Stories from RhyDin & The Rings

Each day started out exactly the same. A warm breeze wafted through the silk curtains willing them to life in their dance. The floor and the bed were drenched in the colored scene of the sun through the fabrics and tinted over in warm shades. She moaned stretching her arms overhead and her feet in the sheets, feeling not only the blankets but the warmth of the air hugging her.

"Mmmmnn.. it's too early~~." The sun in its almost noon position highly argued the fact with her.

The sound of the towns people could be heard with the various bells ringing. Streets below were filled with the laughter and joyous caroling of merchants and vendors and perhaps a scuffle or two with young hooligans looking to get a discounted fish. Or five. She swung her feet slowly to the edge of the bed and rubbed her eyes, the sun-dyed silver hair had gained some new pigments of a darker shade. She always relished the chill when her feet touched the tiles and she gave another yawn while making her way to the window sill.

It was so bright, the blue sky ventured far off onto the horizon and as far as she could see there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Smiles everywhere, a peaceful land that although did share neighbors with dunes, was a graceful calm. A nirvana in what had been chaotic tides. She folded her arms on the sill and lost herself in the moment.

In the sky black clouds began to blossom and slowly but surely all of the chatter in the streets began to die down. Thunder could be heard rolling across what was a corrupted sky. Rain began to fall and it wasn't the oasis spring that the people had craved. It wasn't a spout to nourish the cracked sand or the hanging flowers. Torrential tides crushed through the streets and tore century-old buildings from their base. The screams came and filled the city. She fell back from the sill and could feel her heart skipping beats. The water was filling the building and soon it burst through the door. Screams from outside took up the rest of the space. She crawled backwards into the corner and could only watch as it came closer and closer and closer...

Then she sat right up in bed. The night's cicadas had been keeping her company with their song. She was drenched in sweat. The clammy soles of her feet touched the cold tiles and she stepped over to the window seeing the countless stars in the sky overhead. She was finding the control over her breath as she looked out across the dormant sleeping city caught in its lullaby.

"What the hell is going on with me?" She spoke through breaths.

Each day started out exactly the same.

Overhead the bazaar the sun beat down through the tapestry of patchwork canopies as it did every day. Arid breaths upset the dust devils every now and then on a clockwork only they truly understood and the bells rang signaling the noon hour. Merchants were conducting business as usual with the occasional barter and the street performers were out in their usual troupe. One could never be too certain what awaited them through the labyrinth of streets; whether it be the serpentine dancing cobras, not the kind you'd be used to or fire-breathing refugees simply hoping to find dinner.

Today was no different than all of the rest. A carriage of ornate gold with red silk windows was passing through the marketplace, familiar to the nature of the roads, well paved yet congested during the trading hours. It was a good trading hub but certainly no utopia, at least not yet. Poverty wasn't a primary concern but that isn't to say it wasn't more common in certain districts than others. On this particular day there was a famished orphan looking to get by on a loaf that had seen far better days. A pair of dirty fingers wrapped cautiously around the loaf and sequoia eyes darted around having lost track of the stand owner. One step, two- two thin legs began to churn as fast as they could to carry her away. Huffing as she went, it was clear due to the worn garbs and soot that was present that she didn't belong to any family.

"You damned rats just don't understand!" A booming voice, one to be remembered from the previous failed attempt echoed through the stalls.

The crack of the whip came next as it wrapped around the feeble ankles and sent the orphan to the sandstone beneath her. She could handle the wind getting knocked out of her and she could handle the abuse (she had time and time again) but the sight of the loaf slipping down the sewage drain made her tightening stomach all the worse. She groaned, caring not for what was the impending punishment but fearing she may not have much energy left to spare tears when the sun was fixing to set, let alone if she'd make it that long.

"Filthy vermin!" Curving through the air with a crisp whistle the whip collided with the thin already worn sack that had been fitted as a loose tunic on the famished girl.

"Day in and day out I obey the laws, I pay my taxes and I earn a living for myself and my family! I don't need cretin stealing from me when this past harvest has been the weakest in decades!" The sound of the whip connecting again could be heard as those around were divided. Some watched without speaking and others continued on their day as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"I-I'm sorry! I haven't eaten in days and it was gone bad sir!" The girl managed to cry out as the whip slid from her and cracked against the ground once more.

"Sorry doesn't replace my goods! Sorry doesn't feed me or my family!" Once more like a scorpion's stinger it rose up in the air however as it whistled again, it was cut short by a hand grasping it before it could strike again.

"Neither do the dead." With a jerk of the wrist the trader was sent to the stone beneath him with a huff.

He snarled and rose to his fours before his bared fangs quickly receded behind a grimace. He was surrounded by armored guards, their spears sharp and by no means relenting in his face.

"Do you wish to lose your life today, beggar?" The armored battalion leader spoke with little hesitation between words.

