The offers from the sugar mill were nice, but in his haste, Jan forgot to even ask the prices his father sold his sugarcane at. He could only rub his face into his hands, mentally calling himself an idiot. Still, he spent days walking about the port, mapping the area and the various districts. Praetorius is looking to install a Commando and his Veldkornets into the Port, but the majority English population is resistant to his ideals and wishes to govern themselves.
The issue is currently at an impasse, but everyone knew how things went if things escalated. If Andries Praetorius subjugated the English, they would call upon their overlords on the British Isles to crush the little Boer Republic, making Praetorius careful in his next actions. The Elven and half-elf population in the Port were supportive, for everyone knew if the Boers seized control, the shackles would once again come around their necks.
Politically, things were a mess with the power vacuum created by the withdrawal of British Highlanders. But for the traders who ply their goods, it provided an opportunity where no middlemen would seek a cut of their earnings.
Jan knew such matters were too big for his breeches, so he left things alone. Such trouble would not bother to find him, for he is no big fish, just a mere incompetent son of a Veldkornet.
It was a mostly uneventful trip back home to his father's district. It was endless reels of grasslands, ranches, savannah and ranches. The men tending to their cattle kept their guns close by, especially as they saw that he was armed as well. But few were looking for trouble, especially with his pale skin. Yet Jan knew if his skin was much darker, he would be shot on site.
He also concluded the Elven tribal attacks were greatly exaggerated. If there were any, he didn't receive any. A small tinge of disappointment it was, but he didn't want to get in a fight. There were many opportunities to do so in Zululand.
All the more surprising when he saw a dark elf on the porch, he clutched tightly on his firearm. Of course, his father who already detected his presence raised his hands. Jan slung his rifle back around his shoulder.
"Ahh, Jan. Let me introduce you to Nokuthula, she's a representative of one of the various Zulu chiefs from Zululand. She understands both English and Elfrikaans."
As Jan's eyes scanned over Nokuthula, she wore what men usually wear. A cotton shirt paired with dusters with wool trousers. Her long hair reached her shoulders. Her beautiful yet stoic face greeted the newcomer.
"Sawabona. It means I see you." The elf politely said and stretched out her hands. Her slender looked soft, but as he grasped onto her hands, he could feel the callouses the on her hands.
"In Zulu culture, we will start by holding hands, then we will wrap around fingers around the other's thumb," Nokuthula wrapped her hands around his thumb, before returning to her original position. With expectant eyes, she waited for Jan to follow suit.
Looking towards his father who looked away, Jan decided to play along.
Grasping the base of her thumb with a couple of fingers, he felt the bones on the base of her thumb for seconds. Looking into her eyes, he felt unsure, but he knew he was doing something wrong. Feeling like it was too long, he returned to the original handshake position.
"At this time, you would be saying Yebo, Sawabona. It means Yes, I see you."
"Yebo, Sawabona."
"Nokuthula, I would like to have some private discussions with my boy. Is it possible if you to excuse us momentarily?"
The elf nodded and let us be.
Surprisingly, his father spoke in English.
"It would be a shame to let such a beauty work on the fields. Bah, elf girls are hard to come by," His father let out.
"…"
"Don't be like that boy. I saw you were holding her hands for far too long. You must agree with me. Don't worry boy, I won't fight with you over her."
"…"
"Alright, let's get down to business. How should we deal with her? The Zulu Kingdom might be a monarchy, but it has various tribal chiefs managing different tracts of land. She represents one of them. I don't know who, could be the strongest, or could be the weakest, hell if I know. All I know is that she's gathering intel here."
"Then shouldn't we get rid of her?"
"So, you do want her. Damn boy, keep your loins in check. We are still technically fighting against the Zulu Kingdom. If we, cough cough, make her disappear, Praetorius will make the both of us disappear. We could trek further inland, but I'm not going to abandon this sugar plantation I painstakingly built up all because my son is a fucking horny bastard."
"…"
"Not funny? Young people these days, I swear, you all can't take a good joke. Still, she will be with us for a day or two. I cannot trust that one of my subordinates might do something untoward with her so I'm temporarily having her stay in the guest room. What do you think we should do Jan?"
