LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - THE RESCUE - SECTION 9
(THE CONCLUSION OF THE
RESCUE)
Silently, Teuquob sat in
the place Stark had indicated to catch her breath. Before her, like a
magnificent painting, stretched out as far as the eye could see, the vast
expanse of undulating peaks, the tallest of which had their crowns haloed with
white, floating clouds. Serpentine rivers etched their paths down into deep
valleys, disappearing at times under the veil of mist that shrouded them in
deep mystery. Flocks of birds flying in
their designated direction decorated the azure sky.
“How peaceful it is
here.” Teuquob, despite herself, heaved
a deep sigh.
Stark gazed at her for a
moment without replying, “Everything will be all right,” in the end he said,
reassuringly.
But in an unexpected turn
this brought renewed grief to Teuquob. Unable to contain her emotions, the
furrows on her forehead deepened and she burst into tears. Alarmed, Stark moved
at once to comfort her, offering his handkerchief. “Females cry so easily;” With
a melancholy smile he said, “surely it can’t be as bad as all that?”
“I’m sorry.” She dried her eyes. “Here, with you, I
shouldn’t cry.” She forced a faint smile
to her lips then dropped her head and murmured, “I wish nothing more than to
unburden myself to you; but how can I be sure after you hear the facts, you won’t
hate me.”
“Whatever do you mean, my
dear? Oh, child say what you will, I promise I will not hate you, not
ever.” Teuquob was touched by Stark’s
soft gaze and empathetic words, giving her the courage to long at last voice
what was oppressing (harrying) her heart.
“Oh,
sir, I can no longer endure with such uncertainty and such falsehood.” She had too much respect for Stark to allow
this deception to continue any longer and she looked up, resolved now to
confess, to tell him everything. “You have been kinder to me than my own kin. Fearful,
though, as I am of losing your affection and respect, still I must dare profess
that I am not what I earlier claimed to be. In truth, I am but an unworthy,
disobedient daughter of His Highness Murong Di of Kontu. Only, born under an
unlucky star, I have never basked in the warm, protective grace of His Majesty.
Subjected to scorn, I was forced to endure habitual, contemptuous, and
disdainful….” Her voice had shaken with
emotion before dropping off, as tears once more glistened in her eyes; for anew,
she was torn by conflicting feelings (sentiments).
Repressing the urge to
intervene, Stark sat motionless and gazed at Teuquob in thoughtful silence.
After
a time, her composure regained, she then professed to Stark the summary of how
she was raised (educated); but temporarily withheld (omitted) the circumstance
of her birth, as it was too painful for her to recollect (call to mind). “On my
fifteenth birthday, when His Majesty decreed that I’d be wed to Lord
Hedenko...”
“Not the Overlord Deng
Hedenko?” Stark interrupted Tequob in surprise.
“You know of him, sir?”
“I most certainly
do.” How could your father, how could
His Majesty, in all good conscience condemn you to such an odious fate? Stark
wanted to inquire, but restrained himself, instead giving her a brief
explanation of how, when he visited Kontu in his teens, he had come to learn of
the Overlord’s exploits from his esteemed teacher and host. The surname of
which, when disclosed, resolved an earlier dilemma for Teuquob. Clearly fate
had played a big part in bringing Stark and her to this present circumstance.
With this notion, hope sprung anew in her heart.
“Perhaps,
then, you do understand my plight,” she smiled, reassured, “for long since my
heart has been ill at ease as to how I may best explain this to you. But sir,
my own life is of little consequence to me, and this was not the reason for my
flight. My action was (determined) born out of necessity, a daughter’s duty to
her mother’s soul.” Then, by degrees,
Teuquob unfolded the entire truth: the story of her mother’s life, beginning
with her mother Princess Lueling’s tragic tale, as it was told to her by her
nanny Shutizan; next, she divulged Hedenko’s notorious, more recent exploits, and
the actual reason for her escape.
“You were quite correct in
acquiescing with the wishes of your respected nurse.” Stark nodded in approval
when Teuquob had reached that point of her story (narrative). “Shutizan is to
be commended for her loyalty, farsightedness and clear thinking.” Stark was also fatalistic in his philosophy
of life and believed that much of everything was pre-ordained at one’s birth. Hence,
he stressed further that all Teuquob had done was to follow her destiny.
