Dawn of the Unconquered Sun (Part 8 of the Ignaius-Saga)

Divine Visitation

Tanier felt tired and worn out in the morning, almost as if he had too much to drink last night, something he had clearly avoided. A bath helped him to clear his head, after all they intended to visit the temple of The Sun today. Formaly this was some kind of sightseeing event and with very few exceptions the whole entourage followed along. Most were excited to see the famous temple, especially some of the scholars.

It took a while to get Variel up and out of bed that morning, and while his own bath helped, he did end up taking a nap in the litter while they rode to the temple. He woke - of course - at the sound of all the people lining the road, and the sight of the temple itself finally seemed to lift the haze of exhaustion. It couldn't, however, make him stop walking a little funny.

When they arrived at the temple, it was not much of a surprise when not just the high priest and priestess of The Sun, but really everyone working at the temple had lined up to greet their guests, not to mention a small crowd of spectators. After all formal greetings a tour through the most holy shrine in Aurora and the traditional sacrifice of wine and incense at the grand altar the group split up and the king communicated his desire to speak to the high priest and priestess in private. Of course his wish was granted and the couple went to a more private room with him, Variel and Vis and a scribe and servant they had pronounced trustworthy. Nothing indicated, if they found the request odd or surprising.

He was rather busy looking at everything, and was almost disappointed when they retreated to a smaller room, though it still had things to look at. One could say that it was his heritage, and maybe that was part of it, but he fancied himself something of a scholar, even if he didn't get to practice it much. This was all still fascinating.

After a refreshment was served, the servant retreated and after a few pleasantries were exchanged, Tanier finally came to the real reason for their visit: "We came here to seek out the blessing of the Unconquered Sun and your authority and wisdom." This introduction clearly flattered the man and he answered: "We are honored by your request. A great man like you showing his respect to the all encompassing light that guides us is a remarkable sign of humility and wisdom. How can we help you?" - "In the hymn to the Unconquered Sun we hear how the children of The Sun joined forces against their almighty father and how he exiled his children to punish them for their hubris, including his youngest son, Ignaius. He fled from his father' face, crossing the great water, where he collected an army to lead it against his father. His burning anger laid destruction to the land of Aurora, but again his devin father prevailed and for times immemorial his benevolent rule has brought wealth, happiness and justice to this land. But not all see it like this, some still hope for a triumphant return and the scorching revenge of Ignaius. We are here to end this feud. We are here to reconcile father and son. We want to see Ignaius return, not to lay destruction to this land, but to heal it."

The priest was clearly perplexed. "Why would you want to do this?" he asked.

"Because we have Ignaius. We have the miracle that old prophecies foretold. But we have no interest in vengeance or destruction. And we will need your help and the blessing of the Unconquered Sun to prevent it."

"You have Ignaius?" he stammered and his wife's face had lost all color.

"Variel, if you could please give a little demonstration?"

Tanier gestured to one of the many large bowls with fire burning in them that could be found throughout the temple.

Variel didn't know what to expect when he was told to give a demonstration. Religious types could often by highly unpredictable, but he hoped they wouldn't jump to the worst conclusion. He stood up and slowly walked over to one of the bowls. He gazed into the flames, and then slowly inserted his hand, letting the fire completely engulf it. He simply stood there, blue eyes reflecting the flame as he stared at it, not even looking up to see the reactions of the priests - not yet, anyway.