Autar was still staring at his hand like he couldn’t believe what she had done as he led them to the tent. Joron ducked under the flap and saw almost all of the Lords that tried to force his rule while he was king. He had stopped using herbs in his hair once he met his granddaughter again and it was now flaming red, as was his beard. They all eyed his hair suspiciously, but didn’t comment. When their eyes finally left him, they took in both Esylle and Lisana, whose red hair was not peppered with gray like his.
He didn’t think anyone would speak first and Lisana would have to do all of the talking about, but Autar starting gesturing wildly and showing everyone his hand. All of the suspicious looks changed to those of confusion and finally Borin spoke. Joron disliked him and every time he attempted to pass any rule to make life easier among the tribes, Borin shot it down. When Joron first took the throne, he tried to stop the study on the tribes, and Borin was right there making sure that he couldn’t. When Joron heard Leodos refused and that was going to be how it would finally stop, he brought Leodos into his inner circle.
“I don’t understand any of this,” Borin snapped. “I’m looking at both of you with red hair instead of the black I’m used to. I thought we stripped you of most of your power. I don’t understand how she can do what she can do if she really is the princess Lisana.”
“Do you need to hear my story again with more light and fire? The Tempris never lost power marrying humans for so long. They only hid it because they were scared of you and they thought that is what you needed to see.”
“I don’t think you’re any god,” Borin growled at her. “I think all of you have been plotting against us and found a way to create you. We’ve seen tricks and nothing else.”
She sighed. “Can you spare one of your dogs? I won’t harm him, but you won’t get him back the way he was. Clearly, you need more proof.”
“I’m not going to sit here and watch you burn a perfectly good hunting dog!”
Aymer was glaring at Borin like he was speaking out of turn. “She can use one of my dogs. She wouldn’t burn a dog in front of us if she didn’t burn us alive,” he snapped. He got up and untied a large black beast of a dog from the corner of the tent and led it over to her. “This is my best hunting dog. I’m only trusting him to you because Autar showed us his hand and you didn’t seek to harm us with everything you can do.”
“If he’s your best hunting dog, you should choose another. He may not want to hunt for you or even be a dog again when I’m done with him.”
“Borin needs proof. If I trust you with my best dog, even if I lose him, maybe that is what he needs to see.”
Joron had watched her change Gritt and knew she learned how to do it correctly on Inanos. She had only changed the tribes and not another animal since Gritt. He wasn’t sure how she would do it this time. Aymer led his dog to her and he was worried the dog would bite her. She knelt down and stuck her fist out. Pretty soon, this large, fierce dog was licking her face and had rolled on the floor, exposing his belly so that she could scratch it. She was the serpent and the bird while telling her story and these men had never seen the Myalis flower that glowed on her chest now. They all drew back when it appeared and a gentle white light appeared from her hand as she continued to scratch the dog’s belly.
They all jumped back as the air around the dog began to stir, and then there was a naked man lying there. He saw how she had given Gritt thought and she did the same with the man on the floor after covering him with white robes. Much like Gritt, he fell in her lap, weeping. She gently pulled him up and told him he could stay man and dog, or he could choose another animal. Anything he had ever seen as a dog, he could become now.
“My master used to get angry with me for chasing birds. I chased them because I envied them in the air.”
“Focus on the bird you envied the most,” she instructed, motioning for Volaris to come. Volaris began to sing and she played on her bone flute. Joron was there when they sang and she played her flute when she changed the humans and the songs intertwined and he flew out of the tent as a large, gray owl.
“Will he come back?” Aymer asked her.
“If you treated him well while he was your dog, he may come back. His place is with Volaris and the rest of the Farkhi now. You can join him, should you choose, if you are willing to learn.”
Joron was surprised when Aymer’s face changed to a wistful look as he looked back at his dogs. One of them came over to his master and Aymer gently scratched his head. “My favorite thing as a child was hunting with my father. He took me every chance he could. I’ve always envied my dog’s senses when we hunted with them.”
Lisana opened her mouth to speak, but Terros cut her off. Joron could feel he was struggling to push fire down because he could feel the heat next to him. Terros had a temper that rivaled the Tempris when they were angry and that was why he had so much trouble with this new gift. Joron hoped he didn’t say anything that ruined what she was trying to do.
“We have fierce hunters among the Theran. There are other animals you could become with senses like your dogs if you joined us. But before I accept any of you into my tribe, I demand to know why you killed my son.” The heat coming off him was stronger, but he was doing a better job at controlling it than before.
“But I made Oris stay,” Lisana said, confused. “I would have felt him if he followed and something had happened to him.”
“Not Oris. I’m grateful for whatever you said to him that convinced him to stay. I had a son before Oris, before I married Oria and had another wife. My first son was not like Oris. He was gentle and a little mischievous, much like you. He wanted to go see the Festival of Lights that the humans do at the palace. I forbade him to leave. He snuck out that morning to go and when I realized he was missing, I sent every hunter after him. They found his body, near the palace, pierced with arrows. He was only a child who wanted to see the lights. You had no reason to kill him!” he yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
Joron didn’t know if she meant to take his fire, but Lisana walked over and embraced him. She wasn’t unsure about herself this time, even though Terros always yelled at her and had even threatened to kill her. She simply held him while he shook with sobs.
