A Traveler's Tale

=== Prologue ===
POV: Omniscient
A boy as young as nine is pushed onto a pedestal along with two others, the hot sun beating down on his badly bruised back. The remnants of his clothes were soiled with ash, dirt, and traces of blood, yet despite his condition he kept looking at the people below him while they yelled out words he assumed to be numbers. Soon the people's gaze turned to him, he returned it with a gaze his father gave him when watching him train, a look of emotionless observation. The room quickly erupted once again as a man with a plump belly and a handful of rings tried to hear their prices clearly, soon someone called out a price that obviously sent everyone into shock. The boy watched the exchange of money and the keys to his chains. The person who bought him held his arm to bring him down from the pedestal. His buyer asked a question, he didn't understand so he assumed he asked for his name. 
"Ajis" 
The buyer looked at him with interest and said something in his language 
"Ajis" 
The life of Ajis would change for better and for worse
=== Chapter 1 ===
POV: Ajis
More than five years have passed since I've bee bought and I'd totally grown since then, learning the culture and language of the people that surrounded me, though my name to the locals was technically Ajis, my nickname among them was Maskouta, meaning 'one who doesn't speak' and it was well deserved, I never really spoke to people unless he was spoken too, and even then if I could nod or shake my head I'd do that rather than speak. I saw my Master approaching, I quickly bowed my head in respect, he stopped in front of me and placed his hand on my head 
"Rest easy Ajis, five years you stayed and mistreatment never came to you from me" I looked up and he was smiling down at me, he had quite the tall stature, towering over most people. 
"Respect comes to those who are deserving of it" I respond, raising my head 
He smiled widely and chuckled "You've always been like this" he said quietly "Ah Nizaar wants to spar with you, he said he'll never stop challenging you until you admit he's better" and with that he walked away. I felt a small smile creep across as I went to the courtyard 
"Blessed is my life" I thought to myself "I may be a servant, but its not the worst thing that could happen... to me at least" I mumble 
As I walk towards the courtroom to spar with Nizaar once again (this is the 4th time he asked this week) I feel the strangest feeling I'm being followed, before I could turn around person obviously older than me by a couple years covers my eyes, from behind me I hear a smooth feminine voice 
"Guess who" 
"Please release your hands form my face" 
"Ajis, I said guess who" 
"Najwa, please release your hands from my face" 
"Fine, Fine" 
After Najwa uncovers my face I turn around to see a woman a little bit taller than me, wearing a silly grin on her face 
"I have places to be Najwa." 
"Like what?" 
"Your brother wants to spar with me... again" 
Her face turned into a frown. 
"I really wished you both would stop, I'm tired of patching you both up" 
"We won't have bruises... or at least a lot of them" 
"Last time you said that you both fell unconscious" 
"you know you love taking care of us, it and besides it helps keep you busy" I said teasingly
she chuckled "The more she laughs, the sooner I can leave" I don't hate her or anything, but the ways we show affection are different, she'll hug you and I'll not think about slapping you, completely different. Eventually, I tell her I need to go.
"You choose fighting my brother over spending time with me"
I stare at her with a deadpan expression
"Well to put it simply, yes"
"But whyy" she said throwing a fake tantrum that annoyed me to the ends of the earth
"How about this, after I fight Nizaar, we'll go into town and stay around each other"
She smiled widely
"Deal!" she exclaimed
And with that I turned around and continued to the courtyard. Once I get there, I find Nizaar polishing his leather armor.
"Took you long enough" He said irritably
"Your sister is very affectionate" I say
"You know she's like that" he responds 
"Remember when you got hurt from me hitting your arm?" I ask with a hint of smug arrogance
"That's hardly an excuse" he replies handing me a training sword
"Can we begin already?" I ask, I'm already tired of this
"Are you ready to lose?"
"Ask yourself that first, then ask others"
Nizaar charged at me, his sword aimed right at my torso. I aim my sword downward, deflecting his sword away from me and I swung my arm around and smacked the side of his head, he recovered quickly, swinging his sword into my shin. 
I feel as if time slowed to a near stop, I then feel a sudden feeling of anger that burned stronger than a blue flame, I let my sword push Nizaar's sword away just enough that he leaves his head unguarded. 
