“With the blessing of the 3 stars.” - said a woman in her 40s in a simple, slightly dirty dress, as she bowed and handed a handful of coins to the young man in white in front of her.
“With the blessing, sister.” - the priest placed the offering in a chest full of gold, coins and jewels, positioned in the centre of a table covered with a white tablecloth serving as an altar inside the tent. At the back, a large tapestry stood with the silhouette of a seated child and three stars above its head.
The woman raised her forearm to her forehead and with a slight bow said: “In the search may we remain.” The man in front of her repeated the movement and speech as a sign of dismissal to the woman, who then left the tent.
Entering the place noisily, the older sibling said: “Have you finished with today's offerings, brother?” - and proceeded to snoop around behind the altar, where other chests, full of valuable items, were stored behind the white tablecloth.
“Yes, Rian, the blessings of the gods continue to multiply upon us and upon all those faithful to the search.” - said Stan calmly as he turned to his older brother, crouched behind the altar.
“I must congratulate you, Stan. I'm still impressed by your resourcefulness as a priest. An excellent disguise for a bounty hunter.”
“I hate it when you talk like that. You know this isn't a disguise. You, Aran and I have been given a mission by the divines. Our calling is to serve the gods here in Greenfar. And they reward all who believe and act accordingly.”
Rian stood up and approached his younger brother, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Stan, it doesn't matter 'how' or what you believe or don't believe. We've been given a job, and no matter how many 'believers' you've spread around, it's been seven years, and we still haven't found that child.”
Stan continued to look at his brother intently.
“See this here on my neck?” - and Rian lifted the necklace with the gold whistle hanging from it, making Stan's eyes light up. “For you to find your god again, we need to find the child and finish the job.” Rian turned away from his brother, letting go of the object.
“You know... Aran and I think that after all this time, we need more guidance on the search...”
Stan was interrupted before he could finish: “We've had this discussion before. I won't blow the whistle until we've finished the job. Until then, I'll continue the search, while you stand around blessing children from village to village.”
The priest put his hands to his face, tired of disagreeing with his brother.
“Rian.” - the young man's tone was firm. “You saw the same thing we did. We weren't hired by someone in a hood in the corner of a tavern. We had a vision from the gods. We received a call, a divine mission. We were chosen to spread a message and accomplish something greater than ourselves. The people who join our belief know that they are doing the right thing, and with that we help them to prosper and live a life closer to the graces of the Creators. I don't understand why you're so resistant to accepting this truth.”
“Do you want me to dress in white too and say nice words so that people donate gold to us? You know that's not for me, Stan. Besides, someone has to do the dirty work of this 'divine mission' and you know what I'm talking about.”
The younger brother reflected for a few moments before replying.
“Maybe there is a divine child out there, and I want to find it as much as you do, but what if you've interpreted the call too...literally? All the children we give the blessing of the three stars are chosen to make this world better. Don't you see how much wealth this has brought us?” - and pointed to the chests behind the altar.
“Stanny, as long as you do your job getting gold for us, I don't mind checking up on families who don't want your 'blessing'. Just don't ask me to wear those clothes and talk pretty to the crowds. I'm Rian Salas, a bounty hunter. That's my calling.”
The man in white looked at him with compassion, and the conversation was interrupted when the third brother entered the tent.
“Stan. Rian. The guy who delivers fish just said a child with marks on its arms was born yesterday at his neighbour’s house. They asked us to visit.”
The older brother laughed incredulously: “That's why we've been searching for so many years. You'll go after anything. This child must be almost 10 years old, and you're still 'blessing' babies.”
Stan stopped dressing up and looked deep into Rian's eyes: “Brother, the gods act in mysterious ways. We don't make the rules, we are the instruments. In the search may we remain.”
Stan finished putting on his sandals, picked up his bag and left with Aran to check on the newborn. Rian stood in the tent, looking questioningly at the figure of the child with the three stars on its head on the tapestry behind the altar.
The Tales of Greenfar are originally written in Portuguese. If you find any major mistakes, please be kind and let me know 🌻
🔖 New chapters every Friday!
Next chapter:
Chapter 10
At the age of 10, apprentices took their first oath to the sword, and any misuse of a blade could easily lead to permanent expulsion. At the time, they were allowed to use real swords in classes and training sessions only with masters. In addition, the youngsters were also given the artefacts of the apprentice: belt, armband and a pair of wristbands tha…
What has already happened in Greenfar:
Prologue: The beginning of Greenfar
Chapter 1: Alone in the forest
Chapter 2: Marks
Chapter 3: Zelas
Chapter 4: The Chosen Ones?
Chapter 5: Storms
Chapter 6: Ghraul
Chapter 7: Ramira
Chapter 8: Almost 10