The Wildlands (working title)

Chapter 4 - Tiya

The road to Hiren was long and boring. While most of the people escorting her were walking, Tiya was on horseback. Good decision, since the salchan settlement wasn't only far away, but it had also been built high in the mountains. The farther they traveled, the stranger the landscape became. They saw dense bushes, flowery meadows, large fields covered in dry grass, and eventually even pine trees. At least the changing landscape made the journey somewhat interesting. But after a while even that became boring.

So Tiya just sat on her horse, listening to the gentle jingling of the metal adornments she wore all over her body. aT some point she entertained the idea of encouraging her followers to sing a traditional janti song to keep their spirits up, but drawing too much attention was always a bad idea on the road. No matter which corner of the Wildlands one traveled to, all kinds of danger awaited. And most kinds had ears. Like bandits and monsters. Earthquakes on the other hand didn't care whether the people sang and danced or hid in the shadows. Those were the worst kinds; when nature itself set out to destroy you. There was no negotiating with nature.

Eventually they could see signs of habitation. The noises of sheep could be heard in the distance, there were old rotting fence posts amongst the trees, and horse shit on the path ahead. After a while Tiya spotted straw rooftops in the distance. She took a slow, deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of the forest, and focused her mind on the task ahead. Two riders awaited them on the road. Both were atop black horses, they wore their salchan wide-brimmed hats, loose blue pants and black vests. One had two axes on their side, the other had a rolled up whip. The guards leading the caravan stopped and Tiya rode up to the front at a casual pace.

She gave a welcoming smile to the two riders. "Greetings to you, great salchan warriors," she said with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Good day to you as well, madam," one of them, a lighter skinned man with a long moustache, said. "We appreciate you sending word before your arrival. As long as you truly arrive with no ill intentions, we are willing to listen to your proposal."

"As I promised in my message, I only came to talk. I have an offer in mind that I think will benefit us both."

"Don't take this the wrong way, good madam," the other rider, a woman with long dark braids spoke up, " but you brought a lot of guards for someone who's only plan is to have a conversation."

Tiya closed her eyes for a moment and smiled sweetly. "Your observation is not wrong, vigilant warrior. The journey from Marentra to Hiren is quite long and even more dangerous. I am merely trying to be vigilant, just as you are. The guards are for my own protection, but since we are about to have a peaceful discussion, I've prepared a bag in which each guard of mine except for two will place their weapons for the time of the negotiation."

The two riders looked at each other then nodded. "So be it," the man said. "Then I will ask you to collect your weapons now, before we enter the village."

"Naturally," Tiya smiled then gave a wave to one of her guards to do as agreed. Once all the daggers were collected in the bag, the riders led them into the village itself.

Hiren was a small settlement. The houses were enough for maybe eight families. The villagers all gathered in the center, around the janti group. Based on their reactions, some of them might not have seen a janti person before. Children híd behind their mother's skirts, others pointed at the vibrant colored wraps and the many metallic adornments the travelers wore. Tiya slowly rode into the centre of the village and turned toward the locals with a reassuring smile on her face.

"Villagers of Hiren," she said to them. "My name is Tiya Ikandra, or Tiya the Radiant. I have been blessed by the gods and the people to be the ruler of a city called Marentra. I have come to speak with you, but I didn't travel all this way empty handed."