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DKP 7-8 Get away from my daughter
🕑 Added 2021-08-15 22:54:02 +0000 UTCGedris listened as Ayawa paced and lectured Lilly on the foolishness of her actions. The meeting ended with an agreement to return in three days for the duel. Lilly was determined to face the woman and defeat her, but Ayawa was confident she could not. They returned to camp, and Lilly took her human form to practice the swords despite Ayawa and Tavis telling her it was pointless.
“Why are you so angry?” Lilly asked as she stood before the group, including Two Crows, who was appraised of the whole situation.
“Why are we angry?” Ayawa balked. “That woman is going to kill you or worse. When she does, Gersius is going to rampage across the south and make the killing in Calathen the least of his bloodsheds.”
“She isn't going to kill me,” Lilly laughed. “I will just freeze her or use a dragon's claw to knock her down.”
“Lilly, you can't use your tricks,” Tavis said. “She challenged you to an honorable duel. All you are allowed to use are swords.”
“What?” Lilly said, now alarmed. “I didn't know that.”
“Which is why you should have turned her down,” Ayawa groaned.
“If I had turned her down, there would be no chance to end the violence,” Lilly argued. “It was duel her or accept open war.”
“And what do you think is going to happen if she kills you?” Ayawa asked. “I keep making a point of Gersius being enraged, but what about Sarah? What is she going to do when she learns that woman slit your throat and laughed as you died?”
Lilly was silent a long moment as images of Sarah hunting the south to extinction played in her mind. “What am I supposed to do?” Lilly asked.
“We return to Calanthen and inform Gersius it is to be a bloody war with the south,” Ayawa replied. “You can't show up for the duel, and if you don't show up, they will never deal with the empire again. Only a show of strength to bring them to heel will matter now.”
“If she doesn't show up, it will likely bring more of the tribes to their cause,” Two Crows interjected. “Are you sure there is no way she can win?”
Ayawa shook her head and pointed to Gedris, explaining that she could beat Lilly in a match half the time.
“What if you help me train?” Lilly pressed.
“Three days isn't enough,” Ayawa growled. “What you need is a thousand hours of practice until the motions are fluid. You know the moves from your connection to Gersius, but you have to think them out. That delay will get you killed in seconds against a trained warrior maiden.”
Two Crows nodded and agreed with the assessment making the situation more dire. Gedris felt terrible for Lilly and tried to think of a solution.
“What if Lilly surrenders?” she asked.
“They will take her as a captive. She will probably be made into a rokki and given to the greatest warrior. They will treat her like an animal and strip her of her pride.” Two Crows said as if the answer were obvious.
Gedris shook her head in disbelief that such a fate could happen to Lilly. “There must be another way to reason with them.”
“She already accepted the duel,” Ayawa sighed. “We have no choice but to let her fight or run and fight the war.”
Two Crows paced as he considered Ayawa's words. He was stone-faced as always, but finally, he spoke with a voice deep and remorseful. “If you run now and come back with an army, you might win the peace after a bloody war, but the tribes will never forget. They will say the empire is cowardly because Lilly ran instead of fighting her duel. They will say they are the ones who have been dishonored and will despise the empire for a thousand years to come.”
“We can’t run then,” Lilly sighed. “I have to fight her.”
“You can’t,” Ayawa scoffed. “This is a woman who has my level of training. Do you think you can match me? Do you think you can hold me off for even a few moments?”
“We could try,” Lilly offered.
Ayawa drew her knives and advanced on Lilly, who raised her swords in defense. The following few movements were a blur but ended with Ayawa's blades at Lilly's throat.
“She will do worse to you and humiliate you before her people. Then she will make you beg for your life before killing you or making you a slave. Pray she kills you because, as her rokki, you won't have the luxury of choosing your bed partners.”
Lilly looked terrified as Ayawa lowered the knives and stepped away. It was obvious how this was going to end, and Lilly was trapped in her acceptance of the duel.
