Once upon a time, in the Old Lands, there was a black slaveni and a haughty Matis princess. Nothing seemed to bring them together and yet…
The slaveni had grown up in an impenetrable jungle. His heart was black as the blackest of marauders. No one knew where he came from, but everyone had learned to fear him. About him the void was coming. The princess lived in her palace carved out in the tallest tree in the forest, surrounded by servants and courtiers. All admired her beauty but she was not loved. They envied her but feared her contempt and her hurtful words. Around her, she had only greedy courtiers but no a single friend.
A chief of Fyros miners heard one day about the slaveni.
“The mine entrance must be guarded. I need that slaveni!”
He began in sending his greatest warriors, but all returned empty-handed, recalled by the Powers. He then sent his greatest mages, but the slaveni swept them away like the wind blows the leaves away. One of his miners then came to find him, offering his services.
“If you bring me the slaveni back, I will cover you with honors and goods.
— Let it be!”
The miner took his pickaxe. Digging a tunnel, he approached the black slaveni. The unleashing of magic could do nothing against him, sheltered in his tunnel. And always the Fyros came closer, cutting the roots and depriving the slaveni of his resources. Eventually, having cut almost all the roots, the Fyros came out of the tunnel and stood in front of the completely exhausted slaveni. A light push and the slaveni and his rootball fell on the bark: overcome!
The Fyros chief settled the slaveni in front of the entrance of his mine but had soon to desenchant. In spite of all his wickedness, the slaveni languished in these arid lands, so far from his native jungle, and none of the miners knew how to bring him back to life. The chief of the miners quickly lost interest in him and went back to counting his resources and arming his warriors to earn more and more. The slaveni was dying walled up in his solitude.
The Fyros chief then went to war against the Matis king and kidnapped the young princess for ransom, taking her to the mine guarded by the slaveni.
The miners laughed at her and her haughty airs. She had no one left to help her, but, too proud to complain, she held her tears back. She was wandering alone in the mine and finally found the slaveni. He immediately reminded her of her native forest and, seeing him so close to succumbing, she could no more hold back her tears which came to bathe the roots of the slaveni. The guards laughed but left the princess with the slaveni.
A strange symbiosis was established between them. She, who looked at the others with her haughty gaze, learned to pity one weaker than herself. He, who had cleared himself from everyone, saw his heart melt in front of tears that were gradually bringing him back to life. The Fyros began to fear again and to move away from the slaveni who was regaining strength. And when a valiant mektoubier came to rescue the princess, the way was clear. The princess, weak from having wept so much, resigned herself to leave the slaveni.
“I'll come back to get thee!”
But months and years passed and the princess was not returning. The slaveni clung to the hope given by the princess' last words. One day the sound of brass bands filled the surroundings and a large troop of mektoubs invaded the entrance of the mine. At their head was a tall matisse wearing the royal crown.
“I am here!”
The leader of the Fyros came out in arms, ready to die fighting. But the queen raised her hand as a sign of appeasement and held back her soldiers.
“I come in peace, chief of the Fyros! In these places, I suffered but also learned a lot. I offer you my friendship in exchange for this slaveni. And may our peoples no longer suffer from our quarrels!”
And the Fyros chief gave in.
As long as the queen ruled, she spread happiness on her people. At the foot of the slaveni, she was often coming to ponder on her way of governing and to get herself under the protection of her friend. And in the forest, the slaveni lived for a long time protecting the queen.
This story has been told by Kyriann Ba'Zephy, during the Tales of Atysmas 2611 (OOC : Christmas 2020) Vigil.
