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Where It All Began
(The early years)
Prologue-Darius... ... ...
In 1462, a son was born to Penerith Fletche' & Jocelyn (*Lockhart) Fletche'.
He was named Darius after his Mother's Grandfather and he was destined to be an only child, even though Jocelyn gave birth to two additional children after Darius, (one boy and one girl), but sadly, both succumbed at birth to health related issues, and so Darius never knew a brother or sister, although he knew of their birth and death.
Darius enjoyed his life as an only child, having the constant attention of his mother and father solely to himself.
He was trained well and eventually went on to advanced schooling and while there, enjoyed the time spent in the company of many a nobleman's son.
Being an intelligent lad, he kept his ears open and his mouth shut, thereby learning much of the ways and wiles of the English hierarchy through the talk and speculation of their sons.
Having acquired a knack for speaking with the sons of the nobility of the Kings court by the time he had reached his fourteenth year, he was able to help his father grow the family dry goods business through his court acquaintances and so his fathers business grew from a few dozen customers a week, to a thriving wholesale business that shipped wagonloads of goods all over the city of London and her rural districts daily.
When he turned sixteen, he began courting various girls his age, yet none seemed to hold his interest, for any period of time. He became well known in the social circles within his area, yet every girl who was courted by Darius, complained about his apparent lack of interest in them. He would court them briefly and then move on, almost as if he found them lacking in some quality or another.
Because of this, he became quite desirable through his lack of attentions and it seemed as if all the girls he had courted, were constantly trying to win his attentions again.
This of course did not help, with any new girl he courted, as she immediately became assured that indeed, she was the one who would win his heart!
And then within a short period of time, she, like all the rest he had courted, would be quickly reminded that she was also doomed to failure with him and that his attentions were fleeting at best.
This was essentially Darius's life, year after year, until he arrived at the age of eighteen.
But on his eighteenth birthday, his father made the decision to reward Darius for all of his effort and work and made a silent decision to take Darius abroad, because he was determined that his son should experience other cultures and lifestyles.
And so plans were made, without Darius being aware of a thing and when he was informed two months before their departure, he went almost crazy with excitement!
However, we would be remiss, if forgot she, who became his mate, she who taught him so much ...
Hence, here ends the tale of the very early years of Darius and we now turn to Geiahna.
Prologue-Geiahna and her Father ... ... ...
In 1426 Flavio Dauphin (whose father was an Italian nobleman of Roman linage and heritage) was born in Toulon, France, (which was still occupied and controlled by Rome at this time), and at the age of 18, Flavio followed in his fathers footsteps and went into service for the Romans.
His loyalty was to his Roman countrymen, yet he loved his French wife Murielle (*Amiot) Dauphin (whom he married at age 20 whilst she was 15) and he also deeply loved his country of birth.
And so, although Flavio took his position within the Roman ruling order and proceeded to do his duty for Rome, he did so most reluctantly, and only at his fathers insistence.
And as of late, he was not pleased with Rome nor with the decrees issued from there, as they seemed out of touch with the times and conditions he faced daily at the compound.
And then, less than a month after his marriage to Murielle, a decision was sent from Rome, which promoted him to a Pro-praetor position and he found himself forced into travel, dealing with pro-consul issues around the huge district, which afforded him little if no opportunity to spend time with or even see his new bride!
Because of the nature of his work in dealing with issues of thievery and land ownership, as well as complaints about heavy taxation and disgruntled peasants, he became deeply disenchanted with the passing of the days, months and years spent away from Murielle.
And then came the day when circumstances forced him into making a decision based upon his loyalty to
After the matter was dealt with in the usual Roman manner, Flavio experienced a great deal of anger and hostility over the matter and he brooded for weeks over the outcome.
This singular event fostered within him a deep resentment for the Roman hierarchy and eventually had a deep impact upon his loyalty to
And when his father died in the spring of 1451 and his mother in the late fall of that same year, he was left feeling completely alone and it was then that he began to accept the truth, that there would come a day when he would abandon Rome and all her ideals.