His understanding words
dispelled at once the gloomy, oppressive clouds that had so long stifled her
soul, and instead, ushered in the fresh spring rain. Tears of gratitude now
flowed ceaselessly from her eyes. Stark, his heart pained by compassion,
embraced Teuquob as a father would a daughter, offering her solace. As she
burrowed her face into his vest her tears rolled like pearls down the front of
the garment.
How difficult it is to console young girls,
Stark reflected in exasperation. They are so frail, so emotional. I feel so
inadequate at dealing with this. My wife was always better at this than I. His
forehead creased, he shut his eyes tight, as the hapless girl’s grief reached
the very depths of his soul. Despite his natural reserve, he found himself
stroking her hair soothingly.
Darkness had begun to
encroach on them as the sun followed its usual path to the western horizon. This
provided Stark the opportunity of break and he said, as delicately as he could,
“Please try to constrain yourself; besides, we really should be getting back
before the sun sets.”
Teuquob, a sensible girl,
responded immediately and pulled her head away. Drying her eyes she bashfully
asked his forgiveness for her imposition on him in such an informal manner.
“Please, do not be
concerned,” he smiled compassionately, “that was no imposition. We are all
allowed our moments of frailty now and then. I am only glad that I could afford
you some measure of solace.” With the outstretched hand, he then helped her to
her feet and together they began their descent of the slope.
As they neared home, Stark
suddenly halting, voiced his opinion, “It’s too late in the season now, but
perhaps at the start of spring we could undertake the journey to Heaven’s Gate
Spiritual Temple.”
This precipitated fresh
tears of gratitude in her eyes. How kind, how sparing Stark was, to be
considering such a move in anticipation of her wishes!
“What is this? Still more tears? My dear child, please stop
crying or you will make yourself ill.”
“It’s all my fault, I
should have waited,” he ruefully muttered in self-reproach, turning his head
away.
“Oh no,” she rushed to
counter, “I’m most grateful to you, sir.”
Then, in a most unexpected move, she fell on her knees in front of him
and proceeded to thank him most humbly for his kindness and consideration. She
had long wished to ask him about the existence and location of just such a
place but, feeling that he had done so much for her already, had refrained from
doing so.
Overcoming his own
surprise, Stark hastily raised her to her feet and stressed that he had long
nurtured the idea of visiting “Heaven’s Gate Spiritual Temple” himself to offer
prayers and burn incense to his late Sovereign and ancestors.
“Your gratitude is
unwarranted, my dear since I would have done this anyway for my own sake. My objective, it seems, fell into accord with
yours out of pure coincidence.”
After a moment’s pause, he
sadly added, “I, too, am guilty of neglect,” and his heart over again, flooded
with grief.
Of course, inwardly she
had rightly guessed the true reason for his so-called procrastination; it had
to do with protecting Svein. She could note that even now after having
committed himself to helping her, inwardly he was torn with disquieting
reticence, reluctant as he was to chance their security, by his leaving their
well-guarded secret retreat and immersing (personally, physically) with the
outside world.
Inwardly in fact, his
reasoning was waging war with his sensibilities: Could it be that he had become
unduly overly cautious. Surely, after all this time, almost nineteen years,
there could be no real danger of spies or henchmen still in pursuit. Even he,
the ardent nemesis, in absence of proof, would not be that persistent!
His mood lightened, his
voice filled with the renewed vitality of youth, he firmly proclaimed, “Most
definitely we will undertake this journey come spring!” But the words were no sooner out of his
mouth, when his face clouded over with concern, “I may have been rush in
raising your hopes however, for you may not be up to such an arduous journey.”
“I beg to differ with you,
sir. I am strong in physique and even stronger in will. No journey, however odious, shall deter me
from my aim.”
Despite his disagreement,
Stark kindly refrained from airing his sound judgment and the projected
difficulties they, not just her, needed to master. “All right, we will see what
we can do to make the transition and the trek more plausible. I’m sure that between the two of us we could
afford you the necessary measure of security and means of comfort. However, I feel I must warn you, well in
advance, that the proposed journey will be most perilous and taxing an
undertaking.”
