(OOG: I owe Jo HUGE thanks for helping me write this. ^.^ So... thanks!)

Nisan was a strange experience, to say the least. It was as unlike Aveh as Elanore imagined her own home city to be, wherever it was - it was lush and green, and the trees lining the walks and looming over the quaint little houses were always ruffled by a peaceful breeze. The tall, sharp rise of the mountain and the cathedral built into it dominated her gaze the moment she stepped into the city, its long shadow stretching over the walks and bridges like a reaching hand.

The peace called to her. She walked beside the Mother Grace toward its confines quite willingly, only half-wondering why it seemed such a hypnotic, enchanting sight, and the rest of the city passed by in a blur.

She was so absorbed in drinking in the view that it was only after a few minutes of walking that she realized she was alone with the sister. "Where is Marien?" Elanore glanced back, falling slightly behind Grace. "Why haven't they followed us?"

"The others will take care of them," the sister replied calmly, pausing with the young girl. "He must make arrangements for the rest of the Yggdrasil's crew before he himself may rest." Elly looked back at her, and she smiled. "I imagine he will also be having a talk with Rivian before they follow us to the cathedral."

Marien. Rivian. Marien /and/ Rivian... "I can see the two of them fitting in here." Elanore glanced around for what seemed the first time, taking in all of the stone houses and their copper roofs, and the cobblestone streets beneath her feet. Nothing much seemed to be going on - either they were taking the back way, or people just didn't go out and about at this time of day. It could have been anything; this /was/ a completely different atmosphere than what she was used to in the desert cities. Perhaps that could also explain all of the staring; people must have found her odd look - and the mixture of clothing she wore was indeed quite odd - more interesting than their daily tasks. "I don't know why, but I can just feel it all fit together, somehow."

That earned another smile from the nun. "You have a keen eye, young lady. And perhaps you will be right..."

It was hard to believe - Rivian, the lost King of Aveh. He didn't look the part... or at least, he hadn't on the ship. And he definitely didn't /act/ like it most of the time. But she didn't know him well enough to know if he was the right sort of material to be a monarch... all she knew was that, even though he seemed a little odd, he was a good leader to his crew. Maybe that was all that was needed - a genuine care for the people under your rule.

Marien's part in the whole thing was still a mystery to her, though. They knew him in this place, and she knew there was a strong connection of some sort between him and Rivian. Sometimes, if she didn't know better, she could swear they were brothers, with the way they were always sniping at each other and grinning like maniacs at the worst possible times. Something about them just... worked.

Maybe she would find out soon - they were all going to be here for quite awhile, it seemed. No way around it.

"This place is so beautiful." Elanore turned her face up to the blue sky, staring up at the canopy of tree branches lining their path and the sun peeking between the leaves. Despite her underlying unease at being led around a place she wasn't familiar with by someone she didn't know, she already felt as if she could /belong/ in the city, maybe even stay there forever. Who cared about going to a home she couldn't picture in her mind, when she had such a wonderful feeling right where she was? "It's so peaceful. I already feel so... at home. I wonder if Kyo and Darius would want to stay here..."

The sister chuckled, a gentle sound that seemed to blend in with the wind. The lines creasing her face were more prominent when she smiled, but the feelings they conveyed made her more earthly and beautiful than old. "You've only just arrived. Give it a chance to sink in before you make such hasty decisions."

They stepped onto the stone bridge that spanned the lake, and Elly stared as she walked, her eyes automatically drawn to the grandeur of the structure across the wavering waters of the lake. Even from the opposite shore, it was a wonderful sight to behold; the cathedral looked to be carved completely from the smooth face of rock, with its minarets and buttresses flowing smoothly from the mountain to the towers, and windows set into the ivy-covered granite.

Nothing could ever knock it down. Nothing could ever destroy it. It had been built with that thought in mind - she just /knew/. That was the purpose of a religion like this - to give its people stability and something to believe in that would never falter. Why else would it be carved directly from the earth?

As the two approached the gates at the end of the bridge, its shadow fell over them, cool relief from the sun. Elanore was finally able to take a good look at it without light glaring in her eyes, and it met every expectation she'd had of it since her first impression and more. It /was/ the mountain - she had to crane her neck back just to see the stained-glass window set near the top.

