--------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is an entirely fictional story (as if you couldn't guess) and is not intended to imply anything about the sexuality of the members of NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys and none of these events actually happened in real life. Also, the characters "Hercules", "Iolaus", "Lilith" and "Jason" are copyrighted to the show "Young Hercules" and all other companies associated with the show. This story has hints of homosexual content but will move slowly in that area because of the storyline. Comments and suggestions are welcomed and should be sent to ensstyenlc@hotmail.com If you are 18 or older, you may proceed to read the story. If you are under 18 years of age, shouldn't you be studying or at least at a Pokemon website rather than here? ;-) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would like to thank David from Nifty for letting me put my work on his site. Also to all the authors (both from Nifty and from actual books) who have inspired me. To the people who have sent your feedback and compliments, a big thank you for encouraging the author and making the story what it is now. And to those people from the MUD Realms of Despair, if any of you guys see your characters' names here, don't worry about it...I just picked carefully chosen, random names. To those reading this story, thank you for choosing to read this story. I'll do my best not to let you down. Now let's continue the story, shall we? ___________________________________________________________________________ |The BSB NSYNC Chronicles - Chapter Four|
AJ stirred in his sleep. He opened his eyes to find a horse face staring at him. At first he thought it was Tilkeleb but realised that the newcomer had no horn on her forehead.
"Get up," she ordered. She shook her head with impatience and whinnied softly. AJ stretched and yawned.
"So what's the problem?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"A young human with curly hair and strange clothes similar to yours fell from a three hundred foot platform early this morning. Your presence is requested to identify the body," the visitor stated with her soft voice.
"Did you say 'curly hair'?" AJ asked. The visitor nodded again.
"OH SHIT! JUSTIN!" AJ shouted, waking Tilkeleb who swung his head left and right, looking for a possible fight. When he found none, he regarded AJ curiously. He trotted up to AJ and nuzzled his head onto AJ's shoulder.
"Why are you crying?" Tilkeleb asked. AJ just continued to sob. Tilkeleb turned to the visitor.
"What happened, Aelinia?" he asked. Aelinia repeated her message and Tilkeleb understood immediately.
"We have to get to the Upper Levels now," Tilkeleb said, trying to comfort his friend. AJ wiped away the last of his tears and stood from his bed. He began to mount Tilkeleb but Tilkeleb stopped him.
"Tilky?" AJ asked, wondering why Tilkeleb was refusing to let him mount.
"Mount Aelinia. She'll get us there faster," Tilkeleb explained. He turned into a mist and disappeared into the unicorn statue. AJ grabbed the figurine and mounted Aelinia. She trotted out of Tilkeleb's and AJ's house and spread her butterfly-like wings.
<Huh?> AJ asked Tilkeleb. <I thought pegasi had bird wings?>
<No, there are two types: the Avian Pegasus and the Fey Pegasus. Avian's have bird wings and the Fey's have butterfly wings,> Tilkeleb explained.
Aelinia beat her bright yellow and blue wings and carried them off the ground. As she fluttered higher and higher, AJ realised that such a fall would most certainly be fatal. He wondered how he would explain the situation to Justin's mother, Lynn. What can I say? AJ thought. Do I say,' Oh Mrs.Harliss, Joey cast a time travel spell and brought us back in time and Justin has not returned because he fell of a three hundred foot tree'? AJ was at a loss. How could he even tell the other guys, if he ever saw them again?
Aelinia landed outside a magnificent palace-like structure. Even though it was made of wood, the structure seemed even more majestic, not less as one would have expected. The wood seemed to glow a light golden colour. AJ dismounted Aelinia and she flitted off through the trees and disappeared into the canopy below. AJ summoned Tilkeleb from the figurine and the two walked into the building.
AJ wondered what the purpose of the building was. It was so huge that it spanned several trees. And the trees were not packed close together either. As he stepped past the small (compared to the rest of the building) entrance hall, AJ sensed a feeling of peace and tranquility wash over him. He looked at Tilkeleb to ask a question but he found it hard to even raise a whisper in the sacred place. He realised that it was a church or temple of some sort. He remembered hearing a little bit of Brian's conversation with Estel and remembered that Brian had said that the God of Estel's people was the same as his own.
