The welcoming laughter of the gathered crowd dulls my anxieties somewhat. Even if I am a fool in their eyes, at least I am not being threatened. The woman berating the man who brought me here, pauses in her yelling as an older woman steps forward. In one hand she holds a two-pronged spear, made entirely of what appears to be a single large bone. My martial eyes, though drawn to it, do wander eventually to her other hand, holding out a strange creature or at least the shell of one.
Spiraling round and round with rough points to finally lead to a curved opening, dyed pink and tan like the sunrise on the beach. I look up to her, and she nods, holding it towards me. With a bow, I take it in both hands, murmuring, “This one thanks the Elder.” To my surprise however, I hear a reply…One that I can understand! “Good, good, it’s working, quickly, cycle your spirit through the shell.” Blinking rapidly, glancing up at the woman, then down at the shell, it’s true, I can feel the chi swirling inside the strange creature. But it seems to be fading in my hands, so I close my eyes for a moment, concentrating, letting a trickle of my chi out to feed the strange swirly shell-creature.
Nodding in satisfaction, she offers a crinkly smile, her whole face pulled into the process, “Welcome to our Village, Child of the Emperor.” “Y-you know of the Esteemed Emperor?!” I ask in surprise, before shaking my head at my manners, “My apologies, this one has had a strange time of things recently. Thank you for your greetings and hospitality. I’m afraid that well, I’m quite lost.” A cackling laugh is her reply, even as others look between us curiously. “You are lost indeed, in more ways than one it seems.” She gestures with one hand, “Come, let us sit and sup and talk.”
I nod, falling in step behind her, as I would any elder. I pause however, midway, turning to the man who brought me here and his wife. “I thank you once more Fisherman, and you his Beloved, for loaning me the strength of your companion.” They just look at me strangely as I straighten from my bow. The old woman chuckles, “No one else can understand you yet, I’ll show you how to make the Conch work later, now come come, You’ll show them your gratitude later.”
-
She led me through the village, falling quiet as my eyes drank in the sights. Buildings lifted up on stilts, a full height of clearance underneath, others seemed to be milling about in boats large enough to hold their entire family. The land-based structures seemingly made of a greenish wood, and daubed liberally with some sort of clay-like substance. An errant breeze made the rooftops rustle, leaves and wood and that clay once more. Heading deeper though, upwards in elevation, and more and more houses and buildings seemed to be made fully of that strange clay, others even housing foundations of stone, fully upon the ground.
Every building too seemed to have a splash of color, reds, greens, vibrant purples, yellow here and there. Paint splashed in strange patterns, seemingly at random. Sometimes a group of buildings would share the same color, sometimes they would be randomly interspersed. All of it is strange, new, and exciting. A wholly different people, Cultivators even, a strange new place…And myself… A stranger in their midst.
Stepping assuredly through structures of wood and clay, the old woman leads me deeper and deeper into their village. I hear once more the humming melodies of not one, not two, but a chorus of singers. Working and singing at the same time. I can feel the chi in the air, feel the working swelling and building with their rhythmic chants. I can’t understand what they’re doing, what they’re saying, how they are shaping the chi. But I can see it’s effects, and I pause my stride to stare in awe as they heave bricks and clay atop of wood twisting into shape for them. Some working the earth, others the wood, and yet another overseeing them all, beating out a steady tattoo, lending power to both workings.
“Come child, if you stop to listen to every song, you’ll not make it there before sunset.” Suitably chastised, I hurry to follow her once more. Finally she leads me into a structure made of what seems to be a dark stone, catching shining specks of golden light through a pane of sea glass above. The light is filtered green, but as it splashes against the stone, golden reflections spatter off of it, reflected all around.
She settles onto a chair, and I sit on the mat before her. She stares down at me blinking for a moment, “Do you not use chairs?” Blushing deeply, I rise up and move my position to sit across from her. “That’s better.” she chuckles, shaking her head. “My apologies Elder, this one did not wish to overstate their welcome.” She just waves her hand, “Well, at least you’re a polite girl.” This statement sends thrills through my mind and my eyes widen, missing her next sentence as a heated warmth travels up my spine and nestles in my heart. I blink away unbidden tears, and the old woman pauses. “Are you alright?”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
I shake my head, “This one apologizes, I was…Merely distracted, I missed what you said.” She sighs, “I was just saying how the last travelers to visit here merely turned their nose up at us and left…Something about inferior cultivation and lack of resources.” She paused, reaching out a wrinkled hand to pat on my arm. “You though…You’re young, aren’t you? You all always look so young…And your clothing… You must’ve been through a rough journey.” She sighs, “We rarely get visitors here, but you’ll have a place to stay tonight. That house you saw, it’s yours in the morning. But come, let me take a look at you while dinner is being made.”
