Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK I - Chapter 2
In contrast to the Harbour Lands, Terrella was by far the smallest of the islands. Just a dot in the ocean. It had no king, nor any major towns or cities. Being mainly covered by dense jungly-forest. It was noted for being one of two places in the world where half-tails lived in great number. The other being the forests of the Northern Kingdom, on the opposing shoreline. The half-tails were people that were born with remnants of a tail. Not unlike that of a monkey. It was something that tended to be a family or tribal trait. Inherited haphazardly from older forebears. There were some families on the island where almost every member exhibited this strange trait. Others where just one or two were born with the extra appendage. It seemingly skipping generations with relative randomness.
Most of those born as such tended to just have a small under-formed tail protruding from the bottom of the spine. Sometimes just a small bump even. However, occasionally some half-tails were born with a fully formed tail. Which looped upwards from the base of their spine and then down to the ground like a long rope. Tapering to the end. Though even these folk were still known by the general appellation "half-tail". The less developed version being so much more the common.
It was speculated by some people that during earlier times there were tribes or groups that were entirely this way. A fully-tailed race. That populated both the entirety of the northern mainland and all three of the western isles. There were also legends and myths pertaining to the idea. However, the general feeling, particularly on the mainland, was that it was just some kind of deformity. Or evidence of some unholy transgression with members of the animal kingdom. Consequently, most half-tails tended to hide their extra protuberances away under their clothes. It was not uncommon for many to have them removed altogether even. Either in adulthood or at birth. However, on Terrella there was no such inhibition, and it was one of the few places where it was a common sight to see such a physical peculiarity on display out in the open.
As a political entity the island itself tended to go a little under the radar. Too underpopulated to be of huge value in regard trade or exploitation, and too insular to be a threat to the world beyond its shores. So it was well known, but rarely spoken of. Its sister island, Brynnyfirdia, stretching out to the West, was quite the opposite though. A cold, wet and boisterous island, it was very troublesome. Populated by earthy and unruly people. Slightly too large to be conquered easily, and far away enough from the mainland that it could operate with a degree of independence. The island had no single ruler, and its reputation on the mainland was one of lawlessness and rebellion. Making it a very visible problem in the eyes of every other realm.
Essen was twenty-four years old, and was born in the far west of the island. A place called Eldersway. A wind swept area with a craggy, rocky coastline, facing out to the sea known colloquially as the Free Sea. This was a cold, tempestuous body of water; difficult to sail, but beyond the reach or interest of the larger kingdoms. So it was the perfect place to play freely and to learn the art of sailing first-hand, without a glove on the shoulder holding a person back from the ocean danger. It also held little value as a trading lane, with just the thin slither of land known as Water's End to the far north-west, and then the dense woodlands of the Northern Kingdom to the east. So it held little real interest for the major kingdoms, though they nevertheless claimed dominion over the entire area.
The Free Sea was usually just busy with fishing vessels and free sails - the name given to boats and ships sailing independently, unaligned to any major power or state. Though any medium or larger sized vessels were generally thought of as being piratical or illegal under the codes of the mainland charters. Fortunately the unimportance of the sea, and its distance from the mainland, meant that more often than not a blind eye could be turned. With it only becoming a real issue when ships passed the king's line, an imaginary line stretching from Terrella to the western edge of the Northern Kingdom. Marking the point at which the Free Sea ended, and the inner seas began. Sailors understood that sailing beyond this point would usually result in trouble, but otherwise they could make their travails in the area largely unhindered.
Essen was well acquainted with the sea, but he'd spent the last six months or so on land dealing with other issues. He was now getting ready to return to the ocean once more though. Feeling optimistic and very much on the front foot. The war had been going well. Very well. The Brynnyfirdians now had almost complete control of all three islands, along with all the sea lanes in between. The battle now moving into the inner seas and towards the mainland. A struggle that would no doubt be extremely drawn out and bloody, but very much winnable now given their new technological advantage. Essen wanted to go for the jugular however. To attack the very heart of the enemy. A decision that didn't sit well with many of the older heads on the island, but one that had now been given a bright green light.
