Religious Reign

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Hialeah wakes up as the sunlight filters her room. She rises from her bed and gets ready for the day. Dressed in her robes she goes to the chapel and sets it up for the daily services. “Good morning Father,” She bows politely greeting the priest as he walks in. She is just setting up the candles.

“Good morning Lady Hialeah, I hope Sagia blessed your sleep.” The priest responds placing the book on the altar.

“I slept well, thank you Father, may Sagia bless you.” Hialeah replies as the finishes up. She bows in front of the altar and to the priest before leaving the chapel. Her next destination is the chapel gardens. What started off as a simple plot to keep Hialeah busy as a child, has grown to a full scale garden. The priests encouraged Hialeah’s green thumb and because of her the fruits and vegetables produced by the chapel are known throughout the city.

Hialeah sings as she tends her gardens. Her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice drifts through the gardens. The priests do not push for her to be in the church choir though. It is like they do not want her to perform in front of anyone. It is a beautiful sunny morning as the works on pulling the weeds and watering the gardens.

The King expresses scorn, "Of course it has a heart. It simply doesn't beat. At least...I don't think it does. I have no means of learning if it follows the tales and myths of vampiric stories."

He stands, placing a hand on some logs to his side, picking them up, and then moving forward to place them into the fire so as to keep it alive. After poking at it for a few minutes, he returns to his seat.

"The Vampire is against the Church....?" The King says to himself, "It has been working with the Pope for years...then again, should vampires not shy from religion, if they are truly damned?"


As Hialeah makes her way down the isle, Lord Aldian's eyes light up at the sight of his bride. With a pleased smile, he waits silently until she reaches him and then takes her hands in his eagerly. He remains silent, and the Pope begins to speak the usual lines prepared for Sagian weddings.

When the words are finished, the Pope ends with the permission to kiss the bride. Within a breath, the Lord is there with his lips pressed against hers, many of the guests looking on in wonder in how it had happened so quickly. Within a flash, his position had changed and many, except for Karen and Caroline, looked confused.

The small audience that had gathered claps their hands, giving their congratulations as the Pope smiles and congratulates them both in the name of Sagia.

"Sagia smiles down upon you, Priestess." The Pope says happily, "And your new Church is almost completed. Soon, you will run a new branch and spread the word and love of Sagia's grace and now you are wed to a good man and have the home and protection to do Her will more freely."

Hialeah can see the delight in Lord Aldain's eyes. He takes her hand as the Pope begins the ceremony. He repeats words that she has heard before, not surprising the abridged version, since this whole ceremony was rushed.

He pronounces them man and wife. She feels his cool lips against hers. The kiss itself was amazing, but too short. It could be just her though.

She smiles at the Pope and bows her head respectfully. "Thank you for your blessings Pope. I am sure our married will be long and prosperous."

She looks up at Lord Aldain. She is now Lady Aldain, and has no clue what that all entails. She cannot wait to explore the enigma that is her husband.

The small crowd joins in congratulating them. Hialeah accepts their well wish with grace and humility. "I am happy that you were able help celebrate my wedding."

She looks up at Aldain expectantly. She really doesn't know what happens now. The ceremony was so rushed. She will let him take the lead now. She knows he must be tired from all the planning. Right now she is wide awake, but she knows the tiredness will hit her later.

Maria listens to her father. She stares into the fire as she thinks about what he says. She breathes deeply before looking at the sky. “Who is to say that the pope himself is not damned? If a vampire himself is working for the church yet is condemned to be damned then who is to say that the church of sagia is not wrong in what it does?” she said.

“Sagia herself is said to be able to do no sin. If that is the truth then why turn her back on her children? They say that we are her children, yet we sin. Who has the right to judge another? The pope judges, yet I would think he would know about the eternal damned and save even his own, no his own priestess from joining holy matrimony with them.” Maria said. “This whole situation reeks of sin and damnation. I may not like what I see, but if I must play a role then I will do what I must.”

[ATTN: Maria]

The King sighs, shaking his head. He looks depressed for a moment, but it fades away. "Daughter, do you believe in Sagia?"

