great princess shall be his to wife. And at his coming shall Torak
shake off his sleep and come again against the West. And the two
shall meet and struggle, and one shall be slain and the other shall be
Overlord of all the World.’ And he turned unto the Alorn Kings and
spake, saying, ‘This was not well done, Eldrig of Cherek. He who
would twist a prophecy for his own ends casts his impiety into the
teeth of the Gods. The final battle is not yet come, and Torak is not
slain.’
And Eldrig was wroth and rose up as he would smite the Aged
One, but the scales fell from his eyes, and he knew the one before
him, and he trembled before him, and spake, saying, ‘Forgive me,
Ancient One, beloved of Aldur and companion of Belar, that I did
offend the Gods and thee. I wished only to live in the days of the
fulfillment of the prophecy.’
And the Gorim of Ulgo spake, saying, ‘Great King of timeless
Cherek, the prophecy will be fulfilled. Not in thy time nor in mine,
however, shall it come to fruition. But the day will come when the
King of the West shall ascend his throne, and the last battle shall be
fought, and the fate of the world shall hinge upon that coming and
that battle. What we have seen here is prelude. In the fullness of time
shall the battle be joined, and we must be content that our part in
this is needful and the world is better for our having done what we
have done.’And turned he unto the Aged One whose eyes were ever
in shadow and spake again, saying, ‘And wilt thou abide his
coming?’
And the Aged One answered, saying, ‘Yea, I will abide – even if it
be unto the end of days.’
And the Gorim spake, saying, ‘UL is with thee, even as Aldur and
Belar. His blessing is upon thee, most Ancient of Men.’ And then
rose he and spake in a great voice that all assembled might hear,
saying, ‘Here is promised the Princess of Tolnedra to be wife unto
the King of Riva who will be the savior of the world. This is the will
of UL and of Aldur and of Belar and of\ the other Gods also. Let no
man gainsay the voices of the Gods, lest the Gods in their wrath rise
up and destroy him and all his race.’
And Mergon, ambassador of Imperial Tolnedra, was distressed,
and rose he and spake, saying, ‘But all the world knows that the Hall
of the Rivan King is empty and desolate. No King sits on the Rivan
Throne. How may a Princess of Imperial Tolnedra be wed unto a
phantom?’
And then spake the woman who was ever at the side of the
Ancient One who counseled Brand, saying. ‘From this day forward
upon her sixteenth birthday shall each Princess of Imperial Tolnedra
present herself in the Hall of the Rivan King. In her wedding gown
shall she be clad, and three days shall she abide there against the
coming of the King. And if he come not to claim her, shall she be free
to go wheresoever her father, the Emperor, shall decree, for she shall
not be the favored one.’
And Mergon spake, saying, ‘All Tolnedra shall rise against such
an indignity’ It may not be.’
And the woman answered, saying, ‘In the day that Tolnedra fails
in this shall the West rise up against her, and we will scatter the Sons
of Nedra to the winds and pull down thy cities and lay waste thy
fields and thy villages. And the people of Nedra shall be as the
people of Mara, who are no more. And, like Mara, shall Nedra weep
alone in the wilderness that his people are no more.’
And the Kings of Aloria rose, and Eldrig spake, saying, ‘To this,
pledge I Cherek.’And Cho-Ram said,To this, pledge I Algaria.’And
Rhodar said, ‘To this, pledge I Drasnia.’ And Ormik said, ‘To this,
pledge I Sendaria.’And the Gorim spake, saying, ‘I also pledge Holy
Ulgo to this. Tell thine Emperor that in the day that he or his line fails
in this, in that day shall Tolnedra surely perish.’
And then spake Podiss, emissary of Nyissa, saying. ‘And what of
my Queen, Eternal Salmissra? What voice hath she in thine ordering
of the world?’
Then rose the woman and cast off her cloak. Queenly was her
bearing, and her brow was touched as with frost,’and she raised
up her hands, and behold, the garments of Podiss fell inward
as it were the man within had dissolved as snows before the
breath of spring. And a serpent emerged therefrom. And the form
of the woman became cloudy and indistinct, and there emerged
from the mist which surrounded her a great snowy owl, and she
did grasp the serpent in her talons and did bear him aloft into
the heavens.
* This was modified.
And in the space of a little time did she return, and the woman
resumed her proper form and Podiss also. And trembling was he
and ashen-faced.
And the woman spake, saying, ‘Inform the snake woman in Sthiss
Tor what hath befallen thee. Tell her what an easy thing it is for the
owl to destroy the serpent. Fail not in this, lest I seek thee out and
bear thee again into the sky and dash thee down upon the earth
beneath. In the day that Eternal Salmissra raises her hand once more
against the Rivan King shall I plunge my talons into her heart and
destroy her utterly.’
And the Kings and Emissaries were amazed at the enchantment
they had beheld and looked upon the woman in fear and in wonder,
knowing that she was a Sorceress.
And spake the Gorim of Ulgo, saying. ‘These then are the accords
which we have reached here upon the field at Vo Mimbre: ‘The
nations of the West will prepare themselves against the return of the
Rivan King, for in the day of his return shall Torak awaken and
come again upon us. and none but the Rivan King may overcome
him and save us from his foul enslavement. And whatsoever the
Rivan King commands, that shall we do. And swear we all fealty
here unto the King that shall return. And he shall have an Imperial
Princess of Tolnedra to wife and have Empire and Dominion in the
West. And whosoever breaketh these accords, will we do war upon
him and scatter his people and pull down his cities and lay waste his
lands. We pledge it here in honor of Brand, who hath overthrown
Torak and bound him in sleep until the One comes who might
destroy him. So be it.’
And it was done as the Gorim had said, and all agreed to it and
were bound by it.
And in the fullness of time prepared the armies of the West to
depart and to return each unto their own kingdom. And before he
left called Brand to have the Prince of Mimbre and the Duchess of
Asturia brought before him again, and it was done.
And Brand spake, saying, ‘I have a mind to see thee wed before I
depart. What sayest thou to this?’
And Korodullin of Mimbre spake, saying, ‘I am content, for my
fair fellow-prisoner hath won my heart, and I will wed none other.’
‘And what of thou?’ quoth Brand unto Mayaserana, Duchess of
Asturia. ‘Wilt thou still seek river or rope, knife, or spear to separate
thee from thy life that thou mayest avoid thy wedding?’
And she answered, saying, ‘Forgive the folly of my childish
speech, great Brand. I am a woman now and gladly will I wed noble
Korodullin that the wounds of Noble Arendia be healed. And in
truth would I wed him even were Arendia not wounded.’
And Brand smiled and caused a great wedding to be prepared,
and the people of Arendia rejoiced in the marriage of Korodullin
and Mayaserana.
And one last time spake Brand unto the Kings and nobles before
he returned to Riva, saying, ‘Behold, here has much been wrought
that is good. Boundless Mallorea and fell Angarak have been
overthrown, and Evil Torak is quelled. His dark presence moves no more
in the world. The covenant we have struck between us here prepares
the West for the day in which the Rivan King returns and Torak
wakes from his long slumber to contest with him for Empire and
Dominion. All that may be done in this age to gird the West against
that great and final war hath been done. And here have the wounds
of Arendia been healed by reason of the wedding of Korodullin and
Mayaserana, and the strife which hath bloodied the fair fields and
forests of Noble Arendia for two thousand years and more is ended.
I am content with it all. Hail then and farewell.’