This time, his father looked at him with expectant eyes. Jan looked towards the stairs and looked at his father, and a sliver of disappointment popped up in his expression.
"Might as well treat our guest well. No reason to hide anything from her. We have nothing much to hide in the first place." The young Voortrekker sighed, feeling a sense of hopelessness from the fact that they had nothing to hide from her.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
As Jan headed for his room, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"I think you'll be the most suitable to show her around."
"Father, aren't you the most suitable, especially in such political affairs?"
"She's only a mere representative. If the Zulu Chieftess was here in person, it would make sense for me to show her around. But if I do it, wouldn't it be me admitting that I'm lower in status than a mere chieftess? That's why it would be best if it was you. Who knows, maybe it will turn out like the trashy English romance novels you keep with you, and she'll fall in love in love…"
Jan bolted for his room and found the remnant books left by his predecessor buried in some drawers. Looks like his predecessor had such a hobby and did not want to let others know. He mentally shelved it away, remembering it so he could keep his current actions consistent with his past.
Past him was an Anglophile scholar. He could keep up such appearances easily. The desire to grow Elfrikaans could be attributed to his brief stint at Volksraad where he found it extremely humiliating to be left out. Their interest in military affairs can also be attributed to the lack of respect his father's subordinates saw in him. But pretending to be a romance novels connoisseur, the inexperienced new Jan Boddewijk could not play the part.
Sighing, he rolled with it and decided to play along with his father.
"Sawabona," The Voortrekker greeted the dark elf.
"Haven't we greeted each other already?"
"… Anyway, I've been assigned to show you around the town. Where would you like to go?"
"Lead the way."
"Then let's go to the shooting range."
The elf wrapped a cloth around her mouth, which covered her ears. Still, her dark skin tone made her stand out in the distinctly white town.
"What made you decide to wear the attire of a man? You're a woman aren't you?" Jan studied his companion's feminine features contrasting with her masculine outfit.
"In my studies on Boer societies, they are patriarchal, are they not? I wore these to show my authority."
"…"
The rest of the short walk was silent.
Targets of differing lengths, 10 metres, 50 metres and 100 metres were set across a field. A line demarcating the shooter's position was set. Unslinging his firearm, Jan went to his usual routine to train his shooting. Deciding that he was suitably proficient at 10 metres, he tried for 50 metres.
Cartridge, bite, pour, put, ram, cock, trigger. He did all of the actions as fast as he could. With a bang, the ball completely missed the target. His guest stood behind him, swaying her feet about as she watched.
"Hy is nog steeds sleg." (He's still bad.)
"Hy het darem daardie nuwe slaaf deur pappa gekoop." (At least he got that new slave bought by daddy)
"My pa sal my doodmaak as ek een koop. Hy het gesê ek moet my eie een gaan haal." (My father would kill me if I bought one. He said I should go get my one.)
"So jy het jou eie een gekry?" (So you got your one?)
"Nee, ek is eerder gevange geneem." (No, I got captured instead)
"…"
"Can I have a try?" Nokuthula spoke up after a couple of missed shots. Some barely grazed the outer rim, but most missed the mark. Wiping some sweat off his brow, Jan decided it couldn't hurt to let her try.
Handing over his firearm, he passed a piece of an unopen cartridge and stood behind her. Still, his muscles tensed up, feeling a little worried that his only piece of reassurance in this world was leaving him for a while.
As all first-timers do, she tore the cartridge with her hands and poured the powder into the barrel. Setting the round on the barrel, she carefully retrieved the rammer, and began ramming the ball into the end of the barrel. She was about to pull it out but Jan spoke up.
"You might want to tap on it a few times. To make sure the ball is sitting on the powder."
Nokuthula slid the rammer back in and tapped the ball lightly, before pulling it out. Cocking the rifle, she aimed it at the 10-metre target and pulled the trigger. As a small explosion lit up in the rifle, a bang echoed throughout the grounds, and the bullet struck the centre of the target. Bullseye.
The young man could only let his mouth hang out as he felt somewhat depressed.