“Yes sir, I stand warned.”
She, suppressing her hopeful exuberance, responded in a mocked, serious tone. Then,
with her heart bursting with joy, she quickened her pace to match Stark’s
speed.
The vegetation skirting
this meandering path was already being draped by the twilight mists. Meanwhile,
back at the cabin, Svein was growing increasingly apprehensive over their late
return.
Something unforeseen must
have happened to offset Stark’s stance of punctuality!
Unable to concentrate
hence, he had long since abandoned his studies and restlessly paced (to and
from,) the length and breadth of the room, all the while deliberating whether
to stay and wait, or simply risk provoking Stark’s scorn by going out in search
of them. His rich imagination now an antagonist, most terrible sequential
scenes, each more frightening than the next, began to (serially manifest,)
unfold in his mind’s eye. In the semi-darkness of the room (with only the
fireplace lit), heads bearing the razor-sharp fangs of known predators lunged
at him out of the shadows, and then disappeared.
Oh, I do hope they are all right. He moaned irritably when the lone wolf’s howl
from a distance pierced the still air of the room. He impatiently stamped his
foot and turned to face the door. He was about to head out (the door)
regardless of consequence, when to his great relief, he heard their approaching
footsteps. Exhaling, he quickly rushed over to sit at his desk and pretended to
be reading, feigning distraction, when they just then entered the room.
“Such diligence,” came
Stark’s bemused remark. “My dear boy, you must have acquired extraordinary
night vision, to be able to study so well in the dimly lit room.”
Teuquob hurried to light
the lamp at the same time as Svein, sheepishly, also hastened to correct his
error. Silently their hands collided, and both jerked it back, blushing.
That night, after Teuquob
had retired and Svein had concluded his studies, when both men were relaxing by
the fire before going to bed, Stark recounted the afternoon’s events to
Svein. In telling her story (but leaving
out the fact she is of royal blood), Stark made specific reference to Lord
Hedenko, the man to whom she had been betrothed.
“Since there is political
significance in how Deng Hedenko rose to power, I will hence, take pains to
extrapolate in detail everything I know of this Lord.”
“When I was residing as a
guest at my teacher’s home in Kontu, I heard allusions being made daily to this
notorious Lord, but it was not until my tutor filled me in on the details that
I fully comprehended the extent of the fear his name generated.
As a young man in his
teens, sixteen years old to be exact, Deng Hedenko already towered over seven
feet in height. With his massive build, prominent nose, large predatory eyes,
and bushy auburn hair of fiery red to match his temper, he already resembled
more a demon than a mortal man. Yet, only once from afar I bore witness to his
imposing bearing as he rode his black stallion at the fore of his equally
impressive military entourage through the main gates on his way to seek
audience with King Murong Di.”
Stark thoughtfully leaned
back in his chair and took in a few more puffs from his pipe before continuing,
“Overlord Deng Hedenko, as he was more appropriately referred to then, was born
second in line to an immensely powerful and well-established family in the
fifth year of Murong Di’s reign. Deng’s cruelty showed first when he was barely
seven years of age. Even at that early age he was contending for power and
aspired to his elder brother’s title. He dared his brother to a swimming match
in the icy river. It was a very frigid day in mid-winter and the temperature
had already dipped below freezing. When the elder boy succumbed to the cold and
stood on the brink of death, Deng cruelly let him expire, and only then made a
feeble pretense of affecting a rescue. Hedenko himself was known for boasting
of this, which is why it had reached my teacher’s ears.
