“No, Venna,” I said, staring back at her with a broad smile. “That’s what it’s like when I’m holding back.”
Venna smiled back at me for a moment, thinking I wasn’t serious before she suddenly realized that I was.
“You’re not joking?” She asked uncertainly.
“No, I’m not,” I told her more seriously. “You’re not ready for that yet, so I held back almost completely.”
“I promise I’ll get better,” Venna offered earnestly.
“You don’t have to do anything, Venna,” I replied to her. “I’ll be happy just to share whatever time we can find for each other.”
We cuddled together for a while longer before the shadows began to grow long. Then finally, as night drew near, we reluctantly packed up and headed back to our campsite, but before we left the secluded glen, I had to make a slight adjustment.
“Venna, come here,” I said, holding back a laugh.
“What is it?” She replied in confusion.
I didn’t answer her; instead, I just started undoing her buttons and then refastening them for her. In her haste, she had buttoned her shirt back together crookedly, leaving the garment entirely off-kilter. As I made the adjustments for her, Venna realized what she had done and we both giggled hysterically as I finished fixing her shirt.
“That would have been awkward,” Venna blushed when we resumed our journey back across the valley and we broke out in a second round of laughter as we headed back to camp walking hand in hand.
We made it back in time to share dinner with rest of our companions. Venna spoke little while we ate and remained quiet into the evening, but I caught her glancing at me occasionally throughout the night. Each time, she blushed brightly and then quickly looked away. We had waited far longer than either us wanted for our relationship to become physical, but now that it finally had, she was clearly having some difficulty adjusting to the reality of it. I smiled at her obvious unease, and immediately began plotting how I might add to it the next time I got her alone.
The next few days passed rapidly while everyone rushed around trying to get as much done as possible before our celebration. Wherever I went, people tried to pry the secret of my planned announcement from me, but I steadfastly refused to reveal anything to them. In truth, I was still ironing out the details of it myself.
Every day, I set aside some time to practice what I would say, and I would constantly battle about what words to use and just how much I should disclose, but those were relatively minor details. What mattered most and what was by far the most critical element I worked on was just how I intended to deliver my remarks. The effort that I put into my delivery would have the most profound impact, and I practiced that element of my speech more than any other.
When the day we set aside for our commemoration finally arrived, we put aside all of our normal labors. Instead of repairs and construction, everyone helped arrange tables and chairs for the feast. Spits were set up and game was roasted over crackling fires, and streamers and other decorations sprang up across the entire area we set aside just behind the fortifications. With the most severe danger behind us for the moment, Broda set a minimal watch that I supplemented with a plethora of traps outside our walls. Even the few sentries we stationed would not miss out on the festivities, as Broda scheduled a steady rotation throughout the night so that no one would miss out on the celebration.
Khorim took extreme delight in helping arrange the drinks for the evening. Several kegs were tapped, and the ale began flowing far earlier than we had intended. The dwarves were not alone in beginning the party ahead of schedule—the elves also started consuming their own store of wine right alongside their eager dwarven counterparts.
With everyone already enjoying themselves well ahead of schedule, I kicked off the festival with a bright flash of fire above our head, courtesy of Tási. A loud cheer went up at the signal, and the musicians began playing their instruments in earnest. I couldn’t help but smile broadly as I watched my people rejoicing. The hard work and bitter battles we’d fought together had brought everyone together like nothing else could, and I hoped that the words I planned to speak would bridge the final gaps that remained between them, forging us into the completely unified society I envisioned.
A small dais had been set up for my companions and me, and we spent most of our time sitting there, taking in the raucous celebration that went on in front of us. Nearly all of us took turns joining in on the fun, so the dais was seldom fully occupied. Only I chose to remain there throughout the night with Bane perched on my shoulder, nervously biding my time until I was ready to make my announcement.
Finally, before everyone got too inebriated, I stood up and addressed my people. They had all been waiting for this moment, and silence fell over the crowd quickly when they realized what was happening. I prepared myself and began speaking in exactly the manner I had been practicing. Before uttering the first of my words, I began channeling my Charisma, focusing its power into them and hoping it would be enough to convince my people to follow the vision I’d planned for them.
“You all know me by now, though few of you know much about me. That will change tonight. I came to this world as one of the Deathless. And although I was a stranger to these lands, your world has embraced me and granted me the title of Sintári,” I opened before pausing for a moment.
There were a few gasps in recognition, and a low murmur ran through the crowd, but before they had time to fully digest the news I had relayed, I resumed my speech.
“I have not only been given the land we are now settling, but a quest as well. My task is not to simply secure this small plot of land, but to bring peace to all of Arrika. This is not a quest I can achieve alone—I will need your help, and the help of many more yet to join us if I am to have any hope of success.”
“But to bring peace to Arrika, I must first unite the land, and this can only be done if its people are united as well. The realms cannot be brought together if the people are divided; we must be unified as one people, under one set of laws—without prejudice and petty squabbling.”
