by Robin Roseau
“What is that?” asked the girl to my right. I glanced over and saw it was Mystee, one of the new acolytes.
“The love of our Prestainamatta,” Larien said, also in a whisper.
The magic grew, and I knew it encompassed all of us.
And then she spoke. The Goddess spoke. It was to me, but I knew everyone else would hear, even if they couldn’t understand.
“I love you all,” she said. “Yallameenara, trust your instincts. You will make the right choices. And trust those closest to you. I will see all of you very soon.”
The magic held for another minute, and then it faded, slowly. Once it was gone, I slumped and blinked the tears from my eyes.
From around me, I heard the girls. Some were crying. Some were laughing. I thought most would be confused. I lifted my eyes and looked left and right. Then I turned and opened my arms. The closest threw themselves on me, and then the others. Larien, Terél, and Hallámierté encouraged a few holdouts to join the mass hug, and then we all were together, connected again.
I could feel the confusion from some. And I could feel love from others, from Larien and Terél, from Mandi and Nissi.
And then, clearly, Mandi said, “I love you, too, Prestainamatta,” and she did it with a better accent than mine. Then Nissi, Lamarta, and Radí repeated it.
We stayed that way for another minute, and then I looked over a few heads. Larien was watching me, and so I nodded. I stood slowly, several girls clinging to me.
They all looked quite stunned, Thera as much as anyone else. I caught her eyes and smiled. “Convinced?”
“That was she. That was the Goddess.”
“Yes,” I said.
“What did she say?”
“She said she loves us,” Mandi supplied. She scrunched her face. “I didn’t understand the rest.”
“Let us go sit,” I said. “And we’ll talk about it. Then we’ll take a little tour of the temple.” I gestured and got us moving, some of the girls still clinging to me. I made my way to the sofa and found myself squished by four of the girls. The rest looked upset, but Larien herded them about, and soon everyone had a seat, many of the girls on the floor at my feet.
“Larien, will you tell them what I prayed?”
“Of course,” she said. And then she repeated my prayer, first in the Words of the Goddess, and then in Framaran, and finally in Altearan.
“Did you clearly hear everything she said to us?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” Larien said. But she repeated the words, and then translated them.
“Yes, exactly,” I said when she was done. “Are there questions?”
We talked for a few minutes, Terél offering a quiet translation to Radí and Hallámierté.
“All right. We have perhaps an hour before dinner. We’re going to spend it learning about our Prestainamatta. Spread around the room are the words of the Goddess. They represent what she means to us and are at the core of our devotion to her. What I want is for those who already know these words to find their favorite word and then be prepared to explain it to others. Nissi, which one do you wish to teach?”
“A gift to be received,” she said.
“Go find it,” I said. “Mandi?”
“Joy.”
“Go.” I watched them both get up, extricate themselves from all the other girls, and then go find their words. Then I switched to Altearan. “Radí and Hallámierté, do you believe you speak enough Framaran to explain one of the words?”
“I don’t know if I will be able to answer questions,” Hallámierté said. “But I can try.”
“Pick a word.”
“A gift to be given,” she said. I nodded to her, and so she stood and went in search of her word.
“How about you, Radí?”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Do you want to try?”
“Yes. Life?”
“Good choice. Go ahead.” I paused for her to step away then turned to Larien. “We’re short two.”
“If you teach Prestainamatta,” Larien suggested, “Terél and I can handle the other four.”
“All right,” I said. “And whichever of us is free will help Radí and Hallámierté if necessary.”
They stood and moved to their words, then I stood, but I gestured for the girls to stay seated. “This is what we’ll do,” I said. “I want you girls to walk around the room, visiting each of the words, but only one or at most two of you at the same word at a time. The person there will teach you how to say that word and what it means.” I glanced over. Terél and Larien were translating to Radí and Hallámierté. “You will learn each of the words. This is an introduction, but after today, we will focus on a single word each day for the next nine days. Everyone stand up.”
I moved back to the statue then said, “Go ahead. Walk around, and when you see a sign like this,” and I gestured, “ask the person standing next to it what it means.”
They milled around for a minute, but then Tyreen walked directly to me, but as she drew closer, I whispered, “I need you to be a leader right now. Start with Nissi.”
She nodded and veered away, walking to my daughter number two. And instead, I got Mystee. “That is one of the words?” she asked, pointing.
“It is,” I said. “This word is Prestainamatta. I’ve already explained it, but it means the Goddess that is Closest to my Heart.”
“One word means all that?”
I explained about My Lady and My Lord, and then explained how it applied. That she got, and she smiled. “Pres-” She worked at it. I helped her with it.
“Now, I must tell you. I speak with an accent. You perhaps have noticed.”
“I thought it was Altearan, but Larien and Terél have a different accent.”
“Their accent is Altearan. I was born in Garneer, and I didn’t come here until my ten and third summer. You should not copy my accent but do your best to copy Larien or Terél’s. Mandi and Nissi also speak in a proper accent. I do not.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Good. Say it again.” She did, and then I said, “This is important, Mystee. You must only use this word if our goddess is the only one you hold in your heart. If you do not love her, you should call her Goddess.”