“I have to try anyway,” Lilly said with a trembling voice. “Gersius wouldn’t run away from this.”
“Gersius wouldn’t have accepted the duel unless he was sure he would win,” Ayawa said disdainfully.
“I thought I could use my powers,” Lilly cried. “I had no idea I was limited to words only.”
“We need to pack and head back,” Tavis urged. “There is no point in pursuing this path.”
“No!” Lilly cried with a tear in her eyes. “I have to try! If I run away now, I will be poisoning the relationship between your people and the empire. Maybe she will just humiliate me and let me go.”
Ayawa shook her head and assured Lilly that her humiliation would take many years and many beds. The war would come anyway as her family came rushing to her rescue. The war was unavoidable now; it was just a choice of how shamed Lilly would be in the end.
“It’s my decision,” Lilly argued. “I will face her and try to reason with her. Maybe she will be impressed enough that I tried that she might be willing to talk.”
“Child, that woman is a snake, and you are going to be fed to her,” Ayawa assured and walked away. Two Crows went with her as the two broke into an argument overrunning. Tavis tried to console Lilly, but there wasn't much to say. They all knew Lilly couldn't win without her power, and there was no honorable way out of the challenge.
That night the mood in the camp was tense as Lilly sparred with Gedris to try and improve. Gedris felt terrible for her, especially when Lilly lost a sparring match, but she was afraid to hold back. Lilly needed to be pushed to the limit and beyond if she had any hope of surviving her duel. Eventually, Lilly grew frustrated and sat against a tree with her head down. Gedris sat beside her and tried to comfort her, but what could she do. Lilly's needed to flee and go back to Gersius and explain the situation. Gedris even wondered if Gersius could come back and offer to fight the duel himself. Surely the emperor himself was a greater prize, but then she knew it was in vain. She had spent time in the southern tribe lands years ago. She knew how rigid and inflexible the people were as she tried to teach them about Ulustrah. In the end, they taught her about their ways, and she gave up.
“What am I going to do?” Lilly sighed. “I can't win the fight, and I can't run from it.”
“Ayawa and Two Crows will think of something,” Gedris offered. Maybe they would think of something. They were certainly still arguing about it. They were too far away for Gedris to make out what they were saying, but it was a heated debate.
“I thought I could use my blessings,” Lilly sobbed. “Now I have to run and guarantee a bitter pointless war or stay and be killed.”
“You can't stay,” Gedris urged. “If you stay, the war will come anyway. Your only choice is to go.”
Lilly shook her head and wiped at her eyes with the back of a hand. Gedris could see she was terribly upset at the idea of running, but what else could she do. Gedris tried to think of a solution, and suddenly one dawned on her. She knew the southern tribes well enough that they would gladly trade if a more tantalizing prize than Lilly was presented. The problem was going to be getting access to the prize.
“I have something I need to go do,” she said to Lilly as she got up. “Don't worry. I am sure a solution will be found before the duel.”
Lilly nodded silently, and Gedris ran off to find Ayawa and Tavis. She found them parting ways with Two Crows, and the looks on their faces was unhappy.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Two Crows and his people are leaving,” Ayawa said. “They don't approve of running, and if war does come, they won't abandon their families.”
“You mean they will fight against us?” Gedris gasped.
“He is going to take a long meandering route home,” Tavis sighed. “He hopes to avoid being involved, but he also won't stand by while dragons burn their lands.”
“How did this get so out of control?” Gedris gasped. “Lilly came here to forgive them and broker a peace, but somehow it turned into a nightmare.”
Ayawa pulled her into a hug and held her still for a long moment. She then explained that the traditions of the tribes and their long-standing beliefs about dragons were what was to blame. She even admitted to still feeling some of the same reservations. The last time men and dragons tried to mix, it was disastrous and led to devastation all across the land.
“It’s different now,” Gedris insisted.
“Is it?” Tavis asked. “It seems this enemy behind the Doan spoke to Sarah, and Numidel like you would have expected Solesta to speak. He called Sarah weak for mixing with humans.”
