What IS in a name?
Ilmari Ahti Yrvo was not usually called by his name. In the caravan where he grew up he was called Ari. In the city where he stayed to live a life of theiving luxury he was called Ahti The Wretched, and he was wanted for an amount of gold he could never have stolen in his lifetime. He was a con artist, a trickster and a fool if you ask his mother. The caravan was is only true home. His mother was Rom and therefore so was he. His father was also Rom. His father would drive their cart and care for the Tigers. They may not have had as magnificent a show as Cirque de Magnifique, but they did have the most beautiful tigers. Ilmari knew the tigers by name and they knew him by smell. They happen to love him, since they grew up as cubs all together. Ilmari learning tricks like the cards, dice and ways to get a lady to treat him with pity. All the while the Tigers, O and M, would learn how to jump, paw the air and roar to strike fear and awe into the crowds. Then at night Ilmar would crawl into their pen in his father's carts and hand them the meat he had snuck from the fire that night. They would wrestle and then curl up while the carts rattled along the rocky roads to another place his mother always seemed to call 'nowhere'.
Ilmari didn't learn to read until the caravan came to that glorious pink city. 'It looked as if the walls were made of salmon' he would say to his mother and the tigers. As pearly as the city looked from outside, the inside was chaos. Ilmari was mesmerized. He saw the market places full of activity, and smells the glorious smells! So many people, he never even knew there could be that many. When he heard talk of even another city, ten year old Ilmari began to think to himself. The world was infinite he decided. And his mother and father had lied to him by not telling him the life he would have had if he had known that the world was so big.
He was wrong of course. But he was also ten and his best friends were feline. Giant or not he needed to meet some of those boys who looked as if they owned this place. There were four of them yelling and running. One of them was tall and dark and holding a beautiful, dangerous dagger Ilmari thought he must be their King. The way the leader of the caravan was called King of the Gypsies! So he began to plot. He would run away and then live in the city after he found those boys again.
Ilmari was determined as ever in winning his pay for the day. He acted his part better than the others and he swindled his way into extra money and even a ham sandwich. By the end of the day, when he could take off his silly pirate costume and curl up with O and M, he felt rich. O and M looked at him a worried.
You cannot do this young Ilmari. said O.
Heed your bothers, we know the world out there looks exciting, but Mother and Father would not have kept you from anything wonderful if they knew what you think you know. M agreed.
Perhaps Mother and Father were waiting until you were older to let you find away to live on your own. said O.
"No. They don't think I am strong enough, or brave enough or smart enough. But I have done my best and am ready to seek my fortune." Ilmari replied.
Suit yourself, said M as she fought O for a half of the sandwich.
Just know you will never sleep in our den again and you will never see us again, small brother.
Ilmari thought long about this and waited until they slept.
"You will always be my only true brothers." he said as he locked the pen up behind him and made his way into the dark streets of the City.
**********************************************************
The City bordered the mountains to its west. The caravan of gypsies that ilmari had been a part of had come from the middle of the lands. At the Cross where all Rom called home, because it was forever the beginning of one journey and the end of another. The mountains were not well known to anyone in the lands. So much time had passed since the Kind ruled dually along with man that the mountains where the Kind now mainly dwelled were all but invisible to man and his building up of the world. The deserts of the Aka lay the south of the Cross and to the North of the Cross was the caves. The caves were created by the Kind to be a spiritual shelter for man. Man had kept it as such, but had forgotten the Kind who created them for man. To the west of the Cross lapped the Great Waters, the Ocean. No matter how man grew up and out, they never crossed that ocean.
So while Ilmari learned the hardships of loss, growing up, stealing to live and fighting to survive in the City, leagues away in the mountains, but still closer than the Seas, Najla Sindri Drust was born to a loving mother and an evil and hated father, man and Rightful King of City.
Ilmari stole a fresh loaf from a merchant in the market and Najla's mother fearfully found a new cave to hide in from her harsh lover. Ilmari got his first beating from the palace guards for trying to steal a horse and Najla flew for the first time straight out of their little cave of secrets, only to be hauled home and scolded. Ilmari began to know His city better than even the Prince of thieves and even defeated the dangerous boy with the dagger. He became the new Prince of thieves and carried the dagger in his belt to show any other boy that this was his city. Najla learned to fly higher than any other bird, she was taught by the hawks to spiral down through the sky like the predator, and not the prey. When her mother learned she could speak to them and hear them, she told Najla the legends of the Kind and the Senses of Power. Najla was special and had a power not many Kind could claim and their own. She claimed the True Strong Sight as her Sense.
Ilmari became a man through deceit and lies, but he never hurt a soul that did not deserve it and he helped the hurt and those who needed aid. He took care of the orphans and he treated wrongdoers to justice. He was however a terrible gambler and he usually lost ever game. But he was the Secret King of the City.
Najla's mother taught her how to defend herself and then she left. She told Najla never to speak to Man and never to let Man touch her. She told Najla all she needed to know to survive and that she loved her will all her heart. Then she left. Najla was alone, and though she cried for week she took care of her self and slowly came to care for the Earth around her. She fed off of it and learned from it. She grew and became the Secret Queen of the Mountains.
