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.