11th day of the 3rd month 650th year of the 8th era

Aquillia, Stella, and Araki stood at the bow of the barge as the forest grove of Ashford came into view. They and the crew had changed into their Ashford garments. Aquillia still shifted the garments across her chest adjusting the fabric over her breasts.

The densely packed trees were ordered into neat rows along the banks of the river. The pounding of the drums was a distant counterpoint to the stillness of the grove they were rowing through. The trees ended abruptly and two huge bridges made from glittering white stone spanned the river. On the right side of the river, they could see a large tower made from the same glittering white stone standing guard over one of the bridges. The barge sailed under the first bridge and they came upon a large castle, made from the same beautiful stone, sitting on the edge of Skylake. The castle had a large wall and several towering spires. On the other side of the river were large square buildings made from dull grey stone and wood. They passed under the second bridge and onto Skylake which was framed by towering, snow-capped mountains. All around the edge of the lake were tall statues. At the foot of the mountain, where the lake met the city, the tallest statue stood. The barge turned and headed into a large dock, bordered by wooden buildings and large wooden piers with shoulder-high railings on all sides.

“Welcome to Ashford,” Lia declared.

“It is not what I expected,” commented Aquillia.

“What did you expect?” Lia asked.

“More houses,” Aquillia said. She waved a hand at the white buildings to the south. “They don’t seem enough for a city.”

“The people of Ashford are nomadic and live in tents so they have no need for houses,” Lia said.

“What about that great castle and the tower?” Araki asked, pointing to the ancient white tower.

“That is the remnant of a people long ago. No one knows who built it,” Lia said dismissively.

“Do you know who you are to meet?” asked Aquillia.

“The letter my mother gave me was from a Nanberry Bengan of Clan Lawn.”

Stella guffawed.

“You will have to learn to suppress that impulse,” Aquillia said. “She is after all your master’s aunt.”

Stella nodded and hung her head and fidgeted with her clothing.

“I am sure there will be a lot of time when things happen that we will both find funny. We will hide it in public and only laugh about it in private.” Araki turned and walked to the gangplank, knapsack over his shoulder.

Stella, Aquillia and Lia followed him.

“I hope that you had a pleasant journey,” Lia said.

“We did. Thank you,” Aquillia said.

“Then I hope the waves and currents may always be in your favour.” Lia saluted. “Though I think it might not be of much use in the desert.”

“May the currents and waves be with you,” Araki replied, saluting Lia back.

He walked down the gangplank and onto the pier. Stella saluted Lia and followed Araki. Aquillia did the same. They proceeded to the end of the pier and came to large square wooden buildings that smelled like manure and dried hay.

“That is quite a welcoming aroma,” Aquillia complained, covering her nose.

Moving through the large stables they came out the other side, and a large field stretched out in front of them. Ten metres ahead of them stood a towering statue of a man dressed in battle armour with a sword raised high above his head. To the far left was a large group of tents with banners and green pennants flying. To the right was another large group of tents with banners and blue pennants flying.

“I think the residents of Ashford are in those two areas,” Aquillia commented.

“I think you are right,” agreed Araki.

“Which group is your family?” Stella asked.

“That is a good question,” Araki murmured.

Araki walked forward towards the large statue. As he approached, he noticed four people sitting around it. They were all dressed in the same shapeless robes. As Araki approached, they turned their heads to look at him. One stood and turned to face him. As Stella and Aquillia approached behind him, and the other three people rose.

“I greet you, stranger,” the silvery voice echoed across the open field.

“I’m looking for my family,” Araki declared.

“You are not from around here. I think you are lost,” the voice replied.

The other three chuckled, deep, and rasping. Araki stood apart from the group at the foot of the statue.

“You are right. I am not from around here, but I know my family is from around here,” Araki said.

“They carry blades here. They are strangers and not friendly ones,” one of the deep voices murmured to the ear of the first.

“I carry a blade to protect myself,” Aquillia stated.

“If you had family from here, you would know this is sacred ground, and no one carries a blade here,” another deep voice shouted back.

Araki looked at the speaker who was accompanied by several men.

“I think we have made a mistake; how did we not know about this?” Araki asked.

One of the four dashed off, running to the tents with the blue pennants.

“We didn’t know much at all about these people,” Stella replied.

“Your speech declares you are not from here,” the silvery voice called out. “You have violated our sacred place by bearing weapons on this ground and you insult us by claiming to be from around here. Such crimes are punishable with death.”

“No, you don’t,” Aquillia declared and she drew her weapon.

“Aquillia!” Araki commanded. “Drop your weapon!”

“If I do, they will kill us.”

“We will die if you threaten them! Give me your weapon!”

Aquillia passed her double-bladed weapon to Araki.

Araki took the blade and levelled it flat, twisted it, and split the blade into two parts and thrust them into the ground. He took off his belt and threw it between the two blades.

“I am a stranger,” Araki said. “I seek your forgiveness for not knowing your customs.” He fell to his knees. “We humbly apologise for our ignorance.”

Stella fell to her knees behind Araki. Aquillia copied Stella. Six more people came from the tents at a run and stood behind the three already there.