Then on the first day of February of 1452, the English began attacking Toulon, as well as other coastal towns and villages of southern France and Flavio was happily called back to Toulon from his duties as Pro-praetor around the district and was given the position of Harbor Magistrate with a sworn duty to protect the Roman interest in France against the upstart English nation.
Flavio and Murielle who were both overjoyed at this change, immediately set about making up for the years spent apart and their passion for each other was unparalleled in Toulon's history according to the older residents of that city, who would know of such things.
As a result, Murielle became pregnant and in late October of that year she bore a son and he was quite a healthy boy.
( Isn't it amazing, that in times of war, those nations involved in such a thing, always seem to produce a plethora of children, almost as if nature is intent on protecting us from killing ourselves off? Food for thought, but now back to the history! )
In the late summer of 1453, frustrated at the years gone by without a chance to see his beloved Murielle and having just renewed their relationship, in the midst of the war with the English, he finally decided to absolved himself of his duty to Rome and immediately became a French Loyalist and man of favor amongst the Toulon factions and by the people of the surrounding countryside, very well liked by many of the residents of the area for his honest manner and compelling voice of reason.
Yet because she so badly wanted a daughter, Murielle once again became deliberately pregnant in the spring of 1455, yet it was to another son.
Murielle was twenty four at this time and so she put away her notion of having a daughter and busied herself raising her two boys, during a war torn and very strife driven environment and all of this was indeed quite a handful for her.
But she was secretly very pleased that her husband had finally chosen to align himself with his country of birth and the people he loved so much, as they were her people too!
And so the years went by and the war finally went away from the area and life became peaceful for Flavio and Murielle once more.
Flavio was finally recognized in 1461, by the French hierarchy and given title and land with ownership over all of the Toulon district, which incidentally, he had managed to maintain quite nicely, without their assistance and approval nor that of the Romans. (And they had been driven out of
Yet he accepted this all graciously and continued to manage the people and the lands in the manner he saw fit and the entire area prospered and grew under his guidance.
But you could well imagine then, of Murielle's surprise, when at the age of thirty four and seven months, she once again discovered that she was pregnant with child and eight months and some few days later, Geiahna Dauphin was born.
And what a girl! Almost from the moment of her birth, she was constantly trying to move her head around, as if she were looking for something.
By the time Geiahna had reached the age of three years, she had become the most inquisitive child, anyone had ever met. Asking questions about everything from why there were ants's to what made clouds white, she drove her parents and their friends and her brothers and their friend's crazy with questions about everything.
By the time she had reached the age of ten, Geiahna Dauphin was quite well informed about many different things ... ... ...
And it was during her tenth year that she heard of a wise woman, a seer some called her, who had knowledge of many different things it was said, so she sought her out.
Although the Roman Catholic's churches influence was heavy upon the land of France, this was not so, in her father's region as her father not exactly fond of anything out of Rome in those days and so the churches presence was tolerated, but barely. And they, being aware of this, kept their distance and came not to Flavio with any complaints or issues. And so the people of his lands, returned slowly to the ways of the old and those who had the knowing, brought back the knowledge and the wisdom of the witches.
It was to such a woman that Geiahna found her way to.
And the God's and Goddess's must have helped guide her to such a one, as the Hag of Arelate, who was very highly regarded and skilled in many things, because Geiahna immediately took to the old hag and spent so much of her time with the old woman, that her mother had cause to complain to Flavio.
He in turn, took it upon himself to visit the Hag and after a lengthy discussion; they both came to an agreement concerning her instruction in such things and how her time was to be spent.
From that day forth, Geiahna was restricted to three days a week of training at the hands of the Hag, but she also had to demonstrate her lessons to the Hag concerning the ways of the current social and political climate within France and so, as is often the case, the teacher was also being taught.
