Lands Unknown part 6

It was night. Both Serana and Tarrion were wide awake though. They had closed the window and Serana kept her senses on high alert to make sure no-one would disturb them. Tarrion had bound the stranger to one of the beams that held up the roof and waited for her to wake up.

"We really do attract trouble, don't we?"

Serana walked toward Tarrion and looked at the intruder. "This is not the first time, and I doubt it will be the last."

"Perhaps," Tarrion agreed. "but this time we will help no-one until we find out exactly what is going on. I am not helping anyone until I know who they are and what they want. Solstheim was the last time I help someone without knowing their motives."

"You do realize that I am one of the people you helped," Serana teased him. "You helped me without knowing my motives."

"Exactly," he agreed again. "and ever since I met you, my troubles have increased greatly."

"Wha-? Hey, that's not fair," she pouted.

"It is also not true," he smiled and he kissed her. "I want to help people and that has brought me a lot of trouble… but it has also brought me to you."

She smiled at him. "Charmer."

"Uuughh."

They looked at the intruder as she started to wake up. Her head bobbed up and down a few times before she was awake again and immediately she started to look around in a panic. She yanked at the ropes trying to break free, but stopped when she saw the two humans standing in front of her.

She sighed and when she spoke both were surprised at how she pleaded. "Please… let me go. I am no threat to you."

Tarrion and Serana looked at each other, then back at the intruder and both answered at the same time.

"No."

".. but-.."

But Tarrion raised his hand and sternly explained to her what the situation was. "You are not the first to ask us for help… and we see no reason to help you. We fist want to know who you are… who you represent… and why you want our help. So let's start with the first question; Who are you?"

"I cannot answer that," she answered and she tugged the ropes again. "I… I can't, there is too much at stake."

"Then I am sure you will answer it anyway," Serana said with an icy voice. "There is a lot at stake. That letter you gave us… it said enough. No-one in this city can apparently know about it, and we can deduce that it is a priority that especially the king does not find out about you."

She could have pretended that it was all true and just look shocked, but Serana could hear the Ka Po Tun's heart beat faster and so she knew that they were right.

"You can do one of two things now," she said and she looked down at the bound intruder. "You can tell us exactly who you are, who you represent and what you want from us. If not, we will deliver you to the king, but given that 'much is at stake' I don't think option two is one you can afford to choose."

Tarrion kept a straight face, but inside he was smiling. This stern and almost dominating attitude that Serana now gave was something he loved.

They both saw the eyes of the Ka Po Tun look around, desperately trying to find a way out, but when none was presented, she bowed her head. She sighed in defeat and told them everything.

"My name is Shazra," she started. She spoke softly, likely to make sure that no-one else would hear her. "Who I was before no longer matters, but now I am what you might call a rebel. I have renounced the king of this city and answer only to one; my queen."

"Who is this 'queen'?"

"She was, but I believe she still is, the queen of this city. She exiled herself after she saw how her husband, the current king, started to ignore our traditions and care only for his own wealth and power. Although we do not know for sure, it seems that the other queens from the other cities feel the same way, because we heard that a few of them exiled themselves as well. We have tried to find each other, yet it is dangerous so we communicate by sending letters. Large groups of people on the move will attract attention, from both the kings… and the Tsaesci."

"Tsaesci?" Tarrion asked. "This is Ka Po Tun land. The Snakes dare to go this far?"

Shazra shook her head. "Not in numbers… but small raiding parties make the jungles dangerous. They will not attack an armed force or a battalion of trained soldiers… but we are not heavily armed. For now we rely on stealth and avoiding trouble."

Serana nodded. "Very well… what does this queen want from us?"

"She wants an audience. She asks that you meet with her in two days. She has heard of two humans on Akavir and how they killed two Tsaesci already."

"It was self-defence," Tarrion calmly explained but Shazra shook her head.

"I am not accusing you… I applaud anyone that kills the Snakes. But humans are… forgive me… in our history humans are seen as weak and small. Easily dominated and turned into slaves. I see here that although you are smaller… you are not weak. My queen wishes to speak to both of you about the future of Akavir. I do not know exactly what she desires to discuss with you… I was not given that information," and she looked at Tarrion. "But now that I know that you are watched by the Gods… it is clear that you must be here to help. I saw you in the arena… how the bats flew around you as if they chose you."