“But Sarah said it was a male voice,” Gedris insisted. “Solesta was a goddess.”
“Does it matter?” Ayawa sighed. “Dragons are mixing again, and an enemy has risen in opposition to it. Who knows where this is going to lead? Already the empire is using dragons to burn the lands west of us. Now they will likely come here and south, burning a land that never recovered from the first sundering.”
Gedris felt anguish to think of how terrible the situation had become, but she still had her idea and took Ayawa's hands.
“Could you beat Sahli ?” she asked.
Ayawa looked down with a stern expression and nodded slowly. “But she won't duel me, and I have no cause to demand she do so.”
Gedris licked at a lip and leaned in quickly to kiss her. She had a plan, but she hated putting Ayawa at risk to see it done. Still, she had seen Ayawa fight three trained assassins at once and come out unscathed. Surely she was the best knife fighter in the land.
“What was that for?” Ayawa asked.
“That was because I love you,” Gedris whispered back and pulled away. “I have something I want to do before we settle in to eat. I will be back in half an hour.”
“Girl, what are you planning?” Ayawa asked. “I can see that look in your eyes that says you are trying to sort out some idea.”
Gedris smiled to know Ayawa could read her so well. She turned away but looked over her shoulder with a smile. “I just want to ask Two Crows something before he leaves.”
“Well, you better hurry. I doubt he will be here by nightfall,” Ayawa replied and shooed her away.
Gedris ran in search of the powerful man who once tried to barter for her. He was the key to turning this situation around, but would he see reason, or worse, demand a payment?
She found him in a camp full of activity as tents were busily coming down all around him. With a deep breath, she approached and came to stand behind him.
“I want to talk to you,” she said.
He turned, and for a moment, those hard eyes bore into her but for only a moment. His face softened, and he looked like a man pleased to see her.
“What has finally brought you out to talk to me?” he asked.
“You can’t leave,” Gedris pleaded. “Lilly needs your help.”
“I cannot choose between my people and the empire,” he replied. “I have spoken to those who are with me, and they do not wish to fight our own people. Yesterday was bad enough.”
“You can put a stop to all that,” Gedris pleaded.
He looked her up and down as if she were hiding the secret behind her words. “Come, tell me what it is you seek. Do not keep me guessing.”
Gedris leaned in close and whispered over his shoulder so those nearby wouldn't hear what she was suggesting. She leaned back after she was done to see a stone-hard expression had returned to his face.
“No,” he said in a harsh tone.
“But it’s the only way!” Gedris cried louder than she had intended.
“This is not my fight, and I do not see why I should bear the burden of resolving it,” he replied.
“You heard what Ayawa said. The war will come no matter what happens. You are the only one who can change the outcome; you have to consider it.”
“And what of the cost to me?” he demanded. “What is my payment for this sacrifice?”
She looked at him with wide eyes and wondered just what kind of payment he wanted. When she was a rokki, he offered to buy her and never let the offer drop. Once Gedris fully married as a hunt wife, he finally relented, but his eye had ever favored her.
“I will never betray my family,” Gedris said in a shaking tone.
“Then you understand why we go to be with ours,” he said in a firm tone.
“Please,” Gedris begged. “It’s the only way to prevent a war.”
“She should never have accepted the duel,” he replied.
Gedris wanted to slap him for his stubborn nature but held her hand in check. “If she hadn't accepted it, the war would be on right now. She accepted because your people made it the only way to end the fighting. She believed she would be allowed to use her powers in the fight. They abused her ignorance of their ways to trick her into that challenge. They want to kill or abuse her just because they hold on to a five thousand year old grudge. Now you tell me if that’s being honorable.”
She saw him flinch at her harsh words, but he didn't answer, so she pressed her luck and laid the guilt on.