The whip was cast down upon him as the figure wrapped in elegant silks, red, purple and blue crouched beside the orphan.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up and fed?" A tan hand brushed the hair out of the orphan's face and stroked her cheek.

"As for him", the words directed to the trader as the figure rose and directed a guard to carry the orphan, "he did not intend to strike me, as I'm sure he did not intend to strike the child. He merely missed his timing. Should it happen again however he will be finding it quite hard to wield that whip with no hands."

Upon immediate arrival back at the palace, the guards escorted Hope and the waif child to Davien's study for a private audience as was protocol after an altercation. In a second triangle formation, they surrounded the merchant as he had been brought along for audience with the king as well.

A lone guard had been sent on ahead to forewarn the king's advisor of what had occurred so his schedule could be cleared. Upon arrival before the door to the private study, it was promptly opened by the advisor's aide and all were ushered inside. Davien sat behind a heavy, claw footed desk with a thick scroll of carvings around the edges and legs. His elbows were upon the desk, his fingers steepled, and a somber expression upon his face as he watched the parade of people enter his sanctuary. A stern glance was leveled upon each of them but he said nothing. His advisor did speak up, however.

"You will kneel before King Nafaris and then we shall proceed with the trial."

Silk waved like high tides meshing in a melting horizon as they made their way towards what she could only fathom was an interruption to what was appropriately better rationed time. Would she feel bad? It wasn't her duty to make life harder for Dvaien, but it just ended up as a side-effect of her presence. Honest, she didn't intend for it.

As they all made their way into the study which had been regally furnished, uncontestedly so. The orphan was in sore shape to say the least but it was a chance she had never imagined would come her way, she quickly kneeled and placed her forehead to the floor, silently praying as she did so. The merchant kneeled with his hands folded on his lap and did not address the King until he was to be given permission to speak. And in the warm sea that looked like the seasons dancing before your eyes, she stood and crossed her arms, looking first at the advisor. "My knees are stiff." For sincere reasons, she just wasn't comfortable, however she did look back with vivid silver eyes under the hood to not simply the king, but her king.

Davien's gaze trailed over the waif and merchant, soaking in details regarding the two in his keen observation, before moving along to linger upon the form of Hope. His eyes drifted to her middle and there was but a very slight tensing of the muscles around his mouth in the beginnings of a frown that he cast away to be replaced by a mask of stony calm.

"Child, you may rise and look at your king."

The girl moved quickly in obedience and peered at Davien expectantly.

"The leader of my guard reports that you were caught stealing. Where are your parents to speak in your defense?"

She'd tried to look at the king as he had directed but at the mention of her parents, the dirty face turned downwards to hide the tears that had immediately formed, burning her eyes as she dared not reach up to wipe them away. Sniffling, the child replied quietly.

"They passed durin' th' plague of sleepin' fever."

Davien stared intently at the girl for a long moment before replying. "That was two years ago, child. Have you no other family?"

"I have a little brother."

"I see. So, you are the caretaker for this younger brother." He nodded lightly and then peered down at the merchant.

"You will stand and face your king."

When the merchant stood and peered at Davien, he would see only an impassive expression.

"You are accused of assaulting the consort to the king and the unborn heir of Kalidar. What defense do you pose in the face of these charges?"


The merchant met Davien's gaze. "This mongrel child has been robbing me. More than once, you see, King. It's been a hard year and I can barely feed my own. The woman placed herself between myself and the girl. It was not my intention to strike her or your heir."

"Indeed it has been a hard year. However, accosting a child that is obviously malnourished seems an extreme, wouldn't you agree, sir? I am certain there were ways to deal with the situation other than violence against her." Davien's lips pursed in thought and his steepled fingertips began to tap against one another.

"You are aware of the penalty for assaulting the royal family?"

"Yes, my king." The man lowered his gaze in obvious shame as well as sorrow. "I would ask only that you allow me to send message to my brother so that he may take my wife and child."

"You have only the one child then, merchant?"

"Yes, my king, only the one."

Davien nodded and considered his words momentarily before continuing. "As you have heard, and obviously have seen on numerous occasions, this child and her brother are orphans and in need of a family. I will pardon your crime against my consort and child, as well as grant a yearly stipend, if you are willing to take the two children into your family and teach them your trade so that they might have a future. I will have my advisor check in on the welfare of the children regularly and if they are harmed or my orders have been otherwise disregarded, you will face consequences."

The merchant blinked several times as he looked up at Davien and nodded. "You are a benevolent and just king." He bowed deeply then peered over at the girl. "My wife and I can have no more children and she wanted a daughter." It was his way of attempting to show acceptance to the girl despite his earlier actions against her.

Davien watched the interaction silently then turned his gaze to Hope. "You and I shall speak further in private but do you, as the injured party, feel justice has been granted?"

He knew she would argue that she was not the injured party but by their laws and beliefs, Hope and the child's well being were placed above others.

