Chapter 5 - Lanna and the Kingdom of Waters

For this chapter, I preferred to lend my pen to one of the story's protagonists. By my very nature, I can't adequately convey the emotions aroused by this appalling part of our history.
Year 731 after the Four Continents conquest
Tavern of the Forgotten, Kingdom of Itlan (Juzil)
Lanna, heir to the Kingdom of Waters
I was getting a taste for the emerged land. I think I'd even stopped missing water altogether. I had acquired a certain position in the Alliance and Marnordir had trusted me completely since DursTor. I had finally found my place.
That night, I left the Tavern of the Forgotten where I had met Shania, who had just returned from Lymronia, to listen to her account of the situation within the Empire. Maximillien, the son of Daryen, had just been crowned emperor. We parted at the gate and I took the path to the palace of Gar'Awall, where I was staying in Juzil thanks to my rank. I'm heir to the Kingdom of Waters which covers all the oceans of our world.
I walked fast because I was cold. That's why I didn't notice him right away. Then, his huge shadow loomed over the snow. A shiver ran through me at first, as it always does, then relief replaced the discomfort. Vagabond. His real name is Declan. He is the leader of the Knight of Shadows.
"So we follow young girls through deserted streets at night?" I said to him.
He did not laugh. He didn't throw any of his mockery at me. I approached him and was struck by his gaze. Even when we were facing the worst dangers in DursTor’s palace, he never looked at me that way. Death. Only she could give him that sinister look.
"What's going on?" I asked. "Your brother, Ilas," he said simply. "Wha... what, Ilas?" The Vagabond's expression became even more serious. "Say it!" I shouted. "Sorry Lanna..." "Say it out loud!" "Ilas is dead."

I don't remember much of what happened next, apart from the pain which was tearing my heart apart and the sound of Declan's voice. Eventually I landed at Gar'Awall's palace. There, Declan explained what had happened to my wonderful twelve-year-old brother.
Maximilien, the new emperor of Sayosia had not accepted his father's death and the ever-growing power of the Alliance of Marnordir. He had decided to immediately set the tone.
He gathered together a thousand children from the Four Continents whom his army had captured. These thousand children, chosen at random, ended up in Kel-Nazir, the capital of the Empire, where they were slaughtered in front of the emperor and a tense crowd. That morning, at dawn, Ilas left for school on Juzil's land. Among water elves, tradition dictates that families send their children to study on land from the age of ten. The royal family is no exception.
Ilas was alone on his way to school, when a Sayosia soldier grabbed him and tied him to a dragon with five other children.
The journey to Kel-Nazir took just a few minutes, thanks to the dragons' magic. Once in the capital, an official ceremony announced to the people what was going to happen, then, without delay, the army executed all the children. The shocked crowd tried to revolt, but the army killed the "unruly" people. Many perished as an example, and the population resigned itself.
In any case, it was certain that no one recognized my brother, Ilas, Son of Mylena, Queen of the Kingdom of Waters amongst the group of children.
Declan had to explain what had happened a good ten times before I reacted, which I did by vomiting on his boots. Then I asked him why. Why did Maximilien kill my brother? As he went to clean himself up, I was answered by the Gar'Awall king, whose presence I hadn't noticed:
"He did this to attract Marnordir's attention. To earn respect. This raving lunatic is even more rotten than his father." "How can you be sure that my brother is dead? Has he really disappeared? Maybe he only left school to return to the sunken palace. Maybe he..." "Your mother has seen it," the king interrupted me gently. "She first sensed his panic thanks to her bond with the two of you, so she sent a message to your brother's housekeeper on the mainland and another to his school. Then she consulted a Turtle of the Ages, who showed her what Declan has told you. The housekeeper and the school confirmed Ilas' disappearance. Shortly afterwards, Imperial messengers circulated leaflets about the massacre."
I started to cry. If I still harbored any hope, it was destroyed by the words of the King of Itlan. A Turtle of the Ages never lies.
"That's not all," continued Gar'Awall as Declan sat back down beside me, clean, if still a little stinky. "We have to get to your mother's palace. The Empire is weak, it no longer has an Initiate under its control, which means that, soon, the Daryen heir won't have enough Spells to fight us. Maximilien killed those children to attract the attention of Marnordir and all his allies, and he succeeded, so he can get his real message across, which is this..." Gar'Awall took a parchment bearing Sayosia's seal from his pocket and read:
"Hear ye, hear ye, peoples of Sayosia of the Four Continents, a thousand children have perished and more will perish if order is not restored. The Mage Marnordir and his infamous magic vitiated the heart of the Empire until my father, the great Daryen of the Saya dynasty, was cowardly murdered by one of his dogs. I, Maximilien, Emperor of Sayosia, announce today that in one week to the day, if Marnordir and his allies do not surrender to the Sayosia Guard here in Kel-Nazir to be tried for high treason, I will have a thousand children killed every day until they all surrender...And so it goes on," added Gar'Awall. "He also lists his allies: Wersteimer Knight of Ices, Leader of the Ice Knight clan; Declan Knight of Shadows, Leader of the Knight of Shadows clan; Mylena Queen of the Kingdom of Waters and, of course, the four princesses of Lymronia and Aodh the Initiate."
