Fire & Stone: Chapter One
The sun had just come up over the tree line causing the forest itself to fall into darkened shade while the sky above lit up in a succession of pinks and yellows meant to take anyones breath away - unless you’d lived for over four thousand years and such a sight was simply one of many replaying in a memory that stretched on forever. Allowing her large wing span to unfurl behind her - fourteen feet of fiery bone and feather reaching out to either side - Ethne lifted her arms up above her head at the same time, reaching into the air while her back arched and she worked out the kinks from a long night spent cloistered in the towers of the castle. Watching and waiting for an enemy that did not come, had not come in almost two hundred years. Two centuries of peace was nothing to scoff at, but it left a dull ashy taste of wasting away at the back of the woman’s throat. There wasn’t much for a warrior to do when there was no war to fight. Moving to the edge of the tower the tall, trim woman of toned muscle and strength stepped onto the stone wall and gazed down at the courtyard below her. The change in guard was taking place as the clock tower chimed five o'clock, announcing for all that dawn had arrived and the busy day was about to begin. Her golden eyes, with flickering flame in irises that surrounded pupils of pitch black watched the men and women in royal uniform as they passed information from the night’s watch on to the day watch. It was a quick, efficient exchange, one that had been well practiced and defined over many centuries of patrols. It was an exchange Ethne had witnessed so many times that it was now with boredom she watched it transpire. Seeing that everything happened smoothly as it was intended she launched off of the tower wall and into the air. Her wingspan spread out behind her, capturing the wind in a way that tugged at them where they jutted from between her shoulders. It was a familiar pull, a mild irritation that was also pleasant because it was paired with the feeling of wind ruffling through her feathers and lifting her up through the air to soaring heights that left her breathless and chilled - a sensation not common for a creature with fire in her veins. Flapping her wings down with a heavy swipe she was soon lifting upwards, heading towards the bright sun rays now glinting off the white stone of Castle Fairweather. Swooping down along the tree line she let her eyes follow the path of her own shadow as she glided over the evergreen forest below. Beneath her the faint sound of animals moving through the woods followed her progress, spurred on from fear of the large predator in the sky. Swiftly moving passed the impressive woodlands that surrounded the castle, the phoenix angled herself towards Mount Insidious instead, a large hulking thing of black stone that rose from the earth and disappeared into the clouds above. It was home to any number of strange and terrible creatures that kept those on the ground in their place and from daring to climb the great mountain’s side. Unless pushed on by some greater purpose: the promise of glory, the wisdom of a cave goblin’s metalwork, or aid from the rumoured sorceress who lived on the mountain’s peak. Ethne sought something other than the secrets of Insidious, rather she followed her shadow as it flowed effortlessly over the river that twined around the base of the mountain and fed out through the forest to the hills of the Gordellia Valley. Here there was a calm and peaceful silence only broken by the flow of fresh water and the occasional flap of her wings beating through the cool morning air. With the heat of the newly dawned sun warming her back, Ethne watched the river below her as she moved against its current, taking herself further upstream to the white breaks over dark stones where sleek, wreathing bodies leapt from the torrents and made their way towards their instinctual target. Her pale hand of alabaster skin glowing with the faint heat of fire in her blood stretched out as she came just short of scraping the water’s surface and captured one of those leaping bodies of shimmering scales. Easily she kept hold of its struggling body as her wings beat harder and returned her to the skies above. The journey back to Castle Fairweather was brief, heightened rates of speed easily obtainable by wings that seemed unfamiliar with exhaustion. Only a few stopped to glance upwards as her shadow fell across the courtyard, mainly those of villagers seeking an audience with the queen. Those from the castle proper were more commonly acquainted with the presence of the phoenix and her morning rituals. Booted feet landed softly upon a lower turret, the bright wings of flame folding neatly upon her back in a move that was pure grace and elegance. Tussling her short crop of sandy blonde hair that was wind blown and mildly tangled into something a little more manageable, the lean figure made her way towards the wooden door that lead inside the tower and provided her with interior access to the rest of the castle. Her right hand was still slightly wet and chilled from where it clutched the now dead fish, but it was not a burdensome sensation. Not when the promise of fresh cooked meat melting on her tongue would