Chương 104: 103: Bhealtaine

Ebril 30th As Rupert and I walked Bryce and Jac to where the rest of our crew was camping, I made some small talk with the two men who seemed to hit it off almost immediately. Both men were confident and old enough that they didn't feel the need to do any typical posturing that younger men in their positions were likely to engage in. I knew I couldn't hope to take Jac in a fight, something I never thought I'd say about someone who was over a century old!

Both men grumbled about the precedent that Baddon's wife was setting, and they warned me she would be trouble. I brought up that technically she wasn't employed with the homestead, just like them, and that as long as she didn't actively cause trouble, I didn't particularly care what she did. Emily would probably disagree with me, and I'd need to warn her, but that was an issue for another day.

When we got to where the rest of the crew had set up tents, I introduced Bryce and Jac, and once I was sure everything was good, I told them I'd see them all at the night's festivities, then made my way back to the inn with Rupert. During my first night before Bhealtaine the year before, I'd been hazed by my fellow militia members. Something that I couldn't help but notice Colin might never be subjected to. On the one hand, it was a good thing; hazing was wrong.

On the other hand, I'd had a good time, and I thought the kid could use a night of making poor decisions to loosen up a bit. He was a high enough level already that he probably wouldn't even have a hangover the next morning. I wasn't sure if we would have any militia training days this year. We'd all had to fight, and Colin was joining the Territorial Army anyway, so he was unlikely to be hazed here. The thought that he was likely to be hazed there made me smile. Then I frowned at myself.

Did that make me a bad person? Nah, I decided. Some light hazing that he was guaranteed to survive might make the kid loosen up. I'd dealt with hazing as a pledge in a fraternity in college, and despite the bad rap, I enjoyed it. We didn't have to deal with the real hardcore stuff that I knew some southern colleges were infamous for. Ours was mostly a lot of drinking, and that one time we got dropped off at the bottom of Lewiston Hill. I shuddered thinking about that hike.

When I made it back to the inn, I saw Emily sitting at a table with Priest Lewys. I sat down next to Emily. I noticed she was drinking a small beer for some reason. I gave Lewys a smile as I reached across the table to give the man a handshake. After getting Ben's attention and miming that I wanted a beer, I asked, "How are you two doing? I met our new crew. Emily, you might have some trouble with our new Seamstress." Rupert snorted.

"That might be an understatement. That woman's as bad as a noble." Lewys sucked in his breath and grimaced.

"My wife knows her, and she said Delyth is a woman who has airs above her station." I didn't quite know how to respond to that one. Lewys' wife, Lillian, was a woman I'd only met once. She was the youngest daughter of a nobleman, and she hated Weston. She thought of it as a backwater town of little importance. I really didn't know what Lewys thought of her. They rarely spent time together.

Rupert, who didn't care much for social niceties, something that his reputation as an eccentric Wizard allowed for, grinned and asked, "And where is your lady wife?" Lewys' face reddened in embarrassment, and he said, "Yes, well," before taking a hasty drink out of his own beer. Emily patted his arm in sympathy and said to me, "We will deal with any issues that arise. If the situation proves untenable, we will address it then." I shrugged and said, "That's about all we can do. I got a good feel about Baddon though.

The other two are old veterans, Jac's gotta be about one-twenty!" Rupert looked at me and in a rare serious tone said, "That man has seen more than his fair share of combat, he was a member of Laeth's Lancers. They've fought more battles on this continent than any other unit. They have just about the only horses that won't run in the face of a warg." Lewys nodded.

"Yes, that was quite the coup, getting him out here. I believe he had some fondness for Laeth junior when the young man was a child. When he said he wanted to retire, the Emperor asked him to stay in the colonies for an even larger pension. He agreed, and was just languishing in Riverton before he was asked to come out here." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"That definitely sounds good to me," I said.

"Bryce seemed like a capable man as well." Lewys gave a brief nod.

"Yes, I don't know as much about him, but he came highly recommended. He is supposedly a rather good brewer. I am told his unit was sad to see him go." Lewys' eyes flashed blue, then he sighed. He finished his beer, then stood up.

"Emily, gentlemen, I must prepare for tonight…" He shook his head and appeared to be trying to steel his resolve before he said, "I assume we will see you all there? We will not be able to head out to the woods tonight, it is simply too dangerous, but I am told the mayor has erected a set in the town square." Rupert spit out the sip of beer he'd just taken, and laughed out, "I'll bet he's erected something for tonight." Emily's face reddened, and Lewys looked mortified before he said, "Wizard Rupert!

