The Moontide Vow

Zin-Azshari, ~ 10 000 years ago

Excitement and anticipation buzzed through my veins the closer we got to Zin-Azshari and by the time we reached the gates, it felt like my entire body was humming like restless bees. The towering buildings with their pearlescent domed roofs and graceful spires reminded me of Suramar, but somehow the splendour of Zin-Azshari was even more pronounced and breathtaking. I gaped, wide-eyed, as we passed through the gates and headed along the moonlit path towards the Temple. My mentor, Priestess Springdew, watched my reaction to the sight of the capital with amusement dancing in her eyes.
“Beautiful, is it not?” her lips curled up at the corners in the barest hint of a smile.
“I…I do not have the words to describe what I am seeing, Priestess.” my tone was hushed in awe and reverence.
“Just wait until we get to the Temple district. The Temple is one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole city, except for the Queen’s palace of course.”
“I cannot wait to see it, shan’re.” I replied, anticipation heating my cheeks and making my eyes shine even brighter.
“Patience, Acolyte Ravenmist. You will see it soon enough. You can see the crescent at the top of the centre dome just there…” Springdew’s voice trailed off and I could hear the frown in her voice.
I turned my attention in the direction she had pointed, but couldn’t immediately see the cause for her dismay. But after having scanned the roofline several times, taking note of every arch, spire and dome, it dawned on me. Every Temple dedicated to the Goddess had a crescent adorning it at the top, to make identification easy, but there was no crescent here. Instead, the Queen’s star adorned the roof of the central dome of the Temple. The crescent, the symbol of the Goddess, was gone.
“Priestess Springdew?”
The senior priestess shook herself, her frown disappeared and was replaced by a carefully neutral mask.
“Come, Acolyte. I am sure it is nothing to worry about. We must hurry now, or we will be late.”
It did not hit me until much later that Priestess Springdew, a servant of the Goddess and someone who was expected to live in truth, had just lied.

The Temple was much further away than I had initially thought and we reached it just as the first light of dawn broke over the rooftops and coloured the white marble buildings in golds and the dusky hue of spring’s first roses. The Temple was an enormous structure made out of marble as white as newly fallen snow and its domed roof had been inlaid with lapis lazuli and moonstone. One would have thought that such a large building would feel oppressive and much too compact but instead, there was a feeling of grace and elegance to the structure, most likely helped along by the smooth and highly decorative pillars, the beautifully curved arches and the large stained glass windows that lined the facade of the Temple. I had expected that most of the exterior decorations would be silver, in honour of Mother Moon, just as they were at home, but curiously enough these were made of gold. Gilded spires adorned the roofs and golden stars were spangled in regal arches above the doors and windows. I was completely entranced by the architectural marvel that was the Temple, but the sight of it made the frown reappear between my mentor’s brows.

Priestess Springdew and I had just started up the stairs that led to the front courtyard of the Temple when we heard a voice ring out behind us.
“Priestess Springdew!”
We turned in tandem to face the woman who was hurrying to catch up to us. She wore the silvery mooncloth robes that marked her as one of Elune’s fully initiated and trained servants and the crescent headdress she wore denoted that she was someone of status within the Sisterhood. I wondered about that for a minute. Why would one of the higher ranking Priestesses meet new arrivals in the courtyard herself? Did they not have initiates or acolytes for that particular duty? My confusion only grew as Priestess Springdew inclined her head in a bow of respect, but otherwise remained completely unfazed by this breach in etiquette. But I did not want to shame my mentor in front of the stranger, so I quickly dropped into a deep curtsy and bowed my head.
“Priestess Lunarglade.” my mentor’s voice held a hint of warmth, but her expression remained carefully neutral. A slight twitch to her fingers was the only sign of her agitation and concern.
“It is good to see you Sister Springdew, and you as well Acolyte. You must be tired after your long journey…” Lunarglade’s smile was a bit strained and up close her features were marred by exhaustion and worry. Springdew gave the other priestess a worried look.
“Are you alright, Sister? Something troubles you, I can tell.”
Lunarglade took a minute or two to answer and when she did I got the feeling she was weighing each word on silver scales.
“Much has changed since you were last here, Springdew. Come to the Temple and I will explain.”
My mentor nodded and both she and I started out towards the staircase and the grand building once again. We had barely taken a step, however, before Lunarglade halted us.
“Not…not that Temple, Sisters. The Goddess…she is not spoken of inside those walls anymore.”
Both Springdew and I rounded on Lunarglade, disbelief written all over our faces.
“…what?”
Lunarglade nodded, anger flashing briefly in her eyes.
“The Temple has been re-dedicated. Instead of the Goddess, they worship the Queen within those walls.”
“But…sacrilege..!” Springdew gasped the words in utter shock. I could only nod in stunned agreement. We all revered the Queen, but to equal her to the Goddess? That was a step too far and the mere thought was heretical. None of the Mother’s creations could ever equal Her radiance, even if the Queen came close. I could barely fathom the enormity of what had been done, it was too foreign, too sacrilegious.
“Indeed.” Anger and sorrow gave Lunarglade’s voice a hard edge, her tone heavy and dark with foreboding.
“Please, come with me sisters. We will speak more of this once you have had time to rest and refresh yourselves.”

