Capítulo 7: The World is About to Change
Aeryon pour a drink into his cup
Different from everyone else Aeryon drink using a cup, something that his father bought from the merchant of Yan.
Aeryon look at the cup not because it is beautiful but because he is sure that his father was deceived.
The people of Yan usually deceive people of the Steppe.
In Aeryon mind, the Yan people are dishonest and even more so in business.
Things that are easy to made in Yan when it reaches the Steppe and is sold toward the people of the tribes, one cup could be traded for a sheep.
What a Yan people!
In his tribe, honesty is valued. This is the teaching of the Skyfather and the Land Mother
James took some time but he also remembers this part.
Warrior like virtue is respected and honored among the tribes of the Great Steppe
And one virtue is honored than most and that is honesty
Honesty is a virtue so valued that anyone who is titled the Honest in the large vast Great Steppe would be honored in any of the tents of the tribes, large or small.
Such person in the Steppe is able to go anywhere all over the Steppe without being robbed or raided.
The title itself is a talisman that warded all evils in the Steppe.
Those who raided or robbed someone who is titled the Honest would receive all kinds of condemnation and it would not be weird for the other tribes to allied with each other to destroy such tribe that raided a person who is titled The Honest
That is how highly the people of the tribes in the Steppe value honesty
Aeryon understand why.
In the Steppe, when you meet each other in the vast land, if you are not feuding tribes, you would tell each other dangers that one might encounter when going a certain path, or a certain route.
Thus, those who lie could wipe out an entire tribe if they lie about the dangers that lies ahead.
Feuding tribes however is exempt from this rule for in the Steppe, once a tribe declares war to another, the rules of hospitality, the virtue of good conduct is suspended
For war is the realm of evil and when war is declared it is the clash of life and death. Every trick is allowed
A feuding tribe has no obligation to say the truth and if you believe their lies and falls into a trap, the crime of dishonor, the crime of unvirtuous conduct could not be placed on them
This is also the same for someone who is titled the Honest.
When their tribe is at war, people must ignore his title because it is allowed for him to lie in a war
But Aeryon knew that the honesty of the people of the Steppe is seen as a weakness by the people of Yan.
They exploit the kindness of the people of the tribe, enslaved them to hard labor, and those who were lucky enough not to get enslaved will never get the opportunity to be anything in this world
Aeryon doesn't know why he is angry.
James is not angry.
It is Aeryon.
James accepts his identity as Aeryon quite quickly because he found no other way to deny what happen to him
He did not have time to process all of it in some kind of five stages of grief.
He simply accepted that he is Aeryon.
But now as he looks at this cup, thinks of the treatment of his people…. there is a new emotion in his heart
Anger. Hatred. Not of his own. But the lingering feeling of Aeryon. James now slowly understanding the feeling of the body he inhabit.
The original Aeryon might have planned to live and become a soldier of the people of the Yan
But at the same time, he also hated the Yan people for enslaving his kind. But he could not see the way out and one person could not change the world
However, James could see a way.
Because even though he is not someone who is a military buff or a history buff, he has the history of thousands of years in his mind
Maybe not in detail but the general course of history is known.
And so, his way of looking at things is very different and the horizon of the future in his eyes is far and vast
Aeryon could not see how the people of the Steppe could rise.
And he is alone and the only thing he desires was for his tribe to live well.
But James remembers a man who also came from a Great Steppe just like the one on this world and become a man that shakes the world!
'Brother! What are you doing?' Aeryon was startled and he saw Belarion sat beside him as one of his uncles made some space for Belarion to sit down.
The moment he sits down, Belarion put his hand over Aeryon shoulder and Aeryon simply laughed at this
All around his circle is his tribe warrior and he looks at these people. Some are very young, in their teens but they have bows behind their back and sword on the side of their waist
The people of the steppe could fight and ride horses since they are three. This is the word circulated among the Yan people
'A chaotic era, a harsh life' he thought to himself
Aeryon suddenly raise his cup high up in the air and the conversation around the circle stopped. He got up and spoke, his voice amidst this silence is like a deafening sound
There is only the sound of the wind blowing that could be heard.
'Today, I have changed my mind and decided to bring the tribe back to the Great Steppe. I know it is hard.' He paused for a second before saying
'But I am confident we could take back our lands. I promise this to you. And I make an oath to the Skyfather and the Earth Mother that I would regain back the things of our tribes or so help me, that I will face the tribulation of Heaven and Earth'
Aeryon did not speak long nor does he wanted to make some kind of spiel that extol his virtue or trying to deny the decision he made before.
He simply acknowledges that he had changed his mind and tell them that he is confident. This move is simply to reassure these people
Maybe because he is confident of this, that the tribe member that does not know much about the world simply nodded and agree
Usually, in any other tribe, the words of the tribe leader are absolute. There is no need for them to explain their actions to other people.
Aeryon of course also knows this but he didn't want his tribe to be like that.
He then drinks the entire drink in one gulp. And the tribe warrior seeing this raise their cup altogether and also drink it at the same time
Aeryon laughed at seeing this and then sit back.
He joins the people and greet the people.
He talks old stories with Belarion. The more he spoke with Belarion, the more memories become polished in his mind.
He raises his cup and drink with his warriors. They feasted on the meat, the wine cask was opened and they share among the warriors.
Sometimes they would get up form tehri seat and boasted of their prowess in battle and they spoke of battle stories and talk about life and death
That night, the people of his tribe laughs, they cry tears and they sing and dances.
Who would have thought that just a few hours ago, their morale is low and their minds is full of uncertainty?
The life in this kind of era is harsh and short.
They cherish their people, and they cherish their time.
When they are happy, they enjoy the happy things because they don't know how long it would last and when they are sad, they honestly tell people that they are sad.
There is harshness but there is also love and affection. There are also humans and not wolves like the people of Yan painted them to be.
Yan people painted them to be barbarians, not having any languages, a pack of savage that does not know human affection.
But they love. They laugh. They cry. And they feel happy and sad and more.
They are human.
But in this chaotic era…. they also have to be tougher, stronger and so…. strength requires sacrifices
Body and soul. The harshness of the world created harsh people and the Great Steppe is one of the harshest places there is
But as the firewood crackles, the song of the tribes' echoes, at least tonight, for a moment, they enjoy this brief period of happiness.
Aeryon was brought back to his tent by Belarion. He is drunk after drinking so many cup of wine.
Belarion left the tent
And as Aeryon laid down on his bed, he looks at the ceiling of his tent and he could not help but said
'Maybe, it is really a good omen. After all, finding a cattle in the middle of a forest-' Aeryon did not finish his word as he fell asleep
But there is a smile on his face.
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