Kinderling 60

 In case you are interested in starting this story at the beginning, Kinderling 1 can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Please don't judge the story or the writing too harshly, this story is written with little to no editing.  It is just meant to get me writing regularly for practice.  

Now back to our story, already in progress.

The plan was simple, according to Mama this was good since complicated plans with too many moving parts were always prone to failure.

Since Baot thought we were hiding North of the village, the first part of the plan was for Uncle Zon and his remaining militia to start making trails and leaving small camps up that way for Baot's patrols to find.  Dobbo, whom I was still trying to decide it I should trust or not, particularly liked this part of the plan.

"The best way to get someone to believe a lie, is to tell them something they already think is true."  he said.  I was a little disapointed with myself when my first thought was "and you would know" since so far, I couldn't point to a single instance where I caught Dobbo in a lie.  He had even admitted to things that made him look bad when he could have not said anything and nobody would have been any the wiser.  Perhaps he really was turning over a new leaf.  Fair or not, I just couldn't bring myself to trust him fully.

The first part of the plan went off masterfully.  Uncle Zon and the militia were able to use the tunnels that Watcher, via Flower, had shown Mama and I to get into position, and kept the entrance on that end hidden using one of my no-see-me charms.  Zenna came up with an ingenious method for them to not lose the entrance like I had when we rescued Mizzy.  They would take a stick-doll and hang it from a tree branch a short way from the entrance.  Depending on what kind of stick-doll they used would tell them which direction, and how many steps to the entrance.  As long as they placed the doll accurately enough, they could just find it and locate the entrance by following the scheme rather than directly looking for the entrance.  I'm not sure how, but it did work.   Although it necessitated Zenna trying to teach the male militia members how to weave the various traditional Kinderling stick-doll patterns out of twigs which didn't go well until Mizzy stepped in.  Apparently, Mizzy is a really good teacher, and was a little obsessed with stick dolls when she was little.  I have always thought they were silly and useless, but after seeing how much Mizzy loved them, I would never tell her that.

Soon, Smoke, Daisy, and the handful of Kinderlings who were assigned to scouting and spying on the village reported that Baot and his people had concentrated their efforts toward the North.

In the midst of all the excitement, Watcher came for a visit.

"Tandy, I have come from the Mountains.  The Mountain King, and his fortress, are no more, or at least soon will be."  Watcher said.  "I didn't stay to watch the final assault because those Elves were in a bit of a Gorf-killing frenzy and I didn't want to get caught up in it." I suspected as much we had been hearing faint rumblings from the direction of the Mountains on and off since not long after the Elves left on the Sky Ship.  I sent word to the Gorf tribe via Daisy before the Elven attack to make sure none of them went up there and were caught in the crossfire.  Apparently Watcher felt my warnings didn't apply to him, until they did.

"Do you know if the Elves kept their promise to spare Iowne and her people?"   I asked.

"I do not know, young Tandy.  As per your warning, I stayed as far as I could away from the excitement, but I had to watch what I could, the clerics will want a report."   Watcher said,  "I did manage to see that my counterpart in charge of watching the Mountain Gorfs did escape.  I saw him in the tunnels, but I made sure he didn't see me."

"Does that mean the Mountain King also escaped?"  I said.  If the Mountain King escaped, he might decide to hide with his allies in the village, and I didn't trust the Elves to hold back in their pursuit of him.  If Baot harbored the Mountain King in the village, the Elves would likely destroy the village getting to him.  I wasn't worried about Baot, he deserved whatever he got, but I did worry about those Kinderlings that joined Baot in the village out of fear.  Sure, they chose the wrong side, but did they really deserve to die because of it?  There was also the village itself.  The homes, the shops.  Sure, our family tree home had been destroyed, it was burnt down during the initial Gorf attack, but the homes and shops of many others that were with us at the Garrison were still there and I fervently hoped that they would be able to one day reclaim them.

"No, he only had a couple of Fallen females with him when I saw him."  Watcher replied.  "I highly suspect he raided the Mountain King's harem on his way out."

"Do you think there would be a way for us to capture them?"  I asked.

"Why would we want to do that Tandy?"

"A couple reasons."  I said,  "First, I have a feeling that he was just as guilty - if not more so - for the treatment of the Lady of Eastwood.  If the Elves find out about his existence, they will be after him and anyone who shelters him.  Second, Let's just say I would like to have a bargaining chip."

"AH, I see."  Watcher said,  "Leave it to me.  I'll probably need Daisy to help, I'm not the spry young Gorf that I once was."