“We're talking about Lilly here. She is the kindest person I have ever known. She loves her family with all her heart and cares about people who don't deserve her attention. You have seen her run to heal others even before healing herself. She was sent here because she was the perfect choice to show forgiveness and compassion, but your people won't accept that. Your people see her nature as weakness and worse, a harbinger of another doom.”
“What is your point?” he demanded.
“Are you going to let that gentle, loving creature die? Or worse, be dragged away as a slave to have that loving nature tortured out of her. Are you going to be able to live with yourself knowing Lilly is being abused and beaten like an animal to satiate your people's pride?”
“Enough!” he shouted and turned away. “This isn’t our fight, and the price you ask is too high. We are leaving tonight, and though it sickens me to say it, your Lilly should leave too.”
Gedris knew better than to pursue him and let him walk away. She had failed, and Lilly would have to face the duel that would almost certainly lead to her capture. Gersius would never accept such an outcome and would come for her if Sarah and Thayle didn't get to her first. With head held low, she returned to the camp and sat beside Tavis, who detected her sour mood.
“Didn’t go as you expected?” he asked and tipped his hat up.
“No,” Gedris sniffed. “I tried to convince Two Crows to stay, but he doesn’t want to end up fighting his own people.”
Tavis reached over and put an arm around her to draw her in.
“Can you blame him?” he asked. “You lived in the south for a little while. You know how deeply their family bonds run.”
“It's for his family's sake he should have stayed,” Gedris sobbed. “They can't win a war with the empire, and Gersius will show them no mercy if they hurt Lilly.”
“Sarah will burn every forest to ash and leave the landscape barren for a thousand years,” Tavis added. “We need to run and come back with Gersius and an army. At least then we can fight a more limited war.”
“She doesn’t want to run because she’s afraid Two Crows is right. She doesn’t want animosity between the empire the south for a thousand years.”
Tavis rubbed her arm and let out a sigh. “They will probably remember it longer, teaching the offense to every generation like they do their hatred of dragons.”
“Ayawa doesn’t hate them,” Gedris said. “Maybe more of the others don’t as well.”
“Even if they didn’t, they couldn’t express their beliefs or risk being punished,” Tavis replied. “This is a culture that doesn’t tolerate reexamining their beliefs.”
“Ayawa was right then,” Gedris said as she wiped her eyes. “She had to escape them in order to grow. No wonder she ran away.”
“And they hate her for it,” Tavis reminded. “She can’t ever go home or see her family again.”
“We’re her family now, and Lilly is technically her daughter. There has to be something we can do.”
Tavis looked over to where Lilly sat against a tree with her head on her arms. He swallowed and told Gedris that for Lilly's sake, never let the tribespeople know Lilly is Ayawa's surrogate daughter. They would punish Lilly in Ayawa's place and make her life miserable.
“Lilly would never allow them to abuse her like that,” Gedris said. “She might agree to a surrender, but if they abused her, she would take her dragon form and fight back.” Tavis agreed and pointed out that once again, it would end with the tribes hating the empire for lifetimes to come.
“Those people are so stubborn!” Gedris shouted. “I heard Lilly say to Ayawa that dragons might have been helping them in the past. Ayawa also said she believed the answer to recovering their past would only be found by leaving the south and searching the land. Maybe they are both right, and those stupid people are so locked into their ways they can't heal.”
“They made their traditions and the system of passing them down to preserve what little they had left,” Tavis replied. “They are desperate to preserve what little they have left.”
“The only thing they are preserving is the anger they felt,” Gedris groaned. “And they see a chance to vent it on Lilly, the one dragon in all the world who would gladly help them.”