I must insist you maintain a modicum of decency!" Rupert just kept laughing, so I apologized on his behalf. The man was clearly not sorry about anything. After that, Lewys left, so we hung out and had a couple of beers before the sun set. A bell rang out to inform everyone it was time to head towards the square. As Emily and I walked out of the inn arm in arm, I noticed that each of the four main roads coming in from the gates had torches lit along their length as they made it towards the town center.

There were more braziers lit on a stage that was set on the northern side of the river, so we made our way to where the crowd was assembling behind a rope that kept everyone out of the middle area. I could see Priest Lewys, in his finest robes, standing on the stage, next to the brazier I'd seen last year at Bhealtaine. There was also what looked like an altar covered in white furs, which was about eight feet long, and maybe four feet wide.

Finishing things off, and representing the traditional "forest" setting, were a bunch of saplings that stood about ten feet tall above the stage all along the back side. The bell rang one last time, then an arch in front of the mayor's mansion was lit on fire. Immediately after, the doors to the mayor's mansion opened, and a procession of drummers began marching out under the magically burning arch. They were followed by a procession of teenage girls dressed as fairies.

Next came the mayor's wife, with a group of women acting as her handmaidens. She was dressed as a noblewoman, with a wooden crown on her head. Finally, the mayor came out on his own. He was wearing a brown robe, all of his visible skin was painted green, he was holding dead branches in his hands and had a wig of dead leaves and twigs. He made a big show of seeing the May Queen and desperately wanting to get to her, but not being able to catch up.

The entire procession walked around the outer edge of the rope three times before the drummers began walking towards the stage, which had a central set of stairs, and then stairs on either side. The drummers, who were in pairs, split to each side just before they hit the altar that was set up in the middle of the stage. Next came the teen girls, who also split to each side. Each group then set up in a ring around the ground at the base of the stage.

Once it was only Lewys, the mayor as the Green Man, and his wife as the May Queen, Lewys took a torch and lit the ceremonial brazier. He then stepped forward and, in a booming, definitely skill-aided voice, said, "Before us, we witness the death of winter, and the birth of summer!" The mayor attempted to embrace the May Queen, but she pushed him away, then whispered to him. Lewys narrated again, "The May Queen rejects winter, and demands that he must submit if he wishes to be with her!"

The mayor exposed his chest, and his wife pulled out a dagger and mimed stabbing the mayor, who fell to the ground with a ribbon of crimson scarf falling on the stage around him. Once that had played out, Lewys continued on, "Winter has submitted, and his death gives way to life!"

As he stood, I saw Lewys shake his head, then say, "As Arturos himself set the precedent that the newly replenished Green Man, and the May Queen may consummate this festival in the hopes it will bring good luck to the land, I must now allow, this ancient rite to continue, may the System bless us for it!" Lewys stepped aside, and the mayor's wife stripped his robes off of Evans, and removed his wig. Then she offered him her hand to help pull him off the stage. It was a sight that would have been silly on Earth.

The mayor's wife was a petite woman, but she was most certainly at least level 20, so she was perfectly capable of picking him up. As the mayor stood, it was revealed that most of the rest of his body was also painted green, everything except for his manhood, that is… That was most certainly not painted green, but it was standing at attention. All I had to say there was, good for you, Mr Mayor.

I was absolutely shocked as the mayor then disrobed his wife and laid her down on the alter with the furs, and proceeded to vigorously, well, you know... It was absolutely as obscene as one would imagine it would be. I couldn't believe that the entire town was witnessing this! Kids and all! I guess it probably happened like this way back in the time of the druids, but still. I definitely felt awkward and was glad that it was mostly dark.

When it was finally done, they stood up and said, "May our coupling bring good luck, and a verdant growing season!" I just shook my head. No one else in the crowd snickered or made any inappropriate comments, so I held my tongue. When Emily and I were most of the way back to the inn, she whispered to me, "Well, that was an inspiring performance."

Almost every generation of leadership of the System Church has attempted to put a stop to "authentic" recreations of Arturos' early Bhealtaine performances. On each occasion, the System has issued a warning that the order is heretical and could result in the System taking action against them. No one has ever been able to find the lines for the instructions in the code of the Prime System Stone despite many man hours being wasted on the task. Entry in the secret Order of Merlotus tab.

Recorded by Archbishop Alaric Smythe, Emperor Arthur VII's personal System priest.