Chapter 16. Presentation Before The Empress
The train slowed substantially as it encountered the grades and curves of the Sunset Mountains. What could be seen of the morning’s predawn and dawning sky was glorious. Rounding curves cut into mountain sides frequently blocked or revealed the changing light and clouds of the advancing morning.
Grata, watching the changeling’s eager window watching, was deeply moved. She reached out and pulled the changeling into a hug. Her crest showing her curiosity, she asked, “My friend, I have never thought to ask this before, for which I apologize. What is your name?”
The changeling gave Grata a confused look. “Name? I/we do not have a name. May I/we share mind to see what a name for me/us may be?”
Grata leaned her forehead against the changeling’s horn without hesitation. She felt the same caring and love that she had felt before, as their minds met.
The changeling pulled her head away from contact and said with assurance, “I/we are Friend. I/we are Friend to you, Friend to Daring Do, Friend to Rahak. You say Friend to me/us and we/us know you mean me/us. I/we are named Friend.”
At that moment, an Eagle veered sharply by the open window, letting the fish in its claws fly through to flop on the floor! A second fish and then a third joined it! Friend happily leaped on one and began to eat it!
A bundle of grasses hit the window’s frame and bounced in. Daring Do caught it and raised her head to where the Eagles outside, accompanying the train, could see that she had got their kind offering of breakfast. One of the Eagles swooped close and bobbed its head as it passed the window. They all heard a scrabbling noise overhead.
Rahak’s crest shot up in Gryphon grin! “Those Eagles are REALLY smart! They are riding on top of the car!”
Friend looked up from finishing her fish and stated proudly, “My/our Eagles are GOOD nymphs!”
Daring Do had to ask, “Friend, why are Gryphons and Eagles nymphs?”
Friend looked up in surprise. “I/we hatch the egg. The young comes out of the shell as a nymph. When the nymph grows well, it becomes an adult changeling. If it does not grow into a changeling, it stays a nymph. A nymph is only failed if it does not develop properly. Some of my/our Gryphon nymphs are failed. Their bodies live but they have no love. That is sad.”
Grata nodded, crest set to thoughtful consideration. “It has been generations beyond counting since your nymphs left Eagle’s Vale, Friend. Why do you still count us as your nymphs?”
Friend shrugged. “Your whole kind came from my/our eggs, that I/we loved to living forms. You have not changed in the time since you left me/us. You have not become grown changelings. You are still the nymphs that I/we loved into being.”
Grata nodded acceptance. “This will be interesting to bring out at Court. Somehow, I suspect that most of the Court will be either amused or offended. It should be fun!”
The train entered a long valley with many Aeries clinging to the steep cliff sides. At the head of the valley was an enormous Aerie, built all of stone. The Imperial Aerie.
Slowing gradually, the train pulled up to a platform of stonework with Gryphon type terminal buildings. There were terminal level warehouse doors and curtained passenger entryways. These had doors that could be sealed but were presently open. Along the front of the structure was an awning protecting a set of raised Gryphon perching platforms. One had an auxiliary raised platform with three perches, the center one highest.
Both the center and right platforms had Gryphons of regal bearing. The left platform was empty. Grata paced forward to the foot of the dais and sat, spreading her wings.
The Empress of the Empire returned the spreading of her wings, crest smiling. “Welcome back to the Imperial Throne, Grata, my strong Left Wing.”
Grata ducked her head, crest set to acceptance. “If it please your Majesty, Empress of Us All, I will reserve my ascending the Throne until I have both presented our party and given a public preliminary report of Our Expedition.”
The Empress was just starting to speak when a Gryphon wearing a purple pectoral necklace adorned with two flames done in gold, waived a fat book while screaming, “Blasphemy! This is all blasphemy! They went nowhere near to the so called Sunlord temple!”
Two burly Imperial Guards hooked his feet out from under him, dropping him flat on the platform’s stones. One clamped his beak shut with a claw, gripping like iron.
The Empress glared down at the fallen priest. “Krabee, this is Official Court business. Should you dare to interrupt again, regardless of your feelings, you will be publicly beak clamped and publicly given five lashes in every Aerie of the Empire!”
Turning back to Grata, the Empress’ crest smiled, “Pardon the interruption. Some appear to believe that their diarrhea of the beak is more important than the Empire or its rulers. Do go ahead, Grata, my Strong Left Wing.”
Grata nodded, crest showing thanks. “Your Majesty, first I would like to present Wing Commander Rahak, who made the sightings that so excited us of the Throne.
“Next, is this fine pegasus, the world renowned Antiquarian, Doctor Daring Do, of the Equestrian Royal University. Her brilliant research work formed the core of our expedition.
“Without her expertise, we would have entirely missed the existence of an ancient Sunlord supply road leading in the direction of the possible temple complex.
“Her work proved that the road dates to the earliest of times. Krabee was correct in his fact. We did not get to the possible temple. All maps of the Eagle’s Vale, up which the road went, are seriously in error.
“What showed as a fairly shallow round valley proved to be a deep crater protected from sight by randomly combining and breaking vaporized rune fragments that Doctor Do has tentatively ascribed to some huge military mage weapon detonations of the last Nightmare War.
“Much study will be needed to be certain of this, but it is possible that such mage weapon fallout may have forced our ancestors to flee northward along the Sunset Mountain range.
“We know from our Legends that they were seeking a safe place to raise their chicks. The Nighmare Wars destroyed so much else that it appears likely that they were forced from an ancestral home by that fallout.
