Going to the Temple

Aruengir couldn't clearly remember the sailing when she first opened her eyes. In front of her, a face, a pretty one, appeared with a concerned look in her big green eyes. When Aruengir evaluated the position of the nun and herself, she understood that she was lying with her head laid on the nun's lap. The nun asked with a worried voice, "Are you alright, my child?"

Aruengir tried to sit up, and the nun helped her. She recognized that she was in a big carriage with two nuns. Both of them were young. The nun sitting next to her was Manday with her lovely face. The other one sitting opposite to her was Karamay, another nun from the group that came to take her. She had a bigger nose and small watery eyes, with black, oily hair that was straightly curtaining her long face from each side. Her caftan color was brown, and her animal was an ow according to the embroideries on her caftan. Aruengir wasn't sure if she liked her much, but she was sure that she liked Manday. "Yes, Sister Manday, thank you, I am better now." Manday looked a little bit relieved.

"We are about to reach the temple. Once we get there, I am sure you will feel better."

"For how long have I been sleeping?" Because she remembered that Manday was telling her they have two days of carriage ride after going ashore.

"You have been sleeping for one and a half days, my child. You were exhausted after the sailing." Aruengir was surprised. But when she examined her body, she felt that she was feeling much better now. The sail was exhausting. For 14 days and nights they sailed and Aru got seasick right after they left her isle.

The carriages came to a halt before a towering stone wall in the woods. Aruengir jumped from her uneasy position. She peaked out of the window of the carriage and saw possibly the tallest wall Aruengir had ever encountered, or perhaps she was just too small at that time; she felt like an insect compared to the grandeur of the temple walls.

They have departed the carriages at the grand entrance of the walls. These walls were constructed from massive white stones, meticulously arranged in a perfect and smooth manner, creating a mesmerizing sight. Tilting her head back, she tried to gauge the extent of the wall, but its end eluded her view. Approaching the sole opening in the imposing wall, they were welcomed by double iron gates. The ironwork on the doors twisted and twined in intricate circles, resembling the branches of a tree adorned with iron leaves, roses, and buds at the ends.

Aruengir marveled at the exquisite craftsmanship, a stark contrast to the limited knowledge she had gained from her humble, impoverished village. She was acutely aware that behind these doors, she would discover far more than she could anticipate, and she was proven right.

Two formidable guardians stood on either side of the iron temple gate, massive and imposing. Their steel armor glistened in the sunlight, and beneath the heavy-looking armor, they wore white tunics. Lances with pointed tips were held in their hands, and swords hung from their belts in sheaths. As she stepped through the iron door into the temple's front garden, she couldn't help but hold her breath.

Contrary to the poverty of her village, the nuns lived in opulence. The front garden resembled a piece of heaven, with a mosaic pathway lazily swaying from the iron gates into the depths of the garden. The estate seemed boundless, and Aruengir struggled to discern where the wall behind her met the side walls as it disappeared amid heavenly trees. Drooping willows flanked both sides of the mosaic road, tangled with rose bushes, mirroring the twirling branches of the rose trees seen in the iron doors' patterns.

Green grass, heavily watered, shimmered in the afternoon sun, and the roses between each pair of willows emitted a soothing scent. Beyond the roses and grass, she observed blooming orange trees, hanging vines, and an expansive flower bed showcasing every imaginable color. Eucalyptus trees, tall and mighty, marked the only boundary visible from her vantage point. Small ornamental pools adorned the garden at intervals, each culminating in a different fountain statue, resembling fish heads or adorned pitchers. Some featured beautiful faces, while others had men and women statues in the pool's center or erected on the grass. Buildings, as white as the temple walls, stood in the distance, but their path veered away from these structures;

Aruengir began to wonder if they would ever stop.

Abruptly, without warning, a colossal building emerged before them. The sloping terrain had concealed the structure, revealing itself only as they reached its summit. At the foot of the small hill lay her new home, an edifice that seemed both welcoming and threatening. Aruengir was certain she would be here for a long while. Upon reaching the temple, she found herself gaping at the building. A large white-stoned courtyard lay before the temple, mirroring the stones used in the exterior walls. Four pillars lined the front of the temple, carrying the massive canopy of the building.

There was a white-stoned courtyard in front of the building, half covered with a canopy, half open to the air. There were people in the courtyard, already gathering. She saw other girls like her, lined in front of the massive building, next to more nuns, and soldiers patrolling the area. She saw some boys and girls nearly her age, and also some nuns, but they were standing out of the courtyard, under circling eucalyptus trees, as the audience to a show that is about to be displayed.

They reached the courtyard, and a nun standing at the front of the line skittered quickly to them. A blonde nun with blue eyes, mirroring the light blue caftan of hers. She half bowed with respect, as her gaze directed to Temene, and said: "Welcome, High Priestess Temene, may Ulghan's light shine upon you." Temene nodded in return. She continued as approved.

"We are almost ready for the salutation ceremony. All the other girls summoned have arrived. We are waiting for your approval to start." Temene turned her gaze to Manday; she didn't say anything but looked like Manday got the appointment. She swiftly hooked her arm to Aruengir and said in a hushed voice, "Let's get you to the line as well." Temene nodded again.

Manday took Aruengir next to the other girls, almost dragging her. She put Aruengir in a small semi-circle line that had been created with now seven girls, including Aruengir, standing at the edge of semi-circular stone stairs leading to the building.

Aruengir was at the center of the semi-circle. "Wait here; the ceremony will start in five minutes," she said and left to Temene's side, where she was almost at the edge of the stairs herself.

