COMPLETED Remembrance of Self | Fantasy | LGBTQ

Chapter 4

Red, blue and green; the three sisters: Totri'ea, Lotri'ea and Gotri'ea. Creator's mightiest creations and mistresses of the night; that's what the people of the Empire called the three moons of E'a, and every winter on this special day, when they finally meet on equal footing in the night sky, announcing the end cycle, people also call them heralds of new.

It is said that even the Creators themselves celebrated this annual occurrence. It all started when they plucked three stones from the womb of E'a: a garnet, an emerald, and a sapphire; and pinned them on the night sky. The three stones grew into the three sisters over three days and three nights, so that life could start again on mother E'a. Following in the Creator's steps, thousands of people have gathered around the Red Keep Palace, to celebrate the coming of the new cycle and new life.

However, for emperor Ryel Ashanti, son of Harabel Ashanti the Conqueror, this affair was just another performance. He liked to show his prowess every chance he got, especially to a crowd of this size. Almost half of the population in the Red city was at his feet as he stood and looked over the rail of the balcony. Looking down at his people, he licked his lips, drunk on the absolute power he commanded. He could crush every single soul in the main square, if he wanted to; it was exhilarating. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. One word, all it took was one word, and everything his eyes landed on would be laid flat to the ground.

The quiet that overcame the crowd, as soon as the trumpets announced his presence, tested of fear. It was sweet on his lips like first harvest wine, intoxicating, he wanted more; but he was patient. He knew he would get his fix of power, just needed to get over with his speech first, and the performance would start. Not waiting for a moment longer he cleared his throat and waited for every head in the square to turn towards him. The air he exhaled shimmered as his voice reverberated throughout the square.

"Every year," he began in a booming voice. "we gather here to celebrate the greatest gift bestowed to us by the Creators. Life! But, what is life?" he asked. "Is it change? is it love? Is it everything that grows, lives, and dies? The baker's passion for food? A gardener's fresh produce? Your children? Your feelings?" he paused looking at the crowd. "I do not know. But, what I do know is that life is within all of us right now, from a frosted blade of grass, to the person beside you, to you." he said pointing at the crowd, just as it was instructed on the piece of paper in front of him. The disgust was apparent on his face, he hated reading speeches; Ryel always thought of getting rid of the person writing this mronshit for him; they always left him with a sour taste in his mouth. But, alas, never quite got around in doing so, and because of his procrastination he was forced to say a bunch of sappy shit he didn't even care about.

Looking at the paper in front of him he skipped a few lines to quicken the pace and began again. "Today is indeed a joyous occasion, one full of hope and rebirth. We're celebrating the dawn of a new cycle, new life, a cycle in which we thrive and grow. Just like in life this year marks the start of a journey of change for the Empire." he paused to breathe and took this chance to skip to the end. He was bored out of his mind. "But, today, I want to be thankful to the Creators for giving us unity. They have been kind to us more than just as individuals, but as a whole, as a nation, an Empire. Because we're only strong together."

Creators forbid, what is this mronshit? he whined. Note to self, kill the speech writer. After his prolonged silence, the crowd clapped and cheered at his words. Mindless idiots.

The trumpets startled him, booming from behind, signaling the show should start so, he got his stance ready and glanced at the balcony door, giving a slight nod to a woman behind the curtain. As soon as the woman gave a nod back, Ryel started to wave his hands above his head, towards the three sisters, in a rhythmic manner like a dance, and air shimmered over the night sky. Exploding lights formed in the same pattern his hands made. Eruptions of bright colors, painted scenes of his own achievements, personifications of the three sisters, and some just simply pretty patterns that enhanced the natural beauty of the three sisters. The crowd awed and ooed at the beautiful display; children screamed in both excitement and fear at the loud bangs the spells made. Some would get dangerously close to the crowd, but they were masterfully controlled to only build up excitement. The show lasted until the next bell of the clock tower. It was quite incredible when finally a green fire engulfed the night sky in the form of the Emperor's crest, finishing it off with a burst of ice flowers that gently floated to the ground. The crowd was elated as the flowers landed in their hands earning Ryel thunderous applause. Soon after it died out, he bowed and made his way back through the balcony door. The woman was waiting for him inside. The spacious room was adorned in gold and silver luxury as the rest of the palace. She sat on a pillowed daybed, sweat beading on her forehead.