Chapter 2

The temple was the most magnificent thing in the country of Lunan. It's walls were made of marble, the doors made of the finest mahogany, and handles of polished brass. The walls inside were covered in the pictures and paintings of the famous artists known all over the Lunan. The temple itself wasn't really a temple, it was really just a place for people to go and relax, ask advice of the advisors, talk to the designated priests, enjoy the art, take a walk, and for some, a place to stay temporarily. It was built to be the most magnificent building in the land, and that it was. It was originally called The Serenan, but someone first thought it was a temple, and upon asking what god it was for, was then on called the temple. Some still call it by it's official name, but it's unofficial name spread so fast it's even in the ancient runes, so few remember it.

Joy and Joran, still in awe of the sunset , stumbled into the temple, both to their own thoughts.

“That was the most amazing thing I think I have ever seen. The people back home won't beleive it when we tell them,” Joran exclaimed, his voice echoing through the vast hallways of marble.

“That was amazing, although I don't know when we will ever make it home, if we do. It is said to be the most beautiful thing to see, and I heard that if you see the sunset, you are supposed to make a wish and it will come true. But I think it has to be reasonable or it won't come true. I will never forget that moment, never in my life.” Joy sighed and turned to the painting on her right. It was a picture of a woman and her baby. “That woman looks strangely like Joy's mother,” Joran thought. He shrugged it off and chased after Joy, who had made her way down to the end of the hall.

They met a priest soon after and asked him where they might find accommodations for the night.

“You just go to the left and down that hallway,” he said, pointing down the hall they had just come from. “And then when you reach the doors, turn to your right and you'll see a set of small double doors. There will be your rooms for the night. We saw you coming, as we see most who stand at the sunset. You were lucky, not many get to see it from there. That's where it is said to be the most beautiful, especially at the point of awe as they like to call it. Have a good night and we will bring you breakfast in the morning. It will be free, as is for all here, so don't worry about how you will pay for it.” He bowed to Joran, but looked Joy in the eye. “Lornan cierra estry. Jaynian enan torun, ler cierra estry.” He bowed again, then turned on his heel and walked away.

“What was that about,” Joran asked. Joy didn't answer; she was too shaken to speak. She knew the priest had been surprised to see her, but to say the same thing to her that her mother had told her just before she died, that was a bit much. Her mother had said the same thing, but had then told her what it meant in the common tongue. 'When the lark flies, the star will die and all will be free, but the lark must fly.'

“Joy? Are you ok? You look pale. What did he say?” Joran looked worried, despite the questions that he asked. Joran himself was shaken, as he had seen what had happened. He had seen the interaction between Joy and the priest, and he had seen the light the light that had come into her eyes when he said it. He had seen a certain majesty come into her when he said it. “Are you ok Joy,” he asked again.

“I don't know. He said the same thing...” She cut off, her voice trailing like she was in a dream. “He said the same thing as my mother did just before she died. She told me what it meant. When the lark flies, the star will die and all will be free, but the lark must fly. I don't know what it means, but when I saw his eyes they turned kind of a grayish black, dark and deep. It looked like he was older than he really was. They looked like he was wise and there was a fountain of knowledge locked up behind them. Lornan cierra estry, jaynian enan torun, ler cierra estry.” She sighed and turned to Joran. Her face looked young and innocent yet old and weary, withered away with time.

They went to the room that the priest had showed them and sat down on the beds, too distracted to see the quality of it. Joy sighed. She looked at Joran and smiled, he looked more shocked than she was.

“I felt different coming in here, but I didn't want to say anything. You can go back home now if you want now that you know what it's going to be like.” She sighed again and laid down on the bed.

“I'm not going anywhere without you. Wherever you go, I go,” Joran replied.

“If you're sure,” Joy said, pausing. “I don't know how he knew that, I wonder what it means.”

“I think it means that when the lark is set free, then the star will die, like the stars life depends on the lark being trapped. It that's what the translation really is. Maybe we can figure something out later, but right now, I'm going to sleep. 'Night Joy.”

