Tale of Four

Stepping into the dining hall, Isis saw Darion sitting at the head of the table, leaning back with closed eyes. By his right, his wife, Kaya, a brown-haired lady with tanned skin and a chubby body from multiple childbirths; next to her, a man around 20, a girl around 15, and a younger boy around 10. ”Isis, thank you for joining us. It is nearly time to pray.” Darion happily said and offered the seat to his right, the seat of honour. Not standing on ceremony, she took her place and waited in silence.

In the distance, numerous bells tolled in perfect symmetry. The six rested a hand over their left eye and lowered their head. ”We are blessed by One-eyed Traveller.” Darion started after the bells finished tolling, his voice low and calm, ”Blessed is his Holy Creator, the Lord of Creation. Praise his name for guiding us through the sands. Praise him for ferrying our ships. Praise him for salvation.”

Darion paused and moved his hand from his eye towards his heart. The rest of the table did the same as Darion carried on, ”Praise his exalted companion. Praise the one who became his heart. Praise the one who pleaded for us.” Darion took his hand off his heart and slowly raised both of them, pressing them together, ”We thank you for the meal, the ones that came before and the ones that will come after.”

”We thank you.” The rest repeated the words and finally moved their hands, picking up their cutlery. Bells tolled across the city once again, and with that, the prayer finished. Looking at Darion, everyone waited for him to take the first bite, and once he did, he happily enjoyed the food.

Isis took a bite of the roasted fish, letting the flavours dance on her tongue as she drowned in pleasure. Picking up the glass of wine next, she took a sip and let the two tastes mix in her mouth, the wine complementing the taste of food rather than overpowering it.

”Isis.” Kaya spoke to the lady opposite her with a soft smile, ”Forgive me if I am being rude, but your name is foreign to these lands. If you don’t mind me asking, how did your parents think of it? It is rather beautiful.” Kaya happily siad taking a bite of food after.

Staring down at her plate for a moment, Isis frowned and quickly smiled, shaking her head, ”My mother told me I was named after a friend from south of the sea.” Taking a sip of wine, she took another bite of food before carrying on, ”If this story is true, however, I don’t know. After all, I don’t know when my mother would have met such a lady.”

Kaya went to speak again, but stopped and looked to Darion, who shook his head. Not wishing for the mood to get awkward, he spoke, ”I hope you are enjoying my hospitality. If only you had sent word ahead of you, I would have prepared soemthing more lavish.”

”Darion, there is no need. This meal is good enough for me, and you know I prefer to live in the moment rather than have it catered for me.” Darion smiled and shook his head. Looking around, Isis looked at his children. The eldest kept his head down, focusing solely on the meal, obviously not wishing to be there. For his daughter, she stared at Isis with glowing eyes, fascinated with her.

Finally, Isis looked at the youngest of Darion’s children and chuckled when the boy shyly turned his head away from her gaze, taking a sip of water to hide it, nearly choking once he took a sip. ”My husband said you will be joining a pirate hunt.” Kaya said after chukling, seeing her son, ”Whilst I will not discourage you, I wonder if that is fine. It is a rather dangerous affair.”

Isis smiled and picked up her wine glass, swirling it around for a moment before taking a sip, ”Life is both joyful and sad. Peaceful and cruel.” After saying, she took another sip and let her words hang for a moment, ”I chronicle the world, Lady Kaya, and that also means the worst of it. This may not be dining room talk, but I have written the stories of both great and terrible men. I have written about ladies as fine as yourself and whores in the worst brothels. All are equally important to me, and all are equally valuable to the world.”

There was a snort from Darion’s eldest son, Mehdi, ”How so?” Looking to Isis, he lifted a glass and swirled it, getting a disapproving look from Darion. Before the fat lord could speak, Isis raised a hand and stopped him.

”Everyone has a tale, Mehdi. Who are we to judge that they aren’t important?”

”Because you have just compared my mother to a back alley whore and said they are equally valuable. Forgive me, but I can’t help but find it offensive.”Mehdi curtly said. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Isis realised why he was acting up.

’Blame your father for joining this dinner, not me.’ Despite her thoughts, she also felt angry at his words.

