Cessilia was taken aback. So, Ashen’s mother should have become the Clan Leader’s wife... No wonder her situation became complex and peculiar for the clan after she cut ties and basically ran away.

“Most of the Cheshi Clan’s people are aware of King Ashen’s lineage,” said Aglithia. “For a long time, the elders were quite divided on whether we should finally take a more active position or not. Some were still... offended by his mother’s actions, and want us to not consider him as one of us anymore. Others think we should have acted earlier. Thankfully, your arrival did simplify things a lot.”

Cessilia was conflicted about the Cheshi Clan’s actions. Although she understood some of their decisions, her heart was still aching for the young Ashen who had gone through so many hardships, all because of the adults’ selfishness. She glanced at her brother, but Darsan simply shrugged with a smug expression.

“So?” he asked. “What’s your position now? Because my sis could use some support right now. So could that King, from what we’ve seen.”

“No matter what,” said Aglithia, “we never got along with the Yekara Clan, but they were also cautious to avoid messing with us. What happened last night, though, was definitely a turning point. My father agreed for us to meet you, and offer you the strength of the Cheshi Clan.”

“...You know, tale-telling is not going to cut it,” groaned Darsan, raising an eyebrow. “That was a nice story, but how is that helpful to us?”

Elder Olea chuckled, and stepped forward.

“Our clan is not only about keeping the memory of the Dragon Gods. For a very, very long time after the siblings that originally carried their souls passed, we also vowed to protect the will of the Dragon Gods. Their ultimate will was their progeny’s safety and a peaceful land for them to prosper in. I think we will agree that sadly, the Eastern Kingdom is no longer at peace. Thus, it is indeed time for us to act, Princess Cessilia. Come with me.”

Following the old lady, they all left the prayer room. Cessilia couldn’t help but glance one last time at the beautiful mosaic of the dragons behind her. She had no idea a portion of her family history had been hidden here all along, so far from the place she called home. It felt like they had truly dove in and unburied some secrets that were missing without them even knowing they needed that piece of the puzzle... She had been raised with dragons, and Cece, Krai, and all the other dragons of her family members had always been such a big part of her life. Still, Cessilia had consistently been one of the most curious among her siblings, and at times, she had wondered what made their family so special for them to be life-bound to such majestic creatures. Now, at least, she had some answers. Of course, there were probably some creative parts in the legend, or things that had been lost and changed over the years, but she could still see how it fit with her family history. In fact, it explained a lot of things...

“There is still something I don’t understand,” whispered Naptunie while they were following the grandmother-granddaughter duo. “If the legend is right, and from a scholar point of view, well, I’m still very, uh... surprised. But, if we were to believe the legend, then... why did Lady Cessilia have a dragon, and Tessa didn’t...? Not that I think you shouldn’t! I understand your brothers have water dragons because your mothers were part of the Sea Dragon’s descendants, and so, it probably prevails on the Earth Dragons somehow, but...”

Cessilia frowned, thinking about how to answer this when she only had pieces of information, but before she did, they both heard Darsan sigh behind them.

“Our mom told us about that legend thing, about a very old Dragon God she once met underwater that saved her life. She always stayed vague about it, but Kassian, Cessi, and I heard that story a lot. ...I mean, we never really knew how much of it was true, and we were kids when she told us that, but... what’s true is that Mom wasn’t around after Kassian was born. He was born during the war against that screwed up uncle of ours that Dad and Auntie Shareen got rid of, but Mom wasn’t there after the war. Kassian always says he has no memory of Mom before I was born, and Dad doesn’t talk about it either, but the aunties from the Onyx Castle all said he was alone with Kassian for a long time. No one wants to say what happened to Mom, but... we heard some stuff.”

Cessilia nodded.

“It d-does match what Elder Olea s-said a bit...”

“I see...” muttered Naptunie, visibly absorbed in her thoughts again. “So your mother would be... Oh...”

Cessilia glanced ahead, but if Aglithia and her grandmother had heard anything of their exchange with Naptunie, they were both pretending otherwise.

