It was a day of celebration in Tasck. It was Prince Horfina's wedding day, to the Princess Meyerre-Gesia of Creul. It was taking place in the Citadel of Tasck, dedicated to the Powers of the World, Mother Bear, Father Wolf and the Life Spirit.
At the very back of the Citadel, on a raised dais, were the two betrothed, awaiting the Hight Priest to finish the long wedding-speech. Below them, to the right (as is tradition), sitting in the Royal Boxes were King Offiya and Queen Gryork. Taking up other seats at the front was the Prince's brother, Heir-Prince Pacer, and his expecting wife, Coryd. Then the rest of the immediate royal family. Behind them were various nobles and important people from across Randpol.
On left was the much emptier bridal side. The Princess' father wasn't there, possibly busy trying not to get his country over run. Othe rfamily members were there. Offiya made a mental note to talk to them at the party at the palace after the ceremony.
The youngest prince, Ioran and his sister Inchele were getting bored. Like all people who had either not finished puberty or hadn't yet reached it, they had the an attention span roughly equivalent of a man in a brightly-coloured uniform jumping up and down on a rock in the middle of a battle shouting 'shoot me, shoot me'. So their minds wondered to the interior of the Citadel.
Everything about it suggested power in the highest form. The tall spires around the central dome pierced the horizon of Tasck. The laws of the city said that nothing could be as tall as the Spires. This was largely because the Spires of a Citadel, not just the ones in Tasck but any in Randpol, were used as watchtowers and beacons. Villages just had Beacons, small citadels with the one Spire. Town Beacons had usually two. Citadels had four, except this main one, which had eight.
Another striking thing were the windows. Randpol religion didn't allow statues, fearing the belief that they would be worshipped as false idols. Statues of the three Power were not allowed either, as it was seen as heresy to try and fit the majesty of these Powers into a statue. But paintings and stained glass windows were seen as crude enough not give the depicted any power if worshipped, or that they did not try to fit the majesty in. So there were a lot of professional painters and stained window makers, but no legal sculptors in Randpol.
The biggest windows were at the far end of the dome. The doors to the Citadel faced the setting sun, so a weary night-time traveller could have the sun behind him as he came into the hall, seeing the shadow he casts. And then, after a night sleeping in the dome, he would wake up to the light of the rising sun, shinign through the windows depicting the Mother Bear protecting the Sun from the harsh Winter and the Father Wolf killing the Wild Beasts, their corpses becoming the stars, and their king becoming the moon.
At the top of the dome was a circular window. At midday, it would be stupid to look up at it, as the sun is shining directly through it. But it is a window depicting the Life Spirit creating the world. It is said to be the greatest sight no one ever sees.
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In case anyone didn't get it, Randpol and Creul are now in an alliance. And the deal was sealed with a kiss. Sort of.