"Do you mind if I take another shot?" She asked, stretching out her hands to take another cartridge. Jan passed over the cartridge, and Nokuthula did it again. This time, she bit into the cartridge and tore out the top. Her reloading speed was much more drastic, and very quickly she cocked the rifle and let out a shot on the 50-metre target. Bullseye.
He took the time to study her expression as she passed back the gun to Jan. Was it mockery in her eyes? But he couldn't tell, for it's hard to tell someone's expression when one-half of their face is covered.
"No need to feel too bad. I had some prior experience with some firearms." Nokuthula shrugged her shoulders.
"Ok."
The next day or two was nothing special. He showed her the place. Shooting range, inn, and the ranches owned by his father's subordinates. Speaking of them, few dared to do anything frisky with their companion. Even though she lacked a firearm, there was a mystical attribute around her that made one think twice before harming such an individual.
"I heard the elves had magic. I assume that's why you don't carry around a firearm like the rest of us?" Jan spoke up as a subtle feeling sunk in. That this was not just a rather beautiful elf beside him. She was not just a pretty doll, that's for sure.
"The environment around accommodates us. And we accommodate the environment. In such a beautiful symbiotic relationship, why wouldn't we protect one another?"
"What do you think about the Boers?"
"Would you like the polite answer or the truth?"
"…"
"I will just paraphrase one of the writings made by your fellow man. Men should have never come to Elfrica. The environment is extremely hostile to them. While they could survive, they could never thrive, unlike the natives.
'Touchy subject.'
He made small talk with her every so often, but sometimes she never replied, so Jan continued his daily routine. Shooting in the morning, and eating in the inn before retreating to his studies. He would pass Nokuthula some books and let her be as he focused on improving in Elfrikaans.
With his somewhat meagre command of the language, he added books on the history of the world into his readings. World History was almost similar, except for some major changes. The inclusion of fantasy species added many more entities to maps of the world. The other continents were well-mapped except for the interior of Africa. Correction, Elfrica. He was so used to calling it in the terms the old world used. Hell, the continent even looked the same.
Major changes include Eastern Europe, where history books mentioned the appearances of Centaurs. Much of it was filled with Khanates, with few human states. Most notably the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Kingdom of Muscovy, and the Novgorod Republic. And its Polish bodies were huge, and it occupied some lands in the East Prussia region. It stood as a bulwark to the Centaur Khanates.
Qing China and the rest of Asia were relatively normal, except for the scattering of fantastical species most notable in folklore. For example, demons or Yao Guai as well as Dragons exist. Some of the best artisanal sects reside in China, which is why trade between Europe and Asia is so lucrative.
The Dutch East Indies ruled the Netherlands, and the British East India Company(EIC) ruled India through indirect rule. The colonization of Australia was well-underway except for the large presence of giant spider people. There were no drawings for the faint of heart.
North and South America were crazy. The Incas and Aztecs were still around. They were led by giant thunderbirds and harpies respectively. Well, at least there's no heart sacrifice here except for innocence. The conquistadors did not stand a chance with their muskets against the flying species. So, they could only establish colonies only by sea, any interior colonization was formed along the rivers. So many of the resources weren't exploited. Due to the existence of the two empires, Indians in America headed north into the North American continent, where they had to deal with buffalo tribes. Britain somehow played both parties and formed the Thirteen Colonies, now known as the United States.
Western Europe looked normal at least. As normal as it can be in such conditions. And of course, it's not normal. There were vampires, and somehow talking rat people appeared in 1346.
North Africa was fine, but it was mostly colonised by humans. Most of the elven natives were pushed inland, or cough cough deported to the New World. To work in plantations, non-consensually.
Somehow Arabia was also fine. Ottomans were still the sick men of Europe, as well as that little Greece that popped right out of it. If they're there, the history of the world can't be too different.
The history is pretty crazy. And because Jan with his modern world mind remembered the modern world maps, his brain melted from the ridiculousness of it all. It was as if the world was built by some 12-year-old.
Putting the book away, he returned to Dutch to regain his sanity. At least grammar was logical, and syntactically, there was a certain structure and rules put to it. But politics? There's a little structure. Fantasy politics? Something tells Jan that political students in Universities worldwide in the future are going to cry from the sheer ridiculousness of it all.