Beckoning me to follow her, she led me into a deeper room in her abode, neatly folded bundles of cloth dotting wooden shelves all around. Various fabrics, softer and rougher alike, in a myriad of colors from the deepest blue of the ocean, to the orange of the sun’s setting. She glanced between me and the fabrics, muttering to herself, “Hmm…So slender…In such large clothing, worn, torn…You must’ve had to hide as a man for a bit…” I flinched instinctively, hoping she didn’t notice… ”Saw battle…Here we are.” She took my hand, draping a soft length of what felt like silk, but had a strange warmth and strength to it. “Strip down, use that to cover yourself.” I flushed pink, but the woman disregarded me, turning her back. I hesitantly untied my robes, letting my top fall first, moving to wrap it around myself, when she turned back to me. “No…Silly girl. You obviously were no noble-raised.” She took it from my hands again, leaving me standing frozen, half-naked before this old woman. She formed a quick loop at one end, tying it off, then showed me how to wrap out around, and come up from below to tie it once more. “It’ll be a different length for up top, I trust you’re smart enough to take care of that now.” She grumbled, turning away again.
Greatly abashed, I stripped the rest of the way, now suitably embarrassed about my clothes and lack of what seemed to be basic knowledge. Though my shroud and time in the water had kept me relatively clean, I knew I must look strange to them, paler, smaller, and my longer hair now vaguely unkempt. My intimates now shrouded in what was quite comfortable fabric, I was turned around again as the old woman helped measure me for a band for my chest next. “Need to feed you up more,” she murmured, causing me to blush a bit. But I remembered then, this was my body, I chose it, for me…Not the eyes of others, and I banished the momentary embarrassment. Her words so far had been understanding, kind, and it really had been a bit of time since I’d had a proper meal…And I’d been running and fighting and cultivating constantly since I got here, I had indeed lost a little weight.
After a bit more muttering, humming to herself, her wizened hands poking and prodding at me the Old woman seemed to have decided on something. Then I realized, I didn’t know her name. “This one apologizes, I never asked the Elder her name.” She chuckles then, “Siu Padthaya, and you are Mae Nam, Yes?” I went to bow, but she had wrapped a garment around me, and she tugged me back with surprising strength, “Ah! No moving!” I stilled myself, “Apologies Elder Siu, and…Thank you.” She began wrapping a length of dark blue fabric around my chest, round and round, tying it off in a strange way, leaving a fish-scale pattern dangling at the end around my waist. Below which she wrapped a second length of fabric, tying it off like a wrap, forming a skirt with a high slit, easy to move around in, but slightly scandalous if not for the upper garment obscuring it below. I marveled at the strange garment, how it flowed so easily, covered and hinted at more. I blushed brightly though at my uncovered shoulders and she just chuckled at me. “There’s a shawl and head covering to keep the sun off you as well.”
She walked around me, surveying her work, nodding, “Good. Now you look less like a lost child, and more like a woman of the sea. Come let us eat, and you can tell me of your tales.”
-
A simple soup of coconut and some sort of fish, interspersed with spice and a sour taste. It was delicious. Alongside that was some strange fruit that was baked into something resembling bread from the north of the Empire. I finished a bowl, explaining to her the battle, the sacrifice to save my commander, and then waking up here on the beach. She frowned slightly at my decision, but sighed loudly at the note the commander had left me. She nodded at my dealings with the crab, smiled knowingly as I described the battle of the ants, and finally patted my hand when I told her about my upbringing. “Well, you’re here now, and looks like you’re not going back to tell tales of us.” I blinked at that, “You…trust me then?” She chuckles, “There’s differences in opinion about pragmatism, callousness, honor, pride, and the like….But also, you cannot lie when using the magic of the Conch, and you offered your tail willingly for the merest tokens of hospitality…I do not sense the greater Darkness of spirit that many of your land hold. You have taken lives yes, as you were raised to do, but you have not reveled in it, from what I can glimpse of your spirit at least.”
I paused in surprise, having no experience with the deeper enchantments of talismans or formations. We had not been allowed access to such things before becoming true cultivators, and now, it seems that my inexperience was showing. I stood, bowing to her, “I thank you for your generosity and understanding…I…I do not know where to go from here…But I would like to repay you.”
She offered a smile at that, “You are welcome to stay here, be domestic, find work, fish, weave, as you like…Take your time, give back to the community, but for tonight. Rest. You will be staying here tonight, and in the morning we can sort out any repayment and a place for you to stay.”