Private Tales Fire and Water

[Noelani]

Noelani had been in the Capital for two days before a messenger had arrived at her rooms to inform her the Emperor would see her later that day in the gardens. She thanked the quiet sand elf who curtsied and left gracefully. It let her to her own devices for the morning at least. Lani was not a person to spend her time in idle contemplation so she first visited the training grounds and enjoyed a spar with several of the armies finest, before spending her lunch time reading over the trade agreement Medja had had sent to her rooms. It was a comprehensive document and she intended to read it through thoroughly.

By the time the sun was dipping lower in the sky she was ready for a break and decided to head to the gardens slightly earlier than their planned meeting times. She had heard of their beauty but even Lani had to stop when she entered them. They were beyond description. The princess meandered slowly through them, pausing to marvel at this flower or plant, until she finally reached the pools in the centre. She hadn't deliberately sought them but it was like she had a honing device inside of her; a part of her subconscious just pulled her to bodies of water. There was only two other people beside the poolside when she stepped from the thicket; a young woman with a small child who was leaning over the pool as his mother chastised him for it. The two women shared a wary look before a small nod and Noelani sat on the opposite side of the pool to the duo. The boy didn't seem to care, he was too busy skimming a small wooden toy boat across the waters. Her lips twitched with amusement before she put her hand into the water. A little bit of magic and a wave picked up the boat and bobbed it along for him. There was a small childish exclamation of joy which only grew when she made a watery kraken appear.

The two played together for a while. Noelani added more figures to their game until it was soon an epic sea battle. The woman had seemed content until she looked past Lani's shoulder and stood up suddenly. Saying something to the boy she grabbed his hand and then bowed. Lani had an idea of who it was who had appeared behind her but she made sure the boat made it back to the boys hand before the two disappeared back towards the palace. Only then did the Princess of the Mchawi people stand and turn. Dressed in a long skirt with subtle gold beading and a matching cropped top, her hair had been left loose in tight ringlets with four braids that kept the majority of the wild mane off her face. When she moved to bow it revealed briefly the hidden slit in her skirt and the ornamental dagger strapped to her thigh.

"Your Grace, it's a pleasure to meet you at last."

 

[Gerra]

Eyes that smoldered like the setting sun rested on Noelani. Broad, thick lips that might have given a brutish appearance curved in a smile and formed words that dropped from his mouth with such richness and depth that one might drown in them.

“Princess, the pleasure is mine,” said Hasuras na-Gerra, first of his name, prince of fire, son of the harvest, god-emperor of Amol-Kalit.

He towered where others stood, taller even than the blue orcs of the Seret. The arms that showed beneath the black cotton sleeves of his tunic were dark as volcanic ash and ridged with muscle. Gold glinted in his ears, upon his fingers, and around his neck - black tattoos crawled up from his chest and about his neck in an unknown language - all of these from which hummed an ephemeral power to those who knew how to listen. And from what he had seen of the enchantress, she listened well.

“Do you know why I so often choose to meet in these gardens?” he gestured around him. “In my youth, I grew up in a barren land, without beauty save the depths of eternal fires. Now that I am here, I wish to spend every moment I can in the midst of life. I would that every city in Amol-Kalit, every home, could have such gardens.”

 

[Noelani]

In contrast eyes as dark and calm as the depths of the sea returned his gaze unflinchingly. Power was not something Noelani feared from another. In fact she welcomed it, especially in a potential ally. As he spoke she found her lips lifting in one corner to return his earlier smile and she swept her eyes briefly around their surroundings. It was a beautiful story. Just the right amount to make a diplomat from another land feel more at ease in the presence of a man of such stature and a long list of military conquests. The gardens were his offered alternative; a peaceful transition of power. The alternative was very clear in the thrum of power that rolled from him.

"I definitely prefer it to the ... cozy council rooms I have become used to," her words were the correct level of polite but there was a thread of humour beneath the surface. Lani felt most at ease on the sea with the waves beneath her feet, the further she was removed from such a place made her feel more uncomfortable. The gardens were a pleasant alternative. "If you like the idea of paradise you should visit our isles some times, most of it is wild like this," she carefully reached out and ran a thumb gently down the petal of an orange flower. "I promise I'll try to keep you dry so those pretty flames don't go out," there was a teasing glint in her rich brown eyes before she sat on one of the benches that ringed the pool, leaving enough room for him to join her should be wish.

 

[Gerra]

A single brow arched as he took the offered seat beside her.

“Oh you think me pretty?”

Deep and rumbling laughter came from the Emperor, like the quaking of the earth in mirth.

