by S. K. Ng
The two men woke up from their trance-like state. The convian went away while the minvian entered the tent and handed the pot to the exevian, but she refused to take it. She was busy cleaning the mucus and blood from the newborn’s nose and mouth with balls of cotton. Not knowing what to do, he laid the pot down beside her. She dipped a fresh ball of cotton into the pot, gave it a firm squeeze and started wiping the baby clean with it. The minvian decided to back out of the tent so as to give the exevian space. But he made sure that he was close enough should his help be required.
The woman who had given birth had managed to recover some of her strength.
“Hammer, is it a boy or a girl? Where is my baby? I want to see my baby!” she cried out.
The midwife cradled the newborn baby, wrapped with a clean towel, and brought it to the woman. Minvian Hammer Genox stepped into the tent, crawled up behind his wife and supported her to a sitting position.
“Oh! Hammer! She is so tiny! She looks so fragile!” expressed the woman.
“Congratulations, sir, madam! What will you call her?” asked the midwife, looking more relieved than happy.
This was her first childbirth assist and the last, she hoped.
“Clover Genox! What do you think about that, Fragrance?” said Minvian Genox, thinking of the clover field that they were in.
“Clover! It is a pretty name. So be it then. Clover! Mommy loves you!” said Fragrance.
“Mommy! Daddy! Is it over? Is it done? Is it a boy or a girl? Can I come in?” said a young voice outside the tent.
“Come in, Chrys! Meet your baby sister!” invited Hammer.
A young girl of the age of four rushed into the tent and saw her younger sister for the first time.
“She is so small! What is her name?” she asked.
“Chrysanthemum Genox, this is your younger sister, Clover Genox!” said her father in a formal tone.
“Hello, little sis! Hello, Clover! I am Chrysanthemum and I shall take care of you!” the young girl promised.
In the evening a campfire had been started. The hastily setup tents were never dismantled from the night before. Hammer Genox was just promoted to the rank of minvian and was leading a river of fresh servians and some replacement officers from Fallsene City to Fort Eastguard, which was where they were newly assigned. They were behind schedule. Two evenings prior, a heavy downpour had made the road muddy and had slowed their journey down significantly. Hammer had tried to make up for lost time by travelling for longer periods and making camp only when it got dark, thus resulting in the hastily setup tents and flimsy camp defences.
Hammer had brought his pregnant wife and young daughter along on this move to Fort Eastguard, thinking that his wife was a month away from delivering. But in the early hours of the morning she began developing labour pains. The entire river had woken up, pale faced and bearing arms, thinking that they were under attack. But when they had realised the wife of their commander was going into labour, their faces went paler than before. Most of them were young men and women who were clueless about childbirth. Thankfully, their exevian was there to rescue the situation.
The scene could not have been any more different twenty days prior, thought Hammer. At Mansion Genox in Fallsene City, there were at least three professional and seasoned midwifes attending to his sister-in-law, Velvet. His younger brother Castle had just graduated from Fallsian Guards Academy and was commissioned as a convian in the Royal Guards, in keeping with the Genox tradition. The family had a long history of military service and was as close to the royal family as any family could possibly be, sharing a common history that dated back to the founding of Free Falls. Castle was undoubtedly nervous during the delivery, as it was his first child, but he did not secrete the giant beads of sweat that Hammer did. He had family and friends to comfort and support him; and Velvet had a comfortable environment to bring forth their child and expert hands to assist in the delivery. The event was so smooth and serene that his brother named the newborn girl just that, Serene Genox. It was the 14th Noon of Second Month of Dry Season, Hammer remembered.
Six months had gone by. The two Genox babies met for the first time when Hammer brought his family back to Fallsene during a period of leave. And so the bond of the Cousins Genox was born. A few months later, Castle brought his family to Fort Eastguard for a visit. This routine went on for eight more years. Arrow and his family dropped by at Fort Eastguard too, but not as frequently. And during these years, Clover became a big sister to Pike Genox while Serene welcomed two siblings to her family, Halberd and Axe Genox. Together, they also welcomed two cousins from their uncle Arrow, Delta and Ford Genox. Serene was also to become the big sister to Iron Genox when she was of the age 11.
Clover’s life in Fort Eastguard was monotonous. There were only so many children she could play with, it being a fort after all. The only game she and the few children there could really play was ‘hide and seek’. One day, though, when she was six, Fragrance brought her to Timberstock on a shopping trip. A caravan of travelling merchants had arrived and they had set up stalls at the town square. Clover was overwhelmed. She never saw such a vast amount of merchandise before, or such variety either. There were all sorts of clothes, precious stones and an infinite number of food stalls. The square was extremely crowded. And before she knew it, she was lost and alone.
Clover tried to look around for her mother, but all she saw was a sea of unfamiliar faces. A sense of panic began to consume her. She called out for her mother, but got blank stares from strangers instead. She started running wildly through the crowd, calling out for Fragrance as loud as she could. But she received not the response that she required. The stylish clothes, shiny gemstones and delicious food had lost their appeal and the crowd of people had made her feel that she could never be lonelier in her whole life.
