95th Ashan 717
The Glass Temple. It was a beautiful place and Faith felt the familiar sensation of calmness washing over her as she entered the building. Not that she entered here feeling anything other than content, but the atmosphere as soon as she put her foot in to the Temple, held the familiar serenity of a place of worship.
It was early in the morning, Faith had classes to go to before she started her shift at the Order of the Adunih and a meeting with Professor Til'na. Still, she came here as she did each morning, or evening. Every trial, she came to this place and here she went through a series of actions which had become a ritual to her.
First, into the shrine to Famula. There, Faith knelt before the lantern and spoke her prayer. "Blessed Famula, Lady of the Lantern and Keeper of Souls, this trial as all the trials before and all those still to come, I pledge my service to you. Accept this offering from your humble servant." In front of the lantern which was always lit in this shrine, there was a bowl of water, on which floated small blossoms. Faith reached forward and put a small red bloom into the water. Deep red and with intricate patterns in each petal, the young woman put the blossom into the bowl then took one of the old ones out, keeping it fresh. "Unto my final breath, and beyond."
From the shrine to Famula into the next, the shrine to Moseke, where Faith again knelt. "Holy Moseke, Great Mother, accept this offering from your humble servant. It is a cutting, from a tree I grow. I planted it in your name. I pledge my service to you, to serve life in all that I do."
She would let Stan know that there was a sapling in the Moseke shrine on her way out, otherwise the point of leaving the small plant was somewhat lost. Still, she picked up the small pot where she had safely tucked the cutting into the moist earth earlier and placed it next to the alter, then sprinkled it with water. "Unto my final breath, and beyond."It was early in the morning, Faith had classes to go to before she started her shift at the Order of the Adunih and a meeting with Professor Til'na. Still, she came here as she did each morning, or evening. Every trial, she came to this place and here she went through a series of actions which had become a ritual to her.
First, into the shrine to Famula. There, Faith knelt before the lantern and spoke her prayer. "Blessed Famula, Lady of the Lantern and Keeper of Souls, this trial as all the trials before and all those still to come, I pledge my service to you. Accept this offering from your humble servant." In front of the lantern which was always lit in this shrine, there was a bowl of water, on which floated small blossoms. Faith reached forward and put a small red bloom into the water. Deep red and with intricate patterns in each petal, the young woman put the blossom into the bowl then took one of the old ones out, keeping it fresh. "Unto my final breath, and beyond."
From the shrine to Famula into the next, the shrine to Moseke, where Faith again knelt. "Holy Moseke, Great Mother, accept this offering from your humble servant. It is a cutting, from a tree I grow. I planted it in your name. I pledge my service to you, to serve life in all that I do."
Finally, she went to the shrine to Vri, kneeling once more before the altar. Her whispered prayer was as heartfelt here as every trial, as they all were. "Sacred Vri, Lord of Love and Death, accept this offering from your humble servant." Since being free, Faith had become a collector; she would have always been had she been allowed to even consider such. Mementos was what she collected, small things which reminded her of big memories, important moments, treasures each one. On to the altar she placed a small bracelet made from a braid of two different colours of yarn. "It's the yarn I bought the first time I ever went and bought anything as a free woman. I used it to make scarves for us, Padraig and I, and gloves. There were little bits left over and I didn't want to waste them, I bought them. With my own money. So I kept them so I'd always remember that I could and I made a bracelet from them. Made with free hands, given with a free heart." Her hands touched the colourful yarn, twined together and she smiled. "I pledge my service to you. Love, and sorrow, remembrance and death and all the in between. Unto my final breath, and beyond."
That done, Faith stood, with the aim of going to class. However, as she made her way out to the front door of the Glass Temple she sensed something, or someone watching her and she turned back to look.
