A pair of newcomers had settled in the town of Elyia. Peli and Han'li stayed close to the forest, and every week they would visit the town centre square and tell the story of their journey. Many people had been intrigued enough to set out for their own journey. They also provided survival skills training for people who wished to travel and explore the world.
XXX
In the town of Norkh, famous merchant queen Rossa discovered a new burning substance: a kind of black liquid. The liquid could burn for a long time, at least ten times longer than normal animal oil. She used it for her “Lamp of Lambrahsia”, and it had truly become a lamp that will provide light and warmth. Rossa continued to roam the world even after she returned to the City of Yan. She became the Head Commercial Council, and had successfully established Yan as the trading hub for this part of the world.
Mahuew the scholar had earned a curious title of stone collectors. After he published a book about Rossa's exploit, many citizens of Yan were inspired to venture out and become a merchant themselves. Maheuw was contented to perform a blessing ritual to new travellers.
It was rumored that the ritual involved tossing a lamp into the air to decided which directions the travellers would go.
XXX
The lizard folks arrived at the bank of the great river to wait for the River Merchant. When the raft appeared in their view, there were two people on board. The newcomer was a fine lady, and both of them seemed happy together.
To the lizard-folks nothing had changed. Seasons came and went, yet even they could tell that something was different with the River Merchant.
XXX
In the quiet and sleepy town of Alyssia, a young man weathered by the element arrived with a puzzled look to this seaside settlement.
“This is Elyia?” He murmured to himself. “It is not much different from my own hometown!”
A familiar figure which sat on a flat rock caught his eyes.
“Uncle Robinson! So you are here!” the young man approached the older man.
“Ah, Hydus, finally! Welcome home!”
Hydus, the shepherd from Elyia simply smiled and gave the familiar man a tight hug.
Home is where your heart is.
So indeed, welcome home.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Peli's Journey : Chapter 9
My Funny Valentine, Sweet Comic Valentine... Stay, everyday is valentine's day. -Incomplete Lyrics from an ancient tome.
“It's just the two of us now.”
The forest road was unusually peaceful. The sun silently streamed through the canopies, and it reminded Peli of the first time he stepped into the forest outside Alyssia. He had been full of excitement then, and walking through this new forest, all he could feel was a quiet peace. An unnamed songbird trilled somewhere in the forest, making the silence more alive, and less intimidating. After a night of good rest, both remaining travellers seemed fully rejuvenated.
Peli turned to look at the man who had come this far with him. It wasn't an easy journey, and Han'li had changed. His roguish face had lost the boyish charm and was replaced by a hardened toughness that was a result of their journey together.
Han'li turned and smiled at Peli. In Han'li's eyes, Peli had changed too. The bewildered and innocent kid was gone, but what remained was the passionate and idealistic young man who was so focus on his destination it was fearsome.
They looked at each other for a moment, and burst out laughing.
“We have come a long way.” Han'li sighed contently.
“Han, thank you for travelling my journey with me.” Peli smiled, but there was something different in that smile. Han'li looked at Peli with uncertainty and replied carefully, “We are not yet at Elyia yet, so there is no need to thank me.”
“So what after we reached Elyia? Will you have your own journey?” The smile on Peli's face seemed to broaden, but Han'li couldn't tell. He looked at Peli for a look moment, and finally let out a long sigh.
“Peli, I just want to be with you.” Han'li lowered his head and stared at the ground. He noticed how close the two pairs of feet really were. Since when had they become so close to each other? Since when had he allowed Peli to be so near that he could no longer entertain the thoughts of parting?
An open palm reached into his view. On Peli's palm lay a necklace made of leather thong and what seemed like a teeth of a carnivorous animal.
“Remember the tiger that you killed? I made two necklace with its long canine teeth. This is yours.”
Han'li raised his head and looked at Peli in puzzlement. Peli chuckled at Han'li's reaction and put the necklace around Han'li's neck. Peli's arms, however, remained encircling Han'li even after the necklace was put on.
“I love you Han, and I want to be with you too. From now on, will you stay with me, until the day either of us die?”
The declaration of love came as a shock to Han'li. He never quite expected it to happen this way. And being a man of action and few words, he sealed his promise with a kiss, on the lips.
XXX
“So what about your journey to Elyia?” Han'li held Peli's hand. It was comforting to be able to express his love.
“Well, we are almost there!” Peli pointed in front, where the forest path slowly opened up to a village sign. The big, white words said, “Elyia”.
The couple arrived before the sign and for a moment they fell silent. So this is Elyia. The destination of their journey. Peli peered into the village. For a moment, he thought he had returned to Alyssia. There was a quaint peacefulness to this village which reminded him of his own village.
Han'li putted an arm around Peli.
“We are finally here.”
“Was it worth it for you?”
Peli smiled, but did not answer that question. He simply snuggled closer to Han'li.
He fished out a black stone from his pouches.
“Who should I give the stone to, now that I have arrived?” Peli murmured to himself.
XXX
The shepherd of Alyssia, Hydus, had just turned 18 that day. As usual, he was herding the sheep home at sunset with the help of his loyal shepherd dog. He was just wondering what to do for his birthday while he noticed two strangers at the entrance of the village.
They looked like savages, dressed in coats and robes made of animal skins. Maybe they were lost? Hydus tried to pass by without being noticed, but he was stopped.
“Greetings, how is your day?”
Hydus looked at the person who stopped him, and was surprised to find out that he was rather young too, even though the weathered face probably made him looked older that he actually was.
“It's good, thank you. Where do you guys come from?”
“Far away. You heard of Alyssia?”
Hydus' eyes lit up at the mention of the name.
“Alyssia! The Heavenly town of Alyssia! I have heard so many stories about it. You really came from there? How is it like?”
The stranger seemed to pause for a moment, and then smiled widely.
“I don't know. It's been a while since I left Alyssia. Why don't you go and find out?”
The stranger fished out a black stone and pressed it against the palm of Hydus.
A journey ended, another began.
Sun set, Sun rise, and in a new day something had changed again.
“It's just the two of us now.”
The forest road was unusually peaceful. The sun silently streamed through the canopies, and it reminded Peli of the first time he stepped into the forest outside Alyssia. He had been full of excitement then, and walking through this new forest, all he could feel was a quiet peace. An unnamed songbird trilled somewhere in the forest, making the silence more alive, and less intimidating. After a night of good rest, both remaining travellers seemed fully rejuvenated.
Peli turned to look at the man who had come this far with him. It wasn't an easy journey, and Han'li had changed. His roguish face had lost the boyish charm and was replaced by a hardened toughness that was a result of their journey together.
Han'li turned and smiled at Peli. In Han'li's eyes, Peli had changed too. The bewildered and innocent kid was gone, but what remained was the passionate and idealistic young man who was so focus on his destination it was fearsome.
They looked at each other for a moment, and burst out laughing.
“We have come a long way.” Han'li sighed contently.
“Han, thank you for travelling my journey with me.” Peli smiled, but there was something different in that smile. Han'li looked at Peli with uncertainty and replied carefully, “We are not yet at Elyia yet, so there is no need to thank me.”
“So what after we reached Elyia? Will you have your own journey?” The smile on Peli's face seemed to broaden, but Han'li couldn't tell. He looked at Peli for a look moment, and finally let out a long sigh.
“Peli, I just want to be with you.” Han'li lowered his head and stared at the ground. He noticed how close the two pairs of feet really were. Since when had they become so close to each other? Since when had he allowed Peli to be so near that he could no longer entertain the thoughts of parting?
An open palm reached into his view. On Peli's palm lay a necklace made of leather thong and what seemed like a teeth of a carnivorous animal.
“Remember the tiger that you killed? I made two necklace with its long canine teeth. This is yours.”
Han'li raised his head and looked at Peli in puzzlement. Peli chuckled at Han'li's reaction and put the necklace around Han'li's neck. Peli's arms, however, remained encircling Han'li even after the necklace was put on.
“I love you Han, and I want to be with you too. From now on, will you stay with me, until the day either of us die?”
The declaration of love came as a shock to Han'li. He never quite expected it to happen this way. And being a man of action and few words, he sealed his promise with a kiss, on the lips.
XXX
“So what about your journey to Elyia?” Han'li held Peli's hand. It was comforting to be able to express his love.
“Well, we are almost there!” Peli pointed in front, where the forest path slowly opened up to a village sign. The big, white words said, “Elyia”.
The couple arrived before the sign and for a moment they fell silent. So this is Elyia. The destination of their journey. Peli peered into the village. For a moment, he thought he had returned to Alyssia. There was a quaint peacefulness to this village which reminded him of his own village.
Han'li putted an arm around Peli.
“We are finally here.”
“Was it worth it for you?”
Peli smiled, but did not answer that question. He simply snuggled closer to Han'li.
He fished out a black stone from his pouches.
“Who should I give the stone to, now that I have arrived?” Peli murmured to himself.
XXX
The shepherd of Alyssia, Hydus, had just turned 18 that day. As usual, he was herding the sheep home at sunset with the help of his loyal shepherd dog. He was just wondering what to do for his birthday while he noticed two strangers at the entrance of the village.
They looked like savages, dressed in coats and robes made of animal skins. Maybe they were lost? Hydus tried to pass by without being noticed, but he was stopped.
“Greetings, how is your day?”
Hydus looked at the person who stopped him, and was surprised to find out that he was rather young too, even though the weathered face probably made him looked older that he actually was.
“It's good, thank you. Where do you guys come from?”
“Far away. You heard of Alyssia?”
Hydus' eyes lit up at the mention of the name.
“Alyssia! The Heavenly town of Alyssia! I have heard so many stories about it. You really came from there? How is it like?”
The stranger seemed to pause for a moment, and then smiled widely.
“I don't know. It's been a while since I left Alyssia. Why don't you go and find out?”
The stranger fished out a black stone and pressed it against the palm of Hydus.
A journey ended, another began.
Sun set, Sun rise, and in a new day something had changed again.
Peli's Journey : Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Maroon, sharp, hard rocks formed the path.
The three travellers, Peli, Han’li, Rossa stared at the path ahead with a mixed feeling.
“How long more do we need to travel to reach the elusive Elyia?” Rossa said with no small amount of exasperation.
“Are you getting tired?” Peli asked.
“Aren’t you?” Rossa stared at Peli, a smile playing her lips.
“Well, I am tired. But I am also enjoying the journey so far. I mean, I never could imagine how far I have come, with total strangers like you.”
Rossa laughed. It’s a kind of laughter that she had never experienced before. It started from her stomach and vibrated throughout her body. Joy rolled off her being like an endless spring.
“I missed my home.” She said simply. Not with sadness, not with nostalgia, but with a joy that came with being free to express herself.
“We can go back to Yan after we find Elysia.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll go back when the time is right. For now, the only way is forward.”
With that, the three embarked on what would later be recognized as their last journey together.
XXX
The mountain path was difficult to travel. With no vegetation, the sun shone on them mercilessly. After a day, the three decided that the heat was too much to bear and they chose to travel by night instead, since the moonlight could provide sufficient lighting.
There was no animal and vegetation along the path. Fortunately the mistress supplied them with sufficient food and water, but as the days or rather, nights, worn on, they started to get worried about their food supplies. And as the altitude got higher, they found it harder to catch their breath.
However, it was soon all taken out of their mind.
It was 6 nights after they started, not a very long journey, but even with careful rationing, they have finished half of the food they had started with.
They were tracking the path in silent, each pondering about the future. As they turned the corner, however, they came in front of a deep gorge.
One look at it would explain why nobody passed this way for the past decades. A bridge connected the two sides of the gorge, but it was broken. The only surviving part was the iron chains that were used to hold the planks.
The gorge itself was indeed a monstrous thing. It wasn’t very wide, as far as they could tell, since they could clearly see what was on the other side, but it was very deep. Han’li took a look down from the edge and announced that he couldn’t see the bottom, even though the moonlight shone brightly.