“I do,” she said. “I didn’t, but I do now!”
The answer nearly brought tears to my eyes. I reached for her, and we hugged tightly. “I’m glad,” I whispered. “Say it once more.”
“Prestainamatta,” she said. “It means the Goddess I Love.”
“Yes,” I said. “It does. Well done.”
The girls came by, one or two at a time, and I taught them this word. I also kept an eye on everything else, and while I could tell both Radí and Hallámierté struggled, they taught their words as well.
We used most of our available hour, but then we had time for me to collect everyone together. The girls were smiling, still looking around, but smiling. “Gressa, what word did you learn from Mandi?” I asked each of them a word they had learned, and they each remembered.
I was so proud of them.
And then Alta stepped into the temple. “Ready for dinner?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I do not know the arrangements for everyone.”
“Dinner is in the dining hall for all of us,” she said. “Girls, you have ten minutes to get ready. Wash faces and take care of anything else you must do, and then we will descend as a group.”
* * * *
Dawnastaria -- who we called Ria -- and Kissagoddessia -- who we called Dessa -- were three and two years old, respectively. As such, they were much too young to understand the events going on around them.
But they did understand something. All their mothers were home with them, and when it was their bedtime, the three of us curled up with our daughters, Alta in the middle with a book on her lap. It was a well-worn children’s book from Alteara, one of dozens Mesenorié and Tradódid had sent when they learned I was pregnant with Mandi. Alta had seen t
hem and cried; they had been her books as a child.
At home, Alta only spoke Altearan, and we had encouraged Larien and Terél to speak that language when addressing our daughters. This was the reason they were growing up fluent in Altearan, and without either my accent or Juleena’s.
Of course, Juleena and Ralalta spoke Framaran.
Before Mandi was born, we had discussed which language I would speak. It hadn’t occurred to me to consider any language other than Framaran, but it was Ralalta who pointed out there was value in them learning Arrlottan. In the end, I decided that the only thing from The Hippa I wished to teach my daughters was how to ride properly. And so I spoke Framaran to them and hoped they didn’t learn my accent.
But tonight it was Alta’s turn to read the story. Five of us cuddled together. Alta opened the book to the first page, and slowly read the story, following the words with her finger as she read.
It was fun watching both Alta and Juleena read to the girls, especially Juleena. She had always been larger than life to me, but with the girls, she turned almost goofy, doing different voices as she read. But it had been Alta who started that, and it was just another reason why I loved both of them.
This was something I hadn’t grown up with. All of it was alien to me, really. The Arrlottan tell stories, but it is only the men who tell stories, and they are nearly always about hunting and horses. And, of course, on The Hippa, we don’t read and write. We also don’t cuddle with three moms or have beds this sumptuous or walls and roofs this thick, warm, and dry.
I had grown quite spoiled, really.
Alta finished the story, slowing down and growing quieter by the end. The girls weren’t asleep, but they had settled down, warm and safe under their covers.
Finally, Alta reached the end and gently closed the cover.
“Again, Momma,” Ria said, but at the same time, she yawned.
“It is time to sleep, lovely one,” Alta replied.
At that, Juleena slipped from the bed then reached back and collected Ria in her arms. She carried the girl to her own bed, just a few steps away, the covers already pulled down. She set our daughter down and then climbed in with her, pulling the covers up, warming the bed for a few minutes.
I hugged and kissed Dessa, whispering to her how much I loved her, and how happy I was to be home. She was nearly asleep, and I don’t know if she really noticed, but this was an important part of the day for us, especially after a long time away. If I didn’t have so much still to do before bed, I’d have stayed longer with her. But I cuddled for a minute, and Alta too.
Alta slipped away first to climb in beside Ria. A moment later, Juleena slipped out, and I slipped away from Dessa. Together, Juleena and I finished tucking her in, then I moved around to lay down atop the covers beside Ria. She got her own kiss and hug and sweet words whispered into her ear.
“Love you, Momma,” she said sleepily.
And after that, we tiptoed out.
The three of us came to a stop, then stepped into Mandi and Nissi’s room. With our arms around each other, we stared at the empty beds. “I’m not sure I thought this part through,” Juleena said. “I suppose we can’t tuck them in anymore.”
“We can tuck them all in,” I said. “And I’m going to go do just that.”
I turned around. A minute later, the three of us were in the corridor outside the three rooms used by our new acolytes. “Um. I don’t know where Terél put them.”
“Three of us,” Alta said. “And three bedrooms.”
“Which one is their play room?”
“I think that one,” Alta replied with a gesture. She stepped over to it, knocked once, then opened the door and poked her nose in. She looked back. “No. Bedroom.”
“Tell them we’ll be in shortly,” I said. “Your turn, Juleena.”
She smiled and picked the next room. “Playroom,” she said. “There are girls here.” She opened the door more widely, and all three of us stepped in.
Not all the girls were there, only about half of them, including the four youngest. They were all looking at us as we stepped in, and then Mystee asked, “Are we supposed to curtsey?”
“No,” Juleena said.
