The Provenance of Lady Berla
A child is born somewhere in the galaxy. An event that occurs an incalculable number of every moment that time ticks by. But this child is different from all the others. For this child’s birth has been anticipated and tensely prepared for by an entire kingdom of people since conception. Not just a singular planet worth of people, but instead an entire cluster of stars worth of an ancient monarchy awaiting her arrival. Like with all children, she brought hope and potential to the lives of those that she would soon be part of. Though for most, it’s just a mother and father, perhaps siblings or extended family as well. It just so happened that the number of lives this child would touch was to reside somewhere in the trillions before she even opened her hazel eyes for the first time.
But unlike most children, she would not bring hope to her own mother. She would simply be a new toy in a never-ending game of politics and deceit; beneath even a pawn as she’d be forced to wear a hollow veil of importance with no identity of her own. The crown of the princess that would someday don her braided honey-colored hair may as well be made of brittle coal as it held no more value than that. Her mother would never love her like a mother should, though she would put on the facade that she does, and it would be enough to fool all those who witnessed it. To many, the Queen could never do wrong, even by her own children. So, a false sense of nurture and compassion was expected to be enough. It’s never enough.
This newborn was different for a much more important reason than just being an heir to a kingdom and her mother knew that immediately after she brought her into this world. The queen was equally disturbed and perturbed by what she saw as the royal doctors handed her the princess for the first time. She seemed like any other healthy new child upon first glance, but there was something unusual about her. It looked as though a faint darkness was surrounding her as though she had an aura of smoke lightly engulfing her tiny body. The doctors did not seem to know or understand what caused it, but the queen knew. And that is what caused her so much anguish once she held the baby in her arms. But it was due to selfishness and greed that she felt the way she did, not out of any concern or worry for her new daughter. She held the baby up in front of her as though she was offended by its mere presence now.
“You have the nerve to do this to me?" she said as she glared at the innocent face before her own. "Take her away from me at once.”
These would be the first words ever spoken to Berla Fearidth and would radiate through her as vigorously as UDE-1 itself. She had no way of knowing that at the time, but the rest of her young life would be shaped by that same sort of rigid coldness in her first moments. She was never afforded the choice of being so in tune with the dark, hazy energy that was drawn to her. Not even the practitioners and wardens of the wild form of raw UDE-1 energy, the Order of Ascendancy, could explain why someone was born with the ability to attract and harness the power of it. The queen was well aware of all of this, yet the circumstances of her own daughter having what she saw an affliction was nearly too much to handle.
Had the entire domain not been expecting the birth, she might have considered sending Berla away. But Berla was her only daughter and would be in line to rule if, and likely when, some other house attempted to overthrow her and denounce her authority to rule by force. The Fearidth bloodline had been the longest reigning of any in the history of the Henz people and she was not about to risk that ending because of some mystical, scientific galactic absurdity. She knew that the Order of Ascendancy would already know of her daughter’s illness and would be requesting an audience. They’d want to take her away with them and teach her the ways of using UDE-1, how to control it, and other such nonsense. The queen could not allow that to happen, she needed Berla more than they would.
It took only a few standard days to pass before her Chancellor brought to her a message from the hand of none other than the Grand Controller himself, requesting permission for an Order Seeker to visit the newborn and assess the UDE-1 connection the young girl possessed. She knew their true intentions would be to take the baby with them, an outcome that did not entirely upset her, but an outcome that would not come to pass. As much as she was embarrassed and ashamed of it even being an issue, she knew she needed someone in line to take over for her if something were to happen. She was known to be a stubborn ruler but could understand the political power play of allowing the Assemblage’s watchdogs a visit to her grand palace on Aybrok and would allow the Order team an audience with Berla.