“Was your son around his tenth name day with a spattering of freckles across his face?” Ferand asked.
“Yes. He got those from his mother. She never recovered from seeing him like that and I lost her too.”
“I remember him. We didn’t intend to kill your son. We meant him no harm and we weren’t studying you then. We were hunting and the dogs smelled something in the brush. We thought it was just an animal and shot at him when he ran out. When he changed back into a boy and we realized he was Theran and just a child, we didn’t know what to do with him. We didn’t know he was a prince and we thought if we brought him to you and told you it was an accident, you wouldn’t believe us. Even though we have done awful things to your kind, we don’t kill children. I’ve never forgotten that day because it still haunts me.”
Terros continued to weep and no one spoke. Lisana finally asked him if he wanted her to make the pain stop.
“Are you going to make me forget him? I don’t want to forget.”
“I can’t take your memories,” she said gently. “I can just make you feel better right now.”
“Sometimes we need our pain. You can’t take it all away. I want this pain while these negotiations are going on.”
She let him go, but he was close enough to hear her whisper she would take his fire if he lost control and she didn’t think he wanted them to see him weakened. Joron thought he would lose control and ruin everything, but then she smiled and he could feel warmth from Terros like he was making the heart flower.
Ferand spoke again, but seemed confused instead of angry. “I don’t understand this. We were taught that our ancestors left Idric because the winter grew too long and the crops wouldn’t grow. They came here for food and fought the tribes because we were taught
they struck the first blow the first time they tried to live here and drove them away. That was the only reason we attacked when we first came. Now you’re telling us we never had to and our history is false.”
“Your history used to be known only to the Lords. They kept it from the rest of your people, but they knew they came from the Spirus and what their real history was. I saw what happened before. When they came to kill her, they only told their army that she was a threat to them. They had never come here before and when they looked around after they killed her, they thought they could settle here because things grow here that don’t grow on Idric. They were not expecting Essos or his creatures to fight them and they had never seen anything like that before. They had not brought enough men and they were outnumbered.
“When they came back to Idric, defeated, the Lords knew what happened, but they only told the people that they had defeated one great evil, but there was another they couldn’t fight. When the winter grew too long ages later, the Lords knew they would have to go back to the mainland and didn’t know what to expect. So, they decided to attack anyone and anything living here. They didn’t know what the numbers would be, so they trained anyone of fighting age and brought more men this time.
“After the war, when you settled here, one of the Lords named Folcard decided that you needed a fresh start here. The few that chose to remain on Idric already knew the false history. Folcard had any documents the Lords had access to with your real history burned. From what was shown to me, he was larger than Autar and a cruel man. The other Lords were afraid of him. They went along with his plans to burn the old documents and write a new history. They swore to never discuss what came before. That is why you think you know what you know,” she finished.
Joron looked around at the Lords and they all looked to be in deep thought, like she was actually getting through to them. Then he looked at Borin, who was chewing his bottom lip and stroking his beard like he still didn’t believe her. He questioned her how they could know what she said was true if his ancestors felt the need to kill her the first time she was here. Joron knew she was going to have to work to give him the proof that he wanted, but thought she might be getting through just a little if he believed her that she had been here before.
“I’ve never tried before, but I can try to show you what I’ve seen,” she said, standing up and going around the table to Borin. She grasped his shoulders and moved so that their faces were inches apart. Joron was used to this because it was how she had given Gritt and the dog she changed thought. Borin wasn’t used to it and didn’t want to be close to her. Joron knew it was the flame flickering in her eyes when he drew back and swore. She must have been stronger than she looked because today, he watched both Autar and now Borin struggle to get away from her without success.
Everything she wanted to try with her gifts always seemed to work and Joron watched Borin go completely rigid in his chair and didn’t seem to blink. Joron and everyone who came with them were almost used to this, but all the Lords were leaning forward like they thought she might be hurting him. When she finally let him go, he sat back gasping. Ferand asked if she hurt him. She didn’t answer and looked down at Borin expectantly.
“This is trickery. You stole into my chambers as something I couldn’t see and saw a painting of Folcard. That’s the only reason you were able to show me him in those images.”
“I didn’t know Folcard was your ancestor. When I first came here, I thought I was delivering a message and going home. I didn’t expect any of this. I didn’t steal into your chambers and the only reason I spent one night in the palace instead of outside was because my mother knew I was her daughter and wouldn’t let me and my friend wanted to. I haven’t seen much of the palace, just one room I overheard Joron, Esylle, and Leodos talking in, the dungeons underneath, and Esylle’s chambers.”
