DUOPIA

Chapter 7 - Raala

From the high tower window of Bloomgarra, the young amphibiman priestess Ralaa leaned lazily on the wooden sill, staring out across the Capital and out past the shallow river plain. The morning sunrise stretched across the horizon, giving the land a glow of yellow and orange, casting shadows longer then the tallest trees. 
Every morning Ralaa would come to this spot, at the same time, just to see it. It was the most beautiful spot in all of the Bloomgarra window views, to look over the whole capital and beyond, at the perfect time.
She sighed and day dreamed, one day she will travel the land, just like all the Olders did all those years ago. Being born into a family of Sage's wasn't ideal for an adventurer like Ralaa, always studying her peoples history, the stories told from generation to generation. She didn't want to learn these things from the voices of Olders! She wanted to see these things herself, go out into the world and visit the colonies, climb the Bloodrarr Mountains and see the infamous underground Reptilite City, Foohussa. Or journey the dangerous road North of the Capital, out West to the secret fortress of the Avians, The Coop. Her father had always told incredible tales of The Coop, that his father and his fathers father told before him. But that's the problem, they were only stories! Unless Ralaa could go and see them herself.
"There you are!" 
Ralaa turned around quickly, her caretaker Fauun was standing in the doorway with her hands on her tiny hips, wearing her ceremonial gown of white and light blue with gold trims down the side. 
"-and you're not even dressed yet! Your father will have my head, come on!" Fauun stressed.
Ralaa sighed again, but for a much different reason.
"Fine." She muttered.
She turned and followed Fauun out of the tower room and down the winding staircase of marble and stone. The little windows beaming light through them as the sun rose. Fauun stopped dead halfway down the stairs. Ralaa ran right into her and almost fell on her behind.
"What are you-" Ralaa stopped and heard it also.
The sound of choir and voices singing rose up from below them, making Fauun turn pale. She turned and grabbed Ralaa's hand and started running down the staircase.
"The Rising Mass is starting! Come on!" Fauun said loudly.
Ralaa was worried too, she had stayed at the window too long this time, she was definitely going to be late today.
The winding staircase opened up to a large corridor of stone brick with four big wooden doors going down on the left hand side, and a massive courtyard with the Bloomgarra fountain towering in the middle on the right hand side. 
Fauun quickly made her way to the last door at the end of the corridor and swung it open, dragging Ralaa behind her. 
"Quickly! Get dressed!" Fauun said as she made her way to the tall wooden wardrobe and opened both doors, pulling out clothes and throwing them over her shoulder with haste and manic disregard, landing on the light stone floor next Ralaa.
Ralaa began to pick up the mess of fabric and speedily slipped everything on, undergarments, under dress, socks, slippers, head dress and her morning gown.
Fauun turned and saw her head dress was missing something, again. She groaned with frustration and knelt by the bed reaching underneath it for something.
"Where did you put it this time!?" Fauun grunted, looking at Ralaa with disdain.
Ralaa was avoiding to meet her gaze, feeling it on her cheek like a sun ray through a glass window.
"I don't know." She lied with a smirk.
"Faagaanaa Ralaa!" Fauun grumbled aloud as she lifted the mattress up over her head. 
"HA!" Fauun cried.
She reached down and grabbed the golden pendent sitting purposefully on the bed frame.
Ralaa groaned to herself, foiled again with another lousy attempt to hide her ceremonial stone from Fauun, she wasn't trying very hard, but it would annoy Fauun to no end which was mission accomplished in her mind.
Fauun turned and placed the pendent in place on her head dress, the golden oval contrasted with the white and light blue was a gorgeous balance of colour and esteem. She leaned down to Ralaa's level and looked at her sternly, but with a hint of sweetness and forgiveness.
"Are we ready?" She said.
Ralaa looked into her eyes, deep and black like the night sky. She knew Fauun since she was a baby, and has loved her like a mother. But now that she has gotten older she has started treating her like a sister, having no siblings to play with, Fauun has been nothing short of the perfect family member.
"Yes. I'm sorry." Ralaa said with a smile.
Fauun sighed and stood up straight.
"Alright, now lets go! Before the Rising Mass stops singing!" Fauun said as she hurried to the door. She swung it open and grabbed Ralaa's hand again, dragging her out of the room and around the corner, down a giant stone staircase as wide as the building. It opened to the massive dome foyer, with murals and tapestries of amphibiman history on the walls and ceiling. The singing choir was getting louder as they got to the bottom of the stairs, opening out to the big four white pillars that held up the front of Bloomgarra, the sun shining across the marble floor as it rose to meet them for the day.
The entire foyer was void of life. Fauun turned right and started heading to the big archway leading to the Prayer Hall where everyone was gathered.
The choir suddenly stopped, and the remnant echo slowly disappeared. This time Ralaa started to panic. They were really REALLY late!
Fauun rushed to the archway and stared out into the hall, eyes wide, terrified of the consequences of keeping the young priestess of Faraa, daughter of the Sage's, from being on time. She pushed Ralaa forward and bowed, slowly backing away.
Ralaa stared out into the dome shaped white room, the mass of eyes looking into the doorway at the priestess, and at the end of the room, on giant blue crystal thrones that towered twice as high as a grown man, were the five Older Sages, including her Father, Faraa and her Uncle, Buun. They were returning stares right back at her, her uncle and the other three Olders were not happy and frowned in her direction, as opposed to her Father who smiled and beckoned her over with a hand gesture.
Ralaa breathed a sigh of relief to herself, knowing her father would understand, no matter how much trouble she could cause. She pulled up her dress and sprinted through the crowd towards the front, the mass made a path for her as she stopped at the front of the gathering.
She bowed gracefully.
"Eternal balance and apologies great Sages, my tardiness is no ones fault but my own. I was distracted by -"
"Your excuses aren't welcome here child, silence yourself and take your place in prayer."  Uncle Buun sharply spat.
Ralaa swallowed her words and bowed her head, feeling her Father's soothing smile still in the back of her mind. She took a step back and kneeled with the rest of the congregation, right up the front.
Older Buun stood and took centre stage in front of the beautifully dressed mass of white, light blue and gold. All heads in the crowd bowed in respect, and grew deafly silent. Buun was the most respected Older of the Sage's. His red and grey head dress symbolised his strong memorisation of the stories about the Olders before him, and he was the most devoted to Unda, our creator and saviour from the Razuul Ra.