He looks out into the darkness that is slowly becoming lighter, though his eyes seem to be more focused on his thoughts, rather than what is actually before him. The sorrow is still there, but he says nothing for a while after Maria's response.

"You mother believed in a different Sagia." The King says, "One not worshiped or even recognized by the Church. It was a Sagia that she theorized from her own mind."


[ATTN: Hialeah]

Lord Aldain bids farewell to the few guests that made their way to his home for the ceremony, taking extra care to thank those from the Church with more appreciation than others. He smiles a lot, sure to let other take their leave completely before turning to the servants as soon as they are alone.

"Karen, Caroline," Aldain says respectfully, "You and the other maids should go and rest. You did not sleep last night at all and I know that you are very tired."

"My lord, we cannot help you wi--" Caroline begins. Lord Aldain holds up a hand to silence her and then shakes his head.

"I will not have those that live and work for me left in the embrace of exhaustion." Lord Aldain replies, "This is an order. I can protect Lady Hialeah until you have rested more proplery."

"Yes, sire." Karen says with a deep bow. Caroline follows suit reluctantly before taking leave to let the other maids know that they are dismissed for the day so that they may rest. It may take a while for everyone to get their sleeping schedule back to the way it was before.

"Milady, I..." Lord Aldain looks to his wife uncertainly, "I do not know if you would wish for a more romantic celebration, first, or if you would like to speak about the secrets that I have...if we do this, it may...change your opinion of everything. Including this marriage."

He looks almost afraid. After all, Hialeah will not like at least some of what she will hear. It will not only completely ruin the mood, but may even cause her to leave--or worse, do something else reckless. It truly depends, also, on how delicately he will be able to manage to deliver this information.

Hialeah embraces Cardinal Geoffrey before he leaves. He is the closest that she ever had to family. He looks at her with a trace of sadness in his eyes. Soon it is just them. Lord Aldain dismisses the rest of the staff including Karen and Caroline. For the first time he has called her Lady Hialeah. It makes her smile. It also warms her heart that he is thinking of his servants first.

His attentions turn to her. He seems almost nervous speaking with her. She studies him for a moment. She is truly torn. She approaches him and kisses him gently. A bold move for her to make. "For the same reasons you gave to your servants, I know you must be exhausted as well. Not only physically but mentally as well. I have to admit, I am still getting my head wrapped around everything myself.

It is tradition to consummate the marriage as soon as possible. However in light of our circumstances, I will be willing to wait." Truth be told, she is extremely nervous about that. Yes she is an adult female. She knows the mechanics of the act. At the same time she is a Priestess and has lead a life of celibacy.

"However I know how hard it is when carrying secrets on the mind. Please, tell me what I need to know. I wish to ease your mind of the burden it is carrying." She looks up at him lovingly.

Maria’s eyes do not move from the fire. She does not notice the light over the horizon. “I never knew my mother, but I am certain that her beliefs live on. Who am I to say that sagia does or does not exist? I remember when the church was a much kinder and loving place.” She looks over at her father before looking into the sky.

“I believe in the gypsy ways. If there is a creator then it would be sagia. She created the world and all in it. I don’t see her as the goddess the church has hyped her up to be. She is a kind and a loving goddess and she can do no sin. I do not believe in the goddess that the church has created, but I do believe in the goddess sagia.”

[ATTN: Maria]

The King nods his head with understanding, hearing her words with a small familiarity. Though she does not believe quite what her mother believes, they are very similar. This does not surprise him that his daughter would find such close values, even though she has not truly met her.

"I think it is time for Hialeah to know the truth of who you are." The King says, finally. "Though the truth of how you are separated is not necessary, I do believe your sister should know that she is not alone. And if you can create a bond with her, then....you can discover the intentions of this vampire, I suspect."


[ATTN: Hialeah]

With a smile, Lord Aldain escorts Hialeah to a comfortable seat before sitting next to her. He kisses her again, caressing her hair for a moment before reluctantly pulling away. Then, a sadness fills his eyes.

"My dear love, what I am about to tell you is secretive information that I have kept to myself for a long time." Lord Aldain says, "After having told you all of my secrets, some of them are ones that you must never tell simply for your own protection. I cannot allow you to be in harm's way due to what things that I tell you."