She looked from Tarrion to Serana and stared at her in awe. "I can only imagine the honour of being loved by someone so touched by the Gods."

"Quite the honour indeed," Serana answered with a straight face. "but let me get this straight. You want us to help you with the 'future of Akavir' because of a lover's dispute? Because a king and queen have a disagreement?"

"No!" Shazra shouted indignantly and a little louder than she meant. "No… how dare you. This is about the survival of our entire race. The Tsaesci start to notice that we are divided. It will not take long for them to launch a full scale invasion of our cities. At sea they have always bested us… but on land we are stronger. But if our armies… our kings, refuse to band together and protect and help each other… the Snakes will overwhelm us. This is certain. My queen does not want this to happen… and she asks for your help. Are we all to perish because of the actions and arrogance of a few?"

Tarrion looked at Serana whose look said that she understood, but did not agree just yet. She nodded toward the door and they left the room.

"What are you thinking, Serana?"

She sighed and dropped herself on the pillows of a small bench. "I'm thinking that we're up to our necks into someone else's problems again."

He chuckled and sat next to her. "An understatement."

"I know," she sighed again. "but more than that I understand how you think."

He looked at her and she gave him a slight smile. "Part of me wants to help them… and yet I also think we should just build a raft and take our chances. A part of me wants to help… and a part of me says no."

He nodded and understood what she was referring to. "What part is loudest?"

She did not answer immediately, yet remained silent for a few moments. "The part that tells me I want to know more before I decide. I would meet with this 'queen'… but on our terms." she concluded.

"Then lets tell her that," he nodded.

Back in the bedroom the Ka Po Tun still sat bound to the wooden beam and she looked up when they entered.

"We have thought about it," Serana started and Shazra looked up at her with hope. "and we will meet with your queen.."

"Oh, thank yo-…"

"..-right now."

Shazra looked up with her brow furrowed. "..I will tell my queen tha-.."

"No," Serana interrupted her. "you misunderstand. We will go see her because you will lead us to her… right now. We will unbind you… you will lead us out of the city and to wherever your queen is hiding. We will meet her… but not on your terms. If you are speaking the truth, I see no reason for you to object."

"I have been given orders to-.."

".. and we decided to ignore those orders," Serana interrupted again. "We will meet her on our terms or not at all."

Under the cover of night Serana and Tarrion followed Shazra through the city. Running from shadow to shadow was not difficult, especially for Serana, and slowly but steadily they made their way to the walls. Shazra showed them how she got in. A small postern gate that was only lightly guarded and after they created a distraction to lure the guards away, they used it to escape the inner city.

The large plains lay between them and the outer wall, yet there were only a few groups patrolling the areas and with little effort they reached the outer wall. There Shazra lead them northward until they reached a small, isolated barn that seemed to be for storage.

"In here," the Ka Po Tun whispered and she gestured them to enter, but Serana shook her head.

"You first."

Shazra rolled her eyes and wanted to protest, but a sound not too far away forced her to comply. She quickly entered the barn and Tarrion closed the door behind him. There Shazra moved a few large sacks and revealed a trapdoor.

"Good… it is here. This tunnel leads to the jungle… about a mile behind the treeline."

"Did you take this route on your way in?" Tarrion asked her.

She shook her head. "No… I hid myself in a caravan this morning and stayed hidden until dark. But trying to hide three in a caravan is impossible."

"Then how do you know of this tunnel?"

"My queen spoke of it," Shazra answered shortly and she opened the trapdoor and jumped down.

The tunnel was completely dark and Tarrion had difficulty keeping his footing. Shazra did not slow down and eventually disappeared around the corner.

"Hey! Wait!" Serana shouted after her, but she was ignored.

"She's trying to loose us?" Tarrion asked and Serana nodded calmly. He had made a fire in his hand to light his way and the light showed that the tunnel was built high enough for them to stand straight.

"It seems that way. Why would people do that?" she asked nonchalantly. "Don't worry though. I can smell her, so just follow me."