soon be a reality. The castle kitchen when Ethne stepped into it was bustling with activity, the loud din of voices mixed in an uproarious fashion with the clang of pots and thudding of blades on wooden chopping boards. The morning meal prep did not cease simply because she had entered, if anything her somewhat glowing presence was ignored in a truly impressive fashion if one weren’t aware of how often such an occurrence took place. Breakfast had already been served to those on the guard who were now making their way along the castle walls on patrol, but the royal family and the accompanying courtiers presently staying at the castle had yet to grace the dining halls with their regal presence. What was being prepared was no frugal soldier’s meal of grains and milk but succulent slabs of beef and sizzling strips of pork along with the warm, wafting comfort of eggs and bread. Eurneal the head chef stood in a central point of the kitchen barking out orders and insults in nearly the same breath. Her stained and chapped fingers, well worn from gruelling years spent over steaming pots and roaring fires, held a thick chopping knife which she seemed to be wielding in the manner of a weapon at the moment. Mild amusement of a dark nature flitted ever so quickly across Ethne’s face as she sidestepped busy staff to approach the seasoned chef. Before she could even speak, knowing eyes that were a medley of green and copper fixed upon her. “Don’t think you’re going to slip in here with that prize of yours and see it cooked without putting in any effort yourself, Miss Ethne. I don’t care who you are, gut that thing before it even dares to try and interrupt the flow of my kitchen, or I’ll make sure it’s drawing maggots long before it has any chance of frying in one of my pans.” The commanding woman’s attention was then stolen away as she focussed in on a cook who seemed to have taken the momentary break of Eurneal’s focus to stop and pop a small round berry into his mouth. Instantly the flat side of the chopping knife slapped down on top of the young fae’s head causing him to yelp in pain. “Going to have a bite to eat of your queen’s breakfast before she even has gotten out of her bed are you? How privileged I am to possess a cook of such high pedigree.” Her voice dripped sarcasm as she zeroed in on this particular staff. “Get back to work!” Knowing that Eurneal had said her orders as it pertained to herself, Ethne moved away from the woman and slipped and ducked her way through the bustle until she was standing over one of the trash bins. Using fingernails as sharp as talons she slit the fish from gills to tail, angling it so that the unwanted bits inside began to spill out. She then used those same nails to scrape all along the inside of the fish and down the ridges of the spine so that she could scoop out the organs, flicking them off of her fingers into the bin. Once the fish had been cleaned of its insides, she took it to one of the pails of water, scooping some out to drip over it, washing off whatever was left. “I’ll take that for you Miss.” Ethne glanced to her side at the soft spoken words to see one of Eurneal’s apprentices come to take the fish from her. A girl of about fifteen or sixteen, she seemed far too soft and tender to shoulder the taskmaster that the castle’s chef could be. But this was a vied for position, one of great precedence down in the villages and when a young man or woman managed to earn a place here it was because they deserved it. And so the phoenix nodded and handed over the fish. “Appreciated.” She murmured, her head snapping up as her attention was grabbed by the head chef once more. “Ethne, sit down. Those wings of yours take up enough space for another person, we haven’t the room to move in here as it is.” The words were barked as they always were, but the guardian took no offence by it. Beneath that gruff exterior lay the heart of a kind, hard working woman who lived only to please her queen and would allow nothing to tarnish her very hard earned reputation. So tucking the fiery wings more tightly against her back, Ethne moved to the outskirts of the kitchen to take a seat on an abandoned stool. Who knew where it had come from or when was the last time anyone in this kitchen had actually gotten a chance to sit on it. In part, the phoenix wondered if it perhaps had been placed here for herself and the times when she would come to interrupt their meal prep. As she took her place on the wooden surface the heel of her boot hooked over the bottom rung and she braced an elbow on her knee, golden eyes watching the kitchen with what was mostly indifference. As with everything else in the castle, it was a well oiled gear turning without any hitches. Perhaps it was asking for trouble or a complete disregard for her own creator’s mercy that she felt this restlessness inside of her, but Ethne couldn’t ignore the itch in her palm to hold her sword once more or the ache in her wings to be gliding into battle. She was a beast of war by default, her very presence on this earth was for the soul purpose of acting as guardian to the royal family and while peace was everything she had sought for over the centuries, it left very little for a warrior born and bred to do. The stillness was a