Because of these things, Geiahna grew up in a most interesting environment.
And although she was now fourteen years of age, her inquisitive nature had never ceased and she became very knowledgeable on the many aspects of life, as well as being quite skilled in the healing arts and magical knowledge as well.
Many was the time, during her thirteenth and fourteenth years, that she overheard remarks about her like "That one there, she is wise beyond her years" or "She has the power of the all seeing eye", which made her giggle in mirth at the things people attributed to magic, when in fact anyone who took the time to observe and question things around them, could easily arrive at the same conclusions as she did!
But it was in the spring of her fourteenth year, when her Mother announced that her Father had made plans for them to take a small trip, in which he would be combining business with pleasure and that he had invited her and her brothers and her mother along for the occasion.
For the first time in her life, Geiahna actually grew giddy with the thought of seeing a new town, new people and new ways of doing things. The thought of all of the different shops and stalls in
And so she helped her mother pack the things needed to make such a journey. As they would be in
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And so here begins the rather unusual history of Darius Fletche' and Geiahna Dauphin who were destined to meet while both were visiting
And thus, would begin a relationship that would change life for both of them.
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The French Connection ...
Darius Fletche' stepped off the gang plank of the English ship and surveyed his surroundings. At 18, this was his first visit out of
And in what a place!
Marseille was different, open, inviting to various cultures and so he was intent on finding what pleasures could be had, for the price of a jaunt about the area.
Behind him, he heard his mother's voice and so he turned, grumbling a little to himself at the delay that offloading their luggage would cause.
Yet, indeed it was his family that must be attended to first, as without his Father and Mothers help; he would never have been able to afford such an opportunity as that, which lay before his very eyes.
And inside he held secret a hope that was like a flame within in him burning so brightly that it had consumed his every waking moment for the last two months.
And his mothers light jesting tone when she had casually mentioned that perhaps he might find a nice young French girl, with whom to spend some time with, made his heart beat with excitement, at the thought of such a thing.
Because, unbeknownst to his mother, Darius carried a secret, he dared not reveal to anyone... ... ... for fear of being declared crazy or worse! As he walked back up the quay to where the luggage was being unloaded, he reflected back on what it was he had held so private since the age of twelve.
(He woke with a start, his breath coming in short gasps and his heart beating rapidly because he recognized this dream! This was the forth time he had dreamed it, yet each time, it was in a different way, yet it was always the same too! He didn't understand it, but for some reason he had been dreaming of one particular girl, except ... this girl had no face that he could recall, yet he knew that her hair was long and he thought it to be auburn, but even this was not known for sure, but what he did know was that she was slender and beautiful. He knew this with a certainty. Although he had never seen her face in his dreams, he always awoke, with the feeling of being in the presence of amazing beauty.)
As Darius walked up to the ship and began to help his mother move the small pieces of luggage to the wagon that would carry it to the inn they would be staying at, he mused that it was no wonder that all of the girls that he had courted so far had disappointed him. Not one of those that he had been with so far, had given him that feeling and so he quickly moved on to the next one ... ... ... searching for her!)
And on this most eventful morning, on the shores of a foreign land, he sensed that the very air itself, was charged with excitement, as if there was some great event about to take place that would change life as he knew it, forever ... ... ...
As he busied himself with the luggage, moving the items as carefully and as quickly as he could to the wagon, he looked around for his father and saw him by the ships gangplank, purchasing the rent of three horses from a cheval that was doing a brisk business with the eighteen passengers other passengers that had traveled with them.
"Ah', so then", he thought with excitement, "we are also to get about and see the lay of the land in the French countryside. Excellent!"
He finished loading the sea chests quickly, anxious to be off to the hotel and get settled in, so that they could get out about the town.
To be continued ...
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In 1492, a boat bound out from the
On board, was a most special couple, His name was Darius Fletche' (age-30) and her name was Geiahná (Daphne) Fletche', (a French name in origin)(age-26).
