Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK I - Chapter 1
"The world is round. Our land is surrounded by a ring of ocean. Which in turn is surrounded by a ring of desert. The ring of desert surrounded by a ring of fire."
"..But what's beyond the ring of fire?"
"Nothing, endless fire? Who knows? How could anyone pass through such a fire to find out? It is the edge of reality. The edge of the world. Created this way. Beyond our knowledge. A perfect creation - created for us ..for us to wonder at."
"..But there's water to the north. Julen says that it's all water up there, and that only fear stops men from sailing further."
"The world is like a gold ring with a diamond ring stone. The gold the fire, the diamond - water. Water enters our world to the north-west, via the great waterfall. Our ocean then flowing around our islands like a great river. The water then leaving our world to the north-east, via the great ocean of steam."
"..It's said that the ocean gets so warm in this region that eventually it begins to boil ..though no sailor has ever sailed so far. Eventually this leads to a tower of steam, like a waterfall in reverse. Like steam rising from a boiling cauldron. We call these entry and exit points the "Taps of the North". Between these two taps lies The Forest of Never. The sinking forest, where all the land, the world as we know it, slowly sinks into the waters, amidst a swamp of impassable vegetation."
"A knotted barrier of endless water. Making a perfect circle with the ring of fire. All of this, our reality, contained within. Like the yolk of an egg. A womb of existence. A boardgame for men to play upon."
As Box left Grandpa Luteeay's house she vaguely considered these words. Of course, she'd heard it all before, it wasn't anything new. It was the general view of the world that everyone had. A self-evident truth. It was undeniable that the world was perfectly formed this way, but it was unsettling nonetheless. "It is this way ..but why is it this way? What's the point of it all? It's one thing knowing where you are," she thought to herself, "..But the mystery of why anyone's here in the first place, what's the answer to that?"
The World In Its Entirety
As Box left Grandpa Luteeay's house she vaguely considered these words. Of course, she'd heard it all before, it wasn't anything new. It was the general view of the world that everyone had. A self-evident truth. It was undeniable that the world was perfectly formed this way, but it was unsettling nonetheless. "It is this way ..but why is it this way? What's the point of it all? It's one thing knowing where you are," she thought to herself, "..But the mystery of why anyone's here in the first place, what's the answer to that?"
She preferred the musings of Julen, her uncle. At least he stepped out of these boundaries from time to time. His dim-witted ignorance was unbounded, but he had an adventurous energy. Plus, as he wasn't much older than her they were far closer in outlook. She just twelve, he nineteen. So they were much more like cousins than uncle and niece.
"I'll go too," piped up Box, as she heard Mayleen utter this fear. Her words were just ignored and passed over though, as even had she wanted to go there was zero chance she would be taken, young and female as she was. Making the fanciful notion not even merit a response. Julen however was the perfect age, and he was at the forefront of the thoughts of both Taxilian and Mayleen. When the tribune mentioned that recruiters were heading further east it only heightened their concern. With perfect timing Julen then sauntered into the kitchen. "What have I missed?" he piqued, feeling annoyed to have been left out. "Nothing much," replied Taxilian, though noticeably that wasn't the case.
Like her, Julen also worked on the family farm, though he usually spent his days fantasising about life as a sailor or solider, or as some other form of voyaging hero. A daydreaming desire that was firmly held in check by his father, Taxilian - Box's other grandpa - who understood only too well the limited opportunities afforded to normal people such as themselves. And the dull, hard truth that a tribute-paying farmworker was a huge step up in practice from a hired sword, or a ship's hand.
Box shared the thirst for adventure, but her horizons were even more limited. The chances that Julen would leave were slim. The chances that she would do the same even slimmer. A marriage to someone a few fields, or perhaps even a few miles down the road would be the likely limits of any exploration of the wider world for her. A prospect that, though distant, held little appeal.
Her sister on the other hand, just a year older, had a slightly different outlook. In many ways they were almost identical, looking almost like identical twins - in spite of the small age gap - but the more boyish personality of Box made a huge difference in regard their ideas about the perfect life. Goola had a softer disposition, and a natural homeliness. She didn't have the same dog-like tenacity that Box had. Otherwise though they were very alike, and rarely apart, and Box was eager to catch up with her as she headed back to the farm.
