It
was just days after Eirathem had taken control of his lands when he
was awoken early in the morning by his dragon's voice within his
head. He sat up in his bed, which was just a mat upon the ground as
he had ordered the former Emperor's stronghold demolished and they
were all now residing in tents. He was forcing the mundo Banim and
his family to reside with him so they could learn to trust him.
Banim's eldest son, Belllonien, had been given into the care of an
elder rider in hopes the man could help the boy learn to control his
temper.
However,
this morning (if it was even morning yet), Eirathem was not concerned
with Banim's eldest son. He said very tersely into the room, "Can
she not wait?"
"She
is very distressed," said his dragon calmly in his mind.
Eirathem
sighed, and rose to prepare for the day. He glanced across the room
and saw the mundo {Munde male} tense. "I know you are
awake," he said to the prone form, "Up!"
Banim
rose himself, taking the time to resettle the blanket over his mate a
place a soft kiss on her forehead. "Stille," he said
softly, "I shall return tonight with Maestir."
Still
yet, he looked nervously at her after he had risen. Eirathem crossed
his arms and gave the mundo a very level look. "What is the
rule?" he asked evenly.
"So
long as I obey, my family shall remain safe, Maestir," said the
mundo softly.
Eirathem
nodded in approval. "See to your needs. I shall expect you at
the side of dracaneu {my dragon} as soon as you may."
The
mundo rushed out and Eirathem finished dressing himself. Before he
could make his way out of the tent himself a small voice said,
"Maestir?"
Eirathem
strode over to the third mat in the room which held Taniva, the
original girl he had taken, and Banim's second eldest son. "Aye?"
he asked tersely as he knelt down and lifted Taniva's chin.
"You
promised," she whined.
"It
is not safe," said the Emperor. "Should I return in time
and hear that you have obeyed, we shall take a short ride then."
The
girl began to pout, and Eirathem drew back the covers to land one
resounding smack on her leg. "Should I not hear from
Daehlfreon's {head patriarch's} munda {Munde female} that
you have behaved as an obedient, respectful mundalihta {Munde
girl} in my absence, I shall order Daehlfreon to give you the
smacks you very well deserve instead of the tale I am sure you will
wish to hear," he said sternly.
"Banahfne
mie mundalihta {I will be good Munde girl}," said Taniva
fervently.
"Ehte
mion {You had better}," replied the Emperor shortly as he
gently resettled the covers over her. "Go back to sleep. It is
much too early to rise."
He
shook his head as he made his way out of the tent and to the tents of
the riders. The girl alone, of all the Munde, showed no fear of the
new master that had come. He was soon at the tent of his head rider,
Kaiadon. The man stuck his head out when Eirathem rang the bell
attached to his tent. "There is a draca {dragon} in
distress," he said shortly. "I know not how long I shall
be. I wish for you to send riders to Teinusiuhus'n {the thirteenth
house} in my absence. I will join them as soon as I may."
The
rider nodded. "Do you wish any to attend to you?" he asked.
"Nae,"
said Eirathem. "I shall send word if any aid is needed."
The
man nodded and retreated back into his tent, and Eirathem strode over
to his dragon. As had been instructed, Banim awaited him. In fact the
man had taken out the oil and cloth and was attending to the dragon's
scales. "That will do," said the Emperor shortly, "We
wish not to slide off her back."
The
man blushed. "I just thought..." he began.
"My
ire is not raised," said Eirathem levelly, "However since
it is she who demanded we awaken, she can suffer as well."
"Aye,
Maestir," said Banim quietly as he stowed the cloth and oil in
Eirathem's bags upon the dragon. Soon they were loaded and in the
air. The journey was a long one and finally Banim asked, "Maestir,
why did you wait?"
Eirathem
had expected the question at some point. He decided now was as good a
time as any to explain to the mundo. "I am but the age of twenty
six," he began. "It was advised to me to wait until a
siurbumiht {turn of might} to assume power as to influenced
the minds of the Myende of this land."
"But
you walked the land as Vasdaon {grandfather}," began the
man.
"Ah,"
said the Emperor, "so you have realized. Aye, I was Vasdaon.
Amongst ehlmoni'n {the old ones} it is believed that the might
of our magic rests on the health of the land and the Munde. So I
walked my lands and attempted to strengthen both until the time that
had been advised of me to attempt to reclaim them in full. Do you
understand?"
"Nae,
Maestir," said the mundo, "But I have not magic and mayhap
that is why."
"Mayhap,"
agreed Eirathem. He said nothing else. It was a good sign that the
man had been brave enough to ask the question. Hopefully soon, Banim
and all the other Munde on Eirathem's land would learn he could be
trusted.
Meanwhile,
in the forest of Fremfuer, Leandrow was chasing after his wayward
youngest brother. Eldrith had recently turned twenty-six turns old,
and was in fact the same age as the Emperor who was headed towards
them. However it took Fremde children four turns to grow in mind and
body as much as a Myende or Munde would grow one turn. So, although
Eldrith was twenty-six turns old, he acted about the age of a six
turn old Myende. Eldrith had decided recently that it was not fair
that he was forced to bring his guard with him wherever he went and
was escaping at every opportunity.
Leandrow
climbed higher into the tree and raced to get ahead of his brother.
He then dropped to where he would be lower and unseen as Eldrith
passed. When his brother came near Leandrow merely reached up and
grabbed his ankle, pulling his screaming brother into his arms. As
soon as Eldrith realized who had him, he began screaming even louder,
"Nae!" he cried.