“Who are you?” the silvery voice called.

“My name is Veirs Rosethorn.”

“Who were your parents? You claimed kinship here. Explain yourself.”

“My father was Mulgooma Rosethorn, who was born to Tunio Rosethorn and Irrawella Lawn.”

“You are Irrawella’s representative?”

“She was sent a message from a Nanberry Bengan asking for her help.”

The person threw back their hood and a middle-aged woman with mousy brown hair was revealed.

“I am Nanberry Bengan,” the woman with silvery voice declared. “I sent the message to your grandmother. Why didn’t she send your father?”

“My mother couldn’t be parted from him.”

A chuckle rippled through the crowd behind Nanberry.

“Your mother must be very beautiful.” Nanberry smiled.

“They are very much in love,” Araki admitted.

Nanberry strode across the space between them, and lifted Araki to his feet.

“Come, nephew, we have much to discuss and much celebrating to do.”

“Can I pick up my weapon?” Araki asked, hand outstretched to his sword.

Nanberry nodded. Araki picked up his sword and belted it to his waist. Aquillia collected her weapon, reattached it, and sheathed it.

“That is an impressive weapon,” Nanberry said, watching Aquillia.

“It is a common weapon from where I come from,” Aquillia said, smiling down at Nanberry.

Nanberry nodded. “Let us celebrate as my nephew has returned and brought his wives.” She led Araki, Aquillia and Stella back to the tents with the green pennants. Two people dashed off and ran ahead to the tents.

“They are not my wives,” Araki murmured to Nanberry.

“Trust me, it will be easier on them if they and you acted as they were. Arriving escorted by two women who are not your wives will cause a lot of fighting.”

“We do want to prevent fighting.”

“If they find they want to marry someone else later, it is a small ceremony to release them and they can then get married to another.”

“If you think it is the best.”

Nanberry nodded.

“I think we just got married,” Stella muttered to Aquillia.

“That’s a first for me. You?”

“Same.”

They arrived at the camp; many people came out of their tents, dressed in the same long flowing robes. The men wore the full garment that went from head to toe. Several women wore long ankle-length dresses with the sleeves cut off at the elbows and the dress tight around their breasts.

“I think the fashion in Ashford has changed,” Stella commented to Nanberry, pointing out several young women.

“They are the young girls,” Nanberry explained. “They dress in this manner from their twelfth birthday until they are married.”

“Do the men have a similar tradition?”

Nanberry laughed. “When the boys turn twelve, they are men and are expected to dress like men. Until that time, they are kept inside.”

When they approached a large brown tent, Nanberry walked in and held the door open. Araki and his entourage of ladies walked inside after her, the others staying outside.

“This is my family tent. The others will stay outside unless invited.”

A silk partition further protected the front entrance. Nanberry dropped the outside tent flap and opened the inside flap.

The inside of the tent was lavishly laid out. The floor was covered in thick hides then layered with soft carpets of intricate patterns. The walls of the tents were covered in silk hangings with silver and gold thread. They noticed that the tent was divided into two rooms with a partition running down the middle.

“The room to the left is the meeting space, the other the sleeping space,” Nanberry informed. She kicked off her shoes and placed them near the entrance to the tent.

Araki, Stella and Aquillia followed her lead.

“Where did you guys grow up?” Nanberry asked.

“I am from Peace Landing. Aquillia is an elf, and Stella is from Ishtaree.”

“Oh good,” Nanberry said and undid the buttons to her garment and stepped out of it, naked. “Then there won’t be too much of a culture shock.”

Stella followed Nanberry’s lead, removed her clothes and stood beside her, naked.

“I thank you,” Stella said, “the clothes were so constricting.”

Nanberry nodded and moved over to the other side of the tent and laid down on a pillow. Aquillia looked at Araki and shrugged and they both stepped out of their garments and joined Nanberry and Stella on a cushion on the floor.

“Is nudity normal for all tents?” Araki asked.

“Some do, and some don’t,” Nanberry replied, as she snapped her fingers.

A young boy of ten stepped into the meeting space from the sleeping space.

“Fetch us some wine and food,” she instructed.

The boy bowed and ducked back into the sleeping space.

“It is best to follow what the owner of the tent does.”

Araki nodded.

“I outlined the problem a little when I sent your mother the message. Then it was a simple stalemate with the votes on the next chieftain being split in half, and your family’s vote would have pushed the vote to a conclusion.”

“I take it the situation has changed,” said Araki.

“My husband died and the support for my family fractured.”

“I am so sorry,” Araki comforted.

“It was a political marriage. There was no love between us. He knew this and let me keep the company of whoever I wanted, and he would accept any children if there was no scandal. Unfortunately, there was a scandal in the fact that I had no male offspring.”

“Who was that?” Aquillia asked, indicating the sleeping space with a tilt of her head.

“That was the product of my husband’s other wife.”

“He is not a candidate?” Araki asked.

“He is not a man. With my husband gone, the two factions broke down and splintered into two more, each wanting to be the chieftain.”

