so perverted.

***

No one talked of the queen's return, no one dared. But everyone knew that life would be different now. Some thought it would be for the better, and although Amy hoped they were right, she knew better. She fled the land in hope of escaping the queen's wrath for having witnessed her rebirth. She fled for fear of what the new reign would entail. She fled because she feared the woman who could come back to life and manipulate the life around her. She was terrified when news spread that the queen had a daughter, though the baby had been a cat the day before.

So she ran. She hoped to find someone with a story of how the queen fell the first time round. She hoped to find someone who did not believe in awe and magic. She hoped to find respite.

Comments

[septentrion1970.livejournal.com]

Was that a dream you had? It's certainly powerful and would make the premises for an interesting story.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was last night's dream (though edited to make it a bit more coherent). It does have promise as a story, but my writing muse has deserted me, so I doubt it's a story that will ever get told.