Aurora - VI

You can read the previous parts here!

Valhalla - I
Aurora - II
Valhalla - III

Aurora - IV

Valhalla - V
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She lied on the cold floor staring at the roof. The thatched roof had a small glass window and the starry sky her blanket. She renounced every good, luxury and comfort that day. The day she lost her father. And soon after that her self.

The Windkeepers society stood on two strong pillars - Fidelity and Equality. Every individual in the tribe followed them and it was be all and end all. It could never be challenged nor contemplated.

They were an egalitarian society where men and women shared their responsibilities. Every member of the tribe proved his or her merit for any role they wanted to take up. Even if they chose to marry.

Fidelity was their prime principle. Individuals could break but not their word. It was like a shot arrow which can never be taken back. Marriages lasted forever and if the trust was broken which was rare but if found guilty he or she had take his or her own life in front of the whole tribe. The utmost love and pride for their tribe and their land was well known. Back stabbing or selling out the tribe for material or any gain whatsoever was just not acceptable. It happened just once. The day no one shall forget for years to come. Beheaded. No mercy. Zero tolerance.

Equality was is and will always be the basis of their existence. Every man or woman were challenged tested and had to prove their might and their right. They did not believe in hierarchy but in a flat structure where each one was answerable to one another. There was absolutely no differential or preferential treatment for a man or a woman. When put to test they had to battle against each other.

She still remembers the roar from the other side of the ring and the roar from the heavens above. Distracted. Lost.

As The Chief's daughter she was well trained, stood by all principles all her life, was the best swordsman, archer and wrestler in the tribe and only one was as good as her. Just one.

After five days of challenges, back to back tests, non stop battles!! Tournament after tournament exhaustion began setting in. It was the final day when the sky turned crimson the FINALE was witnessed by every member of the tribe.

At the final moment he saw her twitch at the sound of something and he grabbed the opportunity to trip her and pinned her down to the ground. It was the last ground. He still remembers her fiery eyes. The bile rushing to her throat.

The crowd roared as their new Chief was crowned.

The Orphan.

That's not what you call him Aurora!
She heard her father bellowing at her from the skies.

His name is Raymon. Call him by his name. You are not abiding the law - Equality - Remember. Always.

What happened to First Pillar, Da! He was at the bottom of the mountain to meet them that day. The wrong man was beheaded. You knew it. Always. You just loved him more than me. And I know why. Now I know why. He wasn't an Orphan after all.

Raymon.
The skies corrected her as she closed her eyes to gulp the tear. 

Aurora - IV

You can read the first 3 parts here!

Valhalla - I
Aurora - II
Valhalla - III

As the dust rose to the sky, she smiled. Message received, her subconscious laughed. She stared hard at that masculine figure standing tall at the edge of the cliff. She loved unsettling his soul.
He shall never be at peace! Now that he unearthed the rock. There was a reason why it was buried you fool.

The four forefathers - the Guardian Angels of the tribe - had found the crystal rock while hunting when the tribe were nomads and were looking for a place to settle. It glowed with purple light and they were amazed by its mythical powers. It could transform any form of energy to three times its power. The forefathers took this as a sign and decided to stay back at the mountains to make it their home.

Using the power of this blessed rock they built the tribe and protected it by building arms that no man on this planet could defeat. Every living being feared them and it kept usurpers of the land at bay.

They installed this rock at the centre of the city by building a temple. Organization and town planning was natural to them. The city was built in a wheel and spoke manner with all roads radiating from the centre.
Worshipers of the wind, the temple was carved in white stone with wind chimes made of wood and shells hanging down from the roof. The temple had entry from all sides and had no walls. The mighty wind roamed freely within the premises of the temple creating music each time it entered and exited. Hymns and mythological poems on the prowess of the land and the Guardians were composed using these musical notations. The clan developed a natural love for dance and music and every night was a carnival.

However, as the clan grew there was civil disturbance, fights, abusive relationships between men and women and the Guardians failed to understand the reasons for these. The rock also attracted external enemies. They attacked the land to capture the rock but with the help of its powers the Guardians were able to pound their enemies to dust. They prospered but with an extremely unstable society and it worried them.

It was amidst this prosperity the clan opened its gates for traders and artisans to visit the city. It was when learned philosophers, masters and sages of various other lands visited them that they realized the error that had to be undone... Soon.

They spoke of this very rock as the 'wretched one'.

An old sage visited the land one day and pointed out the scriptures and heritage of this rock. The rock harbours on the emotions of jealousy and greediness and instills these emotions to every living being who lives and breathes around it. Not only does it transform energy but also increases the strength of these emotions thereby causing this instability.
The complete power of the rock was still unknown and the sage was happy to research on it with the help of the Guardians who were learned themselves on occult and transformation of energies.
The sage knew the solution to this problem and proposed it to the Guardians. The Guardians were happy and gifted the sage abundantly. They also requested him to stay on with the tribe as The Wise One. He happily agreed to do so.

As per the rituals and under his guidance the rock was buried on the shortest day of the year at the very moment when the sky changes to complete darkness and the burial occurs under the beam of the moon light that is channeled through a bamboo stick. The burial occurred at the base of the mountain such that the earth would absorb the negative energy and channelize only the positive energy to the mountain top - the land of the Wind Keepers.