“In the coming weeks and months, I have no doubt that we will develop the laws we need more clearly, but for now, I want to spell out the foundation of the code I envision for us.”
“All people of goodwill shall be welcome here, regardless of their heritage.”
“You are free to like who you choose, love who you choose, and even hate whomever you choose, but you may not mistreat anyone for who they are or the choices they make.”
“Treason, murder, and rape shall be capital offenses in any lands under my control. When we have the time and resources, we will develop a more comprehensive code of laws. Until then, lesser crimes will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.”
“I know that there are some long-standing animosities among many of the people of Arrika, yet I am encouraged by how all of you have put those differences aside and come together to help build this place. Those old feuds must be put to rest in order for us to achieve a lasting peace. The suffering that continues all across Arrika will never end so long as those old grudges are still held onto.”
“Anyone who objects to the vision I have laid out for you is free to leave my lands, but if you choose to stay, I expect you to abide not only to the letter of the laws I have given you, but to the spirit behind them as well.”
“Represented among us tonight are dwarves and elves, halflings and humans. Each race is but a mere facet, a tiny fragment of a greater whole. Only together will we have any chance of reaching our full potential. Only when we are united as one, can we ever hope to conquer the evils that plague our lands.”
“Will you join me in the fight for our future? Will you stand with me and pave the way to a better life for our children? Will you march forward with me in the light to banish the darkness from Arrika forever?”
I channeled the full force of my Charisma into those final words, and as they faded into echoes down the canyon, silence fell ov
er the crowd. I feared the worst—that my effort to persuade my people had failed, and my vision for bringing peace and justice to the realms was doomed.
Suddenly a cheer erupted, and shouts of approval rebounded from the cliffsides around me. Hoots and hollers followed among a raucous din of applause. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched dwarves and elves raising their drinks in a toast of solidarity.
I had just stepped down from the dais to finally join in the celebration when the crowd suddenly fell silent. I searched for the cause of the disturbance and saw Stel standing in front of me with his blade drawn. He held the bare steel in front of him almost reverently, and the expression on his face confused me. His usual carefree demeanor was gone, and there was no trace of his trademark smirk to be seen. Instead, in its place was a look of profound seriousness that seemed completely out of place for the normally light-hearted elf. Before I even knew what was happening, Stel was down on one knee in front of me with the tip of his blade planted in the rocky soil. He inclined the hilt towards me slightly as if offering it to me before he spoke words that sent a chill down my spine.
“I swear to follow you, Sintári. To serve you faithfully and obey your every command. On this day, I offer you my sword and my life. I beg the honor of being allowed to serve you.”
I stood in front of him, stunned into silence. His solemn oath was completely unexpected, and I immediately regretted channeling so much of my power into the speech I had given. I took a step forward and was about to make an offhand remark rejecting Stel’s offer when Venna whispered in my ear.
“You must take the hilt of his sword in your hand to accept his pledge,” she said softly.
“I’m not going to accept an oath like that from him,” I whispered back to her in protest. “He’s my friend.”
“If you reject his pledge, you will mark him as unworthy, Dreya,” she then told me. “It would be a grave insult.”
I looked at her, pleading with my eyes for some other alternative, but she only flicked her chin in Stel’s direction, urging me to accept his offer.
With no other option, I stepped forward and reluctantly took the hilt of his sword in my hand.
“I needed no oath from you, my friend,” I told him as a tear fell from my eye.
“And yet you have it,” he replied as he slowly rose to his feet without even a trace of his usual smirk on his face.
As Stel stepped aside, I saw a line forming behind him. Every single one of my companions stood waiting to offer me their solemn oaths. Most were without their weapons, so Stel simply handed off his sword to Venna, who was next in line.
“I don’t want this,” I tried to tell her with tears streaming down my face as she knelt in front of me.
“I have already told you that it is rarely about what you want, Sintári,” she reminded me before repeating the same oath Stel had offered.
Each of my companion took their turn kneeling before me and repeating the same solemn oath Stel had offered. Broda was the last of them, and I thought the emotional event had finally ended when Madren took Stel’s sword from her hand. The young dwarf then repeated the same words, offering me his life in service and I almost broke down completely as I accepted his bond.
Madren was only the first of my people to swear allegiance to me that night. It took well over an hour for me to accept the last of their oaths, and when I was finished, every single citizen that was old enough to offer the binding words had done so.
Venna and Tási had stayed by my side as I accepted their vows, and I was so overcome with emotion that tears streamed down my face the entire time. While Madren had been the first of my citizens to offer his pledge, Clorid was the last, waiting until the end to give me her vow.
Once I accepted her words, Clorid walked away to stand next to Madren, taking his hand in hers. All of my people had remained to watch the solemn process and now seemed to be waiting to hear from me once it was complete. I wiped the tears from my eyes and gathered myself before attempting to form my emotions into any sort of words. Venna and Tási each took hold of one of my hands, and their steady resolve gave me the strength I needed to compose myself before speaking.