After a few moments, he stands and moves over towards the back of the room and then returns with a bottle of spirits and a couple of glasses. Sagia never did have trouble with mild drinking, though women were seldom allowed to drink anything alcoholic unless they were married or old.

"When I moved to this city, I came with the direct intent to visit with a friend that I had not seen in a long time. That was Pope Benedict II, our current Pope's predecessor. He and I worked together for many years until he passed. When our current pope took over, certain things were revealed to me--things that I had never before seen...and the Church...the church changed."

This last part is said with a dark tone, hesitant and somewhat angry, almost. He falls silent, pondering on how he should continue. He does not wish to upset Hialeah.

“Nisa stands a better chance getting close to her then I do. She seems to find distaste in the way that I think. I told her that she should marry for love that the goddess would understand but she became upset with me and said that it was an honor to marry such a man as he.” Maria said. “We had not told her who we were, but we were hoping too soon. We want her to know that we are here and that we want to be a family.”

Maria looked up as dawn broke over the horizon. “Morning has finally come too. Do you think Hialeah would give me a second chance to talk to her? I don’t even know how to tell her that we are sisters, much less how we had parted from one another. She will have questions and I will not be able to answer all of them.”

Hialeah allows Lord Aldain to lead her to a seat. It appears he made his choice. She enjoys the kiss from him. She feels his hands in her hair. Then a sadness fills his eyes. He then begins to speak. “Whatever you tell me, I will keep in secret. I thank you for trusting me with the truth.”

Her eyes follow him as he walks to the other side of the room. She is surprised when he pours a glass for her. She takes the glass and swirls the liquid around. She has never tasted anything alcoholic before. Then again she is married now. She slowly brings the glass to her lips and takes a sip of it as he begins his tale.

Lord Aldain talks about being a friend of Pope Benedict II, but how is that possible? Not even she has met him before. She hears him tell about how the church changed. “I have only heard references to Pope Benedict II. Please tell me what happened to the church and how did it change?” She is not sure if she is ready for his answer, but at the same time wants to hear what Lord Aldain has to say.

[ATTN: Maria]

The King smiles, "I think you both have equal chances, my daughter. Sisters are meant to be at odds from time to time, don't you think?"

He stands, moving towards Maria and holding out his hand to help her stand with him. He hugs her tightly, his eyes closing from the warmth of her embrace, the first embrace as daughter and father, instead of child and king. And it feels wonderful to him.

"I am sorry that I could not raise you, myself." The Gypsy King says sadly, "Every child deserves their parents."

After a few minutes, a few of the other gypsies begin to wake up and move around. Nisa is not one of those, still sleeping deeply in her tent. As she dreams peacefully of simple things, she is unaware of the life about her, moving and becoming more full of sound and activity.

"My King." One of the council steps up towards the fire, which still burns brightly. It is not necessary to be lit, now that the sun has risen, but the King has found himself drawn to it, still, for some reason. Perhaps because it was his only companion through the night as his sorrow had weighted on him most.

"Yes, Pevil." The King says, turning from his daughter to look at the man with a tired, blank expression. His voice echoed with exhaustion, both emotional and physical.

"The messenger..." Pevil says, "Our laws state that outlanders shall be put to death when they learn of the Gypsy King, so as to avoid--"

The King interrupts, his voice raised, "--unless that outlander becomes a gypsy. So, we shall have to marry him into our ways and assure his loyalty."

"This will not be...simple." Pevil says, a reluctant face showing his distrust towards Jaer and his child. "But, I would not wish to kill a child, so it is more favorable."


[ATTN: Hialeah]

Lord Aldain sighs, "I learned that the churches began to darken, infected with a false faith. Raised in Sagia's name but spreading lies and half-truths so that certain persons within the church could alone benefit. I saw deception, I saw manipulation."

He is afraid of how Hialeah will react if he speaks any names, so instead, he leans towards a few vague statements to start. A more slow and steady beginning may make this easier for the pure lady to accept.

"I can show this to you, tonight," Lord Aldain says, "I can let you see what these people are doing in Sagia's name. I believe that words alone will not do justice the harm to people...but, your purity gives me hope that Sagia's love is not forever gone."

