‘King Drogo was crowned Ruler of the Realms in year 1645, after his father,
King Andrei was killed in the battle for Holden Valley. Being the only son in a
family of 6 daughters, he became king at the mere age of 13.His mother, Queen
Marika was…’
Lyra’s looked up from the thick, leather bound textbook and out of the window
at the commotion that had broken her concentration. Squinting through the
sunlight with her warm hazel eyes, she saw, to her delight, Ismera.Ismera was
Lyra’s favourite story-teller. She looked young, but something in her startling
grey eyes, and the manner in which she told her stories gave the impression
that she was much older and wiser than her looks portrayed. No one knew where
she came from, or any other details about her life. All they knew was that she
was a brilliant story-teller, who travelled far and wide, and often came to
their little town to enthral the people with her magical tales of wonder. No
one remembered when exactly she had started visiting the town, but everybody
knew who she was now. Her tall, lean, elegant, but mystical self-had become a
familiar figure. .
All the townspeople loved her, especially the children, but yet there remained
a few skeptics who were wary of her.Lyra’s mother, Aileen, was one of
them.Lyra’s family was not a rich one, but they had been blessed with a bright
and intelligent daughter. Recognising Lyra’s potential, and wanting her to have
a better life. Her mother had begun working as a washerwoman so that Lyra could
be tutored by Master Aemilius, and train to become a scribe for the Great King
Drogo.Being a scribe was a very respectable job-Lyra would have a bright future
at the castle if she managed to acquire it.Aileen wanted nothing more than
success for Lyra, and so, for her, any sort of distraction from studies was unacceptable.
But Lyra was tired of reading history, and she loved Ismera too much to miss an
opportunity to meet her. She quickly ran out of her room and found her mother
outside the house putting up clothes on the clothespin to dry. .
‘Mother! Look! It’s Ismera!' squealed little Lyra with joy.
'The old story-teller's back to spread her fables, eh?' said Aileen
'But mother, she says they're true!'
'Rubbish. They’re nothing but a waste of time.You have better things
to do Lyra-like studying.You do want to become a good scribe for King
Drogo,don't you?Then you must train.'
But Lyra's attention had already wandered from her mother's stern
scoldings to Ismera and the gaggle of excited children sitting around her. As
if in a trance, she walked towards them, ignoring her mother's protests.Ismera
smiled at her as she sat down and began:
'How wonderful it is to see you all again have walked many leagues and
been to the farthest corners of this world, but few places can boast of such
extraordinary children!
Nevertheless, my travels have not been futile, for I have met some
very interesting people-The most extraordinary of them being the Luthrians.'
She took a dramatic pause, looking at each of their excited, eager
faces before continuing.
'The Luthrians are a magical and mysterious people. They live far away
from here, in a hidden forest, away from the prying eyes of other men. They do
not let anyone enter amongst them, and are very strict about their privacy.
Very few know of the powers they possess ,and the wonders they can do, for it
is forbidden to speak of their magic to outsiders.However,I have seen them, and
I know of their capabilities-they are profound and varied, but the most
extraordinary thing about them is that they can dream.'
She took another pause, to let her words sink in.
'What are dreams?'
'Dreams, my dear children, are beautiful things. They are thoughts
that take strange, magical, extraordinary forms when you sleep. But the strange
part, is that you do not realise that you are thinking these thoughts. To you
,it would seem as if you are watching a vision or a story come to life inside
your head. It is only once you wake up that you realise that what you saw was not
a real event, but a vision of your imagination.'
She sighed and said, almost nostalgically, 'What wonderful things they
are, these dreams.'
'But that isn't possible' quipped the scribe's young son sitting right
in front of Ismera
'My father says that people can't have dreams. He says that it isn't
possible for our brains to create visions like that, and that the Luthrians are
nothing but the characters of an old wives' tale.'
'I'm afraid that your father is wrong this time, Andrew.You see, I’ve
met these Luthrians myself. They seem to be normal in every way, except for a
tiny glowing mark present on their body.’ She then leaned towards Andrew and
took his arm, drawing a small L gently on his forearm as she continued talking.
‘This mark is connected to their brains by magic and helps them dream. It is
that mark which makes them different from other people.’
Andrew was just beginning to argue, when Lyra asked, 'What can you do
with dreams?'
'Well, just about anything! In a dream, you can fly over high mountains,
swim in deep seas, slay ferocious dragons, or even rule a kingdom! Most often,
there are other people in your dreams too, like your friends or family, taking
part in your adventures with you! Dreams can be wonderful and happy, but they
can also be dark and sad-you have no control over what is happening. Anything
and everything is possible when you are dreaming!'
The children all gasped and giggled excitedly, wishing aloud that they
were Luthrians.They posed question after question about the Luthrians and their
dreams,babbling away excitedly about all the things they would ream about if
they could.Most dreamt about being rulers,or knights,killing monsters and being
praised by everybody.Lyra dreamt about being a scribe,living in the castle and
spending her time in the infinitely fast library that it contained.After a
while of answering their questions patiently,and telling them more interesting
things about the Luthrians,Ismera stood up and said:
'Alas, dear children, ‘tis now time for me to leave. As much as I would
love to continue telling you about the strange, magical folk of this earth,
there are people to be met, places to be visited, and stories to be
told!Hence,I must make haste!'
The children all voiced their unhappiness in unison, but their frowns
soon turned to grins as Ismera handed out sweet Dornish sweets to every one of
them.
Lyra was the last to receive the tasty delight. Just before she left,
Ismera bent down to pat her head lightly. As she straightened up, Lyra glimpsed
a small part of her neck that wasn't covered by the various shawls and stoles
she had wrapped around herself.
On that small patch of bare skin was a small, but bright, glowing mark
in the shape of an L.