Arriving in the yellow fields Box immediately, and without thought, made her way over to the stack of wooden crates that were lying on the dry muddy ground, picked one up and started carrying it towards the farmyard. Freshly picked vegetables to be stored away. The crate was weighty and heavy, but she carried it with ease. A familiar job. As were all of the jobs on the farm. As she strode towards the store house she expected GrandpaTaxilian, Grandma Mayleen, Goola, or maybe even Julen himself to come striding out to collect another crate. However, as she continued on there was no one else there. A job half-finished.
Ditching the crate she went looking to see where everyone was and what they were up to. Heading straight to the kitchen she instantly grasped why the work had stopped. A state tribune was sat holding court at the kitchen table. Tribunes had a range of formal and not so formal jobs. The main one being to collect taxes. However, they were also responsible for passing on information to subjects in their jurisdiction, such as news of new laws, or royal births. Or anything else touching such things. Usually they just came to gossip though, so whenever one arrived it was opportunity to hear about the latest dramas from more worldly places.
As Box entered the kitchen she quickly recognised the familiar face of this one. As he clocked her he gave a brief acknowledgment back, nodding his head at her, and calling her by her full first name, "Boxayla." In a very formal way, as if everyone he spoke to was a business acquaintance, regardless of age, sex or circumstance. He then without pause continued filling Box's grandparents up with all the latest tittle tattle and news from beyond their quiet rural world.
Box shared the thirst for adventure, but her horizons were even more limited. The chances that Julen would leave were slim. The chances that she would do the same even slimmer. A marriage to someone a few fields, or perhaps even a few miles down the road would be the likely limits of any exploration of the wider world for her. A prospect that, though distant, held little appeal.
Her sister on the other hand, just a year older, had a slightly different outlook. In many ways they were almost identical, looking almost like identical twins - in spite of the small age gap - but the more boyish personality of Box made a huge difference in regard their ideas about the perfect life. Goola had a softer disposition, and a natural homeliness. She didn't have the same dog-like tenacity that Box had. Otherwise though they were very alike, and rarely apart, and Box was eager to catch up with her as she headed back to the farm.
Arriving in the yellow fields Box immediately, and without thought, made her way over to the stack of wooden crates that were lying on the dry muddy ground, picked one up and started carrying it towards the farmyard. Freshly picked vegetables to be stored away. The crate was weighty and heavy, but she carried it with ease. A familiar job. As were all of the jobs on the farm. As she strode towards the store house she expected GrandpaTaxilian, Grandma Mayleen, Goola, or maybe even Julen himself to come striding out to collect another crate. However, as she continued on there was no one else there. A job half-finished.
Ditching the crate she went looking to see where everyone was and what they were up to. Heading straight to the kitchen she instantly grasped why the work had stopped. A state tribune was sat holding court at the kitchen table. Tribunes had a range of formal and not so formal jobs. The main one being to collect taxes. However, they were also responsible for passing on information to subjects in their jurisdiction, such as news of new laws, or royal births. Or anything else touching such things. Usually they just came to gossip though, so whenever one arrived it was opportunity to hear about the latest dramas from more worldly places.
As Box entered the kitchen she quickly recognised the familiar face of this one. As he clocked her he gave a brief acknowledgment back, nodding his head at her, and calling her by her full first name, "Boxayla." In a very formal way, as if everyone he spoke to was a business acquaintance, regardless of age, sex or circumstance. He then without pause continued filling Box's grandparents up with all the latest tittle tattle and news from beyond their quiet rural world.
Box, eager to hear, pulled up a chair and started to listen in silence. Her family lived in the "Eastern Kingdom," though this was just the informal name for it that everybody used, and it had various more formal titles. Titles that were frequently changed or reformed due to the whims of state politics. Everyone just used the term "Eastern Kingdom" though, as it was much the easier.
The Eastern Kingdom was bordered by two other kingdoms. The "Northern Kingdom," and "The Kingdom of Caster" or "Southern Kingdom." Each also having more formal titles not worth remembering or making note of. The Eastern Kingdom largely consisted of the eastern section of the world island - and covered pretty much everything to the east of the snow-covered mountains. The Northern Kingdom, likewise broadly consisted of the northern part of this huge landmass. With the Kingdom of Caster covering all that lay southward.
The border between the Eastern and Northern Kingdoms often shifted. An endless blur of to and fro. With countless border skirmishes and land grabs. The Kingdom of Caster however, completely cut off by the icy mountains, was intact and unassailable. A realm separate to itself, and a realm with a somewhat more brutal reality than its two more northerly neighbours - a land with slaves and not just serfs.
