The Triskele - story in prog

STORY - INSTALLMENT 1 - 6.28.2003

The sunlight slanted between the tree branches like great arms, pressing down the earth with warm fingertips. The air was heavy and thick, breathing softly over the grass that grew almost to Michael\'s thighs as he trudged almost silently through the thick forest. He was a young man of about 16, dark-haired with fierce eyes. His sword hung at his waist, slipped into his belt that wrapped about his red tunic. Although he was supposed to be at banquet, Michael had once again slipped away, wanting no part in the society and world of Court.
The boy halted as a deer came into his vision, tall and strong in the murky light of the forest. His antlers glimmered as he tossed his head, meeting Michael\'s gaze for but a moment, then turning to leap back between the shadows of the trees. It was this stag that was the emblem of Lord Cairen\'s kingdom, the kingdom that was soon to be Michael\'s. His father was growing old, and neither of his older brothers were fit to be set on the throne as king of Starmoor in their father\'s eyes, leaving Michael as heir. This troubled the young man, keeping him awake most nights and leaving him wanting more and more to escape the confines of his father\'s castle.
Michael was skilled in battle, and he knew it... but ever since he was a young boy his older brothers, James and Ian, were thought to be the future heirs to Lord Cairen\'s empire. He had other plans that he wanted to carry through before his life ended, most of which were destroyed when his two brothers started to realize that only one of them could be king, and started to fight one another, jeopardizing the stability of the castle temporarily. Michael did not care for Court, for war, or for the power to rule the people he himself was a part of. But the world shifted, and now Michael had a heavy burden upon his sixteen year old shoulders.
The angle of the sun was steeper now, getting closer and closer to setting behind the horizon of the world. Michael walked on through the forest for a while longer, stopping at the circle ruins. Nine weathered and crumbling columns stood in a circle in the middle of the woods, ancient and looming. Michael ran a hand over the familiar surface of one of the cloumns, wondering what this place was before the forest had overgrown it and people had left the lands. Ever since he was a boy Michael had come here to think when he was troubled, for it was a place that only he knew of, deep in the forest where few dared to go off the main road. Because of the new change in his future, his visits to the circle were becoming more and more frequent, sneaking away from lessons, stealing away in the night, and leaving court banquets like the one that was going on tonight.
People are starting to wonder where I disappear to so often. They\'re starting to actually notice I\'m gone... I must be more discreet, more cautious. he thought to himself, leaning his back against the cool rock.
A snapping branch caught his attention, and Michael stood erect, hand automatically moving to rest on the hilt of his sword. His dark eyes scanned the forest, the trees, the shadows... and nothing moved in the tall grass but the wind. Relaxing again, Michael walked into the center of the ring of stones, looking up into the sky that was turning the palest of pinks from the oncoming sunset. There was most definetely something special about this part of the woods... he felt it in the pit of his stomache and on the edges of his skin. He had always been able to feel the magic of this forest... it was one of the oldest in Starmoor and if one looked hard enough and long enough, he could come across ruins of dwellings of the old folk that lived there long before castles and courts were established in the country. No one knew much about them, and what was known was myth and fairy tale. They were described as powerful people who had become one with the earth, the stars and the seasons, and Michael felt that power in the stone columns, although perhaps he did not know it. To him, they had been mysterious and comforting, like a memory or a dream.
Starting as if waking from sleep, Michael heard voices calling faintly in the forest. Guards on the main road... they must be looking for him... He grumbled and started back towards the road at a jog, leaving the circle in the trees behind him.


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He feels the magic in this forest, which is surprising for one of the Stag clan. He doesn\'t know who he is yet, or even where he comes from. Soon enough, we will send one to him to show him the path that he must walk to bring our world back into theirs. He IS the only potential link strong enough to pull us back from the forgotten lands in human hearts, but it will destroy much he loves. There is so much to do but even the Elders cannot say how much time we have to set it all into motion. We can only hope for a sign, and send the Messenger on her way.