As the Cheshi duo guided them through the property, Cessilia was only beginning to realize how vast this place really was. From what she could see, their main residence had high walls and many large square patios, where they crossed paths with some people bearing similar tattoos to Aglithia, and some who had none. Either way, all those people were surprisingly very physically fit. Perhaps because she had never seen the other Cheshi before, Cessilia was even more surprised that they didn’t really seem to match the rumors. In fact, only the Cheshi with tattoos were seen carrying around large volumes, in corners reading or writing, and exchanging with other people who also had tattoos. On the other hand, all the Cheshi that didn’t have any were more often than not training, or clearly on their way to, carrying weapons or in a fitting outfit.

“Lady Aglithia,” she asked. “C-can I ask... about those t-tattoos you have. I see a lot of you have th-them, is there any p-particular meaning to them?”

“There is,” nodded Aglithia, a bit proud. “It means we are holders of some of the clan’s secrets! You see, we not only know a lot about dragons, but our family has specialized in transmitting our knowledge orally, as much as possible, and some of that knowledge is centuries old. Thus, to know which of us holds a particular knowledge, we receive our tattoos when we complete learning a particular course of the clan. We are all free to study what we want, but those with the most tattoos are basically the most knowledgeable among us.”

“What my proud grandchild fails to mention, is that it is also a means of defense,” added her grandmother.

“How so?” asked Nana, whose eyes were literally shining bright with deep interest.

“Some things are only known within our clan,” explained Aglithia, “and some secret knowledge can only be learned by those who have achieved particular success amongst our teachings. The most respected members of the clan are those who learned and succeeded the most and, in a way, unlocked their own access to our clan’s deepest secrets. In here, knowledge is power, and we do not climb the ranks by our blood lineage but by how knowledgeable we are.”

“....C-can I ask... Ashen’s mother…?”

“She was a smart child,” smiled Elder Olea, “but too stubborn for some teachings. She focused on her physical training more, and she was quite a balanced fighter and student.”

“Yeah, about that,” said Darsan, stepping forward. “What training do you guys go through?”

“We were never meant to learn the art of fighting,” said Elder Olea, “but it quickly became a necessity. While our clan remained here, the Dragon Gods’ descendants left, and we understood knowledge alone wouldn’t be enough for our clan to survive. Using the knowledge of plants and battle we had from our ancestors, we decided to keep it alive and nourish more of that knowledge so the next generations would be as good with their bodies as they would be with their minds. It turned out to be even more of a success than we thought; we remained as a neutral, unnoticed clan among many others for centuries while being able to keep our knowledge and traditions alive and protected. Thus, we decided to keep the art of spying and assassination as one of our main ways of life. A lot of children who don’t find themselves in the teachings we provide are often the most proficient in our assassination classes.”

“So you created a dual way of life,” said Darsan. “Your people just get better at one, or do both.”

“It’s a simplistic way to put it, but that’s how it is, indeed.”

They kept walking, as the questioning time was over. Cessilia was truly surprised but also relieved to find out the Cheshi were not only scholars. As much as she enjoyed knowledge herself, she knew they would need more to go up against the Yekara, and now it did sound like they had more of a chance... She still had to confirm that the Cheshi would help them out, though, and time was running out. Sabael and the others were still in grave danger at the moment, and Ashen was in no condition for another battle, either. Cessilia faintly clenched her fist. She had to convince the Cheshi to help out; none of the other tribes would be as pivotal in the upcoming fight.

“I heard about you,” Aglithia suddenly said to Naptunie. “For a Dorosef, you seem more like you would have thrived among our clan!”

“Hm? I’m happy with being a child of the Dorosef, though...” muttered Nana, tilting her head. “I am not sure I would be really happy here. I like to study what I want.”

“You can study what you want here too!” replied Aglithia, a bit offended. “But you would have access to so much more knowledge compared to the rest of the Kingdom. We are almost as good in medicine as the Hashat are, and we know sewing and knitting techniques the best artisans of the Sehsan Tribe have yet to discover. ...Wouldn’t you be curious about that?”

For a while, Naptunie remained silent, looking down with a frown on and a complex expression. Behind her, Darsan had his eyes riveted on her, visibly very curious about what she was going to answer to that. Cessilia couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at her older brother’s behavior. He was literally mesmerized by Nana’s every word and action... She wondered if it really was a trait of her family that they were fascinated by the object of their affection. To see a big and usually rowdy Darsan all tamed and quiet by the small and introverted Nana was just too adorable to witness... Those two were truly a perfect and improbable pair. Cessilia began silently rooting for them, although Naptunie still seemed completely clueless about the attention she was getting from Darsan.