He and she were on vacation, (which they had planned for two years) and the location had originally been planned as a trip to Northern England, but there was troubles in those areas and so, He changed their plans and was the lucky chap indeed to secure passage aboard this ship, which was bound for the colonies with a stop planned in Limerick, Ireland.
Upon arrival, they placed themselves into comfortable quarters and then having settled in, determined that they would be about, to see what the lay of the land was.
Several days passed and having seen all that they wished to see of Limerick and its people, they decided to take an early morning jaunt into the woods, located on the Northwest bank of the River Shannon, as they were both nature loving and although firm and loyal subjects of the king, they held at risk, a secret, which could surely cause them great trouble at the least and death at best.
The reason for their walk, was to allow them to escape deep into the wooded areas, were they would be free to do that, which could not be revealed to anyone, from where they were from, for fear of persecution and death.
Joyful, were they, for they knew that this was safe place, a haven for most of their kind and they would not appear to be unseemly, should discovery occur.
So as they were progressing deeper within the woods, they were both quite happy and laughing. In the spirit of the moment Geiahna reached down and grabbing a wad of the newly fallen snow, threw a snowball at him, which struck him in the chest quite soundly. And then she took off running, which was most difficult, for the manner in which she was dressed.
Darius, surprised and laughing and full of love for her, ran after her and grabbing several wads, he pretended to make great effort in trying to hit her back, but alas, it seems his aim was truly horrible, for not once did any come near enough to cause her any concern, as anyone could clearly imagine.
It was during this moment that they both heard a voice off to their left (south) which was so musical and beautiful, that they stopped what they were doing and turned to see what creature spoke thus.
And as he turned, Darius idly noticed that above their heads was a thick fog, so thick indeed, that one could not see the limbs on the trees, much less the tops. (This singular fact (fog) will become very important later on as this blog grows and you learn more about our life back then, SO PAY ATTENTION !!!)
Anyways ...
There standing off to their left amongst the trees was the most exquisite creature either Darius or Geiahna had ever seen. (They had discussed her in private later on that eve and neither he or she were amazed that they both arrived at the same thought) And holding on to each of her hands was a small child, a boy of about five and a girl of about that same age. And she spoke once again, in a tongue most unfamiliar, (Gaelic) and what she was saying was slowly being understood by Geiahna, but not by him.
And she seeing his dismay and incomprehension switched to the Kings English and when she spoke again, he started laughing, not at what she was saying, but at the manner in which she was destroying the Kings English. And Geiahna shot him that look that women have given men, since the annuals of time began. And so, he stopped and listened, and it was these words, that both heard her say that day:
I wish I knew a love such as this!
And so Darius and Geiahna met Selene for the first time (again) and they did spend some time together in the following days.
And when all was said and done, it was determined that he should be off to England to sell his store, which had netted his parents a respectable living and substantial savings, which he had ended up with, as being the only living child of their union.
And so, Geiahna and Selene spent the next four months in relative comfort, whilst Darius prepared that, which he had been sent to do and when he arrived back, it was with an entire stores worth of useable things, so that he might establish a thriving business, within Limerick.
And so, having done all that was to be done, having procured the building of a new store and commissioned help, in which to do so, Darius went about the business of finding a suitable residence for the three of them and the two children.
Having finally purchased and settled in to comfortable quarters located on the edge of Limerick, the three of then begin to explore more of each others lives and it was most unusual to find that all three held onto the same secret.
And so it was, that Darius, Geiahna & Selene became lovers. And they gathered unto themselves, the unwanted and desolate children of the area and took them in and raised them as their own. And they had three of their own, (Geiahna had a beautiful daughter whos name was Deirdrè and Selene-a son-Cuchulain and then a daughter-Meave). And they named the three of them for memories from the past, least any should forget.
And in the summer of 1493, they begin the Gathering and so it was that they found and met those of their own kind, and thereby was SIDHE Coven formed.
