image [https://i.imgur.com/uuiK0Ho.png]

Glorious splendor. Powerful vibrance. Beauty incarnate. She fell to her knees and thrust her head upon the ground. She did not deserve to see it.

"Forgive me, I call you once again. I need your help."

The Peacock strutted across the room, taking note of the few who were there. All were made to kneel. He approached the Head.

"Blades drawn, what was it you fought for?"

The Head's mouth was deathly dry, he'd felt he had swallowed Hell.

"I though her... a heretic... your blade cut her. But..."

The Peacock clicked his beak, ushering silence. He turned back to Tannen, still she did not raise her head. Another mystery of his loyal paladin.

"Raise your head."

"I have not yet earned that. I cannot."

So confounding, he thought. He turned back to the Head.

"You know now that she is my paladin, that she plays out my will. What guarantee would you give me, beyond your word, that she will have safe passage through Esmony."

"A... visage, of the Hydrea."

"This is enough in your eyes?"

"..."

There was nothing more within his power that he could do.

The god approached. He raised his delicate leg and claimed one of the Head's chains. He walked back to Tannen and left it at her hands. The Head spoke sheepishly, begging.

"The cloak, what of it-"

"What does it matter?"

He did not care, it was not his. The Peacock turned to his paladin.

"You do not deserve me as your god?"

He asked Tannen. She remained still and breathless. She would not dare to face him. She said nothing, but he could hear her prayers. Forgiveness, redemption. Things he was not sure how to give.

"Then continue to fight in my name. For now, I am proud."

He breathed in, there was something heavy he inhaled. It tasted of respect and awe. Not devout, but faith nonetheless. It tasted good. He walked briskly to the door, feathers fluttered. He willed the door to open. The clouds were parting and the sun shone through the door, the bloom of light obscured him.

When their eyes adjusted, the great thing was gone. In its place stood an Elf who walked in cautiously. At first he thought he'd mistaken it for a temple. He found Tannen quickly and sneaked to her side.

"Miss Braia. What in the world happened here."

She was sweating and shaking. Auryen's hand touched her shoulder. At first shocking, it stabilized her, grounded her. She slowly raised her head, of course her god was not there anymore. An incredible weight still rested on her, she felt she could not stand.

She noticed the thing that her god now gifted her, one of the Head's chains. She reached for it but could not grab it. Auryen took it and helped her to her feet. The Head was paralyzed, his body limp, hands by his side and head stuck skyward.

The longer it had been, the more quickly these things passed. After a minute, the people began to rise from the floor. Auryen had sat down Tannen and went to help others.

While she was regaining her composure, the Head found the strength to stand, and shuffled over. He was weak and slow, but arrived all the same. He collapsed into the chair next. He spoke when his voice returned to him.

"I do not understand."

His eyes were glazed, tired and dazed. He swallowed heavily.

"But I am not sorry."

Her voice returned to her as well.

"Why say anything?"

He ignored her.

"Perhaps I should be. What you would do for your god, I would do for Esmony."

His eyes closed but he continued to speak.

"...I have done for Esmony. These things might make me a monster."

He bit his lip.

"Would you be a monster, for him?"

"Why would I be a monster?"

"Paladins are to fight, to kill. Is the beauty of the world worth your grim action."

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"I am his hand, and his hand alone. The sword to cut away what is not beautiful, I would never be a tool for vile-"

He grabbed her hand again, looking to the cut.

"I might understand now."

Something was different in his eyes when he had opened them again. There was a clarity that was not there before.

"You are not an extension of him. You are a Man."

He stood. His knees would buckle but he willed himself to stand anyway.

"Do not become what you despise about the world, if you are asked."

She did not yet have the strength to rise and follow him as he started to leave. She raised her voice as he moved away.

"And what if it is my fate to carry that burden, to be what I despise so that nothing else must?"

The Head grabbed the door's handle, supporting himself upon it before he could pull it open.

"Then you would be a fool. But that is not my choice to make."

He opened the door and left.

Tannen could now stand, she saw Auryen out the side of her view tending to the innkeep. She had half a mind to follow the Head, to ask him more of what he meant, but she went to Auryen instead. He turned to her as she came.

"A god? Here? You summoned your god here? I have a thousand thousand questions! But, you seem ill. Are you alright?"

She didn't answer.

"It's fine now. With the chain from the Head, you won't be questioned or stopped, we can rest now-"

"No... We should leave."

"Are you sure?"

