By Sleeping Inspiration
"Boys?" Katha leaned over the banister of her home, her long dark hair falling down on each side of her face.
A voice answered from the lower story."I think Mark's outside. What is it?" The speaker walked into her view. He was a boy of her age, and bearing a close resemblance to her. He looked up.
"I'd like to go on a bike ride, Alaric," she said. "Just a short one, before the feast. You think Markus would want to?"
Alaric looked thoughtful. "Probably- if we can find him, that is." He shrugged. "Where do you want to go? Willowgreen, maybe? There should be time to do something before it starts. We've got a little more than half an hour."
WillowgreenPark was a community park about half a mile away. It had multiple attractive bike paths, as well as a jungle gym and a small pond - and, incidentally, a large picnic area with pavilions, which was to be the site of the 'feast' they had both referred to.
"Maybe,"Katha said. "We'd have to dress up first, in that case, or else leave and come back here before the feast." She swung down thestairs, her skirt swirling gracefully about her legs."Anyway, let's go look for Mark, and then see what we have time for."
"Sounds reasonable,"Alaric agreed. "It shouldn't take that long to find our own triplet, should it?"
Katha shrugged smilingly. From their shared lives, they knew well that even triplets could get separated - at least, they all could. And they were quite close.
"By the way," Katha said a few moments later, as they put on their shoes, "calling it a 'feast' has to be one of the worst misnomers in our history, don't you think? It makes it sound like a celebration."
"I know," he agreed dryly. "And a mass exile from your homeland isn't exactly something to celebrate, is it. Although I will admit," he added, "the United States have been pretty good to us."
"Yes,they have," she admitted, opening the front door, "but - still, none of our people have ever really felt at home here, have they?" She took a breath of the spring air, reflecting that the evening would be cool.
"No,I don't actually know of a single person who really has," he said thoughtfully. "Funny, it's been generations, our people practically have their own town here (or all live in the same area, anyway), and we just haven't settled in."
"It's in our blood," Katha said assuredly. "We belong in the old land. The old land was better anyway," she continued. "For instance -" they were now in their front yard, and she looked up and down the street "- there, triplets - oh, look! There's Markus!" She pointed at a figure walking down the street toward them. He saw them, waved, and broke into a run.
In a few moments he was beside them. He bore a close likeness to both his siblings, especially Alaric, with the same dark hair, dark eyes, and fair, aristocratic features. However, he had a more animated, dashing look than his graver brother. He was also more inclined to start things - good and bad.
He seemed inclined to start something now. "Hi," he greeted them. "I had a cool idea the other day."
Alaric looked at him a trifle warily. "Is this one of your 'urgent' ideas?" he asked. "If it isn't, do you want to go for a bike ride before the feast?"
"Well,there's not much time for that," he said doubtfully. "And my idea's not urgent...but can I just tell it to you?"
"You may speak," Katha consented.
"I think we should build a treehouse," he said eagerly. "A good one, with walls, and a real door. We might even be able to find a lock for the door.
"Wouldn't it be fun to have our own place? A three-man castle in a tree. We could use it for what ever we wanted," he continued.
"We do already have two bedrooms between us," Alaric pointed out "-ours, and Katha's. I don't especially feel the need for a private place."
"Neither do I," Katha interjected, "but I do feel the need for a treehouse. I like treehouses. The problem is, I don't think we have a good tree in our yard."
"We could make it in Willowgreen then," Markus said.
"That's exactly the kind of thing local governments hate, you know,"Alaric said reluctantly. He, too, liked the idea.
"So we build it in one of the deserted spots," Markus answered quickly. "It's a good-sized park. There should be a suitable spot somewhere. Ofcourse, then we'd really want a lock, if it was on public property."
"That's the second time you've mentioned a lock," Katha told him. "You seem oddly fixated on the idea - not that we wouldn't need one,"she added.
Moving to their front porch, they sat there and discussed the idea.
As it was getting dark, their older sister Chryssa came out. She was a beautiful, stately girl with dark eyes, like those of her siblings,and long golden hair. Normally, she wore this hair in one plain braid, but now part of it was braided ornately and the rest flowing down her back. She was wearing a beautiful dress of silk brocade that swept the ground, a cloak of golden-colored velvet, fastened at the throat with a jeweled clasp, and around her head was a coronet - a simple hoop of gold with a diamond, flanked on each side by one smaller, in the center of her forehead.
"What are you talking about out here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be getting ready? It's getting late."
Katha looked at her watch and jumped up. "You're right, Chris,"she said. "We were talking about a new project - building ourselves a treehouse, actually. We've been making plans." She looked at her triplets.