Najla never showed her True Strong Sense but to those who had it as well. She never spoke to the Hawks after her mother left and she would only dare to Speak when she truely needed to.
Ilmari never showed his talent to speak to animals. He never talked to any and he only Spoke to them or Listened when he really had to.
Then one day man went hunting in the mountains and captured a Winged Beauty took her from her skies and laughed at her. They fed her only severity and ugliness.
One day the Prince of Thieves saved a Princess of Birds and Ahti the wretched, the secret king of the City died.Died saving Najla.
She never even saw her savior.
Ilmari didn't learn to read until the caravan came to that glorious pink city. 'It looked as if the walls were made of salmon' he would say to his mother and the tigers. As pearly as the city looked from outside, the inside was chaos. Ilmari was mesmerized. He saw the market places full of activity, and smells the glorious smells! So many people, he never even knew there could be that many. When he heard talk of even another city, ten year old Ilmari began to think to himself. The world was infinite he decided. And his mother and father had lied to him by not telling him the life he would have had if he had known that the world was so big.
He was wrong of course. But he was also ten and his best friends were feline. Giant or not he needed to meet some of those boys who looked as if they owned this place. There were four of them yelling and running. One of them was tall and dark and holding a beautiful, dangerous dagger Ilmari thought he must be their King. The way the leader of the caravan was called King of the Gypsies! So he began to plot. He would run away and then live in the city after he found those boys again.
Ilmari was determined as ever in winning his pay for the day. He acted his part better than the others and he swindled his way into extra money and even a ham sandwich. By the end of the day, when he could take off his silly pirate costume and curl up with O and M, he felt rich. O and M looked at him a worried.
You cannot do this young Ilmari. said O.
Heed your bothers, we know the world out there looks exciting, but Mother and Father would not have kept you from anything wonderful if they knew what you think you know. M agreed.
Perhaps Mother and Father were waiting until you were older to let you find away to live on your own. said O.
"No. They don't think I am strong enough, or brave enough or smart enough. But I have done my best and am ready to seek my fortune." Ilmari replied.
Suit yourself, said M as she fought O for a half of the sandwich.
Just know you will never sleep in our den again and you will never see us again, small brother.
Ilmari thought long about this and waited until they slept.
"You will always be my only true brothers." he said as he locked the pen up behind him and made his way into the dark streets of the City.
**********************************************************
The City bordered the mountains to its west. The caravan of gypsies that ilmari had been a part of had come from the middle of the lands. At the Cross where all Rom called home, because it was forever the beginning of one journey and the end of another. The mountains were not well known to anyone in the lands. So much time had passed since the Kind ruled dually along with man that the mountains where the Kind now mainly dwelled were all but invisible to man and his building up of the world. The deserts of the Aka lay the south of the Cross and to the North of the Cross was the caves. The caves were created by the Kind to be a spiritual shelter for man. Man had kept it as such, but had forgotten the Kind who created them for man. To the west of the Cross lapped the Great Waters, the Ocean. No matter how man grew up and out, they never crossed that ocean.
So while Ilmari learned the hardships of loss, growing up, stealing to live and fighting to survive in the City, leagues away in the mountains, but still closer than the Seas, Najla Sindri Drust was born to a loving mother and an evil and hated father, man and Rightful King of City.
Ilmari stole a fresh loaf from a merchant in the market and Najla's mother fearfully found a new cave to hide in from her harsh lover. Ilmari got his first beating from the palace guards for trying to steal a horse and Najla flew for the first time straight out of their little cave of secrets, only to be hauled home and scolded. Ilmari began to know His city better than even the Prince of thieves and even defeated the dangerous boy with the dagger. He became the new Prince of thieves and carried the dagger in his belt to show any other boy that this was his city. Najla learned to fly higher than any other bird, she was taught by the hawks to spiral down through the sky like the predator, and not the prey. When her mother learned she could speak to them and hear them, she told Najla the legends of the Kind and the Senses of Power. Najla was special and had a power not many Kind could claim and their own. She claimed the True Strong Sight as her Sense.
Ilmari became a man through deceit and lies, but he never hurt a soul that did not deserve it and he helped the hurt and those who needed aid. He took care of the orphans and he treated wrongdoers to justice. He was however a terrible gambler and he usually lost ever game. But he was the Secret King of the City.
Najla's mother taught her how to defend herself and then she left. She told Najla never to speak to Man and never to let Man touch her. She told Najla all she needed to know to survive and that she loved her will all her heart. Then she left. Najla was alone, and though she cried for week she took care of her self and slowly came to care for the Earth around her. She fed off of it and learned from it. She grew and became the Secret Queen of the Mountains.
Najla never showed her True Strong Sense but to those who had it as well. She never spoke to the Hawks after her mother left and she would only dare to Speak when she truely needed to.
Ilmari never showed his talent to speak to animals. He never talked to any and he only Spoke to them or Listened when he really had to.
Then one day man went hunting in the mountains and captured a Winged Beauty took her from her skies and laughed at her. They fed her only severity and ugliness.
One day the Prince of Thieves saved a Princess of Birds and Ahti the wretched, the secret king of the City died.Died saving Najla.
She never even saw her savior.
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