constant chafing against her most basic instinct, leaving her a little raw and purposeless. “You’ve been up all night again, haven’t you?” Ethne’s eyes shifted though they didn’t have to go very far as Eurneal - though fierce - was a fairly stout woman for her kind. There had been rumours of dwarf blood in her younger years, terrible slurs against the fae woman that spoke of the shameful intermingling of blood on her mother’s behalf. Eurneal had born it all with the strength and dedication Ethne had come to expect of the woman. Nothing was going to deter her from her path in those days, and it was a trait the warrior deeply admired. “Sometimes dealing with the light is easiest to do in the dark.” Ethne responded, her eyes shifting to watch a young man as he chopped a series of garnishes. A disgusted snort was her reward. “Oh do not bother me with that hogwash. You’re bored, I can see it as plainly as I can see Henreache there over stirring my sauce. Henreache!” She shouted, breaking their conversation for a moment. “If you don’t leave that sauce be I’ll be using your tears to salt my pork!” Ethne found herself smirking a little despite herself as the cook in question dropped his spoon and scurried away guiltily. “Honestly, they don’t know the meaning of letting something simmer.” The head chef grumbled to herself before turning her green and copper eyes upon the warrior once more. “You’re bored, and for a reason I just can’t fathom, have gotten it into your feather addled brain that staying up all hours of the night alone in a tower is going to help with that.” Ethne was then pinned with a pointed look. She shifted a little on her perch, feeling a little foolish when her actions were defined in such a manner. It was not a feeling she enjoyed overly much as she thought herself beyond behaviours that could be seen in such a light. “It’s something to break the rhythm of the day, and vast amounts of sleep aren’t exactly necessary for me.” “Even someone of your regenerative abilities needs time to herself, and a little rest.” It was Ethne’s turn to release a soft snort. It had been two hundred years of rest, that was the issue she was dealing with at the moment and she had never felt so listless in all her days. She could understand this a little better if she were closer to her rebirth cycle, but that was another seven or eight decades away yet. “It’s not rest that I need Eurneal.” “Then what is it?” “I’m…not certain.” There in lay the problem. Uncertainty was not a state of being that Ethne was used to. There was always a set plan, a strategic path to follow. Those that needed protecting and others that needed defeating. Of anyone, this warrior in particular was certain - without a doubt - of what her purpose in life was. Or so it had always been, but now she wasn’t so sure and this perhaps was the most unsettling piece of it all. That the phoenix no longer knew what it was she was supposed to be doing. “Then do you not think it is time to ask someone who is?” The chef questioned in her superior tone, eyes shifting upwards to indicate not the royal family several floors above them but someone higher. They were interrupted by the fae who had taken Ethne’s fish from her to cook, and having said her piece Eurneal stepped away leaving the somewhat sullen phoenix to her thoughts. Focusing in on the plate now grasped between her fingers, she was greeted with the sight of a perfectly browned fish, crispy in just the right places with a drizzle of lemon sauce over the top and some garnish poking invitingly out of the slice in its belly. A helping of roasted potatoes and a small mound of fluffy yellow eggs had been added to the plate. This castle was her home, and these people her family. She should be happy and content in this time of peace that she had helped bring to them. But she wasn’t. Though maybe unhappy was the wrong definition to assign it. As she didn’t think she was actually displeased with her life in general. There was a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing as she approached the end of her third life cycle that her kingdom was safe and she had never lost a queen. Eurneal may have been right. She had spent so much time searching the horizon for her answers, or looking for it in the fall of her own shadow upon the land that she hadn’t thought to seek answers from the one being who had given her purpose in the first place. Using the fork that had been placed diagonally across the plate, Ethne peeled off a small chunk of the fish and savoured the rich flavour as it settled on her tongue. The flames hidden in her irises gently flickered with something other than boredom as she watched the work in the kitchen go on around her. Each of them had duties and specific roles that they were responsible for as preparations continued, but that didn’t mean on occasion one wouldn’t step in to help another, or give a brief moment of respite. Roles changed and tasks were completed only to be replaced with different ones as Eurneal saw fit. It was to her that they all looked for guidance and direction and due to her ever watchful eye none were left standing idly by. Standing up Ethne placed her soon empty plate, save for the bones, next to the large wash basin and strode out of the kitchen.