“With one obstacle
eliminated, there remained a more difficult one for Deng to overcome. Fortunately
for Hedenko, however, his father Lord Dazong Hedenko had wizened too late to
his son’s insatiable thirst for power. With due consequence, the old Lord’s
attempts to subdue Deng and bring him under the control of his authority
resulted in failure. By withstanding the cruel measures and punishments
inflicted on him under the guise of discipline, Deng was able to increase his
will power and stamina by degrees until even the father had cause to fear his
own son. Deng Hedenko’s popularity, cultivated with other members of the family
and influential friends, and his growing skill in military strategy and martial
combat was met by the father with due apprehension.
 |
| 04- Lord Dazong Hedenko |
“Fearing his own early
demise, the old Lord Dazong Hedenko now contemplated conferring the hereditary
title to his third son, overstepping Deng’s right of succession. But, before
this could be affected (achieved), the younger brother succumbed to a fatal
accident. Worse, the father could find no proof to substantiate his suspicion
of Deng. Feeling his life was now in mortal danger, the old Lord Dazong Hedenko
named his own younger brother Teron Hedenko as heir apparent and conspired with
him to attain (beget) Deng’s demise; but the old Lord’s favorite wife, (for
polygamy was an accepted norm there), who had special affections (fondness) for
Deng Hedenko, betrayed her husband and warned Deng of the impending danger.”
“Sprung from the trap,
Deng fled to the capital, and to safety. His first act was to seek an audience
with Prime Minister Kwonsu Non, who bore Lord Dazong Hedenko an old grudge. Via
circumspect bribery, Deng managed to ingratiate himself with the Prime Minister.
Then, through P. M’s patronage, he was favorably presented at court to His
Majesty Murong Di. Deng’s striking
bearing and his outstanding ability quickly won him the favor of the court.
Despite his youthful age of seventeen, he was appointed as the commander of an
Imperial force of battalion and, promptly dispatched to settle the border
skirmish at Sikumu. With deadly precision, in no time at all he
annihilated the overwhelming forces of the enemy, recovered the lost territory,
and returned victorious to the capital.
 |
| GENERAL DENG HEDENKO |
For this stroke of military genius, he was
awarded the rank of General. In addition, he was presented with a fine, black
steed from the Imperial stables and, as a special mark of favor from His
Majesty, a luxurious court garment.
“In subsequent years, Deng
Hedenko, gaining command of larger and larger armies, won countless
unparalleled victories. He was strict with his officers and fighting men and,
quite unbending in his insistence on rigorous discipline as well as, absolute
adherence to military rules and regulations. However, he was also fair in his
treatment of good men and most generous in his rewards to those that deserved
his recognition. With his fair distribution of the wealth won during his
conquests, he won the unquestioning loyalty of his men. His words became law
throughout the whole army and overrode the instructions from the Minister of
War and the Prime Minister. There was an unspoken, unwritten conviction
(belief, opinion) that the army’s loyalty to Deng Hedenko even superseded an
allegiance to Sovereign Murong Di.
“As General Deng Hedenko’s
fame spread everywhere, his father’s earnest warnings to His Majesty about
Deng’s ambitious and treasonous nature (fell on deaf ears) were never heard.
“Most faithful, stanch
subject, Lord Dazong Hedenko’s subsequent entreaties, for the king to curtail
Deng’s power before it was too late or, more aptly, put Deng to death, were
also effectively intercepted by the Prime Minister and his powerful clique at
court.”
“In the end the old Lord
personally undertook the long and arduous journey to the Capital and put the
matter before the king. Through
persistence, and the help of the few faithful friends he had remaining, Lord
Dazong Hedenko eventually succeeded in gaining a private audience, and
presented his admonitions with great zeal. But, far from being commended for
his loyalty, he was rebuked by the Sovereign for harboring unwarranted
suspicions and for promoting baseless slanders against his own son. The old Lord left the capital a broken man.
“Growing in influence and
power, Deng eventually reached the limits of insolence when he dared to openly
insult the Crown Prince. But, since Deng was the most valued Field Marshal of
the Imperial forces, and his talents most sorely needed at that time, the
Monarch overlooked this sleight, as well as his other numerous crimes.
“Through Deng’s victories,
King Murong Di had gained those territories he had always craved, and, in a
noticeably short time, all the borders of Kontu were, for the first time ever,
secured. With the antagonistic kingdoms
that had previously posed a serious threat to his realm all, without exception,
vanquished and their strongholds burnt to the ground, Kontu’s Sovereign Murong
Di’s absolute dominion (and lasting reign) was affirmed.