Before the burial a small piece of the rock was chipped for research purposes. It was tied with a black string that was around The Wise One's neck and would be in his custody at all times.

The Guardians believed they were the protectors of the rock and ensured it was safeguarded at all times. Specially trained army was deployed at the base of the mountain. Their expertise was to camouflage with the terrain and were masters of various disguises.

It was a well kept secret until one day... It all began!

She stared at the path below her feet and nodded her head in disappointment thinking about the treachery. She was the direct descendant of the Guardians as one of them was her very own great great grandfather. The passion and love of her clan came in her blood and the need to protect them came naturally to her.

She crossed the market place and stood at the cross roads staring at the house to her left. She had to take the lane going down on her right, opposite to the house, to reach her hut.

He stood at the balcony of his house and caught her stare. She looked past him and turned to walked down the road with her head held high, clenching her robe at the shoulders. The winds entered playfully to the chimes that dangled at the roof of his house. He clicked his fingers and the winds played his favourite tune.
She stopped after a few steps as the tune reached her ears. It was the tune of the lullaby her father always sang to her and she hugged herself tightly.

He continued to look at her in the hope that she would turn. She held her fist up in the air with her back still towards him and the winds obeyed.
The music stopped abruptly. And she strode to her hut.

He waited till she entered the hut and his eyes blazed with rage.
Will she ever let it go?

And the winds laughed as they answered,
No. Not now. Not ever.

Aurora - II

This blog is in continuation to the story started by Shaunak Mukherjee... To read the first part click here - Valhalla - I

She stood by the banks of the sea watching the mighty sun dive into the vast expanse of water and the sky transforming itself from Vermilion to Prussian blue. Darkness prevailed. She turned to walk back to her house which was a small hut by the sea, marking the end of the territory that belonged to her clan. The so-called homeland. This was not where she was brought up. Her home, the tribe, the land, the mountains and more so the identity of her clan was snatched in a flash. She can never forget that day! The war had ended a little over 4 years now but the wounds were still fresh and they still bled. As she walked past her house down the clobbered path that led to the gates of the city past the evening hustle of the market place, the barbaric war came flashing right before her eyes. 'Usurpers' her subconscious screamed!

The historic 100-day war! The heavens had opened their flood gates during the entire course of the war and it poured continuously. Even He could not bear the sight of watching his creations perish and He cried with rage. They fought non-stop for their land, their right, their honour, their love - their homeland. They were outnumbered. Clearly. They had lost many but not once did they let their spirit break until that moment... when they saw their Chief fall off the horse and it all came crashing down!
As she slayed the first row of the enemy line she turned to find his head drop at her feet at that very moment and his beloved horse flung his body away running into the woods not withstanding the loss of his rider. 'Father' she cried. She threw her shield away and raised her sword slashing every man and woman who came in her line of sight as moved towards the bare chested masked man - Murderer! She ran unaware of the dead bodies that lay before her -friends and enemies but all she saw were those eyes lit with fire through the mask and she could feel the bile rushing to her throat. She bellowed the war cry as she cut the final row of the enemy army line that protected him and it was soon him versus her.
The final entry into the 'Circle of Death' that had a wall of dead bodies all around it with a single opening where she reached. She was lifted by two horsemen each holding her by her arm and they rode away from the battlefield. She saw four horsemen lift her dear Father and rode alongside. And the tribe of what was left rode away from their land. She roared with anger and the winds obeyed her orders and spread message to lands afar.
The inevitable had occurred. The worse was yet to come.

She shook herself to let the thought of that unfortunate day escape her. All in vain! The wind howled and clashed into her black silk robe and she tightened her arms around her shoulder. 'Wind-Keepers' she heard a whisper.
Miles from her beyond the plains & the woods were the mountains... 'Home'.
And in the darkness she saw him standing at the edge of the cliff.

She rose her hand and the children of the wind fought to be the first to rush to her for orders hoping they become her favourite one. With one swift motion of her hand she turned the course of the wind towards the mountains. She clenched her fist and mouthed the words slowly enunciating every syllable,

'One day. One day, indeed. It will be Brutal. Barbaric. Cold. Cruel. Revenge. It will be me and you. And with my two hands I will rip you apart. You shall die in my arms. Die!'

And they nodded and carried the message.

It is about time...

I know it has been long since I have visited this blog. I am looking at my last post and since then I have changed my job, had two international trips, been a part 2 major tournaments - ICC T20 & FIFA, got engaged, read 26 books *reading has taken a hit now thanks to the crazy work-life cycle and sleepless nights cause of FIFA tournament*, saw Arsenal win the FA cup, disappointed with Spain's loss first followed by Argentina's loss at the final, completed #100happydays challenge on Instagram... Wow! So much since then!!

This blog is to remind me to visit here more often and start writing again.

I will also try and continue the story in my other blog http://wine-n-cheese.blogspot.in/ *that would be a difficult one*!

Meanwhile, I don't mind taking up the challenge that a friend of mine had posted on Facebook couple of days back, that is to write one paragraph a day and role play :-P. At least it will get me started...!

Promise to see you soon!!!