"Well,then," she said, "after the feast - or tomorrow, if there isn't time tonight - we can look around the park for a good place." She paused."Are we agreed, brothers?"
"Yes,"they both said.
"Guess we'd better dress, then," Markus added. "By the way, I was at the Falcons' just now, and Simon will be here today. Apparently his employer wasn't very happy, but he gave him the day off."
"Oh,good," Chryssa said. "I always hate it when someone can't be here for this feast." She added, "Do you want help with your hair, Katha? Mother's a little busy."
"All right," Katha replied. "Thanks, Chryssa." The children went inside.
* * * * *
A short time later, they had arrived at Willowgreen's picnic area. The tables were crowded with people, all wearing strange clothing - the ceremonial clothes of their homeland. Every family seemed to have its own place at a specific table, and all looked toward one, almost unoccupied table at the head of the pavilion. Seated there, facing the rest, were six figures.
On the edges were Alaric and Katha; next to them, Chryssa and Markus. Katha was dressed as Chryssa was, save that her coronet had only one gem. Alaric and Markus wore rich suits, also of silk brocade, embroidered with strange devices. They also wore the golden cloaks and the coronets with the single diamond.
In the center, similarly clad, stood a man and a woman - the children's parents. They were tall and majestic, both, like their eldest, dark eyed and golden haired, as was not uncommon for their people. Their cloaks were not of golden velvet, but of gold cloth. In each of their coronets was a brilliant topaz, surrounded by a ring of minuscule diamonds.
The man rose. The last rays of the sun illuminated him, and the book on the table before him. Although carefully preserved, it was clearly an ancient volume.
"My people!" the man spoke. "Exiles of Pris-Kador! It is now the one hundred forty-ninth anniversary-" he paused sorrowfully"- of our exile. One hundred forty-nine years, since the day our fathers were by sorcery cast out of our homeland, of the land of Kador in the kingdom of Prismia - the day we were cast out of our very world, and thrown into a strange one - this world, of Science,and no Magic.
"You all know this, my people - my fellow exiles. Now, as is our custom,I, Hereditary Lord of Kador, Fifty-third of that title and of my house, and Sixth Lord in Exile, shall read to you the Account of our Exile, as written by Lord Darion, Fiftieth Lord of Kador and First Lord in Exile."
"Boys?" Katha leaned over the banister of her home, her long dark hair falling down on each side of her face.
A voice answered from the lower story."I think Mark's outside. What is it?" The speaker walked into her view. He was a boy of her age, and bearing a close resemblance to her. He looked up.
"I'd like to go on a bike ride, Alaric," she said. "Just a short one, before the feast. You think Markus would want to?"
Alaric looked thoughtful. "Probably- if we can find him, that is." He shrugged. "Where do you want to go? Willowgreen, maybe? There should be time to do something before it starts. We've got a little more than half an hour."
WillowgreenPark was a community park about half a mile away. It had multiple attractive bike paths, as well as a jungle gym and a small pond - and, incidentally, a large picnic area with pavilions, which was to be the site of the 'feast' they had both referred to.
"Maybe,"Katha said. "We'd have to dress up first, in that case, or else leave and come back here before the feast." She swung down thestairs, her skirt swirling gracefully about her legs."Anyway, let's go look for Mark, and then see what we have time for."
"Sounds reasonable,"Alaric agreed. "It shouldn't take that long to find our own triplet, should it?"
Katha shrugged smilingly. From their shared lives, they knew well that even triplets could get separated - at least, they all could. And they were quite close.
"By the way," Katha said a few moments later, as they put on their shoes, "calling it a 'feast' has to be one of the worst misnomers in our history, don't you think? It makes it sound like a celebration."
"I know," he agreed dryly. "And a mass exile from your homeland isn't exactly something to celebrate, is it. Although I will admit," he added, "the United States have been pretty good to us."
"Yes,they have," she admitted, opening the front door, "but - still, none of our people have ever really felt at home here, have they?" She took a breath of the spring air, reflecting that the evening would be cool.
"No,I don't actually know of a single person who really has," he said thoughtfully. "Funny, it's been generations, our people practically have their own town here (or all live in the same area, anyway), and we just haven't settled in."
"It's in our blood," Katha said assuredly. "We belong in the old land. The old land was better anyway," she continued. "For instance -" they were now in their front yard, and she looked up and down the street "- there, triplets - oh, look! There's Markus!" She pointed at a figure walking down the street toward them. He saw them, waved, and broke into a run.