The three stood in front of the precipice; strong wind blew at them without mercy, and none spoke for a moment.
“We have to cross.” Peli declared. “It's on the other side.”
“You sure?” Rossa asked, a tinge of fear colored her voice.
“I am.” Peli turned and looked a Rossa, “You can turn back now, if you want.”
Rossa looked at Peli, and none of them were smiling. The wind turned stronger, and their hair danced wildly in the air. The iron chains leading to the other side swung violently, and the clunk they made when they clashed into each other was especially threatening.
“Do you think I'll turn back now?” Suddenly Rossa laughed.
“We'll make it through, together.” Peli smiled, and he reached his hand out and held Han'li's and Rossa's hands.
Some things were easier said than done, though, especially when the fear of death clouded one's mind like a wall that had no boundaries.
A rope around each other's waist linked them together. Peli took the lead and started crawling across the gorge along the iron chains. After years of exposure to the elements, the iron chains were rusty and feeble, and Peli crawled tentatively. Rossa followed Peli, while Han'li trailed at the back. The distance wasn't far, but time seemed to flow at half its normal speed.
Peli was very nervous, and his palm was sweating. He could feel his heart pumping and blood racing with extraordinary speed.
And just as he was about to cross the mid point, his gripped slipped and he almost fell off the chain.
Quickly, he hugged tightly to the iron chains and got balanced on the chains again, but he was trembling and couldn't move. Looking downwards, he saw the fog that rose out of the deep abyss, and the deep fear of falling off paralyzed him.
“Careful and take it easy, Peli, we are behind you!” Rossa yelled, the strong wind scattering her voice.
“You need to move! The wind is getting stronger,”Rossa urged again, and right on cue, a sudden gush of strong wind swayed the chains violently. The three hugged tightly to the chains.
“Arghh...” Peli screamed. He couldn't move, couldn't say anything coherent. He was simply paralyzed. He knew in his head that he should just start moving again, but the fear was so great he couldn't move his body.
“Close your eyes!” Han'li suddenly yelled.
“Trust me!” His strong voice carried through the wind, and knocked Peli out of his stasis.
As if commanded by something greater, Peli snapped his eyes shut.
“Now start moving. It's just like climbing along a branch of a tree, and I am behind you!”
The familiar voice called back an old memory. He was learning how to climb along the branches from tree to tree, and Han'li always tagged behind. He never really fell, whenever he felt wobbly, Han'li would steady him.
“You are near, just keep going!” Han'li was focused on Peli.
Did he have fear of his own? Probably, but as he focused his attention on Peli, he forgot about his own fear.
Suddenly another gush of strong current swayed the chains, and it was Rossa who wobbled. She let out a loud scream and hold on to the chains tightly. A cloud flied over the moon and the surrounding darkened for a moment.
“Rossa!” Both men yelled together, and tightened their gripped on the chains.
“Rossa are you alright? Follow me!”
Rossa took a deep breath and blasted back.
“Oh just start moving! I won't be the first to fall!” Her competitive nature beat her fear down, and she once again regained her grip on the iron chains. The cloud moved away and they again could see clearly.
The wind was really picking up. Every few steps the chains will swayed violently from violent gushes. The three crawled carefully, confronting their fears with every movement.
It seemed forever, but in actual fact the iron chains wasn't long.
When Peli's hand touched the harsh and solid rock on the other side, relief surged through his body.
“We've reached!”
He quickly established himself on the landing, and waited patiently for the rest to come through. And just as Han'li was getting on the landing, one of the iron chains suddenly snapped, and it felled away to the other side in a forceful swing. The loud clank when it hit the cliff on the other side echoed along the valley, reminding the three travellers how closely they had come to death.
They untied themselves in silence, and took a good look at the new environment.
The mountain path on this side had a little more features. At least there was more vegetation, and they could hear the sound of small animals rustling among the bushes and occasion songbirds.
The moon was just setting in the west and a hint of dawn's could be seen at the eastern edge of the sky. The darkest and coolest moment of the day was always before the sun rose. The three travellers walked to a nearby shrubs and huddled together.
“That was close.” Rossa sighed heavily.
Peli simply nodded. Thinking back, it probably wasn't as dangerous as they had made it to be, yet that was the hardest thing to overcome, their own fear.
The warmth as they lean against one another was making them comfortable and sleepy. After the crossing, they were exhausted and soon all of them lost the battle against sleep and surrendered to a dreamless and restful slumber.
XXX
What woke them the next day was the sound of wheels rolling over bumpy terrain. Han'li woke first, followed soon by the other two.
“Is that the sound of wheels?” Peli asked his companions.
“I think so. Let's check it out!” Rossa was excited. She realized she liked being around people. It meant she could exercise her charm and power, it also gave her a sense of purpose and directions.
The three companions followed what appeared to be a beaten path and as they travelled further, the sound of wheels became louder.
The beaten path ended at a broader and much better maintained road. And they emerged right in front of a horse caravan. A moving horse caravan.
“Watch out!” The rider yelled at the troupe while the three dodge at different directions. The caravan came to a halt as the caravan master hopped down the cabin and started scolding the three innocent travellers.
“What are you? out of your mind? Why would you suddenly walked in front of my caravan? Where do you guys come from anyway, wait...” The short, balding man with a protruding stomach glanced at the directions the travellers appeared from and jumped.
“You came from the mountain path? Leading to the Iron City? There's been no traffic there since 10 years ago!” the quick tempered man was almost hopping with excitement.
“Well, we came from Iron city, but the bridge was broken, and we didn't bring any merchandise.”
“Well, at least we know the city is still there! We'll find another way to the city. They have some fine iron wares those lots. Haven't been able to find better iron wares since...”
The travellers glanced at one another. “Must be a merchant!” Rossa thought privately. “And an old and experienced one at that!”
“Ehem, excuse me sir, I am wondering...” Rossa started, but her sentences were cut off.
“Oh, don't tell me. You want to tag along right? We are off to Yan City, so you can come along if you want. It's a long trip and we'll be passing through a few other cities, like the Norkh, the Jarika, the Sun Village, all big cities, lots of funs and money making opportunities. Hop on!”
“Ehh... We are thinking of going to Elysia.” Peli was a bit intimidated by the torrents of speech.
“Oh, then we are of total opposite directions then. Hahaha.” The laughter was quick, and short, but infectious. “The good news is, it is just down this path! Follow this road and it's another day and a half to the village of Elysia. I can spar you some food, but you'll be able to get wild fruits and water along the way too, you guys looked like you are good with surviving the wild and as such I wouldn't be too worried...”
“Thanks but I was wondering...” Peli tried to speak again. In vain.
“Well of course I will spare you some food! Alright! Let's move on, the sooner I get to Norkh, the sooner I can start trading! I can't wait...”
The quick merchant hopped onto the caravan and was about to start moving while Rossa yelled loudly, “Wait!”
Everyone stopped for a moment and looked at her.
“I will follow your caravan, if you don't mind! I am from Yan and in exchange for the ride, I will open many business opportunities for you in Yan!”
Peli was surprised.
“But Rossa! I thought you wanted to go to Elyia.”
“It was never about Elyia, Peli, and I think this is a sign I should go home.” Rossa smiled sweetly, like she suddenly found a precious gem. She fished out the black seeker's stone from her belt pouch and said, “Remember what the Master Maheuw said back in Collegia? He said this stone will bring me back to Yan! That had always been my final destination!”
“Why come all the way then?”
“Well, because of all the lesson I have learnt! I could not be at home without this journey!”
Rossa realized something then: She truly loved her family, and she truly missed the city of Yan. But she couldn't have seen the city like she was seeing it had she not taken the journey.
“Well young lady, are you coming on board or not? I don't have all day, and you seemed like someone who would understand that to a merchant TIME IS MONEY!” The short-tempered merchant was again getting agitated.
“No time for goodbyes! I will think of you guys!” Rossa hopped on the caravan, and before she could really settled down, the caravan had started moving. She waved and waved, until the caravan took a turn and disappeared from the sight of Peli and Han'li.
Like a storm she joined their journey, and like a whirlwind she left.
Peli stared at the dust after the caravan thoughtfully, and as the dust settled, he turned around, and walked the other way, Han'li trailed silently behind.
Soon, the road was quiet again. In the future, someone would travel this way again. And even though they would not see any sign nor landmark, but as they listened to the rustling leaves, they would know that at some point in the long river of time, someone ended a journey and started a new journey at this location.
As they moved on, They would then bring with them a sense of peaceful joy and hopeful future, as there were no sorrow in that parting.
Maroon, sharp, hard rocks formed the path.
The three travellers, Peli, Han’li, Rossa stared at the path ahead with a mixed feeling.
“How long more do we need to travel to reach the elusive Elyia?” Rossa said with no small amount of exasperation.
“Are you getting tired?” Peli asked.
“Aren’t you?” Rossa stared at Peli, a smile playing her lips.
“Well, I am tired. But I am also enjoying the journey so far. I mean, I never could imagine how far I have come, with total strangers like you.”
Rossa laughed. It’s a kind of laughter that she had never experienced before. It started from her stomach and vibrated throughout her body. Joy rolled off her being like an endless spring.
“I missed my home.” She said simply. Not with sadness, not with nostalgia, but with a joy that came with being free to express herself.
“We can go back to Yan after we find Elysia.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll go back when the time is right. For now, the only way is forward.”
With that, the three embarked on what would later be recognized as their last journey together.
XXX
The mountain path was difficult to travel. With no vegetation, the sun shone on them mercilessly. After a day, the three decided that the heat was too much to bear and they chose to travel by night instead, since the moonlight could provide sufficient lighting.
There was no animal and vegetation along the path. Fortunately the mistress supplied them with sufficient food and water, but as the days or rather, nights, worn on, they started to get worried about their food supplies. And as the altitude got higher, they found it harder to catch their breath.
However, it was soon all taken out of their mind.
It was 6 nights after they started, not a very long journey, but even with careful rationing, they have finished half of the food they had started with.
They were tracking the path in silent, each pondering about the future. As they turned the corner, however, they came in front of a deep gorge.
One look at it would explain why nobody passed this way for the past decades. A bridge connected the two sides of the gorge, but it was broken. The only surviving part was the iron chains that were used to hold the planks.
The gorge itself was indeed a monstrous thing. It wasn’t very wide, as far as they could tell, since they could clearly see what was on the other side, but it was very deep. Han’li took a look down from the edge and announced that he couldn’t see the bottom, even though the moonlight shone brightly.
The three stood in front of the precipice; strong wind blew at them without mercy, and none spoke for a moment.
“We have to cross.” Peli declared. “It's on the other side.”
“You sure?” Rossa asked, a tinge of fear colored her voice.
“I am.” Peli turned and looked a Rossa, “You can turn back now, if you want.”
Rossa looked at Peli, and none of them were smiling. The wind turned stronger, and their hair danced wildly in the air. The iron chains leading to the other side swung violently, and the clunk they made when they clashed into each other was especially threatening.
“Do you think I'll turn back now?” Suddenly Rossa laughed.
“We'll make it through, together.” Peli smiled, and he reached his hand out and held Han'li's and Rossa's hands.
Some things were easier said than done, though, especially when the fear of death clouded one's mind like a wall that had no boundaries.
A rope around each other's waist linked them together. Peli took the lead and started crawling across the gorge along the iron chains. After years of exposure to the elements, the iron chains were rusty and feeble, and Peli crawled tentatively. Rossa followed Peli, while Han'li trailed at the back. The distance wasn't far, but time seemed to flow at half its normal speed.
Peli was very nervous, and his palm was sweating. He could feel his heart pumping and blood racing with extraordinary speed.
And just as he was about to cross the mid point, his gripped slipped and he almost fell off the chain.
