CHAPTER 04

Lÿarah carried the young survivor on her back to the entrance of her people's village.

The dwellings were made of wood with multi-layered walls of other materials to insulate the interior and prevent the heat from dissipating. They were extremely rustic and sparsely furnished, and their main rooms had fireplaces and many animal pelts so inhabitants could warm themselves as much as possible. Life was difficult and full of hardships. Water had to be drawn from one of the banks of the frozen river, and basic sanitation left much to be desired, given that the public latrine was located almost 400 meters away from the settlement in the opposite direction of the river to avoid contaminating the groundwater, which, to be sure, was also frozen.

As soon as Lÿarah arrived at the village entrance, BahDehToh stopped walking.

“I can only go this far.”

“No. You are my master; of course you can accompany me. Woe betide anyone who rises against you. My father always welcomed you very well here.”

“It is true, but your father is ill; he is no longer the leader. The young lad who thinks he is the leader has already made it clear that he wants no non-humans on his land.”

“The land is not his. Let him try to threaten you; I'll smash him and take his title of leader.”

“Your people chose him. His power is legitimate; therefore, I must respect it. If every time you disagree with something you use force, your people will fall into barbarism. You will not be so different from the tyrants and despots that, united, they have already faced and defeated in the past.”

“You say things that I can even understand, but they are very difficult to accept.”

“Trust me. Hard times are coming; if you are not united, you will perish together.”

Lÿarah rolled her eyes.

“Alright, Master. I will return to the clearing as soon as I can. Thank you for the help.”

“Be careful. Just as I am not welcome, this foreigner will not be either. He is under your care; keep him safe.”

“Yes, sir. In the same way that my father was once a stranger in a strange land and was welcomed nonetheless, I will do the same with this stranger.”

“Right, my child. See you soon.”

Saying this, BahDehToh vanished from her sight with extreme agility. That no longer surprised Lÿarah.

As soon as she entered the village, some curious inhabitants came out of their houses to understand what was happening. The huntress ignored the murmurs and hurried toward the Shaman's house. He and his wife were the local healers.

No one stepped forward to help her; as if that alone were not enough, Lÿarah still had to listen to comments from some women who made no effort to hide their discontent toward her.

“The hermit decided to show up, did she? Look there, she came here and, by the looks of it, she even brought trouble. Look!”

“What a shame, carrying a stranger? Who is he? Where do they know each other from? Since when can an unmarried woman have such close contact with men?”

“And isn't it an outrage? At her age, and she still refuses to find a man? If she obeyed our customs, she should probably already have children to raise by this point.”

“Her? Find a man? You must be joking, right? She isn't feminine at all. She dresses like a man and behaves like one. She won't find anyone.”

“As if I wanted to, you old gossips!” Lÿarah shouted. “You ingrates! I bring food every week, I bring you good game, and this is how you welcome me? Brood of vipers!”

“Have more respect for your elders, you insolent little girl,” said one of the women in the street. “When your mother died, many of us here were your wet nurses. Many of us helped you. But what can you expect from someone who grew up without a mother? She is incapable of honoring our customs.”

“ You and your customs can go straight to...”

“Stop!” shouted a tall, strong young man with darker skin than the rest of the gathering.

“Lÿarah. It's been a while, hasn't it? Decided to grace us with your presence, did you?” the man said. “Unfortunately, I have to agree with the elders. Isn't it time you assumed the role you were designated for your life the moment you were born?”

“I will not live the life that was chosen for me; forget it. No man scares me, nor can any put a halter on me. Try to make me obey the customs, Siegfried, if you are bothered by my freedom, but I warn you now: you are big, but I can take you down.” She challenged him, pointing her index finger at him.

“What insolence. I accept your challenge anytime,” he laughed. “And if I win, you will become part of my harem, as is my right to demand.”

“I would rather become dragon food than join your flock of prisoners.”

“What did you call my women? I won them in fair challenges against their fathers and brothers. I have a right to them, and I will have it over you too.”

“What is the matter with you children? Can I not leave you alone for a minute without you wanting to kill each other?” shouted the old Shaman, with his wife, also elderly, close behind.

“Master Shaman, this troublemaker, she...”

“She brought us excellent game last week. Many ice hares. Did you even say thank you?”

“It so happens that our hunters managed...”

“She is more efficient than any of them. It took four of you to deal with a giant snow bear. And to this day, I still must tend to the wounds of one of them,” the Shaman protested.

“Master Shaman. Ignore him, please; it is urgent,” interrupted Lÿarah. “This man, he is wounded; he has lost a lot of blood. I managed to staunch the bleeding, but I need your knowledge to save him.”

