42nd of Spring, 515 A.V.
One year ago, Hirem had been travelling across the Sea of Grass in the company of his kinsmen Benshira, curious as to what lay at the end of their road. What is this city of the Akalak that we venture to? He asked his fellow travellers, and at this they smiled and laughed. Riverfall is, they would begin, always the same way, a sanctuary in the world. The rest of the Sea is so dangerous, to take even a single foot off the path is to summon trouble... but once within the walls of Riverfall, you feel a kind of safety unmatched even in Yahebah. At first Hirem had been unwilling to believe such a claim, thinking that only Yahal's grace could allow for peace in the fragmented world. Yet time had worked against him, and very soon Hirem had come to believe the very thing he had initially been so doubtful of; Riverfall was a paradise, a city without equal in all the wide world. Yahebah had better walls, but the Akalak provided better soldiers, they were better workers, and this place's beauty eclipsed Hirem's most beloved Eyktol nights. It was here that he would finally get a chance to set down his weary head and make a plan for the future. For that, Hirem loved Riverfall more than he had ever loved another land.
With every love, there came a time of revelation. There came a time when the truth, hidden for so long underneath a mask of rosy affection, finally made itself clear, and it would become impossible to continue the romance without accepting the faults. That time had come when Hirem first saw his own son on the city streets, alone and without a friend in the world, threatened with expulsion from the city that had saved Hirem's life. The situation only grew worse when he recalled Rosela's tearful face as she admit that, yes, in order to pay for her medical treatment, she was willing to forgive the man that had raped her while she lingered between life and death. Hirem could not pretend that his beloved city was without great crime any longer.
Riverfall was capable of unparalleled beauty, but within the city there dwelt a dark, cruel shadow, that preyed on the weak. If Hirem was going to eke out a new life for himself here, he would first have to fight to make it a home for other misbegotten souls.
"Hey", came the young voice to his right, disrupting the Benshira's thoughts. Tarik, bright eyes never blinking, nodded gently and shuffled closer to the man's leg. "Are you gonna finish that?"
Frowning, Hirem glanced down at the peach that lay forgotten on his lap, then gave a quiet shrug. "Sure," he said, but the peach was already snatched by Tarik's greedy fingers, the little boy stepping back and holding his prize covetously. The other children, four in all, gave him jealous looks and whimpered in protest, but Hirem silenced them with a dismissive wave of his hand. "There'll be more later, I promise you. Just... just be patient, alright?"
Ignoring the grumbles that came back to him as a response, he sat up straighter in his seat and glanced down the alleyway in either direction. Sezkero should have come by now... and where is Wayland? And Tim? We can't afford any delays. Far over his head towered the stone cliff upon which the city of Riverfall perched, and he imagined the glowering look that it would have given him if the cliff had a face. Hopefully we've not made these meetings too regular, or else the Kuvay'Nas might have grown suspicious... Hirem had done his part to shield his activities from the watchful eyes of the guards; he met the children at a different location every time, scheduled the meetings irregularly, always found a secluded alley or quiet street to conduct the business. He had given the Kuvay'Nas no reason to think there was anything off about the solemn foreigner carousing about the dock late at night... but even so, Hirem knew that he was walking a difficult road. One wrong move, and he might be expelled from the city. And then everything will fall into ash.
This meeting was the most important step in Hirem's eventual plan. Until now, he had worked to gain the ear of Riverfall's paranoid orphans, had done his best to work into their good graces and become the authority they could rely upon... now, he had to convince them that he was trustworthy. That they could place their lives in his hands. A visit to the Council would be needed if Hirem was ever going to make this 'orphanage' a reality, but before he could do that, he had to be certain that the children were going to work with him. So he had entrusted his friends - Sezkero and Timothy - to work with the little ones as best as they could, disarming their doubts and enticing them to join this fateful meeting. Sezkero had proven to be an excellent partner in this whole matter, for she was just as enthusiastic as him that these children get the home they deserved - as for Tim, he seemed strangely overjoyed by the idea of being a part of this project, which was a far cry from the Tim that Hirem had gotten to know during the Winter. At least he takes to this easier than he takes to our training, Hirem thought, shuddering at the thought of trying to work with his son.
No. Do not think too long on that, you fool. If you do, you will fall apart.
The last few chimes of daylight were slowly fading from the sky as Hirem gave a low cough, drawing the small group of children closer towards him. Staring at their dirty, mistrustful faces made his heart curl in despair, but he resolved not to show them one moment of weakness. "My friends, I have brought you here to ask a question, and it's a question that I want you to really think about. Tarik, do you hear me?" The boy, who had previously been cleaning his ears, gave a guilty look and nodded his head. "Good," Hirem huffed, folding his arms. "Because I want to ask you something that you probably haven't considered in a very, very long time. How would you feel... about having a home again?"
The children didn't seem to respond to the question, so Hirem gave a slow nod and weak smile. Don't lose them, damn it, do not lose them. "If I told you that within the season you could be sleeping on real beds again and not have to fear the shadows of the guards, what would you say? What would you do?"
Again, nothing.
Hirem sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. "I see we're going to have to work on this," he murmured, unhappy with the prospect.