The boy returned with two large plates of food in hand and two young girls of ten carried more food and a couple of wine skins with several goblets made from clay. The food was arrayed in the circle and the children returned through the divider back into the sleeping space.

“They aren’t confined to the sleeping space?” Stella asked.

Nanberry shook her head. “They have an area outside surrounded by thick drapes where they can play and do their chores.”

Stella nodded.

“Now that you are here, we can leave the city and head back to our lands.”

***

Night fell and Araki was standing in the centre of the camp, once again dressed in his long flowing robes. Stella and Aquillia were back in the tent.

Nanberry stood beside him. Around them were a large group of men and woman, all dressed in beige and brown flowing robes.

“This man is my blood and my kin,” Nanberry declared to the group. “He is my aunt’s grandson and her father our chief. I welcome him back home.”

The assembled group of men and woman began to nod.

“This changes the situation,” an old woman said as she stood. “You claim him to be our chief’s heir and the rightful claimant the position.”

“He doesn’t know anything about our ways!” another man shouted from the group.

The old lady sat down.

“The chief is not always the direct descendant of the previous chief,” another person said.

“I don’t want to be chief,” Araki declared.

“Sure, you do,” a voice called out. “That is why you came here.”

“I came here because I was sent by my grandmother, to cast her vote in the elections.”

“Who did she want you to pick?” a voice called out.

“She told me to seek advice and choose wisely.”

A murmur ran through the assembled clan members.

“Let us vote now,” a woman’s voice called out.

“He doesn’t know the candidates,” Nanberry countered.

“We shouldn’t vote here,” a woman’s voice called out. “Not with Clan Linjah so close.”

“Where do we go?” a voice called out. “The chief always chose.”

“We should go to Tel Aroll,” a voice called out.

“No, Cairn Dabali is safer,” another voice countered.

“Let us vote as to where we go!” Nanberry shouted over the shouts.

“All for Tel Aroll.” Hands shot up.

Several women rose and counted the hands of the men.

“All for Cairn Dabali.” Hands dropped, and different hands shot up.

The women counted again. They conferred, briefly before the older of the three women declared a twenty-to-twenty tie.

“It looks like you are the deciding vote,” Nanberry spoke to Araki.

“Which is the better location?”

“Tell Aroll is more remote and gives us time to explain our culture and customs to you, but it is very exposed. Cairn Dabail is a box canyon where we can hole up forever, but it is very close by.”

“Then we go to Tell Aroll.”

“We leave at first light for Tell Aroll,” Nanberry declared.

The men and woman broke up and headed back to their tents.

“Was that the right decision?” Araki asked Nanberry.

“It is impossible to know. Having the time to learn about our culture shows that you are humble, and people respect that. However, if Linjah follow us to Tell Aroll, and it comes to a fight …”

Nanberry led Araki back to her tent and walked through the tent flap. They disrobed, placed their shoes at the door and stepped into the meeting space.

The back of the tent had been opened to the children’s space where a large pot was boiling on an open fire.

Six girls stood around the fire, cooking. Two looked about were ten, one around eight, and three younger, perhaps six, all miniature versions of Nanberry, brown hair on deep chocolate skin with green eyes. The boy sat under the tent flap with a scroll in his hands, reading. He had fair hair, deep brown skin and blue eyes. Stella and Aquillia lay on cushions, talking quietly as they watched the children. Nanberry took a cushion and lay next to the boy, talking to him. Stella looked up at him and waved Araki over. He grabbed a cushion and joined her and Aquillia.

“From what we could learn from the girls, you are now the head of the family,” Stella explained. “Nanberry’s husbands’ other wife remarried just the other day. Her new husband didn’t want the boy so Nanberry was left to look after him.”

“How am I meant to provide for them all?”

“The family has great reserves of coin and food,” Aquillia said.

“They also take a share in the cattle that is the clan’s,” Stella said. “I don’t think we will go hungry.”

“What is my role in the clan?”

“As you saw today, without you, the clan can’t seem to make a decision. You provided the deciding vote today.” Nanberry looked up from the scroll.

“Is that enough to ensure the family gets enough food?”

“This household has been the chieftain’s family for two generations. With six girls we can marry them off to secure political alliances. To cement your position, you will need sons. The more the better.”

The girls around the pot started to spoon food into bowls and passed them to the adults and then the children each took one and sat on cushions and started eating.

“They seem very quiet,” Araki murmured.

“You are not their father,” Stella said.

“They are concerned about their fate,” Nanberry said. “The two eldest are not yet ready to marry or even to be present in the clan. The rest are even younger, and they fear that you will put me out. You came with two wives, so they think you have no need of me.”

“Is that something that happens?” Stella asked.

“It is pretty common,” Nanberry sighed. “We are in the process of phasing it out with the previous chief. They fear the next chief will change the law again.”

“Have no fear of me tossing you out,” Araki said to the girls.

They looked at him. One smiled at him and then looked away.

“It will take more than words to remove their fears,” Nanberry said.

“Are you worried I will leave you?” Araki asked.

“No. I know that you need me and as you grew up in Peace Landing you will not abandon your family to starvation and worse.”