Return to Aether

The Seraglio

The seraglio that Taurus had created had originally been the Fane of the Storm Falcon, but alas, there was nothing to indicate this was the case. It almost seemed amusing, at least Rowena thought so. Her mother had been insane, saying that the Storm Falcon was in truth her paterfamilias. Complete nonsense, of course, but still her current prison being what had been the fane of the deity her mad materfamilias had claimed to be her father was funny in its own way.

There was hardly any women Rowena recognized. Those she did, she had barely known, just faces she had passed in the hallway even before she and Falco had married. Nothing had changed. Be she a member of the nobility, the queen or now a prisoner of Taurus Minor's seraglio, the fact was they were still just random faces to her, just as she had been a face to them. Her becoming queen had been nothing to them. She was still just a face and wherefore not? Her attire had not changed at all, she had still dressed like a performer, acrobat, dancing girl, athlete or actress, much like she dressed now.

Even to those new to Aether, she was just a face. Perhaps this could work to her advantage.

"Who are you?" asked one of the women, three and thirty twelvemonths of age, slender with dark hair and eyes. She seemed to come from further east than the Ulgen Khanate. Her hair was long and she was clad in a simple purple dress.

Remembering the alias that Achilles had given her, Rowena answered: "Brigid."

Not believing her, the woman commented: "That sounds phony. Try again."

"Rowena, Queen to Falco, Divine Deucalion of Aether."

"That sounds even more phony!"

Unsure of what to say to this woman, Rowena asked: "Who would you be?"

"Jiang." The woman answered. "I was taken from my fiancé Xuan. Who were you taken from?"

"My husband." Rowena answered. What else could she say?

"The Divine Deucalion of Aether?" Jiang asked, her eyes glazed over. "There is no Aether anymore. There is only Colonia Tauri and the High Priest of the Earth Bull rules here. Wherefore did you and your husband come here?"

"To liberate Aether."

"There is no Aether and no one can liberate it from Taurus." Stated Jiang cynically. "There will never again be Aether. This is how things will ever be, Brigid or Rowena or whatever your appellation is. You belong to the seraglio now and you will know Taurus' arms many times."

Her skin crawling at the mere thought of that, Rowena asked: "Is there a woman here, mother of a girl named Merit?"

"There was." Jiang answered. "She died last night. She struck Taurus and he strangled her as a result."

Her reddish-brown eyes wide with shock, Rowena could not help but think that Merit was now alone in the world. That poor girl!

Removing her sarong, Rowena walked past Jiang and proceeded to dance a dance devoted to the Donkey God, the Storm Falcon and the recently deceased. She did not just dress like a performer, acrobat, dancing girl, athlete and actress, but she had elected to train as one as well. In the middle of the seraglio, she danced, drawing the attention of others and soon those who had simply been faces during her days as a member of a nobility and later as Aether's queen, joined her in a circle. They had been her fellow performers, acrobats, dancing girls and what not. These women she had thought to be just faces, were in truth her sisters. The Palace was huge and even women who trained as performers, acrobats, dancing girls and what not could only be known as faces to one another.

When all was done, Rowena and her fellows smiled at one another, but even as they smiled, she could not help, but look at the entrance to the seraglio, as if someone was standing there, either Sarpedon or Tilla or someone else to report to Taurus what was going on. Thankfully, there was not and besides, who would possibly find some members of the fairer sex dancing anything worth reporting?

As Rowena spoke with her sisters, her fellow acrobats, performers, dancing girls, her fellow athletes and actresses, she learned their appellations at long last. She met Zhao, Laodice, Hama, Berenice and Livia and learned of their lives since Taurus had taken power.

"We had been with Falco's mother." Stated Zhao. "Oda had received a warning from Tigris, appearing to her as a god should with skin of gold and hair of lapis lazuli. We all left Aether, only to return when light had returned to the world. Unfortunately, Taurus eventually showed up and killed her, but not before the golden tiger Aedan had managed to claw through that bull mask of his."

"That isn't the original then?" asked Rowena, remembering Aedan, Tigris' companion just as Kenneth was to Falco.

"It isn't." Laodice answered.

"What happened to Aedan?" Had Taurus managed to kill the golden tiger? Rowena hoped not.

"He managed to escape into the island's wilderness." Stated Hama. "He is still seen, something of a hero to the people. With you, Falco and Achilles having come, surely this is the end of Taurus' rule."

Wonderfully put, they just had to all get back together and actually depose Taurus first. With the guards at the entrance to the seraglio though, Rowena and the rest couldn't just walk out and down to the boat to get her dagger and leather armour... If only she had brought more. This wasn't exactly something she had expected.

Sitting with her fellows in the light provided by a poorly created window, Rowena wondered what to do. Have someone fake an illness requiring for the court physician to be sent for? That was an idea, but it wasn't exactly something that would have required an inhabitant of the seraglio to be outside of it.

Sighing, Rowena shook her head and tapped her fingers upon the bench that she was sitting upon. There was always o many solutions, but what solution was to be chosen?

Looking over to a pool of water, the Daughter of Alfred began to wonder where that led from. Could that have been a way out? There were some women frolicking in the water, attempting to find a way for a little happiness, a little bit of fun, a little bit of excitement. Being cooped up here in one portion of the Palace could not have been good for them.

If there had been a way out through the pool, someone would have swum out long ago.

"What has your life been like, Rowena?" asked Berenice. "What happened after you, Scholastica, Xe-tian and the rest were abducted by Acinonyx and the Hyperionites?"

Smiling, Rowena told of everything that happened. The journey to Hyperion with Falco and his companions in pursuit, the Siege of Hyperion and the three twelvemonths after. When she told of her and Falco's son Macbeth, there was much smiling and congratulating...

From everyone, but Livia. "Quiet down, all of you. Taurus had eyes and ears everywhere. If he were to hear about Macbeth, he would seek this son of the House of Conall to slay him."

A fear growing in her heart, Rowena clasped her hands to her chest. Taurus had to be stopped before he became a greater threat.