"If you get caught you sink the main ship," stated Colm, "It cannot be boarded - under any circumstances. Not by enemy, nor by friend, nor by stranger."
"I understand."
"Look at me" stated Colm, adopting a more serious tone, "..Do ..You ..Understand?!"
Colm, the bearded soul instructing Essen, was a fisherman, though he was also much more than that. He was one of the most senior figures on the island. Albeit, like everyone else, he had no formal position or power. Brynnyfirdia being an odd place in terms of its societal structure. Certainly in comparison to all the various other realms. It was run informally, or naturally, by people that had simply acquired respect from the other people on the island. Meaning that it was effectively governed by a loose coalition of family heads and respected seniors, largely by consent and agreement. None vested with any written or formal power. In fact, it was often said by people from outside the island that it was governed by "fishermen with swords". Usually this was said derisively, but it was also in many ways just a statement of fact. Nearly every male on the island was a fisherman to some degree, and almost everyone in a position of leadership in some regard fitted this description. Though occasionally it was also farmers with swords. Which was more the case towards the eastern end of the island, where the landscape was slightly more rural, and tipped a little more towards agriculture.
This unusual style of rule was sometimes referred to as "consensus of the sword", extolling the general belief that by each man having a sword it forced a certain degree of democracy. Though they would never have described it with such a word. A basic understanding that the multitude could never be forced by the hand of the few if each man was individually armed. Although to outsiders this was often chastised as a chaos or barbarism. A system lacking formality and order. It seemed to work quite well on Brynnyfirdia however, and the the rugged people took a certain pride in the fact that they alone were distinctly unruly and unable to be governed by any king or counsel.
"Acalee will be your eyes and your head," intoned Colm, breaking the salty ocean silence that had crept in. Making sure once again that his words were firm and well understood.
"..But he's a distraction. I'll have to keep a constant eye on him."
"That's a good thing, ..you can keep an eye on each other. This will be a long journey, and you'll need a second opinion. You can't just rely on instinct. There'll be a lot more traffic between Erba and the mainland too now that we've cut them off from here. So you'll need to watch day and night. And remember, you can't be boarded. So you can't simply fight your way out of any problems."
Essen begrudgingly acknowledged all this as he continued to load the ship. He was eager to just get on with things, but the insistence that Acalee would also be coming made him feel the weight of the voyage he was undertaking. Acalee was his younger half-cousin. He had a sensible disposition - much more so than Essen - but at the same time he was still quite green and child-like. Despite having just turned twenty. Meaning Essen felt a certain responsibility towards him. So he instantly knew that he would be far less likely to take any sort of risk during this adventure with Acalee on board. He also understood only too well that that was doubtlessly one of the reasons why Colm was making him come. To be an anchor against his own natural instincts. This fact alone, though it annoyed him, emphasised the seriousness of the situation. Acalee wasn't a natural warrior, but he was being sent out into this warring situation. Admittedly, he well equipped to handle a sword, as were all males on the island, but it just wasn't his natural tendency. Books and heady ideas were more his thing. The mainland held a certain allure for him too that it didn't for other Brynnyfirdians. The brightness of the clothes and the costumes that people wore in the mainland cities. The culture and important affairs of state. If Brynnyfirdia had had court officials, like all the other dominions, Acalee would've made a good diplomat or man of state, but he was born amidst a tribe that disavowed such ostentation. So his nature was tempered by this more stoic, insular lifestyle. The coarseness frustrated him a touch, yet it also gave him a strong sense of the reality of the world too, and his admiration for the mainland didn't blind him to the flaws. He was still a Brynnyfirdian - and like Essen he felt primed for what lay ahead.
Comments
Post a Comment