Chapter One: Alaena
Note: read the prologue first (Storm at Sea)!
Chapter One: Alaena
“To the bride!”
Laughter rang out, joining the general celebration. Alaena shifted uncomfortably, the seams of her dress itchy against her skin. Whoever had made this costume ought to be shot. She turned her attention to the ceremony, which seemed to consist of Corola (1) Síndraffok and Alaena’s own rayawa (2) congratulating themselves and each other on the fine deal they had struck. She felt helpless, a doll being tossed around to give everyone a fair chance. Over by the wall stood Raduko, with a smug smile on his face. Without meaning to, she caught his eye and he walked over to where she was standing. She shuddered.
“I’ve been hoping for a chance to speak to you,” he confided in a conspiratorial whisper that somehow managed to carry out across the little group that surrounded them. Alaena kept her head down but looked across the room to where her rayawa laughed and talked with the Corola. Her suylawa (3) glanced over and the warning in her eyes was clear. Don’t mess this up for us.
“Yes, trewa (4)” she replied with her eyes down and hands clasped together.
He scoffed and gently clasped her left hand with his. “Oh come now. Surely we can dispense with the formalities? My rayki (5)” - and here he put a slight emphasis on rayki - “would never need to grovel and bow before me.” He was getting uncomfortably close to her, now pitching his voice lower to avoid the straining ears of the party-goers around them. “Unless of course… she wanted to.”
Alaena felt his hand slide around her waist and then further down and fought the urge to scream. With a barely noticeable crack in her voice she said, “Of course Raduko, I will do as you ask.”
Raduko was not unhandsome, built in the solid way of the native Liaki (6) people. His blue eyes were perhaps a little watery and his hair slightly straw-like but the overall picture was rather pleasant. Besides, any physical deficiencies would be readily overlooked by any woman with half a brain as his last name was far more important. Raduko Síndraffok was the Corolaki, the heir to a tidy sum of money that Alaena and most of the village saw as riches beyond their wildest dreams. It was just a pity that he had to be such a tria (7) as well.
As quickly as she could Alaena excused herself and made her way to the opposite side of the celebration, suppressing a gasp of relief when she could no longer feel Raduko pressed up against her. Again resisting the urge to scratch at the place where the hastily made and cheap corset bounded her waist - something that would not endear her to her future rayawa-i (8), who were watching her with the same intensity as her rayawa - she looked again around the room in an effort to appear happy and interested. It was large and the haze from torches that normally graced a party in her household was absent. The Sindraffok have spared no expenses, she thought, looking up at the balls of light that hung by the ceiling. They hired Omako (9). Now that she knew to look for them she easily spotted them, wearing robes edged with blue thread designs. There were two, one mingling in the party and the other standing discreetly in the corner. Alaena knew that this one was keeping the lights in the air, lighting the party through Omnaya’s gift. The other one would relieve him at some point, and they would switch places.
“Excuse me suki (10), what goes here?”
She turned and found herself face to face with a young man. He was pale, foreign. His accent placed him in the farther reaches of Morgul, over two months of travel away. “I’m not sure what you mean, trewa. This is the Tamoryap.” A crease appeared in his brow and she hastened to explain. “The ceremony before the Tomoryap? When two people are joined?”
His face cleared. “Ah,” he exclaimed, still with that thick accent. “A wedding”.
She had not heard the word he used, guljaki, but she decided to assume he was right. “Yes. My name is Alaena, I am the rayki and that is Raduko Síndraffok, the treywa. What business do you have here, if not to join the festivities?”
“My pardon, rayki. I did not mean offend. Many congratulations on happy occasion. I am…” he struggled for the right phrase. “Giving? No, giving and taking. A give-and-take?” He looked pleadingly at her. She frowned, thinking.
“A trade?” she asked hesitantly. He smiled.
“Yes! I apologize. A broja-i,” he said, turning the word over in his mouth. “I am from ship, appear yesterday. We go tomorrow to next place. Journey of two, three weeks? I do not understand this language, am here to practice. Going not-so-well,” he added ruefully and she laughed.
