“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...
She opened the large doors with that key, and suddenly, they were all blinded by the vivid colored lights that shone from within.
“Holy... By a dragon’s b–”
Darsan coughed a bit, but he couldn’t stop staring at the vision in front of them. Cessilia was just as stunned.
An armory. They were standing at the doorway of a unique and very impressive armory. There were exactly twelve sets of armor, each of a different but vibrant color, presented with twice as many matching weapons around them, and other various pieces of equipment for battle. The most impressive thing about the armor, though, wasn’t the handicraft, how well-maintained they looked, or how effective they seemed. What had blinded them upon entering the room was actually the gorgeous, shining colors of a myriad of little beads covering them. Six sets of the armor were made for women, and the other six for men, all in different sizes. They were obviously bound by metallic or leather structures, but most of the armor, shields, and weapons’ magnificent colored parts were actually made of something unlike anything they had ever seen before.
Darsan screamed like an excited child and ran right into it, immediately going for the largest sword in store, amazed. He hadn’t even blinked once since the doors had been opened.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, a wide smile stuck across his face. “Is that a freaking dragon claw? Look at the size of that beauty!”
He grabbed the sword and held it with both hands. The blade was so thick and large that although he held it with his hands in front of his belt, the tip of the sword was higher than his head. He swung the weapon for a test trial, and the simple gush of wind that went their way spoke volumes about the destructive force of that thing, paired with Darsan’s strength.
“Several of them, actually,” said Elder Olea. “That blade was created several decades ago by our ancestors, with the claws of a deceased dragon, like everything else in this room. All of these items are sacred to our people. We have never used them, and instead, we waited for the right people to come and use them.”
“It’s amazing...” muttered Naptunie.
Cessilia thought so too. She and Naptunie had naturally approached the two sets of armor closest to them. The one in front of Cessilia was clearly made for a woman, and what she had thought to be little beads were actually very small scales of a gorgeous gray-blue color. They were obviously polished and covered with some sort of shiny varnish, but it was the perfect alignment of hundreds of small scales that truly made that armor shine like a dragon’s skin under the sun.