“Wing Commander Rahak can verify that there are still parts of the Shattered Valleys that are dangerous from that same fallout. That is one reason that the Empire has not even tried to annex them.
“Doctor Do ascertained that the crater was safe to enter except for simple physical danger. The Sunlord road down the crater side is long destroyed by some ancient cataclysm. Only a few turning points remain.
“Having got our cart of artifact and relic preservation supplies down into the crater, we found the old road and some associated artifacts and relics. The opposite side, toward the temple complex, was totally impassable with the equipment that we had along.
“While there, we found this changeling who was astute enough to realize that her lack of a name bothered us. She has chosen the name Friend.
“What is important enough to bring her to the Imperial Throne? Two things. One, Eagles are believed to be bearers of good fortune. We have no way to know how many years she has lived there, raising the Eagles of Eagle’s Vale but it is a long time. Many generations of Eagles for certain. She refused to leave the clutch of Eagle’s eggs that she was tending. We brought them along in our cart. The Eagles followed their mother here, to the Empire.
“The other reason is more esoteric. As a relic of her destroyed hive, besides modern Gryphon which she she has learned to speak from us, she speaks, writes and sight reads Early Middle Equestrian. As scholars know, that is the language in which the earliest form of our Legends was written. Already, just on the train ride here, she has resolved to perfect sense, four passages that have raised huge disputes among scholars from the religious community.”
The Empress, crest raised in approval, offered, “A most concise report, Grata. Please resume your proper place as My Left Wing.”
Grata ascended to sit regally beside her Empress.
Krabee managed to free himself enough to shout, “That changeling will devour our love and kill us all!”
Before the Empress could respond, Friend raised a hoof. “Your Majesty, may I/we answer that?”
Grata chuckled, crest rippling. The Empress nodded, crest showing curiosity.
Friend stalked across to the now cowering priest Krabee. Glaring down at him, she declared in a sick sounding voice, “Take Love from you? I/we would starve!”
She turned her back and returned to Daring Do’s side. Friend made the comfortable sort of crooning purr that Daring Do had only heard once before, when Friend was sitting with her precious eggs, and all were encased in her soft, loving magic.
She said softly but heard by the sharp ears of the Empress, “You are best of all for Friend. You are not changeling nor nymph but formed whole and still have love to share.
“You remind me/us of eigmatunin, I/we mean queen.”
The Empress made up her mind. The religious nuts, however dangerous, must be put into their place. Crest set to inquiry, she asked, “Doctor Do, you may omit honorifics. We, the Throne of the Empire, wish to know how swiftly you can prepare your finds and data for public viewing? Our first showing will be in the Imperial Court. After that, we shall have traveling exhibitions throughout the Empire. This work of yours moves the oldest known connections of our race back further than any other. We regard this news as vital to our Imperial Flock.”
Daring Do considered her answer carefully. “Empress, I can have something ready in about two weeks. It will be delicate work to prepare some of the relics that demonstrate the age of your race.
“If I may be so bold, there are elements who object to delving into the past. We have them show up at the Royal Museum from time to time. Therefore, let the exhibits for the public be replaceable duplicates of the originals, which can be safely preserved for scholarly study.”
She nodded, crest raised in approval. “So be it. You may have any work space or facilities that you need. Your budget is unlimited.
“Grata has informed me by magic net mirror about some of your finds. For an expedition that did not even reach its goal. You produced extraordinary results.
“You may count upon the generosity of the Imperial Throne for your labors.”
Grata whispered to the Empress.
“Well thought on, my Left Wing. Doctor Do and Friend shall stay together.”
Under heavy guard, bearing very modern weapons, the cart was unloaded from the rail car. Daring Do settled herself into the harness. Grata dismounted from the throne. She guided both Daring Do and Friend away from the railroad station. They came to a door of armor plate set into the side of the mountain. Daring Do almost expected it to be a door to the Great Library but it swung open on concealed hinges.
“Supply entry for the Imperial Eyre,” Grata explained.
Spiraling up through solid stone, they came to a very solid strong room door. As she opened it, Grata’s crest shot up into a grin. The Empress asked Princess Luna to arrange for your assistant. We can be sure of his discretion.”
From the depths of the room came a familiar voice. “Hi, Sis!”
“Blendin?”
Daring Do’s half brother stood by a carefully arranged copy of her Antiquities Lab at the Royal University. Over to one side was a well appointed nest of Gryphon style. There was a small heater beside it.
Friend lighted up at the sight and began to carefully transfer her precious eggs to it. She serenely fussed with the arrangement of them and climbed in, surrounded by her eggs and the soft glow of her pale green magic. She began to croon to them, the very picture of happiness.
In awe, Blendin said, “An egg tender? A real changeling egg tender? I have never even heard of one outside of a Hive. The changelings guard them like the crown jewels.”
He grinned and added, “That may be a bad example, considering how many crown jewels mom has in her collection!”
Turning to the cart, he asked, “Now, what exactly do you have here that drew the attention of TWO sets of Royalty, the establishment of the Twin Flames of Creation Church, and the Manifest Destiny Party?”
Daring Do was carefully removing the first of the carefully packaged remains. She placed it on a work table and replied, “We found the exact origin of the Gryphon race. Not only the general area, the precise physical location, along with the exact timing of the event and the direct causes.
“That is what.”
Blendin stared at the innocent looking cart and mused, “That is going to blow the only dam holding back the whole river of excrement!”
He began to help transferring the precious and delicate remains that might trigger a war.