Legacies of light

I remember all of the decorum I have been taught and then focus thoroughly.

When speaking to one who you respect you bow your bow, and whilst allowing all of your animal parts to stick upwards. This lowers the part of you that is human while also showing how the animal parts of you are greater.

While you bow stick one leg in front of the other, and while you do this make sure your balance is impeccable, a single movement shows that aren’t properly making use of the power bestowed onto you by Danu, and lack the control of one's body that separates us from humans.

Then you say your name, and what family you come from. “My name is Raereg Ni Fergal, I serve the house of Faoláin but I am originally from a village in Gorias called Gaoth.”

If your greeting has been received well, the other beastkin will tap your foot, and then you stick out your hand for the other one to return you to a normal standing position.

He pulls me up and says, “Nice to meet you.”

This last bit changes depending on whether or not you rank above or below the person in question. If they rank above you, let them bring you up, if you’re the same rank you bring each other up, and if they rank below you bring yourself up.

Seeing that I have successfully done my introduction, I look at Ferdiad and trying to hold back a smile, he mutters, “Raereg.”

Instantly I understood what he is talking about, and I become slightly embarrassed. So I step on his foot, and Mícheál says, “I heard whispers of your existence, but I am truly surprised that someone from such humble beginnings as you would be able to handle the house of Faoláin then again you are truly beautiful.”

Slightly annoyed I hold myself back. A backhanded comment; I knew I was going to have to deal with these while working but it still hurts.

Though I have been prepared for those rather well. And with Ferdiad’s little conversation with him earlier I know everything I need to.

“It is nice though, that I can give humans something beautiful to look at before I trample over their bodies with my chariot and choke the life out of their eyes with my hands on the battlefield. I am sure you have done the same many times.”

He looks a little perturbed, and I hold back my smile.

“Yes, I am sure did back in my younger days, I went to countless battlefields,” He says with a slightly shaky expression.

“Really how surprising given your current position. I would love to hear of your exploits, and how you eventually went from battlefields to construction?” I say with a dumbly innocent voice.

Looking a bit more shaky he says, “It is pointless chatter, nothing even a retainer of a red branch family would want to hear.”

“I have heard your family has quite splendid practices in home building, such a task requires one to spend quite a bit of time learning. So the fact that you were able to balance both intrigues me quite a bit. Besides staring at a beauty like me would at least make it interesting from your side.”

He smiles a bit and says, “I would love to invite you ove-,”

“Though my brother and Setanta would have to come with me, they love knowledge about warfare far more than I do,” I say with another smile.

He giggles a bit and then turns to Ferdiad whilst saying, “Sorry I have to go now, I was already in the middle of a conversation and just came to greet you. It will be rude if I don’t return.”

“I see, bye.”

As he moves away, Ferdiad turns to me and says, “Good job.”

Taking a deep exhale, I say, “I try my best.”

Ferdiad then pulls me close to him, causing me to say, “What are you doing?”

“There are many beasts here who have rather wonderous hearing, so we need to be this close so I can hear you.”

“I understand but isn’t this a bit much.”

“I just want to see the beautiful face you're so proud of.”

“Shut up.”

Suddenly music starts to play in the area, and looking around I say, “What kind of instruments are those Druids playing?”

“It is one of the many inventions that the Céilús family have been working on. Just like the explosives we used to breach the castle wall, they have found a way to turn to plant life around wonderbeasts into instruments as well.”

As the music plays, I say, “Why does the music smell and taste sweet? Isn’t it just sound.”

Smiling Ferdiad says, “The instruments' unique frequency and our enhanced senses as beastkin allow for us to manipulate the mind in such a way that we can start to even stimulate other senses.”

Turning around to face the other people, Ferdiad says, “Though since each of us aren’t all the same animal, it produces unique effects to all who listen to it. So even you and me aren’t having the same reaction, to me it feels quite spicy.”

“How wonderful, I never knew such things were being made.”

“House Céilús is a red branch family that is constantly trying to see what we can create we have advanced knowledge of wonderbeasts and their habitats as a whole. Many records of such things have been kept in Tir Na N-iontas before we ever arrived.”

“I am surprised that you have such an interest.”

“They create many of the things I plan on implementing into my family's home, so I got accustomed to them. Not to mention that apparently, the head of the family is trying to unlock the true potential of us beastkin.”

“True potential? What does that even mean.”

“I don’t know, but maybe it could allow me to keep up with him.”

Staring at Ferdiad, I notice he looks as if his mind is preoccupied, so I say, “Are you ok?”

Focusing on me he says, “Yes I am doing fine, I am rather happy right now.”

Slapping his cheeks, I then force his face into a smile and say, “Now you look happy.”

Ferdiad says, “You better prepare for retribution.”

