Kaiadon
landed his dragon softly upon the ground outside the forest of
Fremon. He gathered up the child who had ridden with him. "Mayhap
we will meet some distant relatives of yours," he said softly as
he slid down from his dragon.
He left
his staff tethered to his dragon, as he wanted to make no show of
force here. He walked for a bit to the interior of the forest. "I
have been told," He said a little loudly, "that should I
have need of the Fremde, to come here and ask to speak to one called
Tanehdon."
He
waited a few moments, knowing that if there were any Fremde in the
trees they would surely hear him, and soon one dropped silently to
stand in front of him. "What business do you have with Taronsel
{high king}?" he asked.
"This
girl," said Kaiadon softly, "is part fremdasae {female
Fremdesae}. We are unable to care adequately for her. In short,"
he said with a smile, "she would create havoc upon the new
Casari's land every time she opened her little mouth to sing."
"If
what you say is true, she indeed would," said the fremdo {Fremde
male} with a laugh.
"I
assure you, I saw her bathed myself. She is indeed part fremdasae."
The tall
man regarded him for a moment, before saying, "Come this way, I
will send for Taronsel."
Kaiadon
followed the man to a clearing. "You may rest here," he
said, "Please be respectful of the trees."
"I
spent time amongst the Fremdafyr," said Kaiadon softly, "They
have ensured I learned the ways of old."
The man
nodded, sitting himself upon the ground and eyeing Kaiadon and the
child curiously. Kaiadon mirrored his stance, setting the child upon
his lap. The girl leaned into him, making it quite clear she was
unsure of this new stranger.
A short
while later, a very tall Fremde man, dressed in a simple tunic and
leggings with a sword at his hip strode into the clearing. He had
long white hair that flowed to his waist, signifying he was among the
older of their race. He walked right up to Kaiadon, kneeling in front
of him and surveying him gravely.
"How
is it," he asked softly but quite stern, "that you have
come upon this girl?"
“Casari'n
{the Emperor} is reclaiming his lands and decreed their Great
City of Magic must be dismantled, We found her in a building where a
great many had been murdered, I am sure to prevent us from
discovering their heritage. It appears," he said with distaste,
"they were using them to run a brothel. But swamon {this one}
hid herself away, escaping their fate."
"And
you are sure you know not the culprits who committed this grave act?"
demanded Tanehdon. "Or mayhap, you are protecting your kinsmen."
"Nae,"
said Kaiadon firmly. "The Emperor and I both have spent time
among those of Puethion'n {The Land of the Sands}, and the
Emperor has also lived among those in Denu'n Rhaciu {the Valley of
Snakes}. We both respect the ways of old. Neither of us would
condone such wanton cruelty."
Tanehdon
studied him intently for a few moments before finally nodding his
acceptance. He turned his attention to the child in Kaiadon's arms.
"Come here, little one," he said softly.
The
child leaned even further back into Kaiadon, thumb firmly in her
mouth. "Stille," said Kaiadon softly, "he will harm
you not. Let him look upon you."
Finally,
with much coaxing, the child agreed to go to Tanehdon. He stood her
in front of him, reaching down the back of her dress to pull at the
skin of her back. He lifted her, and then set her down gently. "Aye,
she is a fremdasae," he said with a chuckle. "No other can
be lifted thus."
He
picked the child up and held her close. "We will keep her safe,"
he promised. "It is a wonder, how she came to be amongst us. I
believe," he said very softly, "there must have been a
fremdasae trapped here at some point. For I cannot fathom a fremdosae
{Fremdesae male} allowing their young to suffer as those you
described obviously did."
"Aye,"
said Kaiadon. "We will keep watch out, though I imagine whomever
she was, she has long since passed."
"Let
us hope," said Tanehdon softly. "But keep eye out in case.
And if you come across another such as she, we will gladly care for
it until such time as the Fremdesae may return to us."
Kaiadon
sensed this was an end to the conversation and took his leave of the
man, thanking him for his help
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