Part 65 (1/2)

For those soldiers who wished to remain enlisted or commissioned within this new army, these men were expected to pray to Lasidious twice Peakly and work hand-in-hand with the white army to maintain peace throughout the Lands of Kerkinn.

Further, Christopher was ordered to gather the darkest magic users, and give them the opportunity to stop their abuse of the arts. Those who refused to accept peace as a new way of life were thrown into the swamp that they had polluted with so many deadly, deformed creatures. Brayson helped Boyafed find a magic that was strong enough to ensure that none of these elves would escape their marshy prison.

Boyafed also decided to change the city of Marcus. As a way of poking fun at his new friend, Lord Dowd, he renamed the city, Froland. Every statue, token, idol and altar that was meant to glorify Hosseff was destroyed. The perpetual clouds hovering over Froland were removed. No longer would the city be shadowed by gloom, unless it was part of a natural weather pattern.

The walls surrounding Froland were no longer considered a barrier to keep the less fortunate out of the city. The people living beyond the walls were promised that the army would recreate their homes to bring them up to the standard of living that was enjoyed inside the city. No longer would there be a separation of cla.s.s. Any elf who wished to earn a living inside the walls-whether they commanded strong magic or not-was welcome to try.

Fellow soul ... the Kingdom of Lavan followed Boyafed's lead and made many changes to their way of life as well. After healing to the point that he could use his arms to move his wheeled chair, Lord Dowd began his work with Gregory to spread the word of Lasidious. Dowd moved to Lavan and took over as the kingdom's new sovereign.

Once Krasous accepted Lasidious as his new lord and swore to put off retirement, the Argont Commander was promoted to a new position as leader of the white army. The men who refused to accept Lasidious' word were removed from their positions within the army and given estates to show the kingdom's appreciation for their service. These men were not punished for their beliefs, but they were retired and allowed to wors.h.i.+p whom they chose. Of the thousands who served in the white army, only 2,793 elves chose retirement. The rest re-enlisted without objection.

The number of those who chose retirement in Boyafed's reformed army was much higher. Eight thousand, seven hundred sixty-four men chose to continue their service to Hosseff. But because of the nature of their beliefs, a secret guard was implemented to ensure there would be no problems.

In total, between the two armies on Luvelles, more than 121,000 began praying to Lasidious twice Peakly. This did not include the members of their families that totaled another 287,472 souls. The rest of Western Luvelles was starting to take note of the changes, and since the Peak of their last survey, the number of souls who wors.h.i.+p Lasidious continued to rise.

There was one other significant change that the armies implemented-a change that Kepler's scheming mind manipulated with Maldwin's help. Kepler convinced Maldwin to implant the desire to glorify him in Boyafed and Lord Dowd's minds. Thanks to Maldwin's specific visions, both men approached their respective councils with the rat in their arms.

By the moment Maldwin was finished, both councils agreed to meet with Kepler. Once they understood the depth of the cat's magic, they agreed that his ability, size, strength, white fur, and red glowing eyes would make the cat the perfect choice for Protector of the Realm. The jaguar became viewed as a unified symbol that both armies adopted, and his likeness was placed on their armor.

A new palace was slated for construction for Kepler. It was to be built at the center of the Battlegrounds of Olis. An enormous statue of the jaguar was to be erected to honor his position. This area of Luvelles would be Kepler's own territory to begin a family. All the jaguar needed was a mate, and thanks to Lasidious, Kepler knew where to find one.

The centaurs on Harvestom spent a considerable amount of their moments with Gregory. They eventually accepted Lasidious' disciple and deemed him to be a great man.

The blackcoats and browncoats agreed to set aside their differences only after George solicited the help of Maldwin to manipulate the minds. The result of his manipulation: the centaur councils began working to form a unified kingdom.

To keep the centaurs from going to the Temple of the G.o.ds on Harvestom and seeing that the statue of Lasidious was not the same being who appeared to Lasolias when Alistar manipulated the browncoated king, Lasidious made Harvestom's main temple invisible to all centaurs. The Mischievous One then created two other temples, placing one in the forest of the browncoats and the other in the territory of the blackcoats. A s.h.i.+mmering image of Alistar-as a centaur-became the centaurs' new idol. Because both kingdoms believed that Alistar's image was Lasidious, more than 581,000 centaurs began uttering Lasidious' name twice Peakly.

Further, to keep the centaurs from realizing Alistar was an imposter by seeing the image on the Mischievous One's new coin, more changes were necessary. While stasis was in effect, Lasidious altered the centaurs' minds. They were made to fear all two-legs or any other being who used coin to purchase goods. The only exception was those who traveled with George. Both the blackcoats and the browncoats became scavengers and hunters of nature. The Collective was given no knowledge of these deceptions.

Now, fellow soul ... all these events brought us to a very special Peak that happened on the Worlds of the Crystal Moon a fair number of seasons ago. That Peak marked an event that many of the beings on Western Luvelles celebrated as a holiday once per season.

The City of Inspiration.

The Peak of Bailem.

Brayson and his bride were standing at the top of the steps that led to the entrance of Gregory's gla.s.s palace. A rainbow of color was cast against the walls of the chancellor's tower as a result of the sun pa.s.sing through the prisms placed throughout the city. Spring had arrived, and it was a wonderful Peak for a union.

