The Elder Tree, the center of Oldroot and the Treethane's home, was surrounded by hundreds of Gnomes carrying glowing mushrooms, all in ghostly hues of white, the Gnomish color of mourning. They flickered, a sea of stars underneath the trees.
Many sang songs of The Illuding, the closing of Oldroot's borders three centuries ago, still a living memory in the oldest members. It was the day the Illusion went up, rendering Oldroot invisible to the outside world. Many remembered this day as the end of the war between Gnomes and Humans.
Many were not yet alive during the Illuding, or it only meant to them a muted memory of childhood: the Illuded Oldroot was the only Oldroot they knew.
All the current Oldrootians had lived under the guidance of Treethane Falco, the Eye of the Eagle. These were his final days, the end of the Falconian Era. Four-hundred-and-sixty-seven years old Falco was, and he had informed the public that today, the beginning of the autumn equinox, was his last day.
Inside the Elder Tree, on the third level, Treethane Falco lay in his bed, breathing heavy, his sharp eyes blinking slow. Sitting bedside, dressed in white, glimmering spider silk, was his daughter, Fin, the only heir to Oldroot. Her rite was presented to her as a child. She had been abhorring this day since the moment she understood death.
"...Finny," her father sighed, holding her hand. "I've been where you are now. There's no one in all of Esûne who is more capable... than you."
Fin didn't know what to say. She squeezed his hand and nodded. She was unable to cry. Something held her back, a numbness had already consumed her.
The Cabinet also stood in the chamber: Pensive Bubo, the Leader of the Watch; whimsical Lute, Head of Diplomacy (very useless in a town with closed borders, Fin thought); and the humble Alen, Head of Foraging and Farming. They kept their heads down, staring at the floor, as a sign of respect.
Fin looked at her father. She felt the exhaustion in his weak but heavy hand. It was time.
Whether she was ready or not.
"Loyal Cabinet of Oldroot," she announced, her voice shakier than she anticipated. They looked up from their feet. "I will have more time to spend with my father during the rite. Let us prepare."
They bowed with a hand over their heart, the sign addressed to the Treethane. She had watched many address her father this way, a silent "my heart lives as you live." She returned it for the first time, alone.
They exited the chamber. She returned to her father's side.
"Are you...ready?" Her question was loaded on many levels.
"...As ready as you are," he smiled. He had been in her position, and some day, she would be in his.
She presented him the Book of Eras. He weakly signed the last edited page:
This marks the end of the Falconian Era, and the beginning of the Finnian.
She then, felt the tears come, as if the river pressure had finally broken down a dam.
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