Quickly, he hugged tightly to the iron chains and got balanced on the chains again, but he was trembling and couldn't move. Looking downwards, he saw the fog that rose out of the deep abyss, and the deep fear of falling off paralyzed him.
“Careful and take it easy, Peli, we are behind you!” Rossa yelled, the strong wind scattering her voice.
“You need to move! The wind is getting stronger,”Rossa urged again, and right on cue, a sudden gush of strong wind swayed the chains violently. The three hugged tightly to the chains.
“Arghh...” Peli screamed. He couldn't move, couldn't say anything coherent. He was simply paralyzed. He knew in his head that he should just start moving again, but the fear was so great he couldn't move his body.
“Close your eyes!” Han'li suddenly yelled.
“Trust me!” His strong voice carried through the wind, and knocked Peli out of his stasis.
As if commanded by something greater, Peli snapped his eyes shut.
“Now start moving. It's just like climbing along a branch of a tree, and I am behind you!”
The familiar voice called back an old memory. He was learning how to climb along the branches from tree to tree, and Han'li always tagged behind. He never really fell, whenever he felt wobbly, Han'li would steady him.
“You are near, just keep going!” Han'li was focused on Peli.
Did he have fear of his own? Probably, but as he focused his attention on Peli, he forgot about his own fear.
Suddenly another gush of strong current swayed the chains, and it was Rossa who wobbled. She let out a loud scream and hold on to the chains tightly. A cloud flied over the moon and the surrounding darkened for a moment.
“Rossa!” Both men yelled together, and tightened their gripped on the chains.
“Rossa are you alright? Follow me!”
Rossa took a deep breath and blasted back.
“Oh just start moving! I won't be the first to fall!” Her competitive nature beat her fear down, and she once again regained her grip on the iron chains. The cloud moved away and they again could see clearly.
The wind was really picking up. Every few steps the chains will swayed violently from violent gushes. The three crawled carefully, confronting their fears with every movement.
It seemed forever, but in actual fact the iron chains wasn't long.
When Peli's hand touched the harsh and solid rock on the other side, relief surged through his body.
“We've reached!”
He quickly established himself on the landing, and waited patiently for the rest to come through. And just as Han'li was getting on the landing, one of the iron chains suddenly snapped, and it felled away to the other side in a forceful swing. The loud clank when it hit the cliff on the other side echoed along the valley, reminding the three travellers how closely they had come to death.
They untied themselves in silence, and took a good look at the new environment.
The mountain path on this side had a little more features. At least there was more vegetation, and they could hear the sound of small animals rustling among the bushes and occasion songbirds.
The moon was just setting in the west and a hint of dawn's could be seen at the eastern edge of the sky. The darkest and coolest moment of the day was always before the sun rose. The three travellers walked to a nearby shrubs and huddled together.
“That was close.” Rossa sighed heavily.
Peli simply nodded. Thinking back, it probably wasn't as dangerous as they had made it to be, yet that was the hardest thing to overcome, their own fear.
The warmth as they lean against one another was making them comfortable and sleepy. After the crossing, they were exhausted and soon all of them lost the battle against sleep and surrendered to a dreamless and restful slumber.
XXX
What woke them the next day was the sound of wheels rolling over bumpy terrain. Han'li woke first, followed soon by the other two.
“Is that the sound of wheels?” Peli asked his companions.
“I think so. Let's check it out!” Rossa was excited. She realized she liked being around people. It meant she could exercise her charm and power, it also gave her a sense of purpose and directions.
The three companions followed what appeared to be a beaten path and as they travelled further, the sound of wheels became louder.
The beaten path ended at a broader and much better maintained road. And they emerged right in front of a horse caravan. A moving horse caravan.
“Watch out!” The rider yelled at the troupe while the three dodge at different directions. The caravan came to a halt as the caravan master hopped down the cabin and started scolding the three innocent travellers.
“What are you? out of your mind? Why would you suddenly walked in front of my caravan? Where do you guys come from anyway, wait...” The short, balding man with a protruding stomach glanced at the directions the travellers appeared from and jumped.
“You came from the mountain path? Leading to the Iron City? There's been no traffic there since 10 years ago!” the quick tempered man was almost hopping with excitement.
“Well, we came from Iron city, but the bridge was broken, and we didn't bring any merchandise.”
“Well, at least we know the city is still there! We'll find another way to the city. They have some fine iron wares those lots. Haven't been able to find better iron wares since...”
The travellers glanced at one another. “Must be a merchant!” Rossa thought privately. “And an old and experienced one at that!”
“Ehem, excuse me sir, I am wondering...” Rossa started, but her sentences were cut off.
“Oh, don't tell me. You want to tag along right? We are off to Yan City, so you can come along if you want. It's a long trip and we'll be passing through a few other cities, like the Norkh, the Jarika, the Sun Village, all big cities, lots of funs and money making opportunities. Hop on!”
“Ehh... We are thinking of going to Elysia.” Peli was a bit intimidated by the torrents of speech.
“Oh, then we are of total opposite directions then. Hahaha.” The laughter was quick, and short, but infectious. “The good news is, it is just down this path! Follow this road and it's another day and a half to the village of Elysia. I can spar you some food, but you'll be able to get wild fruits and water along the way too, you guys looked like you are good with surviving the wild and as such I wouldn't be too worried...”
“Thanks but I was wondering...” Peli tried to speak again. In vain.
“Well of course I will spare you some food! Alright! Let's move on, the sooner I get to Norkh, the sooner I can start trading! I can't wait...”
The quick merchant hopped onto the caravan and was about to start moving while Rossa yelled loudly, “Wait!”
Everyone stopped for a moment and looked at her.
“I will follow your caravan, if you don't mind! I am from Yan and in exchange for the ride, I will open many business opportunities for you in Yan!”
Peli was surprised.
“But Rossa! I thought you wanted to go to Elyia.”
“It was never about Elyia, Peli, and I think this is a sign I should go home.” Rossa smiled sweetly, like she suddenly found a precious gem. She fished out the black seeker's stone from her belt pouch and said, “Remember what the Master Maheuw said back in Collegia? He said this stone will bring me back to Yan! That had always been my final destination!”
“Why come all the way then?”
“Well, because of all the lesson I have learnt! I could not be at home without this journey!”
Rossa realized something then: She truly loved her family, and she truly missed the city of Yan. But she couldn't have seen the city like she was seeing it had she not taken the journey.
“Well young lady, are you coming on board or not? I don't have all day, and you seemed like someone who would understand that to a merchant TIME IS MONEY!” The short-tempered merchant was again getting agitated.
“No time for goodbyes! I will think of you guys!” Rossa hopped on the caravan, and before she could really settled down, the caravan had started moving. She waved and waved, until the caravan took a turn and disappeared from the sight of Peli and Han'li.
Like a storm she joined their journey, and like a whirlwind she left.
Peli stared at the dust after the caravan thoughtfully, and as the dust settled, he turned around, and walked the other way, Han'li trailed silently behind.
Soon, the road was quiet again. In the future, someone would travel this way again. And even though they would not see any sign nor landmark, but as they listened to the rustling leaves, they would know that at some point in the long river of time, someone ended a journey and started a new journey at this location.
As they moved on, They would then bring with them a sense of peaceful joy and hopeful future, as there were no sorrow in that parting.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
On Accepting My Sexuality
A friend asked me an interesting question yesterday: How did I come to accept that I am gay?
The simply answer is, there is nothing for me to accept. I just am. I mean, straight people don't go around trying to "accept" that they are straight; nor left-hander go around trying to "accept" that they are left-hander.
My breakthrough really came when I realized there is nothing to accept. What is a more powerful statement is to create a social environment where the issue of sexuality is as trivial as that of left-handedness or right-handedness.
I have a very simple and straight-foward analogy on sexuality. It's like a person's main-hand. It is natural for a right-hander to write using his right hand, but can he also write with his left hand? It might be a painful process, it might take a lot of effort and it is frustrating, and the end results will be miles apart from using the natural hand, but it IS possible for everyone to write using his/her off-hand.
Some people are ambidexterous, like some people are bisexual. Is that a good news? I don't know, why don't you tell me?
(For the record, for me that would be a bragging right.)
The simply answer is, there is nothing for me to accept. I just am. I mean, straight people don't go around trying to "accept" that they are straight; nor left-hander go around trying to "accept" that they are left-hander.
My breakthrough really came when I realized there is nothing to accept. What is a more powerful statement is to create a social environment where the issue of sexuality is as trivial as that of left-handedness or right-handedness.
I have a very simple and straight-foward analogy on sexuality. It's like a person's main-hand. It is natural for a right-hander to write using his right hand, but can he also write with his left hand? It might be a painful process, it might take a lot of effort and it is frustrating, and the end results will be miles apart from using the natural hand, but it IS possible for everyone to write using his/her off-hand.
Some people are ambidexterous, like some people are bisexual. Is that a good news? I don't know, why don't you tell me?
(For the record, for me that would be a bragging right.)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Peli's Journey : Chapter 7
The taskmaster turned out to be a middle-age man wearing a pair of round and thick glasses. Sitting behind his office desk with an large, open ledger full of names and figures, he looked like an overworked clerk rather than a man who had power over numerous “labours”.
He was studying the ledger when the three entered the office, and he only lifted his head long enough to give the newcomers a quick glance before returning to his ledger.
“Welcome to the Iron City Labour Office, my name is Rus. Please give me your name and your work experience in order, starting with the lady.” The taskmaster spoke with a gentle voice, devoid of any emotion.
“My name is Rossa. I have been trained in literature, formal social etiquette, and various social skills like dancing.”
“That is all very nice, but we have no use of these skills in 10 days. Unless you are willing to take up a 3-month contract, we only have menial labour task for short term contracts.”
Rossa folded her hands, and stared at the taskmaster for a while.
“What does it take to leave the city on the other side?”
The taskmaster stopped looking at the ledger and fiddling with his quills, and looked up.
“Why would you want to leave the city?”
“Well, we entered the city in order to pass through it.” Rossa replied calmly.
The Taskmaster paused for a while, studying the three travellers carefully for the first time.
“There is nothing on the other side of the gate. It's a mountain passage that is basically dead. No vegetations, no animals, no water, only large and sharp rocks.”
“We met people who came from that way, so it can definitely be crossed.”
“We haven't received any one from that directions for over ten years. No one knows what happened on the other side.”
“We will find out.”
The taskmaster paused again, and then he shrugged nonchalantly, and continued, “There is no price to pay to exit the City as long as you have paid your due for entering the city, in this case your ten-day contract. However, that gate on the other side of the city has not been opened for a long time, so you'll need to find someone influential enough to persuade the Guards to open it for you.”
“Sounds like the gate is deserted.” Peli asked.
“It is. Except of the daily patrol, nobody ever gets near the gate any more.”
“Why?”
“Well, we used to get occasion trading caravan from that route, but since about ten years ago they stopped arriving. So after a while the gate just lost its meaning.”
“Did you find out what happened?”
“No. What's the use? We don't rely on the caravan.”
Peli and Rossa looked at each other in disbelief. This city really had no interest for the outside world.
“Well, back to the business at hand.” The taskmaster said in his unique gentle monotone, “since you don't intend to stay in the city for long, I have a perfect task for all three of you.”
He took a sip from a porcelain cup at his right hand.
“The Marshall is looking for people to perform spring cleaning to his mansion. He pays well. Usually he has his own helpers for the task, but this year he is a bit short-handed, so the housekeeper is looking for extra help.”
“Sounds reasonable. As long as we can stay together.” Rossa said, all business like.
“You'll be staying in the Mansion for the period. I'll contact the housekeeper to pick you up, so please wait for a while.”
The three sat idly in the taskmaster's office while the taskmaster summoned a page to inform the Marshall's housekeeper of her new help.
Waiting had the quality of making people's mind wonder. Who was this Marshall? How would the next ten days be? Compared to living in the wild, Rossa was secretly glad to be able to stay in a proper resident again, even though she had to do so as a servant and only for a short period.