“In time however, with no
more wars to wage, conflicting principles and varied internal politics, despite
cloaked ambitions, nevertheless, ignited serious disagreements between liege
and vassal. As the dissention between the two worsened (intensified), the king
now began to distrust Deng’s increasing political power and to question his
professed loyalty. Moreover, Murong Di, now regretful of his past oversight,
perfunctorily dismissed the Prime Minister’s ordinarily compelling lexis and
opinions and heeded instead Deng’s enemies and Lord Dazong Hedenko’s
forewarnings.
“Understanding that, with
the nation at peace, the Field Marshall was therefore expendable, Deng sought a
way out of this decidedly perilous predicament (situation).
As the saying goes, ‘When the game is caught,
the good bow is put away.’”
“Moving swiftly, before the likely rival
faction mustered (mobilized) an offensive against him; Deng Hedenko resigned
his commission and asked leave from His Majesty to return to his home state.
“The Sovereign could not
afford to appear openly ungrateful to this national hero, and so, Deng’s
request was promptly granted. Secretly, Murong Di had hoped that the old Lord
would do the deed (finish the job) for him and dispose of Deng once and for
all.
“Lord Dazong Hedenko’s
ardent foe, Prime Minister Kwonsu Non meanwhile, harboring his own sinister
designs, keenly supported the monarch’s decision, whilst, adroitly silencing
those who planned to enunciate a warning against letting such a rapacious fiend
loose in the countryside.
 |
| Prime Minister of Kontu -Kwonsu Non |
True to form, just as
Prime Minister had anticipated, shortly after Deng’s arrival at the estate of
Quinan, the old Lord Dazong Hedenko was swiftly, ruthlessly killed (cut down)
and the blame put onto unknown assassins. Subsequently, two culprits were
captured and, under torture supervised by Deng himself, confessed to the crime.
Both were promptly, brutally (horribly) executed immediately after the trial.
The case, thus quickly settled, gave the Chief Justice (of the High Court) no
opportunity to call an investigation.
The first part of
reprisals (retaliation, revenge) now over, Deng moved against, his once beloved
uncle, Teron Hedenko.
As it were, the very
moment the news of Deng’s impending return to Quinan had reached his uncle, out
of fear and, to allay Deng’s suspicions, (or ire,) Teron had officially
(formally) relinquished his claim to the succession and furthermore, staged a
falling-out with his elder brother Dazong Hedenko. Underestimating Deng’s
vindictive and brutal nature, upon Deng’s arrival, Teron then, reminiscing
about past joyful family events and his lone, doting treatment of Deng-
proceeded to curry as much favor as possible with his nephew.
Despite the assassination
of Lord Dazong, Deng’s sustained amicable, respectful conduct towards his
uncle, seduced (lulled) Teron into a false sense of security and he, albeit
erroneously, further lowered his shields (safeguards).”
“Teron was elated when
after the required period of bereavement, Deng, concealing his contempt,
courteously invited his uncle to a lavish reconciliation banquet.
“Deng wined and dined his
uncle with a cold smile on his lips throughout the ceaseless servings of
alcoholic-beverages, rare exotic fruits, steamed edible plants, huge portions
of venison and scrumptious (delectable) variety of outlandish victuals.
 |
| Teron Hedenko |
“The after-dinner
nerve-racking, bellicose martial entertainment, however, was ensued by
unexpected, dire revelations from Deng’s paid witnesses, who brought forth
false proof and a trumped-up charge of treason against Teron Hedenko. The Uncle had not even digested his food
before he was brutally hauled in chains to a damp dungeon, tortured, then
summarily executed for his crime. Once
more, the case was so clean-cut that the High court was rendered powerless to indict
Deng; as the witnesses themselves, had disappeared with as much rapidity as the
accused.
“Quinan, which encompasses
a remote, mountainous region was the farthest state from Capital. Burdened with
prevalent, severe weather and harsh topography, the hardened citizens, herders,
woodsmen or hunters, had always been difficult to rule. On the plus side, the
region landed itself to producing the finest warriors in the land.
After the consolidation of
his power in Quinan, Deng engineered some border troubles on his land and,
using this reason, proceeded to create a new, invincible army in his state.