A few days later, the Sky Ship came again and docked off the end of the Outcropping.  The Elven warriors seemed much more tense than they were the last time I saw them.  When the Sky Ship docked, they jumped out and formed a perimeter.  It looked like I imagined a professional military would look.  Once they secured the area, the Elven King of All debarked and strode forward, surrounded by a personal guard.  He didn't have all this when I saw him before.

By the time this was all done Father, Bez, Mama, and Uncle Zon, along with me and Mizzy trailing behind, I wasn't about to get left out, walked out to meet them.

"The slight to the Lady of Eastwood has been avenged.  The Mountain King has been thrown down and his fortress dismantled.  I felt the desire to share this victory with the Elven Friend Tandy and the Mystic, who is also an Elven friend."

Mama whispered out the side of her mouth, "Oh boy, here it comes.  I hate when the get all grandiose like this."  It was all I could do to keep from giggling.  The King of All really was over-doing the whole thing.

"Bring forth the mantle!"  The King of All continued, and the Elven Captain brought an ornate carved wooden box and handed it to his King.  "Tandy, I hereby name you Tandy the Wise, Friend to Elves and councilor of Kings!"  Out of the box he pulled a metallic disk with a ribbon and placed it over my head.  I could immediately see that the disk was made from Kinderling Silver.  There is no mistaking the sheen and feel of it.  There were Elven symbols on it, most of which I felt like I should understand, but was unable to.  In the middle, there was a circle enclosing a tree carved in the top half of the circle, with the same tree carved upside-down in the bottom half.  The top tree was green alive and growing, the bottom tree was rotting and buried.  It was a little creepy.

"I also would like to prevail upon The Wise One for some council."  The King of All said.

Oh great.  If Mama being called "The Mystic" was any indication, I was going to be stuck being called "The Wise One".  As far as annoying monikers go, not horrible I guess, but I never wanted to be anything more than me.  Tandy.

"But first!  I want the Wise One and the Mystic to know that I have kept my word."  The King of All added, still being annoyingly dramatic.  He indicated towards the Sky Ship as he bellowed  "Bring forth the Humans!"

Looking towards the ship, I saw the Lady of Eastwood attempting to guide Iowne and her people off the ship.  Most of them appeared to have injuries that needed attending to.  I wasn't sure if those injuries were from their days of Gorf imprisonment or from the Elves.  Elven warriors were basically herding them off the ship with spears, and they weren't being particularly gentle.

Once off the ship Iowne's people huddled together, clearly afraid, but Iowne stepped forward when she saw me.  "I recognize you, you are the one who attempted to free us from the Gorfs before.  Can you help us now?"  Iowne said in the language of Man, while nervously eyeing the surrounding Elven Warriors.

"Are they prisoners then?"  I asked the King of All.

"No, Wise One,"  The King of All said,  "but they are dirty and tend towards thieving.  It is best not to trust them." 

"I can see why Mama calls you Junior."  I said, earning a surprised and somewhat hurt look from the King of  All.  Then, switching back to the language of Man "Iowne, it is good to see you again.  Please accept our hospitality, we will provide food and safety until you are able to return home.  Please accept my apology for your treatment at the hands of the Elves, they can be such a disagreeable and mistrusting lot."  I added as a barb towards the King of All.

I reached up and took Iowne by the hand guiding her towards the garrison indicating that her people should follow.  A couple well placed scowls at the Elven Warriors let them know they weren't invited. 

It never quite hit me before that the garrison must have been designed to allow visitors from the taller races.  After having to stoop to get through the door, it was clear that Iowne and her people were able to stand up straight in most of the main part of the garrison.  I had always thought of the high ceilings as something the builders did for comfort.  Kinderlings, after all, are forest creatures who aren't usually accustomed to living underground.  Either way, those high ceilings serve both purposes.

Mama followed us in and true-to-form immediately took charge and started tending to their wounds.  To my surprise, the Lady of Eastwood also appeared and pitched in.  She didn't have healing skills like Mama, but she was able to handle minor wounds sufficiently.  I, or course, pulled out my little healing kit and helped as well.  Soon, Iowne's people were  all patched up and comfortably settled in one end of the mess hall, each with a bowl of Tilly's incredible mushroom stew and a small loaf of bread.  I'm not sure what humans usually eat, but they seemed content enough.

"Iowne and her people were n pretty bad shape, wasn't anyone available to tend to them before now?"  I asked the Lady of Eastwood.  I tried not to make it sound accusing, but I'm sure I failed.

"No Wise One." the Lady replied, "I was not allowed to help them, and no one else cared to."  The way she spoke, the Lady of Eastwood seemed genuinely ashamed. 

