Marius's Point of View794Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7jyrUkNbi
I squinted my eyes, looking up at the massive keep that was built, nestled among the jagged rocks of the Isthmus. Spikes were built along the walls, where decayed bodies lay. I looked at Veran.794Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT7SeOsH45
"Quite the place they have here."794Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZ6SkrjFkv
"Indeed. Can't help but to get a bad feeling, honestly," Veran sighed, and urged his horse forward. "Might as well get going."
"Aye."
At the gate, the guard was drinking. It seemed the guards weren't very professional around here.
"Welcome to Moorehelm, travelers! By the grace of our lord Gurkon, no tax will be charged on this eve! He extends an invitation to you as well to the great feast in honor of his daughter's wedding."
"Seriously?" Veran asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Why, of course! This night will be one to remember! If you don't drink too much." The guard laughed. His laugh was obnoxious, and it took every ounce of willpower I had to not visibly cringe at him.
We continued on afterwards, entering the massive courtyard. The sounds of music playing could be heard. Some people were in the courtyard, laughing and drinking. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a slender, scaly figure. My gaze snapped over, and my hand came to the hilt of my blade.
In the corner, were a pair of naga, talking in varying tones of hisses. After a moment, one looked over. His slitted eyes narrowed. He looked back at his companion, hissed something, and then slowly started to slither over.
I pried my fingers free from the hilt of my blade, and looked back at Veran. His expression was blank. But in his eyes, I could see the fires of hatred. I'm sure anyone could see the same in my eyes.
I looked back to the naga now that it was close enough. Its friend had also approached. Their crimson scales glimmered in the late afternoon sunlight.
"Greetingsss, travelersss," the Naga said, his tone hinted with sarcasm. "I do hope you're sstaying for the wedding, yesss? The more the merrier, as I'm ssure Gurkon would put it."
"No, we certainly will not be staying. We have places to be."
"Do you? Ssurely they can wait, hmm?" The naga looked back at his friend, who grinned up at us, revealing rows of jagged teeth. "It iss late in the day. Night time is far too dark for you to be traveling yesss?"
"We can just as easily camp among the rocks. We're not interested in staying here." I shifted in my saddle, looking around at the few individuals present in the courtyard. What was wrong with these people? Allowing naga in their home like this? I looked back to the naga. "What brings you two on shore anyhow? Last I checked, many of your kind were keen on committing genocide against the Human race as a whole."
"Oh, yesss, that." The naga waved his hand dismissively. "You know what they ssay. Timesss change." The two naga looked at each other and laughed, before their attention returned to us. "Well. Not completely. We would sstill ssee the empire to the ssouth ssmashed to bitsss. Lord Gurkon makesss a good ally though. He hasss admirable qualitiesss."
"Ho there, travelers!" A gravelly voice drew our attention to the balcony off to our right. An older man with long, scraggly grey hair stood, a golden crown with spikes shooting outward rested atop his head. I was going to take an educated guess and say that was Lord Gurkon. "Welcome, welcome! I invite you to come inside! Have yourself some mead and fill your bellies!"
I looked down at Veran. "In hindsight, I think we might stay." He looked back at me, his brows furrowed. I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to tell him through a look alone that this was necessary. If the naga truly were making an alliance with Gurkon, I needed to know the details of it.
"That's great! The stables are back that-a-way." Lord Gurkon pointed across the courtyard, where there was a passageway leading into the stables.
After we handed our steeds off to the stableboy, I pulled Veran aside and explained to him the weight of the situation.
"Suppose it does make sense. I am not excited to go sharing a table with those slimy buggers." Veran's lip curled in blatant disgust.
"Just think. A civil war is coming for Alderas, Veran," I began. "If the naga are willing to go this far, to make a pact with other men in order to take us out, then they could prove to be an issue when the real fight begins."
"You're right. But of all ways to make a pact with them... By the gods." Veran shuddered. "I feel so sorry for that poor girl."
"So do I."
We made our way into the lord's hall, where long tables were set up. An equal number of naga with various different colors of scales and men were in the room, all partying, drinking, eating. In a balcony over the hall, two bards sat, one playing a lute, the other a harp. They were quite good.
At the table in the back, sat a pretty blond girl with a tiara of sea shells. She was smiling and laughing. Next to her, sitting on his coiled up tale, was a golden-scaled naga. Bigger than the average naga. Leaning against the wall next to him was an obsidian trident.
The crimson-scaled naga from earlier slithered up next to me.
"That is Ssakesh. He hass led quite a few raidss against thosse pessky ssouthernersss." The naga paused to take a sip from the mug he had in hand. "I am ssure that information bringsss you much joy, yesss? I hear they recently laid wasste to the Northerlandss."
My brows furrowed in confusion for a moment. Then it dawned on me. we came from the north. He must have assumed we were from there too. I figured it was in my best interest to play along.
"Ah, yes. Pesky southerners indeed." Veran looked back at me, and I nodded at him. He shook his head, and went off to find himself a drink. I turned my attention back to the naga, clasping my hands together at the base of my back. "What would your ilk even gain from making an alliance with Gurkon? I hear he is a fickle fellow."
"Once thisss alliance is forged, we will be allowed a pressence on the Issthmusss. We will be allowed to determine who passsess through ssafely. In return, we have promissed Gurkon a third of all the treasssure we might find." The naga took another drink from his mug. "We will alsso be aiding each other in any future military campaignss to come."
I looked around at the fellow humans present. They were glorified guardians of a door, at best. What did the naga truly have to gain from this alliance? Why did they care who passed through the Isthmus?
"And why a marriage? Of all things to seal an alliance with?"
"Well. It isss common for your people to forge alliancesss through marriage, hmm? And asss it sso happened, Gurkon wasss looking to marry off hisss daughter."
"I hope you lot didn't forget. We can't breath underwater."
"Oh, of courssse not! Sshe will be blessed with gillsss and a tail tonight, when the full moon isss at her highesst." I peered at the naga. I had never heard of a Human being blessed with such things.
"What are you talking about?"
The naga shrugged. "I ssupposse you and your friend will have to sstay and find out, hmm?"
"I suppose I will." As much as I didn't want to, and as much as Veran would be displeased to have to spend the night here, I was curious to see how this whole blessing ordeal was going to occur.
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