Temene slowly climbed the stairs, as other nuns remained at the foot of the stairs and started to circle the girls standing. When she reached the top of the stairs, she turned and faced the crowd, nuns and girls in lines. The girls were standing at the foot of semi-circle stairs, nuns were in a line behind them, and lastly, soldiers were arching behind the nuns. Their shiny lances pointed to the sky.

And at the very end of the courtyard, a curious crowd, consisting of children and nuns, was standing under the shadows of the trees.

Temene cleared her throat. An utter silence collapsed in the courtyard as if all of them died. There were only bird chirps and the rustle of the branches slowly playing with the wind.

Temene started talking to the crowd loudly.

"With the name of the mighty God Ulghan, white and bright, thundering and bold, the obedient son of the one..." Her arms opened to the sky as if embracing the clouds.

"Bless us with your bright light, keep our way luminous, make our feet sturdy, bless us and protect us while we are taking your light to the earth and beneath..." She lowered her arms next to her and continued talking.

"Here we are today, greeting our new daughters. Seven girls, summoned from seven districts, each one of them has been chosen with the guidance of the sky and stars. According to the positions of the stars when they were born, they are none the less but chosen for this ultimate position. They are here to be sacred. To be a light for the wicked and to be the next of our nation."

She stopped for a moment and weighed the crowd.

"Here we are today, to greet the virgins of Ulghan..."

The entire crowd applauded after this sentence, except the soldiers standing at the exact position they held and little girls trying to understand what had just been announced.

"This merry union is not repeated so frequently. Only once in every seventeen years. The older majority of this community is aware of the position and importance of the virgins. But for the juvenile and inexperienced members of ours, I am obliged to repeat our rules to make it clear for all of us."

She continued, adding a tinge of importance to her tone,

"They are respected. They are protected. They cannot be touched without the direct order of me or high priestess council members. They only will be touched by their maids or appointed nuns. No one will enter their wing. No one will ever enter their rooms. They are restricted from playing with other children. They are above children. Above us. Always keep your distance from them. No one will get closer to them more than an arm's length. And if any of you exceed these rules, without trial or hearing, they will be banished from our society forever."

The silence of the crowd deepened, as if everybody held their breath. Aruengir thought that she wasn't even hearing the birds anymore. Temene returned to the girls this time.

"My blessed daughters, you are the most welcomed in this temple. But the outer world is the limit for you. You can go anywhere among the walls of our temple. Please also keep these rules in your mind too. You don't get to touch anyone as well. Only your assigned nuns and maids. You will be trained separately, eat separately, and you will be honed to be our greatest weapons against the darkness. You will be our shamans..."

The crowd applauded again with incomprehensible joy for Aruengir. Nuns hurried to take the girls up the stairs; they lined them again on top of it, displaying them to the crowd. They put chaplets on their heads, and two rows of soldiers came to either side of them.

"Let the feast begin!" called Temene from behind. The entire crowd cheered again and started to walk out of the courtyard into the woods. Temene got closer to the girls from behind and talked over their heads just for them this time. "Today, we will eat and celebrate. Tomorrow, your training will start."

Then she led them down from the stairs and into the heart of the woods, where the ceremonies would be held. Aru thought that this would be the start of a quiet life as a nun, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

***

Manday looked after Aruengir. She was following the line silently. Her black hair was falling on her shoulders like a waterfall at night. Her slender frame was even thinner now with the fourteen days of seasickness. She was silently swaying behind the line, like a delicate leaf against the wind. A silent girl, sorrowful and naive. Like all of them. She was not understanding half of the talks and mimics, even less understanding the exchanged looks and implies. Her early age was not enough to understand these kinds of politics. But soon, she could be honed as the sharpest dagger, the most dangerous yet most respected shaman in many years. If she was the promised one. If not, then God have mercy on her. Mercy on every one of those who will be snatched from their families and will be "eliminated" if you need to say it in the softest term.

Manday's heart was not letting her to endure this. In every 17 years, she will have to suffer with the most heaviest feelings. She was young, so this was her second gathering —well third, if you count hers as well—but she knew that every time would be equally hard for her. She trained not to feel this way, since from her childhood, and all through these years as being a nun. But still, she couldn't close her heart to the feelings like any of the other nuns do. Or maybe, they were also acting that they are not feeling anything like she does. But not Temene. Manday was sure that Temene hadn't got a heart. And she was suspicious about the soul either.

Manday prayed for Aruengir. Every day, since they met. Prayed for her and every other girl that gathered. And she was sure she could not do more than that.

Once girls lost from the sight in the woods, Karamay snapped at her,

"Don't get too attached to her! We don't know what may happen to her in the future."

Manday knew that, she was right. Anything could go wrong like the last time.

"I don't care."

"Well, you should! What do you think happens if Temene senses your attachment to her, more than a duty? She will punish you. She will punish both of you! Be smart for once, Manday!"

Manday went silent. Temene would punish her if she thought she was growing any attachment to her, by separating them and making their life harder. She was used to punishments of Temene after becoming a nun, but she wasn't willing to let Aru suffer because of that. She could live happily for 10 more years. They will serve her, pamper her, and take care of her for a good ten years! Like a pig fattened up for slaughter... She dismissed the idea. Aruengir could survive out of it. Like she did, or Karamay or Tuulay did. Like many of them did. She refused to remember the ones who couldn't. Refused the remember the last time and those seven girls. She wanted to believe that this child would live it out. Maybe better. And she will be there, to help her. Help them all. Secretly, but constantly. She thought she owed it to the fallen ones. They followed the others into the woods in silence to have the abundance feast.