<<special thanks to pammy and canadian dave>> Larmian village 449 (22 years ago)
Nadja Denali knew she was going to die, she just didn't know when. She'd felt very ill for months and she knew it wasn't just the strain of carrying the unborn baby on her small frame. The horse shaman claimed that she had some undiagnosable disease, probably regarding the blood(1), caused by her unapproved (and thus impure) marriage to the fisherman Bazfron. All the blood letting and experiments meant to cleanse her blood only made things worse. Now she'd developed the yellow eye(2) as well as a nasty leg ulcer, and her vision was cloudy, but it was another complication of her condition that would end her life. Nadja heard her sister Zelda call out over the feisty wail of the newborn, "Naddie, never doubt me, it's a boy!" just before the apoplexy(3) squeezed all thought from the new mother and her damaged kidneys gave up the fragile fight. Nadja went into the light beyond, leaving behind a faded yellow-skinned son. Only several days later, after the news of Nadja's death spread, the villagers started to fear the baby who lived while his mother had died. Bazfron grew desperate after thwarting two attempts by villagers to kill his son; one by the wet nurse he'd found to help him. He went to Zelda begging her to smuggle the boy out of the country. Instead it seemed that Zelda had a better solution. It was one that would certainly quell the village, especially the horse shaman who was demanding certain action. Of course, this solution would bring newfound appreciation for Zelda's new business. Most importantly, Bazfron could keep his son and all would be safe. And so, during the ritual public ceremony to cast a curse upon the young baby's head, Zelda held her nephew in her arms and sadly proclaimed to her grieving brother-in-law and those gathered, "His name should determine his future and pay homage to his tragic start...call him Rue.(4) He will never produce children. And the cursed Denali name will end with him." ~*~ Larmian village (today) The salty air hung in the foggy atmosphere and Rue still licked his lips frequently, even after a full two days in the fishing village. Gods, how a part of him stirred at that taste and pungent scent only a fishing village could imbue and only those who grew up there could truly appreciate. He pushed his plate away from him, the lemony sea bass having been quite tasty with seasoned rice. He took a long pull off his tankard of ale, and he studied his those who sat across his aunt's table. "...and I'll tell they just shouldn't be doing that with animals..." she continued. "Aunt Zelda..." His father, Bazfron, was quiet as usual. His aunt, Zelda, talked a storm that a seasoned fisherman could barely ride out. And now that her young daughter had left the room, she was weaving some tale of sin and degradation among a newly arrived family in the area. "Before you know it..." "Aunt Zelda..." "...yes Ruey, what is it?" "I'd like to go over your recommendations once more before I catch that ferry." "Oh of course, dear..." "So, which is the most important out of these points?" "Well, your girl Brin should come here on a trip to see you before the baby is born. Before the height of the snow Ruey..." "Right. She's not my girl..." Bazfron grumbled and looked across at his son, seeing in his young face the very image of his wife long since gone. "I dunna know why yew dunna jus' hitch her and move up. Then family takes care o' family..." Rue looked at his father and his jaw clenched. Nevermind that they'd covered that topic to death already in the past 48 hours. He argued with the old man enough and he pointedly chose to remain silent about it just then, rubbing his eyes and sighing which indicated more than enough how he felt about his father's stubborn insistence. Bazfron persisted, "'ell's 'ounds boy, yew should jus' rousk her(5) late one night like I did to yer Ma...she never did no complain'..." "And she should take this," Zelda set the large bottle down before him, nudging the old fisherman to be quiet. "I'll have another batch ready when she visits. One small amount of the liquid before bed. It'll help to thicken the baby's blood." Rue eyed his father across the table before lifting the bottle of dark liquid to study it. He continued to listen intently to the rest of his Aunt's instructions. There was a hard confrontation exchanged upon the younger Denali's arrival. Rue accused his father of lying to him all his life. Accused him of betrayal and the worst thing a parent could ever do to a child; take away his hopes and dreams. Rue vowed aloud to Bazfron that he would never let that happen to his child. But Bazfron redeemed himself somewhat with Zelda's help. They finally revealed the secret of his mother's illness to Rue. They still insisted a curse existed--one that could extend through the blood to his child. Through a series of readings, Zelda confirmed the minor demonic spirit that had been tossing Rue around was that of the old shaman who had diagnosed his mother and now sought to punish him of the ancestral curse that had broken. Zelda concluded the list of instructions, "...and if these rituals are followed, your child may have a chance of surviving." ----- (1) Jaundice. (2) Basically, the elements of sickle cell anemia. It lies dormant in some generations. (3) Often refers to bleeding into the brain. Stroke. (4) It is a name which almost always destroys the finer, sensitive qualities otherwise expressed, such as love. It makes spontaneous, natural expression difficult to understand. Any physical weaknesses relative to this name would show in the generative organs. (5) Steak her away. the_____________end A brief background on Rue Denali: http://www.dragonmyst.f2s.com/char/rue.html "It sounds cold, but it's not cold," he explains. "I mean, what the truth in life is, you need failures, you need tough times to get any kind of value on what's important to you and what's not. There's no way around it." (BP '92) -- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives & Other DMI Lists: http://www.dragonmyst.f2s.com/lists.php3
