Prologue - The Legend (part 1)

Here's the first half of the Prologue to "Earth's Eye." Sorry it's a little long, but it sets up the whole story. Enjoy.

The fame of the Theudal Mountains has whispered its way into every corner of Amira. Every child, no matter how young or how poor, has heard the legends that originated there. Perhaps the fact that the Theudal Mountains are on the fringes of the war-torn country of Amira helped to foster the legends. Or perhaps the ancient lore is simply a creation of fancy. Whatever the case, the stories about the Mountains are single to the region. Some of the tales often told around the fire in a local bard's shanty are only believed in the zeal of youth, spurned by the majority of adults. Others are long-held beliefs of every Amirian, passed from generation to generation by venerable storytellers in every hall and hovel across the country. Many legends immortalize great warriors and heroes of ages gone by. More often than not, these are stories of brave men fighting dragons, famed captains who helped fend off invaders endeavoring to harass a crippled country grappling with anarchy, or unflagging explorers who traveled to the haunted mountain passes to face the Demon Lord himself.

Of all the legends of the north - the legends that are most fantastic - one legend refuses to be dispelled. Children of all ages sit at the feet of the traveling bard to listen closely to every tale he tells, a diligent audience to the accounts of their forefathers, each dawdling the whole of the day to hear one legend in particular, one story which leaves them all captivated - the Legend of the Treasured Star. Sometimes the tale is told as an exhortation against greed, sometimes as a lament for days gone by. Some claim the legend to be no more than an obstinate creation of fantasy, dreamed up long ago and passed on as mere amusement. But whenever the legend is told, a hush falls over the restless audience members, every countenance lights with excitement, and even the most ostensibly critical townsfolk, who chastise the children for such negligence as putting off chores to listen what they deem an old man's worthless drivel, creep in among the falling shadows in the doorway of the old fabler's humble home to hear the legend told anew.

Only then - when the sun has set and the moon is just beginning to rise above the mountain peaks, when the creatures of the night abandon their hidden alcoves and the smoke from the dying fire drifts upward towards the stars - only then does the old storyteller sit back in his chair, his eyes closed in remembrance. A smile spreads slowly across his weathered face, adding to the wrinkles etched around his ancient eyes. Memories of times long since past fill his thoughts, and the interlude from the recounting of lore stretches on forever in the minds of his captivated audience. The fire, only embers now, casts eerie shadows, deepening the lines on the old man's face. The humble tenement of the storyteller is filled to capacity, with children and parents alike listening in awe to the tales of the north. They know the Legend of the Star is not far off, and anticipation thrills through the thick, smoky air. The creaking of the floorboards and the low hissing of the embers are the only sounds in the room. The excitement is almost tangible.

The old storyteller seems lost in his reminiscence. Without opening his eyes, the old man quietly begins the legend.

“Long ago, before the mighty Narthazell forest was a single sapling, Amira was ruled by one man. Galdred was a mighty man, a kind king who loved his people and served them well. In return, the people loved and served him willingly. The people were free; no unjust taxes or corrupt magistrates oppressed the citizens. There were no wars waged or revolutions suppressed. Galdred’s reign was a time of continual peace throughout Amira.

“Galdred had in his charge many wise diviners and astrologers who told him of what was to come. Their advice never failed him, and he trusted in their word absolutely. These astrologers came before him one day, appearing quite troubled.

“‘My lord,’ the first astrologer said sadly. ‘There is trouble in the heavens. The stars and planets are not following their prescribed courses across the sky. We fear these changes carry a warning.’

“The second astrologer continued, ‘You see, my liege, often when there is a change in the heavens, there is a great change in the land as well. We fear the celestial alterations we have witnessed foretell a terrible war, sire.’

“Galdred was worried. His astrologers had never been wrong in times past, nor had they ever foreseen an event so catastrophic. Galdred asked, ‘What shall be given as a sign? There is always a sign, is there not?’

“The astrologers hesitated, exchanging troubled glances. Though neither wanted to admit the answer to the king’s query, Galdred’s kind words prompted them on. ‘We do not know what the sign shall be, Majesty. The heavens will not reveal this to us. We surmise that there shall be a strange event in the land, something that will be whispered throughout all Amira. This shall be the sign, we believe, but we do not know what it is, exactly, nor when it shall come.’

“Galdred was outraged. The once-benevolent king gnashed his teeth as he swore by heaven and earth to learn the secrets of the universe that the astrologers’ inferior divination could not teach him. In his delirious fury he could not see the futility of his endeavor. Though he had once been a good and a kind ruler, he believed himself to be superior to those he ruled – superior enough, he believed, to know the intricacies of the cosmos, secrets that no other man knew or possibly could know. Galdred feared that his men knew something of the sign, and that they would not reveal it to him because they wanted to see him dethroned. Paranoia seized him; he suspected betrayal, deceit. His reason, worn thin by fear and mistrust, left him altogether, his benevolence relinquishing its hold on his mind and leaving room for invidious passions which were hitherto unknown to him. He became obsessed with the impending sign and his obsession drove him mad.