Peli's Journey : Chapter 3

The City of Yan was like nothing Peli had seen before. Not that he had seen any other settlements besides his own Village of Alyssia. Yet, all the stories Peli heard could not prepare him for the grandeur of Yan.

The city of Yan was separated into the outer city and the inner city by a sprawling old stone wall. When Peli emerged from the forest with Han'li and saw Yan for the first time, he did not think much of it. From afar, it looked similar to Alyssia. That impression slowly changed as the two companions approached the city. The vast stretch of farms and orchards that formed the outermost rim of the outer city slowly gave way to dirty industries, most of which Peli had never seen before. That was when Peli started realizing the true size of the City of Yan. The true shock came as they were approaching the stone walls. The 4-men tall edifice encompassed the inner city liked an old and protective dragon. And that must had been the first time Peli saw a real wall up close.

While Peli was assaulted by all the new experiences, Han'li, who had seen the city from afar for many times, was experiencing another emotion. Sure, he was impressed when seeing everything upclose for the first time, but the stronger emotion was that of fear. He found it discomforting to be around so many other human beings. It made him wanted to run screaming to the nearest tree. Unconsciously, he nervously placed a hand on the Peli's shoulder. That man he knew, and that man was safe.

The Gate Sentry let them entered the inner city without challenge. The inner city was even more extravagant. Milling crowd filled the cobble stone streets, and all kinds of merchant shops were doing their best to attract the attention of passer-by. The result was a total cacophony for Han'li. He gripped the shoulder of Peli tightly, and his palm started to sweat. Immediately, Peli noticed the changed in Han'li and reacted by patting his hand. Everything was new and exciting, but scary at the same time. They walked to the market square, and that was where they encountered their third fellow traveller: Rossa.

Xxx

Rossa grew up in the city of Yan. Both her parents sat at the city council. She grew up with the expectation from both her parents that one day she should become a city chancellor. She was given the best education, and all the material needs was fulfilled.

That didn't change the fact that she was an unhappy and angry young lady. Sometimes, she was so frustrated and angry that she was prone to violence. Yet, she could not articulate what she was angry about.

Her parents had always told her to be calm and controlled, and be collected. In truth, she did not want that. All she really wanted was like the other kids running freely in the wild, but she was always being piled up with requirements and enrichment studies from her parents. “No space and time for games” was her parents' favorite line.



That afternoon, she had decided to take a break from her daily routine. She sneaked out of her house with a fantasy novel tucked under her arms. She felt a surge of rebellious delight reading what her parents would considered junk. Pitiful, actually, that she had to resort to such trivia matters to express her discontent. But of course, it was something important to her.

She walked towards the market square, where she could be lost among the crowd, dressed in purposefully chosen nondescript clothing.

There was a part of town centre garden which became her favorite hiding spot: a sharp corner tucked nicely behind a tall and big willow tree. The low wall of the garden which formed the corner allowed her to conceal herself pretty well while observing passer-by. She could sometime spend the whole afternoon just looking at people; somehow she was calmed by other people, especially those who moved with a purpose.

That afternoon, however, after she settled down, her attention was immediately caught by two unique figures that moved among the market square crowd.

They were two young men, wearing very crude clothing made of various animal skins, the slightly smaller build one appeared enthralled, the taller one who placed his hand protectively over the other's shoulder appeared nervous. They looked like two wild men who were accidentally released in the city.

She followed their movement for a while, until something caught her eyes. It was a glint of metal under the sun. Apparently the smaller guy was carrying something in his sack.

Rossa was intrigued enough to act on impulse. She quickly moved from her hiding place and approached the two young men.

“What are you carrying in your sack?” She stood in front of the shorter guy and asked, without any explanation.

The two guys seemed shocked, but the shorter one quickly reacted

“Nothing, it was just a bronze lamp.”

“Can I see it?”

The two guys glanced at each other nervously, until finally the short-one licked his lips nervously and agreed, “Here you go...”

xxx

Peli and Han'li were a bit taken aback when this beautiful and refine young lady approached them. She seemed like a princess, although Peli had only heard stories about princesses. Even though she dressed like a commoner, the way she carried herself commanded obedience. So when she asked to see Peli's possessions, he only hesitated for a while. After all, these were only junk he just could not bear to throw away.

So when he showed her the bronze lamp, he did not expect such a dramatic reaction. He basically saw this refined young lady suddenly opened her eyes wide in shock and her gripped on the bronze lamp tightened.