The page returned amidst their wild guessing and wondering, with a young boy dressed in some sort of uniform. Rus the taskmasters took a quick glance at the young boy, and said to him, “Nasil, the three helpers assigned to your household are over there. Let your ma'am knows that the contract is only for ten days and they are subject to our monitoring. Any mistreatment will be punished.”
Nasil replied quickly, “Yes, sir, I understand.”
Without further explanation, Nasil approached the three and indicated that they should follow him.
“Please follow me tightly as we don't want to waste time getting lost.” was the only words the young boy said to them.
The streets of Iron City was packed dirt instead of cobblestone, and they were all lined by iron railings. The streets were used exclusively for carriage, while pedestrian utilize the walkway on the other side of the iron railings. The streets are busy, but a lot more quiet than the streets of Yan. The movements of people were so purposeful it was almost eerie. The three followed Nasil quietly, having no mood to appreciate such a strange city.
They soon arrived before a large mansion, away from the busy area of the city. The mansion, like the rest of the city, was build mainly from iron, the only difference was a small garden in the front yard. The city hardly featured any green, so a garden with green shrubs and some flowers must be a symbol of prestige and wealth.
Nasil introduced proudly, “This is the Marshall's mansion, one of the most well designed building in the whole city. You will be staying and working here for the next ten days. How lucky of you.”
“Since our houses are mainly build from iron, every year we need to spend some time scrubbing away the rust and coating the iron surface with oil or paint. The housekeeper will see you during dinner time and assign task to you. You will start working tomorrow. For now, follow me and settle in your sleeping quarter.”
xxx
The housekeeper turned out to be a stern, cold and almost mechanical old lady. Standing with a poise that reminded people of a statue, she moved with a brisk efficiency. She led the three helpers to a large backyard, where ironwares were lay out in the open. She explained with a stiff voice that they were to scrub the ironwares and coat them with a new layer of oil. Should any ironware appeared to be damaged beyond repair, they were to immediately alert Nasil. With the task assigned, she left the three to the young Nasil.
Nasil, being merely a boy, was more prone to emotional display. He led the three happily around the mansion, introducing various important places to them along the way to the dining quarters for servants.
There must have been a few dozens of people who worked as servants in this household. Most of them ate quietly without conversations, a few who talked did so in whispers. The dinner was plain, but it was at least properly cooked food. To the three travellers who had been living in the wild for the pass few weeks, that was not unlike a feast.
They were lucky to get their own quarter, apparently, every servants had their assigned place, so the three temporary staff got the quarter to themselves. Sleeping on iron bed wasn't exactly comfortable, but it wasn't the worse they'd seen either.
XXX
The next morning, they woke with the sun and sought out breakfast. On their way to the dining hall, they met Nasil who brought them three uniforms.
“You have to wear these whenever you are in the mansion, so that people know how to identify you. Once your contract is up, you have to return the uniforms, as fabrics are very rare in our city.”
“Got it. Anything else we need to know?” Peli had a natural liking to Nasil, who reminded him of his own childhood.
“Nope. Oh, if mistress go to the backyard, try not to get in her way.”
“Who is this mistress?”
“Well, she is the daughter of the Marshall, and she is the only one who would occasionally go to the backyard. I quite like her, but people warned me to stay away from her. They say she was...”
Nasil caught himself mid-sentence, and stopped abruptly.
“I shouldn't be saying things about her. Just don't get in her way!”
Nasil sprinted away with a waving hand after the sentence, seemingly hurrying to his own tasks.
The three had a good breakfast. Nothing too fancy, just plain bread and cheese, but it fed them well. Rossa was reminded of her own home. Her meals back in Yan City were of course much more extravagant, but she had gotten used to eating poorly handled food in the wild. She might not have noticed, but she had lost some weight because of that. She realized after being reminded of home, that she missed it terribly. On the other hand, she was amazed by how much she had changed over the pass few weeks.
After breakfast, they proceed to the backyard, and there, they saw the Mistress Nasil was talking about.
She was just standing there like an ivory statue, long, black hair mixed with some silver flowed around her frame, and she seemed to be enjoying the sun with her eyes close.
The three tried to be quiet, but she had heard the footsteps. She opened her eyes and smiled warmly at the three newcomers.
“Hi, I have heard about you. You came from out of town, isn't it?”
“Hi... yes, indeed, we are travellers from afar.” Peli smiled back shyly. Rossa, on the other hand, was alerted. This... mistress seemed unusual. What Rossa had observed since she entered the city, was she had never seen a smile from any adult. The genuine smile from the mistress seemed very out of place. Rossa chose to remain quiet, but she was watching the lady much more closer. Han'li, however, seemed oblivious to the whole situation. He merely walked to where the ironwares were and started working on them.
“Tell me about your journey. It must have been fun!” The fine lady said with unusual excitement, her smile revealing wrinkles around her eyes.
“It has been very difficult, our journey, but we managed to come this far. Thanks to Han, he has saved our lives several time. And Rossa here too helped us a lot.” Peli was strangely drawn to this lady. He had been feeling enstrange ever since he entered this Iron City, as he could sense no warmth from the people around him. This woman, however, was very different.
“Tell me about how you get this far!”
“I would love to, but I have to polish these iron wares as part of the my contract.”
“Oh, but please do tell the story as you work. I can work with you!” The fine lady sat down besides the ironwares and started working on them.
“That won't be appropriate!” Peli exclaimed, while Rossa observed intently, trying to figure out the motive of the woman.
“Nonsense. These are my properties and I can do what I like with them.” The lady said proudly. “Now, please tell me your stories!”
“If you wish, M'lady.” Peli complied.
As he was retelling his stories, Rossa noticed the expression of the mistress changed to one of melancholy. It seemed like she was lost in her memories. Rossa was suddenly reminded of the expression of the River Merchant. Could this lady be...
“You were married to a traveller before.” Rossa blurted out.
The mistress visibly shook. She turned and looked at Rossa with wide open eyes.
“You have met him!” She exclaimed, and it wasn't a question.
“So you really is the wife of the River Merchant!” Rossa said excitedly.
“River Merchant? What do you mean River Merchant?” the mistress looked puzzled.
“Well, he is living beside the river now, trading between the people on this side of the river and the lizard folks on the other side.” Rossa said animatedly. She couldn't believe her luck. That would mean they have a way out of the city! Peli was dumbstruck, but he soon understood the situation and joined the conversation. Although he had something else on his mind.
“Why did you divorce him all these years ago! You are such a fine lady!” He asked directly, while Rossa winced at the question privately. Such matters were not easily discussed.
The mistress didn't speak for a while. She was obviously trying to collect her thoughts and emotions. None of them spoke, and they used the ironwares to keep themselves occupied.
“I left him because I wanted him to move on.” The mistress spoke again, with a most tender voice, her eyes misty.
“I could see how he withered in this accursed city. He was so full of live! He always brought joy and laughter to me, but I could see how ill-fitted he felt in this city.”
“So... I thought he should continue his journey. At least leave this city!”
“Well, he didn't exactly leave far. He told us he couldn't bare to leave you behind.” Peli was both moved and excited about the story that was unfolding.
“Why!” Tears started to roll down the cheek of the mistress.
“Because he loved you.” Han'li, who had been quiet since the beginning, suddenly spoke with a force.
“I don't deserve him! I used him to escape an undesirable marriage! I made him stopped his journey! I almost destroyed his life!” The mistress was agitated. She was almost wailing.
“None of that change the fact that he loved you.” Peli said quietly. “Do you still have the stone he gave you?”
“Yes! Oh, Yes!” The mistress cried, and fished out a black, round stone from her breast pocket. “I don't know what is it, but I keep it with me all the time!”
“It is the seeker stone.” Peli said, answering a question he wasn't even sure of the answer himself. “It will bring the traveller home. So, the fact that he gave you the stone, means that you are his home. His destiny.”
“Oh... but he never said...” The mistress broke down and cried. Tears that was held back for over twenty years burst forth. And like a broken dam, it washed away the hurt and sadness that was carefully nursed in her heart.
As her tears subsided, Han'li spoke.
“If you really wanted him to continue his journey, you should go with him.” Han'li stole a glance at Peli, who sat back facing him, and added, softly, “Like I did.”
“But oh how could I leave this accursed place? How can I be any more of a burden to him!” The mistress shook her head in despair, burying her head in her hands.
“Oh that's the easy part.” Rossa said, not without irony, as she asked exactly the same questions when she was leaving Yan City, “Just go. You'll never figure out how if you don't start your own journey.”
By then, the commotion in the Backyard had alerted the housekeeper. She arrived in the backyard with her stiff upper lips.
“Have these three new servants somehow offended you? Do you want them exchanged?” she asked the mistress mechanically.
“No, you stay out of this. I'll let you know of your task when I am ready.” The mistress spoke now with a certain authority: cold, metallic and harsh.
The housekeeper nodded once and walked away.
The mistress tidied herself and turned to the three travellers.
“You have brought me an important news. How can I ever repay you?” She smiled, the tear-streak face now slightly puffed.
“Let us out on the other gate!” Rossa said quickly.
“Go find the River Merchant!” Peli said almost at the same time.
The mistress smiled at both of them, but turned to Han'li and asked, “How about you? You who gave me a wonderful lesson about love, what do you want?”
Han'li shifted uncomfortably. “I would like to get out of this Iron cage.”
“Alone?” the mistress winked.
“Of course not! Together with Rossa and Peli, obviously.”
The mistress smiled again and looked at them fondly for a while.
“Well, it can all be done. I will speak with the housekeeper. I have enough authority and my own money to buy all of you out of the 10 days contract and arrange for your exits on the other gate. I will also tell her to supply you with some food and water.”
“How about yourself?”
“I will leave to look for my husband. And I will travel the remaining journey with him. I will not be stopped, and my father had learnt to not get in my way.” She smiled with resolution.
Han'li started to realize, perhaps there were some good qualities that associated with iron: iron-will being one of them. And in the next two days, he learnt a very important lesson about determination and love from the mistress.
As the gates of Iron City opened again after three sunrises, the three travellers found themselves on the other side of the Iron city, a new, harsh and strange path awaited them. And the mistress continued her journey of love from 20 years ago.
They set off in different directions, but they were all heading to their destinies.
He was studying the ledger when the three entered the office, and he only lifted his head long enough to give the newcomers a quick glance before returning to his ledger.
“Welcome to the Iron City Labour Office, my name is Rus. Please give me your name and your work experience in order, starting with the lady.” The taskmaster spoke with a gentle voice, devoid of any emotion.
“My name is Rossa. I have been trained in literature, formal social etiquette, and various social skills like dancing.”
“That is all very nice, but we have no use of these skills in 10 days. Unless you are willing to take up a 3-month contract, we only have menial labour task for short term contracts.”
Rossa folded her hands, and stared at the taskmaster for a while.
“What does it take to leave the city on the other side?”
The taskmaster stopped looking at the ledger and fiddling with his quills, and looked up.
“Why would you want to leave the city?”
“Well, we entered the city in order to pass through it.” Rossa replied calmly.
The Taskmaster paused for a while, studying the three travellers carefully for the first time.
“There is nothing on the other side of the gate. It's a mountain passage that is basically dead. No vegetations, no animals, no water, only large and sharp rocks.”
“We met people who came from that way, so it can definitely be crossed.”
“We haven't received any one from that directions for over ten years. No one knows what happened on the other side.”
“We will find out.”
The taskmaster paused again, and then he shrugged nonchalantly, and continued, “There is no price to pay to exit the City as long as you have paid your due for entering the city, in this case your ten-day contract. However, that gate on the other side of the city has not been opened for a long time, so you'll need to find someone influential enough to persuade the Guards to open it for you.”
“Sounds like the gate is deserted.” Peli asked.
“It is. Except of the daily patrol, nobody ever gets near the gate any more.”
