Chapter 26: The Horse and the Great Steppe
The steppe is a very difficult place to live.
To the north lay the bone-chilling cold coming from gods knows where.
and to the south, there is intense heat
Some said it comes from the mouth of a fire gods. That there used to be desert that separates the Great Steppe with the Yan dynasty
But one of strange men in the world walk the desert and where he walks forest would rise up and grass would spread
At least that is how the story goes
Situated between these two extremes, the steppe shared some of its weather with each.
Winters lasted nearly nine months with temperatures dropping below the normal temperature and during summer, the heat could boil water
In the middle of summer … there is a good deal of thunder and lightning which kills many people, and a great deal of snow actually falls there then.
There are great cold windstorms, so that men can ride horses only with difficulty.
The wind is harsh and the dust is everywhere
In winter it never rains, while in the summer it often does, but so little that it can hardly soak the dust and roots of the pastures.
Hail, by contrast, falls abundantly.
There was time that the hail feels so much that when it melted when the air is warm, people are drowned and huts were swept away
Extreme heat and then extreme cold.
The people of the Great Steppe live in such environment and it is this environment that birthed them powerful men
Aeryon, Belarion, Mayeux, and Garron.
These four men rides their horses, each one of them is proficient in riding horses. The people of Yan rarely praised the tribes of the Great Steppe
But they do praise them of their horsemanship. To the people of the Great Steppe, one without a horse is like a bird without wings.
Each child of the great steppe begins to rides horse when they are two or three years old. They learn to ride them, to manage them and to gallop on them.
They are given bows to suit their stature and are taught to shoot; they are extremely agile and also intrepid.
Young girls and women ride and gallop on horseback with agility like men. From childhood, the people of the Great Steppe learn to ride horses.
Those who could not ride a horse, could they be considered the people of the Great Steppe?
These four galloped through the grassy plains and behind them is an army. The sight is terrifying
There is the sound of thundering hooves that could be heard from miles away as the horses made its way across the land
Even though there is no such organize d formation, the warriors of the tribes known where to go and how to attack
The people of the Great Steppe learn how to ride horses since they were young. But they were also taught to fight since they were young
Bows and arrows, whips and spears.
The riders moved in perfect unison, the rhythm of their galloping horses creating a symphony of sound that echoed across the landscape.
Their movements were precise and purposeful, as they swept across the land, covering vast distances with ease.
This could only be done by the people of the Great Steppe.
They made riding horses into an art
Aeryon notices this and his ambition burn brighter than ever before.
Garron look at the ambition in front of him.
Mayeux thought of a rising tribe. Belarion is happy that his tribe would be able to stand proudly under the gaze of the Skyfather
Everyone have their own desires and their own feeling and their own vision of what the future would be.
But Aeryon is looking farther than any of them
He thought to himself, that he has a God-given opportunity. If that person could do it in his time, why couldn't he?
He threw out question like whether this is the world in the book he reads, or whether this is another world entirely.
All he knew that since he is in this world, he would not be a mediocre person.
In this world a mediocre person could die on the side of the street and no one would care.
Aeryon look behind him and he could not help but feel that if he could reform the warrior forces, to change them from tribal armies and make them a more formalized army, he could sweep the Great Steppe.
'Step by step' he reminded himself.
They arrived and they stopped. From afar they could see the Ghar tribe settlements
Aeryon sent scouts and when noon came, they are near the settlements of the Ghar tribe. Aeryon and his forces camp in one side of the area, toward north area of the settlements.
His scout already met the Ghar tribe scout. They did not fight with each other but both of the scout return to the camp and report the encounter.
Garron took the east side and camp there
Aeryon and Garron both agree toa attack independently from their position. Aeryon decisions to attack only with fifty men allow him to very flexible in where he wanted to go.
The sun is shining bright up in the sky and there are the desert eagles flying in the sky, sometimes swopping down to grab some snakes.
Aeryon sat on his tent and he closes his eyes. He would wait.
…
Meanwhile on the Ghar tribe settlement.
The chief of the Ghar tribe is Otuken. He sighed. Around the tent there is many people. There is his son, Chanai. His wife Zaufishan.
There is Ogrash, his chief warrior.
Otuken is quite old. He is around forty years old. But just like Xeqani, he has large body and he is still strong enough to draw bows, rides the horse and kill enemies.
A few days before, he was still thinking of the rivalry between him and the Xewa tribe. He even formulated many plans with Ogrash
But circumstances changes faster than he could anticipated. Before, the meeting he still has an apparent easiness
Now he is frowning
And he sighed.
He takes a deep breath and then excuse the scout out from his tent. Inside his tent is the warriors of the Xewa tribe and Xeqani
'I didn't expect them to come here almost immediately'
The warriors of the Ghar tribe also did not expect this.
Otuken look at Xeqani and one could imagine the complications in his heart. When Xeqani first come to his settlement, he could not believe it.
And he even thought that Xeqani wanted to attack him
Xeqani told him what had transpired and the more he listened the more he could not believe it.
He did not expect that such a great warrior would be born from the Brolgadhr tribe. Aeryon the Son of Rakarys had attack the Xewa tribe alone, killing hundreds of people alone.
Then if that is not enough, the Xewa tribe subordinate tribe, the Utgard tribe betrayed him and began attacking him.
And now the Xewa tribe had been subjugated by the Brolgadhr tribe and the Utgard tribe.
At first, he even thought that Xeqani is trying to lie to him. But when he sent his scout to the area of the Xewa tribe, his scout reported the same thing that Xeqani told him
At first, he was very happy. After all, his enemy fall without him doing anything. He even thought of sending a messenger to the Brolgadhr tribe to create relations.
But when he heard that the Utgard tribe and Aeryon rides toward his tribe settlements, he then knows that the young chief has too big of an ambition
This is a person that want to avenge right and wrong. And to the young chief, the Ghar tribe is also the enemy of his tribe. And so, he would bear arms against him
'This is a problem'
The Ghar tribe is also one of the tribes that had driven out the Brolgadhr tribe out of the Great Steppe.
And he also knows why Aeryon is chasing Xeqani. Xeqani killed Rakarys. It is then not a crime for his son to enact revenge.
But now he even come here.
The intention to avenge right and wrong is now clear.
And he comes here with an army of the Utgard tribe. Ghar tribe is not a strong as Xewa tribe but their force power is nearly the same.
And with the sudden addition of Xewa tribe warriors, they now have around more than one thousand men.
Otuken sat cross legged on the carpet laden ground of his large tent.
He then got up. Ogrash, his son and even his wife got up and they all have a fierce expression on their face.
'Get ready to fight' he told his men as he dons his armour and took his bow and arrow. He then brought out his spear and ready to fight against Brolgadhr forces
…
Back to the Brolgadhr tribe, the entire tribe is full of jubilation and joy.
The Ashana announce the news of the victory of their chief.
They then walk to their settlements and they could see that their area is now free from the occupation of the Xewa tribe.
The Ashana slaughter a few cattle and a few sheep and feed the tribe. The Brolgadhr tribe then prays to the Skyfather and the Earth Mother to give victory to their warriors.
The Elders on the other hand is occupied with rebuilding the site of their settlements with the other tribes' members.
The Ashana look toward the open plains and took in the air and she smiles. She looks at the sky, saw the condor flies in the distance and she laughed
There is an omen in the sky, an omen only she could read
She moves her finger, exercise her memories and she thought of a song
"Under the power of Eternal Heaven, a bearer of His Will"
"A King of the Blue World"
An old song, a forgotten song, a yearning song…a dream and a desire
She looks at the sky, blue and white, encompassing everything
'Thy will be done'
….
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