The World of Rhune

Sharely kept a meek face on as he followed his father down the dank passage ways. The torches cast odd shadows upon himself, the temple priests, and his own father. He thought he heard the faint echo of water dripping. "This way Charlemagnue, it's in here," his father turned a sharp right, the priests stayed silent and Sharely recieved a chill run down his spine. He was in the heart of Triton's temple, and about to see somthing huge, and important. He smelled faintly sea water, and looked to a cage, or more so a prison cell. It was filled with water upon it, not a bit of the ground was left untouched by the saltly water. He looked to a small figure sitting in the water, it's hair an odd tinge of green and brown, he assumed from the salt. The small person neither looked nor acknowledged their presence, but were it human he could tell it would have been beautiful, just by the proportions. Sharely felt his father walk up besides him. "Son, meet Azmarine. Azmarine, acknowledge your brother," the small person, a girl, Sharely now realized, turned her blue eyes up to him with a scared expression, as if he'd hurt her. "Hello," her voice was liquid as it poured from her mouth, yet it wasnt spoken normally. It was said like a small three-year old would have, as if it was just learned and was one of the only things known. "Hello, Azmarine, how--" Sharely started, "Charlemagnue, she needs not kindness. Save her the pain of an attachment, let her live in her own world." Sharely looked puzzled at his father, still keeping up his meek act. The king sighed. "Azmarine is an offering, raised to be a sacrifce, son. She will be given to Triton as all daughters of the throne have been," Sharely tried to keep his horror off his face, this poor creature was related to him in flesh and blood, and was kept like this. Miserable, constantly soaked, dumb. He bit his lip to stop the spew of comments that wanted to flow. "But why?" the words were a whisper. "To keep Triton happy, to give the greatest god a virgin, young prince." an elderly priest spoke, his voice like sandpaper against his thick neck and thin lips. Sharely's breathing started to slow, though his mind did not. "When is my sister to be sacrificed?" it was his most obvious question, though Sharely suprised himself by already feeling a bond with the girl who was his sister, and younger sister at that. "In less than a week, my prince. She is to be chained to a rock in Triton's Bay and the great god himself shall take her with the tide. And Triton shall be happy" the same priest responded punctually, as if it were nothing. Sharley nodded, "Of course, it is naturally so," The king smiled, "There's a good man. One of your brothers nearly went into hysterics, the others not far off. I'd say good bye to Azmarine, and we'll be off," Sharely spoke up softly, "Good-bye, Azmarine," the girl's eyes traced over his face carefully. "Good bye...broter?" the girl sounded out the word carefully, but still missed. "Good-bye," Sharely turned around, shaken at the thought of human sacrifice. What are we, Cavemen?