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

Rehearsal

That meeting arrived in just a few short days. Variel had been a day in recovering, and Vis had detected a fresh slew of murmurs going around about the king and why his future consort was always bedridden. Some refused to lay any blame and thought perhaps the boy was just weak and sick at being so far from home and under so much stress. Others were pretty certain that it was Tanier who was stressed, and that he was taking it out on Variel. Not a soul expected Vis to have a hand in it. Sure, they thought he must know something about it, but he was too lively and carefree to be so violent, even if he was known for his promiscuous nature.

Nevertheless, both Tanier and Variel were fit enough for the gathering when it came. It was a busy morning, with servants attempting to get their garments just right under Vis's critical instruction. Tanier needed to look regal, and Variel needed to look like Ignaius. For Variel, Vis had ordered special garments. Their main color was gray to compliment his style, but patterns of red, orange, and gold encircles his wrists and topped his boots, climbed up his arms and legs and encircled his neck. On his chest where someone of his stature might have worn his house livery during very formal occasions was instead emblazened a new symbol. It was not the golden sun of Aurora, nor the flame of the Disciples. It was some sort of combination of the two: a bright sun made of fire, looking like nothing so much as a blazing fireball ready to be hurled.

Variel stood in front of a full-length mirror as a servant fussed with his hair. Never had he looked so flamboyant to his eyes, and he was already uncomfortable. Vis was standing nearby, examining him.

"It fits you, even if you won't believe me," he stated. "Just walk with your chin up and your shoulders back, and everyone there will believe you were meant to wear it."

Variel wasn't sure he'd ever walked with his shoulders back and chin up, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't like arguing with Tanier or Vis, especially when their was no point to it.

Tanier had called in a meeting of his staff to prepare for the all important meeting of the priesthood of Sol. Scholars, diplomats and his captain of the guard gathered around the table. Of course Variel and Visorro-Kior were present as well. There was still some tension as a result of the latest events and it seemed almost like Tanier himself found it easier to get over his own abduction than his staff was, in any case he seemed to not hold grudges against anyone, something that was not equally true about everyone else at the table.

The discussion was opened by a scholar explaining the relevance of the meeting that was about to take place. They were expecting around 250 priests that have flocked to the main temple from all over Aurora and while temples of Sol Invictus were usually rather independent, such a meeting would be the proper authority to accept or reject major changes that affected the cult of the god everywhere. The last meeting of this kind had happened 57 years ago after an extremely violent outbreak of violence by the Disciples and the council had to decide, if the cult of Ignaius could or could not be reconciled with the cult of Sol - with the effect that the priests had decided against it back then, calling the Cult of Ignaius an abomination that was at odds with allmighty Sol, father of gods and men, protector of truth and justice. This decision had created an even deeper rift between the Disciples and the established cult and made it questionable, if the priesthood may be willing to reverse their opinion now, as effectively their request would amount to know less than to accept Ignaius and his cult - even if possibly in a different from that the Disciples preached and practiced.

"If they rejected Ignaius 50 year s ago, what are our chances that they will accept him now?" a high ranking diplomat asked after listening to the lecture. Tanier answered, not leaving this up to the scholar to discuss: "Because we have Ignaius himself on our side, something that no one could claim in the last millenium. That should count for something. And because we do not propose the introduction of a violent, antisocial cult that rivals their own."