Hound Archon
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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Ancient Greece - Temple of Oracles
The little girl stifled a yawn as she sat upon the altar of the main temple, waiting for the next petitioner. The white wolf sitting at the bottom of the altar glanced at her and wagged his tail. If his maw was capable of smiling, he would have done so at the endearing scene.
The girl was but a child, perhaps seeing the beginning of her 8th winter. The sun had already set and today had been a long day for her. Lessons in the morning with the other oracles, followed by a handful of petitioners for her divinations and insight, followed by some more private lessons with the head soothsayer. Much was being expected from her, and the day wasn't over yet.
She had fair skin, hair streaked with silver, and wore the robes of an oracle trainee. Her ice blue eyes, though drooping sleepily by this time of night, were sharp and aware. She sat on the head altar of the main temple, a position normally only afforded to the highest and most experienced oracle. The young girl was special, though, granted divine awareness that dwarfed even the most experienced seers.
The white wolf watched her proudly for a moment with a wagging tail. He heard the footsteps of rough boots from down the hall and turned his attention back towards the entrance. His ears flattened and his tail stopped wagging as a man in a weathered cloak approached. He stopped a respectful distance away from the altar with his gaze held downward towards the marble floor. The man was following proper protocol. Good, the wolf thought.
"You may approach me, petitioner," the young girl squeeked with the soft voice of a child, but the confidence of a princess.
The man stepped forward, keeping his head down. "Young Seer," the man as he kneeled down and placed a jeweled dagger at the foot of the altar. "Please accept this offering and grant me the wisdom I seek."
The wolf's fur stood on end and a low growl began to rumble in his throat.
"I accept," the girl said.
Too late, his charge had granted the man permission to speak. The wolf stopped his growl to remain silent, but watched cautiously. The jeweled dagger was beautiful in its craftsmanship. Even without holding it, the guardian could see how perfectly cut the gems were and how well the blade was sharpened. Weapons were forbidden within this temple, but this petitioner had brought this one as an offering. The Young Seer had already accepted the offering, so nothing could be immediately done to interrupt this meeting. The wolf watched and listened.
"Young Seer," the man said with his head still down and still kneeling on one knee. "I am the first prince of the Kingdom of Thelion." The wolf tensed even more when he heard the man identify himself. "My home has been ravaged with disease and starvation. Please, grant me guidance that I can save my kingdom from crumbling."
The girl looked down to the man with innocent ice blue eyes. Silence echoed across the marble walls of the temple. "You..." she began to say, but the next words caught in her throat. The man looked up pleadingly. "... You can do nothing. The fate of your kingdom was sealed when the neighboring kingdom of Thepeles ordered a stop to food trades with your kingdom.
The petitioner's jaw dropped. "B-...but... You...!" His breath began to quicken, his face flushed, and his body tensed with emotion. "YOU were the one that advised their king to do that! This is YOUR fault and you will not help me fix it?!" he shouted.
The girl shrunk from the yelling as it echoed across the temple, but she simply shook her head. "Nothing can be done," the Young Seer said without sympathy.
The prince of Thelion shouted in rage at hearing of the inevitability of his kingdom's death and leaped up from his crouch, grabbing the dagger as he moved. The man jumped multiple steps up the altar in large leaps, quickened and strengthened by anger. His lunge brought him to the girl and he thrust his dagger.
The girl's eyes widened in fear and she shrieked as the dagger crossed towards her. There was a bright flash, a shout from the man, and the dagger made contact with something metallic. For a moment, the man wasn't sure what happened, but the girl took a breath to calm herself as she scooted back, staring at the back of her protector.
The attacker blinked as he dropped his dagger. He was no longer looking at the silver-haired girl he meant to attack. Instead, a tall figure of an armored knight stood before him. Its body was powerful and his head had the fearsome visage of a white wolf. The attacker's dagger had simply bounced off the white and golden armor of the girl's guardian.
"Leave," the hound archon ordered with a booming growl of a voice. "You are forbidden from returning." The man stumbled back, tripping on his feet and fell down the altar with a pitiful cry of panic. He rushed from the temple without looking back. Once he was gone, Ro turned back around to his charge. "Are you well?" he asked his with a gentle tone.