Serana ran after Shazra with Tarrion following right behind her. The tunnel quickly split up, but Serana ran left without hesitation.

"Left," she said to Tarrion and he followed her deeper.

They quickly saw that the tunnels were built to become an entire labyrinth. Without help they would likely have stayed there for hours, if not days before they would find the exit. But with Shazra apparently knowing the way and Serana following her scent, they were able to find the exit an hour later. Every time the tunnel would make a turn she would warn Tarrion.

Left… left… right… middle… turn around, left….. middle… middle again… Sharp turn… small drop… right.

She lead them after Shazra who apparently could not run as fast as them, since the tunnels were not wide enough for her and before long they found the exit.

Shazra stood outside panting when Serana appeared in the shadows in front of her. Shazra recoiled and fell backwards.

"What?!... H-how… how did you?"

"You pull a stunt like that again," Serana answered. "and I'll cut your tail off."

With her head bowed Shazra walked through the jungle with Tarrion and Serana behind her. A number of thoughts went through her head. A few of them were about escaping and running away… but she tried her best to ignore them. Tarrion had threatened to put one of the vines around her neck as a leash, and she now fully understood that she had no choice but to obey. She felt how their eyes watched her every move, yet she felt defeated.

When she entered the city she thought it would be an easy mission; get in… place the letter… get out. And even if they would resist; they're humans. How much of a threat can they be? Now though… she should have known that someone who can take down a Tsaesci should not be underestimated. She saw in the arena how one of them was clearly touched by the Gods… a sign she should have heeded, yet she was unimpressed with how small the humans were. Touched by the Gods… but no real threat to her.

And now she was forced to obey them… and she knew she would soon face harsher punishment.

For two days they journeyed, hunting when they could and sleeping when they needed, when finally Shazra claimed they were close. Tarrion took a deep breath through his nose and indeed smelled something different. There was a different scent here that would indicate that there was something nearby. Serana sensed it too, yet much more accurately. There were indeed several figures not too far away. They had not been noticed yet, but she knew this would not take long.

As they continued Serana noticed how the figures started moving and not much later, when the sun had started to climb down, a number of them jumped from behind trees and surrounded them. Shazra looked up, pleasantly surprised to see her kin. But neither Tarrion or Serana flinched, as they had sensed them coming from miles away.

"Halt!" one of the figures spoke and all of them made a step forward, tightening the circle. There were eight of them and they had their spears at the ready. All were clad in green and brown leather with padded shoulders, shins and hands. They were also wearing masks to cover their faces and only their eyes were visible.

What was apparently the leader recognized Shazra and said a few things to her in their own language. The voice sounded female… or not as heavy as that of a male, but Tarrion could not know for certain.

"Have you captured her?" the leader asked Tarrion bluntly.

"In a way we have," he answered calmly and he stepped forward. "She claimed that her queen wishes to have an audience with us, but we decided to meet her on our terms."

"Then you should know that our queen does not take orders from others."

"Then why does she need our help?" Tarrion asked. "We were given a letter in which she asks for our help… that means she needs our help, but we are not sure we need hers. You want us to help you? Then convince us you have something we need as well. So take us to your queen and we shall see."

All of the warriors that surrounded them stepped toward Tarrion, tightening the circle even more until their spears were only a few inches away from his face, yet Tarrion did not flinch and Serana silently prepared herself. Then Shazra said something that made all the warriors take a step back and lower their spears. It was in her own language, yet both Tarrion and Serana saw that it shocked all of them. The leader looked from Shazra to Tarrion and back, and lowered the spear.

"Follow us," and all others lowered their spears as well.

Now under escort from almost a dozen Ka Po Tun the two companions walked to what seemed like an improvised camp. A few dozen tents were set up, yet nothing solid was built. There was no wooden palisade to protect the camp, nor were there any wooden structures. The largest of the tents was placed in the middle of the camp and Tarrion and Serana were lead there.

Inside they saw a handful of the Ka Po Tun, and it became clear that one of them was the queen. She sat on a number of soft pillows and others of the Ka Po Tun sat in front of her listening to what she said. She was wearing clothes that were simple, yet clearly more expensive than what the others were wearing and it was green and gold. Several golden rings adorned her ears and a golden necklace hung around her neck.