=== Chapter 2 ===
Nizaar lost. There wasn't much blood, he forgave me because this stuff happens but, I can't help but feel a little guilty when I think about it.
"Aaajiiss" I heard her voice and immediately looked for a place to hide in my room, I mean yeah sure I promised Najwa I'd hang out with her afterwards, but I thought she would have forgotten about it after the sparring match. As I hear her nearing, I give up on hiding anywhere and accept my fate of indirect socialization.
"Remember our deal?"
"Yes, yes, and I regret it all"
"You act like having fun is a bad thing"
"No, being around you is a bad thing"
"You haven't killed me yet"
"Key word being 'yet'"
"Get up, get dressed, we're going out" She said in a suddenly serious tone
I feel chills run up my spine as I nod my head in response
"I turn to you O Infinite Graceful One, to ask for your protection, from all evil that may cross me" I pray silently as I dress in my clothes, good enough for people to know I am protected, but humble enough to let people know my rank within the community "A slave" I never liked the word. I walk out of my room grabbing a (real) sword and make my way to the entrance.
My master and Najwa said a short prayer (I assume for protection), My master then turned to me and placed his hand on my head and sword and says "With this mind your will protect her allowance" I couldn't help but chuckle at this, but he continued "And with this sword you shall protect her as well as yourself if The Supreme allows misfortune to befall you" I step back, put my hand over my chest, and bowed my head. "I shall" and with that my master bid us farewell and Najwa dragged me away from her large house and towards the Market. I inhale deeply and prepare myself for a long boring time.
=== Chapter 3 ===
My eyes squint as the bright noon sun hits my eyes, once they adjust, I pull away from Najwa and walk alongside her.
"You can't even let me hold on to you?" Najwa asked
"I would if you were crippled" I respond "besides, it would be bad for your family if someone saw you hold onto me like that"
"We aren't even at the market yet"
"I just want to avoid problems"
"You need to tell those boys to leave you alone"
"Yeah because it always worked well every other time"
"Well, if talking won't work did you try fighting them?"
"And risk getting punished by a bunch of their relatives because, 'Our sons are honorable members of the Bani Bangura Clan, they would never hit the slave of another master'"
Najwa sighed
"You're such a pessimist Ajis"
"If that is pessimism then you're more delusional about the world than I am"
"Ah, so you admit you're perception of reality could be wrong"
"Yes, but yours would be worse" I say with a soft smile
"I want to go to the market as quickly as possible" Najwa said excitedly
"Why exactly?"
"A shop opened up a couple days ago that gets its jewelry from the Kingdom of Usnana in the northern mountains" she says
"What do they sell?"
"Some of the most beautiful pieces of gold and silver I have ever seen, the craftmanship of it all is so pretty it makes our finest clothes look like a commoners"
"Interesting" I say half listening
Soon enough we arrive at the Market, and pretty much instantly make a beeline towards the new shop, I have to admit, those pieces of jewelry were beautiful, I liked this one silver ring with emeralds embedded in it and a large turquoise around it.
"You like that one" Najwa asked
"Yeah, it feels powerful too" I respond
"Your feelings are correct" the shopkeeper heard us talking "In Usnana, the natives of the area all regard turquoise, as a special material, they believe that it grants strength to the wearer, all stuff of legends"
"How much for it?" Najwa asked
"30 gold coins, 90 silver, or 120 copper"
I start walking off when I see Najwa fish through her bag and pull out a handful of silver coins
"This should be enough"
I watch in a mixture of shock and horror as she takes the ring and gives it to me
"No no no I can't take that"
"Its a gift from me to you"
In the native religion if someone gives you a gift it's improper to not accept it
"It would be improper"
"Oh hush up about propriety, it is perfectly fine" She says as she forces it in my hand
"You're a new couple aren't you" the shopkeeper says smugly
Me and Najwa blush at this 
"No no I'm a slave to her family" I never thought I would feel happy to use my status as an escape
"The Mystics like to sing about illicit love"
I lean in close to him
"I will pay you to shut up"
He was about to respond when collection of drums being beat vertebrates throughout the city
I look up at the sky, a small group of dragons make their way over to the city
"We've got to go"
The shopkeeper pushes his goods inside a mud brick house
I quickly put on the ring Najwa gave me, grabbed her hand and started running, most people were already hiding and the Janissary Corps rushed towards the walls, their unsheathed swords blinding me, I turn to Najwa.