Joran was asleep in an instant, but Joy lay still, unable to get to sleep. She remembered the first time she had felt different. She had been about three years old, and she had fallen on the path with her mother just after her father had died, on the way to the woods. When she fell, she saw something, something that scared her. She saw herself falling off of a cliff where no one could help her, and she heard someone laughing and saw them looking down at her. The person, or whatever it had been had also said something, but she could never figure out what they were saying. She had many visions such as that since then, but that was the only one that kept repeating itself, and it was the only one that had not come true yet. It always scared her and she saw it again and again in her mind.

She was falling, falling away from the cliff, and the person was there laughing. She heard someone's scream, and realized it was her own. She heard the person say something.

“Not so tough now...,” she didn't hear the rest. Then something else happened, and she felt different, confident.

Joy woke up and sat up straight, gasping for air. Joran was at her side. She was crying was her throat was raw from screaming.

“Joy, it's alright, you're going to be ok. Here, drink some water.” Joran handed her a cup of water and sat down on the bed. “It was that dream again, wasn't it?”

“I was falling, but I heard him say something this time. He said 'Not so tough now.' He said something else too, but it was blurred this time too,” Joy said, still breathing hard. She finished the water just as the priest from before came rushing into the room.

“Are you okay in here? I thought I heard someone screaming.” He rushed over to the bed and leaned over Joy, who had lain down again.

Joran looked up and moved over a little. “It was just a bad dream, she'll be ok,” Joran replied, somewhat reluctantly.

“I'll be ok, don't worry about me. I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself.”

“Not in my eyes, you aren't. You had a good day yesterday, but you may not get the same thing today. I want you to stay here today, that way we can watch and make sure no one heard you,” the priest said, getting up and closing the curtains.

“What do you mean, heard me? I just screamed. No one screams loud enough to have someone hear like that. I'm surprised you heard me.” Joy sat up, a questioning look in her eyes.

“You are stronger than you know, dear Joy. Your mother must have hid it from you well. They won't hear you because of your scream, they will hear you because of your anguish. That's how I heard you.” He left the window and picked up the empty glass.

“What do you mean, my mother hid it from me well? What are you talking about,” Joy asked, looking up at the man in front of her.

“Your mother did not tell you, therefore I think it best for your mother to tell you, when she thinks it right.”

“You don't know, do you,” Joy asked, her voice softening. “My mother died two years ago. She can't tell me.”

“I know she died in body Joy, but she only left her human and turned to her real form. That is also something was left to her to tell you. I can't tell you, she chose to leave it to you to find out on your own, and now I must leave you to do the same.” He turned to look at her, “Goodnight dear Joy.”

He turned and left the room.

“Once again, what happened there? You seemed to know what he was talking about and he seemed to know about your dream.” Joran looked cautiously at Joy, scared that he might see the same majesty again.

“I did know what he was talking, strangely enough. It felt like I was finally getting the answers I have been looking for, but he won't tell me what I really want to know,” Joy said, looking at Joran. “One thing I think I have to find out is how I got my name. Everyone calls me their dear Joy, everyone except my mother. At night she would sometimes sing to me, and after she thought I was asleep one night, I heard her say 'Goodnight my dear Lark.' It was really stranger to me, and still is. I thought I had been dreaming, but maybe I wasn't. None of this makes any sense to me. It's so frustrating.”

“I don't know what I can do, but that news about your mother is something that might be helpful,” he paused. “Is there something you're not telling me? I have the feeling that you know more about this than you're letting on.”

“There is something that I haven't told you, but I'm not sure I want to just yet.”

“I know this is a lot for you to take in right now, and you don't have to tell me what it is. I just want to be able to help you, and if that's by being ignorant to what this is really about, then so be it,” Joran said, a half smile on his face.

“It is a lot for me to take in, but I don't want you to be so ignorant as you put it, I'm just not quite ready to tell you yet. Give me some time. That's all I need.” Joy looked at Joran and smiled too. “I just need time.”