“Why?”
“Well, we used to get occasion trading caravan from that route, but since about ten years ago they stopped arriving. So after a while the gate just lost its meaning.”
“Did you find out what happened?”
“No. What's the use? We don't rely on the caravan.”
Peli and Rossa looked at each other in disbelief. This city really had no interest for the outside world.
“Well, back to the business at hand.” The taskmaster said in his unique gentle monotone, “since you don't intend to stay in the city for long, I have a perfect task for all three of you.”
He took a sip from a porcelain cup at his right hand.
“The Marshall is looking for people to perform spring cleaning to his mansion. He pays well. Usually he has his own helpers for the task, but this year he is a bit short-handed, so the housekeeper is looking for extra help.”
“Sounds reasonable. As long as we can stay together.” Rossa said, all business like.
“You'll be staying in the Mansion for the period. I'll contact the housekeeper to pick you up, so please wait for a while.”
The three sat idly in the taskmaster's office while the taskmaster summoned a page to inform the Marshall's housekeeper of her new help.
Waiting had the quality of making people's mind wonder. Who was this Marshall? How would the next ten days be? Compared to living in the wild, Rossa was secretly glad to be able to stay in a proper resident again, even though she had to do so as a servant and only for a short period.
The page returned amidst their wild guessing and wondering, with a young boy dressed in some sort of uniform. Rus the taskmasters took a quick glance at the young boy, and said to him, “Nasil, the three helpers assigned to your household are over there. Let your ma'am knows that the contract is only for ten days and they are subject to our monitoring. Any mistreatment will be punished.”
Nasil replied quickly, “Yes, sir, I understand.”
Without further explanation, Nasil approached the three and indicated that they should follow him.
“Please follow me tightly as we don't want to waste time getting lost.” was the only words the young boy said to them.
The streets of Iron City was packed dirt instead of cobblestone, and they were all lined by iron railings. The streets were used exclusively for carriage, while pedestrian utilize the walkway on the other side of the iron railings. The streets are busy, but a lot more quiet than the streets of Yan. The movements of people were so purposeful it was almost eerie. The three followed Nasil quietly, having no mood to appreciate such a strange city.
They soon arrived before a large mansion, away from the busy area of the city. The mansion, like the rest of the city, was build mainly from iron, the only difference was a small garden in the front yard. The city hardly featured any green, so a garden with green shrubs and some flowers must be a symbol of prestige and wealth.
Nasil introduced proudly, “This is the Marshall's mansion, one of the most well designed building in the whole city. You will be staying and working here for the next ten days. How lucky of you.”
“Since our houses are mainly build from iron, every year we need to spend some time scrubbing away the rust and coating the iron surface with oil or paint. The housekeeper will see you during dinner time and assign task to you. You will start working tomorrow. For now, follow me and settle in your sleeping quarter.”
xxx
The housekeeper turned out to be a stern, cold and almost mechanical old lady. Standing with a poise that reminded people of a statue, she moved with a brisk efficiency. She led the three helpers to a large backyard, where ironwares were lay out in the open. She explained with a stiff voice that they were to scrub the ironwares and coat them with a new layer of oil. Should any ironware appeared to be damaged beyond repair, they were to immediately alert Nasil. With the task assigned, she left the three to the young Nasil.
Nasil, being merely a boy, was more prone to emotional display. He led the three happily around the mansion, introducing various important places to them along the way to the dining quarters for servants.
There must have been a few dozens of people who worked as servants in this household. Most of them ate quietly without conversations, a few who talked did so in whispers. The dinner was plain, but it was at least properly cooked food. To the three travellers who had been living in the wild for the pass few weeks, that was not unlike a feast.
They were lucky to get their own quarter, apparently, every servants had their assigned place, so the three temporary staff got the quarter to themselves. Sleeping on iron bed wasn't exactly comfortable, but it wasn't the worse they'd seen either.
XXX
The next morning, they woke with the sun and sought out breakfast. On their way to the dining hall, they met Nasil who brought them three uniforms.
“You have to wear these whenever you are in the mansion, so that people know how to identify you. Once your contract is up, you have to return the uniforms, as fabrics are very rare in our city.”
“Got it. Anything else we need to know?” Peli had a natural liking to Nasil, who reminded him of his own childhood.
“Nope. Oh, if mistress go to the backyard, try not to get in her way.”
“Who is this mistress?”
“Well, she is the daughter of the Marshall, and she is the only one who would occasionally go to the backyard. I quite like her, but people warned me to stay away from her. They say she was...”
Nasil caught himself mid-sentence, and stopped abruptly.
“I shouldn't be saying things about her. Just don't get in her way!”
Nasil sprinted away with a waving hand after the sentence, seemingly hurrying to his own tasks.
The three had a good breakfast. Nothing too fancy, just plain bread and cheese, but it fed them well. Rossa was reminded of her own home. Her meals back in Yan City were of course much more extravagant, but she had gotten used to eating poorly handled food in the wild. She might not have noticed, but she had lost some weight because of that. She realized after being reminded of home, that she missed it terribly. On the other hand, she was amazed by how much she had changed over the pass few weeks.
After breakfast, they proceed to the backyard, and there, they saw the Mistress Nasil was talking about.
She was just standing there like an ivory statue, long, black hair mixed with some silver flowed around her frame, and she seemed to be enjoying the sun with her eyes close.
The three tried to be quiet, but she had heard the footsteps. She opened her eyes and smiled warmly at the three newcomers.
“Hi, I have heard about you. You came from out of town, isn't it?”
“Hi... yes, indeed, we are travellers from afar.” Peli smiled back shyly. Rossa, on the other hand, was alerted. This... mistress seemed unusual. What Rossa had observed since she entered the city, was she had never seen a smile from any adult. The genuine smile from the mistress seemed very out of place. Rossa chose to remain quiet, but she was watching the lady much more closer. Han'li, however, seemed oblivious to the whole situation. He merely walked to where the ironwares were and started working on them.
“Tell me about your journey. It must have been fun!” The fine lady said with unusual excitement, her smile revealing wrinkles around her eyes.
“It has been very difficult, our journey, but we managed to come this far. Thanks to Han, he has saved our lives several time. And Rossa here too helped us a lot.” Peli was strangely drawn to this lady. He had been feeling enstrange ever since he entered this Iron City, as he could sense no warmth from the people around him. This woman, however, was very different.
“Tell me about how you get this far!”
“I would love to, but I have to polish these iron wares as part of the my contract.”
“Oh, but please do tell the story as you work. I can work with you!” The fine lady sat down besides the ironwares and started working on them.
“That won't be appropriate!” Peli exclaimed, while Rossa observed intently, trying to figure out the motive of the woman.
“Nonsense. These are my properties and I can do what I like with them.” The lady said proudly. “Now, please tell me your stories!”
“If you wish, M'lady.” Peli complied.
As he was retelling his stories, Rossa noticed the expression of the mistress changed to one of melancholy. It seemed like she was lost in her memories. Rossa was suddenly reminded of the expression of the River Merchant. Could this lady be...
“You were married to a traveller before.” Rossa blurted out.
The mistress visibly shook. She turned and looked at Rossa with wide open eyes.
“You have met him!” She exclaimed, and it wasn't a question.
“So you really is the wife of the River Merchant!” Rossa said excitedly.
“River Merchant? What do you mean River Merchant?” the mistress looked puzzled.
“Well, he is living beside the river now, trading between the people on this side of the river and the lizard folks on the other side.” Rossa said animatedly. She couldn't believe her luck. That would mean they have a way out of the city! Peli was dumbstruck, but he soon understood the situation and joined the conversation. Although he had something else on his mind.
“Why did you divorce him all these years ago! You are such a fine lady!” He asked directly, while Rossa winced at the question privately. Such matters were not easily discussed.
The mistress didn't speak for a while. She was obviously trying to collect her thoughts and emotions. None of them spoke, and they used the ironwares to keep themselves occupied.
“I left him because I wanted him to move on.” The mistress spoke again, with a most tender voice, her eyes misty.
“I could see how he withered in this accursed city. He was so full of live! He always brought joy and laughter to me, but I could see how ill-fitted he felt in this city.”
“So... I thought he should continue his journey. At least leave this city!”
“Well, he didn't exactly leave far. He told us he couldn't bare to leave you behind.” Peli was both moved and excited about the story that was unfolding.
“Why!” Tears started to roll down the cheek of the mistress.
“Because he loved you.” Han'li, who had been quiet since the beginning, suddenly spoke with a force.
“I don't deserve him! I used him to escape an undesirable marriage! I made him stopped his journey! I almost destroyed his life!” The mistress was agitated. She was almost wailing.
“None of that change the fact that he loved you.” Peli said quietly. “Do you still have the stone he gave you?”
“Yes! Oh, Yes!” The mistress cried, and fished out a black, round stone from her breast pocket. “I don't know what is it, but I keep it with me all the time!”
“It is the seeker stone.” Peli said, answering a question he wasn't even sure of the answer himself. “It will bring the traveller home. So, the fact that he gave you the stone, means that you are his home. His destiny.”
“Oh... but he never said...” The mistress broke down and cried. Tears that was held back for over twenty years burst forth. And like a broken dam, it washed away the hurt and sadness that was carefully nursed in her heart.
As her tears subsided, Han'li spoke.
“If you really wanted him to continue his journey, you should go with him.” Han'li stole a glance at Peli, who sat back facing him, and added, softly, “Like I did.”
“But oh how could I leave this accursed place? How can I be any more of a burden to him!” The mistress shook her head in despair, burying her head in her hands.
“Oh that's the easy part.” Rossa said, not without irony, as she asked exactly the same questions when she was leaving Yan City, “Just go. You'll never figure out how if you don't start your own journey.”
By then, the commotion in the Backyard had alerted the housekeeper. She arrived in the backyard with her stiff upper lips.
“Have these three new servants somehow offended you? Do you want them exchanged?” she asked the mistress mechanically.
“No, you stay out of this. I'll let you know of your task when I am ready.” The mistress spoke now with a certain authority: cold, metallic and harsh.
The housekeeper nodded once and walked away.
The mistress tidied herself and turned to the three travellers.
“You have brought me an important news. How can I ever repay you?” She smiled, the tear-streak face now slightly puffed.
“Let us out on the other gate!” Rossa said quickly.
“Go find the River Merchant!” Peli said almost at the same time.
The mistress smiled at both of them, but turned to Han'li and asked, “How about you? You who gave me a wonderful lesson about love, what do you want?”
Han'li shifted uncomfortably. “I would like to get out of this Iron cage.”
“Alone?” the mistress winked.
“Of course not! Together with Rossa and Peli, obviously.”
The mistress smiled again and looked at them fondly for a while.
“Well, it can all be done. I will speak with the housekeeper. I have enough authority and my own money to buy all of you out of the 10 days contract and arrange for your exits on the other gate. I will also tell her to supply you with some food and water.”
“How about yourself?”
“I will leave to look for my husband. And I will travel the remaining journey with him. I will not be stopped, and my father had learnt to not get in my way.” She smiled with resolution.
Han'li started to realize, perhaps there were some good qualities that associated with iron: iron-will being one of them. And in the next two days, he learnt a very important lesson about determination and love from the mistress.
As the gates of Iron City opened again after three sunrises, the three travellers found themselves on the other side of the Iron city, a new, harsh and strange path awaited them. And the mistress continued her journey of love from 20 years ago.
They set off in different directions, but they were all heading to their destinies.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Peli's Journey : Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Peli was no stranger to sailing any kind of boats, even though he did not take to the sea trade back in Alyssia.
The bright sun made the water surface into a mirror, and the raft seemed to be sailing among clouds. The water merchant took out his pipe and started puffing away, the sharp tang of burnt herbs lingered in the air, creating a sense of surreal peace.
“It will take almost a day to cross the river, at this pace,” the River Merchant commented. “What is your plan after the crossing?”
