A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3, Chapter 42

In which Vaeol reunites with the Clanheads and her flag at Noruma.

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil u’Zhasaele Zolaemaue be’Son

6. Vinelae, 24,542 - 1st day Afare Southeastward from Sholasa Clanhold (37th day afetch)
Today we marched forth under dry sky, away to Noruma, after yesternight when the Sholasa yielded a feast for our guest-worship, a rough meal but well meant: wild thurseroast, root-apples baked and simmered in treebutter, mead-simmered pearworts, and enough thick, chunky wine to float a boat. We drank well, though some, like Oshis who matched Kazos cup to cup, maybe too much, for I can tell his Shota Tarami now is unhappy, for he is so wine-sick as to be almost mind-blind. We fare with not only Kazos, but again with Damyane, who eyesomely plays steadship within the clan as her father’s steadholder and afterleader, and also with Ezhani, who is next-eldest headwife, with two Korasha warriors.
Taiase has begun asking questions of our nowward time, which I take as good token, though still her nightmares worry our sleep. After camptide, she asked an odd question: why do our warriors call her wise. I shrive I had to halt thinkingly. Then I bewitted the others have spoken of her as ~Shaeavyre~ - Sage-Queen, which word is near enough to the Elder Tongue that she understands, or at least its elder meaningness.
With kindly mirth I outlaid how our history has dightened our world’s yearthousands. She had already been couth of the Time of the Warrior-Queens, which was so named even under her time’s lorekeepers, and the great wars they had fought against the Moqeva and each other. I then told that the time aftercoming, in which Taiase belonged, we have named the Time of the Sage-Queens, as a bright yoretide fondly reminded and worshiped by us her afterbears, whitfully for their peacefulness and great lore-deeds.
Then I outlaid our history after her erstwhile lifetide: the Time of the Thief-Queens, when the Retaea clan-queens had overthrown the Yaro Strath’s cities and had ruled with great strife, an evil time of great woe when the homeborn queenly bloodlines were outwiped. So the cities had suffered over yearthousands until slowly, fitfully, they uprose and overthrew the Thief-Queens, at which the Matrons had overtaken rulership for the cities’ sakes, which brought us to the nowward Time of the Pact, so named after the great alliance the Asana cities have made to withstand the Formians, in which we live.
Taiase heard all this yoretale and sat wordlessly a while. Then she quoth we seem a rougher, merer world than her lifetime. I answered she is doubtlessly right, for much of the Sage-Queens’ knowledge and wisdom was lost when the Thief-Queens rode southward and reaved through the Yaro Strath. Yet she gainsaid that I had mistaken her meaning. She does not deem our mereness and lack of craftiness a bad thing, for she warned that the Sage-Queens’ so-called worthiness, as we named, had led to their own evil.
Then she asked a boon: that we no longer call her wise. ~Eadayame shae rose,~ “I was a foolish queen,” she outlaid, “and belong not in such worthy sisterhood as you have named your forebears.” ~o di maeavame o miema-ta loyanta o’yara rimmaemara realdis.~
After rede with Semuane, we gathered the others and asked that, for now at least, they no longer name her Sage-Queen, or even Queen, but instead call her as ~Ile~ - Lady. I reckon there will be some rede-talk towardly about Taiase’s true stallworth, whether as queen or else, when we reach Son.