Tavis could do little to argue the point, and Gedris couldn’t be consoled anyway. She spent the next couple of days trying to talk Lilly into leaving. Lilly had come to believe she could negotiate her way out of this. She was an empress, after all, and the tribes needed to see her as one. Gedris knew it was folly, but the only chance for their salvation had run away. When the day finally came, Lilly summoned her armor but handed the sword of Balisha to Gedris. If she lost, Lilly didn't want the sword going to the southern tribes. Ayawa argued with Lilly for hours, urging her to fly west and find Gersius. She pleaded with Lilly, but the dragon was determined to resolve this conflict without bloodshed. When the time grew short, she changed to her dragon form and put on the saddle. They flew in silence until the meeting place came into view. Thousands of southern people were waiting in the field this time, forming a large ring into which Lilly landed. She quickly urged her riders down and removed the saddle before going through the change that made the people gawk. When the white smoke cleared, Lilly stood proud in her armor of Balisha, two narrow swords in her hands. She glared across the open ring to the woman who smiled on the other side, wearing only a slight leather dress and wrap.
“Lilly, we can do nothing to help you,” Ayawa said. “Please change back now and fly away.”
“I can’t,” Lilly replied and looked back to see the three faces of her friends. “I have to trust in Balisha and try to find a way to resolve this.”
“She doesn't want a resolution; she wants you,” Ayawa replied. “This was her plan from the moment she saw this human form.”
“Why are you stalling?” Sahli called from across the clearing. “Come, little dragon, and show us what the empire is made of.”
Lilly went to turn around, but Ayawa stepped forward.
“You are a monster and a shame to your people,” she called. “Lilly came here to forgive you and offer peace, and in return, you pay her in cruelty. She was chosen for this mission because she is kind and loving, and that is what the empire wanted to extend to you. If you go ahead with this duel, the empire will never look on you with anything but rage. You will make an enemy of a man who has shattered kingdoms and broken the walls of the unbreakable city. You will have nowhere to run or hide when his wrath comes, and it will come on the wings of dragons.”
“You have said your venomous words before,” Sahli cried. “If the empire will not honor our duel, then the empire has no honor, and we do not fear those with no honor.”
“You have no honor!” Ayawa shouted back. “She is ignorant of the ways of the south, and you used that to your advantage. You are about to bring a second ruin on our people so that you can satisfy your cruel nature here.”
“We are not your people!” Sahli corrected. “You are of no blood to us. You abandoned that right long ago. If there were any honor in taking your head, I would do it, but I will not soil my blades on the honorless.”
“Sahli,” Lilly called and stepped forward. “I don't want to fight you. I only wanted to find a way to peace. Many of your people fought at my side in the war to reclaim the empire. I thought if I brought one to speak to you, it would show we respect your culture. Please, let's find a peace that doesn't involve more blood.”
Sahli laughed and turned to the crowd calling Lilly a coward. “The empress is already begging for mercy.”
“You’re a fool!” Gedris shouted back. “Lilly is a dragon. She could have crushed you at any time and has no obligation to honor your wicked ways. She has done nothing but try to give you your life back because she is loving and kind. She knows that if you win this fight, the empire will come here and sweep the south clean. They have tens of thousands of soldiers and the power of the divines to call on. If you harm one hair on her head, you will doom your land to a war you can't win. She knows what will happen and is trying to spare you the devastation to come.”
“We have no fear of the empire,” Sahli shouted back. “We will not ignore the great sin of men and dragons blending their evil ways.”
“And what evil are you hoping to accomplish here?” Ayawa balked. “If she surrenders, will you treat her kindly? Will you show mercy? Or do you plan to humiliate her and break her spirit while you laugh like a mad animal?”
Sahli turned about in a rage and pointed a long knife at Ayawa. “You seek to provoke my anger in the hopes I will I duel you instead.”
“You don’t have the courage to challenge me,” Ayawa retorted. “You know I will win.”
“Enough!” came a gruff voice as one of the decorated men in the gathering stepped forward. “We, the leaders of the tribes, have refused to let her fight you,” he called. “You cannot represent the empire or its peoples. If they wish to be known as the dragon empire, then let the dragon, who is an empress, represent them. Let she who has come to demand we leave the lands we have already conquered prove her worth.”
Ayawa trembled in frustration as all eyes turned to Lilly. Gedris saw Lilly tighten her grip on the swords and step forward to meet Sahli in the middle.
