The Promised Of Elaria

Whispers

The next morning, the sun barely peeked over the horizon when whispers began to circulate among the women of Elaria. Something was amiss. The usually composed Mother had retreated to the temple late in the night, her robes disheveled, and her steps hurried. The air in the village felt different, like a calm before a storm.

Mira, along with a few other women, gathered near the temple doors. They exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued by the Mother’s unusual behavior. It wasn’t like her to act so out of place.

“I wonder what happened,” one of them murmured. “She went to see the Promised One last night, didn’t she?”

Mira nodded, though she kept her thoughts to herself. The Mother hadn’t said much after returning from Ethan’s tent, but there was a tension in the air that Mira couldn’t shake. Something had changed between the Mother and Ethan.

“What if he… didn’t accept her?” another woman suggested, lowering her voice as if the very thought was too dangerous to speak aloud.

Mira’s eyes widened. “Do you think it’s possible? He’s the Promised One. The gods sent him to us for a reason.”

The women fell silent as the temple doors opened, and the Mother emerged. Her face was calm, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. She straightened her robes and approached them, her steps steady, though Mira could tell something was still troubling her.

“Mother,” Mira began carefully, “the women are concerned. They’ve noticed something… different.”

The Mother’s gaze swept over them, and for a moment, it seemed like she was considering how much to reveal. Finally, she sighed, folding her arms in front of her.

“Ethan… is not like the men of the past,” she said, her voice measured. “He has shown a kind of restraint that I did not expect.”

Mira blinked, unsure of what that meant. “Restraint?”

The Mother’s lips tightened, and she glanced toward the tent where Ethan slept. “He… did not give in to the desire that I expected from him. Instead, he resisted.”

There was a murmur of confusion among the women, and Mira stepped forward, her concern deepening. “Does that mean… he’s unpleased with us?”

The Mother shook her head, though doubt lingered in her expression. “I do not think he’s displeased. But he hesitates. Perhaps he is still adjusting to our ways. Or perhaps… the gods have more to reveal.”

The women exchanged uncertain glances. The Promised One was meant to be their salvation, the key to their future. But if he was hesitating, what did that mean for them?

“Mother,” one of the older women said quietly, “what are we to do? If he hesitates with you, will he ever accept us?”

The Mother lifted her chin, regaining some of her usual authority. “We must be patient. He will come to understand his role in time. But for now, we must not push him too hard.”

Mira could see that the Mother was holding something back, but she didn’t press the matter further. The women were already uneasy, and the Mother’s uncertainty was only adding to their concerns. Still, Mira couldn’t help but wonder what had really happened between Ethan and the Mother the night before.

Meanwhile, in Ethan’s tent

Ethan sat at the edge of his bed, his hands running through his hair in frustration. The events of the night before played over and over in his mind. He couldn’t believe how close he had come to giving in. The Mother’s beauty, her soft voice, the way she had looked at him it had all been overwhelming.

And yet, something inside him had pulled him back. He had seen the desire in her eyes, the need for him to fulfill this role as the "Promised One." But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more going on. He wasn’t just there to father children. There had to be more to this than what they were telling him.

He exhaled slowly, staring at the walls of the tent. He hadn’t slept much, and now, with the sun rising, the women of Elaria would be expecting more of him. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep resisting.

A knock at the entrance interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see one of the women standing there, her head bowed.

“Ethan,” she said softly, “the Mother requests your presence in the temple.”

He nodded, though his mind was already racing. What could she want now?

As he made his way to the temple, Ethan couldn’t help but notice the way the other women looked at him. Their gazes were filled with expectation, with longing. He wasn’t just a man to them he was the answer to their prayers, the one who would secure their future. The pressure was mounting.

When he arrived at the temple, the Mother was already waiting for him. She stood near the altar, her face composed, though there was a tension in the air between them.

“Ethan,” she greeted him, her voice smooth but with a trace of something more beneath the surface. “Thank you for coming.”

He gave her a curt nod, unsure of where this conversation was heading. “You wanted to see me?”

She motioned for him to sit, and he did so, though his muscles remained tense. “I wanted to speak with you about last night,” she said, her voice carefully measured. “I sense that you are struggling with your place here.”

Ethan frowned. “It’s not that simple. You want me to… father children for the whole village, but no one has asked if that’s what I want.”

The Mother’s gaze softened slightly, but she maintained her authority. “You were sent to us by the gods, Ethan. This is your purpose.”

“Maybe that’s what you believe,” he said, his frustration leaking into his voice. “But what if I don’t see it that way?”

The Mother studied him for a long moment, and for the first time, Ethan thought he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, one of the younger women burst into the temple, her face flushed with excitement.

“Mother!” the girl gasped. “The preparations are complete! We’ve found the ancient scrolls, the ones that describe the union of man and woman!”

The Mother turned to Ethan, her expression unreadable. “It seems the gods continue to reveal their plan.”