When the two companions entered the tent and all turned around, it became clear to both of them that something was strange here. Everyone in the tent was female. Tarrion would have a hard time telling the difference between male and female Ka Po Tun, yet his experience with the Khajiit told him enough. The facial features were slimmer than that of the males in the city. The leader of the guards removed her mask and Tarrion saw that she was also female, and when the other guards did the same it became clear to him; he was the only male in the tent.

As soon as the queen saw them she panicked. She asked the guards a number of quick questions in their own language, but Tarrion assumed that one of the questions would be 'What is the meaning of this?'. Shazra made a deep bow and was questioned too and after a short while the queen directed herself to the two humans.

She spoke in her own language, and it became clear she had ordered Shazra to translate.

"Why did you come here?"

Tarrion and Serana looked at each other in surprise. "You asked us to come. You send her to us with a letter to meet you."

"That was at an agreed-upon location at a specific time… not here at my doorstep."

"We agreed on nothing," Serana said strongly. "You are not the first to ask us for help and we refused to meet an unknown person at an unknown location. You wrote that you wanted to help us if we help you…. But we see no reason to help you. But, as a show of good faith, we decided to meet with you, only on our terms."

"And so you kidnap one of my people and force her to show you the way?"

"Yes," was Serana's simple answer.

It took the queen a few moments to recover from an answer that blunt. The two guards at the entrance to the tent gripped their spears tighter and growled threateningly.

"What is it that you need from us?" Tarrion asked before things would escalate. "What do you want us to do… why do you need our help, and what will you give us in return?"

The queen sighed and calmed herself. She took a deep breath and explained while Shazra translated.

"I have gathered that you know of the Tsaesci, and you have even survived an encounter with them. Then I assume you know by now that they are not friendly toward any of the other races of Akavir. They threaten the Tang Mo whenever they like and attack small groups that travel through the jungle. They are trying to provoke us into an all-out war, something that most of us are trying to avoid. They keep trying to force us to show our hand, yet we do everything we can to keep them guessing."

"Guessing for what?"

"The Tsaesci fear us," the queen explained. "we are stronger than they are, yet only when we are united…. And this," and although she spoke a different language, they could hear the pain in her voice. "this is something we have not been in a long time. It will not take much longer before the Snakes notice this. They are growing bolder each year, testing our defences, our alertness. The defences and strength we had long ago are slowly crumbling. Each year a bit more wastes away. Unless we show that we are a strong nation… a strong race that stands united… they will pick us off, one by one, until only they remain."

She sighed again and continued. "This is only one of the problems. A second problem is one we face each year. Every winter, when the frozen north stirs, we are all invaded by a common enemy… an enemy even of the Tsaesci; the Oni of Kamal. They are what you might call demons. They come from the frozen north and sleep a frozen sleep. During the winter they thaw and come down in an attempt to destroy us all. What drives them is unknown to us, but they cannot be reasoned with… and they are large in stature and numbers. The only defence we have against them is that they cannot stand the warm lands for long, and when the winter passes… they will retreat back north, only to return the following year."

"I hope you won't ask us to broker peace between you and the Tsaesci or stop the Oni from invading ever again?" Tarrion asked and, unless he was mistaken, he saw a slight smirk on the queen's face.

"No, that would be asking for the impossible. But I will explain everything tomorrow, since the day is coming to an end. For now, I am glad you wished to listen to me… even if the circumstances were not what was agreed upon."

"Again… we did not agree on anything," Serana said while glaring at the queen who clearly had to swallow her pride.

"That is clear to me now…. I will speak with you more tomorrow. I will tell you what it is I ask of you, but it requires my most trusted scout to return, and she has not returned yet. I will give you a tent for you to spend the night in."

Serana and Tarrion were escorted to a tent that had enough room for two bedrolls and a small table with two chairs. For the Ka Po Tun it would have been small, but for the two companions it was spacious enough. Serana fell on one of the bedrolls.

"Unbelievable," she uttered and she kicked her boots toward the chairs. "If this queen is going to ask us what I think she will ask us… I'm going to kill someone, and it won't be a Tsaesci."

Tarrion chuckled slightly. "What do you think she'll ask of us?"