Still stunned, Springdew and I followed Lunarglade as she led us towards a different part of the Temple complex. The building we approached was situated between two grand staircases that led to the upper levels of the city. The entrance itself was nestled into the mountain and the doors were heavy and made from solid marble from the looks of it. They were currently wide open, revealing a well-lit stairway that led down into the much more shadowed gloom below.
“They allowed us to stay on the premises, but we were graciously relocated here.” Lunarglade swept out with an arm to indicate the smaller building, her tone tart. A surge of anger blazed to life within me and fought to claw its way to the surface as I beheld it; that a Temple to the Goddess, Mother Moon in the sky, had been forced underground! How could this have been made possible? Why had the Queen not stopped it? Why had the Priestesses allowed it? I couldn’t comprehend it. It made no sense at all to me. The questions were still swirling around inside my mind as we entered the underground Temple and made our way down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stair, I spied a faint glow and strained my eyes in an effort to see it a bit more clearly. Priestess Lunarglade noticed my interest and the shadow of a smile flew across her lips.
“Our sacred well lies here at the bottom. It is where we host our ceremonies, prayers and rituals of worship. It is not as grand as the well within the old Temple, but it serves its purpose all the same.”
“But…why did you allow yourselves to be pushed out of the real Temple, Priestess?” it was the first time I had spoken since meeting Priestess Lunarglade and my mentor gave me a reproachful look for speaking out of turn. Lunarglade, however, did not seem to mind even if her expression once again became pensive and full of sorrow.
“Do you know the tale of the reconciliation of the two moons, Acolyte?”
“No, Priestess. I do not.”
“You know, of course, that there are two moons in the sky? Do you know their names?”
I frowned at her question, slightly offended.
“Of course. The White Lady Elune and the Blue Child.”
“Very good. Once upon a time, the Blue Child had done a great wrong to Elune. Exactly what the Blue Child had done has long since been forgotten, but Elune was roused to anger and it was a terrible thing to behold. Filled with shame and sorrow, the Blue Child fled the heavens.”
As Lunarglade spoke, her fingers trailed along the murals that adorned each side of the stairwell. The murals were beautifully painted and each represented a part of the story she was telling.
“For a time, Elune was alone in the sky and her sorrow at having been left alone was reflected in the world below. The seas raged and the tides became uneven and chaotic. Having but a single moon in the sky was wreaking terrible havoc along the coasts of Kalimdor.”
My attention was caught by a mural depicting the grieving Elune, with dark seas and raging water elementals all around her. The artist had skillfully managed to capture the Goddess’ rage and sorrow and I felt my heart contract painfully within my chest.
“No one knew how to console the Goddess and the Blue Child was nowhere to be found. Thus things remained for many, many years, until one night when the Blue Child returned. Having seen the chaos that had been brought upon the lands, the Blue Child returned of its own free will and approached Elune.”
The next mural depicted the small Blue Child approaching the regal Goddess, kneeling before her and begging for her forgiveness.
“As the two moons met in the sky, so close that their edges brushed against one another, a sparkling arc of light dancing between them. The Blue Child asked Elune’s forgiveness, and Elune gave it, only under the condition that the Blue Child also forgave her for her own ire. Together, they made a vow; that they would always remain in the same sky. The tides became gentle once more, and the two moons continued their graceful, eternal dance across the starry heavens.”

I smiled a little as I listened to the story, studying each mural carefully as we passed. The last one depicted the two moons, The Blue Child and Elune, holding hands and a bright blue arc of light erupting between them, symbolising their promise. But Lunarglade was not quite finished with her story.
“Just as the Blue Child wronged Elune and left her side, so too have the most zealous followers of the Queen wronged and abandoned us. But, like the Goddess, we must wait in sorrow and with patience for their return…and when they do, we shall forgive them and all will be well once again.”
The frown reappeared between my brows at this and my mentor, who had been listening in silence, was quick to notice and step in, her voice gentle and soothing.
“The story of the Blue Child and Elune teaches us that it takes great courage and grace to forgive, but it also takes great courage and grace to seek forgiveness in turn.”
Lunarglade nodded in agreement with my mentor and picked up where Springdew had left off.
“The loss of our Temple is painful, Acolyte, there is no denying that. But the Goddess teaches us the importance of forgiveness and thus we must strive to mirror her example in this, even if it pains us to do so. All will be well in time, Sister. You will see.”
For the second time that night I had the distinct feeling that I had just been lied to.

Credit for the story of the Blue Child and Elune goes to Kathene on Argent Dawn, EU.