“This is a more pleasant reception than your friend Nym gave me. Although I must admit that I sympathize with her plight. It is never easy to be beholden to the futures our fathers left us with.”

 

[Noelani]

Even sitting he was a hulking mass beside her. Noelani shifted her position a little so that she was facing him, her right leg bent and rested against the smooth marble of the seat whilst her other foot rested in the soft grass. His laugh brought out her own like the melodic sound of waves against a sandy beach, though his following words made her grimace somewhat. She had heard, of course, what her friend had done to Gerra. It hadn't surprised her in the least but it had proved a more tricky situation than she had initially hoped to be dealing with.

"You are not the worst to look at," her eyes creased with her smile before turning to the pools once more. "I would apologise on Nym's behalf but I do not think she would be sorry for stabbing you. Instead, I can only thank you for being more... understanding than other rulers in your position and I can only hope it has not soured your opinion of me and mine before we even had a chance to meet," his words did give her some comfort though that he would not hold it entirely against her friend - for now at the very least.

 

[Gerra]

“Hm,” grunted Gerra, “You’re surprisingly well spoken. The Kaliti would have me believe your people are island dwelling cannibals who collect the shrunken skulls of their enemies.”

He looked her up and down.

“But I don’t see any skulls.”

 

[Noelani]

Lani's eyes roved his face as he spoke. She couldn't quite tell if this was meant to be a joke or if it was what he had been told about her people. It wouldn't be the first time if it were the latter.

"I left my crown of bones at home, I thought it a little ostentatious for a place like this," her reply was dry and blunt. It would be easy to interpret her tone as that of a person who was offended but there was a thread of humour that twined about her words and a playful glint in the dark pools of her eyes. "If it's any consolation I'm as equally disappointed, they told me your hair was like a living flame," she gave a dramatic sigh. "Not so much as even a little bit of heat."

 

[Gerra]

“You’re not close enough to feel the heat... and it only catches fire when I’m enraged,” Gerra said matter-of-factly.

The emperor studied his hands for a moment.

“Has Medja already tried to recruit you onto the Divan?”

 

[Noelani]

A slender eyebrow rose at the interesting snippet of information.

"Yes," Lani couldn't help the warm laugh that accompanied it. "Your vizier is... definitely passionate about her job," she could see quite easily how people were quick to agree to things for Medja. She was the type of person you wanted to please for she made it worth your while. Her eyes focused on his face and the way his eyes were cast down at his hands. She tilted her head slightly to the side to catch his gaze.

"I wanted to know truthfully your intentions to my people. I won't lie. We've heard different stories about you and this Empire you seek to create and not all of them are pleasant. When I want the truth I find it's easier to come to the source. So, Hasuras na-Gerra, first of his name, prince of fire, son of the harvest, god-emperor of Amol-Kalit, tell me what you want."

 

[Gerra]

“I want you to join the Empire of your own free will, for the benefit of your people. I could make threats, but in truth your navy could likely resist ours for some time. More likely, you would capitulate in one hundred years when the Empire’s mercantile trade dominates your island and you find yourselves subject to our currency and banks.”

Gerra shrugged.

“Medja may bend your ear with honeyed words, but I speak only truth, Noelani. Please do not hold it against me. I am as much a servant to the needs of my people as you are to yours. It would be far easier if I could call your people my own and you the same. Unified interests.”

 

[Noelani]

Noelani spread her palms flat on her thighs as she listened to his words, her face a perfect sculpture of thoughtful contemplation. He summed up her own thoughts in truth, and those she had discussed and debated with her father. Her generation might not suffer but their children would for their snobbery. His words teased out a small smile.

"I asked for the truth because my decision will impact my people for years to come. It is honestly... a breath of fresh air to not have to pick my way through the honey to figure out real intentions," she took a deep breath and turned her gaze away from him to look at the gardens they were sat in, a hand coming up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"And I assume we would keep the majority of our autonomy? Our customs, our culture, our own Gods," the Mchawi people would never take Gerra as their God. They would struggle to see him as their Emperor in truth; there would always be the Chief. "Medja made it clear it was my navy you were most eager to acquire but would there be any other technicalities, taxes or restrictions?"

 

[Gerra]

“Tribute, yes. Your ships, yes. But there is nothing else. I do not seek to overthrow your gods. Just as I do not seek to destroy the gods of the Kaliti. If they did not want me, I would not have been able to conquer Kalit. And yet here I am.”

He looked away from her, up into the blue sky.

“I only destroy the wicked. Those who are a plague on the people. With all others, I seek peace. Can you imagine a land united, where merchants could travel from north to south without fear of bandits, rival emirs, or the taxes of petty kings?“

 

[Noelani]

She could.