“When this new development
became known in the Capital, the king sent a secret envoy into Quinan to keep
surveillance (watch) on Deng and return with his findings. Expecting such a
move, Deng hid most of his force in the mountains and provided numerous false
reports for the envoy. Favorably impressed, the envoy returned to court and
cleared Deng of all charges.”
“With time, Deng grew ever more savage in
nature and many of his enemies equated him to the fierce carnivores that
plagued his mountainous state.
This predatory Lord had
remained fond of wars and bloodshed all his life.
“It was said that, when he
could not conduct a war, he would butcher men just for the sheer pleasure of it.
He, true to his innate nature, remained just as fanatical about regulations as
when he had commanded the Imperial army.
He enforced his unvarying,
harsh edicts, with equivalent rigidity, regardless of stature or age- on the
military, close kin and, on the entire civilian population.”
“All this while, many of
the ablest soldiers who had served under Deng had, intermittently defected from
Imperial force and re-enlisted in Quinan. With such an impressive force under
his command, Deng Hedenko next embarked on a campaign of bloodshed to make
Quinan the biggest and strongest state within Kontu.
“The first set of wars was
waged on the neighboring kingdoms, Kwan and Ezaks, extending Deng’s holdings
further to the north and north-west. After his power in these border regions
was consolidated, Deng then looked to the neighboring states in Kontu, which
stood between him and the Capital.
His ruthless exploits by
then were so well known that just by seeing his invincible army poised at the
gate, was sufficient cause to frighten these lords to capitulate (surrender)
or, to strive for an alliance with the Overlord.
“In this way, by degrees, Deng Hedenko
succeeded in usurping good portion of the country from right under the very
nose of Murong Di. In fact, by the time he was thirty-one, Overlord Deng had
directly controlled over one-third of the Kingdom of Kontu and had secretly
annexed another quarter.
“This dominance was attained, via effective
manipulation of many of the influential ministers at the Imperial court who had
the King’s ear; and, by maintaining rigidly enforced control over engorged
state of Quinan; which was ruled by the harshest administrative governing body,
under sole authority (command, rule) of Overlord Deng Hedenko.”
“While all these factors
were adding up, Sovereign Murong Di’s attention was instead, directed to the
more urgent threat (pressing matter) from Ircon, on the eastern border region,
one of the first states formerly subdued by Hedenko, which at present had again
risen in power to war against Kontu.
“Hedenko had earlier
warned Murong Di of the strength of the conquered country and had counseled the
annihilation of the entire Royal Family.
The king, however, had coveted the Third Princess of Ircon, and later
made her his fifth wife, leaving the Royal Family in power and registering
Ircon as an independent tributary state.
“Too late, His Majesty
Murong Di regretted his ignoring Hedenko’s warning of just this possibility. He
would have been surely lost had he not still had the backing of Imperial army
and some powerful and staunch loyal ministers in Court.
Compounding this mistake
with another one still later however, he, gave the danger from Ircon a far
greater precedence over looming (imminent) one from Quinan, and refused to
recall Hedenko to court to give account for his, by now well-documented, treasonous
activities. This slight chance, sole window of opportunity closed, by the time
the injudicious monarch wizened to be concerned over Deng’s invincible power,
the internal strife, and corruption at court had permanently eroded his ability
to effectively deal with Deng.
“No doubt, numerous
assassins were covertly dispatched to Quinan, but their attempts were all
rendered ineffectual in that tightly controlled military state.
“Deng Hedenko, for the
three years prior to Teuquob’s escape, had permanently absented himself from
court. His emissaries still assured the muddle-headed king of his loyalty to
the throne and provided sound reasons for Deng’s accumulation of arsenals. Nevertheless,
with Deng Hedenko a permanent thorn in his flesh, it appears Murong Di had
finally resorted to his last recourse, that of allying himself with Overlord
Hedenko. Informed covertly of licentious Hedenko’s not so secret desire to be
wed to the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom, The Sovereign had issued
an edict, along with the invitation, to appease Lord Deng Hedenko. Although, I suspect, this was but a ruse
(ploy) to lure Hedenko to the capital and there to arrest him and execute him
for treason. Teuquob was the bait to
lure this fierce Overlord into the snare.”
