Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 00:20:18 GMT
From: LHW . <ensstyenlc@hotmail.com>
Subject: The BSB NSYNC Chronicles Chapter 4

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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? ;-)
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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?
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|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.