“I am, my lady. I am just worried I have sold my poor head for taking Your Highness away from her family!”
“D-don’t worry.” She smiled. “My b-brothers are not b-bad.”
It was heartwarming to see such a gentle young woman speak lovingly of her brothers, while he worried the young Princes would destroy an entire Kingdom for her sake. Still, Yassim knew there wasn’t much that could be done now. He could only hope this reckless plan of his would turn out for the better...
After this, it was clear they were to dine in this same room, with Nebora bringing little plates of food for them to eat. The meal served here may have been simple in their eyes, but to Yassim, it was truly a feast! There was a gigantic piece of meat, dried meat, many types of fruits and vegetables, several dishes he couldn’t even identify, cheese, and desserts. He was glad to eat, but it was hard to swallow anything in the War God’s presence. Although he didn’t say much, the man would sometimes take some meat to eat, and go back to resting.
Cessilia had moved to sit on a cushion against her father’s legs, her arms and head resting on his lap. He was caressing her long, brown curls from time to time, using his other hand to eat.
Both young women had many questions for Yassim and kept asking him about the Eastern Kingdom relentlessly. It was obvious Cessilia knew more than he had thought already. The young woman had read dozens of books, some about lands even farther away than theirs, and she was mostly asking to differentiate tales from reality, while Tessa had heard from folks more than books, as the little they knew about the Kingdom was brought by the few goods and people who did travel across the border.
It was strange to think that the border had been open for many, many years, yet only a handful of people dared to cross it each year. There were good reasons for it, though. On one side, the people of the Eastern Kingdom were scared of the Dragon Empire, with its strange customs, dragons, and, most importantly, higher costs. On the other side, the Dragon Empire citizens had no reason to cross over; the Kingdom was much too poor, didn’t have goods worth trading that couldn’t be found in the Empire, and the years of tyranny or civil war had convinced them it wasn’t worth the journey. Yassim himself had been baffled at how easy of a journey it was, but how hard it had been for him once inside. The prices were too high for him to buy much more food than he had brought, and his savings were quickly depleted when he had no choice but to use them. Hence, he was more than grateful for each free meal he was given, like tonight.
“...So, most of the system already changed anyway, didn’t it?” sighed Tessa. “The rich people got overthrown and robbed, and what was true a few years ago changed when your new King came to power, then.”
“Yes, Lady Tessa. King Ashen got rid of his father’s policies right away, and chased or killed all of the former supporters of King Ashtoran. He only kept people who swore allegiance by his side, including this humble servant.”
“Good spring cleaning,” scoffed the young woman, biting into a piece of juicy meat.
“As of today, there are only nine lords allowed in the court, and His Majesty’s people. Those nine lords are the richest, most educated people of our Kingdom, and those our people trust. Each one of them either took a stand against the former King or pledged allegiance to King Ashen once he took over the throne. They have lands, people, and money behind them, but they are all also highly educated and respected. I believe they are the equivalent of your Empire’s scholars.”
“Our Empire has seventy scholars,” retorted Tessa, “and they aren’t that rich, either. ...And our aunt barely listens to any of them.”
“...Do they t-trust the K-King also?” asked Cessilia.
Yassim smiled. This young lady was smart indeed...
“On the surface, they are his loyal servants, my lady. However, each one of those lords hopes to secure their position, and King Ashen is known to be quite... particular in choosing his allies. To be honest, he doesn’t trust any of them, my lady. Yet, he needs them to content the people, and prevent further fighting. Not only that, but my King also needs all nine lords to get along, which is... quite difficult, at times.”
“Nine rich people in a room to learn to share? Yeah, good luck with that,” scoffed Tessa.
“Not just nine, my lady,” sighed Yassim. “Each lord represents his family, and at times, their wives, siblings, or children can hold as much power as they do. We talk of nine lords, but for some of them, they hold a small clan behind them. Yet, those nine are... essential in maintaining balance. They all hold a dominant power in one or more domains our Kingdom needs to be strong in: military, trade, finance, education, farming, science... Those people will help our young King shape the future of the Kingdom, or we are bound to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.”