But unlike most children, she would not bring hope to her own mother. She would simply be a new toy in a never-ending game of politics and deceit; beneath even a pawn as she’d be forced to wear a hollow veil of importance with no identity of her own. The crown of the princess that would someday don her braided honey-colored hair may as well be made of brittle coal as it held no more value than that. Her mother would never love her like a mother should, though she would put on the facade that she does, and it would be enough to fool all those who witnessed it. To many, the Queen could never do wrong, even by her own children. So, a false sense of nurture and compassion was expected to be enough. It’s never enough.
This newborn was different for a much more important reason than just being an heir to a kingdom and her mother knew that immediately after she brought her into this world. The queen was equally disturbed and perturbed by what she saw as the royal doctors handed her the princess for the first time. She seemed like any other healthy new child upon first glance, but there was something unusual about her. It looked as though a faint darkness was surrounding her as though she had an aura of smoke lightly engulfing her tiny body. The doctors did not seem to know or understand what caused it, but the queen knew. And that is what caused her so much anguish once she held the baby in her arms. But it was due to selfishness and greed that she felt the way she did, not out of any concern or worry for her new daughter. She held the baby up in front of her as though she was offended by its mere presence now.
“You have the nerve to do this to me?" she said as she glared at the innocent face before her own. "Take her away from me at once.”
These would be the first words ever spoken to Berla Fearidth and would radiate through her as vigorously as UDE-1 itself. She had no way of knowing that at the time, but the rest of her young life would be shaped by that same sort of rigid coldness in her first moments. She was never afforded the choice of being so in tune with the dark, hazy energy that was drawn to her. Not even the practitioners and wardens of the wild form of raw UDE-1 energy, the Order of Ascendancy, could explain why someone was born with the ability to attract and harness the power of it. The queen was well aware of all of this, yet the circumstances of her own daughter having what she saw an affliction was nearly too much to handle.
Had the entire domain not been expecting the birth, she might have considered sending Berla away. But Berla was her only daughter and would be in line to rule if, and likely when, some other house attempted to overthrow her and denounce her authority to rule by force. The Fearidth bloodline had been the longest reigning of any in the history of the Henz people and she was not about to risk that ending because of some mystical, scientific galactic absurdity. She knew that the Order of Ascendancy would already know of her daughter’s illness and would be requesting an audience. They’d want to take her away with them and teach her the ways of using UDE-1, how to control it, and other such nonsense. The queen could not allow that to happen, she needed Berla more than they would.
It took only a few standard days to pass before her Chancellor brought to her a message from the hand of none other than the Grand Controller himself, requesting permission for an Order Seeker to visit the newborn and assess the UDE-1 connection the young girl possessed. She knew their true intentions would be to take the baby with them, an outcome that did not entirely upset her, but an outcome that would not come to pass. As much as she was embarrassed and ashamed of it even being an issue, she knew she needed someone in line to take over for her if something were to happen. She was known to be a stubborn ruler but could understand the political power play of allowing the Assemblage’s watchdogs a visit to her grand palace on Aybrok and would allow the Order team an audience with Berla.
*****
“This child possesses a connection to UDE-1 unlike any that I’ve seen in my years serving the Order. She is spectacular! The potential for her to do incredible things for her family, her people, and the galaxy is unmatched.” said Darvyn Les’val, the Order Seeker, enthusiastically as he moved his hands in a hover around the sleeping baby.
The delight in his face at the power the girl possessed sickened the queen, though she kept the stoic grace about her that she was known for.
“Is it true that you could…sense her from all the way in whatever part of the Core you come from, Seeker?” she asked, trying her very best not to betray her thin veil of impassiveness.
“Oh yes, of course it’s true, Your Majesty! As you likely know, my primary function as a member in the Order is to tap into the living current of UDE-1 that spans our galaxy and find explanations for unusual ripples in that current. Over time, I’ve learned to decipher the meaning behind the different forms of disturbances. Be it the birth of a sensitive child like the princess here or perhaps if someone who has not had the training to control their connection to UDE-1 and begin to have a slip of the mind from it. Which, by the way, I would like to speak to you about here today.”