The
eldest son of Elessar ignored his brother's cries, settling himself
upon a branch as he proceeded to throw his wayward brother over his
lap. "You run not from me," he said sternly as he proceeded
to let Eldrith know exactly how he felt about the matter. The boy's
cries brought two more of his other brothers near.
Rhisshil,
second eldest son of Elessar, and his younger brother Weryl, sat down
to wait. Weryl winced in sympathy as he watched. "Memories?"
asked Rhisshil mildly.
"Aye,"
laughed Weryl. "Leandrow spanks not often, but when he does...."
he trailed off.
Rhisshil
snorted. "He is giving him a great deal more sound than sting, I
assure you."
"It
feels not that way when you are over his knee," objected his
younger brother.
Their
conversation was interrupted by a bellow much louder that their
brother's. Leandrow stopped spanking immediately, pulling Eldrith to
sit in his lap. The boy clung to him and sobbed. "Cear-rahnne!
{I am sorry}" he wailed.
Leandrow
didn't respond, swinging his long blond hair to cascade down one
shoulder. "Get you on my back," he said in a tone that
brooked no argument. "And if you attempt to escape again, I
shall take down those leggings and give you the full spanking you so
richly deserve."
Eldrith
was not about to argue and crawled around his brother until he was
behind him with his arms around Leandrow's neck as he clung to his
waist with his legs. The eldest son of Elessar stood then. "Let
us see what is making that racket."
"You
are allowing him to join the adventure?" asked Rhisshil.
"I
am going on the adventure. He just happens to be on my back, where he
shall remain so long as he obeys."
Rhisshil
chuckled and the brothers ran through the trees towards the sound,
which sounded like a large animal in pain. They neared the edge of
the forest near Nuethus Geradahnge, the great school of magic in the
north of Dumaira. Eldrith's sobs had died as soon as he had heard he
was to accompany them. and he was looking around avidly. As soon as
they walked out of the trees they spotted it: a drab, yellow dragon
that was wailing pitifully.
Eldrith
began to struggle to get down. Leandrow quickly grabbed his brother's
arms to prevent the move. "If you try to leave my back," he
said mildly, I shall call for a weardahnd {guard} to return
you to Vasda {Father}."
"She
is hurting!" said the boy.
"Then
if you will still, we shall move closer and you may tell me what you
sense," responded his brother.
However,
before they reached the dragon, there was a great shadow from above
and the Fremde looked up to see another great dragon descending.
Eldrith tensed for a moment, then relaxed.
"Tell
vastar {brother} what you see," said Leandrow softly.
"She
is black, but on the outside she is not," said the boy simply.
“Let
us move back in the trees and observe,” said Leandrow mildly.
The
three men ran back into the trees and continued to watch the dragon
descend. The dragon had two men on it, one the stocky build of a
mundo, The other, dressed in all black, was taller, obviously Myende.
They both slid off the dragon, the mundo standing by it, while the
other stalked over to stand in front of the drab yellow dragon.
It
was obvious the man was talking to the dragon, though they couldn't
hear over the creature's piteous bellows. But all of a sudden the
dragon stopped. The man turned and they watched as he extended his
wrist and his wand flew into his hand. Then before their eyes the
wand grew into a great staff. The man ground the staff into the
ground, and then his voice reverberated through the forest. “I
know there are Fremde within. I am Eirathem, Casari of Myencihn. I
have no wish to intrude upon the lands of the Fremde, but swadraca
{this dragon} tells dracaneu {my dragon} that there are
those within preventing her lihto {boy} from coming and
bonding with her. I promise the lihto will be harmed not. He will
go to Puethion'n, where he will learn to care for his dragon and
behave. I have freed dracai'n {the dragons}, and such
will happen from time to time.”
Leandrow
said, “Weryl.”
“Aye,”
Weryl agreed readily as he turned and left at a run. A few moments
later, he returned, with a boy trying to drag him towards the edge of
the forest He was accompanied by a mage from the nearby magic
school. “You are sure of this,” the man said worriedly.
Leandrow
said, “Eldrith look at Casari'n {the Emperor},
Tell us what colors you see.”
“Brown and gray,” replied the
boy.
“Nae black?” asked Leandrow.
“Nae,” said Eldrith.
Leandrow
knew this very well, as Eldrith screamed if he saw someone with a
black aura. “This is Casari'n {the emperor} foretold
by Thanion. He is oi'vulonmi {without great evil}.”
The situation was taken out of
their hands however when the boy slipped from Weryl's hand and ran
straight out of the forest to the dragon. The dragon's head was as
nearly as tall as the boy, but the child leaned against his nose,
gazing deep within the dragon's eyes. Then before their eyes, the
dragon began to change, Starting at it's nose, it became blue, the
blue shimmering through it to the tip of it's tail. Then the child
sailed through the air, to land right side up on his dragon's back.
The dragon began to flap it's great wings and soon rose into the air.
The
emperor said nothing, turning and striding back to his dragon, and
ordering the mundo to mount it. Soon they were rising into the sky
as well. “So that is Casari'n {the Emperor}
foretold,” said the mage.
“Aye,”
said Leandrow. “From now on, you shall allow lihtoi {boys},to
go to the dragons. I believe they will be harmed not.”
“He seems very young,”
remarked Weryl.
“Aye,”
agreed Leandrow. “It is not time yet. We must wait for Lihte'n
Teinusiu {the child of thirteen}.
Then we shall act.”
He said nothing else, turning and
striding within the forest, the others following.
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