The Head tested her faith in her god, she would not fail, she thought.

"Yes."

The innkeep spoke, wiping away sweat.

"Tannen. Look where your foot falls, heed all warnings."

She slowly motioned thanks. She spoke to Auryen.

"Please, take me to the horses."

"Of course."

Auryen turned to Rickum.

"Squirrel lead you to prosperity."

The innkeep nodded quickly. Tannen bid farewell as well.

"May he show you why."

He knew already the god she served, no reason to reiterate. He nodded to this as well and said nothing. He was devout to none, and already said his goodbye. More a warning, Auryen and Tannen thought.

They left, they crossed the bridge with haste. There was a great many clouds that had come, every so often letting through the sun. The town was quiet. Not empty, but calm. Auryen helped Tannen to the north gate where the horses waited. They did not speak.

Making their way back through Blank River, Tannen noticed a glare of light on the ground. Small bits of metal, even through the tarnish of dirt, they looked splendid. They were thin chains.

She didn't notice when the grass faded away.

They had been riding for a tenday now, riding around the great bay that dug into the continent like a fishhook. The two passed a few more rivers and left the last of the plains behind. Tannen had last seen a tree 2 days ago, but the last forest was at Blank River.

At their pace now, they would reach Tutford in another two tendays, and Tannen would reach the border another after that. They'd seen two villages and a town since they left Blank River.

They spoke rarely, Auryen knew that Tannen was focused singularly. When they rested however, he tried to ease her mind.

For today, the sun was setting. Auryen reared his horse to stay.

The space was flat and dry, the desert had only begun and here would be the kindest place to rest.

"This is a good place to stop. Help me with a post."

"What of our tents?"

There was another reason he'd wanted to stop here, if this was the place he thought it was.

"Hell is far, far west of here, this desert is much more forgiving. We need only to tie the horses tonight."

After tending to the horses, Tannen went to start a fire, before the sun was fully gone.

"Hold off on that please. We won't need it for tonight."

Auryen stopped her.

"Why? We have water close, and there is still light."

"You once asked me to trust you, now, I'll ask the same. Thought, the stakes are much lower now."

She was confused, but decided to honor that trust.

"I suppose we'll be having dry rations then?"

"Yes, let's finish as the sky goes black."

Auryen grabbed food from the packs of the horses as he spoke.

They ate in silence for a while as the sky turned ever darker. While still waiting, Auryen grabbed his sleeping bag and laid it out, pointing westward.

"Could you grab mine too?"

He nodded and laid hers down as well, pointing westward. Then he lied down.

Tannen gave him a strange look.

"What's the reason for all of this."

Auryen pointed some many miles away, further west into the dessert.

"When the stars lay across the sky above that spot, look towards it."

The time was soon approaching, but they still had a few minutes until the light of the setting sun rolled away for the stars.

She decided to sit down on her bedding and waited, watching the sky intently.

The stars appeared slowly, fading into view. When they came above where Auryen had pointed, she looked back down. After a minute, nothing had changed.

She looked to Auryen, who suddenly lifted himself and pointed again.

"Quick!"

She turned back around in time to see something come from the sand.

The sun was fully gone, but there was still light. Not a warm glow, but a cool luminescence.

A teal and transparent thing rose from the sand. Its light shone even to where they were.

The further it rose, the bigger it was shown to be. They had only seen the beginning of it. It was swimming as it rose, gently swaying its body to further rise. The air was water for it as it escaped the sand of the desert. Only now, after a few moments of silence did they feel and hear its rumbling.

It seemed a massive fish, but there was a sturdy and wide form to it. All along it, massive tendrils and strands flowed. From what she remembered, it seemed like what a whale would look like, but that was impossible.

Tannen stood to better grasp its scale. Finally, after a minute, its tail had emerged from the desert. From the distance they were at, she could only guess, but she whispered to herself in disbelief.

"A mile long..."

"One, four tenths, three hundredths and six thousandths miles. The largest of any creature ever measured by the house of learning. Across it is-"

"Beautiful..."

"Yes."

It continued to rise, now, its mouth opened. A massive maw waiting to consume.

"Watch."

It closed its mouth as it finally came to a rest. Its head lead back as it flipped in the air, turning back down to the earth. She noticed a new bright light in its throat.

"It's eaten a star! How did it eat a tear in the veil?"

"Does it matter, to you?"

Her silence gave answer. The massive creature slowly fell back to the ground, diving head first back to the sands. After a minute more, it disappeared.