At this, he leans into her, his cold hand taking hers with a quick, flash of a movement. With desirous eyes, he looks into hers a few inches away with an expression of wonderment.

"It is your purity that draws me and gives me hope." Lord Aldain confesses, "When I had searched for someone of true Sagian faith, I found you and I found love. I believe that you can balance the darkness in the world."

Hialeah's mind is reeling at Lord Aldain's words. Is it possible that the church is corrupt? She has heard rumors in passing, but dismissed them as heresay. "If I am pure as you say I am, it is because of the church. I am a true child if the church, raised by them ever since I was dropped off as an infant. I am not sure I understand? I learned the same teachings that all the others did..." Or did she? There were times that Father, now Cardinal Geoffrey pulled her aside, and treated her 'special'.

She feels his cold hands in hers and looks into his eyes. She can see the desire within them. Her head is swirling with emotions and her heart is racing. "What is it that you want of me? I am just a simple priestess. All I desire is my own church to spread the love that Sagia has shown to me. I do not have any power or clout in the church."

Maria hugs her father after he assists her up. “Indeed, they do deserve a second chance. It is just telling her that will make the difference.” She said. It was a different feeling to hug the man that was once just her king. Now he is her father. She wanted to ask him why, but maybe this wasn’t the time. She held him tightly in her arms until they were disturbed. She lets him go and looks at Pevil.

She is slightly stunned that Pevil would want the man to die considering he had a child, but her father stunned her more. “Who would you have him marry?” she asked. She could only pray he didn’t mean her or Nisa.

[ATTN: Hialeah]

Lord Aldain pulls away, clearly affronted. "Want from you? Goodness, milady, you are your own being. I want nothing from you but for you to be yourself. I believe that you have it in your power to make a difference by doing what you feel is right and that is all."

He stands up, putting away the spirits and then wincing as someone else walks in...Karen. She looks disheveled, as if she has just gotten out of bed. She doesn't seem overly pleased to interrupt, herself.

"My Lord," Karen bows, "If you do not rest soon..."

Lord Aldain sighs. He knows. Did she really just stay up this late to make sure he remained in good health? He truly does miss the night, anyway. However, it is sad to cut this conversation so short. He had thought Karen would actually sleep so that he would have plenty of time, but this proves that he was mistaken on just when Karen is willing to follow orders and when she is willing to cross the line.

"I'll escort the lady to her room, if she still needs sleep." Karen says sternly, "Or I shall accompany her. You need rest."


[ATTN: Maria]

The King shakes his head in response. "I have no idea, but I'm sure I will be able to find someone amenable in time. It's either that or have him killed and I do not wish to have this on my conscience."

Nisa walks out of her small bed, stretching and yawning with a comfortable casualness. Slowly moving up to Maria and The King (whose name she still has yet to learn), she feels a pang of jealousy for a brief moment. Her sister probably got to talk to her father for some time and she has had no time to spend with him. She pushes it away.

Pevil ignores her as she walks up and sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, I can talk to all of the gypsy girls...but, what should I do if no one will take him?"

Nisa looks on in interest, having no idea of what they are discussing. The topic seems interesting enough, however, with the level of distress now forming on Pevil's face. Though he seems to be addressing the King, his eyes are on Maria. It would appear that he is afraid of her response--and it would also seem that he dislikes her. Not surprising, since Maria never follows the laws or traditions of the gypsies. At least now, Nisa knows why she has been getting away with it.

"Then we shall have to kill him." The King replies with regret.

Nisa's eyes widen with surprise. They were going to kill someone? Why? And whatever could be solved from death? With a displeased expression, she crosses her arms and looks at her father. He avoids her gaze.

The King grumbles, "Let us hope that it does not come to that."

Maria sees her sister coming up out of the corner of her eye. She looks at Pevil as he looks at her. She can feel his eyes on her. She shivers at the thought of having to marry a man that she doesn't know. How could she bring herself to love a man that knew nothing of her? She had only pretended to be interested in him before.

"Good morning Nisa. I hope you slept well." She said. She leaned in close to Nisa. "They are talking about the man Jaer and his child. It seems it is law that once a person knows and sees the king then he either becomes a gypsy in marriage and loyalty or is killed." she whispered.