Trading was what her people garnered its wealth from and the navy and its Seawitches had been groomed to protect that trade from pirates. Without those threats their people could go out without fear and it would free up their other assets to go further. Noelani wouldn't have to spend her time in claustrophobic meeting rooms smiling and playing word games to negotiate peaceful routes to this city or that.

"It is a nice picture you paint of your Empire," her fingers drummed against her leg thoughtfully. "And you, also, want me on your Divan? Or is that purely Medja?" her brow arched. Noelani didn't want to be dragged into some inter-Empire fighting or power struggle. Her concern would always be primarily for her people and not for someone else's desires to move up the greasy pole.

 

[Gerra]

“That is entirely up to you,” he rumbled, spreading his hands.

“Medja walks to the beat of her own drum. I would be happy to have you as my new Vizier of the Navy. But not if you’ll simply be her pawn - I don’t think that will be a problem though, you don’t seem to be anyone’s tool.”

He frowned.

“Also, I know that certain events transpired between Captain Uvogin and the Princess of Salitra and you are a childhood friend of hers. Well, Uvogin is a dear companion of mine. Please don’t try to drown him.”

 

[Noelani]

Perceptive. Also interesting that he didn't seem to mind that Medja walked to the beat of her own drum. At least as long as it served him, she was assuming. Noelani wasn't used to such a relaxed way of discussing these things; he was blunt, honest, to the point. She had been expecting hidden threats or promises. For him to hold golden apples in front of her that she would have no hope of ever reaching.

"I think my father would like you," she mused, her lips tugging up at the corners. Her father appreciated straight talking like his favourite daughter. The conversation would help her make her decision and she had no further questions on the matter. It seemed, he too wanted to direct the shop talk to less pleasant things.

Her smile faltered a little when he brought up the topic of his Captain. For a moment she said nothing and then she stood and walked over to one of the flowers as if she were suddenly fascinated with it.

"I will try but it is probably best if we do not meet for a while. My people call me the Calm Sea but it is hard not to get angry when you hear a friend who is like a sister to you has had her finger cut off."

 

[Gerra]

Gerra stood from the bench and walked up behind her. The shadow he cast was long.

“Yes,” he said quietly, his fathomless bass subdued, “I repaired the damage. But some wounds go beyond flesh and blood.”

His eyes narrowed for a moment.

“She still does not understand me. We’ve had... words.”

The half-giant stared at the flower as they both pretended to be fixated by its beauty in order to avoid meeting the other’s eye.

“We are like flint and iron. When we meet, things burn.”

 

[Noelani]

He blocked out the sun and yet she could feel the heat he had mentioned earlier replace it now they were stood closer together. She didn't turn yet though, instead she bent slightly to draw the scents of the flower in through her nose. It made her think of one of her older sisters who adored such things in her gardens and she wondered idly if she would be able to take a few seeds back with her. It was a fleeting thought however, for her attention was very much on the power who stood at her back.

Lani turned and tilted her chin a little to end their brief break as they spoke of people who mattered dearly to the both of them. Her eyes were cool and level as they held his molten gaze in a vice.

"It doesn't sound like something you do not like," her head listed to the side slightly, a braid falling forward over her shoulder as she did so. She searched his face for a moment longer as if she were able to see into his very soul before she blinked in a lazy gesture and gave him the whispers of a smile. "Nym is young and she was made to deal with situations with a blade and her fists, not words and pillowy kisses. If you wish to earn her respect you need to meet her on the field as an equal."

 

[Gerra]

“I....”

He looked into her eyes, as dark as the depths of the sea.

“Don’t believe that is how I would describe the tact I took.”

The half-giant sucked on a cheek, then,

“I may have threatened to burn her alive.”

 

[Noelani]

Nym had of course told her what had happened in that room. How he had barged in and proclaimed his desires. She did not think her friend was entirely blameless but what others seemed to forget was that she was still young, might even be considered a child in other circumstances. Her father had denied her a childhood and forced her to grow into an adult quicker but that streak of youthful temper still ran strong in her dearest friend.

"No, I don't believe I would describe your words nor your actions as that either," her lips quirked a little and for a moment she narrowed her eyes as if debating her words. A constrasting difference to how Nymeasha operated. "As much as I dislike the man, it was your Captain who had convinced her to speak to you you know, before you barged into her room and told her you wanted her in your bed," Lani didn't bother to hide the fact she knew the intimate details of his meeting with Nym. She did, however, relieve him of her weighted gaze for a moment as she turned to another flower to the side of his head. A pink bell like blossom that was attracting a butterfly at present.

