To Spread the Word
 

For as long as she could remember, Silmani had always felt as though some unseen being was calling her to spread the Word across the world, as far as her legs and the legs of horse or camel, or the sails of a ship, would carry her - the Word about what she knew, in the very depths of her soul, to be good and right, beautiful, loving and just. She was born in the peaceful, prosperous land of Desani, a lush valley surrounded by mountains. She'd been the daughter of a respected man, a prosperous shepherd and landowner. And yet she knew that on the other side of those mountains, and on many other parts of the continent, there were people who had less food, less water, received less rain and were even hungrier in their souls than they were physically. Many of these lands outside of Desani had been conquered, exploited, taxed, enslaved and severely mistreated by a cruel warlord. They'd gained their freedom, but those days of brutality were not far behind them, and, having been released from the shackles of bondage to a coldhearted foreign emperor, they had turned to being cold and selfish and violent towards one another. Because they were no longer chattel slaves, they were convinced they were free, despite the fact that their new rulers were indifferent to the poor, greedy and materialistic. "Morals" was a six letter word.
Silmani did not know why she felt this calling, but it had grown too forceful to ignore. Now, at twenty-five years of age, having refused several offers of marriage and buried her father last year, she had decided to set off on her first journey - to the rain -deprived, sun scorched lands on the other side of the mountains.

However, Silmani did not set out on this journey all on her own. A young boy named Chiharu had decided on accompany her. Although he didn't really care all that much about spreading this message of hers, he was dying to go on an adventure, to see the outside world. Growing up in an orphanage wasn't always easy or fun, he had lived there for all 13 years of his life and often got into fights with the other kids. In other words, he didn't like being there, but he always loved hearing about Silmani's message whenever she would come to visit and spread it. That's how he had gotten to know Silmani, and now, was about to head out on a long journey with her.

Silmani walked with a quick stride, saying softly to her young companion, "You must keep up with me, Chiharu."
She was a quiet woman who had been somewhat introverted for most of her life. She had not planned to have a traveling companion in the beginning. She was very nervous, though she tried to conceal her nervousness. Shed never raised or mentored a child, let alone an adolescent boy. She regarded him out of the corner of her eye as she walked, and had to admit that she found him adorable and endearing - and yet she was terrified. He admired her so - suppose she failed to live up to his hopes and expectations of her? Suppose he wouldnt listen to her? Suppose she got him hurt or killed?
She mustered her courage and spoke in a calm, clear and quiet voice. "My nephew, we are going to the village marketplace first to buy waterskins. Then we will follow the first caravan headed across the mountain to the desert of Corando.
"If you wish to be the face of the reformation we hope to spread across the land, you must remember to be a good and beautiful face. Follow my lead. Be generous, honest and dignified. Never act rashly or violently, and never leave my side without my leave. Do you understand?"

Chiharu listened in on what she had to say. To him, she seemed as confident as ever, strong willed and set on her goal. "Yeah, I got it, don't worry!" the silver haired boy said with a bright smile on his face as they continued marching. Chiharu didn't have many expectations for the trip, he just wanted to explore and go on an adventure, although he knew that wasn't what he had signed up for. After all, they'd just go from one place to another to spread some message, and he doubted that he'd be allowed to wander off on his own. For now though, he followed Silmani and did as she instructed.

Silmani offered him a small smile, then, continuing to stride ahead, entered the marketplace.
As she made her way past jewelry hustlers and maneuvered through crowded aisles of stalls, she was bombarded with questions from neighbors and acquaintances.
"My dear, I've heard you are leaving the country! Why did you never mention this before?"
"Where are you going?"
"Who is this with you - is he escorting you?"
"You'll need a strong man to protect you. You know that your father is dead now."
"You must tell is where you are going!"
"Is it that message you've been going on about?"
Silmani held up a hand to ward off swarmers and interrogators. "Please, leave me. I will be home again for a while before a full season passes. I've only come for supplies. This is Chiharu - he's a good and clever boy. Please leave him in peace!"

There were definitely a whole lot of eyes glued to both Chiharu and Silmani, there was no doubt about that. The young silver haired boy wasn't a big fan of too much recognition though, and was trying to hide behind Silmani to the best of his ability. They continued on walking, wherever it was that Silmani was heading.

By the edge of the town, there worked a blacksmith and her apprentice. Her name was Lucy, and had also always enjoyed the idea of travelling outside of the village. Not only did she like the idea of travelling, she also liked Silmani as she would often come to talk with her, which no one really did considering the fact that she was a blacksmith after all. Lucy liked both Silmani as a person and her message, so helping her out on her journey was nothing but a big plus. Despite being a woman, she had quite the demanding line of work. Luckily for Lucy, her apprentice was a huge help. She was currently hammering on a piece of glowing red metal, that would become a horseshoe sometime in the future.

Twelve year old Hatya had just woken, as the sun had just risen and she'd slept a little late. She sat up in her cot, blinking groggily, casting a resentful glance through the crack in her wall at the light of the sun. She would have burrowed back under the blankets and slept on if it had been her choice. She was a good worker, but she disliked her life as a blacksmith's apprentice. There were few visitors, her face was often soot black and her clothing always reeked. Still, she preferred this life to the one she had led in the charity-funded orphan's home. And so, she began to count seconds, willing herself to get up and splash her face in ten seconds.
It was then that she saw the shadow of a person through the crack in her wall. In a flash she was on her feet, flying out to Lucy.
"Someone's coming! Oh, thank the Maker, someone's coming!"

Lucy was just minding her own business like usual, hammering away at the glowing red metal. What caught her completely off guard though, was the excitement in Hatya's voice this early in the morning. That's definitely not something you'd see everyday. What's more, someone actually heading into their shop was almost just as unusual.
"Someone's coming?" Lucy asked in surprise. "Who is it?"

"I don't know. I only saw a shadow through the crack in the wall." Hatya seized Lucy's hands and spun with her. "Someone's coming, someone's coming!"
A moment later, a knock sounded on the door. Hatya stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to decide whether she should run back to exchange her sleeping clothes for company clothes and fix her hair or run to the door. She decided the door would come first.

"Just remember to be polite Hatya, and don't be too excited, okay?" Lucy said with a chuckle to back it all up. "After that, you can go put some real clothes on and do your hair." the lady blacksmith said as Silmani and Chiharu entered. "Well isn't it Silmani, how nice it is to see you again"

The silver haired boy stepped into the blacksmith's place, surprised by all the metal hanging around everywhere and how cool everything looked. Chiharu made sure to stand slightly behind Silmani, so he wouldn't seem too pushy. "Wow, this place is amazing.. Maybe I should become a blacksmith." he whispered to Silmani before being quiet, since Lucy started talking.