I brace as I see his hands coming towards my face at high speed, but not feeling an impact I say, “Huh?”

“Didn’t you know, it is disgusting behaviour to damage a piece of art?”

He starts to walk away as his words dawn on me, and then I strike him in the back of his knee saying, “My heart can’t handle things like that.”

He giggles a bit, and then suddenly he stops and stares into the distance.

Tracking his gaze, I see he is looking at Setanta, talking to a group of adults. I feel anxious as I watch this, One of the women in front of Setanta has rather large assets, and the fixation Setanta's eyes have on them is sending a chill down my spine and soon both of us precede towards him.

Ferdiad whispers, “That woman is said to be the betrothed for the current head of the Laoch household.”

“The red branch family that is known for being brutish warriors!”

Ferdiad shakes his head up and down and I say, “This is bad, really bad.”

The woman says, “My name is Nuala Ní Loingsigh, and it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Ibar looks away showing great resolve, but Setanta keeps staring at them.

He moves forward and then spends his head downwards as if he is about to crash into them, but then with excellent form Setanta greets her and says, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Lifting her up, he says, “I have heard of your exploits in botany and the like. I have bought many flowers for people I care for from you.”

Nuala becomes incredibly excited and says, “Almost no one knows me for my botany despite my efforts, hearing this is an utter delight. Which of my collections is your favourite?”

“My favourite would be the uses of the fallen tiger. A bouquet made from combining the flowers that grow out of the corpse of a tiritrex, and the red lotus from the eastern continent to show how just like the tiritrex’s every evolving nature, us members of the Tuatha Dé Dannan will overcome and conquer the east.”

Nuala starts to cry out of happiness and turns to her friends saying, “See I told you people cared about my work.”

I turn to Ferdiad and say, “I knew he was more respectable than I thought.”

Ferdiad says, “Take a second and look at the movements of his head every five seconds.”

Looking closely, I notice that using his speed Setanta is moving extremely close to her and then he goes backwards, in the moment she blinks.

Ferdiad angrily says, “Such skill is being used for this foolery.”

Moving up to Setanta I grab him and pinch his cheek saying, “I know what you doing have some shame.”

Ferdiad says, “I thought you grew up.”

Setanta then grabs both of us and says, “It is easy to say that till you experience them.”

He moves us up close to them and backwards.

In that moment, I say, “What the heck is wrong with those boulders, they simply just too much.”

Setanta says, “I know.”

Ferdiad says, “Laeg you can’t have fallen for this as well. Don’t fall for such perverted ways.”

Turning to him I say, “It isn’t even a matter of perversion just science, how can she even stand with those? What in Danu's name are those!”

Setanta says, “Truly a beast with no comparison, a part of me just wants to get down on one knee and start barking.”

Ibar coming up behind Setanta, says, “Hey let me get close as well.”

Stopping him, I say, “It is too much for your young mind.”

“And somehow war isn’t!?”

“YES!”

“You’re not even making sense.”

Suddenly Nuala turns back around which brings me, Setanta and Ibar to focus.

Beside Nuala, a man walks up and says, “Thank you for engaging in my daughter's silly little hobby, it seems it means quite a bit to her.”

“I only say such words to those who earn it, people I don’t care for aren’t even worth a greeting.”

“Haha. An eccentric man just like your father.”

Setanta then ignores him and faces his daughter saying, “If you could give me an advancement on your next collection I would be very happy.”

She nods up and down which angers him slightly.

But he can act on it in any way another woman comes up and says, “Nualas bouquets speak of our victory against the eastern humans, but in all honesty, such a win is still far off into the future for us beastkin.”

Another beastkin says, “I thought when their king died we would finally be able to break them, but it seems the systems he put in place still hold strong. What a pestering human.”

Nuala says, “A human who during our first invasion into the eastern continent, managed to gather up all the scattered tribes and groups into a single fighting force and pushed us back decades ago, then formed all of the people in the east into a single kingdom. The heavenly emperor blessed by the bloody lotus, or so the humans called him.”

Another beastkin says, “Regardless of whatever they called him, he still died early like most humans. And now that his incompetent son is in care our armies will breach his kingdom and destroy it.”

Ferdiad says, “He might have died due to age, but many of his generals and their decedents still stand by protecting the kingdom, there is no amount of incompetence that could truly destroy something so well built so quickly.”

Setanta claps his hands and says, “You all talk about this situation to much, it is like you all forget. I am here, the kingdom will soon fall the moment me and my retainers will run them over.”

Setanta words bring peace to everyone around him excluding Ferdiad, but before I can say anything.

Another of the doors in the room opens, and someone says, “From the house of Fuinseog, the next head and one true leader of his house, Donald Fuinseog and his three siblings!”