Prologue
King Ardarshir of the Northern Kingdom tried not to slouch in his throne. As the chair dug into his huge leathery wings. He needed to catch up on all court proceedings after taking a few days off for his marriage. Readjusting the white sash that went up over one shoulder, he glanced over at his serene bride who looked just as fresh now as the day he married her. Which was surprising considering the circumstances. Neither of them had slept in days. Although, admittedly, that was his fault. And she had received just as many petitions as he had. The middle kingdom wanted a road from their kingdom to his for more standard trading. But they kept running into the barrier mountains and they couldn't go around them without cutting into the sacred lands, which was where she was from. He sat back and watched as she gave a courtly smile. One that only he knew she practiced in front of a mirror some mornings.
"Of course we can start construction on a road. We will build the road from the mountains into our country and you will build from the mountains into yours." Her voice was calming and cheerful. Her smiling brown eyes reassuring her audience from under her red headscarf.
"But what about the mountains?" The petitioner wrung her hands. Her blonde hair curled up into an intricately braided style that flared out into two long ponytails on either sides of her head and highlighted her pointed ears. But he couldn't help but notice as the awkward silence continued that the elf wore a strange garb under her long black cloak. For one she wore black leather boots that stretched up above her knees and laced. These boots seemed designed to keep the wearer off balance by lifting the heel with a appeared to be a piece of wood. That forced her to stand on her toes. That couldn't be comfortable. He wiggled his toes in the soft yellow shoes that pointed ever so gently to the front. Above the boots, she wore a black... dress? It came down to her ankles but with slits up both sides of the skirt. The front of the dress was corseted. He was used to seeing the laces in the back and a giant sheath was attached to her back. Weapons were required to be checked in while someone waited to petition the king , but for the sheath to be that big she must be a knight, or general of some kind. He had traveled through the middle kingdom before and he had never seen anyone dressed like her. Of course he had only ever seen peasantry or merchants. His father had kept him away from the affairs of state as a prince and he hadn't needed to officially speak to their government until now. His wife took in a breath.
"The barrier mountains thin before they go into the sacred mountains." She said, her voice taking on a little bit more authority. Her wings shifting slightly were the only sign of her impatience. "So we can travel through the thinning barrier mountains before we need to bother the sacred lands that my people and I have been trusted to keep safe. We will start this project in a few days after first light where we go and determine how far each country will build. Thank you for your time today."
The petitioner left. Her footsteps echoing from her hard boots click clack clack click clack on the white marble floor and the white stone walls. She had obviously been hoping to get permission to cut her road through the sacred mountains as they appeared much softer and smoother than the barrier mountains, but he knew his wife and knew that those mountains were sacred.
He turned to the last petitioner. A young boy appeared to be about the age of twenty. His wrists were covered in scales up to his elbows and his face had scales on the edges, marking him as a member of the Naga an island country to the west of the mainland. "We are getting a lot of foreigners today," he muttered to Firuzeh, his wife, his queen. He shivered with excitement at the thought.
"He is very young to be a royal emissary. How do you think he managed it?" She whispered to him
He looked at the boy again "He is very young to be traveling alone at all. Are you sure he is here for a royal petition and not just very lost?"
"Hmmm. Your turn." Was her only reply.
Ardashir rolled his eyes. "Hello, young boy, how can I help you?"
The twenty-year-old gulped I come to ask for assistance on behalf of my people. I am the oldest child of the king of the Naga, and I come on his behalf.
Ardarshir knew that the Naga succeeded the throne as soon as they married and were not eligible to rule unless they were married. So the Western King having his first eligible son as young as this showed how recently he had succeeded the throne.
"Interesting. Is there a reason why he didn't come himself and instead decided to send a little princeling in his stead?"
"Yes, and it is the problem I have come to seek your help for. My father and almost everyone on my island is sick."
"Sick how?"
"Well.." he wrung his hands before answering the question. "The first part is when the victim falls down as though they are dead. They do not wake up for food or water and they have no breath or heart rate. The only way we have learned that fixes that, is to bury them underground and wait for them to themselves back up."
Firuzeh gasped "You bury them alive!"
The boy shifted uncomfortably "I suppose, yes. It is the only way we know of to get them breathing again."
"That is understandable." He responded, "Please tell me why you need our help."
The child gripped his hands together to keep from figiting and tears collected in his eyes, but he fought them off bravely. "Because when they come back up, they aren't the same. Sure they're allright for a little while, but it's only a matter of time before..." he trailed off and for a second Ardarshir didn't think he would continue. "Before they start to fall apart." He shook his head as though to rid himself of an unpleasant memory and said quickly "Given our limited space, we cannot quarantine effectively. I ask on behalf of the Naga and my sick parents, to lend us some land where we can house our sick. Just until we can find a cure and not a second longer."
The King closed his mouth. From what little he had heard, this twenty year old child had seen more suffering than many battle hardened warriors. "Granted." he answered
"What!" Firuzeh spluttered
"We'll send sick ships to your islands as soon as we break meeting." He ignored her
Firuzeh grabbed his hand "I think the King and I need to talk about this a little bit longer."
"Thank you for your consideration and I await your final word." The boy bowed and retreated to a dark corner of the throne room to sit on a bench and wait.
The Queen took his hand and guided him out the throne room presumably to speak in private. When he neared the doorway, he recognized a serving girl by her yellow headscarf and long shapeless apron. "You there."
The serving girl curtsied immediately in response almost dropping her basket full of fresh loaves of bread. The scent made his mouth water.
"There is a boy in there. Make sure he is comfortable, but don't let him wander too far."
"Yes, my lord." She scurried into the throne room with her basket of bread.
"Come on." Firuzeh almost growled they opened the door to an empty meeting room. A map of the world still unfurled on the polished wooden table.
"What on earth were you thinking!" Firuzeh exploded "I just spent nearly an hour on the last petition trying to keep people off of the dragons mountains and not two seconds later you go off and hand them to someone else! It doesn't matter that he's cute. The guardians will have my head!"
"Yes, I know that land is off limits. Which is why I didn't promise it to him."
"But you said that you would house them and the only spot that has enough space for that is the dragons mountains."
"No, there is another." He turned the map on the table drops of color floating over the surface from the stained glass skylight above them. He pointed to the very top of his land.
"No, you wouldn't. That land is uninhabitable" Firuzeh protested.
"Only because no one lives there. The only thing it needs is water."
Firuzeh pursed her lips "I know Naga can use their magic swim, but can they control water to that extent?"
"We can only hope." He answered "Besides as soon as water gets there, I have a feeling it will need very little encouragement to stay. The earth is fertile and dark, just very dry despite it's proximity to the ocean, which is also perfect as we can just send ships for them and they don't have to come in contact with anything else."
"And we are burning the ships afterwards to prevent the spread of the disease?"
"Naturally."
Firuzeh sighed "I still have my reservations, but do as you wish."
"Thank you."
Damascus saw her horse and swung into the saddle in one jump. Her heels doing their job and keeping her feet in the stirrups as the horse immediately whinnied and jumped into a gallop.
Damascus did not leave after her petition ended. She saw the Naga boy approaching the throne and decided to stick around and find out what he was here for.
By the Goddess was she glad of that. Damascus thought as her horse galloped over the soft desert sand. Her queen needed to know that the North was accepting a new, terrifying disease onto the mainland. Something that threatened the entire population of the world.
Damascus knew that even though her Queen Atlatl had just learned she was with child, this news meant war and her friend and confidant, Atlatl would be heading the charge.