"Oh not you too!  What is with this 'Wise One' business?"  I asked.  "When you all left, I was called Tandy.  Now it's 'I must consult the Wise One'.  What gives?"

"Your advice on the treatment of Iowne and her people turned out to be prescient.  It seems that Iowne is not the dirt farmer that she seems.  You can't see it, and to my shame in my iron-poisoned state I could not see it either, but now that I am well, I can see a bright, fat, line of prestige coming from her and heading over the mountain.  That line connects, to a lesser extent, to her entire retinue."

"You can actually see the prestige?  I thought Star Sailor said that Elves could only intuit it.  Sort of feel it"  I said.

"Yes, most Elves can only intuit a sense of the Prestige.  Some have to actively be looking for it to sense it, some are always able to sense it.  A rare few, like me, can see the Prestige.  Elves who can do that are sought out as advisors, which is why the King of All prevailed upon the Star Sailor to return in time to save my life."

"So that's why the King of All treated Iowne badly, he couldn't sense her prestige?"  I asked.

"No, when we brought Iowne on board, I could tell the King of All was able to sense it, but it confused him."  The Lady repied.  "So he sequestered them away from everyone, and declared that it was treasonous to defy that order.  I don't know his reasoning."

"So where does Iowne's prestige come from?"

"The line runs over the mountain.  We do not know how she got it, however we do know that there are Elves on that side of the mountain and we assume it has something to do with them.  Other than the Star Sailor, Elves don't tend to travel except at need.  We grow attached to our homes and become homesick when we cannot return.  Even the Star Sailor has a place that he returns to, although for him it is different."

"Sorrow's Point." I said. 

"Yes, Sorrow's Point."  The Lady agreed,  "The Star Sailor is held there by an anchor made loss and guilt.  I believe it is the only thing that keeps him from flying off to the stars and never returning."

"You and Mama spoke of Sorrow's Point, and you said I would be killed if I went there.  What is it?"

"That is the Star Sailor's story to tell if he wishes to tell it."  The Lady said. "Please don't ask him, It would only needlessly open old wounds.  Suffice it to say it was the Star Sailor's home, and where he lost his only love.  Outsiders are forbidden from bespoiling the place."

"Iowne told me that she came from Dorinth.  If she is from Dorinth, I wonder how she has a connection to the other side of the mountain."

"You would have ask her."  Said the Lady,  "I think her and her people have run out of patience with my people, and I can't blame them.  The guard should not have been allowed to mistreat them like they did."

"I agree." 

That evening, the King of All asked for a meeting.  Mama, Father, Bez, and Uncle Zon were nominated to meet with him.  I's funny how the Kinderling villagers that were rescued and brought to the garrison keep pointing out that, other than Father, there is no village council, and how a single village council member didn't make a quorum, so they didn't have to follow Father's rulings.  Yet, whenever there is anything that needed leaders to do, they always picked those same four.  

Mama let me tag along because she said the King of All seems a little more reasonable when I'm around.  I don't know about that.

"Ah good, you've arived."  The King of All seemed to be talking to me and Mama, and ignoring the rest.  That confused me until I realized that, from their point of view, Mama and I were the only two Kinderlings with Elven prestige.  I think Mama noticed my realization, because she gave me a wink and a nod.  

"Your Highness,"  Father said, oblivious to the workings of prestige,  "You have asked for us, what can we do for you?"

Happily, the King of All was somewhat diplomatic, and while he was still talking directly to Mama and me, he at least seemed to attempt to make it less obvious.

"As requested, we retrieved the humans from the Mountain Gorf's dungeon.  Now I would like to wash my hands of them."  The King of All said.  "Can your people take care of them till they are strong enough to return home?"

If I didn't know any better, I would think the King of All was embarrassed by the whole episode, I was going to ask, but Mama spoke first.  

"Yes, we will gladly take care of them and make sure they return home safely."  Mama was all smiles about this, which confused me because not only can Mama rarely be described as "all smiles", I had been of the impression that Mama was looking forward to sending Iowne and her people on their way.

"Wonderful,"  The King of All replied.  "In that case, I must also be returning to my home as well.  We leave in the morning."  But the way he said it sounded odd, like he suspected a trap.

"Have a wonderful trip home Your Highness."  Mama said, still smiling as if she had won a great prize.  "Our hearts go with you as you travel."

Once the King of All and his retinue were gone, I turned to Mama.

"What was that all about?"  I asked.

