Stephen Zimmer: Dream of Legends

“Some good fortune is with us,” Aethelstan commented contentedly, as his hunger pangs were eradicated.

“Quite a good fare for a campaign,” Edmund complimented, taking a long draft of ale. He smacked his lips, grinned, and held his cup out, as one of the men attending to them filled it up once again.

“Now slow yourself down a little,” Aethelstan said, not entirely in jest.

“I want to enjoy times like this,” Edmund said, as he glanced up, staring towards the serenity of the night sky. “Two friends sharing a good meal and ale, under a clear Saxan sky. For me that is my treasure.”

“And I hope to have many more such times, once we have dealt with these Avanorans,” Aethelstan said.

He could see that his friend was wrestling with a number of fears. The years had taught him much about Edmund, enough to see that underneath the Saxan’s confident facade his friend was ridden with anxiety and deep foreboding about the coming struggle.

“Do not worry about me,” Edmund said, almost as if he had just read Aethelstan’s mind. “No matter what thoughts enter my head, I shall be at the lead of our Himmerosen come daybreak.”

“No matter what is hurled against us, let us make sure that we survive together,” Aethelstan said.

“No man can make such a promise. Life is a fragile thing, and war so unpredictable,” Edmund stated.

“We can do everything that is left to our own power… and be as clever as we are able, fight as hard as we are capable of, and what will come, will come. Only the All-Father knows what will happen,” Aethelstan said, resolve burning within him.

“You have my promise on that,” Edmund replied softly, the look in his eyes unwavering.

“Then I can rest myself easier tonight,” Aethelstan said, as he took notice that his eyes were growing heavy. “I do not think I am much longer for this night. My body is telling me to rest. No, rather it is commanding me to rest.”

Edmund slowly yawned. “We have both done enough traveling for the moment, and I believe that my own body shares the view of yours.”

“Until the morning then, my friend,” Aethelstan replied, slowly rising to his feet.

While it was not the same as ending an evening surrounded by his sons, daughter, and wife, it was still a blessing to end it in the company of a true friend.

The thought was not lost on Aethelstan as he prayed within the quiet of his tent before seeking the sanctuary of sleep. With deep sincerity in his heart, he offered thanksgiving to the All-Father for the wondrous gift of friendships in life.

*

The Unifier walked with a fluid stride through the center of the dense assembly. Anyone within His path quickly parted aside to create a wide channel for His unimpeded passage. Avanoran guards from the citadel’s garrison were formed into two columns that followed close behind Him, as He made his way towards the far end of the Great Hall’s main chamber.

The Great Hall, located on the second terrace of the huge mountain citadel within Avalos, was currently filled to capacity. Numerous emissaries hailing from many of the known kingdoms and realms across Ave, those that were ardently loyal to the Unifier, stood in rapt attendance.

It was one of several such audiences that would be taking place in the near future. The emissaries had all been directly summoned, and no excuse would have been deemed acceptable for their absence.

Had the representatives not heeded the summons, they would have found it to be a dire mistake. Their rulers knew well that a substantial price would have been paid for their absence, which would have been taken as outward defiance to the will of the Unifier.

Clad in his long tunic of immaculate white silk, the Unifier proceeded gracefully towards the raised dais of stone at the eastern end, set within a shallow recess forming an apse. A singular throne sat upon the higher stone surface, crafted of a dark, ornately carved wood. The Unifier methodically ascended the wide steps, coming to a halt just in front of the throne. He turned slowly to face the assemblage.

The violet gloaming at the cusp of evening cast little direct light through the tall, narrow windows set high in the side walls of the expansive hall. At the explicit command of the Unifier, all of the candles in the several round, layered chandeliers running down the center of the grand hall had been lit. Flames also burned within the great recessed fireplaces set intermittently down the sides of the chamber.

The effect of all the firelight within the hall was nothing short of spectacular, casting an ethereal hue about the capacious area. The deep blue ceiling looked simply magical, containing a myriad of little, silvery stars, which gleamed resplendently in the light from the flames. The intricate tapestries lining the walls with their glorious, colorful scenes of hunts and battles were brought out vividly.

Yet despite the mildness of the concluding day, and the presence of all of the flames, a deep chill reigned supreme within the hall. It left all of the attendees in a state of discomfort, one that was not just physical in nature. For the Unifier, the icy, permeating feeling suited His purpose.

It was not a time for celebration, or any other indulgence. The matter at hand was of the utmost importance. Comfort was the least of His considerations. The delegations could not be dismissed from the hall with any misinterpretations of the grave nature of the message that He had come to deliver to them.

They were there to heed His call with all their will, to bring the new age forward into its full manifestation. It was an age that they were on the very brink of achieving. A new morning star was about to make its ascension, an important step in a much greater rising.

All of the eyes in the hall were fixed intently on the Unifier, looking upon Him with a mix of both dread and anxiety. The godhead of the throng’s growing wealth and worldly power stood before them in the flesh, His sharp eyes sweeping over all. Each one of the emissaries from foreign courts felt as if the Unifier was personally regarding him or her. A subdued hush fell throughout the room, as all forms of conversation thoroughly ceased.

With a clear voice that resonated all throughout the extensive hall, the Unifier finally broke the uneasy stillness.

“The world must be united as one. The world can, and will, be as one. There need no longer be any barriers to divide us. We must finish our task of ridding the world of our enemies, so that the future can be ours… and ours alone. You know of what I speak. You know that this war we fight must not fail… or even falter.”

The Unifier paused, looking about the great chamber with His piercing eyes of azure brilliance. He was exceptionally fair to look upon, if not considered unrivaled among men. Yet there was no disputing the choking fear that seemed to accompany Him in rarer moments such as these. The feeling was like looking out upon a vast mass of black thunderclouds spread across the length of the horizon, billowing as they approached, and poised on the verge of hurling barrages of lightning, and torrents of wind and rain, at any given moment. It was an ominous, intimidating sensation that swept over the hearts of the assembled emissaries, causing more than one of them to reflexively blanch in their stark sense of powerlessness and diminutiveness.

The members of the elite assemblage were among the few in all of Ave who had become acquainted with this awesome, and foreboding, aspect of the Unifier. For many, especially those who were rarely around Him, the terrifying effect was inexplicable.

Those who had spent more time in closer, more regular proximity to Him understood the effect much more implicitly, though they were no less afraid. If anything, the increased knowledge fueled their fear even more.