”I meant no offence, of course. I am sure Lady Kaya understands.” The lady waved her hand, brushing any concern aside. Looking at Darion, she asked with her eyes if she could be a little rude. Getting a small nod from him, she smiled and turned back to the tanned boy with thick curly hair, ”Tell me, young lord, have you ever toiled in a field, have you ever had to throw your morals away to earn your next meal. Have you ever had to make the hard choice between eating and letting your child eat? Have you ever had to lie and cheat just so you can survive?”

Mehdi frowned and took a sip of wine, never breaking eye contact with Isis, ”Of course not, we both know this.”

”I have.” Isis smiled and leaned forward, ”I have also met many who have done these things. I am not saying this is a critique of you; some are born luckier than others. This is an undeniable fact of life, and I don’t resent this.” Taking a bite of food, she let her words sit in the air for a moment before carrying on, ”I have written your father’s own tale in my journal, and I have also written the tale of a man who had two of his children die in childhood.”

Mehdi lowered his head in embarrassment as Isis continued, ”Do you want to know why they are both equal to me. Because there is beauty in the cruelty of life. That same man I wrote about saw one of his surviving sons become a steward of a minor lord. The beauty of struggling through life, the beauty of never giving up despite the odds. But also,” Isis turned to Darion, ”There is beauty in Lords and Ladies who guide, protect and lead those who cannot lead themselves. Now, who are we to say one is worth less than the other?”

Mehdi stayed silent for a moment, picking at his plate with his food for a moment before shrugging and chuckling, ”I guess it depends on the person. Forgive me for criticising you.”

”There is no need.” Isis smiled. In the silence and seeing her chance, Darion’s daughter, Leila, spoke up.

”Father said you’ve been all over the kingdom. I wanted to ask, where is the strangest place you’ve been?” Isis chuckled, happy to move on to the next topic, and thought for a moment. A clear winner came to mind.

”The DeadLands of the North.” Her words got surprised looks from both Darion and Kaya, who almost didn’t believe what they heard.

”You’ve been there. I’ve only heard tales of the place.” Kaya said, leaning forward, interested in the topic. ”Not many ever wish to go there, and even fewer get the chance when they do.”

”It is a fascinating place, unlike anywhere in the Kingdom. I will admit, the deserts have a sense of community and pride in themselves, but compared to them, it is tame.” Isis chuckled, seeing the table inch ever closer, hooked on the tale of the north, and smiled, ”It is both the friendliest and most oppressive place I have ever seen. Currency doesn’t really exist, bar those places that have more than normal contact with the rest of the Realm, like the Gateway. Rather, men and women share everything, including food and warmth. That being said, the law is strict. Even petty crimes like theft are strictly punished. A thief loses both hands when caught, a rapist is castrated and blinded, a murderer is publicly flayed and made to recount their crime over and over until they die.”

Isis laughed, seeing the table recoil, imagining the punishments and shook her head, ”It sounds terrible, but for that land, it is the only way. The deserts offers little in terms of survival, but the Deadlands fight you for it. They cannot allow these things, because the only way for them to live is a strong community.”

”Then.” Darion spoke after the brief silence, ”Did you go to Last Hope. Maybe get a chance to peek at the Lord Raven. Even down here, parents tell stories about them to scare their children when they misbehave.”

Isis shook her head, ”No one is allowed near Last Hope without the approval of Lord Raven. I was tempted to try to sneak in, but even I don’t dare mess around in those lands. You don’t understand until you have been there, but it’s strange. Everywhere you go, it’s like something is always watching you. Even the air you breathe doesn’t feel right. I think it might really be cursed, you know.”

Kaya finished her drink and shook her head, ”Is he so aloof that he doesn’t let anyone near him and his home?” Isis thought for a moment and shook her head.

”No. The people of the Deadlands fear the family, but there is also a sense of worship for their dynasty. I spoke to one minor lord when I visited, and what he said about them was that the Raven family shielded them from the horrors of the world when they were scattered and scared. They don’t see them as an isolated person who hates everyone, but a parent who keeps a stern distance but knows they will protect when necessary.”

Isis smiled, seeing their faces, and carried on, ”As for why no one can actually go there, I don’t know if it’s true, but the seat of the Raven family wasn’t called that because it sounded ominous. They truly believe the fortress is the Last Hope if the settlements north of it fall.” Isis widened her eyes, ”I almost forgot, you can’t go north of Last Hope without approval from Lord Raven or any of the Lords governing those places North of it. Strictly prohibited. If caught, well, all the punishments I listed before pale in comparison, apparently.”