AJ looked at the murals depicting the life of Christ as he walked down the hallway. The artists who had painted the murals had somehow seemed to capture every emotion of every person in every scene. AJ felt the despair and yet victorious feeling that Jesus had when he had died on the cross. AJ began to choke with emotion. He could not bear to look at the pictures anymore. He kept his eyes on the shiny wooden floor. As he walked, he realised that the wood that the temple was made from was naturally golden in colour.
<What type of wood is this?> AJ asked Tilkeleb, shuddering at 'hearing' his own voice.
<It is from a tree called the Mallorn. The tree's wood is golden in colour and its leaves are silver,> Tilkeleb replied. <It is believed that this was the tree that was used to make the cross on which Utinu'eru was crucified. Because this tree had carried the Saviour of the world, it was blessed by Eru Iluvatar and it became how it is now.>
<And so, in accord with the legend, you have made the temple of the wood that was blessed by Eru?> AJ asked. Tilkeleb just nodded.
<One last question. What are the names of the Holy Trinity in whatever language it is that your people speak?> AJ asked. He had decided that if he was going to be staying in Ca%ranos, he should at least know some of the language.
<The names of the Trinity in Quenya are Eru Iluvatar, the One Father of Everything; F%acorm, the Heartspeaker; and Utinu'eru, the Saviour of the world and the Son of Eru,> Tilkeleb replied. He trotted towards a door at the end of the hallway and pushed it open. AJ stepped inside the huge chapel. It was bright and colourful, the sun's light distorted and tinted by the many stained glass windows throughout the auditorium. There were so many pews, AJ thought that if both the Backstreet Boys and *N Sync performed here, every single one their fans from any two given states would have fit inside with no problem. There might even be extra room.
AJ gave a low whistle. He instantly regretted it because the sound seemed to magnify hundredfold and echoed throughout the whole chapel auditorium. He quickly deduced that any preacher that preached that day would not have to raise his voice at all and everyone in the entire auditorium would hear him with no difficulties at all. And everyone would be quiet as well since a whisper would also be heard by everyone in the room. AJ marveled at the ingenuity of the architects.
As he walked down the aisle with Tilkeleb following behind, AJ noticed an altar-like structure at the stage. AJ discovered as he got closer that it was the Communion Table. He saw something covered with a pure white cloth lying on the Table and he jogged towards it. He lifted the cloth. There, lying peacefully with a peaceful smile on his pale face was Justin. His wounds had been cleaned from dirt and blood and were barely noticeable. AJ would have cried but the serenity on Justin's face stopped him. Slowly, AJ backed away from Justin's body. He turned around to see the face of a beautiful woman with silvery blond hair and eyes that were so green, they put spring leaves to shame. Her finely chiseled face, pointed ears and slender figure added to her beauty. She was dressed in leather and silk clothing that showed off her body and yet it made her seem like she was not revealing anything at all.
She clenched her fist and tapped it to her heart, brought her hand forward and tapped AJ's heart. Then she curtsied and said, "My greetings to you. I am known to your people as Laughter, but my given name is Lalaith."
"Pleased to meet you, Lalaith," AJ said politely. He turned back to Justin's body.
"You wanted me to identify the body of my friend?" AJ asked, turning back to Lalaith.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I wanted you here to comfort your friend when he wakes up."
AJ did not understand what Lalaith meant, but he shrugged it off. Lalaith stepped to the Communion Table and motioned to a figure dressed in brown robes covered in a hood that AJ did not notice before. The figure kept its face down and covered by the hood of the robe. It was so covered that AJ could not tell if it was male or female. As the figure stepped onto the stage, Lalaith spoke.
"I would like you to meet my new understudy. He is here to witness the power of Eru Iluvatar before he is ordained as a cleric of the Chruch," Lalaith explained. The understudy raised his head to greet AJ. As he did so, his hood fell back off his head. AJ gasped as he saw the young man's face.
"Brian?" AJ asked in a very soft whisper.
------------------------------TO BE CONTINUED------------------------------ Yes, yes I know that this chapter is very short but I couldn't think of what else to put in...I think I'm having my very first experience of the dreaded Writer's Block disease! Well, email me at ensstyenlc@hotmail.com and give me some suggestions as to how Brian was there and where Kevin disappeared to (he left with Brian, remember?). I hope to hear from you all soon.