And the names of those that were a part of it all are recorded here, for all to see.
(*Indicates maiden name)
Geiahna (*Dauphin) Fletche',
Selene' (*MacDermot) Fletche',
Finnola O'Cahan,
Tangwystyl (*O'Connor)
Sarina (*
Ashe (*McCarthy) Magauran,
Chicele O'Byrne,
Bonane MacRannell,
Muirgein Kerry,
Annascaul (*O'Brien) Faly,
Tuathail O'Hanlon,
Donnabhain MacCartan
&
Darius Fletche'.
And 13 were they when all assembled and they gathered unto themselves three adepts each and the number was 39.
And so there were 52 in all of SIDHE Coven and they knew great joy and shared much.
Even though the times were troubled they lived quite happily, until 1513, when Darius, in a moment of weakness, lay with a wench named Andriana MacFhionguin who worked the tables of a local tavern and when it was discovered, Geiahna and Selene left him.
And although he waited for two years, for them to forgive him and to come back, they never did! He searched during all that time, but in vain, for no one knew of their whereabouts!
And so, after two years, he sold everything except the home which he simply abandoned with all of the goods therein and he traveled back to
Yet, that is not the end, for there is much to be told of the lifetimes after and before, as well as the incredible journey between the years of 1492~1515.
And there is so much more to the telling of how all of the others came to be a part of ... ... ...
This Thing We Do.
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Part Two:
(The Coven in 1501)
Fiona stepped away from the trees and looked back up the trail she had been traveling for the past two days.
She didn't understand it, why she felt so uneasy, but it didn't feel like a sense of danger, the feeling she had was more of a sense that she had forgotten something and so she was feeling somewhat wary and being overly cautious.
Those people in the wagons that had been camping beside the trail that she had passed last night, had seemed like a welcome relief after traveling three days alone by herself, but for some reason she couldn't yet fathom, she had skirted the campsite at the last minute and kept to the shadows until she was safely past.
She mused on this as she scanned the trail ahead for a suitable place to lie in for the night. The feeling she had gotten as she was approaching the campsite was almost like someone was watching her, but not physically, more like they were inside of her head.
And yet, she had this sense of seeing a smile forming even though she could not truly see a face to go with it.
Pausing for a moment to check an overhang just off the trail, Fiona decided that she was tired enough and so it would just have to do.
Going off the trail, she gathered up some deadfall and bringing it back towards the overhang piled it in front to help better conceal the opening. When she had arranged it satisfactorily so that nothing could be seen of the overhang or underneath of it, she crawled inside and curled up into a ball and putting all thoughts of anything out of her head, she went immediately to sleep ...
Six miles away the Coven was coming along the trail heading in Fiona's direction.
And riding with Geiahna in the Fletche's wagon, Finnola suddenly looked over at Darius astride his horse and flashed him an impish grin and turned around and placing her right hand on Geiahna's face, turned her and then planted a kiss on Geiahna's lips and then rubbed her left hand up and down Geiahna's back and then squeezed Geiahna's left buttock.
And then she slowly turned around and looked at Darius again while putting her little finger of her right hand on the edge of her mouth and pulling down on her lower lip.
"Ye wench" mouthed Darius at her, as he kicked his horse in the flanks and galloped ahead of the wagons to join up with Muirgein and Tuathail who were leading the way.
As he rode off, Geiahna smiled at Finnola and said "And what was that all about dear?"
Finnola reached for Geiahna's hand and as she held it, she said, "Ah, sweet Geiahna, I was just having a little fun and a spot of mischief with thy dear husband."
Geiahna smiled gently and spoke with laughter in her voice. "He is quite easy to charm then, is he not?"
Finnola also laughed nervously and with merriment in her eyes she cried out. "He is always scolding me as if I am a child, and here I sit fully 18 years, by the turning of the wheel of the year and he has yet to ask me to join with you and he, in the sacred ritual!"
