The Capricious Fates and the Ancient Child

Rowen looked at the Chief confused. He shook himself and said, “What do you mean Chief? We have our own mission now.”

The Chief opened his mouth but before he could speak a very young sounding voice interjected from the shadows to Rowen’s left, “He means that you have been chosen by the Guardians to lead us to safety. Your presence here only serves to confound the fates.”

Out of the shadows stepped what looked like a ten-year-old little girl. She was adorned with many talismans; animal skin robes and she wore a head dress with antlers sticking out of it. She had a crooked walking stick with other talismans hanging from it at various points.

She walked over to Rowen and the Chief and sat down next to the Chief facing Rowen. Her steps had a weightiness to them that seemed more than what her accoutrements were responsible for.

As she walked, the hall became quiet. It looked like everyone had a deep reverence of being in the presence of this child. Child? Her eyes had a look of age to them that decried her apparent physical youth.

The Chief bowed his head to her as she sat down and said, “Lord Rowen, I present to you our tribal elder. The Rias.”

Rowen was thinking, “How can this child be the tribal elder?”

He turned his head towards Xyarra to get a read from her and was surprised to see her bowing her head to Rias.

He turned back and bowed his head, “Pardon me, Miss Rias. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t know your protocol.”

She smiled and said, “That’s quite alright. I believe that I can look at you as an equal, so I take no offence.”

There was a gasp from the rest of the Greentree Elves at her proclaiming Rowen as her equal.

She went on, “By the way, Rias is my title not my name. I was born over eleven thousand years ago by the name of Shuree.”

“Eleven thousand? That means that you’re from before the Sundering?”

“This is true. I had witnessed the Sundering and all that happened after that. But even before the Sundering I was aged, trapped in this child’s body. For some reason, the Fates lost track of me I guess, and my aging stopped.”

“The Fates? You mean Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos?”

“Yes, they have been called that. They have other names as well but those will suffice for now.”

Rowen said to himself, “The Guardians didn’t mention them.”

“And why would they mention their competition?” Shuree said with a smile, “There was a time, before the Sundering, when the Guardians and the Fates worked together. All to promote Free Will as dictated by the Creator. All the Fates were responsible for was the beginning and the end. But they began to see that their jobs were made harder because of Free Will. So, the Fates began to meddle in the lives of sentient beings. Taking control of more than just the beginnings and ends. This was to introduce order in the world.”

“Was that what led to the Sundering?”

“That was one of the things. One of many contributing factors anyway. If you must know, the Tower of Babel was the defining incident that led to the Sundering. However, Nimrod was a worshiper of the Fates and he was led to challenge free will by producing a tower that would allow him to touch God, the Creator and supplant him. Thus, that would allow Nimrod to interject the Fates roadmap for a future world.”

Rowen was hit by the gravity of what this girl…Girl? What this woman was saying. He also was hit by the fact that this was what awaited him as he was slated to live until the end of this world’s time.

He had to ask, “So, as Rias, do you see the future?”

She looked up towards the ceiling as if she were thinking about how to answer and she said, “No, but I have seen enough of the past that I can make reasonable guesses as to what the future holds. What I do know about you is that, because of you being made immortal, you are completely out of the control of the Fates.”

The discussion went on throughout the night. The Rias explained many things to Rowen. One of which was that she also shared his gift of clairvoyance. She could see what was happening in the world at present. This helped her make certain predictions.

It was her that told the Chief to send his daughter out with the scouts and it was her that proclaimed Rowen’s marriage to Eliarra.

At the end of the discussion she said, “So, Lord Rowen, High Lord Magedi of the House of Dawn, Grand Knight of the Order of the Blue Rose and the new Chieftain of the Grental Tribe. What are your plans for our future?”

Rowen leaned back and thought.

He then said, “Very well, you are to come with us to the Kingdom of Tier. I take you formally under my protection and will see to your future as best I can.”

Shuree smiled and bowed her head and said, “And we, the Tribe of Grental do swear our fealty to you as our liege lord.”

