I flopped down upon the ground, using one of the palace’s many animals of the canine persuasion as a pillow. “I’m a failure as a channeler!” I screamed into the dog’s side. My impromptu pillow muffled my cry.
Quite regrettably, my plans to remain like that for the entire rest of the evening (or perhaps forever) were interrupted by a knock on the door. I rushed to fix my dress and headscarf, then went to answer it. Behind it was my eldest brother, more widely known as the king of the Vardaz Empire.
My mouth fell open. “Shahin?”
He smiled. As usual, he looked exhausted. There were obvious bags below his eyes, but he always seemed happy to see me, even if he rarely had the energy to keep up with me and my twin.
“Another wonderful performance, Feri,” he said, patting my head. I crossed my arms, and strode away from him.
“You don’t need to lie to spare my feelings. It was a disaster!” Saying so, I collapsed across my bed. Then abruptly sat up. “...But it relieves me that the feast did not appear to be a total disaster…how was the feast?”
“Quite the success. The Turtle-God seemed to…really, really enjoy the food. I think our conference with him will go well tomorrow. And the whole court seemed to enjoy your performance.” His gentle smile became a teasing smirk. “In fact…some of them even asked to meet the genius princess who performed for them.”
I threw an arm across my forehead. “I shan’t! It would be improper! Also I’m tired, they can bother me tomorrow.”
“I have a feeling it would be even more improper to refuse a God’s request, but oh well…” Shahin sighed melodramatically as he shuffled out the door. He drew out each step to almost comedic proportions. “If the Princess demands it… Who am I to go against her will…”
Caught in my dress, I flailed and nearly fell off the bed. “Wait, you said the Turtle-God wanted to talk with me!?”
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I stood outside of the Turtle-God’s appointed chambers, fidgeting with my dress. My stomach may have been doing flips, but it was out of excitement, most certainly! And absolutely not because I was terrified of disappointing my idol!
The Sun Falcon was too busy fighting Sun Fiend to respond to mortal prayers. Crown Naruune and Hallow Zaya would create miracles or bestow divine knowledge, but would never appear personally. Of the gods, the Turtle-God, also called Hallow Elian, was the only one who spent all his time within the mortal realm. He would appear before those who prayed to him, even if they did not use channeling, and personally help them. There was no other god or hero like him in our history.
He was…an inspiration. The living embodiment of a hero. Someone who had shaped history, devoted his entire life to helping others. When I was young, hearing so many legends and stories about him made me feel as though he were a close friend. As though, if I simply gathered enough stories, it would grant me a peek into the mind of a divine being. Now, the chance to meet him was within my grasp. The chance of a lifetime was literally steps away, but I was stuck wondering if I had ever truly known him.
Well. Chickening out here would not help me to know him any better! I held my breath and strode into his chambers. The curtain acting as a barrier between his rooms and the corridor fluttered in my wake. I hoped it made my entrance more impressive.
“Ah, you’re the Princess Fereshteh, aren't'cha?” he asked.
Immediately I melted into a bow, and yelled into the luscious carpet, “Yes I am! Princess Fereshteh! I’m very very sorry for the performance!”
“Uh…no need? It was a real good performance. You’re really, really talented, and I could tell how much fun you were havin'. Probably one of the most…dedicated performances I’ve seen in my very long life.” He chuckled softly.
“I…you actually thought so?” I asked.
“Seriously. I could tell how much it meant to you. I definitely didn’t hate it,” he said.
“But you didn’t like it, either! Your smile was forced, and you were looking at the ground—” I rose with a gasp, then rounded on the god. “Wait, are you actually an impostor!? Is that why you were so late, because you needed to kidnap the real Turtle-God!? Did you feel bad and guilty because the real Hallow Elian did so many great and amazing things and you’ve done nothing important with your life so to feel good about yourself you felt the need to imita—”
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Hallow Elian burst out laughing. He doubled over, clutching his belly as he cackled. I stumbled back, my cheeks burning. Oh. Oh, no, I’m so stupid. I just blurted that out. I just accused an actual god of being an impostor, didn’t I? Sun Falcon, just strike me down! I collapsed back down into a bow again, hitting my head against the floor. “I-i’m so sorry! I don’t know where that came fro—”
“Nah, no, really, it’s okay. It’s okay, kid. Here, get up.” The god helped me to stand, then winced as he saw my bruised forehead. His thumb began to glow a gentle red, and he pressed it to my forehead. Comforting warmth replaced the stinging sensation. It was genuine healing magic. “It’s okay, kid. Here, sit down. And you don’t gotta call me ‘Hallow’ or ‘Turtle-God’ either. Just Elian is fine.”
