The next morning carried chaos I hadn't expected. I woke up early to send my weekly message by hawk, but I had to first figure out the words to put down on page. I ended up going with the simplest so it was easiest for my messenger.
He's finally here, we're together. The Kouga clan are hosting us for a few more days and then we'll be on the move. I'll keep you appraised of our location. Be well
I had just sent the bird off when my day truly began. I had to chase my streaking brother around camp for 15 minutes, and then carry him back to my tent to force him to bathe. Once I thought he'd behave I went out to take care of Eli and try to wash my spare clothes, as well as make a set of clothes for Aladdin. I had to keep him still long enough to write down measurements. I shooed him away, but warned him to stay close and within eyesight, and in less than a second he was off. I stabbed my fingers several times in the span of making Aladdin a new set of pants.
"HEY! Don't drink it straight from the teat!" I heard Toya shout. I glanced up as saw Aladdin sucking on a horse's utter.
"Aladdin! Behave yourself!" I shouted over from my seat, but he promptly ignored me. Dorji walked up to him and grabbed his head pushing him away. I couldn't hear what was said but it looked like Dorji was scolding Aladdin, which was good enough for me. I turned my focus back to my work with a frustrated sigh. I was trying to make the clothing in the same style that our people would have worn, so that if nothing else, he could be reminded that we had been a part of something bigger. I held out the pants and inspected them just as I heard Eli neigh loudly followed by Aladdin screaming. My heart stopped as I looked up as saw my baby brother, draped over the back of my horse, and bouncing as he was barely hanging on.
"ALADDIN!" I threw down the pants and started running, Dorji just feet ahead of me. He was going to fall off, any second. The Rukh rushed to my fingers just as a horse and rider went rushing past and scooped him off. The rider stopped and to my horror, I noticed her dress. She looked like a Kou princess. Aladdin was clinging to the mane of her horse and looked to me still scared. I kept running until I was able to pull him right off the horse and into my arms. I set him on his feet and knelt down in front of him. I scanned him over, looking for any injury. "Are you hurt?" He was shaky but shook his head. I breathed a sigh in relief before my relief turned to anger. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!" He started sniffling as I yelled and tears dripped. I pulled him into a fierce hug, ignoring the girl as my brother sobbed into my shoulder. "Don't you ever do that to me again. I nearly had a heart attack."
"I'm sorry." He sniffled. The girl dismounted.
"Hello, is this your son?" she asked looking at me. I glanced up at her, glaring slightly as I lifted Aladdin up into my arms.
"Thank you for saving him princess." I whispered before turning and walking back towards the village where more Kou were waiting. She followed behind me as Aladdin sniffled. I moved us to stand behind the villagers and set him down in front of me. I wrapped my arms around Aladdin, holding him against me, as the princess introduced herself as the third princess of the first emperor of the Kou Empire, Ren Hakuei. Baba replied just as formally, but my eyes were on the princesses general.
"Watch the man next to the princess." I leaned down and whispered in Aladdin's ear. "You can tell much of a man by how he reacts, and the places it shows is on their face or hands. If you know the signs you can tell what someone is thinking, if someone is lying, just by the way their face reacts." Aladdin nodded. Then what I was hoping to see happened. When Hakuei mentioned the clan falling victim to the slave trade his lip twitched upwards. "Did you see that?" I asked Aladdin, he shook his head and looked towards me. "When the princess mentioned the slave trade he tried to hide a smile, his lip twitched upwards. He likes that the clan has trouble with slavers, I wouldn't be surprised if he is directly involved with it." Aladdin frowned and leaned against me. The princess continued speaking of Kou's dream of uniting the world under one rule.
"What's wrong Ugo?" Aladdin whispered, his hands moving to the flute. He showed me the glowing seal.
"Calm down, Ugo." I said, my hand brushing over the flute.
The villagers started getting riled up and Baba ordered them quiet. Toya came forward with a tray of horse milk wine for the princess. It happened quickly. The man pushed Toya down, spilling the wine all over her. I looked to Dorji who was already getting ready to move. I quietly moved Aladdin to the side and slowly stepped forward. Dorji's sword was out and he started shouting. I jumped between the Kou and him, and grabbed his sword with my hands, ignoring the stinging pain it brought as blood ran down my arms.
"You will bring war to your home if you continue, Dorji. Everyone you love, everything you cherish, will be in danger is that what you want?" I warned him. He glared past me, as he put more pressure on the sword.
"He insulted my family." He growled.
"And your actions will be the death of them." I leaned towards him. "Believe me, you don't want to experience the pain of watching everything you love fall to dust."
I pulled some of the Rukh to me and allowed them to reflect my memories through my eyes.
Anger, pain, fear. A great darkness reaching out. Utter destruction. Buildings completely demolished. Life pulled from every plant. The last time I saw my mother walk out the door, her body laid broken on the ground. My Father telling me he loved me for the last time.
I could feel the sword shaking so I pressed on.
The man who stood towering over me, eyes with purpose. The stave that struck me over and over. My family yelling crying. I alone standing amongst coal survivors. Tess' last words "Mama, it's so hot". The cries of loss.
He dropped the sword and I stopped, looking at him through my own eyes. He was white, almost gray. All the color had left him and everyone was staring at us confused. He shakily raised a hand to his mouth as he nearly hunched over. I placed my bloody hand on his shoulder and looked at him tenderly.