“I have no words to express how humbled I am by the honor each of you have bestowed upon me. I can only offer you my own solemn vow in return, to promise you that I will always do my best to be worthy of the trust you have placed in me.”
“Dreya Sintári!” Khorim shouted, raising his mug in a toast.
Cheers broke out as his toast was echoed throughout the crowd. The musicians soon began playing again, and with the solemn moment over, the celebration resumed in earnest.
“Thank you for that, master dwarf,” I whispered to Khorim when I found him in the crowd.
“You’re welcome,” he winked back at me. “Truthfully, I couldn’t stand to see you cry anymore.”
The rest of the evening was a blur for me—I remember passing among everyone as the celebration went on, speaking to my people and sharing drinks with them all through the night, but despite all that, the familiarity we had once shared was gone. What took its place was an even deeper bond that sealed us together more closely than before, but that new bond also came with a sense of duty and obligation that altered their perspective of me. While they had seen me as their leader before, I had still been perceived as an equal of sorts. The revelation of my status as one of the Deathless, and a Sintári on top of that, changed their perspective of me irrevocably. Gone was the casual familiarity, and in its place was a deferential respect akin to hero worship. I knew things would change when I disclosed my true nature to them, but I was unprepared for just how much that revelation would affect them.
“It was unavoidable,” Venna said as she took a seat beside me.
I had retreated back to the dais for a while to absorb the dramatic changes I had wrought with my Charisma enhanced speech. I had hoped the power that my Attribute added to my words would serve to bind my people together and persuade them to my cause, but I’d had no intention of evoking the fervent display of devotion that had occurred.
“I need to confide something in you, Venna,” I told her as I took her hand in mine. “And when I do, you may wish to withdraw your vow.”
I confessed to her how I had fueled my speech, funneling the power of my Charisma into the words and using it to persuade the people to follow my cause.
“I had only hoped to convince them to see the wisdom of working together,” I conceded. “I never intended to coerce such powerful oaths from any of them—especially not from you.”
“You think I did not recognize your power in those words?” She asked me rhetorically.
“I’ve tasted your power. I recognized it in every single syllable,” Venna continued. “Remember what I told you once before. You do not compel anyone to do anything, Dreya. Your power only brings out the best in each of us. You don’t urge us to do things we don’t want to do, you merely lend us the power to do what we already want to; to do what we already know is right.”
I had been struggling with the concept that I had unfairly influenced the events that had occurred, that the use of my power had forced my companions and my people into their actions. Venna’s reassurance comforted me, letting me know that my actions had not been as overbearing as I had believed.
“Thank you, Venna,” I replied as I pulled her into a tight embrace.
“You’re welcome, my liege,” she whispered softly in my ear.
“Please don’t call me that,” I implored her as we separated.
“Like it or not, that is your role now, Dreya,” Venna smiled back at me coyly. “You will have to get used to being addressed by that or some other formal title from now on. If you have something else you would prefer us to use, let me know and I will spread the word.”
I certainly did not like the idea of my companions, or anyone else for that matter addressing me as ‘my liege.’ I was no queen either, and all of the honorifics that came to mind made me uneasy. Then I remembere
d Khorim’s impromptu toast. Although it was more a description than a proper title, I thought I could get used to being addressed with it rather than some ostentatious label.
“Dreya Sintári,” I told her. “If you insist on giving me a title, that is the one I choose.”
“Very well, Dreya Sintári,” Venna replied, somehow managing to make the simple words sound like a grand honor.
“I will make sure everyone knows how to properly address you from now on,” she finished with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked her. “You enjoy making me uncomfortable, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” Venna replied, wearing a smirk that she’d apparently borrowed from Stel as she stood up.
“Now, if you’ll forgive me, I have to go inform your subjects of the title you have chosen for yourself,” she added before dipping into a curtsy and practically skipping away on her errand.
She is truly happy with herself. Bane sent me.
He had stayed with me all through the night, perched on my shoulder and offering me words of comfort and encouragement through the many difficult moments.
‘Venna has been pushing me towards some elevated status almost from the first moment she realized I was a Sintári,’ I sent back to him. ‘And she seems to take a great deal of pleasure in my discomfort with that role.’
Most spend a lifetime being groomed for such positions, Sintári. It is no wonder that you chafe at it being thrust on you so suddenly. But it is your destiny, and no matter how hard you may want to resist, the role is yours whether you like it or not.
‘You’re not helping.’
Yes, I am. Your refusal to acknowledge the truth is holding you back. And more importantly, it is holding back your vision. It will take time to fulfill your destiny, and every day you delay only adds to that time. You want to bring peace to the realms, but you must make peace with yourself first. You must accept who you are and the responsibilities you must bear for your vision to move forward.
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 22