“I can understand you, at least. What are you trading?” she asked, using the same word as before. This time he seemed to understand and started talking with enthusiasm. His accent shrank, his vowels sounding less forced. It was obvious that this was the kind of talk he had been exposed to most.
“Many things. Cloth, silk, jewelry. Wood comes in a separate boat, along with small animals such as haroc (11). Maybe at some point your treyawa (12) would like to come and peruse our wares.”
She smiled. “Of course. We will have need of fine silks and wood to carve very soon. Tell me, where do you travel from?”
He was also well-versed in this answer, and responded promptly. “We travel the coast of Liath, picking up and leaving goods at each port until we reach Ombroja-i where we sail to Morgul. We unload and purchase more cargo before repeating the journey. It generally takes several months.”
Alaena’s mind worked fast but before she could ask another question she felt someone behind her. She looked up into her Orel’s jovial face and felt something fold up tight inside of her. “Treyawa.”
“Suylaki. Or I should say, rayki. Why are you standing here all alone? Has your treywa tired of you so soon?”
She dipped her head. “No treyawa. I am merely conversing with…” looking around, she realized she had never caught his name.
“Lyonya, trewa. An honor to meet you. Congratulations, your fine daughter has I am sure made an equally fine choice in raywa.”
Alaena winced and held her breath. That poor innocent boy. Lyonya had done nothing to deserve what would come other than be the victim of a cultural misunderstanding. Orel cut his eyes across to her and she knew he would take at least some of that slip out of her own hide. What had she been doing? This was the worst moment to draw attention to herself by fraternizing with foreigners. Orel finally opened his mouth.
“I am afraid, trewa-i (13), that you have made a mistake. However it was an innocent one and I am sure it will soon be smoothed over. You see, I chose Raduko as a fitting raywa, and I am sure that the Corola his treyawa has seen that Alaena is quite the prize for Raduko. It is very fortunate that they both agree with this arrangement and are happy to carry out our wishes but it is not necessary.” Alaena could plainly see that Lyonya was terrified but he squared his shoulders and returned her treyawa’s glare with one surpassing it in defiance, if not in intimidation. On impulse, a wild guess, Alaena took his hand for an instant as he faced off. At last however, he looked away.
“It is not where I stand to defy you, trewa. Customs here are not as my customs. I will not fight it, but I cannot… I am not sure. Allow? Condone. I cannot condone it. Good day, trewa. May your candles burn bright and your nets be full.” He bowed, and walked stiffly away with his hands closed into fists. One of them, Alaena prayed, had the small scrap of paper she had slipped to him still clutched in it.
Footnotes:
1 Position of prestige in the governmental hierarchy, somewhat akin to mayor.
2 Parents: a combination of raya meaning bonds (taken from the goddess Rayas) and the suffix -wa, meaning protector but also signifying ownership
3 Mother: a combination of Suylat, the god of childbirth, food, and courage and the suffix -wa.
4 'Sir', a term of respect taken from the god Treyal and the suffix -wa
5 Woman in romantic partnership, roughly translated as ‘wife’. This uses a more contracted form of raya and the suffix -wa to show the bond and also ownership in the position. Rayki can be used by anyone to describe a married woman, while wife is used exclusively by the husband. It's basically a title, like sir.
6 Being of Liath, a denizen or citizen of Liath. From the root lia and the suffix -ki, meaning protected and signifying subservience
7 Literally translated to enterer, but with a much dirtier connotation.
8 Parents by marriage, same as rayawa but with the added suffix -i, signifying an external link
9 Those who use the power gifted by the god Omnaya. The closest translation is magic-user or magician.
10 Best translated to 'miss', a diminishing but polite way to address young women.
11 Small rodents that forage for small greens and also bugs. The 'h' is silent.
12 Father, parallel structure to mother. So Treyal plus suffix -wa
13 Not a usual combination but carefully designed to draw attention to his foreignness and also slight him.