He guided me over to his bed, and sat me down beside him. My gaze drifted across the guest chamber. In the corner leather armor, grimy from travel, lay discarded, beside even grimier boots and an ancient warbow. They clashed badly with the decadent furnishings. I wrinkled my nose, then looked back at him. “I’m not a kid! I’m thirteen years old and a princess—” I covered my mouth. Dammit, what was it about him that made it easy to blurt rude things out!
He laughed again. “Princess, huh? Feisty. Don’t worry about it, it’s a lot more entertainin' than all the stuffy formality.”
…No, this god was certainly nothing like what I imagined. Not in the slightest. “...So you said you really loved the performance. And…I believe you’re not an impostor. Real healing magic can’t be channeled.” I frowned. “But…you still didn’t like it. Why?”
“I really did like it, you’re an excellent performer. Crown Naruune probably loves you. You’re gonna go far.”
“Why?” I pressed.
He let out a long sigh. “I guess you ain’t wrong about me being a bit of an impostor. Er, the performance really was great. Really. It just got some things wrong.”
“...Oh,” I responded, then looked down at my legs. I suppose that made sense. Over hundreds of years, thousands of poets and storytellers would put their own unique twists on the stories. Exaggerating the exciting details, downplaying the boring ones…after enough time, it only makes sense it would result in a very different tale. I looked back at Ha—at Elian. “That was the version my mother told me. And her mother’s mother. My favorite version. I’m sorry.”
He waved his hand flippantly. “Not your fault. You’re just the first time I sat an' listened. You make it hard not to.”
Knowing I really had enraptured a god, I could have floated off the ground right then and there. I had to change the topic, quick, before my giddiness ruined this. “Er…that bow! Is that another inaccuracy? Most poets say you don’t use any weapons!”
“Surprisingly, they’re right. I don’t. The bow ain’t mine. I’m just…” His easygoing smile became more hollow. “It was someone else’s. I’m just holding onto it for them.”
Curiosity warred with the urge to comfort my idol. “Oh…I see…” My thoughts whirled. Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. Before I could think, I blurted out, “Wait, is that bow Talon’s—!? I mean, the Sun Fiend made him—is he really immortal!? Are you two—?”
His mirthless chuckle cut me off. “It was Talon’s. But he wasn’t a half-monster, or the Sun Fiend’s child. No, he was human—like me.”
“He was a human, too…?”
“Yeah. Sun Fiend didn’t make him that bow, either. It was…how we met,” he continued. His tone became slower, more morose. “Ha…he would’ve hated it. People thinking he served the Sun Fiend. He hated her more than all of Gresha—all of my city.” Elian rose, and crossed the room. I remained silent, waiting for him to speak again. He didn’t. Instead, he picked up the ancient warbow carefully, almost reverently.
Was, he had said. ‘Would have’ hated.
…Oh. Ohhh.
“Could you tell me about him?” I asked. Elian turned to me, clutching the bow.
“What did you want to know?” he asked.
“Anything,” I said. “How did you meet? What was he really like? Maybe…” I fidgeted with my dress. “I am a genius princess. If I made my own legends and stories, based off of the truth, then perhaps they will catch on! Perhaps we can tell the whole world what he was really like. How it really happened.”
I smiled warmly, then a surge of nerves flipped my stomach. “I mean, only if you are comfortable talking about him, of course! If you aren’t—”
“No,” he said. “No. It’s been five hundred years. I think I’d like to tell you. Five hundred years ago…”
His eyes widened, as if suddenly thrown by the enormity of them all. The 500-year-old God staggered across the room, and collapsed onto the bed beside me.
He spoke in a low, rambling tone. “We met by sheer dumb luck, really. And it was sheer dumb luck he didn’t try to kill me, too. He was a lot stronger than me, a lot angrier and smarter too. But…he was also the kindest man I ever met. He didn’t kill me. Instead, he…became the greatest friend I ever knew. If he had become a god alongside me, I’m sure the Sun Fiend would be dead by now, and I’d be out of a job…how do I even begin the story about him?” He shut his eyes, deep in thought.
“...I was born in a city called Gresha. The city was known for high walls, that protected the people inside. Ideal place for a protection deity to be born, ain’t it? The person I was then wanted more than anything to be a hero. And to be a hero, first I needed a weapon. So I crossed the Ter River, and went huntin' for monsters in the Deep Woods on the far shore…and by Crown Naruune’s favor, I found him instead. He did demand to duel me, but only through sheer luck did I survive…”