In a few moments he was beside them. He bore a close likeness to both his siblings, especially Alaric, with the same dark hair, dark eyes, and fair, aristocratic features. However, he had a more animated, dashing look than his graver brother. He was also more inclined to start things - good and bad.
He seemed inclined to start something now. "Hi," he greeted them. "I had a cool idea the other day."
Alaric looked at him a trifle warily. "Is this one of your 'urgent' ideas?" he asked. "If it isn't, do you want to go for a bike ride before the feast?"
"Well,there's not much time for that," he said doubtfully. "And my idea's not urgent...but can I just tell it to you?"
"You may speak," Katha consented.
"I think we should build a treehouse," he said eagerly. "A good one, with walls, and a real door. We might even be able to find a lock for the door.
"Wouldn't it be fun to have our own place? A three-man castle in a tree. We could use it for what ever we wanted," he continued.
"We do already have two bedrooms between us," Alaric pointed out "-ours, and Katha's. I don't especially feel the need for a private place."
"Neither do I," Katha interjected, "but I do feel the need for a treehouse. I like treehouses. The problem is, I don't think we have a good tree in our yard."
"We could make it in Willowgreen then," Markus said.
"That's exactly the kind of thing local governments hate, you know,"Alaric said reluctantly. He, too, liked the idea.
"So we build it in one of the deserted spots," Markus answered quickly. "It's a good-sized park. There should be a suitable spot somewhere. Ofcourse, then we'd really want a lock, if it was on public property."
"That's the second time you've mentioned a lock," Katha told him. "You seem oddly fixated on the idea - not that we wouldn't need one,"she added.
Moving to their front porch, they sat there and discussed the idea.
As it was getting dark, their older sister Chryssa came out. She was a beautiful, stately girl with dark eyes, like those of her siblings,and long golden hair. Normally, she wore this hair in one plain braid, but now part of it was braided ornately and the rest flowing down her back. She was wearing a beautiful dress of silk brocade that swept the ground, a cloak of golden-colored velvet, fastened at the throat with a jeweled clasp, and around her head was a coronet - a simple hoop of gold with a diamond, flanked on each side by one smaller, in the center of her forehead.
"What are you talking about out here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be getting ready? It's getting late."
Katha looked at her watch and jumped up. "You're right, Chris,"she said. "We were talking about a new project - building ourselves a treehouse, actually. We've been making plans." She looked at her triplets.
"Well,then," she said, "after the feast - or tomorrow, if there isn't time tonight - we can look around the park for a good place." She paused."Are we agreed, brothers?"
"Yes,"they both said.
"Guess we'd better dress, then," Markus added. "By the way, I was at the Falcons' just now, and Simon will be here today. Apparently his employer wasn't very happy, but he gave him the day off."
"Oh,good," Chryssa said. "I always hate it when someone can't be here for this feast." She added, "Do you want help with your hair, Katha? Mother's a little busy."
"All right," Katha replied. "Thanks, Chryssa." The children went inside.
* * * * *
A short time later, they had arrived at Willowgreen's picnic area. The tables were crowded with people, all wearing strange clothing - the ceremonial clothes of their homeland. Every family seemed to have its own place at a specific table, and all looked toward one, almost unoccupied table at the head of the pavilion. Seated there, facing the rest, were six figures.
On the edges were Alaric and Katha; next to them, Chryssa and Markus. Katha was dressed as Chryssa was, save that her coronet had only one gem. Alaric and Markus wore rich suits, also of silk brocade, embroidered with strange devices. They also wore the golden cloaks and the coronets with the single diamond.
In the center, similarly clad, stood a man and a woman - the children's parents. They were tall and majestic, both, like their eldest, dark eyed and golden haired, as was not uncommon for their people. Their cloaks were not of golden velvet, but of gold cloth. In each of their coronets was a brilliant topaz, surrounded by a ring of minuscule diamonds.
The man rose. The last rays of the sun illuminated him, and the book on the table before him. Although carefully preserved, it was clearly an ancient volume.
"My people!" the man spoke. "Exiles of Pris-Kador! It is now the one hundred forty-ninth anniversary-" he paused sorrowfully"- of our exile. One hundred forty-nine years, since the day our fathers were by sorcery cast out of our homeland, of the land of Kador in the kingdom of Prismia - the day we were cast out of our very world, and thrown into a strange one - this world, of Science,and no Magic.
"You all know this, my people - my fellow exiles. Now, as is our custom,I, Hereditary Lord of Kador, Fifty-third of that title and of my house, and Sixth Lord in Exile, shall read to you the Account of our Exile, as written by Lord Darion, Fiftieth Lord of Kador and First Lord in Exile."
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