Cassandra Pendragon
“Do I have to,” Reia complained.
“Make up with him? No. Listen? Yes.” She wasn’t overjoyed with my reply and glared at me from underneath her bangs, scathingly enough to make my fur bristle, which constituted quite the accomplishment considering I was leading her along by the hand.
Greta had called her back and now I was ushering her past groups of busy people, engrossed in varying degrees of work. Some were already starting to form lines and transport the rubble from the mansions while others, mostly the well dressed, pretty crowd, were still arguing about which side of a spade actually belonged in the earth. Those were also the ones who had dwarfs or some of Clovis’ men close by, most of them busy yelling, cursing or simply giving in to desperation. Apparently a quite comfortable life between bedsheets didn’t prepare you overly well for menial labour, a task they’d have to get used to quickly enough. It would, most likely, have been possible to solve every problem they encountered with magic but I was decently convinced that they’d have to put the work in themselves, if they actually wanted to make themselves a home.
“But why? We’re even, as far as I’m concerned, and we’re not going to become friends, either way.”
“You never know, but that’s not the point. Look, if someone apologises you listen. You don’t have to accept neither the apology nor the person but you need to listen. Do I really have to explain why?”
“Probably not,” she finally relented. “But I really don’t want to.”
“Tough luck. Why are you making so much of a fuss? Worst case it’s going to take 10 minutes.”
“Because I thought I’d be done with the whole social trifle. I mean, looking back at what we have been through I didn’t think I’d have to play nice with people I don’t like, ever again.” Even though it probably wasn’t the best reaction from a didactic point of view I couldn’t quite suppress my laughter. Ahri, still engaged with the colourful troupe I mentioned before, heard me and waved me over, but first I had to make sure the little troublemaker at my side wouldn’t run away, as soon as I tuned my back.
“Believe me, I understand,” I pressed out chucklingly. “But you’ve got the wrong end of it. The more we accomplish, or rather, the more we become recognised for it, the more we’ll have to make sure we treat everyone else with respect. You’ve already figured out what happened when I sent you away, didn’t you? That’s a perfect example. Humans… most people, actually, fear us for what we are, you included. If you want a chance to be treated like a person, you’ll have to show them that you’re willing to do the same. Which means…”
“I’ll have to smile and make sure the stupid boy doesn’t run away, thinking I’m a brute who uses her strength to lord her power over him. I know… but I still don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to, but life’s not a walk in the park. More often than not you just have to clench your butt and get it over with. I imagine that’s one of those instances for you, even though I think it’s about time to have Sera start your education if you honestly believe that listening to an apology is worth moaning over.”
“Are you trying to make me feel better or worse?”
“Neither. Just telling the truth. I’m not going to dive into that whole growing up stuff again, but Reia, as much as I still want you to be a child, you aren’t one anymore. That means you can make your own decisions but it also means I expect you to do what’s necessary and this is, as you very well know, necessary. Unless…”
“No,” she immediately interrupted with a growl. “I’m not going to leave. I want to stay with you and if that means playing nice with a stubborn human I’ll do it. That was below the belt, Cassy… could you do me a favour and not threaten to send me away every time I’m getting on your nerves?” She wasn’t feeling hurt, I could hear as much, but I still took a moment to think about her words. I knew she had some abandonment issues, but I still didn’t like her jumping to the very same conclusion every time she was getting agitated. I let go of her hand to wrap my arm around her shoulders and gently kissed the top of her head.
“I’d never and I have never considered sending you away. I’m just trying to point out that you actually have a choice, here,” I finally replied, “and I wasn’t even going to suggest that you’d have to leave Free Land… I might have made it sound like much more of a problem than it actually is. I want you to face him, not because of him, but because of you. Look, if you don’t want to…”
“I know,” she sighed. “I…,” she hesitated but suddenly continued in a rush: “are you trying to turn me into a royal? Sometimes it feels like you’re expecting much more of me than anyone else.”
