The Tale of HappySinner and WarNick
Part 22.
Indeed, there was, lad. And from an ancient line. Head of State, Spiritual leader, Protector of all Merrinites. Sinners voice took on a singsong pitch as he recited the titles, and he smiled crookedly as he reached for his wine.
Nick smiled back, but silently noted the northerners almost mocking tone when referring to the man - the King - who had once led his entire people, and who had had first communion with the priests from another dimension, and then... what? A strange attitude from such a noble and righteous man, he thought to himself.
What was his name? Nick asked.
Graywyn. King Graywyn from the time he was thirteen. He was well out of his childhood and an experienced ruler by the time the priests came. Sinner looked at his wine as he swirled it around the goblet, but didnt drink.
King Graywyn... said Nick, half to himself. How did the priests contact him? Did they appear in a vision? Surely they didnt appear as beautiful demons.
Sinner chuckled. No, lad, the priests are as the priests are - small and gentle as garden sprites, but powerful beyond belief. They appear to be children at first, until you look into their eyes. Then you see who they really are. No longer smiling, Sinner continued; The King was on retreat at the Royal Stronghold, a good ten days march into the Mountains of the Rim. During such a time, staff and guards are at a minimum, as the place itself is impregnable to attack, and the King is in no danger whilst within its walls. Beneath the Royal Stronghold, within the flesh of the mountains themselves is the Chapel of Ancestors, where the King could meditate and commune with his ancestral bloodline. Only a person of royal blood could enter, and it so turned out that the Chapel was in the perfect place for what was to become the nexus between the realms.
The Priests came to The King in his Chapel?
So it is said. Not long after that, King Graywyn left his kingdom in the care of the Priests and the power of The Spheres, never to return... in body. Sinner paused, and sipped his wine reflectively.
Never to return? Why? What do you mean, in body? Nicks head was spinning with new information and even newer questions. Did he die?
No - you remember that there was a reason for the Priests coming to our world. The Orms had designs on us for his own gain, and was a powerful foe, even by the Priests standards. Already aware of our planet, he of course sensed when the Priests first communed with King Graywyn so close to the crystal core of the Mountains of the Rim. There was a psychic wave of energy that was felt in both dimensions. The Orms saw an opening to the very core of the worlds life essence in the King, and attacked. The first communion became a battle for the planet, and the King himself was the battlefield. Sinner drew deeply on his wine and sighed.
Nicks wine was forgotten. Well, The Orms obviously didnt win, because were still here. Youre saying the Priests had to battle The Orms for the soul of the King of Merrin?
Yes. Because it was a psychic attack, not a physical one, the Priests had to defend in a like manner. The Priests had the measure of The Orms, but they were also aided by an unexpected ally.
Who?
The King himself. The energy generated by the struggle within and around him infused him with a little of both forces, amplified by the enclosing mountain crystal. The communion with the Priests was almost complete when The Orms attacked, so the King was fully aware of what was happening, but unused to his new perception. It took him a while to gain control of his new psyche, and realize that he was now in gestalt with the Priests, the Spheres, and the Planet. Once he focused that energy on The Orms, it was over. The Orms was driven out of Graywyn, off the planet and into hiding to lick his wounds, and the planet was now in harmony with the Spheres. The King, however, faced a quandary. His mind, while having survived the experience and gained great power, had been sorely tried in the psychic battle, and was still adjusting to its new level of awareness. He was still just a man - albeit a king - and he had to adapt to his new... condition.