“We have no plan now. We’ll see what’s on the other side. Is it more grassland?” Peli replied, casting sight towards the other side of the river.
“Yes and no. There is still some grassland, but soon you’ll reach a mountain range, and besides the mountain range sits an Iron Town.”
“What about it?”
“Let’s just say it’s not the easiest place to be for stranger, and you need to get pass the town to continue your journey, because it sits on the only way through the mountains.”
“Are you warning us of potential danger?” Rossa interrupted.
“Nothing life threatening, but you might not fare well in that town.”
“We are just passing through!” Peli exclaimed.
“You might not even gain entrance, let alone gaining exit.” The River Merchant replied with a smile.
“What do you mean?” Han’li, who was rowing the raft, joined in.
“Well, this is as far as I will warn you, and that is for building this raft.” The River Merchant chuckled throatily. “You’ll have to find out more for yourself at the gate of Iron City.”
The three were speechless for a while, until Peli broke the silence by saying, “That sounds like fun!”
They ended up laughing together, but the uneasiness of the travellers hanged heavily in the air.
XXX
The mountain range was immediately visible halfway across the river, when the morning mist was melted by the scorching afternoon sun. From afar, the greyish tone made it looked like a blade. The harshness of the mountains was accentuated by its high and often very steep cliffs.
As the raft approached the shore, the Iron Town was clearly visible, as it sprawled like a giant black toad at the feet of the mountains. Against the mountains, it looked intimidating and foreboding.
“As the name suggested, the whole city is built by iron.” The River Merchant started without prompting, recalling his distant memories. “The mountains, the locals called them the blades of God, have rich deposits of iron, and there is very little wood around this area, so the locals have to make everything from iron as much as possible.”
“It is always said that people take on the properties of their surrounding, so in this case, the people who lived in the Iron city took on the characteristic of the metal. They’ve become cold, efficient, and very practical. They can withstand a lot of harshness, but has no warmth to speak of.”
“You seemed very familiar with them,” Peli made an observation.
“I am. I stayed away from the city, but I have met enough of them to know how most of they behave.”
“No, I mean, you seemed very affected when you described them.” Peli persisted, surprised by his own insights.
The River Merchant paused for a while, and then smile, “You’ll have to give me something to hear the story.”
Peli fumbled a bit, but he fished out the Ivory cone that had been forgotten for the large part of his journey.
“This seemed like something expensive, would you like to tell your story in exchange for it?” Peli asked, with great anticipation.
The river merchant seemed surprised. He took the ivory cone, looked over it for a moment, and held it in his hand.
Then he looked over at the distant city with a forlorn expression without speaking a word.
For a while it was quiet except for the slight noise made by the oar slicing the water.
Then suddenly the River Merchant spoke.
“She was like the ivory, so smooth yet so cold.” The River Merchant spoke quietly, as if talking to himself.
“I was a traveller, like you, and I met her passing through the Iron city. I was still very young, maybe slightly older than you, when I first set eyes on her. It was love at first sight. She was just standing among the busy crowd, with a quiet smirk on her face. Her jet black tresses rolled like wave across her ivory skin, and I thought I saw an angel. She was perfect…” The river merchant trailed off, and fell quiet again.
“She saw me from afar, and of course, I was a handsome young man back in those days, and she beckoned me. She beckoned, and I had to follow…” The River Merchant smiled as bittersweet memories swelled in his bossom.
“She was looking for a husband, as it turned out, and she did not like the man her family had arranged, so she was told to find a man she liked before nightfall, otherwise she’d have to accept the family’s arrangement. So, she was just looking around the busy street. Maybe it was fate, but she chose me, and I would not question my fate. Perhaps, she was the destination of my journey, and perhaps, the whole purpose of my journey was for the fateful meeting…”
The River Merchant stopped for a long time then, so deep into his memories that he seemed to forget the presence of the rest. When he started talking again, it was as if his voice was younger, and he seemed to be reliving those days.
“We got married, and it was like heaven for me. I had never thought I would meet my love of the life in my journey, but it happened. So I settled in and started a small family with her. Soon, I realized that she was cold and distant. Although she carried out her duty as a wife, I couldn’t feel any emotion from her. At first I thought it was just a marriage of convenience and she needed more time to open up to me, but I soon discovered that it was the characteristic of the whole town. Everyone in the town was like that. They were always cold and polite and lived with an edgy precision. I soon felt very isolated, yet I loved her so much that I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her, even though my passion was not reciprocated. I persisted. Then, she slowly started to change. She would occasionally give me smiles, not the polite, functional smile of the town’s custom, but a sweet and slightly shy smile, and that really encouraged me. I continued to show her love and passion in our daily lives, which stood in stark contrast against the whole town…”
“I still remembered her first laughter. It was 6 months and 20 days after our marriage. It was clear and free of worries. It sounded like the song of a sky lark to me. Since then she started to get interested in me. I shared the story of my journey, and she was fascinated. We really had a charming life since then. We would be the only household in town with real laughter. I even gave her my seeker stone, although I didn’t explain to her what the stone represented. It was after about 3 months that things started to change.”
A large cloud floated over the sun, and the sky suddenly darkened, reflecting the sullen expression on the River Merchant’s face.
“I still do not understand what made her change. It might be her family warning her off for being too out of place, but she suddenly became unreasonable. She would pick a fight over the smallest of matter. Slowly she grew cold and distant again, and finally she filed for divorce with the Jurisdiction.”
Suddenly the River Merchant raised his volume.
“I don’t believe she did it willingly. It must have been pressure from other people. I can sense that she still loved me very much, but…”
“But there was no going back. I left the city, but I couldn’t bear to go far, so I stayed at the outskirt near the riverside, and lived by trading with the lizard folks and the trade representatives from the Iron city, and it still felt like yesterday.”
After a pregnant pause, he finally said, “So, here is my story and we will reach the other side soon.”
The River Merchant fiddled with the ivory cone for a while, and then passed the ivory cone back to Peli. “I can not take anything from you, because the most precious gift you've given me is the willingness to listen to me. I have not told this story to anyone, and I am still living in it everyday. It has been over 20 years, and I still can't bear to find out how she is doing.”
“Would you like to come with us?” Peli asked. “Find out how she is doing!”
“I cannot. She might have moved on to another marriage, and she might be living a happy life. My presence will only be a burden to her.”
“Or maybe not.” Rossa said with a slight smirk. “Maybe she is living unhappily waiting for your return. Or maybe she is living a happy life and has totally forgotten about you and you are just a stranger to her.”
The River merchant laughed and said, “Little girl, I know what you are saying, but maybe I still want to live in my story. Maybe to me, my journey ends here.”
Rossa stared at the older man for a while, and turned away. Privately she sneered at the statement, but she was on that raft and she couldn't swim. It wasn't a good time rock the boat, both literally and figuratively.
XXX
There is a small dock and a small stone cabin on the other side of the river. The River Merchant had been staying there for a good 20 years, and what used to be a small path leading to the Iron City has become a wide and well kept road.
When they arrived on the bank it was almost nightfall, so the three travellers spent a night with the River Merchant in his small but cozy cabin. They didn't talk about the River Merchant's love story any more, instead, they were just sharing the stories of their journey. Peli tried to ask about Elyia, but the River Merchant wouldn't say anything on the topic.
The next morning, they parted ways. Following the road, the journey to Iron City took almost half a day.
The Iron city, with its severe grey of the iron and the dark red of the rust, formed an intimidating picture. It looked like a giant cage, and Han'li was already feeling very uneasy. In contrast to the Yan City, the Iron City didn't have a lot of activities on the out-skirt. Smoke pillars could be seen rising out from the city, presumably generated by the industrial activities going on in the city.
When the troupe reached the gate, they were very nervous. The sight of two gate guards in full plate armor, wielding giant halberds which looked like they can cleaved a tree into half in one swing, didn't help to elevate the mood.
“What business do you have in the Iron City?” A steely voice boomed behind the full helm.
“We just want to pass through the city and get to the other side.”
“No one enters the Iron City without paying their due. What do you have to bring into the city?”
“We have a few items for trade.” Rossa stood out, commanding all her poise, recalling her training in Yan City. “They were all precious relics of exotic origin. I am sure we can find people who are appreciative to our wares.”
“We do not trade in items which are of no use to us.” The gate guard replied coldly. “We only trade in fur, leather, cloth and food.”
“We do not carry any of those.”
“Then your last resort is labour contract. You can enter the city if all of you are willing to work for 10 full days in the city. After which, you can proceed to negotiate an exit with the other gate. Deal?”
The three travellers looked at each other. Slavery? They have to sell themselves as slave for 10 full days?
“We should go back to the River Merchant and ask for his help.” Rossa suggested.
Peli thought for a while, and then asked the Gate guard,
“Will we be confined?”
“You will not be confined, but you will be monitored. You are not a slave. You will be rewarded for your work and a task master will make sure everything is to maximum effectiveness.”
“What is stopping you from just enslaving us? We have no defence.”
“We believed that a willing labour is more effective than an unwilling slave. In any case, you don't have to pass through the city. And if we really are into slaves, we can already enslave you now. It is not like you can out run us.”
Even behind the full helm, Peli could tell the Gate guard was smirking with much indignant.
“Alright, I can buy it.” Peli declared.
“What? You mean you are actually going to be slave willingly?” Rossa jumped.
“Well, I sort of worked as a labour in my village, so I know how is it like.” Peli said, “And it seemed like that is the only way to get into the city.”
“So how do we get out on the other side?”
“We'll figure something out! Remember the River Merchant also passed through the city! He didn't warn us about slavery, he just said it would be difficult!”
“You know, you should have asked him about all this instead of his stupid story.” Rossa was part amused and part frustrated.
“Oh, perhaps, but what are we doing now?”
“Well, I guess we just have to sell ourselves as slaves!”
Han'li was quiet. He generally disliked city, but a city which was built like a cage just totally scared him witless. Unconsciously, he was holding on to the presence of Peli again.
Rossa was indignant of selling herself as a slave, but she felt comfortable. In fact, she felt strangely drawn to the Iron City. There is an edgy quality that so appealed to her personality, that she actually was feeling excited about getting into the city.
They stepped through the threshold, and as the iron gate came down with a loud clank, the past was shut away from them, and future was not yet open.
All they had was the present moment.
Peli was no stranger to sailing any kind of boats, even though he did not take to the sea trade back in Alyssia.
The bright sun made the water surface into a mirror, and the raft seemed to be sailing among clouds. The water merchant took out his pipe and started puffing away, the sharp tang of burnt herbs lingered in the air, creating a sense of surreal peace.
“It will take almost a day to cross the river, at this pace,” the River Merchant commented. “What is your plan after the crossing?”
“We have no plan now. We’ll see what’s on the other side. Is it more grassland?” Peli replied, casting sight towards the other side of the river.
“Yes and no. There is still some grassland, but soon you’ll reach a mountain range, and besides the mountain range sits an Iron Town.”
“What about it?”
“Let’s just say it’s not the easiest place to be for stranger, and you need to get pass the town to continue your journey, because it sits on the only way through the mountains.”
“Are you warning us of potential danger?” Rossa interrupted.
“Nothing life threatening, but you might not fare well in that town.”
“We are just passing through!” Peli exclaimed.
“You might not even gain entrance, let alone gaining exit.” The River Merchant replied with a smile.
“What do you mean?” Han’li, who was rowing the raft, joined in.
“Well, this is as far as I will warn you, and that is for building this raft.” The River Merchant chuckled throatily. “You’ll have to find out more for yourself at the gate of Iron City.”
The three were speechless for a while, until Peli broke the silence by saying, “That sounds like fun!”
They ended up laughing together, but the uneasiness of the travellers hanged heavily in the air.
XXX
The mountain range was immediately visible halfway across the river, when the morning mist was melted by the scorching afternoon sun. From afar, the greyish tone made it looked like a blade. The harshness of the mountains was accentuated by its high and often very steep cliffs.