“Shaman, are you going to take in a foreigner? From his clothes, he must be a citizen of 'that place'?” Siegfried protested.

“I will indeed, just as I received and took in your great-grandfather and your great-great-grandfather on your mother's side. You do not just have our blood, young man, but also that of the walled ones,” answered the old man.

“...”

“Bring him to my tent, young lady. Come along; we will talk inside,” the old man ordered Lÿarah.

“As for the rest of you, get lost! The show is over. Do you not have your own homes to tend to? Go on!”

As soon as he spoke, the people dispersed, except for Siegfried.

“You too, boy. I don't need you here.”

“But I am the...”

“You wouldn't be if the other candidates were in a condition to assume this responsibility. You are only in this position because you have no other option. Now let me do what I need to do.”

Siegfried looked at Lÿarah with contempt.

“I will settle my score with you later. I never desired you, but now I will make a point of taking you for myself and teaching you your proper place. Just wait, the day of your humiliation will come,” Siegfried bellowed.

“No man has ever defeated me; don't think you stand a chance.”

“Let him go, child, ignore him. Come along, let's go! To my hut, now!”

Saying this, the Shaman, his wife, Lÿarah, and the unconscious foreigner entered the house.

“Woman, please, heat some water and bring clean cloths,” the Shaman requested.

“Right away, my lord and husband,” she said promptly.

Lÿarah was irritated by all that ceremonialism that the women of her tribe used to answer their men.

The Shaman looked at Lÿarah as he prepared the bed for the wounded young man.

“Explain to me, child. What happened?”

“An explorer ship crashed near my home. Ice dragons attacked it. He is the only survivor.”

“Did you say ice dragons?”

“I did.”

“And what happened to these ice dragons?”

“Master and I dealt with them.”

“Incredible! You truly are the daughter of Igor the Brave. After you help me here, go visit him, please.”

“Yes, I will, Shaman, you can count on it.”

The Shaman began to examine the young man's wounds.

“A citizen of Mu, eh? Interesting. It has been decades since I've seen one. Come on, tear his clothes with your blade.”

“But sir, these clothes... they are so...”

“They will be of no use if he dies. Go on, take them off; they are in my way.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lÿarah cut those flashy clothes with great pity, but there was no other way.

The Shaman's wife brought the water and cloths. The healer began to prepare the medicines with his exotic herbs.

After an hour, the poor casualty's wounds were washed and covered with bandages and ointments.

“He seems to have hit his head; he should remain like this for some time. He will wake up soon in a lot of pain. I'll prepare a remedy for that.”

“Thank you very much, Shaman.”

“Don't mention it, young lady; you have already helped us a lot. There is nothing you could ask of me that I wouldn't do.”

“You are a good man, Shaman.”

“No one is fully good, girl. No one. I only try to be a little less imperfect with each new day of life added to me.”

“I will follow your example of justice, sir.”

“It will honor me greatly if you do. Now go, see your father and leave me to care for this boy. He is safe here; no one will dare come disturb him.”

“Right. I won't take long.”

As soon as Lÿarah left the house, she noticed the dirty looks from the people still on the street.

She ignored them completely, except for someone she couldn't ignore.

“Lÿarah, daughter of Igor the Brave. I challenge you,” said Siegfried.

“That's all I needed. And if I refuse?”

“You cannot; I challenged you with many witnesses. If I win, I will take you as my woman, and you will have to give me strong and healthy children.”

“Is that so? I see... Let's say, what do I get if I win? What does someone like you have to offer me?”

“I will surrender my position to you.”

“Ah, I'll pass on that... far be it from me to want to be the leader. It's not worth it.”

“You truly are an insolent one, as they say. Besides mocking our customs, you mock leadership too? Was your father not a leader?”

“My father is my father. He has his legacy. I have mine.”

“There will be no legacy after I am done with you. The only thing they will write about you is that you were just one more of my many women. And nothing else.”

“I understand; it seems freedom is something that needs to be conquered by force, doesn't it? Then come on, you fool. I'm going to destroy you.”

Saying this, Lÿarah wielded her twin daggers. Siegfried drew his heavy sword.

Noticing a duel, all the residents came out of their houses to watch.

“Come on, Siegfried! Force her to be a woman like everyone else. She isn't special enough to be able to live differently from us,” a young girl shouted.

“Show her why you are the leader, Siegfried!” a man in the crowd shouted.

“Right, right... let's begin.” Lÿarah rolled her eyes.

Siegfried ran at Lÿarah, brandishing his sword.

The young huntress dodged his charges, but with each evasion she studied his movements, looking for an opening.

He landed a powerful sword strike that she struggled to defend against with her twin blades. The strength difference between them was glaring.

