2 The Duke of Alcas

~Aymer de Valence, the Duke of Alcas

I suppose that it had been different in the beginning, or perhaps it had been the same. It is hard to tell what the truth is and what is not, for time seems to continue to blur whatever seemed to be so clear.

But what I do with certainty is what I saw, way back when I was young and my parents were both still here on Earth instead of the kingdom of heaven above; I remember the first time I ever saw the Sisterhood.

I had just completed my fifth sun cycle and was still so uncertain with my words and this concerned my parents and my nurse alike except for my lovely aunt, Lady Aenor, who insisted that it was not uncertainty but observation. She was my father's youngest sister, the daughter of my grandfather's second wife, a lady from Tiborre, and the only sister that my father considered his true sister. He had many others in between, ladies born from various Handmaids throughout the years. But Lady Aenor was the second Duchess's daughter, and the only equal in my father's eyes.

Aunt Aenor was unlike the other aunts, or half-aunts as my father considered them. She was taller than most anyone, standing with a willowy elegance besides my father. Her hair had a cast of fire in the sun, despite it's color being a pale blonde and her luminous pallor always seemed to glitter in radiance. She was the most beautiful of all my father's sisters, for it was only her who had a haunting effulgence, a mist-cast beauty that made her seem apart from this world.

How she had managed to not raise the suspicions of the Sisterhood is only my guess and who her whistleblower was, I have no idea but it was when she was well into her twenties that the Sisterhood realized that an apprentice, a possible oracle resided in Alcas. And when they were on route to fetch her, my Aunt Aenor, my nurse explained to me what her fate was.

Centuries before I was born, the Church and the Holy City had continuously fell into greater corruption as the endless war between the Empire and its neighbors waged on. With more and more bloodshed, the tired and starving people began to doubt the Church, forcing the Church to do the unthinkable. Pagan traditions of the very ancient past were studied and brought back with the introduction of a peculiar set of women. During an unsuccessful revolt within the Emperor's family, led by a princess due to an unpopular decision about succession, it was discovered that some of the women who fought besides the men were able to do so because of their adaptations.

These girls had varying degrees of near supernatural traits, ranging greatly from heightened speed, greater height, nearly impenetrable skin, and a radiating youthfulness. Some of the more "talented" even possessed the ability to see into the not to distant future.

As the masses began to idolize these few women, the Church decided to expand their existing system of nuns, called the Sisterhood, to include these women in their circle--to keep them under their control. By our time, these women were mostly highly ceremonial with increasingly close ties with the Emperor and his family; and some of the most powerful ladies were heralded as the Oracles and many beautiful young women were drafted into the Church as well to service these women as their aides.

In the beginning, it was very simple. These ladies were nuns who helped the Church with matters of the state. However with more dissension and enduring chaos, the Sisterhood had succumbed into a complicated bordello. And it was during this rapid further divisions that the Seers, young girls who serviced the public, were created to appease the public, while keeping the truly talented Oracles for the Church's own private use. And as these extraordinary women were further tamped down by the rigidities of the Sisterhood, the introduction of the Handmaids came just as seamlessly as the world became again increasingly dominated by men.

My aunt was one of these women, my nurse hushed into my ears, her superstitions taking reign of her actions; and as one of "those girls" my aunt was to be taken to the Holy City to take the robes as a bride of Christ.

I wished to speak, inform my nurse that she had to be mistaken, for my aunt was not a fighter and could not possibly be a soothsayer. Aunt Aenor was by far the most fragile, delicate person I had ever known in my short life thus far, but I knew deep within my bones that she was not one of "those girls."

But then again, she always knew when I was scared and would appear almost instantaneously, almost out of thin air, to comfort me. And it was always with merely one kiss that she could soothe any pain, any fear as if she kissed all those demons away.

Still, it could not be possible. She was tall, but most women in Alcas were of impressive height, and she was pale, but most of the Valences, our family, were paler and rather bloodless in coloring.

But it mattered not, what I thought, what I knew, what I feared, for the course of her destiny was beyond us, me and the rest of the Valences, for once the Sisterhood found you, it was the only future that you could have.

Almost as if the heavens were upset as well, the most terrifying thunder awakened me from my dreams the last night Aunt Aenor was to be in Alcas with us. Just as I flew my eyelids open to whimper in fear, I felt the soothing presence of Aunt Aenor sweep into my room. Her long silver blonde hair floating about her like an argentine halo, she beamed a warm smile, nodding as if she already understood all that I wished to say before I even thought of saying it. Her sweet lily-of-the-valley perfume hung about her life a fragrant cloud and I immediately was assuaged from all my fears.

"There is nothing to fear, my sweet little lord. It is merely the heavens clapping," she spoke soothingly as she sat besides me, her cool fingers wiping away the stray beads of perspiration that littered my forehead.

And as she leaned over to embrace me, to ward away all my fears, I then noticed the sunburst-like mark on her sternum. It was the lightest imprint but in the middle of her chest was a star, a blazing star that radiated between her ribcage and as she kissed the top of my head, I felt a sudden calm that made me forget my fears.

"There now, my darling Aymer, are we feeling better?" Aunt Aenor whispered pleasantly.

"Yes, Aunt Aenor," I sniffled before looking into her eyes, "But I have a question."

"Yes, my darling, what is it?" Her light eyes shone brightly in the dim light of night.

"You have the same mark as I do," I stated, not really asking a question, I realized belatedly.

"What?" Aunt Aenor's light brows furrowed together to create a sudden channel.

"The star," I pointed to her chest by placing a finger on her bodice, "there...I have one too."

All the calm that she had inhabited before faded as a curious fear overtook her pale visage; she looked alarmed as she set me down.

"Where?" she whispered again hesitantly.

"On my knee," I pointed to the sloping mountain underneath my heavy blankets.

"Aymer," she took hold of my little face and peered directly into my eyes, "You must never let anyone else know or see this."

"Why?" I inquired, a little frightened to see her so disturbed.

"Boys aren't supposed to have this," Aunt Aenor whispered firmly.

"But why not? You have one," I again gestured towards her chest.

"Aymer, promise me," she pleaded, desperate as her light eyes flickered with a sudden electricity.

"Ok, Aunt Aenor. I promise," I nodded towards her alarmed face as she hugged me tightly once more.

"Never," she repeated as she kissed the top of my head again, "Never, ever."

The next morning, it was so perfect that it almost seemed impossible that the night merely hours before was so turbulent.

The golden carriages of the Holy City arrived, the scarlet flags emblazoned with the insignia of the Empire glinting in the sharp sunlight. I saw my nurse suck in her breath sharply as the doors opened and three women, all dressed in the heavy and ornate wine colored robes of the Sisterhood emerged, each one richly bedecked in jewels with a prominent cross hanging in the center of their chests and large headdresses covered in scarlet and gold filigree. They nodded stiffly towards my father, showing their respect to the Duke of Alcas before they thanked him for taking care of a sister. Exchanging seals, they gestured towards my Aunt Aenor, clad entirely in white, to enter their carriage with them. My aunt kissed my father goodbye tearfully, and he whispered something in her ear to which she nodded. Then she turned to walk solemnly towards the carriage before turning back to embrace me one last time. I saw the sisters raise their brows faintly but they waited aback as they reeled their impatience.

"Remember Aymer. Never," Aunt Aenor whispered in my ear as she kissed my cheek.

As they took her away into their carriage, Aunt Aenor turned back to look at me once again and smiled through her tears.

"You must be brave now and see through your fears. Remember, it will only make you stronger," she waved at me as the carriage rolled away into the horizon.