“How about you? Aren’t you a lord?”
“I’m nowhere near any of those people, Lady Tessa. I am merely an old, wise man that this King was nice enough to keep by his side...”
Yassim felt very sad, pronouncing his words. Indeed, he had been lucky to stay alive until now, given his history, but... his King wouldn’t be so benevolent upon his return. It didn’t matter whether he got to keep his head or not, though. As long as he could bring the Princess to him, even his death would be worth it.
“Alright, Yassim the Wise,” yawned Tessa. “Well, I hope you’re as good of a guide as you are a storyteller, then,because now I am quite excited to visit that Kingdom of yours!”
“Let’s go t-to sleep,” agreed Cessilia, glancing toward her father. “We should leave early t-tomorrow...”
The War God nodded, looking a bit tired, and he got up from his seat, gently offering his large hand to help her up.
“...I’ll send you off at dawn.”
Chapter 3
For an old man like Yassim, being able to sleep on a thick, comfortable mattress was a luxury. He certainly hadn’t expected to be so well received in the Onyx Castle, the War God’s residence. That servant woman named Nebora had shown him the bedroom he was to stay in after dinner, and he had been shocked to see such a nice room prepared for him, in such a short time, with even a fireplace bringing its dancing glow. Hence, it was no wonder he had fallen asleep right there, completely surrendering to his own exhaustion.
He was woken up early by gentle knocks on the door, and it took him a few seconds to remember where he was, and what he was doing there... The fire had long been extinguished, and the room was cold and dark.
“Good morning,” said Nebora with a soft voice. “Did you sleep well? The girls are almost ready to leave, we wanted to let you sleep for as long as possible, but I fear time is up. You can still join Tessa for breakfast, though.”
“Ah, yes, thank you, Lady Nebora...”
The servant woman nodded and went to open the windows, but for some reason, Yassim found she was a bit cold toward him. He quickly grabbed his coat to put it back on with a shiver and washed his face with the little basin of warm water she had brought, brushing his beard quickly and trying to arrange the few white hairs scattered on his scalp.
“Your King...”
He was surprised to hear her address him all of a sudden. The woman approached him with a severe expression.
“He’d better be a good man,” she said. “I’ve watched those girls grow up, I helped their mothers raise them. I love them like my own. I may only be a servant, but trust me, your King should fear me as much as those dragons if anything happens to either one of them.”
“I-I understand, my lady,” muttered Yassim.
After she was done talking, Nebora put back on a polite smile with an impressive calm, and walked out of the room, leaving him stunned. The women of the Dragon Empire were clearly as fiery as the dragons!
Yassim let out a short sigh but quickly prepared himself, as he was worried about making the young ladies wait for him. He only had his coat and shoes to put back on, but as he did, he felt a bit nervous. Since they were flying back to his Eastern Kingdom, he couldn’t help but wonder if he would make it to the end of the day. A lot of things were bound to happen, and he could only pray for a better outcome...
Preventing himself from thinking too much, he walked out of the bedroom, noticing how dark the castle was despite the sky being lit by the moonlight. He hadn’t really paid much attention before, but the walls were as dark as the castle’s name... Could they really be onyx though? He didn’t even dare touch it to test his theory. Resolute, Yassim found his way back downstairs, noticing his muscles weren’t so sore anymore. Truly, a good night’s sleep was the best remedy at his age...
“Morning!” exclaimed Tessa when he stepped into the large salon from the previous night.
Just like Nebora had said, the young woman was having her breakfast, a large selection of dried and fresh fruits, nuts, and cereals displayed before her. Quickly greeting her, Yassim walked to pour himself some tea. He was too nervous to be hungry, and could only sit on the edge of a stool, watching her eat ferociously.