As the raft approached the shore, the Iron Town was clearly visible, as it sprawled like a giant black toad at the feet of the mountains. Against the mountains, it looked intimidating and foreboding.
“As the name suggested, the whole city is built by iron.” The River Merchant started without prompting, recalling his distant memories. “The mountains, the locals called them the blades of God, have rich deposits of iron, and there is very little wood around this area, so the locals have to make everything from iron as much as possible.”
“It is always said that people take on the properties of their surrounding, so in this case, the people who lived in the Iron city took on the characteristic of the metal. They’ve become cold, efficient, and very practical. They can withstand a lot of harshness, but has no warmth to speak of.”
“You seemed very familiar with them,” Peli made an observation.
“I am. I stayed away from the city, but I have met enough of them to know how most of they behave.”
“No, I mean, you seemed very affected when you described them.” Peli persisted, surprised by his own insights.
The River Merchant paused for a while, and then smile, “You’ll have to give me something to hear the story.”
Peli fumbled a bit, but he fished out the Ivory cone that had been forgotten for the large part of his journey.
“This seemed like something expensive, would you like to tell your story in exchange for it?” Peli asked, with great anticipation.
The river merchant seemed surprised. He took the ivory cone, looked over it for a moment, and held it in his hand.
Then he looked over at the distant city with a forlorn expression without speaking a word.
For a while it was quiet except for the slight noise made by the oar slicing the water.
Then suddenly the River Merchant spoke.
“She was like the ivory, so smooth yet so cold.” The River Merchant spoke quietly, as if talking to himself.
“I was a traveller, like you, and I met her passing through the Iron city. I was still very young, maybe slightly older than you, when I first set eyes on her. It was love at first sight. She was just standing among the busy crowd, with a quiet smirk on her face. Her jet black tresses rolled like wave across her ivory skin, and I thought I saw an angel. She was perfect…” The river merchant trailed off, and fell quiet again.
“She saw me from afar, and of course, I was a handsome young man back in those days, and she beckoned me. She beckoned, and I had to follow…” The River Merchant smiled as bittersweet memories swelled in his bossom.
“She was looking for a husband, as it turned out, and she did not like the man her family had arranged, so she was told to find a man she liked before nightfall, otherwise she’d have to accept the family’s arrangement. So, she was just looking around the busy street. Maybe it was fate, but she chose me, and I would not question my fate. Perhaps, she was the destination of my journey, and perhaps, the whole purpose of my journey was for the fateful meeting…”
The River Merchant stopped for a long time then, so deep into his memories that he seemed to forget the presence of the rest. When he started talking again, it was as if his voice was younger, and he seemed to be reliving those days.
“We got married, and it was like heaven for me. I had never thought I would meet my love of the life in my journey, but it happened. So I settled in and started a small family with her. Soon, I realized that she was cold and distant. Although she carried out her duty as a wife, I couldn’t feel any emotion from her. At first I thought it was just a marriage of convenience and she needed more time to open up to me, but I soon discovered that it was the characteristic of the whole town. Everyone in the town was like that. They were always cold and polite and lived with an edgy precision. I soon felt very isolated, yet I loved her so much that I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her, even though my passion was not reciprocated. I persisted. Then, she slowly started to change. She would occasionally give me smiles, not the polite, functional smile of the town’s custom, but a sweet and slightly shy smile, and that really encouraged me. I continued to show her love and passion in our daily lives, which stood in stark contrast against the whole town…”
“I still remembered her first laughter. It was 6 months and 20 days after our marriage. It was clear and free of worries. It sounded like the song of a sky lark to me. Since then she started to get interested in me. I shared the story of my journey, and she was fascinated. We really had a charming life since then. We would be the only household in town with real laughter. I even gave her my seeker stone, although I didn’t explain to her what the stone represented. It was after about 3 months that things started to change.”
A large cloud floated over the sun, and the sky suddenly darkened, reflecting the sullen expression on the River Merchant’s face.
“I still do not understand what made her change. It might be her family warning her off for being too out of place, but she suddenly became unreasonable. She would pick a fight over the smallest of matter. Slowly she grew cold and distant again, and finally she filed for divorce with the Jurisdiction.”
Suddenly the River Merchant raised his volume.
“I don’t believe she did it willingly. It must have been pressure from other people. I can sense that she still loved me very much, but…”
“But there was no going back. I left the city, but I couldn’t bear to go far, so I stayed at the outskirt near the riverside, and lived by trading with the lizard folks and the trade representatives from the Iron city, and it still felt like yesterday.”
After a pregnant pause, he finally said, “So, here is my story and we will reach the other side soon.”
The River Merchant fiddled with the ivory cone for a while, and then passed the ivory cone back to Peli. “I can not take anything from you, because the most precious gift you've given me is the willingness to listen to me. I have not told this story to anyone, and I am still living in it everyday. It has been over 20 years, and I still can't bear to find out how she is doing.”
“Would you like to come with us?” Peli asked. “Find out how she is doing!”
“I cannot. She might have moved on to another marriage, and she might be living a happy life. My presence will only be a burden to her.”
“Or maybe not.” Rossa said with a slight smirk. “Maybe she is living unhappily waiting for your return. Or maybe she is living a happy life and has totally forgotten about you and you are just a stranger to her.”
The River merchant laughed and said, “Little girl, I know what you are saying, but maybe I still want to live in my story. Maybe to me, my journey ends here.”
Rossa stared at the older man for a while, and turned away. Privately she sneered at the statement, but she was on that raft and she couldn't swim. It wasn't a good time rock the boat, both literally and figuratively.
XXX
There is a small dock and a small stone cabin on the other side of the river. The River Merchant had been staying there for a good 20 years, and what used to be a small path leading to the Iron City has become a wide and well kept road.
When they arrived on the bank it was almost nightfall, so the three travellers spent a night with the River Merchant in his small but cozy cabin. They didn't talk about the River Merchant's love story any more, instead, they were just sharing the stories of their journey. Peli tried to ask about Elyia, but the River Merchant wouldn't say anything on the topic.
The next morning, they parted ways. Following the road, the journey to Iron City took almost half a day.
The Iron city, with its severe grey of the iron and the dark red of the rust, formed an intimidating picture. It looked like a giant cage, and Han'li was already feeling very uneasy. In contrast to the Yan City, the Iron City didn't have a lot of activities on the out-skirt. Smoke pillars could be seen rising out from the city, presumably generated by the industrial activities going on in the city.
When the troupe reached the gate, they were very nervous. The sight of two gate guards in full plate armor, wielding giant halberds which looked like they can cleaved a tree into half in one swing, didn't help to elevate the mood.
“What business do you have in the Iron City?” A steely voice boomed behind the full helm.
“We just want to pass through the city and get to the other side.”
“No one enters the Iron City without paying their due. What do you have to bring into the city?”
“We have a few items for trade.” Rossa stood out, commanding all her poise, recalling her training in Yan City. “They were all precious relics of exotic origin. I am sure we can find people who are appreciative to our wares.”
“We do not trade in items which are of no use to us.” The gate guard replied coldly. “We only trade in fur, leather, cloth and food.”
“We do not carry any of those.”
“Then your last resort is labour contract. You can enter the city if all of you are willing to work for 10 full days in the city. After which, you can proceed to negotiate an exit with the other gate. Deal?”
The three travellers looked at each other. Slavery? They have to sell themselves as slave for 10 full days?
“We should go back to the River Merchant and ask for his help.” Rossa suggested.
Peli thought for a while, and then asked the Gate guard,
“Will we be confined?”
“You will not be confined, but you will be monitored. You are not a slave. You will be rewarded for your work and a task master will make sure everything is to maximum effectiveness.”
“What is stopping you from just enslaving us? We have no defence.”
“We believed that a willing labour is more effective than an unwilling slave. In any case, you don't have to pass through the city. And if we really are into slaves, we can already enslave you now. It is not like you can out run us.”
Even behind the full helm, Peli could tell the Gate guard was smirking with much indignant.
“Alright, I can buy it.” Peli declared.
“What? You mean you are actually going to be slave willingly?” Rossa jumped.
“Well, I sort of worked as a labour in my village, so I know how is it like.” Peli said, “And it seemed like that is the only way to get into the city.”
“So how do we get out on the other side?”
“We'll figure something out! Remember the River Merchant also passed through the city! He didn't warn us about slavery, he just said it would be difficult!”
“You know, you should have asked him about all this instead of his stupid story.” Rossa was part amused and part frustrated.
“Oh, perhaps, but what are we doing now?”
“Well, I guess we just have to sell ourselves as slaves!”
Han'li was quiet. He generally disliked city, but a city which was built like a cage just totally scared him witless. Unconsciously, he was holding on to the presence of Peli again.
Rossa was indignant of selling herself as a slave, but she felt comfortable. In fact, she felt strangely drawn to the Iron City. There is an edgy quality that so appealed to her personality, that she actually was feeling excited about getting into the city.
They stepped through the threshold, and as the iron gate came down with a loud clank, the past was shut away from them, and future was not yet open.
All they had was the present moment.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Peli's Journey : Chapter 5
In the ancient chinese scripts, Danger and Opportunity always appear as one word.
Communication between the men and the lizards was difficult at first. But soon, they worked out a peculiar language that was a combination of simple gestures and drawings. It satisfied the need of day-to-day conversations.
The grassland, surrounding a vast, nameless lake in the middle, was bigger than what the travellers had originally imagined. The lizard folks survived on the plain as roving nomads. They shifted with the seasons, living near the lake during spring and summer, and stayed close to the forest during autumn and winter.
On the other side of the plain lay a great river. It had once run through where the lake was, but after ages of shifting riverbed, it had changed its course and left behind a still lake and vast patch of marshland.
There was no way to find any kind of sensible directions from the lizard folks. All the three could do was to follow the tribe around. At least food and safety were relatively well taken care of. And as the tribe moved about, the three travellers started to get familiar with the lay of the land.
Han'li seemed happy to learn about a new kind of wilderness. He was always exchanging hunting tips with the lizard folks, learning about the indigenous animals and plants. Rossa was miserable at first, but after a few weeks, she started to get use to living in the wild and taking care of herself.
Cleaning herself was a big challenge at first. She insisted on cleaning herself everyday, but it was nearly impossible under the harsh conditions. It took a while for her to get used to living with the grim of outdoor living.
As for Peli, he was still thinking about Elyia. No one could tell the directions since the supposedly Lamp Bearer had no direction to give.
It must had been a few months after the initial encounter that the three travellers reached the bank of the great river with the lizard folks. It indeed was a great river, as Peli could hardly see the other bank from his side.
“What was on the other side?” was the first question that pop out of Peli's mind. With some sort of conviction that could not be explained, Peli knew beyond a doubt that Elyia lay on the other side of the river.
The lizard folks settled at the river bank, on a spot they seemed familiar with. Peli pointed across river and made a questioning gesture at one of the older lizards. The old one pointed at a stack of rare animal skins and then pointed across the river, then made an exchanging gesture. Clearly it was a trading post.
When everything was settled, the sun was setting in the west across the river. It was a magnificent scene, looking at the sun submerging into the seemingly peaceful water surface, the sky tainted a quaint purplish orange, and it was hard to tell how much of the sun was still above the horizon as it seemed to melt into the skyline, and when the last ray disappeared from the sky it felt sudden. The bonfire burned brightly and the stars started to blink innocently in the sky.
The three sat around the bonfire with the rest of the lizard folks.
“Do you want to cross the river?” Peli asked, looking from Han'li to Rossa
“What for?”
“To continue to Elyia, of course!” Peli exclaimed. “Don't tell me you want to stay here?!”
“Makes no difference to me, as long as we know how to cross the river.” Rossa shrugged. She just had a good bath in the river, so she looked particularly refreshed. Compared to when she first left the city, she appeared a lot calmer and steadier.