“Judging from Overlord
Deng’s abilities, however, he would have accepted this proposal only to have
sprung some sort of trap of his own, allowing him to usurp the throne.”
Stark finally concluded
his narrative with this most plausible prediction. Much of what he had said
about the situation (state of affairs) in Kontu reminded both about the current
history of their own country, and both Stark and Svein lapsed into silence,
their thoughts converging on one unspoken name: Zakhertan Yozdek.
~
Winter soon showed its
bitter face, with unending storms and bone-chilling cold temperatures. Added to
this was the danger from ferocious predators, those that did not hibernate, now
contended for the scarce food still left on the mountain. So, all unnecessary
activities, like Stark and Teuquob’s excursions into the woods, were postponed,
while the daily martial exercises continued as before in the clearing.
On this night, like so
many other frigid winter nights, nestled in the warm comfort of their living
room, Svein poured over his books, while Teuquob engaged herself with
needlework and Stark, seated in his chair, quietly read a favorite passage from
a book. Only the howl of the winds
outside, in harmony with the roar of the wild beasts, intruded thoughtlessly on
the silence of the room. When Stark distractedly looked up from his book
Teuquob, misconstruing his pondering (considering carefully) as break in concentration,
impetuously voiced her request, “May I trouble you, sir, with, perhaps, my
unreasonable hope?” Stark nodded his
assent.
“Sir, I would be most honored if you would
consent to impart to me the (teachings) requisite mastery of the “Literate”
calligraphy, so that I may be able to decipher the ancient scrolls and benefit
from the antiquated poetry and prose that are in your keeping. Since it is my
wish to remain in your honorable country indefinitely, may I, therefore,
trouble you with this supplication?”
What purpose would it
serve other than to confuse your mind? Stark reflected before finally giving his reticent
response.
“Since only certain times are allocated to
education, are you certain you can spare the time from your present linguistic
studies? The future would be a more apt time (perhaps) for such additional
explorations.”
“I can achieve both. In
this way also, curious as I am of the beautiful, exceptional works, I shall not
repeatedly trouble you for the translations.” she pressed in her eagerness.
“Perhaps it can be done.”
Stark teased “But first, we must ask Svein if he would not object to you
sharing additional paper, ink and writing utensils.”
Svein, delighted at this
opportunity of spending more time with her, raised his head from his books and
meeting his uncle’s eyes, nodded to him in the affirmative.
Of course, you would,
foolish boy. Stark looked away to
ponder on the concern.
For a time, he remained reticent, worried
about the unnecessary distraction, but instead, reverting his gaze back on
Svein, he voiced this query, “Are you sure that it would not be an imposition?”
Svein could hardly contain
his bursting delight; so, you are not entirely opposed to it, and once more
gave his ready consent.
From that time onwards,
each night sharing the same lamplight, Teuquob sat opposite to Svein and, with
due diligence, followed Stark’s instructions in reading and writing in the
ancient dialects. These times spent in such proximity were not however without
their measure of restraint and discomfort for Teuquob and Svein. Feeling the
way, they did for each other; it took great deal of effort and willpower from
each to direct and maintain their concentration on their studies. Ultimately, (at
the right time) Teuquob was encouraged by Stark to only speak in the
Wenjenkun’s language. Her persistence in
using the unfamiliar tongue, despite her inadequacies of speech and discernible
frustrations (such as flushed cheeks) when she could not readily recall the
words she wished to use endeared her still more to them.
Over time, despite their
reserve and propriety of conduct, Svein and Teuquob were now growing more
familiar with each other. Svein could not resist teasing her from time to time,
making her more flustered or flushed with fury. This innocent interplay, when
done in times other than the study period, was overlooked, and even silently
condoned by Stark.
In a noticeably brief time Teuquob marshaled
enough of the old language that enabled her to read a line or two of their most
treasured poems or prose. Thirsting for
more, she continued to pour over her studies with unending enthusiasm and delight.
~
(Epic story of “Legend of
Nevetsecnuac” resumes in the next post, “The trip to the Monastery”- Section 1)
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