“We have to do something,” Gedris whispered.
“The leaders of the tribes are behind this duel,” Ayawa replied. “Even if Sahli wanted to duel me instead, she couldn't.”
“Gersius is going to soak their lands in blood, so thoroughly your culture will be erased,” Tavis groaned.
“I will surrender in her place,” Gedris offered.
“What? Even if you could do such a thing, I wouldn't allow it,” Ayawa remarked.
“I am your hunt wife. That has to have some value to that cruel woman,” Gedris suggested.
Ayawa turned with her mouth fallen open and shook her head. “No, what she would do to you would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.”
“Lilly is your daughter,” Gedris whispered. “You may have fled your lands to escape their crushing oppression, but you still value their beliefs. You gave her your crown. She is as much blood to you as I am.”
“Gedris, stop,” Ayawa pleaded. “I would die to save Lilly from this trap, but I have no honor to the tribes. I have no way to make to them see me as the greater prize.” Even as she spoke the words, a shadow fell over them, and they looked up to see a stone-faced man standing before them.
“Two Crows!” Gedris cried with tears in her eyes.
He chewed on a word as he looked at the two women before him.
“Perhaps I can help you find a way to make the tribes listen to you again,” he said as his eyes fixated on Ayawa. He then handed her a bundle wrapped in animal furs before speaking again. “What is about to happen here will bring shame on all the peoples of our land. Hurry and stop this before we commit a sin that will never be forgiven.”
Ayawa quickly unwrapped his furs and gasped before looking into his eyes.
“They were always meant for you, but my pride would not allow me to see it,” he said.
“What changed your mind?” Ayawa asked in shock.
He smiled for once and gave a nod to Gedris. “Thankfully, you chose wisely when you picked your hunt wife.” He turned and walked away without another word as Ayawa carefully took the two items from the bundle.
“Come, little dragon,” Sahli purred as Lilly drew near.
“Sahli, please don’t make me do this,” Lilly begged. “I just wanted there to be peace between our lands.”
“There will be peace,” Sahli replied as she raised a blade. “I promised to end the fighting after the duel.”
“But it won’t end,” Lilly pleaded. “My loved ones will rage and come here with everything they can bring to bear on you. Please don't make them come here, negotiate with me as you should have.”
“If you are so afraid, then surrender, and I will take you as my rokki,” Sahli mocked.
Lilly shook her head, and suddenly there was motion. Sahli was quickly inside her reach even as Lilly tried to dance away. There was a quick stab, and Lilly stumbled away, bleeding from a leg where Sahli had cut between the plates. Sahli allowed her to stumble and regain her stance as she circled Lilly like a predator. Lilly raised her swords and launched an attack of her own, using the blade's reach and rapid pace to create a barrier. Sahli caught a sword with a knife and kicked out one of Lilly's legs. Lilly stumbled on her hurt leg and tried to keep up her defense. A second slash, and she was bleeding from a shoulder as Sahli stepped away to mock her.
“So this is the strength of the dragon empire?” Sahli laughed.
Lilly quickly came back to her stance and presented the blades, but suddenly there were shouts from the gathered crowd. She looked up to see a woman with long dark hair braided in a single rope walking toward the center of the circle. She wore a face that had death in her eyes as she strode toward the two combatants.
“You spoil the duel!” Sahli shouted as Ayawa drew closer.
“I have every right to intervene,” Ayawa shouted back and then turned to address the crowd. “You are about to commit a crime by murdering an emissary sent to you in love and peace. The empire sent you as clear a sign of their compassion as they could. A dragon, a high priestess, an empress, a mother, and a wife. She was sent to show you just how much respect they had for you, and look at the respect you have shown them back!”
“We are aware of all these things!” Sahli spouted in rage. “We do not care for a land that sends girls to do their speaking.”