“She speaks the truth,” Esylle said, finally speaking. Joron didn’t want her here, even though the danger was almost over and they might end this soon. He didn’t want her speaking to these men because three of them were the ones who insisted on meeting with her that day he wanted her to remarry. He knew now why. “The palace made her uncomfortable when she first got here and I thought she would sleep outside no matter what I said to her. I think the only reason she agreed was because of her friend. You didn’t meet her when she first got here. She grew up much on this journey in a short time. She wouldn’t have been able to do any of this the way she was when I first met her. She was too scared you would hurt her to risk coming into your chambers. She left here thinking anyone who met her would hurt her. The only reason you haven’t now is because she learned what she needed to do to stop you.”
“Say I do believe you,” Borin said, stroking his beard again. “I only wanted to study the tribes for their magic. I never wanted to be like them and I still don’t. Now that I’ve come to Idric, I don’t want to stay here. My home, my family, and my wife are all on the mainland. You ask us to accept you and the tribes, but your solution is to banish me here or change who I am. Is that any worse than what we have done to you?”
“I didn’t come here armed to kill you. I’m not forcing you to become like the tribes. Things will change on the mainland now. The tribe-kings will have input on our rule, as they used to. If you choose to remain as you are now and come back with us, you must accept this. The humans will have input as well, but it might not be you giving input this time. If you cannot accept this, you will stay here. There will be no more fighting.”
Joron was surprised when many of the Lords began to speak that they were tired of fighting, even though they hadn’t today. They all agreed that if what she said was true, the tribes were their brothers and they had no reason to fear them. Joron was surprised even Borin was now agreeing with them. Joron knew Lisana didn’t know this, but they all had estates they could live in rather than the palace and mentioned it so she would know.
“I haven’t seen the rest of the palace. It was too large and I didn’t want to be there before. Are there enough rooms for the tribes to have chambers when they need to and any of these men when we need to call a meeting?”
“The palace will seem small to you now that you’ve spend so much time at Inanos. I hope it will make you less uncomfortable there.”
The girl looked away and didn’t respond. Esylle had told him she agreed to come back with them and take her rightful place on the throne, but she still didn’t want to. He didn’t know if she just didn’t want to rule still or if she hadn’t accepted any of them yet and didn’t want to come back, even if she didn’t have to. She quickly covered up looking uncomfortable and asked the Lords if they decided what they wanted to do.
Almost all of them wanted to remain on the mainland as humans and work with her on the peace she said would come. Two Lords wanted the gifts she could give them and spoke at length with both Volaris and Terros before they would accept them. Joron knew she had talked to all of the Lords, but there was still an entire army of human men who had been kept in the dark. She told them to explain to their men what was to happen next and the choice they must make. He thought she would tell them to come to Inanos, but she said they would all meet back up at the palace because it would need to be explained to the humans who stayed.
Esylle
Esylle was relieved when they finally stood up to leave. She was worried as their backs were turned to the Lords as they ducked under the tents to leave and the men who would be outside. The men in the tent let them go and the men outside left them a wide berth. When she asked Lisana where they would go, she told them it would be a tight fit, but they would sleep in the house she grew up in and it was a long walk. Esylle was confused and asked her why they didn’t just fly.
“Only four of us can fly. Three of you can’t change like me and I can’t become anything large enough to carry you again. These people here stayed because there is no magic. I stayed high enough that they couldn’t see me until we got to the clearing. We shouldn’t scare them.”
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br /> Lisana led the way and they were all at her back. Esylle thought no one was going to speak, then Volaris, Terros, and Fluvis all erupted at once asking her how she knew this would work. They were all sure they were either coming to their deaths or they would have to watch her slaughter these men and Volaris said he knew what it would do to her.
“You all knew exactly who I was when I came here, even though I didn’t. You’ve doubted everything I’ve told you, even though you told me you prayed for me to return.”
The men did not respond to her chastising and Esylle knew why. She knew it was hard for them to hear her words, that were different from everything they had been taught, coming from such a young face. She couldn’t see her face now, but she could feel annoyance coming from her and then she felt nothing. She didn’t like it when she tried to block them from feeling her now that she could. Esylle wondered if she would have connected any of them if she knew it would last longer than one day. Lisana had a brave face on the entire time they were in the tents, but Esylle could tell she was scared and unsure this might work.
They walked in silence for what seemed like ages before they finally came to a dirt road and started seeing other houses. Lisana stopped and turned her hair black again and changed her eyes. She looked at both Joron and Esylle and said she needed to change theirs, even though they were not taught how. She said she didn’t think Esylle was taught because only she could do it. They both stood still and allowed her to make that change. She told everyone there that the people of Idric couldn’t see them in their robes and they needed to look human. She walked over to everyone and laid her hands on them and changed their clothes. Terros was grumbling about being made to look human, but accepted that she didn’t want to frighten anyone.
They continued to walk until the road changed from dirt to cobblestone and the houses became red clay instead of huts. She led them almost all the way to the coast, where the houses became stone instead of red clay. The came upon a large stone wall that appeared to cover a house and she led them through the gate. Esylle was finally able to see where she grew up, but Belisarus was no longer here for her to ask questions about what she was like as a child.
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