Somehow, Clover found herself crying in a back alley. She had no idea how she got there. But at least she was alone and this gave her the calmness to think. She tried hard to fight the hollow feeling of hopelessness that she felt and she desperately tried to destroy the numbing fear that the panic had induced. She kept reminding herself that she was a Genox, a family steeped in history of bravery and heroism, and that she would not allow herself to be defeated so easily. She was a Genox! She was a Genox! She was a Genox!
Then a man stepped into the alley. He was shabbily dressed and had rotten teeth and soiled skin. He stank of trash. But what caught Clover’s attention were his eyes. They stared at her too intently and there were no kindness in them.
“Hello little girl, what’re you doing here alone?” he asked.
“I …I am lost,” she answered naively.
“Lost? Well, let me help you, little girl,” he said, in a sinister tone and then broke out into malicious laughter.
“Why are you laughing?” she asked curiously.
“Cause I’m about to be rich! The Serpentians will pay handsomely for a young girl like you! Yes, you’ll fetch a good price in the slave market. And I know just who to bring you to. Smugglin’ Sam! Smugglin’ ‘Sam’ Sampan!” he answered, speaking more to himself than anything else.
Clover did not know who Smugglin’ Sam was. But she knew what the words ‘Serpentia’ and ‘slave’ meant. Her father goes to war with the ‘Serpentians’ every day. That was why they lived in the giant stone house in the middle of a mountain range. That was why there were many men who wore shiny metal shirts all day long and walked around with long, pointy sticks and long, sharp knives. Her father killed Serpentians. The other men helped him to get the job done. And they all hated the Serpentians! And the word ‘slave’ meant that she would be forced to work for free, do things that she did not like and be hurt by evil people. She was sure of it, that this rotten teethed man was indeed evil!
The shabby, rotten teethed man moved closer to her. Clover backed away. He moved closer still.
“Go away!” she yelled.
“Come with me, little girl!” he enticed.
“N
o! Go away!” she insisted.
“Go _ let her be of this, bum, or lose your life!” said another man who had just appeared behind the first.
“What’s it to you, Elementhar?” the stinky man said, turning around to face the other man.
“Justice _ of this, it is to me and also important to me is the protection of the innocent, bum, so get lost!” replied the other man, the one who was called Elementhar.
“Justice!? The hell with that!! I want food in my stomach, damn it!” said the bum.
Clover did not understand what was going on. She did not like this Elementhar person any better. He was fierce looking and he was dressed weird. And he spoke strangely. She had never heard this type of speech before.
The bum pulls out a knife. Then comes a loud bang and flames burst out of his ears. The bum falls down backwards like a log. His face is blackened and burnt.
She did not understand what was going on, but she suspected the bum was dead. People became stiff and unmoving when they were dead. She had seen dead men before. They were dead Serpentians killed by her father and brought back home to their giant stone house.
The Elementhar eyed her curiously.
“Home _ go back of it, little girl!” he instructed.
“I am lost. I do not know how to get back,” she answered.
“Live _ where do you do of this?” he asked.
“A big stone house in the middle of the mountain range, with many men wearing shiny steel shirts and carrying long knives,” she answered.
“Fort Eastguard! Follow _ do of this of me and I shall help you get home,” he offered.
She nodded her head.
Clover followed the strange man to a ‘big wooden house’ with ‘steel shirted men’. The men were much like the ones who lived in her ‘big stone house’. But this house was considerably smaller, and the men fewer.
“What is this house?” Clover asked.
“Garrison _ it is the town’s of it, and here we shall find men who can take you to your father,” answered the Elementhar.
Clover was about to ask another question when suddenly her mother stepped out of the garrison’s giant doors with some steel shirted men.
“Mommy! Mommy!” cried Clover as she ran to her mother.
“Clover!” responded Fragrance as she ran to her daughter, hugged and kissed her and examined her for injuries.
“Where have you been? Did I not tell you to stay close to me!?” cried Fragrance, who was unsure whether to spank her daughter or hug her some more.
“I was in an alley somewhere, and that man, Elementhar, saved me from a bad man and brought me here,” said Clover.
Fragrance looked up to see the Elementhar walking away.
“Master Elementhar! Kind sir! What is your name? How may I reward you?” Fragrance called out.
The Elementhar stopped and turned around. He bowed, offered a slight smile and said ‘Name _ mine of this is Elementhar Rock Dencon, and no reward is necessary; for I am happy that you are relieved and now I must be on my way.’
“Thank you Elementhar Dencon! Thank you!” Fragrance said, not knowing what else to say.
Master Elementhar Rock Dencon bowed again, turned around and walked away.
The journey back to Fort Eastguard was uneventful. Clover sat in a wagon with her mother, along with several other women and children of the fort. Behind their wagon were ten other wagons carrying the goods that they had bought as well as the provisions for the fort. A cavalry stream accompanied the wagons.
“Mommy, what is an Elementhar?” Clover asked.
“Elementhars are strange people with strange powers, Clover. They can make fire, earth, water and air out of nothing and control them in ways we do not understand. They are not friendly. They do not socialise. They do not live like us. Most Elementhars are good, I think. They kill demons and occasionally thieves and highwaymen. But some are bad, because they use their powers to hurt innocent people. Nobody understands them, really,” answered Fragrance.