“The more I think about it,” said Nana, “the more I think I wouldn’t. Hm... Yes, I’m definitely not fit to be a Cheshi.”

“Why?” Aglithia insisted.

Naptunie stopped walking and turned to her, her big bright eyes expressing full honesty.

“I wouldn’t like it,” she said. “How you have to keep everything to yourself. Maybe because I was raised as a Dorosef indeed... You know, my tribe likes sharing with others. We fish not just to feed our people, but to feed everyone in the Capital. My dad is the happiest when people tell him they like his fish, regardless of who they are. We are one of the clans that gets along the best with others, you know? I like the way my people interact with the rest of the Kingdom. It’s true I like studying, and I really like books, but... I like it most when I can share what I know with others! What’s the point of learning and getting so good at something if you’re not going to share that knowledge with others? I even taught my auntie how to improve our flour with everything I learned, and we found new ways to keep the fish fresher longer too... but, your clan isn’t like that. You chose to stay in this Kingdom, but you kept all those books and knowledge to yourselves... I understand it’s for your protection, but I don’t really understand what you’re protecting it from. I think… I think it’s really a loss. So, I’m really fine being a Dorosef girl. I wouldn’t want to be like you at all!”

She finished just like that, simply shrugging, so honest she wasn’t even feeling a bit sorry for her words. Naptunie resumed walking behind Elder Olea, the old lady having a faint smile on her lips, while Aglithia was left behind, completely speechless and stunned. Meanwhile, Cessilia smiled too, resuming her walk shortly after Nana. Darsan quickly caught up behind her, gently touching his sister’s arm, his eyes still riveted on Nana. This time, a large smile was stuck on his face.

“Cessi... She’s great, isn’t she? She’s so smart, right?”

“Th-that’s our Nana,” nodded his sister with a bright smile.

“Damn... Yeah, I’ve decided. Sis, I’m definitely going to marry that woman.”

Cessilia couldn’t help but chuckle at her brother’s strong resolution, but she knew Darsan was very serious. Of course, she’d support him fully. Naptunie deserved a good man like Darsan. Despite his strong and rough exterior, he was a very well-raised guy, with a strong sense of justice and responsibilities. Cessilia even suspected he was secretly their strict grandmother’s favorite.

“I agree with my grandchild,” chuckled Elder Olea. “Your way of life may differ from ours, but obviously, you would have thrived among the Cheshi, child.”

“Thank you,” said Naptunie with a smile on her face.

“D-don’t you ever interact with other c-clans or t-tribes at all, then?” asked Cessilia. “Not even th-the Hashat?”

“To be honest, Princess, we doubt the Hashat’s interest in the Rain Tribe. What are we supposed to think of a tribe that made all their fortune from the knowledge of slaves they acquired by force and money? Even if they created families, we still had a hard time believing their pure intentions, if there were any. I do regret we weren’t more forthcoming in mixing with other tribes, but... understand us. Our tribe has survived for centuries on secrecy and doubt. We do not change our ways so easily.”

“What about now?” asked Darsan with a frown. “Because if you aren’t going to help, my sis and I should leave right now, Grandma.”

Cessilia chuckled, but her brother’s blunt questions were at least forcing the elder to be more clear. Elder Olea nodded.

“Oh, we will help,” she said. “We might be late to the party, but we did not come unprepared. Princess Cessilia and her allies will get our full support from now on. The young lady has more than proven her worth in our eyes and, through her, so did our stubborn King. The decision was made yesterday after we heard of what had happened during that second banquet... It is regrettable that so many good people were unfairly killed. Plus, we are not so blind as to believe that once we are the only ones left, the Yekara will leave us be. This Kingdom is bleeding from the inside already, and we are not going to simply watch it fall into the hands of those wretched people. We are ready. Which is why we fetched you so early this morning. To show you this.”

In a timely manner, the old lady finally stopped in front of another pair of large doors. Then, she pulled out a long chain necklace from under her clothes, and quickly took one of the many keys out that were secretly hanging there. Cessilia was surprised. She had been walking three feet away from that woman for a long while, and she hadn’t suspected she was wearing a set of keys at all... This kind of necklace should have made some noise, yet somehow, there had been absolutely nothing. She exchanged a quick glance with Darsan, who was also staring at it with a confused expression. Elder Olea was probably very well respected for reasons other than her age...