“She isn't a girl,” Ayawa corrected. “She is a dragon, and she is showing you immeasurable respect by not only holding her dragon power in check but her divine power as well. She is the highest-ranking priestess of Balisha in the land and could kill you with but a quick prayer. Her dragon form could scatter this gathering and kill hundreds before you got away. But she so wants peace that she has restrained her great power to meet you as you demand.”
“Go away, banished one,” Sahli laughed. “Our course is set. You have no right to intervene.”
“I do have a right,” Ayawa said sternly and drew her weapons. Green blades came out of the sheaths at her side, causing Sahli to gape in awe.
“How do you have those?” Sahli gasped as she took a step back.
Ayawa smiled and held up the weapons for all to see.
“I carry the green briars, the blades of Sha’thalla the queen of the warrior maidens,” she shouted and turned about. “I will now speak for the empire in Lilly’s place and meet you with the same violence you have chosen to bring.”
“You have no claim to this fight,” Sahli said. “No blood at stake.”
Ayawa smiled and lowered her arms stepping between Sahli and Lilly.
“I do have a claim,” Ayawa replied and pointed one of the long, green blades her way. “Now, get away from my daughter!”
“Impossible!” Sahli shouted as the crowd around her erupted with murmurs.
“It’s true,” Gedris shouted above the crowd. “Ayawa gave her bridal crown to Lilly at her wedding to Gersius. She is Lilly’s bonded wed mother.”
Now the gathered crowd exploded into open calls and protests. Some people were against the idea of Ayawa stepping in. Others were calling for tradition to be upheld. It went on for several minutes until the same man who spoke up before called for quiet. He announced the leaders and elders had agreed that Ayawa had a claim to Lilly's blood. She could take Lilly's place in the duel, but if she lost, her weapons would be forfeit, and they would still take Lilly as a prize.
“Agreed,” Ayawa said and smiled wickedly at Sahli. “Come, child. It's time your petty anger caught up with you.”
There was a hush the swept over the clearing as the two women faced off. Gedris ran out to help Lilly limp away, and once clear, they turned to watch.
“Now I have cause to kill you,” Sahli spat at the two women glared at one another.
“I have killed some of the best hunters the tribes had to offer,” Ayawa replied as she remembered the pair of women known as the two crows. They were the namesake that Two Crows took his name from in his grief that he sent them after Ayawa, and they died. How ironic that he should be the one to turn this terrible situation around.
“I am the best warrior maiden in the whole of the land,” Sahli said and began to circle.
Ayawa smiled at the bold remark and replied in kind. “And I am the queen of the warrior maidens now.”
“You are not my queen!” Sahli shouted and rushed in. There was a flurry of blows as the two women locked in a deadly dance. The sound of metal striking metal echoed a dozen times before they parted and began to circle one another again.
“She managed to hold off Ayawa?” Gedris gasped as Lilly healed herself.
Tavis shook his head with a broad smile and tipped his hat low. “Ayawa is toying with her, letting her think she has a chance.”
The two came at one another again, the blows echoing in the wind as the two danced as if practiced partners. There was a wild cry from Sahli as she sliced high, but Ayawa stepped out of it without breaking her smile.
“Starting to feel it yet?” Ayawa asked.
“What am I supposed to feel?” Sahli barked and began to circle.
“That slow realization that you might not win,” Ayawa replied. “I will honor Lilly and her abundant love by giving you a chance to yield.”
“Never!” Sahli growled and the two locked in another flurry of cuts. It went on for nearly a full minute with sparks and ringing metal filling the air. When they darted apart, Sahli frowned in frustration and went to being her stalking only to pause. Her eyes went wide, and her face changed as she reached down to touch her thigh. The blood on her fingertips alerted her to the cut and made her look back to Ayawa, who waited patiently.
“Do you feel that?” Ayawa taunted as Sahli tensed. She lunged back into the battle, and the two once again danced with a flurry of cuts and slashes. Ayawa seemed the calmer dancer, flowing through the forms with practiced ease. The spectacle of blows made Gedris cringe as the crowd remained unearthly silent. They came apart for only a few seconds and lunged back at one another, eager to keep the dance going. A moment later, there was a cry of pain, and Sahli limped out of the fight. Ayawa lowered her arms as Sahli clutched one side, red seeping between her fingers.