Clover felt fascinated with the ‘phenomenon’ known as the Elementhar. Her mother’s explanation was not enough to satisfy her curiosity.
“When I grow up, I want to be an Elementhar!” Clover declared.
“No! Your father will be upset with you! You are a Genox!! Your father is a soldier! Your grandfather is a soldier! His father before him was a soldier! You cannot abandon your lineage! Elementhars are strange people and their way is not ours! Forget about this wild fantasy of yours before you break your father’s heart, Clover!” said Fragrance sternly.
“Yes, mommy!” was all Clover could say.
Serene’s life in Fallsene was a little different from Clover’s in Fort Eastguard. Her parents were always attending some party or function of sorts and she always got dragged along. She did not like going to these places. The crowd felt suffocating to her. She would meet other children that she would never meet again. She had gotten so many ‘friends’ that she sometimes forgot that they were ‘friends’. The whole situation felt artificial to her. She was a Genox! What care does a Genox have for parties? All she needed was a good blade on her belt and a good horse between her knees. That was what her father and uncles used to say.
But she was compliant to her parents’ wishes and went along to these events anyway, because she had to ‘give face’, just like how her parents had to ‘give face’. What does ‘give face’ mean anyway? But other than that, life was great as far as she was concerned. She went to the market place with Velvet every morning and rode ponies every afternoon. Sometimes she would go to the theatre with her parents and watch talented actors and actresses bring all sorts of stories to life. Yes, life was good in Fallsene City, though it was always better when Clover was around.
Of all her cousins, Serene was particularly fond of Clover, as they were both of the same age and shared the same interests. The feeling, of course, was mutual. Clover had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and loved reading. So did Serene. Whenever Clover’s father had brought her back to Fallsene for visits, Clover and Serene would spend hours in the library together, or would spend entire afternoons under a shady tree in a nearby meadow, doing nothing but reading and discussing what they had read.
Mainly, the Cousins Genox liked fantasy novels. Tales of knights and dragons and sorcery. Stories of chivalry and valour. But they would always laugh at the damsel in distress. For the Genoxes, there was no such thing! Every Genox, man or woman, was a trained fighter. They started their training at the age of nine, mastering first the unarmed fighting skills and then moving on to weapons and strategies. So whenever they read about damsels in distress, they laughed out in disbelief, until one day Clover remembered her ordeal in the back alley of Timberstock. Then the biggest argument ensued between the two girls. Clover insisted that occasionally, there could be damsels in distress. Serene said that that was all rubbish. Both girls made angry faces at each other, and then they gave each other the silent treatment. But by the time they got home, they had already made up.
When Clover was eight, Hammer Genox was promoted to the rank of orgavian, given command of 3rd Lake, 1st Ocean and was transferred back to Fallsene City. Hammer brought his family back to live in Mansion Genox. Clover was as happy as she could be when she got the news.
Clover’s life in Fallsene was a drastic change compared to her life at Fort Eastguard. Now she had to attend parties and functions just like Serene. What was this stupidity? All she needed was a good sword on her belt and a good horse between her knees. What was worse, sometimes she had to attend parties that Serene’s parents were not invited to, so she ended up going without her favourite cousin. Her elder sister, Chrys, would run off with some boy somewhere, and her little brother Pike had his ‘circle’ of friends and she would be left alone in an ocean of strangers.
‘Giving face’ was what Serene had said when Clover asked her about the parties one day.
“What does ‘giving face’ mean?” asked Clover.
“Giving face m
eans showing respect and acknowledgement and saving the other person from embarrassment, I think! You see, we are Genoxes! Whenever our parents attend these functions, they attend to represent our family. And since our fathers are soldiers, they also represent the king and the military. It is part of their job,” Serene explained further.
“How did you know this!?” Clover asked.
“Experience … and many, many years of suffering!” answered Serene, and both girls broke into laughter.
Schooling was a new experience for both girls. They had some informal education by tutors since the age of six, but at the beginning of the year when they would turn the age of nine, they were required to attend formal education. Formal education differs from the informal education in the sense that the latter only covers reading, writing and simple arithmetic, while the former covers a wide range of subjects such as history, geography, economics and such.
The Cousins Genox were enrolled at Fallsene Brightshield Educational, instead of the more prestigious Royal Fallsene Educational. All Genoxes send their children to Fallsene Brightshield. It was a school exclusively for children whose parents were soldiers, as opposed to Royal Fallsene, whose students’ parents were wealthy businessmen, politicians, government officials or royalty. The Genoxes were always welcomed at Royal Fallsene, but they have always declined. The Genoxes have always thought that warriors were a breed apart, and that their profession was sacred, and thus their minds were not to be ‘polluted’ by other mentalities.
School life was tough. Both girls woke up before dawn, jogged around in the compound of their mansion for half an hour before they had their breakfast and got ready for school. At school, they would spend the mornings and afternoons studying academic subjects and train in the martial arts in the evening. They only went home at night. They would come home with bruises, have their dinner, rush through their homework and go to bed. And the next morning before dawn, they were up again.