Siegfried noticed she was off balance and hit her with a strong kick, knocking her to the muddy ground of partially melted snow.

“Now you're done.” And so the young man began trying to strike her while she practically rolled on the ground to escape.

The crowd amused themselves with Siegfried's apparent advantage in the fight.

She managed to recover and get back on her feet.

“Come on, little girl, come on, damsel, weren't you the one who was going to take me down? No one, no one can beat me in a sword fight. Now you will be mine!”

Siegfried continued delivering blows. Her only chance was to dodge; if she defended, the strength difference could make her fall backward and lose her balance again.

At a certain point, she felt cornered. As if the cheering for her opponent wasn't enough, the crowd seemed to amuse itself by mocking her. Many began to throw mud and snow at her to hinder her.

“Ah, wretches! Wasn't this supposed to be a fair fight, you worm?”

“I can't stop them, and there are no rules once the fight begins.”

“Is that so? Then I am very glad to know that.”

“Really? Do you happen to have an ace up your sleeve?”

“Oh, you can bet on it, you idiot.”

Lÿarah was caught off guard by a powerful attack, sending her crashing into the wall of one of the wooden houses.

She had only a fraction of a second to react. Siegfried practically buried his sword into the wood right where she had been leaning.

Lÿarah spit out the blood dripping from her mouth and pointed her blades at her adversary.

“[Execute: Ignition Loop]. The dance of the wind! [Compile: Wind Parameter],” Lÿarah said.

“What an idiot, going to recite an enchantment in the middle of a fight? Are you stupid or something?” Siegfried mocked.

Ignoring her opponent's words, Lÿarah made the equivalent movements to trigger the magic.

“What foolishness is this? Going to dance in the middle of our fight? I'll teach you not to belittle me, woman!” Siegfried attacked her again.

Siegfried was surprised to realize the wind had repelled his thrust.

“But what? How? I didn't hear her reciting anything! How did she do that? How did she conjure magic without proclaiming the spell?”

Lÿarah started to run around her enemy and threw her twin daggers at him.

He blocked the attacks and repelled her daggers.

“Idiot, you gave up your weapons! The victory is mine!”

Siegfried charged at her, believing she was unarmed. He intended to strike her in a non-vital spot. He still wanted her alive.

But something hit him in the back.

“What is this? Attacking me from behind? Is someone helping you, woman?”

He was surprised to notice that it was the twin dagger she had thrown that had hit him in the back.

“But what?”

Taking advantage of his confusion, Lÿarah charged at him and delivered several well-placed kicks. He staggered and tried to strike her with his sword, but in vain.

Lÿarah made a new sequence of exotic movements and made her daggers return to her hands as if they were boomerangs.

“What witchcraft is this, woman? You manipulate the wind without conjuring a spell?”

Siegfried assumed a direct attack stance. He knew no one was strong and fast enough to escape that thrust. As soon as he gained momentum, he charged at her.

Her wind shield repelled the attack, making him lose his balance. Then, with her daggers, she wounded the man in numerous strategic points on his body with highly precise cuts.

He fell, but upon trying to rise, he noticed that his wounds had opened and he could no longer move.

Siegfried cried out in pain. Everyone in the village was stunned and surprised by what they had witnessed.

“Looks like I managed to find more work for the Shaman.”

“You... you damn witch... I will...”

Lÿarah rested her dagger against his neck, mere millimeters from slitting it.

“Finish that sentence, and it will be the last thing you say in your miserable life.”

Siegfried dropped his weapon, admitting defeat.

Lÿarah stood up, put away her blades, and faced the crowd.

“So, isn't this the part where you exalt me as your new leader, or is someone else going to claim the position?”

No one spoke up.

“Just as I thought. As the new leader, I decree that no woman shall ever again be married against her will. And the challenges that allow such madness are forbidden. If anyone is against this, let them face me.”

Once again, the audience fell silent.

“I see. No objections. Very good.”

“I expected nothing less from you, my daughter,” spoke a familiar voice coming from behind her.

Struggling to approach, supported by his crutch and a younger woman's shoulder, Lÿarah saw her father coming toward her.

“Father? What are you doing out of bed?”

“And how could I stay bedridden in that place knowing you were fighting for the village?”

“Well, everyone is a witness that I tried to avoid the fight.” She shrugged.

“Agatha, how are you?” Lÿarah said, addressing the woman beside her father.

“Lÿarah, my stepdaughter. I am well. Come, come to our home; we would be pleased to host you there. We have strong tea.”

“Thank you. I accept.”

Lÿarah followed her father and stepmother, but first ordered two men to take Siegfried to the Shaman to tend to his wounds.