"It's huge," she breathed, as Grace led her through the gate and into the church grounds. She hardly saw where she was walking - her eyes were too busy exploring the precision of the stonework to notice. "I've never seen anything so..." She trailed off, at a loss. How could she describe it? There certainly wasn't anything like it back in her own country. She would have remembered it.

"Inside, Elanore." The sister took her hand, and Elly finally looked down, to see her smile with gentle amusement. "There is still more to see. Come along."

Much like the rest of the cathedral, the library the sister had shown her to was a delightful surprise, far more than Elanore had ever expected to see. Books and scroll cases lined the walls and reached for the ceiling; a few windows broke the endless rows of shelves, but the sheer mass of knowledge set her eyes alight. She was tempted to rush over to the walls and start browsing their contents, but she reminded herself that she was accompanying Grace to talk, not raid her library. There would be plenty of time to explore later, and she had a few questions nagging at the back of her mind taht she thought the Mother could answer for her.

She was led to a table in the far corner, not far from the door but isolated enough that a casual passerby would not be able to eavesdrop on their conversation. Not that anyone would... the sisters all seemed very respectful of Grace's authority. One of them followed and placed a tea tray on the table between them, but she bowed away without a word once Elanore was seated and the Mother settled in.

Grace sat back with a cup of tea, eyes bright in her dried-apple face. "Whenever you're ready, dear."

Elly shifted a little in her seat, wanting to let her questions fly but too afraid to seem rude. How did one just ask a stranger to spill everything they knew about someone else's secrets? "Um... How is it that you know Marien so well?" There. That seemed safe enough to ask.

Grace offered her the tray of cookies the nun left. "That boy. A skinny little thing... he came to live here before he could walk." She laughed, soft with memory. "The woman we believed to be his mother died on her journey here."

"That's... terrible..." Elly averted her gaze to the tray, and busied herself with choosing something that looked good. Creme filled, or crispy? That was a bit more pleasant to contemplate than the answer to her question. But she pressed on, her curiosity getting the better of her. "He grew up here, then?"

Grace nodded in answer to the question. "You're friends, then?" she asked, pointing to some jelly-and shortbread cookies. "Try that dear, it's a favorite."

Elly reached over and plucked one of the indicated cookies from the tray, nibbling on it carefully. She was right - they were rather good. "I... suppose you could say that. He rescued us from the desert, and we talked during the trip." She shrugged uncomfortably, and popped the rest of the cookie into her mouth. "I feel like I can trust him. He seems nice... I'm just afraid to be too much trouble."

"Trouble's in his blood dear." Grace seemed very amused by the whole thing. "It's no great worry. But yes. He grew up here.. until the Aveh army left.. and Mari.. with them. Back to where he belonged." She sounded wistful for a moment. "Things have a way of coming in circles, though, don't they?" She smiled again.

"Back... where he belonged?" Elly took another cookie.

"To Aveh, dear." Grace tipped her head. "But I think much happened. To him, and Rivian." She took another long sip, examining the tea for a moment. "..His poor face." She shook her head. "Do you believe in fate, Elanore?"

"Fate?" She bit her lip. There was a lot of talk about that, recently. She was starting to wonder about the way things were happening. "I don't know. Coincidence maybe, but... fate is a strong word to throw around."

"Things happen for reasons, dear. But don't fret." Grace reached across the table to pat her hand. "It's part of life. It did this old woman's heart good to see you this morning, dear. And with him, no less." She set her cup down. "Now, come along... there's something I need to show you before my rheumatism siezes me up for the rest of the day." She struggled to her feet from the oversized chair. "And maybe you tell me a little about yourself."

Elly slid out of her chair and rushed around the table to offer the old sister a helping hand, cookie forgotten on her napkin. "About me?" She shook her head, face flushed with an embarassed smile. "There's nothing interesting there."

"The young either under or over-estimate their own lives." She gave Elly a little smile. "Humor an old woman who doesn't get out much." She laughed again, eyes twinkling. "There was a time once when I turned a head or two you know. Now. Come on, then. Let's go upstairs, shall we?" Her hands, like little birds, frail and trembling, took Elly's. "You must have had to beat the young men off with a stick on that ship!"