Through the veil of warm silk the occasional flap from breaths could be seen. A gaze that was perpetually drifting from the merchant, waif and then the King himself was unable to find a solitary poise during the incurring hearing. Only the eyes were visible through the visage, which did well enough to hide what the voice could not.

A young mind that had been thrust into a bizarre world had no way to fully mold the sights before her and the decisions at hand. There was that desire for justice that had prompted her to act, one that was easy to consider rash and irrational given her state currently. Still she waited until she was given the chance to voice before her headstrong opinions were articulated.

"I do not understand how a man that is so eager to strike a child can be allowed to take her under his wing." There was a tact to her words, though it was not readily apparent. Her body language wasn't fully apparent but the tone had carried it all. Were she anyone else speaking in such a manner, a swift hand might have been readily deployed.

Clearly she had never been in any power structure or aware of a hierarchy that superseded her own yet she struggled to maintain the notion that she was ignorant to most structures. Her stay thus far had been educational and even though her views were different than the indigenous; it wasn't so easy to kill old habits.

"With that being said, I suppose he prefers this to the alternatives." Backpedaling wasn't something she knew how to do, so the attempt had been made to reserve any more objections within the current venue. She glanced to the merchant then to the younger girl and pictured the younger sibling. A life as rats on the street could not be better to fit than the decision the King had made. A roof overhead and a hearth in the cold was worth a lot more than moldy bread.

Her eyes could have displayed the embarrassment quite well as she lowered her head and took a step back. "As the injured party I do feel that justice had been granted." Confusion was racking her brain as she struggled to measure the conflicting levels within her. Order, balance- there were lessons to be taken from the matters at hand. Although her gut reactions were strong she was beginning to understand at least the tip of the iceberg as to what it meant for Davien to have the trust of the people. To know the difference between the carrot or the stick. She leveled out and stood straight, looking once more at the child. In retrospect, this incursion may have been the single best turning point in the child's life.

The king's gaze was patient and without judgement as he watched Hope struggle with the weight of his decision. Truth be told, he had expected more of a fight, but was genuinely pleased that she didn't cause too much of a fuss...this time. The woman was a handful always; but he loved the challenge and appreciated that at least one person in his life didn't roll over simply because he was the king.

Davien allowed her to finish speaking before he nodded. "I will make a small adjustment to my ruling. You, Hope Naharis, will be the individual responsible for inquiring into the children's well being as well as being certain the funds are being utilized to care for their needs. My advisor has plenty of other duties to perform and you appear to have a personal investment into their welfare." A ghost of a smirk appeared upon Davien's lips as he jested regarding his consort's feisty intervention upon the child's behalf. The smirk disappeared nearly as quickly as it appeared, as the matter was not entirely humorous; he would deal with this in private, however. "You will notify me via written report with each visit you make to this family."

The king didn't give Hope time to reply before he turned to cast a gaze over each and every occupant of the study and nodded lightly to each. "You are all dismissed to go about your day. Please go with my advisor to receive the first stipend." Spoken to the merchant just prior to Davien looking at the small child and actually offering her an encouraging smile. "Do not give up hope nor belief in the future...fortunes can change in the blink of an eye, child." With those words spoken, the king stood and walked from the study with his normal assembly of royal guards.

Hope had been struck with a visible spear and an invisible sword as she stood silent during the delivered news. Although her form was woven between tropical weaves of silk and embroidered goods, her eyes had been wide with much awe at what exactly had transpired. Her mind was racing almost as fast as her heart.

The following moments felt like she'd dunked her head under water but quickly shook it off as she directed to the advisor. "I will require a copy of that stipend for my ledger after it has been written." She had been a direct one always but even at that quick request she had surprised herself. As she looked back to the orphan and then the merchant she felt as a grain of sand in the ocean of stars above. What was the weight of a life? It wasn't a task that she would take lightly, as if the orphan had been royalty herself.

Hope followed suit to quickly catch up to the King as she tried to ground herself in all that had been said. Most of it was perfectly in line with what had been said prior. The outcome to the hearing was ideal for all parties involved and none had been shown a distinct fierce side of law. Yet two words resonated through her mind, her veins and caused a warmth in her chest. Hope Naharis. A last name was commonplace in most parts of the realms and outer, but for her it was something always seen through a haze or a fog. It wasn't something that could simply be forged or fabricated; you couldn't make it in a mill or grow it in a field or enchant it from an old tome. It was bestowed upon her by him and it wasn't merely a name. It was an aura, an immense weight, a shield and a sword; but more than any of those it was acceptance. It would put to rest the abnegations of the people and it would give her more than any had given her in her life.

She didn't have the means to articulate what it all meant through words, she was not the most well defined when it came to conversations nor was she the most adept at handling her at-times cumbersome emotions but now as she wrapped her left arm around his right and rest her head against his shoulder, it was all the message any could need.