The Eastern Kingdom was bordered by two other kingdoms. The "Northern Kingdom," and "The Kingdom of Caster" or "Southern Kingdom." Each also having more formal titles not worth remembering or making note of. The Eastern Kingdom largely consisted of the eastern section of the world island - and covered pretty much everything to the east of the snow-covered mountains. The Northern Kingdom, likewise broadly consisted of the northern part of this huge landmass. With the Kingdom of Caster covering all that lay southward.
The border between the Eastern and Northern Kingdoms often shifted. An endless blur of to and fro. With countless border skirmishes and land grabs. The Kingdom of Caster however, completely cut off by the icy mountains, was intact and unassailable. A realm separate to itself, and a realm with a somewhat more brutal reality than its two more northerly neighbours - a land with slaves and not just serfs.
No one was quite sure how it acquired the moniker "Caster", but it was generally thought that it simply referred to the way that it was cast off from the rest of the landmass. Though it was also sometimes suggested that the name came from the overcast nature of the place. The dark terrain, especially in the forested coves beneath the high mountains, being wet, foreboding and cloud-cast. With the black, gritty ice found on the southern side of the mountains only adding to this effect. The pure white snow of the peaks gradually blending into the cold darkness of the mountain slope. A cragged land of black and white, blending firstly into the dark greens of the forest, then further on; into the brown-green fields of the southern steppe.
The Three Major Kingdoms
As Box began listening the tribune was in the midst of explaining the latest goings-on regarding the quarantine. The Western Isles - a group of three windy islands, situated to west of the mainland - had been quarantined for eight long months now. An outbreak of the dreaded Pox. A disease once a frequent blight across the kingdoms, long ago in the far distant past, but that now was a much rarer sight. Nigh on completely unheard of. But now, alas, it was back. The first time it had befell the world in Box's short lifetime, and in Julen's too. So it was a serious matter, and Box, along with everyone else paid attention with prickled ears.
Owing to situation no one from the mainland was allowed to visit the Western Isles, nor was anyone allowed to leave. With only official personnel permitted traffic. Therefore a strict exclusion zone had been set up around all the ports and landing points on the western shore. With ships and soldiers from all three kingdoms mobilised to enforce the blockade.
Information about what was actually going on on the islands was hard to come by, but it was now quite well known, if not officially acknowledged, that a very large number of soldiers had been mobilised in the efforts to contain the outbreak. With many men leaving, but fewer returning home. There were also rumours of ships returning to harbour with significant fire damage, or in complete disrepair. With logging in Archer's Wood, in the woody Northern Kingdom, known to be at full tilt to keep up with the new shipbuilding demands.
Some were now even speculating that perhaps the Western Isles were in full rebellion against the blockade. A fear the tribune echoed, though in not so many words. Consequently, the panic that the pox would spread to the mainland was fairly heightened. Particularly in the port towns. The threat that someone carrying the virus would break through the blockade, or that a returning soldier would bring it back, leading some people to leave the western parts of the mainland altogether. Though the knowledge that even more soldiers were being drafted to help enforce the blockade was the primary worry of Grandma Mayleen.
Information about what was actually going on on the islands was hard to come by, but it was now quite well known, if not officially acknowledged, that a very large number of soldiers had been mobilised in the efforts to contain the outbreak. With many men leaving, but fewer returning home. There were also rumours of ships returning to harbour with significant fire damage, or in complete disrepair. With logging in Archer's Wood, in the woody Northern Kingdom, known to be at full tilt to keep up with the new shipbuilding demands.
Some were now even speculating that perhaps the Western Isles were in full rebellion against the blockade. A fear the tribune echoed, though in not so many words. Consequently, the panic that the pox would spread to the mainland was fairly heightened. Particularly in the port towns. The threat that someone carrying the virus would break through the blockade, or that a returning soldier would bring it back, leading some people to leave the western parts of the mainland altogether. Though the knowledge that even more soldiers were being drafted to help enforce the blockade was the primary worry of Grandma Mayleen.
"Julen will want to go."
"I'll go too," piped up Box, as she heard Mayleen utter this fear. Her words were just ignored and passed over though, as even had she wanted to go there was zero chance she would be taken, young and female as she was. Making the fanciful notion not even merit a response. Julen however was the perfect age, and he was at the forefront of the thoughts of both Taxilian and Mayleen. When the tribune mentioned that recruiters were heading further east it only heightened their concern. With perfect timing Julen then sauntered into the kitchen. "What have I missed?" he piqued, feeling annoyed to have been left out. "Nothing much," replied Taxilian, though noticeably that wasn't the case.
Julen didn't push for more details, he knew that Box would tell him everything anyway.
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