Maria looked up at Pevil. "Do what you can for the man and make it sound convincing." She said. She looked at her father. "I pray that death does not come to him or the child. They have done nothing but bring you news of your daughter."

Hialeah is pleasantly surprised by Lord Aldain's reaction. "Please before you rest, I think you misunderstood what I said. I am just a little overwhelmed by everything. I cannot believe there could be corruption in Sagia's church. Combined with what you mentioned earlier about a life being a lie. I don't know what is expected of me as Lady Aldain. I didn't know if you were expecting anything. I wish you a good night dear husband, and I will pray to Sagia for understanding."

She goes over and kisses his cheek. "Good night dear husband. Karen, please take me to the library and get some rest as well."

[ATTN: Maria]

Pevil rolls his eyes, walking away with obvious unhappiness. With a sigh, the King returns to his large seat before the campfire, looking to make sure that it remains lit. Nisa truly hopes that the man will be okay, but this decision is not in her hands. She looks to her sister with a bit of concern. After all, the woman is giving commands as if she already were her father to council members...she is treading lightly on string and it worries her.

Nisa moves to her father with a frown. "So...what did you decide for Hialeah? Are we to bring her to you?"

"No." The King says, "You will return to her and watch this...fiancee of hers. I wish for you to inform her of your sisterhood, but there is no need to mention too much information at once. It may overwhelm her. However, I do need you to try to gain this abomination's trust...if we can figure out what he's up to, we can do what we can to make sure he doesn't hurt or use the Priestess."

Nisa notes how he makes no words to mark his own relationship to her. He refers to Hialeah as her sister and as a Priestess only, rather than calling her by name or anything similar. Suddenly, Nisa becomes curious...

"Father," Nisa asks, "If she had remained a gypsy...what would Hialeah's name been?"

The King gives the fire a bitter gaze. "Faedra."


[ATTN: Hialeah]

Lord Aldain looks sad, "Corruption is everywhere. To be human is to have flaws and to have darkness within."

Karen nods her head, a slight frown on her face. She looks to Hialeah with hands on her hips as the Lord puts up the glasses and spirits. "To think that all of the Church would remain clean is naive, Lady Hialeah. Not all are as pure as yourself. In fact, most never will be."

Maria looks at her father with an arched eyebrow. “Why the name Faedra?” She looked at her sister and walked over to her. “I wish we had more time for questions¸ but I know we probably don’t. There is still so much more that we don’t know.” She said.

She looks around and then looks up at her father and then at Nisa. “We will do what we can, I find it hard to trust something that gives me the creeps, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t try. Nisa, it will be good to see our sister again.”

Hialeah sighs. She cannot help but feel naive about the inner working of the church. She already knows that humans are flawed, but how are they corrupting the teachings of Sagia. What else is she being kept in the dark about. "Have a good rest Lord Aldain. "

Hialeah walks over to Karen. "Thank you so much for watching out for him. Poor man will work himself to death. Now please show me to the library. I need to relax a little before resting."

Karen nods and waits for Hialeah to leave the room. "It feels odd to address him as Lord Aldain now that we are married. I will have to ask him for his name later on. I know you must still be tired as well. After we get to the library, please get some more rest. I know how to get to my room from there."

Hialeah arrives at the library. She goes to wring her hands and looks down at the unity harness. She is not upset at Lord Aldain, however she is concerned about what is going on in her church. She goes over to the fireplace and sits down by it. She folds her and and begins to pray silently. In her prayers she is asking for understanding, patience, and for guidance through this time of transition. She also thanks Sagia for Lord Aldain and the other blessings bestowed upon her.

[ATTN: Maria]

"It was chosen by your mother." The King replies shortly.

Nisa sighs. It is like their time here seems to be fading away far too quickly. Yet, no one has even discussed leaving. Still, she looks sadly at her father and waits for him to say more. To say something.

"Spend the day here with us." The King says, "What do you say?"

Nisa looks to her sister.


[ATTN: Hialeah]

Karen escorts the priestess to the library patiently, looking tired but patient. She smiles at the lady as she talks about not knowing his first name. The Lord isn't accustomed to being married, especially not when rushed into it, so she is no surprised that he has not divulged this information.