“You know,” I said. “We have a few minutes. I think we should sit and chat a while. Let me collect the other girls. Save me a seat.”
I stepped out then went from room to room, poking my nose into each. I collected the rest of the girls and then, feeling somewhat like a mother duck with my ducklings clustered around me, I led them to the playroom. I was somewhat chagrinned to see all the seats were taken, but as soon as I stepped closer, Mandi and Nissi climbed from the chair they were sharing and said, “You can sit here, Momma.”
“Thank you, girls,” I said. I took the seat, and both girls then plopped down on the floor, leaning against my chair. I waited for the rest of the girls to settle, and soon they were all looking at me.
“I know you’ve all been through some drastic changes, some more than others. Mandi and Nissi knew this was likely for one or both of them, but for the rest of you, I imagine it was quite a surprise. I’d like to hear what you think. But you know what? I think I’d like to start with Mandi and Nissi. Girls, how do you feel about being acolytes?”
“It’s great!” Mandi said right away. “Our Prestainamatta is so pretty, and she plays with us.”
“We can’t see her,” Lamarta added. “Mandi and Nissi and Yalla can, but no one else can. But you can tell she’s there.”
“How do you feel about that, Lamarta?” I asked. She shrugged and didn’t say anything else. I waited a moment and then asked, “How about some of you others?”
There was some uncomfortable shifting, and then Harla raised her hand. She was a cute girl of ten years old. All right, they were all cute. “Yes, Harla?”
“Are you going to beat us?”
I stared, unsure I’d heard her correctly. “Beat you?” I echoed. “Why would I beat you?”
“My master’s wife beats me,” she said.
“Not anymore she doesn’t,” I said firmly. “No one is going to beat you, Harla. But you’re going to be a good girl and take your duties seriously, aren’t you?”
She nodded slowly.
“Good,” I said. I paused. “Harla asked an important question, and it’s not one I would have anticipated. I believe we should talk about how I envision your lives, and then I’d like to hear what all of you think.”
I looked around. “You are all acolytes, which means you are new priestesses. Some of you would have chosen this life if the choice were offered. I imagine some of you would not. But I do not believe our Prestainamatta makes mistakes in these choices, and so I believe this is the best for each of us. I imagine some of you are worried about the future. I wonder if Harla’s question puts some of your worry to bed.”
I looked at each in turn. I was suddenly Mother to far more children than I’d ever envisioned, and I absolutely knew I couldn’t do this myself. I needed help, including help from the girls themselves. I set that aside.
“You are now all students,” I said. “You have things to learn. Radí must learn Framaran. Most of you must learn Altearan. All of you must learn the Words of the Goddess. All of you must learn of our goddess, of the words, and why they are important. Mandi and Nissi know much of this, but not all of it. Even I am still learning.”
“We are all still learning,” Larien interjected.
I nodded at that. “And you have mundane studies. You must learn the things any child of Marport would learn. You have much to learn, and your days will be full.”
I looked around again, settling my gaze on Tyreen and Gressa. “You have skills I do not have. I grew up on The Hippa, a child of the Arrlottan, the horse people. I didn’t come to Marport until I was ten and three. I spoke only as much Framaran as Princess Juleena had managed to teach me. I didn’t know what a house was. I didn’t know what a barn was. The Arrlottan do not even have words for these things. I didn’t know there w
as such a thing as writing.”
“You didn’t know how to write?” Gressa asked.
“I didn’t even know writing existed,” I said. “It was years before I would read well, and even longer before writing was not a laborious process for me. Gressa, Tyreen, it is very likely you both read and write better than I do.”
They both smiled but otherwise offered no reaction.
“It is little accident so many of you are apprentice scribes,” I said. “Our Prestainamatta has need of your skills. Within the home of our Prestainamatta are books, so many books, and very, very few are written in Framaran. Larien, Terél, and I have been translating the most important ones, but we will want more copies. I wish to share them widely about Framara. And we have more books, so many books that require translation into Framaran.” I paused. “Girls, we need you.”
At that, some of them nodded.
“All right,” I said after a moment. “You will be safe. You will be fed and have clothes.” I looked at Harla. “You will not be beaten, but I know that you will be good girls and require little discipline.” I looked around some more. “You will work hard, but you will have good lives, and you will have love. You will have my love, and that of our Prestainamatta, and that of some of your new sisters.”
“New sisters?” asked Mystee. “What new sisters?”
“Look around,” I said. “The other girls here are now your sisters. You may not share blood, but you share something more important than blood.” I fingered my hair in emphasis. “Are there questions?”
Thera raised her hand, so I nodded to her. “Will I ever see my Momma again?”
“Yes, Thera,” I said. “Larien, what is typical?”
“In Alteara,” she said, “We do not have acolytes at the capital. Instead, the new acolytes live at an abbey. But sometimes families come to visit, and this is allowed. Older acolytes often travel with a priestess, and so she may visit her home during their travels. Once someone is a priestess, she may also visit her home from time to time, subject to her other duties. I have only been home a few times, and my family was not wealthy, so they were not able to travel to me often, but I saw them from time to time.”