8. Vinelae - 3rd Day Afare; Noruma Freehold (39th day afetch)
We have reached our goalstead, where we now have begun a great truce-moot among all the clans and the Elves, where boldly we may reach peace. Also, we are again gathered with our sith and housemates, at which all overgladden. Istae told we have had good guesthood from Lady Karami while here. Also, Heraue, the Sholasa’s youngest housewife who had come as the truce’s warrant-bode, had behaved well with the other clanheads. Since she is bechild, Lady Karami had unstinted doleful worship, which I reckon yielded good worth when the housewife regathered with Kazos, Ezhani, and Damyane. Istae read there is hope for a lasting peace.
The truce-moot began this evetide when I asked Lady Karami to gather all the clanheads. She welcomed all and outquoth Noruma gladly holds such a worthy gathership as had ever beheld among the Highland Clans. I then greeted Master Mearthil and Lady Semuane, and outlaid that when first I heard of a feud among Lashunta and Elves, I had sent word to Qabarat and asked their help, for Lashunta and Elves have there dwelt peacefully together since the Time of the Sage-Queens, and had hoped they might loan wisdom to these talks.
We then told our fetch to the Moqeva Barrow and all we had found, which brought us to Queen Taiase. The others wondered at this uncanniness, that an elder Sage-Queen still lived and walked among us. Master Mearthil outlaid the weirdcraft he had found keeping her timelessly alive. When asked whether this was the Moqeva’s eldritchcraft, he yaysaid, which wrought worry. Lady Lavi asked whether the Moqeva’s foulness had besmirched the queen. Mearthil answered he cannot say, at which I inbroke, forespeaking that we would bring the queen to Son, where the loremasters and soul-seers may inseech her.
Then Lady Karami asked that Taiase come forth, so that they might see and reckon this elder queen. At my ask, Semuane led her forth, where shyly Taiase stood among the throng-ring, arailed in my spare skirt and a bodyshroud, clothing her somewhat rightly. Taiase then asked what we wished (which befuddled the clanheads when they could not understand, until we told that the Elder Tongue is much changed until our nowward speech, and that we may easily understand her only in Elvish).
Queen Taiase faltered, and then spoke (which Semuane translated), that she is Taiase uth’Aloye-Shae, sometimes called ~Taiase Shae Siemire~ - Queen Taiase the Eleventh, once queen of Son. Yet she had forsaken her city under wickedness and pride, and even more foolishly had gone into the Dale of Amaea, seeking help on false words. She told she reminded coming to Noruma (though it was not then so named) while her flight, for she knew the stonebridge over which we had climbed to reach here, and also this dell, though the trees and even the land were changed.
She then told that the Dale at that time, ere came the Elves, had been held by evil folk who had wronged her and had made twisted sport, so that she had rued her deed and would rather have never thithercome. Even then, she told, Elves, Tolamad’s folk, had already been making war against these mistwisted Lashunta and incoming the Dale. Under such a stroke, Taiase’s bond-holders had fled northward until Ta-Anossu, where they had met the Moqeva who still dwelled there. The Dalefok had upyielded her to their fell overlords, who had brought her to the Barrow their home. There she had undergone many bloody and wicked wrackships, she shrove weepingly, though forwhy she had not understood. At times, she had feared she was losing her mind until they had put her in the bed-chest in which we had found her. What had afterward befallen she knew not, though Tolamad said his folk had scoured the Barrow and slain all the Moqeva they could find, though whether others had fled into the earth’s depth he could not tell.
After her speech, Tolamad outlaid his folk had kept the Moqeva’s mark secret, lest blithe meddlesomeness stumble on some eldritch plight and reawaken it within the world. Lady Karami asked whether it were better to hide such secrets or forewarn them. Here I answered that even among the cities this secret lore is withheld from meanfolk, and shared only with sundry lorewardens and the matrons’ leaders, for fear of the evil it may work. I shrove that I had mishapfully stumbled on such lore a few years ago, and now am foresworn to bring it to the World-Soul ere I yield. Then forecatchingly, Taiase upspoke that so it had ever been, even in elder times. She shrove she had gone to the Dale of Amaea, to her woe, forwhy she had heard of hidden lore there, which she might use to retake her crown in Son. She had been a fool to so think, she shrove, and believed it better that such lore die with its bearers, or if need must, be shared down only with the trusty.
I added that the clanheads and elders here now share a whit of this forbidden lore, and they must keep it fast against any who would misbrook it. This eve’s moot ended with agreement to hide the Moqeva’s lore. Tomorrow we shall meet again to overtalk the peace-bond.