I was taken aback but I was also done with lying to my family. “Maybe I just think you can do better than anyone else? And… yes, I am. Reia, you are my sister and whether you can see it now or not, that’s going to matter more than your last name. It already does, at least around here.” Quietly I added: “you’ve been around for most of it and I’m quite sure you’ve figured out the rest with that devious mind of yours… I’m not a leader, I never was. I’ve had more time than anybody else to figure that out. I’m playing along, for now, because it’s the best option, but that’s going to change. And when it does… I do wish for you to take over. Not immediately, but in a few years. Maybe I’m a bit selfish, but that’s the reason why I want you to act… decently. Whatever you do. Even if it’s something as inconsequential as listening to an apology.” To my surprise she remained silent for quite a while, long enough for us to reach the shadow of a tree where two humans were waiting for us. I had already raised my hand in greeting when she whispered:
“I want to know more. When we’re done here, I want you to take me somewhere where we can talk in peace. And maybe have something more elaborate to eat than bread and dried meat.”
“Your wish is my command, but today is going to be a hustle. Still… I’ll see what I can do. An hour should be possible. Do you… should I invite mom, as well?” She shook her head.
“No, but I’d love for Ahri to join us. You haven’t been the only one who has been thinking, but that’s all I’m going to say for now. I’ve got an apology to listen to and accept,” she ended with a smile while her tails trailed up my legs and wrapped themselves around my middle. While her acting all cuddly always made me melt like ice in the desert, I couldn’t deny that her insinuations had made me slightly uncomfortable. What the hells had the little vixen come up with now? Unfortunately I couldn’t very well question her while father and son were already rising from the trunk like root they had been sitting on and with a regretful sigh I banished the thought to the back of my mind. I’d find out soon enough and somehow I was convinced that, once I had, I’d prefer to have remained ignorant for a whole while longer.
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In the soft, greenish light, spilling though the canopy, it was glaringly obvious that they were related. They weren’t overly tall, maybe a quarter of a head shorter than me, but stockily built with broad shoulders and toned, long arms. Their beige, expensive cotton robes were cut off at the shoulder but dropped down to the ground, only revealing their leather sandals whenever they took a long step. Their skin was of a healthy, nut brown complexion, their foreheads shimmering with beads of sweat in the sweltering heat. Both wore their hair in long, braided, black plaits, the tips of which almost touched their lower backs, interwoven with golden threads.
The boy was probably too young to grow out a beard, up close I’d have put him around his 14th or 15th summer, and the father was clean shaven. Broad, golden earrings, adorned with colourful gems, sparkled in their left ear and, to my surprise, I could smell a faint tinge of ozone, sticking to the gaudy pieces of jewellery. Some kind of artefact for sure, but a weak one. Aside from that they weren’t in any way blessed with the gift of magic. Some people, like Richard or the two barmaids, for example, did possess reservoirs of arcane powers in varying degrees, their minds had simply never been connected to them. Usually it took either a powerful teacher or some kind of traumatic event and a boatload of luck for that to happen, but in the case of those two, there simply wasn’t anything worth connecting to. The energies their bodies contained couldn’t even have filled a thimble. It wasn’t as unusable as I might have made it sound, most humans, probably around 99%, were born like this, a fact that didn’t only hold true for Gaya but every world I had ever visited, but considering that everybody else, who had stumbled into my path before, had been an exception, I had somehow expected the two of them to share that particular trait.
What I could tell from their glowing, dark eyes, their nimble, controlled movements and, first and foremost, from the hilts of two long, exceptionally thin rapiers, dangling form their cordlike belts, though, was they possessed an excessive amount of martial prowess, paired with a quick, calculating mind and a nasty temper. The last one was more of an educated guess, taking into consideration how the boy had behaved towards Reia. Layla had already confessed that they hadn’t been entirely innocent, but for him to raise his hand against Estrella, who truly looked and acted like a small, timid girl, wasn’t exactly a sign of a balanced, patient character.
As soon as they stood they bowed from the waist, the father prompting his son with a not so subtle kick to the shin. When they had straightened again, he repeated the exercise, causing his offspring to wince before he managed to tear his gaze away from my face and focus and Reia. With the blood rushing to his cheeks, turning his complexion even darker, he awkwardly stammered with another, insecure bow:
“I… I’m Abdur al Kh’Assim. I am deeply ashamed of how I treated you. I should never have touched you or your friends and I’m truly sorry. I’ve come here to atone and ask for your forgiveness. Whatever it is I can do to repent, I’ll gladly oblige.” Formal, a bit excessive and probably a sentence his father had made him commit to memory but still acceptable. At least I thought so, but it was Reia he had to convince. Judging from the pinched smile playing around the corners of her mouth, his chances weren’t too bad but I also didn’t expect him to like what he was going to hear next. I wasn’t disappointed, not in the least.