"His first name is Kisten." Karen reveals in a hushed voice, "Though not many know that. I think he would love to have someone address him with that for once."

Once they reach the library, Karen leaves and then returns with a few beverages for the lady before going off to sleep. She knows that no one would dare to harm the priestess here, but...she is still a little worried.

"I know the guard will be awake for the day shift." Karen says to her after her prayer is completed. "You'll be protected during our sleep."

Hialeah is done with her prayer by the time Karen returns. "You are so thoughtful." She takes the cup from the tray. "My head needs to calm down a little before I can rest. Please don't worry about me here, a Lady is safe in her own home."

She looks down at her cup. That is right she is a Lady now. She will have to ask Lord Aldain if he wants to be called Kisten. *Lord and Lady Kisten Aldain* She says in her head. Just the thought runs shivers down her spine. Her mind drifts to him and her cheeks flush. As the thoughts became what previously would have been considered impure.

She looks up and sees that Karen has left the room. Hialeah takes a cracker from the tray. She is worried about the corruption in her church. The idea of Sagia's teachings being twisted makes her sick. She stands and goes to a bookshelf. She starts to read the titles. She needs something to get her mind off of everything. Amongst the books she finds a book of Sagia poetry. She pulls it off the shelf and brings it to the chair.

She starts to read it and nibbles on the treats Karen left. Soon her eyes shut and she falls asleep with the book still in her lap.

Maria looks at Nisa. She could tell she wanted this. "I do not see why we cannot. Nisa, I think the rest will do you well." She said. In reality she was just as tired. Not only that but they could ask their father more.

"Father... What happened to our mother?" She asked. She looked at Nisa hoping that she would want to know as well.

The King sighs, "She was murdered by a Cardinal of the Sagian Church--though, he was not a Cardinal, then. He gained that status for killing her and taking my child."

Nisa frowns, "Why would he get such a reward....unless, they know that you're the Gypsy King? Does the church know about you? About us? Why weren't we taken?"

"I was able to escape with you two, but Kera was injured in her leg and could not keep up. I ran to your uncles and gave you two to him, plus I had several other children with me at the time to give them and then went back to help her, but...I was too late. I didn't save her."

These last works are heavy and sad and Nisa can tell that he blames himself. She's not sure what to say or really feel. She decides to pull away from the sadness..."So....they knew you were a King?"

"Oh, yes." The King says angrily, "I was there to negotiate with the Church. They requested our presence and offered to keep from our lands in exchange for our respect towards their blasphemous religious practices. They wished to end our riots. I honestly didn't not expect them to just try to kill us....because I was a fool."

Maria is stunned. She looks at her father and can see the sadness in them. There almost seemed a guilty conscience on him. "I never knew." She said. She takes a seat by the well kept fire. "There is so much that we didn't know. For so long we looked for answers and they were denied to us. I cannot believe that Sagia would allow this to happen to her people."

She sighs deeply as she almost felt haunted by the story her father told them. "Yet they allowed her to live. I cannot believe they allowed it. Surely the cardinal ...the cardinal...Nisa do you think it could be the cardinal that we met? The one who quote raised her?" She asked looking up at her sister.

[ATTN: Maria]

Nisa looks sadly at her sister, but then angrily at the question. Her fists balling up with rage, her brows scrunch down in unpleasant contemplation. "It had better not be. I'll hate him. I'll hurt him. I'll..."

"Now, now." The King says, "He did keep her alive...for one reason. To keep me and my kind away and in our lands where we no longer point out the flaws of their religious practices. If I make any further advances against the Pope, he will kill her. And this goes for you to, Nisa. You must stride carefully to make her safe."

"...what a prick!" Nisa mutters, crossing her arms.

Maria is slightly confused. “Does that mean the pope knows who we are?” She asked. “I’m not sure I understand. If he knew who we were, would he have allowed us to even be on the churches grounds?” She looks up at her sister. “I know you are angry Nisa, but we can’t allow them to hurt her. However if given the chance I will make sure you are the one to take him down.” She said winking at her sister.

“Surly there is something we can do to help her understand. She seemed so focused when I questioned anything about Sagia to her.” She explained.