“Yield,” Ayawa demanded. “This whole duel was pointless.”
“Never,” Sahli wheezed.
“You have proven your skill in battle,” Ayawa pressed. “You have nothing to gain by dying here.”
“I will not be beaten by you!” Sahli groaned and ignored the wound on her side. She came back to her stance and rushed in, knives leading the way. They locked in another flurry of cuts that ended seconds later by another cry of pain. This time Sahli dropped one of her weapons and staggered away, clutching at both sides as they ran red.
“This duel is over,” Ayawa announced as Sahli fell to her knees. She looked to the gathered assembly that remained silent as Sahli leaned over in pain to die. Somebody ran past Ayawa, and murmurs spread among the crowd as Lilly leaned over Sahli and began to sing.
Golden light flowed out of Lilly's hands to the sides of Sahli's body, knitting the skin together, and the tribes watched. There was a discussion among the leaders and elders as they pointed to what was happening. Ayawa stood silently by as Sahli swatted Lilly away and stood up. She didn’t even look back as she walked out of the ring, the crowd parting to let her go.
“Daughter, come here,” Ayawa called and brought Lilly to her side. She took Lilly into a full hug and held her tight as tears came to her eyes. “Don’t you ever agree to anything so stupid again,” Ayawa sobbed.
Lilly wrapped her arms around Ayawa and started to laugh and cry at the same time. “I only did it because I thought I could use my powers. I was sure I could hold her in a dragon's claw until she gave up, and nobody would have to be hurt.”
Ayawa laughed and cradled the back of Lilly’s head until Tavis and Gedris came to her side. She finally turned Lilly loose and turned her gaze on Gedris.
“So this is what you needed to talk to Two Crows about?” Ayawa asked as Gedris smiled.
“I know how your people think. I knew the knives would make them listen to you,” she replied.
“My clever hunt wife,” Ayawa said with a smile and turned when a voice called out from behind.
The leaders of the tribes stood in a line at the far side of the ring. Behind them were two dozen elders and wise women, all watching the display with blank faces. The same man who had spoken both times spoke up now, speaking as loudly as he could for all to hear.
“The duel is over, and the dragon empire has won. We will honor our terms and leave your lands in peace. So long as the dragon banner flies in your cities, we will not cross your borders again.” He paused and listened to an older woman who whispered in his ear for a moment. Then, with a nod to her, he looked back and continued. “We are not certain how we feel that a dragon is blood to you and thus to our people. But we have seen that this dragon is not what we believe they are. She is kind and forgiving and shows great mercy as well as bravery. She stood her ground even when she knew she could not win, then rushed to heal the one who had, moments before, wounded her. We have much to think about, and we go so that we might gather and consider what we have seen.”
“And what about me?” Ayawa asked.
The man stood tall and looked her up and down, his gaze finally coming to the bloody, green blades.
“For years, your name was spoken as an insult, and brave hunters boasted of going out to bring you back. You have been dead to us for a long time for refusing to follow our ways, but perhaps you were right. You said that the path back to what we once were could only be found outside our lands. Perhaps the earth mother herself has guided those blades to your hands to make us listen. You have come back with a sacred treasure and a dragon knit to your blood. Strange signs in even stranger times, but maybe it is time we did more than preserve our ancient grudges. I cannot speak for your tribe, and no elder of it is present in our gathering, but as for us here, you are welcome back.”
Ayawa nodded and sheathed her blades before pulling her family in tight, even Lilly. Silently the crowd filed away and headed south, leaving them alone in the clearing. The duel was over, and the peace was won, as was a new found respect for the family she had. Lilly had been brave, Gedris clever, and Tavis supportive of all her decisions. Together they flew into the sky, a family united by struggle and tests of faith. Together they would report the happy news that the war with the tribes was over.