“What was it?” Peli asked in concern...

XXX

Never in her life did she expected to see this relic. “What was it?”

“You have no idea what this is?” She asked the two young men again.

The two shook their head in synchronization.

“This is one of the long lost royal relic of the City of Yan!” Rossa exclaimed “One of the oldest, and definitely one of the most valuable one.”

“Ohh...” Peli was a bit dumbfounded.

“where did you get it?” Rossa was wild with excitement. Such a relic would mean untold wealth!

“A traveller passed it on to me. He told me it can provide warmth and light, but it didn't really work, so... I didn't think much of it.”

“Well, according to legends, it used to be the source of the Holy Fire. But legends are just legends. Nonetheless, it is still one of the most prized relic of our City. The Lamp of Lambrahsia.”

Suddenly Rossa swirled to the two young men.

“What would you want in exchange of the lamp?” Her fierce intensity gave Peli and Han'li a fright.

“Uhm.. I am to deliver something to Maheuw of Collegia of Yan City, and I am travelling to the Elyia next, so I will give you the lamp if you can point me to the right direction.” Peli said. Truth be told, he was a bit scared of the fiery young lady in front of him, but he needed help to get around. No doubt the lamp was valuable to this City, so why not asked for something in return?

That was in sharp contrast to what Peli used to do in the Village of Alyssia. There, he was contented to receive any reward that the villagers offers for his help. But with a destination in mind, he knew what to ask for.

“Collegia, not a problem. I can lead you there right away. Elyia, I have never heard of, but the scholars in the Collegia will surely know. And I will offer to supply you with provision for your journey! Is that a deal?” Rossa could not believe her luck. Something of immense value in exchange for something so trivial! Her heart danced wildly with ambition. Imagine what kind of power she would have over her parents! She could demand to move away and have a mansion of her own. She could be independent of their control, and do what she wanted. This relic would be used to buy her freedom.

“Deal, I guess.” Peli nodded. Something was going on in the mind of this lady. She was agitated, but Peli somehow found it amusing and intimidating at the same time.

“Let's go!” Without realizing it, Rossa grabbed the wrist of both men and hastily strode towards the Collegia.

XXX

The collegia of Yan had a reputation of being the source and destination of all knowledge. Or at least all citizens of Yan believed so. The Scholars in the Collegia are expected to answer all questions.

Scholar Maheuw definitely looked like he knew the answer to every question. A wise, old man, he moved with a quiet deliberation which gave others an impression of thoughtfulness. He had long, fine beard and hair which are all white, and blend nicely with his silvery robe.

When Peli handed him the black rock, sorrow shadowed his face.

“Another seeker perished, and when will one return with a message from Elyia?” He muttered, staring ahead to an unknown time and space.

“We are going to Elyia.” Peli said softly. The old man seemed so authoritative that he dared not speak louder than that. “But we do not know the way!”

Maheuw shook his head slowly, and his eyes fixed on Rossa and what she was clutching tightly at her side.

“The lamp.” Maheuw pointed at the lamp. “A citizen of Yan carrying that lamp can show others the way to Elyia.”

Rossa goes “What!?” at the remark. She never expected herself to become part of the journey!

“You must bring this seeker rock with you, because it will guide you back to Yan, but you must travel to Elyia. Without you, they will not find the way.”

“Well, someone else can do it. I am not interested.” Rossa felt annoyed. Again! Another request, another expectation. Every inch of her body felt rebellious.

“Yes, but that would mean you have to part with the lamp and go back to whatever was it that you did at your home.” Suddenly, the kindly stare of Maheuw became something else. Something predatory, and compelling. His eyes seemed to bore a hole into the soul of Rossa.

“That is not what you want.”

Rossa felt exposed. She quickly realized there was no lying in front of the old man, and admitted freely.

“My parents would never allow me to get out of their sight. I can do anything just to be free from their grip. And expectation.”

Smiling, Maheuw replied.

“No one can imprison you but yourself. If you wanted to be free so much, what is stopping you from leaving right this moment?”

Rossa shrugged, a bit too forcefully, and said,

“What can I do? Where can I go? Wouldn't they be heart-broken if I was gone? I mean, how can I do that?”

“Now that you have a perfect reason to go and leave, would you do that?”

“I... uh, how would I survive outside of my house? How could I survive on my own?” Rossa blurted out.