"My home was destroyed by war. Aladdin and I are all that remains, don't let the same thing happen to your home." I whispered to him before turning to the princess. I bowed to her, then to Baba, before walking towards my brother who came running over with bandages in his hands for me.
"What did you do?" he asked as I continued walking, wrapping my hands quickly.
"I showed him what happened to Alma Torran, our home. It was graphic, but necessary, the boy glorified battle, and I don't think he will anymore." He took my fingers carefully in his hand and guided me to the rock I showed him the night before. He sat in my lap and tended to my hands gently.
"You never spoke of it growing up. Home I mean." He leaned against my chest and I rested my cheek against the top of his head.
"Hadn't I?" He hummed a no and I sighed. "There are many painful memories tied there, I'm afraid the ones I remember most are the horrid. I don't want you to know those things."
"Then tell me the good things you remember." I sighed and leaned back, letting him curl against me.
"Alright. Well Father looked very much like you, we both take after him I suppose. He was very kind hearted, spoke softly, but it was impossible not to hang on every word he spoke. He loved knowledge and truth. I spent much of my time with him reading. When you were in mother, he read to you too. He had friends, they were our family too. Every night we ate at this large table. There were jokes and laughter. Poor Ugo, he was the butt of almost every joke."
"Ugo?"
"Oh yes, the household members are now known as Djinn, though at the time they didn't look like that. Mother was kind, strong. She was more interested in the physical accomplishment and in wit. She and Father were very much in love. She loved to sing and dance. She had the most beautiful pink hair, like a sunset, with sparkling red eyes. She was always laughing, or finding a reason to smile. They both, Father and mother, treated everyone equally. When they teased someone, they only did it out of love." I sighed and pressed my forehead against his. "They would have loved you so much."
"When the princess asked if I was your son, you didn't correct her." He whispered.
"I didn't. You never met mother or Father. When you think of a parent who do you picture?"
He was silent for a minute before whispering "you."
"Now that I'm older it will be the assumption of others that I am your mother. I am the only one you've ever known, and when you were still a baby I made a promise to you. I'd be whatever you needed me to be. I'd play the role of Father, mother, sister, and friend. If you're safer with me playing mother, then that's what I'll do. I will always leave it up to you to decide, but no matter what, I will protect you." He curled into me and closed his eyes. "But that all changed, I hoped to corrected the wrongs but I'm not sure that can be done anymore." I kissed the top of his head. "Come on silly, let's go back to the village."
"Carry me" He asked in such a sweet little voice. I gave an exaggerated sigh and lifted him up, balancing him on my hip. His long limbs dangling like limp noodles. I started humming a lullaby and he sighed against me. "Sing?" He asked, his voice saying he was barely awake. I sung one of our native songs softly in his ear as I reached our tent and walked in. I tucked him into the cot, brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead before leaving him to sleep in peace
I moved to sit next to Baba as I reached for some food.
"You've had a long day." Baba said looking at me carefully.
"Yes, Baba." I sighed and leaned back on my elbows. "He's going to give me a heart attack one day, but I'll love every minute of it."
"Where is our little Aladdin?"
"Sleeping, I think he must have been testing the waters today." I sighed again.
"You should go to bed too." She patted my knee. I smiled, nodded, and huffed before getting up. It was a maze getting back to the tent, having to weave between people, most of which were oblivious. I pushed back the flap to the tent ready to just collapse on the mat next to the cot, but instead found myself frozen. The cot was empty.
"Aladdin!" where could he be. I had checked the entire village, and the rock where we talked, but he was nowhere to be found. I waded through high grass, panic slowly settling in. I heard a rustle then pain bloomed and my world went dark.
I came to slowly. Feeling a strange rocking. Toya was supporting me, though she was bound and gagged. I was the only one without a gag on, probably because they believed I would be out longer. A Kou soldier grazed my stomach with his blade.
"We're going to make them push out baby after baby. And I feel this one will make the best ones." He smiled crudely.
"You are making a terrible mistake taking me." I threatened.
"Oh? And who's going to save you?" He mocked. I barked a laugh.
"You're under the impression I'm a damsel in dstress. I can handle myself just fine. But if you do anything to me, my people are everywhere, you best hope that I am never near a dungeon capturer."
The soldier opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a subordinate informing him that they were being perused. They took out bows and started shooting out of the back of the wagon. I turned to the other girls. "Get behind me." The shuffled around quickly and I took several deep breaths, pulling the Rukh in. My lungs filled and I breathed out heavily with a spell sending a blast of wind towards the soldiers causing them to topple out of the wagon. The clansmen saved us all and took us back towards the village triumphant. Not one enemy was killed, though I had to be held back from doing so. Halfway to the village I could see on the horizon two figures, Baba and Aladdin. As we neared, I swung off the already moving horse and was running towards him. I pulled him close to me, fearing that once again he'd disappear.
"Aladdin, where were you, I looked everywhere!"
"I talked to the princess, she promised not to kill anyone." I breathed a sigh of relief.
"You must tell me before you wonder off like that, I almost had a heart failure."
As we got back to the village, he wanted to stay by the fires but I said otherwise. It was time we both went to bed, and setting a curfew might be an idea now that I knew my little brat is a troublemaker.