“I guess I'll go wherever you want to.” Han'li said, although he had just started to grow to like this plain, it still wasn't home.
“I have a feeling we'll meet someone from across the river soon. It is clear to me that the lizard folks are waiting for someone.” Peli said, hugging his knees and looked across the river.
The unknown held a special draw to certain kind of people. For such people, finding out what they didn't know was always more important than holding on to what they've already known. Peli was one such person; to him, as soon as he knew about something, that thing lost all magical touch and meanings.
For Rossa though, it was a total different experience. She had come to realize one thing: sometime she could not direct everything in life. Sometimes, changing her own way of behaving and thinking might be the best way to take control of a situation. She embarked on the journey full of confidence, full of the desire to prove herself capable to her parents. However, as she sat on the riverbank surrounding the bonfire, she started thinking about her parents. What were they thinking at the moment? How would they react to the news that their daughter had embarked on a dangerous journey without their consent?
Rossa had to smile at the last one. Even though she could see how pointless it was, the act of rebellion still sent shivers down her spines. She still wanted to go to Elyia, if for nothing else than to know she had accomplished something that she had set out to do, but the feeling of no turning back was gone. She no longer felt like running away from her city and her home.
The nightwatch had started and majority of the lizard folks had fallen asleep. The humans were gracefully spared the duty of night watch, but they stayed up and talked. The few months of living together, facing the harsh grass plains and having no one else to turn to except each other had made the three into some sort of true comrades. Rossa and Han'li still did not see eye to eye about certain things, but they had learnt to count on each other. Since forming the truce with the lizard folks, the three human had recovered some of their possessions with the help of the tribe. The food stuff they gladly shared with the lizard folks as a token of goodwill, the relic however, even though proved useless, they kept.
At the brink of dawn, as the sun again rose from their side of the river, the conversations had come to a halt, and all three were looking across the river with tired eyes.
It was Peli who first spotted the small black moving figure on the water surface. Like a sharp knife which sliced through the flat surface of silk cloth, the black dot glided through the river and became bigger.
When it was big enough to be seen clearly, the travellers found out it was actually a small boat. Only one person was on the boat and he seemed to head right at the direction of the camp.
“Must be the person the lizard folks were expecting!” Peli was excited to the prospect of meeting another human.
It took a while for the visitor to reach this side of the river. By which time most of the lizard folks had woken up and was ready for the trade.
The man seemed surprised to see other humans among the lizard folks, but he did not say much. Instead he carried on with exchanging goods with the lizard folks. His wares were mostly iron-made weapons which obviously were much prized by the lizard folks.
After the trading was done, the merchant lighted his smoking pipe and turned to the three humans waiting impatiently at the side.
“Heya, what business are you guys about?”
“Erm, we are going to Elyia.” Peli said. “What is your name?”
“People simply called me the River merchant.” the 40-ish stocky man smiled, cascades of wrinkles lined his weathered face. “Elyia, eh?”
“Yes, you know the way?” Peli asked eagerly, something akin of hope brightened up his face.
“Of course. I once looked for the same place.” The river merchant smiled fondly at some distant memories.
“So have you reached Elyia? Can you tell me how to get there?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot. The way to Elyia might have changed. You have to find your own way!”
“Is it across the river?”
“Well, that is one way...”
“Can you help us cross the river?”
At which point, the River Merchant pointed at his small and shabby boat and laughed throatily, “Do you think such a small boat can carry so many people?”
“We can make a boat ourselves.” Rossa said calmly.
“Do you know how to?” The River merchant winked.
“No, but we will figure something out.”
“Well, I can help you with building a new boat, if you want. But once you have crossed the river, you'll have to give me the new boat, what do ya think?”
“Fair!” Peli said before someone else could react. Not that anyone was likely to object at this point.
Possessions, as the troupe discovered, sometimes were really useless except for sentimental reasons.
XXX
It took a week or so to build a new boat under the instructions of the River Merchant. The lizard folks had left them with the Merchant after observing their actions, and no doubt decided that the humans were up to something silly. They left behind a sack of food stuff as goodbye gift, and then proceeded to go about their own business leading their own life.
By then, all the humans were quite adapt at surviving on this harsh plains. They used the encampment the lizard folks left behind as a base and started to build their means of crossing the great River.
The new boat, or rather a raft, was built of thick branches from the nearby low shrubs, and tied together with thick vines. They were quite happy that it floated on water.
As the sun rose again on this side of the river, 4 humans embarked on the newly built raft and started crossing the river, it was beautiful to see the raft left the shore and floated towards the horizon of unknown future.
What awaited on the other side? Not even the River Merchant could claim to know the answer.
Communication between the men and the lizards was difficult at first. But soon, they worked out a peculiar language that was a combination of simple gestures and drawings. It satisfied the need of day-to-day conversations.
The grassland, surrounding a vast, nameless lake in the middle, was bigger than what the travellers had originally imagined. The lizard folks survived on the plain as roving nomads. They shifted with the seasons, living near the lake during spring and summer, and stayed close to the forest during autumn and winter.
On the other side of the plain lay a great river. It had once run through where the lake was, but after ages of shifting riverbed, it had changed its course and left behind a still lake and vast patch of marshland.
There was no way to find any kind of sensible directions from the lizard folks. All the three could do was to follow the tribe around. At least food and safety were relatively well taken care of. And as the tribe moved about, the three travellers started to get familiar with the lay of the land.
Han'li seemed happy to learn about a new kind of wilderness. He was always exchanging hunting tips with the lizard folks, learning about the indigenous animals and plants. Rossa was miserable at first, but after a few weeks, she started to get use to living in the wild and taking care of herself.
Cleaning herself was a big challenge at first. She insisted on cleaning herself everyday, but it was nearly impossible under the harsh conditions. It took a while for her to get used to living with the grim of outdoor living.
As for Peli, he was still thinking about Elyia. No one could tell the directions since the supposedly Lamp Bearer had no direction to give.
It must had been a few months after the initial encounter that the three travellers reached the bank of the great river with the lizard folks. It indeed was a great river, as Peli could hardly see the other bank from his side.
“What was on the other side?” was the first question that pop out of Peli's mind. With some sort of conviction that could not be explained, Peli knew beyond a doubt that Elyia lay on the other side of the river.
The lizard folks settled at the river bank, on a spot they seemed familiar with. Peli pointed across river and made a questioning gesture at one of the older lizards. The old one pointed at a stack of rare animal skins and then pointed across the river, then made an exchanging gesture. Clearly it was a trading post.
When everything was settled, the sun was setting in the west across the river. It was a magnificent scene, looking at the sun submerging into the seemingly peaceful water surface, the sky tainted a quaint purplish orange, and it was hard to tell how much of the sun was still above the horizon as it seemed to melt into the skyline, and when the last ray disappeared from the sky it felt sudden. The bonfire burned brightly and the stars started to blink innocently in the sky.
The three sat around the bonfire with the rest of the lizard folks.
“Do you want to cross the river?” Peli asked, looking from Han'li to Rossa
“What for?”
“To continue to Elyia, of course!” Peli exclaimed. “Don't tell me you want to stay here?!”
“Makes no difference to me, as long as we know how to cross the river.” Rossa shrugged. She just had a good bath in the river, so she looked particularly refreshed. Compared to when she first left the city, she appeared a lot calmer and steadier.
“I guess I'll go wherever you want to.” Han'li said, although he had just started to grow to like this plain, it still wasn't home.
“I have a feeling we'll meet someone from across the river soon. It is clear to me that the lizard folks are waiting for someone.” Peli said, hugging his knees and looked across the river.
The unknown held a special draw to certain kind of people. For such people, finding out what they didn't know was always more important than holding on to what they've already known. Peli was one such person; to him, as soon as he knew about something, that thing lost all magical touch and meanings.
For Rossa though, it was a total different experience. She had come to realize one thing: sometime she could not direct everything in life. Sometimes, changing her own way of behaving and thinking might be the best way to take control of a situation. She embarked on the journey full of confidence, full of the desire to prove herself capable to her parents. However, as she sat on the riverbank surrounding the bonfire, she started thinking about her parents. What were they thinking at the moment? How would they react to the news that their daughter had embarked on a dangerous journey without their consent?
Rossa had to smile at the last one. Even though she could see how pointless it was, the act of rebellion still sent shivers down her spines. She still wanted to go to Elyia, if for nothing else than to know she had accomplished something that she had set out to do, but the feeling of no turning back was gone. She no longer felt like running away from her city and her home.
The nightwatch had started and majority of the lizard folks had fallen asleep. The humans were gracefully spared the duty of night watch, but they stayed up and talked. The few months of living together, facing the harsh grass plains and having no one else to turn to except each other had made the three into some sort of true comrades. Rossa and Han'li still did not see eye to eye about certain things, but they had learnt to count on each other. Since forming the truce with the lizard folks, the three human had recovered some of their possessions with the help of the tribe. The food stuff they gladly shared with the lizard folks as a token of goodwill, the relic however, even though proved useless, they kept.
At the brink of dawn, as the sun again rose from their side of the river, the conversations had come to a halt, and all three were looking across the river with tired eyes.
It was Peli who first spotted the small black moving figure on the water surface. Like a sharp knife which sliced through the flat surface of silk cloth, the black dot glided through the river and became bigger.
When it was big enough to be seen clearly, the travellers found out it was actually a small boat. Only one person was on the boat and he seemed to head right at the direction of the camp.
“Must be the person the lizard folks were expecting!” Peli was excited to the prospect of meeting another human.
It took a while for the visitor to reach this side of the river. By which time most of the lizard folks had woken up and was ready for the trade.
The man seemed surprised to see other humans among the lizard folks, but he did not say much. Instead he carried on with exchanging goods with the lizard folks. His wares were mostly iron-made weapons which obviously were much prized by the lizard folks.
After the trading was done, the merchant lighted his smoking pipe and turned to the three humans waiting impatiently at the side.
“Heya, what business are you guys about?”
“Erm, we are going to Elyia.” Peli said. “What is your name?”
“People simply called me the River merchant.” the 40-ish stocky man smiled, cascades of wrinkles lined his weathered face. “Elyia, eh?”
“Yes, you know the way?” Peli asked eagerly, something akin of hope brightened up his face.
“Of course. I once looked for the same place.” The river merchant smiled fondly at some distant memories.
“So have you reached Elyia? Can you tell me how to get there?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot. The way to Elyia might have changed. You have to find your own way!”
“Is it across the river?”
“Well, that is one way...”
“Can you help us cross the river?”
At which point, the River Merchant pointed at his small and shabby boat and laughed throatily, “Do you think such a small boat can carry so many people?”
“We can make a boat ourselves.” Rossa said calmly.
“Do you know how to?” The River merchant winked.
“No, but we will figure something out.”
“Well, I can help you with building a new boat, if you want. But once you have crossed the river, you'll have to give me the new boat, what do ya think?”
“Fair!” Peli said before someone else could react. Not that anyone was likely to object at this point.
Possessions, as the troupe discovered, sometimes were really useless except for sentimental reasons.
XXX
It took a week or so to build a new boat under the instructions of the River Merchant. The lizard folks had left them with the Merchant after observing their actions, and no doubt decided that the humans were up to something silly. They left behind a sack of food stuff as goodbye gift, and then proceeded to go about their own business leading their own life.
By then, all the humans were quite adapt at surviving on this harsh plains. They used the encampment the lizard folks left behind as a base and started to build their means of crossing the great River.
The new boat, or rather a raft, was built of thick branches from the nearby low shrubs, and tied together with thick vines. They were quite happy that it floated on water.
As the sun rose again on this side of the river, 4 humans embarked on the newly built raft and started crossing the river, it was beautiful to see the raft left the shore and floated towards the horizon of unknown future.
What awaited on the other side? Not even the River Merchant could claim to know the answer.
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