“Well, wouldn't you want to find out?” Maheuw spoke with a twinkle in his eyes. “Hire this two young men as your guards, and that should provide some security, wouldn't it? After all, they seemed quite skilled to live in the wild!”

“I came from the wild.” Han'li, who had been quiet, suddenly said, “there will be no problem.”

Rossa casted a glance at Han'li, “It is not just the wilderness. We will be meeting new people, learning new cultures and customs! And obviously brutes like you could not appreciate.”

Han'li crossed his arms and turned away from Rossa. That wasn't a good start.

“You can come with us!” Peli exclaimed, “we will take care of one another, and you can lead us to Elyia with your lamp.”

“You come with me, not the other way round.” Rossa lifted a finger. “After all, I am the lamp holder, not either of you.”

Han'li just threw his hands in disgust. Not that Rossa noticed anything.

“So you'll undertake the journey?” Maheuw asked.

“Oh yes, wise one. As you said, this is the perfect excuse to get away from my parents. I trust that you will have a word with my parents.” Rossa could not afford to be challenged without throwing something back.

“Definitely, if that's what you want. Here, take this.” Maheuw pressed the black rock into the palm of Rossa. “It will bring you home.”

“So... I guess I have to start preparation right this moment! You two, better follow me tightly, you don't want to get lost!”

As Rossa walked out of the Collegia with the two young men in tow, Maheuw looked on with a fond smile on his face. Fate really was a trickster that sprung surprises at every corner. Rossa did not know what she had to do, yet she might have embarked on a journey which will change the city forever.

Maheuw fished a small, black rock out of his robe, and for a moment, he let himself immersed in the reminiscence of his own journey, all these years ago. It was time, that someone else should travel the old path, and came back to tell the new stories.

Xxx

Usually when a group of people who were supposed to travel together started quarrelling, it usually meant the journey would be difficult. So when Rossa started making a big fuss out of preparation, and Han'li started getting impatient, Peli was totally perplexed.

“Of course we'll need to bring sufficient dress. You'll never know who you'll meet during the journey. Not to mention provisions and sleeping arrangement. We better hire a cart.”

“A cart?! No way. We make do in the forest!”

“Ha! Forest? There is no more forest to the west of the town. And I am the lamp bearer, so only I know the way.”

“Well, you've never lived outside the city before.”

“I have read about it. I know exactly what to do, so if you would just listen to my instruction, we can get on the way.”

At that point of the argument, Peli interrupted. He placed a hand on Han'li's shoulder and said quietly,

“We need to get on the road, let's do what she wants us to do and be done with it. We need a way to Elyia.”

Han'li still looked flustered, but he stopped arguing.

“Well, the small one is smarter, apparently. So, please follow me to the market and we'll get the necessary provisions.”

The three proceeded to the market square. The preparation exercise itself was an eye opener to Han'li, who had never been to any kind of human settlement. He stayed nervously closed to Peli all the time. Peli, who at least had some form of previous experience in Alyssia, still found the whole experience daunting.

People moved about with haste, always carrying something to another place. Most conversed in a quick, impatient tone, and from time to time arguments burst out of nowhere.

Rossa on the other hand, was in element. She moved about in confidence, pushing people aside to get to her destination. People seemed to fear her. There was something about the way she carried herself that just seemed to command respect from others.

Soon she reduced the two young men as obedient followers who obediently carried items she purchased.

At the end of the whole preparation, when the two young men looked at the mountains of provisions, blanket, dresses, supplies that piled on a mule cart, they were surprised by the amount of things the three of them managed to accumulate within half a day.

Rossa looked at her spoil with a huge sense of pride.

“We are well prepared for the journey. There will be no problem reaching Elyia.” and then she could return with the Lamp of Lambrahsia and planned her life in her own way.

“I would be sitting in the cart, so two of you take turn to drive the cart. For the convenience of all of us, you can have the front half of the cart, but the back half belonged exclusively to me.”

Funny it never occurred to Rossa that she might need protection from these two young “brutes”, as she saw them. But of course, none of them, including the two “brutes” realized any issue there. A queer thing, truth be told, yet of all her preparation, Rossa did not take time to understand her travel companions.

The city slowly quieted down after a busy day, as street lamps started dotting the cobblestone streets, the busy people of Yan slowly returned home, each carrying their spoils of the day, calculating gain and loss.

A lonely mule cart, carrying the three travellers, left the almost empty market square behind, left the yawning gate guard behind, left the weary citizens of Yan behind, and started the journey to the legendary Elyia.