The little girl nodded slowly but her eyes were watering with tears. "Yes," she sad meekly and wiped her eyes.
Ro kneeled down to her and gave her a hug. Even though metallic, his armor was warm and the fur of his neck was soft against the girl's cheek. "Hush, he is gone and will not harm you. You do not need to be afraid," he reassured her.
"I-...I'm not afraid," she said. Her guardian could feel a tear on his fur. "I'm just sad."
"Sad?" he asked as he pulled back, keeping his arms on her shoulders.
"He hated me. He wanted to kill me because of... the help I gave the Kingdom of Thepeles. If Thepeles had continued trading food, the disease would have only spread to many other kingdoms."
"I know, pup... I know," he said with as much sympathy as he could manage. "The visions you have and the advice you give will help many. A few will not understand that, though. Most are not granted the divine insight you are given, and cannot understand that what you do is for the better of this world. Many will not understand you... and some, like this man today, will hate you for it," he said grimly. It was the truth, though, and the girl nodded.
"How long will I have to do this?" she asked with an innocence that tugged at Ro's old heart.
".... For as long as there is a future to help," was all he could say. Duty was neverending.
"Then I'll be hated forever," the girl cried and buried herself back in the Hound Archon's arms.
It was a cruel thing, he thought. He thought back to the ages of protection and duty he has lived through, and knew it was worth the burden. He could only hope that his charge would understand that someday. Until then....
"Come with me, pup," Ro said as he stood up and took her hand. "I have something for you." The girl blinked with a look of surprise. She was rarely surprised. Ro bared his fangs, and to most it would look menacing, but the girl knew it was just a warm smile. His tail was slowly wagging with a slightly upward curve. She stood with her guardian and let him lead her out of the temple.
She followed him out of the temple and after only a few steps, the two were in a forest. The temple was nowhere to be seen. The girl smiled knowing Ro had just taken her to his private forest within his Gate. Friendly animals of the night chirped and cooed a midnight song, the wind blew a soft comforting breeze, and the leaves of the trees rustled with a sleepy peacefulness. The Hound Archon turned around and kneeled close to her.
"Each life brought into this world is a gift to it. In some lands, they celebrate that each year to honor all the reasons one is given life, and the hopes that await them," he said to her with the soft tone like a father to a daughter.
"What do you mean celebrate?" she asked, a little confused at this idea. "I don't understand."
"They call it a birthday. It is celebrated once a year on the day that a person was born. Today is yours." Ro held up to her a lyre. It was simple in its craftsmanship, but the wood was smooth and sturdy and the strings almost seemed to vibrate with music without being touched. "Do not lose heart from today, pup. Duty will continue, and there will be those that will not understand and hate you for it. But each year on your birthday, no matter how far into the future, we will remember why you are a gift to this world."
The girl took the lyre in her hands and new tears watered in her eyes. She couldn't see her own future. She couldn't see with certainty that Ro will always be with her on her birthday. She couldn't see if it would always be enough as time went on. "Do you promise?" she asked with a hopeful smile.
"I swear I will always love you and be there when you need me," Hound Archon Ro said with a press of his wet nose to the girl's forehead. "Happy birthday, Riora."
Ro's Final Chapter
Last night marked the end of seven years with Julianne Jones. For a long time, I had wondered if Julie was ready for the challenge given to her. Perhaps I even doubted if she was ready to face Mot, a god of death. She was not the first prodigal child I've had to protect, but never has one of my younger charges had to face an evil so directly as she has. But faith in her was well placed. Her innocence was her strength and her shield against the doubt Mot fed upon.
She cried as I left, as I knew she would. Mot had been sealed, Hannah Baker returned, and my time and task with Julianne was complete. For all her life, she knew I was there. At what point was it ever possible for me to explain to her that it would not always be so? And so she cried and begged me not to leave. She asked me to promise I would come back to visit, at the very least.
It was -- - difficult to tell her I would never be able to.
Goodbye, Julie. I will no longer be there for you, but you no longer need me. You have two parents to love, care for, and guide you. Cassandra and Hannah will be to you what I never could be.
And what I should have been. Perhaps if Riora had ones such as them, things would have been different.