"She won't bed you, Gerra, she's infatuated with Uvo and if you have him removed she'll resent you more for it. But, if you truly wish to fix your relationship with her now you are going to have to do so on her terms. Send an invitation to her to train. Get both of your... feelings out on a neutral ground." Lani shrugged and turned her eyes back to him.

 

[Gerra]

Gerra snorted, about to dismiss the idea, then he thought of how good it would feel to beat the shit out of that insolent welp.

“You may have a point.”

He crossed his arms.

“I must admit, you have me on the back foot. Word travels quickly. I am surprised you took this meeting, knowing what you know. Perhaps you believe me when I speak of my vision of the future?”

 

[Noelani]

His snort made her smirk and it only grew when he seemed to concede to her point. She knew her friend was beyond talking to now, not without getting her pound of flesh.

"I was six years old when Nym's mother put her in my arms," her whole face softened at the memory. "There is not much she doesn't tell me and the waters are a quick way to ensure a message gets to a Seawitch," she bit down on her bottom lip as again she thought over her next words. She had the authority of course to make the decision for their people on whether they joined the Empire or not, her father had given her that blessing when she had left. But...

"I want to believe you," her words were spoken carefully as if they might get her burnt. She put her hands behind her back and then brushed past him to begin a walk around the pond. "I foresee the same issues you lay out; my generation will be fine, the future maybe not so. For my people I believe it is the right choice to join peacefully. It is the offer of Vizier which is why I agreed to the meeting. Medja paints it as a role where we merely carry out your duties on your behalf but I cannot work for someone I do not trust or believe in. Nor, do I particularly want to work for someone but rather with them," she glance to him out the corner of her eye if he had fallen into place beside her to walk.

"I wanted to see if you would lie about your behaviour to Nym. It was the first test."

 

[Gerra]

"Was it?"

He brushed a finger along the petal of a flower, then turned and walked beside her at their casual pace, the hem of his thawb swishing around slippered feet.

The half-giant did not ask if he had passed. He assumed if he had not they would be having a very different conversation.

"Medja does not speak for me. She is the eyes and ears of the Empire, not its voice. I do not seek minions, or servants, Noelani. I seek companions and comrades who share my vision and seek to add to it, to make it come true, to make it their own. The position of vizier is not one that is mindless, but autonomous. I do not have enough time to manage hundreds of leagues and hundreds of thousands of people. That is why I need your help. To build us a navy. To keep the ocean free of pirates. To make a better world."

 

[Noelani]

A better world.

Wasn't that what everyone wanted? She clasped her hands behind her back as they walked further into the gardens and let her eyes slide towards him to watch once more his expression after his small speech. Not many people were good at entirely hiding their emotions; there was always a little tell if what they spoke didn't quite match up with what they were thinking but... She made a soft noise in the back of her throat and came to a stop when she noticed a swing hanging from one of the branches of the tree. It was a beautifully carved piece of art and she was impressed that it looked to be practical as well as visually pleasing.

"I'll need to see the state of your ships - as many as possible - and the crews that govern them," she sat down upon the swing, pushed herself back before tucking her feet up and letting herself go. Her red skirts brushed against the grass in a soft rasp.

"And where... do you plan on visiting next on your journey East?"

 

[Gerra]

The emperor's face could have been carved from stone. Volcanic stone. The cracks that webbed the thirty-two year old's features were the weathering of age and powerful storms of emotion. Only a mason could divine them.

Gerra clasped his hands behind his back and watched her swing back and forth, back and forth.

"Of course. Many are still missing from when Vizier Jerik took them to assault Cerak. He has not been heard from since. I..." he frowned, "fear him dead. Next? I must conquer Tel Madu. I cannot permit its Lugal, Aqra, to defy me as he has done since the Battle of Ninagal. After that, the army must look to the southern borders, while you secure the trade routes and rid them of Cerak's pirates."

 

[Noelani]

Such a serious, Lani thought as she swung. She hadn't done something so simple in quite a long time and was finding it rather enjoyable. She wondered idly when he had last done something fun just for the sake of it. The Princess understood the weight of a crown and she had enough of it looking after her collection of isles with the help of her father. Let alone bearing the weight of an entire Empire.

"If he is dead it is not within the seas," Lani spoke the words as if they were obvious. The water had cried tears of blood that day and most of the Seawitches had been able to hear and see the battle from the comforts of their own holy wells. If the Sparhawk had lost his life to the power of the sea then they would have felt it. "But I will assess the rest. I take it if you want the navy focused on protecting the trade routes I should work with Kailyn then?" she slid her feet against the grass to slow herself a little into a more gentle sway to and from.