A cheer came up from the majority of the tribe. But Rowen couldn’t help but notice that some faces here and there that didn’t look thrilled.

He leaned closer to the Rias and asked, “I’m sensing that not all are thrilled about my proclamation, can you explain why?”

She looked around then said, “There are those among us who were victims of Human transgressions. They have lost loved ones to either hunters or slavers.”

Rowen nodded and said, “That I can understand. So, that means that I have to show them that I’m not the kind of human that they are used to.”

“Right. I know that hate is a hard field to row. And I don’t envy your path. But I will help you as much as I can. That is as long as it still keeps me out of the sight of the Fates that is.”

Rowen nodded and said, “I’ll do my best to keep you safe as well.”

An entire longhouse was set aside for Rowen and his ladies. It must have been after midnight when they were conducted to their quarters by Shuree and the Chief, whose name was Hann.

Also conducting them were four, very well-built men, unusually large muscled for elves, that seemed to be bodyguards to the Rias. But they also carried several talismans around their bodies and staves.

Rowen guessed that these talismans were meant to shield Shuree from detection by the Fates.

At the door, Rowen said to both, Shuree and the Chief, “Tomorrow, around midmorning I want to meet with you and the rest of the tribe’s elders and senior warriors to determine a plan of march. About how long you think it’ll take the Woague to find another place to cross the gap?”

The Chief said, “The nearest crossing is Ballar’s Falls. In order for them to cross and get back here it should take about one and a half to two weeks to do so.

Rowen looked to be calculating in his head then he said, “More than a week and a half then. Do they have to come here, or do you think that there’s another way that they can go?”

Shuree said, “No, they are coming here. They are planning on collecting as many slaves as possible. Now that they know that there’s a tribe of Greentree elves available, they will come as fast as they can for them.”

“You have to show me how to use the clairvoyance thingy.”
“I would love to.” She said enthusiastically with a bright smile.

While Rowen was talking with the Rias and the Chief the rest of the ladies went over to the sleeping area.

The sleeping area was a communal area of mats and furs surrounding a brazier filled with hot coals. The area looked like it could comfortably sleep twenty to thirty people.

Xyarra made her way close to the brazier and staked out a spot for herself while Kit and Dana were looking around and planning how to lay things out.

Eliarra cleared her throat and said, “Ladies, my sister wives to Rowen. I know that you were not given a chance to have a say about me joining your… our family. For this I am truly sorry.” And she fell to her knees and bowed deeply to the other women. “Please give me a chance to prove my worth to Rowen and you my sister wives.”

Both Dana and Xyarra looked on the prostrated woman with a look of annoyance on their faces, whereas Kit smiled and reached over to touch Eliarra’s shoulder, “We’ll make a place for you dear. It seems that our Rowen is destined for great things. So, as long as you make him your priority, I think that we’ll get along.”

Dana and Xyarra looked at each other and mumble their assent. All though they still didn’t appear to be at all happy about the new addition to their ranks.

Xyarra then said, “Very well Eliarra but remember, I’m the First Wife, so do as I say.”

Dana said, “The hell you are the first wife. I seem to remember that you’re the last one that Rowen met in person and took unto himself!”

“Ah yes. You hold onto the notion that our bonding is subsequent to physical presence when you know that Row and I have been bonding since his awakening here on Twalling Cade.”

“Just because you were in touch with him via mind bridge doesn’t mean that you were bonded with him. Remember, up until yesterday, Row thought of you only as a teacher…”

Kit let out a growl and then asked in her low, no nonsense voice, “Have either of you lay with him yet?”

Both Dana and Xyarra looked back at her with their mouths hanging open.

Xyarra smiled a predatory smile and said, “You’re right dear, there’s something that needs to be remedied. Since this IS a wedding night then now is the best time to fix that little oversight.”

Rowen had picked that moment to walk into the room, only to be greeted by four sets of predatory eyes.

Instinct, “I think we’re in trouble.”

Libido, “Speak for yourself, tee he. “