One year ago, Hirem had been travelling across the Sea of Grass in the company of his kinsmen Benshira, curious as to what lay at the end of their road. What is this city of the Akalak that we venture to? He asked his fellow travellers, and at this they smiled and laughed. Riverfall is, they would begin, always the same way, a sanctuary in the world. The rest of the Sea is so dangerous, to take even a single foot off the path is to summon trouble... but once within the walls of Riverfall, you feel a kind of safety unmatched even in Yahebah. At first Hirem had been unwilling to believe such a claim, thinking that only Yahal's grace could allow for peace in the fragmented world. Yet time had worked against him, and very soon Hirem had come to believe the very thing he had initially been so doubtful of; Riverfall was a paradise, a city without equal in all the wide world. Yahebah had better walls, but the Akalak provided better soldiers, they were better workers, and this place's beauty eclipsed Hirem's most beloved Eyktol nights. It was here that he would finally get a chance to set down his weary head and make a plan for the future. For that, Hirem loved Riverfall more than he had ever loved another land.
With every love, there came a time of revelation. There came a time when the truth, hidden for so long underneath a mask of rosy affection, finally made itself clear, and it would become impossible to continue the romance without accepting the faults. That time had come when Hirem first saw his own son on the city streets, alone and without a friend in the world, threatened with expulsion from the city that had saved Hirem's life. The situation only grew worse when he recalled Rosela's tearful face as she admit that, yes, in order to pay for her medical treatment, she was willing to forgive the man that had raped her while she lingered between life and death. Hirem could not pretend that his beloved city was without great crime any longer.
Riverfall was capable of unparalleled beauty, but within the city there dwelt a dark, cruel shadow, that preyed on the weak. If Hirem was going to eke out a new life for himself here, he would first have to fight to make it a home for other misbegotten souls.
"Hey", came the young voice to his right, disrupting the Benshira's thoughts. Tarik, bright eyes never blinking, nodded gently and shuffled closer to the man's leg. "Are you gonna finish that?"
Frowning, Hirem glanced down at the peach that lay forgotten on his lap, then gave a quiet shrug. "Sure," he said, but the peach was already snatched by Tarik's greedy fingers, the little boy stepping back and holding his prize covetously. The other children, four in all, gave him jealous looks and whimpered in protest, but Hirem silenced them with a dismissive wave of his hand. "There'll be more later, I promise you. Just... just be patient, alright?"
Ignoring the grumbles that came back to him as a response, he sat up straighter in his seat and glanced down the alleyway in either direction. Sezkero should have come by now... and where is Wayland? And Tim? We can't afford any delays. Far over his head towered the stone cliff upon which the city of Riverfall perched, and he imagined the glowering look that it would have given him if the cliff had a face. Hopefully we've not made these meetings too regular, or else the Kuvay'Nas might have grown suspicious... Hirem had done his part to shield his activities from the watchful eyes of the guards; he met the children at a different location every time, scheduled the meetings irregularly, always found a secluded alley or quiet street to conduct the business. He had given the Kuvay'Nas no reason to think there was anything off about the solemn foreigner carousing about the dock late at night... but even so, Hirem knew that he was walking a difficult road. One wrong move, and he might be expelled from the city. And then everything will fall into ash.
This meeting was the most important step in Hirem's eventual plan. Until now, he had worked to gain the ear of Riverfall's paranoid orphans, had done his best to work into their good graces and become the authority they could rely upon... now, he had to convince them that he was trustworthy. That they could place their lives in his hands. A visit to the Council would be needed if Hirem was ever going to make this 'orphanage' a reality, but before he could do that, he had to be certain that the children were going to work with him. So he had entrusted his friends - Sezkero and Timothy - to work with the little ones as best as they could, disarming their doubts and enticing them to join this fateful meeting. Sezkero had proven to be an excellent partner in this whole matter, for she was just as enthusiastic as him that these children get the home they deserved - as for Tim, he seemed strangely overjoyed by the idea of being a part of this project, which was a far cry from the Tim that Hirem had gotten to know during the Winter. At least he takes to this easier than he takes to our training, Hirem thought, shuddering at the thought of trying to work with his son.
No. Do not think too long on that, you fool. If you do, you will fall apart.
The last few chimes of daylight were slowly fading from the sky as Hirem gave a low cough, drawing the small group of children closer towards him. Staring at their dirty, mistrustful faces made his heart curl in despair, but he resolved not to show them one moment of weakness. "My friends, I have brought you here to ask a question, and it's a question that I want you to really think about. Tarik, do you hear me?" The boy, who had previously been cleaning his ears, gave a guilty look and nodded his head. "Good," Hirem huffed, folding his arms. "Because I want to ask you something that you probably haven't considered in a very, very long time. How would you feel... about having a home again?"
The children didn't seem to respond to the question, so Hirem gave a slow nod and weak smile. Don't lose them, damn it, do not lose them. "If I told you that within the season you could be sleeping on real beds again and not have to fear the shadows of the guards, what would you say? What would you do?"
Again, nothing.
Hirem sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. "I see we're going to have to work on this," he murmured, unhappy with the prospect.