Gar'Awall folded and put the parchment away in his pocket. We set off within the hour for the sunken palace, Declan the Knight of Shadows, Gar'Awall the Loner King and myself, Marnordir's first female warrior and heir to the Kingdom of Waters.
I was so enraged and torn by my brother's death that I didn't realize we'd arrived on the coast of Juzil until Declan threw me into the water.
"I'm sorry, but you weren't responding. We need transportation, please," he said as I snorted. "I'll call a killer whale." And so I did. Shortly afterwards, a huge killer whale arrived. He recognized me immediately. "Hello, Your Highness, it's an honor for me to accompany you today, wherever you're going." "Hello, we're going to the palace, thank you." We entered the orca, and it began its descent into the depths. We saw the light fade through the animal's transparent skin as we reached the abyss. "I hope we don't run into that dirty Faceless Rider," Declan declared as we passed a sea horse. "The Faceless Rider?" asked the ruler of Gar'Awall. "Who is it?" "I think it's some kind of water spirit, isn't it, Lanna?" "Indeed," I replied, not really concentrating on the conversation. "I think it's a vengeful or jealous spirit. Or a prankster..." Declan hesitated. "I can't remember, but it's said to haunt the ocean floor in search of food. No one has ever survived an encounter with him. He has no face and can't eat. His hunger is such that the monster he rides on devours every living thing he comes across. In time, these two... horrors became one." "This is a legend," says the King of Itlan. "No, it really does exist, doesn't it, Princess?" asked Declan. "hmm, hmm..." I mumbled, lost in thought. "See!" "Well, how can we be sure it exists if everyone who comes near it dies?" "Uh... I've never thought about it... But there's certainly an explanation!" frowned Declan.

We arrived, quite early for my liking, at the sunken palace. One idea kept popping into my head and I didn't have enough time to come up with a plan. I was going to have to improvise and I didn't like that. To my great relief, we avoided the usual lengthy protocol due to the urgency of the situation. When we entered the throne room and I saw my mother's icy, determined expression, I nearly collapsed. I'd never seen her like that. It was as if she were dead inside. I bowed as best I could and took my place beside her.
The Knights of Ices were already there, surrounding their leader Wersteimer. They had arrived shortly before. Kallan Marnordir and his Initiates arrived a few minutes after us. All the kingdoms and clans targeted by Maximilien soon found themselves under the underwater protection of the Kingdom of Waters, unattainable for any enemy with a non-aquatic constitution. Missing from the scene were the disgraced Aodh and the four princesses of Lymronia, still under the spell of the Chasse-temps curse, but represented by an over-armed delegation.
They engaged in long and tedious political conversations, which captured everyone's attention as they determined the best defense strategy to adopt against the Empire. “These monkeys have gone too far”, said one, “only a massive revolt will stop them!” "I agree," said the other, "but people have been under their yoke for so long that they're impossible to convince!"
I slipped into one of the sprawling corridors at this point in the proceedings. No one had paid any attention to me for a long time. I didn't miss such an opportunity and sneaked out of the palace. To this day, I think I behaved like a fool, but I was young and my little brother had just died. I don't think I would have been able to react otherwise anyway. In any case, you can't rewrite history, and I played my part, good or bad.
I now had a mission to accomplish and I was ready to die for it. I swam as fast and as far away from the palace and its surroundings as possible. I wandered into a forest of water trees far enough off the beaten track not to run into anyone. I rummaged in the sand for a sharp stone or piece of shell. A list of simple tasks began to form in my head and I carried them out without question. I couldn't face what was happening, but I could find a sharp object without too much difficulty.
I found a very sharp piece of shell and cut my hair very short with it. I buried the locks in the sand to leave no trace. I then swam for an indeterminate time to the shore. There, I surfaced and climbed out of the water. Then I watched for the right moment to complete the third task on my list. Finally, I entered a wealthy household and stole a pair of men's clothes almost my size.
I dived back into the underwater depths to a small cave not far away. I slipped in and changed. I bandaged my chest and buried my jewelry. A little twist widened my chin and nose and transformed the bluish pallor of my skin into a thoroughly Sayosian complexion. My mother's sirens were probably already out looking for me, so I wasted no time in swimming south as fast as I could. I strayed from the more frequented seafront paths and passed through watery forests and abandoned creeks. I avoided towns and villages and never met anyone. After two hours, I stopped to rest.
