I hated the functions, balls and mass sermons, they were all so stuffy. I had to dress a certain way, speak a certain way, perpetuate the almost painfully forced expression of who I should be.
I was the High Priestess of the Abelegian theocracy afterall and to make it even worse, I was the daughter of the Great oracle, who gave her life bringing me into the world. A fact people felt compelled to remind me about at every opportunity.
My position made Father happy though, so it was something I could endure, besides, that function was actually necessary and also my own fault.
I inherited my Mother's gift to hear the gods and I recently received a message that two of their judges would be arriving somewhere in the world, but they were being used. I had never received anything like that before and truth be told it was quite frightening, but at the same time I was excited.
The gods or at least the one I could actually hear was a bit childish, she would comment on random things and so an actual message with some kind of importance was a big deal.
We were gathered now as an informal meeting to discuss the ongoing war, but we also needed to discuss my revelation and what it could mean. I thought it was obvious, a war breaks out from between the humans and demons then two judges are sent to the humans. "We pissed off the gods." I muttered in response to someone asking directly.
My retainer was good at covering for me, but even I was relieved my mutterings came out as less than a whisper though. My position afforded me courtesy, but a woman had no place commenting on war, even if it was an opinion the gods seemed to share.
As my retainer led me away, towards my Father, where others would be less inclined to speak to me and I was in less danger of causing a scene with some ill-considered words. The doors to the hall suddenly swung wide and a messenger hurried over, dropping to his knee before father and holding up a missive of some sort.
I carefully placing myself behind and slightly off to one aide so I could see why the missive said, though I wish I hadn't, my reaction made it quite obvious what I had done and left my Father and retainer shaking their heads.
"Since people are clearly curious..." Father started, whilst looking over his shoulder at me and earning a wave of amusement. "...It appears the southern frontier town in the Kingdom of Kanelsia has declared it's independence. More so, it seems they have a rather distinguished guest that has taken residence there, this letter has been signed and supported by a Timeless one from across the Farwater."
The shifting atmosphere was invigorating, I had read ancient tomes on the mythic land of Oross and the timeless that swelled there, but for one to make it to our continent was inconceivable. I was so deep in thought I found myself answering a question I didn't even hear. "I'll go. I have the station and I probably know more about them than anyone." I spoke the words as an ethereal chuckle sounded through my head.
"Everlith, this is more than simply confirming one man's identity..." Pope Vedna trailed off, seeing that the god may have actually spoken on her behalf, judging by his daughter's disgruntled expression. "No, actually you are perfect. This will also be a good test of your growth. See if they can be trusted, decide if this "Teacher" is truly Timeless and if this is declaration is ethical or just a power grab."
I have a humble bow and excuses myself to prepare for the trip. Excited and terrified in equal measure, at the prospect of interacting with a man as dignified and noble as the timeless were in the stories, not to mention the impending arrival of divine agents. I could scarcely imagine how idyllic and exemplary such a being would be and there were two of them no less.
"Imagine if I get to meet them at the same time." I said quietly to my retainer.
Sometime later, as I neared the fledgling nation we received word that the Timeless had enforced an armistice, single-handedly putting a pause to the bloodshed. Then we arrived.
Halsan was a good man and a gracious host, welcoming each guest at the door to where the summit was to be held, backed by a peculiar looking man who seemed to radiate suffering.
He was tall and slender, perfectly average in appearance, but his discomfort and restraint was obvious. The weight of his presence threatened to suffocate me, but I couldn't fathom how we was forcing such a pleasant demeanor.
"Lady Evelith, a pleasure to see you here. This is Teacher, our resident Timeless and the one we have to thank for our meeting." Halsan said as the entire disinterested topic of his introduction wondered if he could disappear without getting in trouble.
Aside from the garbled mess of emotions I was sensing, the man seemed so ordinary I was a little bit disappointed. Then the voice chuckled and said "it's him." Leaving my hopes completely dashed. Still I did find him interesting and relatable, he was clearly donning a mask, made evident by the local commander and guild master snickering at him.
I found myself admiring his ability to fit in just long enough to dismiss everyone and redirect their attentions towards his ward, who was clearly the second judge since they arrived together. She was aystery though, I was entirely unable to read her and she was so laser focused on her companion it seemed almost obsessive.
What I could feel though was Teacher's intense distrust and anger towards her, focused so masterfully I couldn't feel it until I stood by her side. Why he felt that way was a conundrum however, one far beyond my knowledge for certain. Not that I was given the chance to actually think about it as his anger suddenly exploded towards the latest arrival.
It was so intense I almost clung to my retainer, until I noticed him not act on the explosive feeling. He simply seemed to set it aside and adopt a new mask, more akin to an angry teacher scolding an obnoxious student, making me wonder if that was how he earned his name.
What truly caught my attention was his loneliness though, like he was desperately deprived of people willing to stand beside him. Quickly finding myself annoyed at how much more relatable I found him with every passing moment. I stepped forward, ready to speak diplomatically but at the same time my instincts were telling me to take his side.
Suddenly I caught a glimpse of mischief in him, he was deliberately trying to get the Kanelsian dignitary riled up. I had heard the report of the man threatening teacher on the battlefield, yet he was sent as a diplomat, I quickly realised after that we were being played by fools.
Teacher was acting out, drawing everyone's attention, so they knew that Kanelsia had sent a hostile representative. It was confounding, he was clearly working the crowd like an expert, but hating the attention as he did so.
I found myself speaking before I realised what I was doing and realised I fell for the trap. I knew he wanted to speak to me and I wanted to observe from a distance to gauge him, but I let myself be drawn in.
All I could do was make him work for it a bit and call him on it later, which made me even madder when he used the fiasco as an excuse to leave.
He was obnoxious, devious, schemey and unpredictable. In short, I hated him, but for some reason I couldn't stop smiling, even after he metaphorically undressed me in front of everyone and made me show more of the true me than I wanted anyone to see.