Keepers of the Moon

Chapter 3. Great opportunities (1)

Saoirse

Sunlight scattered over the calm grey ocean, friendly waves were washing over the colourful cobbled beach and the breeze smelled of fresh rain and seaweed. The tops of the Cuillin were still shrouded in mist, though the occasional sneak peek revealed snow-capped tops. The snow from yesterday had left its first mark on our landscape. The start of a new winter, a winter full of tension. It was on a day like this one of the greatest tragedies of this land had happened. My memory went back to that faithful morning, where parents woke up to find their cribs empty and their daughters missing. A little under 500 baby girls missing in one night and no-one knew who took them. Not even the King’s daughter was spared this heinous fate. I spent more than 2 years searching for them. The trail went cold in Brandenburg, Prussia. The babies were first brought into an abandoned industrial park, from there they were moved across the border into Prussia. I visited several cities and used every asset and source that I could find. But it was all to no avail, I found out that Brandenburg was the last place where all babies were held together. After that they dispersed and all 489 trails went dead. This year would be the 15 year anniversary and as every year the King proclaimed a day of mourning. This was just 3 weeks after the anniversary of Caledonia. It was such a stark contrast, the week of festivities and the day of mourning, that it was ironic. And all in the midst of this turbulent times was the pending war. Not for the first time I wondered if things would’ve gone different if the King hadn’t lost his daughter. If he would’ve been able to stand his ground against King Einar. And not for the first time I wondered if all those girls survived and where they were now.  

‘What are you up here moping about here all alone on the high tower?’ Sir Macintosh joined me in the cool morning breeze and looked solemnly over the horizon. He was still wearing his bright yellow jumper and brightened up the morning even more. His moustache was a little bushier than normal and his hair looked like a birds nest.

‘Do you really believe that you taking back the throne won’t prevent a war, or is it just that you don’t want to be on the throne?’

I sighed and left my hopeless memories to turn back to the matters at hand.

‘I would be lying if I told you that I wanted to be. I can assure you however that if I truly believed that it would work, I would take back the throne.’ My eyes were still focussed on the sparkling waters below, but I could feel his eyes shifting toward me. He tried to read me, though he never really got far. He didn’t need to though, I would nearly always be honest with him. He could deal with unpleasant truths and sensitive matters. I could tell him the things that I would tell nobody else.

‘It seems however that I can’t convince either of you.’ Sean Macintosh snickered and ran his hands over the smooth black stone that protected us from falling down the tower.

‘It’s odd to know that this castle was at the centre of so much that happened in Keltia and Caledonia, while it is now reduced to a silly museum. People only come here for a legend that didn’t even originate in this place.’

Even now I didn’t turn my back on the bright light coming from the waves. It calmed my nerves and soothed my bad mood. With a silent sigh I put my arm around Sean’s shoulders.

‘Now you are moping.’

‘I’m serious.’

‘I’m sure you are. Times change, Sean, I don’t mind that it is no longer at the centre of our country. To me this castle never truly felt as home. My home burned down a long time ago and even if that was still standing I doubt I would still call it a home. My heart belongs somewhere else now, like it has been for a very long time. It’s been nearly 30 years since I’ve set foot on that place and with each passing day the pain gets worse. The old, kind man from the fish market is probably dead by now and I never even had the chance to say goodbye. All the children that were playing in the street, will all have children of their own. Time is passing and the world is getting smaller by the minute. There might be electricity now, they were talking about it right before I left. I just hope that my little house is still standing when I get the opportunity to return.’

Sean smiled a sad smile, he also put his arm around my shoulders. His breathing was deep and purposeful, like he was filling his lungs with as much fresh air as he could get before heading back into the stuffy castle. Just as his breathing, his heart was steady and calm, yet I could feel the tension in his shoulders and the thoughts that swirled through his head. He was worried, so worried. We both knew that averting this war was nearly impossible and we both knew that Caledonia was not able to hold Nordlys at bay. If push came to shove Sean would want to fight. I was unsure about this. As a former Queen I loved my country and I loved my proud, strong people. To watch them be overrun by their former allies burned in my heart and I wanted to fight. However from the perspective of the Guardian in me I knew the best we could do was to wave a white flag and give up our country. There would be far less casualties this way. I also knew, however, that King Einar was not going to stop with just Caledonia. Prussia, Persia, Saxon and Nova would all be next targets on his crave for power. If we were to get them to support us, we could stop Nordlys in their tracks. This however would lead to massive casualties on both sides and result in the disappearance of a strong, proud country, whose people were just as likely to give in as ours. It would mean all-out war, exactly like the Fearful Nine.

That was all it took, just nine years of a worldwide war to destroy nearly all of humanity. I was weakened to the extent that I was a walking ghost. I was never able to stop that war, so I did the only thing that I could. Save as many people as possible, along with the Ghealach I pulled out more than 10.000 children, away from the frontlines and the big cities. Hid them underground and out on the countryside. It was then that the Ghaelach spread over the world, with sleeper cells hidden in the day to day life of people. Often placed in high functions, close to the powers that lead these countries. Not to overtake them, but to provide me with close information about a country’s business. This gave me very early warnings about civil unrest in Saxon nearly 30 years ago. I left my home to set things right and war was averted. A little boy that had been left as a foundling on the steps of the Safe house of the Ghealach, became a part of my life and when I was ready to take him to my paradise, the unrest in Nordlys started and Ben was raised right here in Gaeilaí castle, he never even reached my paradise.

‘Tá mé idir grá.’

‘It’s a fitting phrase.’ Sean turned and grabbed both my shoulders, he forced me to look into his eyes. His face was as serious as ever.

‘Saoirse, I know that you miss home, but I am really glad you are here. I can’t imagine going through all this without you. And no matter what happens, no matter what you choose to do, I will stand by you. I know we don’t always see eye to eye on things, but we’ll work this out. And decades from now you will still be here and I will just be a passing memory of a time long past. The world will move on with you. It is going to be alright, you are going to be alright.’

I bit back tears as I hugged him closely. My arms as tight around him as I dared. I could see his greying hair and the deepening wrinkles in his face. Time was catching up with him and in just a few decades he would join all my late friends into the Beyond. My heart was crying with the notion that I would have to bury him and yet I also felt some jealousy. Time was kinder to him, than it was to me.

‘Mo Bhean na Mara, Sir Macintosh! I’m sorry to disturb you, I was told to find you here. We’ve got… there’s something… Well, you need to see this.’ Maev was out of breath and held onto the staircase for support. Her face was red and her heart was racing. I could tell that the physical effort was not the only reason for this.

Sean let go of me and turned toward her with an unreadable expression on his face. Something was definitely wrong.