"Oh, just messing with Junior a little bit.  I could tell as soon as he gave Iowne and her people over to us that he planned to abandon them here.  Now he will wonder if I found some advantage to keeping them that he has missed."

"Iowne has prestige."  I said.  I didn't know how much Mama understood about Elven prestige, to tell the truth, I didn't really understand how much I knew either.  

"Of course she does, she tried to help the Lady of Eastwood and paid dearly for it.  That beating could easily have killed her.  I saw the wounds myself."

"It's more than that."  I said, "The Lady of Eastwood says she can see prestige, not just sense it.  She said that Iowne has a fat, bright strand of prestige that flows over the mountain."  

Upon hearing that, Mama laughed loudly.  "Perfect!  I bet Junior is freaking out wondering if I know something he doesn't know."

The next day, I checked up on Iowne and her people.

"With your help, we are on the mend and will be able to leave in a day or two.  Your friend, Bez I think you call him, has already taken Jep to see the old trade road.  Jep says it's overgrown and pretty rough, but we should be able to follow it to Dorinth.  That is, if this Bez person is right and it does lead to Dorinth.  I have no idea how long it will take to get there.  The going will probably be pretty slow since we will be on foot.  The Gorfs ate our horses.  I wanted to ask the Elves to fly us there in that wonderful flying ship, but my people said they would rather walk."

"May I ask.  Do you know anything about Elves on the other side of the mountain?"  

Iowne startled momentarily.  "Why would you ask about them?"

"Just that you seem to have a connection there and I'm curious.  Do your people travel over the mountain often?"  I wasn't really trying to be nosy, I just hated only knowing part of a story.

"When I was young, my father traveled a lot for trade.  He and his partners discovered a safe way to the other side of the mountains where they met and traded with a tribe of Elves that live there.  He would come back with such stories."  Iowne explained.  "Finally, when I was old enough, Father let me go to the other side of the mountains with him.  While we were there, Goblins attacked.  One minute, Father was haggling, the next minute Goblins were everywhere.  I ran, of course.  Goblins kill men, but the things they do to women."  Iowne shuttered.  I wasn't familiar with Goblins, but judging from Iowne's reaction I wasn't sure I wanted to know.  "As I ran I practically tripped over a young Elven boy.  Barely a toddler.  I didn't even think about it, I just scooped him up and kept running.  Eventually, Father's guards and the Elven warriors beat off the attack and we were safe.  It turns out, that little Elven boy was the Elven King's only son."

"What an exciting story!"

"Terrifying you mean."  Iowne laughed.  "The Elves over there made a whole lot more of it than it really was.  There were dinners in my honor, Elven Bards writing poems and songs about it.  Even a performance reenacting Iowne's Run to Save the Elven Prince.  I just felt sorry for the player who had to play the part of Me.  The performance was three hours long, and the poor player ran around and around the stage with an ever growing number of players dressed as Goblins.  Eventually the Goblins all fell over dead of exhaustion and Iowne got away.  Which is nothing like what really happened."

"Stories do seem to grow with the telling."

"I can't set foot on that side of the mountain anymore."  Iowne seemed upset by this.  "Last time I was there, I was invited to another performance, it was supposed to be a romance, so I thought I was safe from having to see yet another performance of Iowne's Run to Save the Elven Prince, but it was so much worse!  It's now a love story where, after saving the Prince, we fall in love, but the King doesn't approve and I have to run away before he finds out that I am with child."

"You have an Elven child?"  I asked, confused.

"NO!  The Prince was little more than a baby!  Last time I was there, he was still a child."  Iowne said shaking her head,  "Even then, we were pushed together at every chance.  A few people even asked why I didn't bring the baby and seemed to think I was keeping the Prince and his beloved child apart.  I haven't been back since.  When Elves showed up and let us out of the cells in the Mountain King's dungeon, I almost expected them to ask if I had the baby with me."

"Different group of Elves."  I said.  I could commiserate.  People can get spun up about the weirdest things and rarely consider verifying if those things are even possible.

"Thank the Makers!  Getting roughed up a little was almost preferable."  Iowne smiled, but then became somber "Although my people probably wouldn't agree.  As it is, I have no idea how I'm going to pay them.  The Gorfs killed half of my people, all my horses and burrows, destroyed my wagons, and carted off all of my trade goods.  None of which it looks like I'll be able to recover."

"I wish there was something I could do to help."  I said.  "If the village wasn't overrun, we would have at least been able to send  you on your way with some Kinderling Silver.  The mine is mostly shut down, so there isn't a lot of it being mined, but even a little would help."

"Perhaps we can help each other then."  Iowne replied.