The trip lasted a day, so I had to keep my strength up. I hadn't realized I'd strayed so far from civilization, and the more I swam, the less I recognized my surroundings. It didn't take long before I was totally lost. Soon I was wandering on the edge of a strange, uninhabited abyss. I panicked. How was I going to accomplish my mission on land, if I couldn't find my way back under the ocean? I spun around in a suffocating circle, overwhelmed by despair. I fainted.
I opened my eyes to a mother-of-pearl ceiling, worn by time. I was lying on a bed. I sat down. At least I was still underwater. Unfortunately, my glamourous looks had disappeared during my loss of consciousness and my face was no longer masculine.
A soft voice hummed. I straightened up as a middle-aged water elf entered the room. "You're awake, sweetheart! Good, I made crab!"
Her voice was really soft, and if I hadn't seen her elf ears, I'd have thought she was a mermaid. The lines of her face were as if blurred, and I found it hard to take a long look at her.
"Thank you, but I really must go! Thanks for taking me in, but I'm fine now, so I'll be going." "You can't leave like that, we haven't eaten yet," she said firmly, her voice suddenly hard. "I'm sorry to be so discourteous, madam, but I must leave immediately. I don't have anything to thank you for, but I'll be back with gold as soon as I can. Can you tell me how to navigate the coastline now, please?"
The elf stood between me and the door as if she were a match for my powers. "I don't think so, honey," she said.
I waved her away and stormed out. I arrived, to my amazement, not in the room next to the one I'd woken up in, but in a gigantic web of silk threads. I turned sharply and instead of a door, a room or a house, there was a gigantic monster. The water elf had disappeared. Instead, a huge rider wrapped in a big black cape was riding the most repulsive, slimy, tentacled creature I'd ever seen.
"I said we haven't eaten yet!" cried the monster in a low, dissonant voice.
I searched in vain for a way out. My feet were tangled in the web and the more I wriggled, the tighter the lines became. What a stupid idea it was to seek revenge! Lanna, the loner vigilante for ten minutes and soon to be dead!
Under his hood, I perceived the absence of his features. It was the Faceless Rider and I was going to die. Everyone knew you couldn't survive the Horseman.
The mind is sometimes curious, I find. At that moment, as my end was fast approaching, I could only think of one thing: how did this abomination manage to speak without its mouth? I knew that our world was ruled by magic, but this explanation wasn't enough for me. I was fascinated by this creature.
"I'd like to ask you a question," said the Horseman in his gruff voice. "Did you find my benevolent elf act convincing? I've been training for a long time now and I just can't get used to it, there's something wrong." "The pretty voice, it's weird. Mermaids have a golden organ. We make do with our powers," I said, crackling my fingertips in a pitiful attempt to impress him. "And the glamour didn't hold up very well: the face was blurred.” "Ah! The face!" he said. "It's always the same problem... And the voice! I knew it wasn't working! Thank you, little thing, I'll be able to improve my character. I was an actor when I was alive, you know, in the Kings' Arena, but time has passed. That was thousands of years ago. Now I'm... this!" "I've got an idea," I said in a fit of desperation. "You let me live and I'll take you somewhere where there are plenty of people to eat! What do you think?" -"How dare you take me for a fool, me, the Scourge of the Oceans!" he shouted. The water vibrated around us under the onslaught of his anger. "Who do you think you are, you disgusting puppet!" he continued, furious. "It was that human who told you about this trick, that mage, wasn't it? He got away with it once by promising me mountains of living creatures to devour, that miscreant, yet he disappeared with his white light. Sooner or later, I'll get my hands on him and kill him! For now, I'll take care of you, you little sneak! I won't eat you, you disgust me. Instead, I'll kill you and bury you where no one will ever find you!" I felt the foul breath of the beast on me. It was the end.

Suddenly, an extremely bright white light blinded us and I closed my eyes for a moment. The monster roared. The light disappeared immediately. It took me a few moments to make out my surroundings again. The Faceless Rider lay unconscious, several meters from his mount, which was also lifeless. The web had disappeared and I could move again. Then I saw what had struck down the monster. Between the Horseman and me stood a man in an air bubble.
Vagabond.
"Is he dead?" I asked in a daze. "I have no idea," replies Declan. "How did you do it?" "I don't know. I saw him coming towards you and I lost my head, I threw myself at him, but at the moment of impact, there was like an explosion of light and he fell." Declan told me how he had tracked me down after discovering I was missing. Then he tried to hold me back: "Please don't do what I think you're going to do." "It's too late, I can't live, not like this. I have to do something." "Please..." he begged me. "I must try!" "It's impossible, it's insane!" "We'll see..." "Then I'm coming with you!" He would never have let me go alone. And two of us had a better chance of succeeding. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Knight."
At these words, we swam south together. Travelling inland was too risky. After several hours, we reached one of Abethia's underwater entrances. From there, we hoped to reach the center of Kel-Nazir via the depths. Just as we were about to enter one of Abethia's tunnels, a motionless figure blocked our path. "Stop there!"
The voice was unique, and we recognized it immediately.
Marnordir.