There could be no more hiding her disdain as she glared at the man standing before her daughter. He dared to come into her royal palace wearing his drab, lifeless Order garb and speak to her as if she was a student on an informative tour of a museum.
“If what you intend on speaking to me about is regarding you taking away my child and conscripting her into your little society of Assemblage sycophants, you may relieve yourself from my presence immediately. I shall not even give that preposterous idea a glimmer of thought beyond this one here.”
The man did not look away from her, nor did he stop grinning as he had been since he first laid eyes upon the baby and the darkness surrounding her.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, those taken in by the Order of Ascendancy certainly are not our slaves or servants. We bring them to Lustaroh to help them better understand what UDE-1 really is and what they should and should not do when harnessing and using its power. We help them discover what it is that draws it to them and how they can utilize it in the safest and most productive manner.”
“It’s my understanding that you snatch them up before they can even walk and train them in the ways of best using their disorder to further advance the desires of the Prime Committee and Assemblage. Desires, which I might add, have nearly pushed them into yet another war with people who do not wish to be subjected to their rules and regulations.”
She was breaking him, as she broke everyone, for his smirk was now lessened.
“The Order and the Assemblage do share many of the same overarching ambitions, but we are not one and the same. The Order’s primary purpose is to protect those who can interact with and manipulate awakened UDE-1 from succumbing to its power and hurting others. We teach them to fear and respect their connection to it. We also agree that we must use our abilities to help protect the weak and innocent from any dangers, as they may be unable to protect themselves. In doing so, we serve the galaxy and respect what UDE-1 allows us to accomplish.”
Now it was the queen who had a grin on her face.
“Just as long as those peoples proclaim themselves servants to the ideals of the galactic government, no questions asked, correct?” she said through her bitter smile.
“Forgive me, Lady Lucillia, but I believe you’ve misinterpreted my reason for this audience with you. I…”
“I know exactly why you’re here, Seeker. You wish for me to allow you to whisk away my daughter and have her abandon her role as a royal so that she can learn a few magic tricks and serve a hostile and cold union of warmongers. I assure you that such a thing will ever happen, and I do not believe there is a need for us to discuss it any further. The only people this child will protect are those who fall under her crown when the time comes.” said the queen, in all her diplomatic decency.
“I know you are aware of how dangerous it is to let this kind of bond go unhindered. Henz itself has not gone unaffected by the destruction caused by UDE-1 corruption.” he said in reply, without a hint of humor left in his now deadly serious eyes.
“The Fearidths have never been known to be of weak mind or spirit. She will be forbidden from ever experimenting with the unfortunate circumstances that befall her. And she will take her rightful place beside me as the heir to my throne. Now, please excuse yourself from my palace, my planet, and my system. We are done here.”
He had the look of someone who wanted to stay and argue a cause but was smart enough to know that the words would fall on her deaf ears. And he could not dare risk causing any larger scale rift between the Henzian people and the Assemblage. The queen knew this and relished in her victory as the man gathered his assistants and stormed out of the chambers. No part of her felt as though she was making a mistake or misstep; her decision was to be a lasting one. Princess Berla would be raised as any other child of noble blood and would be groomed to one day replace her mother.
But the girl was different than other children, noble or otherwise. Something inside of her drew the dark shadows in and gave her strength and power matched by few others in the entirety of the star systems. She was just a baby and the choices made by others could determine whether she saved a planet or destroyed one; saved herself or gave into the thirst. It was never going to just be something that could be ignored, but her mother would try. And that would prove to be costly in many ways as she grew older.
The delight in his face at the power the girl possessed sickened the queen, though she kept the stoic grace about her that she was known for.
“Is it true that you could…sense her from all the way in whatever part of the Core you come from, Seeker?” she asked, trying her very best not to betray her thin veil of impassiveness.
