THE DAIGHACAER BOOK ONE - CHAPTER 9

Good Monday morning

I'm pleased to once again share a few insights from The Daighacaer with you.

Chapter 9 encompasses one of many scenes which truly stir my emotions – oh, let’s be honest here, I need to take breaks because I so badly want to cry. My daughter thinks that I’m a bit weird because, after all, these are scenes which I write so I should be used to them. Well, that’s not strictly true. I allow the flow of my characters to direct what I write and, often, when I reread what I’ve written, I’m amazed at the complexities within the dialogue. It’s at times like these that I realise that I am merely a scribe for a story which is mine to write but not really mine to tell. That sounds bizarre but I don’t know how else to describe it. 

Chapter 9  

On their son’s Naming Day, Eryen quietly kissed Allara and left the palace on his own with their baby in his arms. 

Allara, who would normally have chosen their child’s name with Eryen, had emphatically refused to know the name before it was accepted by The Lady Dawne. Eryen tried again to speak of it with Allara. The day before he had pleaded with her to allow him to tell her what his decision was for their son’s name. He told her that he needed her to give him some indication of whether the name he had chosen pleased her. When Eryen told Allara that her parents knew what he had chosen as the baby’s name, she smiled and quietly gave her head the small shake he had become so used to. She then turned away from him sadly. Eryen took her in his arms and dejectedly held her close to him until she fell asleep. 

In Faeré, the naming of all children, particularly royal children was a sacred ceremony and all babies were presented to The Lady Dawne for their names to sanctified. With royal babies, the sanctification was especially important because of the ‘lineage of rule’. The Lady Dawne did not only sanctify the name but gave approval for the child to be included in the royal hierarchy as a future ruler.

 

As he stood and waited, Eryen was more prepared for The Lady Dawne’s rejection of his son than any Raeldysce Royal before him ever had been. 

At the first vague and distant promise of the ascension of The Lady Dawne, Eryen smiled tentatively at his parents and bent and placed his and Allara’s baby on The Lighte Shrine which was inset into the floor. He then knelt in front of The Lighte Shrine facing towards The Lady Dawne. Eroyalen, Anoral and Malmor knelt to face Eryen across the Shrine and they all lifted up their arms towards one another. Eryen and Malmor then placed their palms together over the baby on The Lighte Shrine and bowed their heads as they looked into the face of the baby.

“My Lady Dawne, I give to you your servant, Eryen Raeldysce, Heir-Prince of the Kingdom of Raeldysce,” intoned Malmor as, keeping his hands linked with Eryen’s above the baby, he raised his face towards the first rays of The Dawne. 

Eryen then also raised his head. “My Lady Dawne, I come before you to ask for your acceptance of the Name which I now bestow upon my son and heir.” 

He hesitated for only a moment to swallow the large lump which suddenly appeared in his throat. 

“I present my decision on my son and Heir’s name.” 

He stopped to swallow again. 

This was infinitely harder than he thought it would be. 

Eryen hesitated for only one moment more and then continued in a rush. 

“My Lady Dawne, I have named our son, not for my lineage as custom would have it, but for my beloved wife as my heart would have it.” 

At Eryen’s pronouncement, a quick look of surprise passed among the other worshippers who were not aware that Eryen planned to flout the customs of the ages. Their surprise turned to consternation as they each in turn wondered how The Lady Dawne would take this break from custom and whether, given the break from custom, she would indeed accept Eryen’s heir. 

Eryen choked on his words but lifted his head and continued bravely.

“Allara, named by parents, Allora and Ryador, to be The Lighte of Yeldn, shall this day pass her heritage to all future times through our son. Our son, who draws his life from the devoted love of both yldryf and naiad together, shall possess within him all the birthright from his naiad heritage as well as all The Knowledge of Ages and of Time and Times from his yldryf heritage.” 

Eryen and Malmor then separated and lowered their palms on to the baby and held them over the tiny body. 

At the first rays of The Lady Dawne’s full light, both Eryen and Malmor put their hands under the baby and lifted him to consecrate him to The Lady Dawne. Eryen lowered his head again and his eyes remained down, looking at his son. 

Malmor once again chanted, “My Lady Dawne, I give to you your servant, Eryen Raeldysce, Heir Prince of the Kingdom of Raeldysce,” and Eryen lifted his head a second time. 

It was then Eryen’s turn to speak again and he found it easier this time. His decision had been made and he confidently relayed it to his Deity. 

“My Lady Dawne, I, your servant, Eryen, Heir Prince of Raeldysce, who loves you truly, offers to you the heart of my heart, the soul of my soul. I give to you your son ‘Ryallor Raeldysce.’ At his name, Ryallor himself lifted his tiny face upwards.

It was done.

 

It is quite difficult to encapsulate the depth of emotion in chapter 9. It stands out to me as a pivotal chapter in the book and, sigh, I still find it difficult to read. One of the most difficult for me is towards the end.

Over the months, Allara’s life continued to fade away into nothingness and it became more and more clear that Allara was losing what little will to live she still had. 

Ryallor was almost six months old when Eryen woke up with an urgent dread in the middle of the night and he looked anxiously across at his tiny, delicate wife. 

She smiled at him sadly and then said only three words; words which would haunt Eryen for the rest of his life. 

“Farewell, My Husband.” 

Eryen lifted her up into his arms crying, “No, Allara. Please, No! Lord Dayl, for the Love of The Lighte, help me! Allara, I love you. Don’t leave me. Let me help you get well. We can work this out, Allara. I can help you, Allara, Please, Love of Mine, please don’t go!” 

Allara lay quiet and so very still in his arms until, with one last delicate touch of her fingers on his, she stopped breathing. 

Tears coursed down his cheeks unchecked. The wracking sobs of earlier had stopped but the void was a void which would never be filled and Eryen sat quietly and allowed the tears to fall.