Many beings traveled to Inspiration from the lower three worlds in support of the Head Master. The streets throughout the city were filled as far as the eye could see, and in total, more than 2,080,000 beings were waiting for the couple to utter their vows.

George had teleported to Brandor and brought the royal family and the Senate to Luvelles to celebrate the event.

Shalee's fas.h.i.+on expertise has been solicited, and after speaking with Brayson and Mary, the couple decided to go with the queen's recommendations. Shalee used her magic to create dresses, tuxedos, and floral arrangements for more than 5,000 souls.

Sam and Shalee took their positions as honored guests while Sam Junior was sleeping in his mother's arms.

Gregory a.s.sumed his position as Brayson's Ho Meellon (Best Man) while Susanne was standing beside Mary as her He Meellon (Maid of Honor).

George and Athena were standing beside Sam and Shalee, with the rest of the family behind them. Joshua was also asleep in his mother's arms while Payne was holding George's hand, fidgeting something fierce while he wore his first tuxedo that had been tailored to accommodate his wings.

Approaching his first season, Garrin was sitting on George's other arm. The child's eyes were wide as he looked down the steps of the palace at the movement of the crowd.

Lord Dowd had been provided a platform for his wheeled chair next to Boyafed, and behind them, the officers of both the dark and white armies were in formation. The councils of Luvelles were next, followed by their families. The senators of Brandor were at the rear with the rest of the city behind them, filling the streets.

The one sight that no one expected, and perhaps the most memorable, was the position Kepler had been given. The jaguar had worked with the scholars of Luvelles for more than 30 Peaks. The demon had been designated to marry the couple, providing he spoke in the language of the elves.

Standing at the top of the long flight of stairs, the jaguar lifted his head toward the sky. The Protector of the Realm let out a mighty roar to command everyone's attention.

Knowing this was going to happen, George used his power to ensure that every child present would not hear the fearsome sound in order to keep them from crying.

Kepler addressed the crowd and welcomed them all before he turned his attention to Brayson and Mary.

”Brayson ... Lle nau belegahtar, Cormelle nau taunya tel'ray.”

”Mary ... Vonimle sula teeri, Lle nau vaunima, Oiy nau ellealla alla.s.se.”

Mary motioned for Kepler to pause so Brayson could tell her what the jaguar had said.

Brayson smiled. ”The cat said I'm a mighty warrior, and I have the heart of a lion. He also said your beauty s.h.i.+nes bright, and to see you gives him great joy.”

Mary winked at Kepler. ”Keep up the good work.”

Kepler returned the wink and then continued to speak in the elven language. (Fellow soul ... I shall translate to make it simple.) ”Today is a Peak to celebrate. Peace has come to Luvelles, and your Head Master has chosen a mate. This union will break the boundaries of race. It will show the beings of this world and others that we are all created equal. This couple sets the standard for others to emulate. If there is anyone here who knows of a reason why this couple should not be joined ... speak now.”

”DOOMED! This union is doomed!” The woman commanding the voice emerged from the crowd and began to float up the stairs as she continued to shout, ”Doomed! Doomed! This union is doomed!”

It was Bryanna, the visionary seer who scared Mary and the girls during their first visit to the city. She was dressed in black, ash covering her body. ”The head of this family is surrounded by evil! He is cursed! This union shall perish because of it! I have foreseen it! Destruction will come to those who follow Lasidious' Prophet!”

George quickly handed Joshua to Athena, commanded Payne to go to Susanne and then the warlock vanished. He reappeared next to Bryanna and took control. With a wave of his hand, he silenced her outburst and then used his magic to lift the seer and suspend her above the crowd.

With the visionary on display for all to see, George addressed the gathering, using his magic to amplify his voice. ”There are those who would have this world live in fear! Luvelles deserves better! There are also those who would seek to destroy a union as blessed as the one we see before us. I ask you now, why can't the Head Master seek his own happiness? I see no evil in this man. Since my arrival on Luvelles, I've witnessed his honor, his integrity, and his loyalty to every being he serves. If you wish to witness this union, shout your approval!”

The ma.s.ses lifted their voices to the sky as if it had been rehea.r.s.ed. George lowered Bryanna to the ground and then released his power over her. He commanded four guards to carry her away, and throw her in the dungeon.

As they dragged the visionary through the streets, Bryanna continued to screamed, ”Doomed! Doomed! This union is doomed!”

George shook his head and gave everyone around him a big, bright smile. ”I can't tell you how happy I am that she isn't my mother-in-law!” He listened to the crowd laugh before he teleported back to his place. After taking Joshua back into his arm and reclaiming Payne's hand, he looked over at Athena. ”Wow. What a nut job that lady was.”

Kepler smirked. ”Other than the crazed lady, is there anyone else who wishes to object?”

Once the laughter subsided, the streets quieted. It felt as if everyone was waiting for a voice to cry out, but when one never came, Kepler moved forward with the ceremony.

He concluded by saying, ”...By the authority given to me by Lasidious, I p.r.o.nounce this couple united. Brayson, you may lick your bride.”

Brayson and Mary shook their heads and stared at the jaguar.

Susanne leaned forward and spoke in a whisper. ”Kepler, he needs to kiss her. We don't lick one another.”

”Oohhh. My apologies. Brayson, you may kiss your bride's face.”

Again, Susanne spoke in a whisper. ”No, Kepler. We kiss on the lips.”