“Oh yes, of course it’s true, Your Majesty! As you likely know, my primary function as a member in the Order is to tap into the living current of UDE-1 that spans our galaxy and find explanations for unusual ripples in that current. Over time, I’ve learned to decipher the meaning behind the different forms of disturbances. Be it the birth of a sensitive child like the princess here or perhaps if someone who has not had the training to control their connection to UDE-1 and begin to have a slip of the mind from it. Which, by the way, I would like to speak to you about here today.”
There could be no more hiding her disdain as she glared at the man standing before her daughter. He dared to come into her royal palace wearing his drab, lifeless Order garb and speak to her as if she was a student on an informative tour of a museum.
“If what you intend on speaking to me about is regarding you taking away my child and conscripting her into your little society of Assemblage sycophants, you may relieve yourself from my presence immediately. I shall not even give that preposterous idea a glimmer of thought beyond this one here.”
The man did not look away from her, nor did he stop grinning as he had been since he first laid eyes upon the baby and the darkness surrounding her.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, those taken in by the Order of Ascendancy certainly are not our slaves or servants. We bring them to Lustaroh to help them better understand what UDE-1 really is and what they should and should not do when harnessing and using its power. We help them discover what it is that draws it to them and how they can utilize it in the safest and most productive manner.”
“It’s my understanding that you snatch them up before they can even walk and train them in the ways of best using their disorder to further advance the desires of the Prime Committee and Assemblage. Desires, which I might add, have nearly pushed them into yet another war with people who do not wish to be subjected to their rules and regulations.”
She was breaking him, as she broke everyone, for his smirk was now lessened.
“The Order and the Assemblage do share many of the same overarching ambitions, but we are not one and the same. The Order’s primary purpose is to protect those who can interact with and manipulate awakened UDE-1 from succumbing to its power and hurting others. We teach them to fear and respect their connection to it. We also agree that we must use our abilities to help protect the weak and innocent from any dangers, as they may be unable to protect themselves. In doing so, we serve the galaxy and respect what UDE-1 allows us to accomplish.”
Now it was the queen who had a grin on her face.
“Just as long as those peoples proclaim themselves servants to the ideals of the galactic government, no questions asked, correct?” she said through her bitter smile.
“Forgive me, Lady Lucillia, but I believe you’ve misinterpreted my reason for this audience with you. I…”
“I know exactly why you’re here, Seeker. You wish for me to allow you to whisk away my daughter and have her abandon her role as a royal so that she can learn a few magic tricks and serve a hostile and cold union of warmongers. I assure you that such a thing will ever happen, and I do not believe there is a need for us to discuss it any further. The only people this child will protect are those who fall under her crown when the time comes.” said the queen, in all her diplomatic decency.
“I know you are aware of how dangerous it is to let this kind of bond go unhindered. Henz itself has not gone unaffected by the destruction caused by UDE-1 corruption.” he said in reply, without a hint of humor left in his now deadly serious eyes.
“The Fearidths have never been known to be of weak mind or spirit. She will be forbidden from ever experimenting with the unfortunate circumstances that befall her. And she will take her rightful place beside me as the heir to my throne. Now, please excuse yourself from my palace, my planet, and my system. We are done here.”
He had the look of someone who wanted to stay and argue a cause but was smart enough to know that the words would fall on her deaf ears. And he could not dare risk causing any larger scale rift between the Henzian people and the Assemblage. The queen knew this and relished in her victory as the man gathered his assistants and stormed out of the chambers. No part of her felt as though she was making a mistake or misstep; her decision was to be a lasting one. Princess Berla would be raised as any other child of noble blood and would be groomed to one day replace her mother.
But the girl was different than other children, noble or otherwise. Something inside of her drew the dark shadows in and gave her strength and power matched by few others in the entirety of the star systems. She was just a baby and the choices made by others could determine whether she saved a planet or destroyed one; saved herself or gave into the thirst. It was never going to just be something that could be ignored, but her mother would try. And that would prove to be costly in many ways as she grew older.
*****