Geiahna held the reins to the horses in her left hand and took her right hand and squeezed Finnola's left hand. "In time he will dear, in time, but you know how headstrong Darius is, he has his own ideas about how things should happen."
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"Where did Selene' ride off to" Darius asked Muirgein as he rode up. "Ah, she said she was going to go ahead a little, to find a place where we can pull off the trail for the night" Muirgein replied, "She'll be okay Darius, she took Donnabhain with her" he added in a low voice, looking knowingly at Darius with a slight smile on his face.
"Ay, and I know ye be right" growled Darius low in his throat, "but she is pregnant three months now and I can't help worrying about her".
They all rode along in silence for a few moments, each nursing his thoughts until Tuathail turning around at the sound of approaching hoof beats, said, "Know that there will be no idle moment's with us for thee Darius, for here cometh Aisling and she be after you!" just as Aisling rode up on Annascaul's mare and told Darius that Sarina and Annascaul wished to speak with him.
Darius sighed and turned his horse and following Aisling rode back along the line of wagons and carts that made up the procession of those who had joined with the Coven.
As he looked for Annascaul's wagon, he thought about last night and the young woman, who had slipped past their camp.
She didn't look like she was a fugitive from anywhere, but he wondered why she had slipped back into the trees, after almost stumbling upon their encampment.
She had seemed almost frightened of them, the way she darted back amongst the trees! And then his thoughts were quickly interrupted as he spotted Annascaul's wagon.
As he rode up, Aisling slipped off of Annascaul's mare and retied her to the wagon and hopped up in the back of the wagon, all whilst the wagon was moving down the trail.
Darius took note of her skills and thought that now would be a good time to get her taught on how to scout a trail for game and to teach her a few skills with the bow and the traps.
He turned his attention back to Annascaul and Sarina and rode up a little closer to the wagon so that he could hear both of them better over the clanking and rattling of all the things Annascaul insisted must come along on any trip they took. And he had to admit, more often than not, she was right!
Sarina spoke and there was grave concern in her voice. "Someone is near, and she is uncontrolled and not aware! Yet she is very strong in her mind and possesses good talents! We should look about and see if we can find her as she is close by, I can sense it!"
Still guiding the wagon, Annascaul spoke quietly "Darius, I feel it also and I feel something more! I feel a sense of connection, like none I have ever had, except on the day, you and I met! I feel it is important for us to find her and do so quickly. She will be a boon to us all ... ... ...
As Darius took in this new spot of news and compared it to what he had seen the night before, he idly wondered why, if this was the one they spoke of, why had they not sensed or felt her last night, as she passed around the encampment they had made on the trail?
He nodded affirmation at them so that they understood that he was acknowledging the warning they both were giving. And for a time he rode beside them in silence, wondering what this would mean to the Coven ... ... ...
Four miles ahead of the clanking and noise of the Coven procession, Selene and Donnabhain paused for a moment and eyed the rise ahead. "Should we keep going forward?" Donnabhain asked.
Selene waved her to silence and whispered, "I feel the presence of someone and she is nearby. From this point forward, we need to be very careful ... ... ..."
Donnabhain nodded her acceptance and unsheathed her sword and laid it across the bare back of her horse.
Up ahead, Fiona moved restlessly in her sleep, as if chased by something and unconsciously her hand moved to her knife handle, in her leg sheath. Yet she did not wake ... ... ...
And the entire Coven moved slowly along the trail towards where she lay sleeping ... ... ...
To be continued ... ... ...
Magus,
Cerrydwen and RustyThanks for the add!
It's very cool to see another covenspacer who is so local (we're over in South Lyon). Hopefully, we can meet up at some local event, if the opportunity ever presents itself.
Very interesting reading on your blogs.
Namaste,
Rusty (aka Doug)
www.agentrustybones.blogs...
www.artbycerrydwen.blogsp...
02:52 PM CST