Elly blushed as she helped Grace to her feet and lent her an arm as they headed for the door. "Just one, actually." She giggled, and covered her mouth with her other hand. "Unless you count the tour Marien is going to give me later."

Grace chuckled as they made their way through the hall. "Ah.. I see then, my Mari's not the one you've got your heart on...." She pointed Elly towards a side door. Down below, she could look down into the Cathedral proper - and while it was hard to tell, it looked as if Rivian and Marien were down there, speaking to someone. "Just remember, dear. Your heart... is your own. Don't give it too freely. Men don't always understand the gift of it."

"That... That's what Kyoko said, actually." She shrugged, a faint, rather unsure smile on her face behind a fall of hair. She tossed the mass of red over her shoulder absently, so she could see her companion better. "I'm trying to be careful. It's just so hard when it seems like... well, 'fate'."

Elanore fell silent for a moment, her eyes drifting over the rail to the two angels suspended above the altar. She was still captivated by them - she didn't think she could ever get enough of the sight. Grace had seemed amused at her child-like fascination with them upon first entering in the cathedral, and she must have had quite a time dragging her to the library, now that she thought about it.

But they brought a smile to Elanore's lips, and a sense of ease that she couldn't define. They seemed real when the candlelight and reflections from the window hit them just right; the idea of it just brought peace to her soul.

"They're still a beautiful sight, even after all these years." Grace's thin voice broke through her reverie, but Elly didn't look away from the angels. "What do you see in them, Elanore?"

She thought for a moment as they walked slowly along the balcony. "I see... love." Elly bit her lip a moment, feeling silly for saying it - it made her sound like a romantic, and that wasn't how she'd ever envisioned herself. But then again, lately... "They need to help each other to fly... find it within themselves to be one with others and find the way to happiness together." They were so close now - she wanted to reach out and touch the wings, but kenw she wouldn't be able to reach. "It feels very different from the sentiment the Ethos teaches in Bledavik."

"Indeed." Grace led her to a door near the end of the balcony, and pushed it open with her aged hand. "This way, dear."

A dim stairway stretched up nearly to what Elly imagined was the roof, and the only illumination seemed to be light that filtered in through screens carved in the image of the Nisan cross. It would be pitch black at night, though she didn't think any but a thief would try to sneak up in the dark hours anyway.

"Will you be okay?" Elly asked the sister softly, as they began their climb. The door at the bottom of the stairs swung closed with a click. "We can rest a minute..."

Grace laughed, petting her hand and continuing her way up the stairs. "I'm not that old, my dear. I can take a little climbing now and then."

"Sorry." Elanore felt herself flush again. She seemed to be fated to blush at the drop of a hat - maybe it was hereditary. Her mother used to have the same problem, or so she'd been told. That hadn't happened much once father had...

She shook her head, wavering as she stepped up onto the landing. The rail was on the other side - what genius had thought to only put it on /one/ side? - so she did her best to steady herself while the sister leaned on her to make the last step. There was another door to her left, this one plain and functional instead of carved and elaborate like the others she had seen in the cathedral. Grace drew a key from her robe and fit it into the dull brass doorknob, wiggling it until it turned, and then pushed the door open.

Light flooded the hallway, blinding Elanore for a few precious seconds while she stood there staring at the open doorway. She heard her companion pull the key out of the lock and secure it wherever it belonged, and she blinked rapidly in hopes of dispelling the glare.

A window was set into the wall within view of the door, carved again in the shape of the famous Nisan cross, and it was sunlight that had so unexpectedly dazzled her, infinitely bright compared to the darkness in the stairwell. The light was cast onto a crimson carpet, a replica of the cross, and Grace beckoned for her to go in, stepping in herself to stand at the tip of the light.

"Come along, now - this is what I wanted to show you." The sister smiled encouragingly, and Elly followed her inside slowly, her eyes still trying to adjust to the light. When she reached Grace's side, the sister gave her shoulder a pat and pointed to the far wall. Elly turned to follow her gaze. "There you are, my dear - Mother Sophia."

(Summary: Sister Grace leads Elanore to the great cathedral, where they have a little talk. The end result is quite a surprise for Elanore. ^.^)