My surname Tor, is one given to all children in Avalon who are conceived at the holy rites of Beltane. They are believed to be blessed by the Goddess and sired by the gods, and are typically raised by their mothers without scorn within their clans. I was instead avowed to the service of the Great Mother and left a foundling only a few hours old on the steps of the Holy Order.

My childhood was spent in near total isolation as I took instruction in the study of the Mysteries. I discovered during these years that I had been gifted with the Sight as well as an ability to manipulate the fabric of time and space. In the course of my education I learned mastery over the Sight, and the visions now rarely come upon me unbidden. This is an achievement and a blessing understood by only a few, for one who possesses the gift but not the mastery frequently goes mad, as I have witnessed on numerous occasions. My powers in the realm of time and space however, I have never claimed mastery over. I utilize these rarely with profound respect and no small measure of apprehension.

In addition to taking instruction as a priestess, I also learned the art of healing, utilizing both tangible and intangible means. By intangible I refer to magic, and by tangible I refer to medicine and surgery. I am well versed in the arts of herblore and alchemy, and the formulation of a multitude of potions derived from plant, animal and mineral essences.

I approached these studies with the ambition and singlemindedness of one who has naught else, and by this I refer specifically to kin. One Beltane eve nearly twenty years this changed, as I was called upon to lay down my maidenhood in service to the Goddess and there conceived my only natural born son Emrys. My failings as a mother are too numerous to list, though I have since made some measure of peace in my heart. I have forgiven myself as I was eventually forgiven by Emrys, acknowledging that my birth and childhood gave me virtually no base of reference to draw upon. The fact that he has grown into such a splendid young man I believe to be more in spite of than because of me.

The major reason for the longtime rift between us was my inexplicable reaction to the impending fruition of what was at that time, nearly ten years ago, what I believed to be my life's work. I had achieved rank and authority enough to be named next in line to assume the position of leader of my Order, and the High Priestess who had held the position for as long as anyone could remember was on her deathbed. In a moment of insecurity and panic I fled the island without a word to anyone, including Emrys who was then studying at a druidic academy on the western coast of Avalon.

Upon reaching the mainland I found work as a ship's cook on a seagoing vessel and set sail immediately, circumnavigating the globe, and learning the craft of navigation as well as the litany of curses only sailors can do true justice to. I left the ship nearly two years later, and immediately sent word to my son. My letters were never answered.

The consequent years were difficult ones, and I earned my bread in manners I had never anticipated--hawking crudely formulated potions,modeling for artists and arranging jobs for minstrels and models and mercenaries for a percentage. This was the embryo of my first private enterprise, and here I discovered my aptitude for business.

My travels eventually brought me to Rhydin, where I thought to pause only long enough to refresh myself and have my dapple-grey mare, Iris, reshod. Iris and I had been joined some hundred miles before by a canine friend I called Mik, not knowing his true name. While detained there, I was befriended by a member of Black Dragons Honor and after meeting some of the fine folk there who consider themselves family, made the unexpected decision to join BDH myself. I made my first real home in several years here in Rhydin, eventually assuming close to the same responsibility I'd once fled...Leader of Black Dragons Honor.

I set up housekeeping in a wondrous cave naming it Ceridwen Caverns, my new residence selected for the privacy and economy it provided. I put up my physician's placard, and began trekking for specimens with the singleminded fervency that has both blessed and cursed me throughout the course of my life, and so began to stock my Apothecary . My practice grew and flourished amidst this boisterous citizenry who pummel each other for sport, and I eventually earned success enough to indulge in my passion, which is surfing.

For the first time in my life I had friends and connections to people I truly cared about other than Emrys, and with this came a measure of peace. That peace was shattered when my past caught up to me, as pasts always will, and I looked into the eyes of my son who had finally sought me here and saw in them nothing but scorn. Our eventual road back to each other was long and difficult to navigate,and perhaps even yet remains incomplete. But the progress we have managed to make I consider one of the greatest blessings She has bestowed upon me. And then there are others, my son, Hal, whom I adopted after finding him wandering in the woods dazed and disoriented, and recognized as the son of my heart. And my youngest daughter Wynter, sweet consolation for the failure of my brief marriage to her father Magnimus.

You make wonder how an ordained priestess and prominent physician finds herself the part-owner of an alehouse. I'll tell ye whence I figure that out, my friend.

So here you will find me, at the Mojo Moon Cafe, bidding you welcome, pouring your ale and coveting your legal tender. I hope you will come and here be at home, and share with me your tale, as I have shared with you mine.

LadyWrenna@aol.com

Fish Tales

Wrenna's Barely Believable Stories