"Go home and tell every one that I'll be back at the mansion"
"Where are you going?" She asked worriedly
"This stuff doesn't happen everyday Najwa, don't worry I'll be-"
I was cut off by someone screaming at me
"HAMZA, GET TO THE WALL" a strong hand grabbed my arm and dragged me into the crowd of Janissaries.
=== Chapter 4 ===
I guess however grabbed me failed to see or feel my lighter presence as I had no armor, or the fact that I had a sword, and would be useless on the wall, or walls really. There were two walls, the first one was shorter, about 11 meters high, and livable if anyone fell due to the slanted base, used mostly for bowmen and crossbowman. The second wall was for catapults and ballista shooters, it rose to about 19 meters high, most people would die if they fell from there. Someone must've saw my lack of a bow and shoved a bow and a quiver of arrows in my hands. After I put the quiver around my waist I see a shadow pass over us, squinting into the sky, I see a shape soar across the sky, stopping mid-air at our walls, I assume to attack. 
"LOAD!" a commander bellows for us to load our projectiles. 
"STEADY!" another, I load my bow and kneel like the people beside me are doing. 
The dragon seems to smirk, and throws a cactus at the wall, people dodge as it lodges itself into the wall. 
The dragon blew a small but fast flame, and it hits the cactus 
"MOVE, MOVE!" people yelled as they moved out the way, trampling over each other. I was carried away with a crowd of Janissaries, then 
"BOOOM!" A large blast hurls me and many others away, some being killed instantly from the needlelike thorns, being pushed into them. Dirt flys into my eyes as the thorns stick them in my body, one giving me a gash on my face. I'm practically sliding against the wall so I take out my sword and push it into the wall, and watch in a mix of horror and laughable idiocy, then I feel a blunt pain on my back, and start falling straight down, despite my injuries I time my fall to begin rolling at the slanted base. 
"Thank the creator I'm still alive" I think to myself before (painfully) dragging my bleeding self away from the chaos, I quickly realize that I need to get to my feet. I painfully pick myself up and begin blindy walking into the desert, I think I hear a whisper, prehaps from the battle as by now I am a considerable distance away. "Come to meee" it says. 
"Yeah that's not suspicious at all" I think to myself, "And yet I walk towards it" I cannot even imagine what could happen by then, I guess the blood took its toll, I black out. 
=== Chapter 5 ===
I awaken because a horse stands above me and it spits water in my face, I fully look at my surroundings and realize.
"You have water" I say to the horse, it chuffs in reply "and it's nighttime" I think to myself.
"Can you lead me" I ask, feeling pretty stupid asking a horse to lead me to something.
The horse chuffs again, almost making me feel like its making fun of me, and starts walking away.
"Hey! I asked for help, was it not polite enough?"
The horse flicked it's tail at me, and almost immediately I stand up, momentarily forgetting about the pain, but I decide to push through.
The oasis wasn't as far as I expected, but nevertheless, I dunk my head underwater drinking as much as I could.
"I wasn't even in the desert for long" I think to myself, mentally laughing at my own dramatic self.
Finally a thought hits me like a brick as I pull the needles out of me.
"My Master! I completely forgot about them all"
"How?" A little voice says to me "You've been stuck with them pretty much your entire life"
"Shut up" I rebut
"Hey no one can blame you" It says sassily "Freedom is a natural human urge"
I pause at that, after all these years of practically being apart of the family, am I really willing to just leave all that behind, what would they say if I come back?
"Hey don't ask me, I'm just here to make you second guess everything you do"
I look at the horse "What do you think I should do?"
The horse neighs and rears back, nodding its head towards the desert
"Really? You think I should take the chance?"
The horse chuffed (and I could swear it shrugged) 
I stand up "Well, I go where you go, I have no idea what's out there, and my sword is broken so, I guess if we do this, you're saying you'll protect me until I get something"
The horse nods it's head and turns it's saddle towards me "First, lets see where you came from" I get on it and it takes off.
Right towards a plume of smoke
Chapter: 6
WIP
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)