Somehow he laughed and she just couldn’t put an exact reason on it, because nothing was funny. So she merely followed his movements with her silent eyes. Then, however, he excused himself for his ignorance, so she guessed it wouldn’t hurt to hear him out altogether. Perhaps it had been a honest mistake, perhaps he hadn’t thought she had wanted to know who he was. But as he finally introduced his being next, her smile grew more sincere. “Greetings, then, Öde, Emissary of the Basin,” and she finally officially accepted his presence. Maybe even his potential worth, too. Nevertheless, the priestess still frowned. The diviner did not think she deserved any kind of that kind of boot-licking, for she had always felt like she stood outside of something caged like ranks. He bowed before her. “Don’t, I am not a queen,” she said softly as she turned her eyes away.
Maren simply nodded as confirmation for his remembering mind. “My time will be well-spend if it is shared with the Emissary of the Basin, I’m sure.” Her voice had turned from suspicious to welcoming and her feathered hands lay loosely next to her alabaster cheeks as she spoke, still on the inside she was alert. Her eyes were the eyes of a mare vigilant in the company of a stallion she could not predict the motives of. For, the stallion had moved closer and seemed to be focusing all his attention on her, which didn’t help chasing away that last little bit of dislike. Yet, her outlandish tunes flowed from her lips as they always did, feminine, but foremost casual and loose, “In return I wish a story from you, too. Of you, your land, your religion — anything that you think would intrigue me.” She smiled. Sighed, then turned her gaze towards the misty sea she had come from. Her golden eyes flickered, turned themselves again to the clouds where there was a hazy sun shining through. What story? Then?
“This tale tells about Sol, God of the Sun, patron of the world —and Bastet, a Goddess with the head of a cat." she noted subtly as if that should be an important fact. "She had the ability to call upon an eclipse, to move the moon to the sun. However..." and Maren’s gaze wandered back to the bloodied eyes of the Emissary.
“The Goddess of the Moon, Luna, was jealous of this power. She was, after all —perhaps surprisingly — in love with Sol and, even though she was very powerful herself, only when there was an eclipse she was able to have his embrace. Eclipses did occur once a year, but that was not enough for Luna. She wanted the power for herself so that she could make the eclipse everlasting for her and her loved one.
“Now, Bastet was a Goddess that stood for protecting mortals and she was well aware that when night fell, the hearts of her people turned dark and sins were committed; killing was done under layers of shadows.
“The clever Bastet knew and foresaw the plans of the Moon, for she had been aware of the love she felt for Sol for some time now. After all, Bastet was his quiet, but loyal follower.
“And so, the cat-like Goddess went to the God of the Sun one day where she found him in His holy Brightness. She told him how much she valued him; his light, his warmth; his fire that brought her people safety, and Sol was so moved by her words of gratitude that he fell in love with her on the spot. And before the next eclipse would arrive, they had a child together, a daughter named Nefertum.” Maren smiled under silent eyes, then, in the following words, her voice grew darker.
“When Luna heard of this, her jealousy grew to hate and she went to Bastet. The Moon found her alone with her child and, in her rage, she told her that in the next seven days, every night, she would be in tremendous pain and agony, and would turn blind from the shadows. Then; Luna hid the child between all the people of the world which Bastet had been so devoted to protect.
“Like promised, the following seven days the Goddess Bastet was in tremendous agony and pain, as Sol searched the world for their daughter in a father’s desperation. Then, after those seven days, the Moon returned and turned Bastet into a cat, cursed to live with the mortals from then until forever. Sol was alone, leaving the winters long and the days short.” Maren took a breath, blew out a cloud of mist as she thought for a moment in silence. “Tragedy had fallen. However…,” she continued once again.
“Years later somewhere on the ground outside the reach of the Moon, steady on the earthen soils, a cat and a young child slept in each other's embrace. For, Nefertum grew up to be the Goddess of perfume and no mother would ever forget the smell of her firstborn child.
“And, without Luna ever aware, Bastet and her daughter lived together from then on in the mortal world, in the protection of Sol’s light.” The diviner couldn’t help but smile broadly to herself as the last word had left her mouth, which was a strange sight coming from a mare usually wrapped up in thoughts and silence. But as soon as she became aware of it herself, she coughed and got back to her professional poker-face (only left with a little bit of embarrassment on the cheeks). She cleared her throat. Now… “Did you learn something?” And her ears popped forward.
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[O] Bloody Hands buried in Bloody Sands