“It’s not me you insulted and hurt,” she stated… regally. “Estrella, my friend, is the one whom you brought to tears. Make it up to her and we need not talk about it anymore.”
Surprised he mumbled: “and how do I do that?” Reia’s smile became more pronounced.
“You called her ugly, a halfbreed, a monster. Make her believe you didn’t mean it. Make her feel like she belongs. Take her and her brother out on the town with your friends, show them around and if they return with a smile, I’ll be satisfied. Think you can mange that much?”
“Will you come as well,” he suddenly blurted out. When I felt Reia hesitate I pinched her tail behind my back. She rolled her eyes almost imperceptibly but still said:
“Of course. Provided you can explain why you thought it’d be a good idea to pick a fight with the very same people who bled and fought for your city while you have been hiding under your beds. With everything that happened, you must have known how stupid it actually was.” To be fair, she hadn’t done much fighting herself but being held as a hostage surely qualified as taking part, in some way or the other.
Her overwhelmed admirer blushed even more, his eyes darting from Reia, to me, to his father and back again. For a few seconds, which might have seemed like a small eternity to the embarrassed boy, I allowed the drama to continue until I intervened: “to me it seems like you two still have a few matters to settle. Why don’t you take a handful of minutes to figure it out? Your father and I will stay right here. Just… don’t wander off too far, will you?” While the boy, Abdur, seemed grateful, I could feel Reia’s displeasure resonating though her tails as they tightened around my waist. To her everlasting chagrin I might suffer from the occasional lapse of judgement every time I tried to stay angry with her, but that didn’t mean I had any qualms with ordering her around. I pushed her away gently but resolutely and added, smirking: “go on. I’m sure it’s going to be… enlightening.” When the boy begged her to follow him with a shy smile, she stomped on my foot and lumbered after him, head hung low as if she was walking towards the gallows.
While the two of them sat down on a broad, gleaming root a couple of metres away I lowered myself to the ground and closed my eyes, relishing in the warm sun light on my face that felt like the gentle touch of a butterfly’s wing. If you wanted to keep your sanity in an environment like ours, it was savouring the beauty of the little things, hidden in plain sight, that would allow you to do so. No matter how ugly it became from time to time, our world was still a marvel. It was only a question of knowing where to look.
I felt the stir in the air and smelled the cloud of sweat and perfume when the father took a seat close by. I had a shrewd idea of what he wanted to say but I didn’t plan on making it any easier for him by starting the conversation myself. After a few moments the constant, regular drumbeat in his chest sped up, as if he had finally found his courage, and half a heartbeat later he said:
“Are you listening in or do you already know what he’s going to say?”
“The latter,” I replied lazily without turning around. “He’s an adolescent boy… believe me, I’ve had my fair share of experiences when it comes to unwanted, even possessive attention. I just don’t get why he picked a fight with Estrella, if it’s Reia he’s interested in.” He chuckled dryly.
“I don’t doubt it. I’m close to fifty with a beautiful wife at home and I can’t even count the number of inappropriate remarks I had to swallow, even though I’ve seen you torture… never mind. What he did… wouldn’t have been half stupid, at least from a child’s perspective, if he had had the strength to enforce his will. Just imagine him graciously accepting the pleas of her friends…”
“I’m not quite sure if I should be impressed or disgusted. Did you teach him that?”
“No. I taught him how to get what he wants as a merchant in Free Land, but I guess there isn’t that much of a difference, is there? Sure what he did would have been shortsighted and bound to fail, even if he hadn’t gotten his ass handed to him, but, as a teacher, I’m still kind of proud. At least he used his brain, somewhat. As a father… not so much.”
“How many people have you talked to to figure out what to say to ensure I wouldn’t have stayed angry, provided I had been in the first place?”
“Four dwarfs, seven slaves and I might or might not have have eavesdropped on a conversation between the elves you brought along. That’s it.”
“Damn it… you must be incredibly successful. Which reminds me… as meticulously thorough as you appear, I’m wondering how you were tied to Asra. He was the crowned king of the merchants around here, wasn’t he? You don’t happen to be a contender for his throne, are you?”
“Nah, a crown is bad for business. I’ve always preferred the spot behind the throne. Which should answer your question. Whatever you need to know, I’m pretty confident I can tell you.”
“Without any compensation? I’m not buying it. What do you want?”