Serana sat up straight and tried her best to mimic the voice of the queen. "'Oh, please try to help me in trying to unite our people. Please help us solve the problems we ourselves created'. Hmpf… solve your own problems… reap what you have sown… you know?"

"You're taking this quite hard," Tarrion remarked as he sat down next to her.

She sighed and shook her head. "If it is something they cannot solve… I can understand asking for help. But if you are at war and you want your people to stay united… that is something you can do yourself. I think this queen is just too afraid to deal with someone that can say 'no' to her. You saw how she reacted when I was blunt to her."

"She is a queen after all," Tarrion shrugged. "She is used to people obeying her every command."

"Ha… and it looked like you were kissing her ass as well."

"The only ass I've kissed so far is yours," he answered and Serana blushed.

"Ahem… anyway, we should be careful with what we say. Some of the people here understand our language."

After a short while Shazra appeared in the entrance and looked at the two. In her eyes they could see a combination of defeat and defiance, like she was conflicted about something. She stood there for a few moments, her fists clenched, but just when Serana wanted to ask her what she wanted she kneeled and bowed deeply for them.

"My queen has given me to your service," she said and her voice trembled. "I hereby swear myself to you and all that you own. My sword, my body, my life… all that I am is yours. Command me, and I will not hesitate."

It took a while before either Serana or Tarrion was able to respond, but after they looked at each other, at Shazra and back at each other again could Tarrion finally say anything.

"I'm sorry… what?"

"I am sworn to your service," Shazra said solemnly. "My life is yours to command."

"I… understand, but… why?"

"I…" she sighed, "I have failed my queen. I was ordered to give you the message and leave…. But I failed. I was captured and lead you to her. I have disgraced myself and can only redeem myself through servitude. My queen ordered me to pledge myself to you. I can guide you on any journeys you may have to make through Akavir so that you may never be lost… and I know your language. I translate anything for you so that you may understand our people."

The two companions looked at each other. Shazra still kneeled on the floor, apparently waiting for a response or command. Serana couldn't help but give a slight chuckle.

"Looks like you have another housecarl."

The next morning all three were summoned by the queen. A small group of advisors sat on either side of the queen and Tarrion and Serana were asked to sit on a few small cushions. Shazra kneeled next to Tarrion and translated everything the queen said.

"As you have noticed, I have given Shazra to you as servant. She is yours to do with what you will. There is only one restriction that she has; she cannot raise her hand against me. Other than that, she is yours to command."

Tarrion thought of a number of responses, yet all seemed unfit, and so he nodded and said 'thank you'.

"I said yesterday that I needed your help, but I did not explain why," the queen continued. "Well… this is because of our history. We have a long and proud history in which we have struggled and fought amongst ourselves. Many centuries of wars and infighting left us weakened and vulnerable to others. We were weak and blinded by arrogance, not knowing our place and endlessly going in circles."

'Just like you're doing now,' Serana thought to herself. 'get to the point.'

"But one among us then rose to power. A King like no other. A warrior and a guardian. The one that made us all change our name. Where once we were known as the Po Tun, we are now known as the Ka Po Tun, as a symbol that we have risen above all others. Where once our enemies sought to destroy us, they would cower in fear. Where once we were weak, we became strong."

The queen visibly sighed and all advisors lowered their heads. "That was centuries ago, and now we are a shadow of our former selves. We once had a proud tradition… one that our kings have forsaken. We would be the dominant race on Akavir… and we would strife to become the embodiment of domination."

Tarrion had listened to most of what was said with only half an ear, but that last line made him raise his head in interest. He knew he was one of the few people that would fully understand what that means.. to be Domination, and yet he would be surprised if the queen fully understood what she was talking about.

"Long ago," the queen continued. "someone among us rose to power, as I said. His name was Tosh Raka, and the legends about him…"

The queen sighed, yet this one felt different. Not a sigh out of desperation, but one out of longing. "He started our most important tradition; To elevate our race above the others. To become creatures of Domination ourselves. To become…. Dragons."

=End of Chapter=

=Author's Notes=

Oh noes. What do they want now? Have Tarrion teach them to become Dragons?

But we will hear about that next time.

Till the next chapter.