- Second Evening -
“That was a great rabbit roast!” Dorin puts his dish down and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “I can’t eat another bite...” he lays down on the fur covered floor, arms out.
A slight smile played on Damien Wolfsbane’s lips. “Are you still up for the rest of the story?”
“Of course!” Dorin abruptly sits up. “You were supposed to tell me about the Black revolt today!”
“Then sit closer to the fire, so I can start.”
The children of Al Khami had children of their own, and had to find their own land to raise even more children. They kept to the treaty and took care of the land, thus the land took care of them as well. Soon they built kingdoms as part of the forest, but even though the 3 families were far from each other, they still held a tight bond, and thus equilibrium reigned between fire, wind, and water.
As they grew bigger, news of their existence reached the land of the black sands. People started to fear for war, but far from all expectations, the black sands sent envoys to ask for assistance.
It seems the land of the black sands have depleted all their resources. By polluting the land, the magic vanished, with no magic, the only source they had was from their people, and even that was running out fast. Hardly any children were being born with mana in their veins.
They crossed the mountain ranges and found that beyond was a land of abundance, overflowing with magic, and in it lived the mages whom they had once persecuted. It was then that they finally embraced the teachings that they so desperately tried to destroy. They made new treaties, started trading routes, and the Kingdom of the Forest welcomed the children of the Black Sands, teaching them about their way of life.
Both kingdoms benefited from the partnership. Soon the Kingdom of the Forest got richer through commerce, and as humans were born of greed, they started to crave for more. No worries, though, they still honoured the old treaties with the children of the elements.
Until the mad king started to reign.
“The Mad king Regus Augustine Cynric Alcione, I read of him from the history books,” Dorin interrupted. “He wanted the power of the Ravante’s for himself, so he took their heirs hostage and almost wiped the whole family out.”
“What else did the history books say?” Damien asked him.
“That the people revolted against him led by his younger brother, and that it was that same brother who killed him. Then, after his brother took the throne, the people decided that they could not have a king who has killed his own brother, so they crowned the youngest prince instead.”
“Hmm...” Damien sighed and looked at Dorin sadly. “Written history always sound prettier than the truth,” said he. “Tell me, what would you rather hear?”
“The truth, please,” replied Dorin without hesitation.
The Black King Regus came to the throne by poisoning his orphaned nephew. As soon as he got the crown of the house of Alcione, he expanded their territory further west to the salt seas and sent expeditions to trade with other foreign countries.
As for the 2 other houses, the Revantes prefered to stay in their university to study, while the carefree Heiligs kept to the East, exploring the vast forests and islands that lie in their chosen part of the kingdom. Still, the 3 houses were close, and the heads of family held the others with high regard.
One day, the black king sent an invitation to the Ravante Queen, asking them to visit the newly developed Alcione kingdom. The Ravante queen saw no reason to decline. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the events that gave King Regus his famous name.
He ordered the kitchen to place a very potent sleeping potion in the food served to the Ravantes, and as soon as they fell on their plates, fast asleep, he ordered the Ravante men to be slaughtered, while the Ravante women who were known in the whole world for their exceptional beauty, were gagged and sent to his bed chambers. You see, he wanted the Ravantes’ power to himself. He wanted the strongest mental magic in the kingdom as his own.
But first, there is something you need to know about a Ravante.
As I have mentioned, the Revantes or Silver Mages, are of the purest of bloods. They are descended from the elves, thus, they can live for centuries. From their lineage come the Silver Tongues who are believed to be the most powerful enchanters in all creation. Now, for a Ravante, there is, and can only be one person, and once a Ravante has chosen a person, all the power they poses will be one.
The Mad king wanted that power, and decided that the only way to obtain it, would be to spawn with the Ravante women.
“That’s unthinkable!” Dorin exclaimed, looking pale “He meant to force himself to all those Ravante women?!”
“That was his plan,” Damien answered patiently. “He thought that at least 1 of his offspring would certainly be born a Silver tongue, but he was wrong. Only 2 pure blooded Ravantes can give birth to a Silver Tongue. So try as he may, he would never have a Silver Tongue as a child.
Because of this act, the Heilig House demanded the mad king to let the Ravante women go. A war was waged between the remaining 2 houses. As weeks passed to months, the Alcione capital went under seige, until king Regus’ younger brother Reginald cut him down.
He had just come back from an expedition, not knowing what his older brother had done. The mad king did not know that his younger brother was in love with one of the silver mages. He was stabbed and beheaded by his own brother as he welcomed their expedition home, but by then, it was already too late.
Of the 7 royal Ravante ladies who were taken, 4 princesses killed themselves rather than be ravished by the mad king. The queen, who was a Silver Tongue, got her tongue cut off and soon died. Her 2 remaining daughters, both pregnant by then, were half mad. One was too young and died at childbirth, the child stillborn. The other, Reginald’s beau, lived for a while, until she killed herself as well. Her child did not have silver hair, nor lilac eyes, but was sent back to the Ravante’s estate to be brought up with the last remaining Silver tongue in all the continent -- Elazar Ravante.
Elazar was left in Beronia because his gift was too strong, that even his parents could hardly contain it. He was only 7 then, but he was wise and he knew what happened to his family. He knew why.
That, perhaps, was the reason why he refused to find a partner, thus the silver mages died off, and Silver Tongues were no longer born in the family.
As for Reginald, he was given the crown.
He was a wise king, a just king, but a king that knew nothing of politics. So his late brother’s advisers decided to get rid of him, saying that a murderer had no right to lead a kingdom. In the end, he only became king for 3 months. He simply disappeared 3 days after his Ravante lady died, and was never seen in Alcione again. The royal advisers placed the youngest brother, Remi on the throne, to serve a a puppet, and the rest, more or less, are written in your history books.
“So, that’s how the Ravante mages were wiped out...” Dorin looked at Seb who still lay unconscious in the furs. “Then how about Seb? Where did he come from?” he asked, “As you have said, Eleazar Ravante never got married.”
“Yes. Because to a Ravante, to marry is to share your life with another. To share another’s life is to live with that person’s life span. It means, to loose your immortality.”
“Then, Seb’s father is...”
“A secret.”
“Eh?”
“Now, it is time for rest.”
“Already?”
“Tomorrow, I shall tell you another story. For now, close your eyes and rest.”