"These kinds of encounters happen rarely in the course of one's life, especially mundane people like myself" said Viola with a wry smile, as she sipped on her concoction.
Nile saw the statement and understood it as an invitation to comment, but, as has been his habit lately, he chose not to engage. He stayed silent, laying on a straw bed.
Viola did not seem to mind. It was not conversation she was after, but listening ears.
"This land has been through a great deal of sorrow" she continued, "Half of it has already been forgotten. It makes my heart ache"
Nile picked up his bowl and sipped a bit. It had a foul but familiar taste, and a smell that reminded him of his home on the hillside.
He looked at Viola, a middle-aged woman with fire-red hair and smart features. Her skin was a bit lighter than his but still dark, and she had on a rugged crimson gown that matched her eyes. She took his look as an invitation to carry on the story.
''When Khen looked at this desert-infested land, he saw opportunity. When he looked at his thin, sickly people, he saw his family. When he looked at dragons, he saw his hertiage'' She said. '' He did not see land, people and dragons, he saw Darkhen, his home".
Nile felt a bit sleepy and understood that it was probably something in the drink. He welcomed it as he knew his body needed the rest. He was still able to hear, though his vision started phasing.
"I've been in Darkhen for a lifetime. I've seen it grow from the ground up. I've seen it claw its way from desert to life with the grace of God. From tribes to one people, from huts to homes. A sight to behold"
"You've seen the world's creation" said Nile, instinctively. "Parts becoming a whole".
" And I've seen it being destroyed" retorted Viola, with a sad look. "And by the time the army of the red king reached the desert, Darkhen was a sickly shadow of its former self. They only dealt the coup de grâce"
"What do you mean?" Said Nile, surprised by his newfound interest in Viola's story. At this point he was drifting in a state of trance, hearing but not longer seeing Viola.
"The hearts of men are easily seduced, and power is a playful mistress. Darkhen started to crack the moment its own sons competed for power over one another, long before the red king decided to send his ships. I suppose in hindsight it was inevitable. All things must come to an end"
"The second ad third dragon kings were able to maintain the cohesion between the different clans, though the dragons already started returned to their valleys. The fourth, the first not having met Khen, quickly cracked under the pressure of different factions, creating a power imbalance that we are yet to correct, 30 years after"
Viola lifted her head and looked at Nile. He was no longer in this realm. She looked at his legs still covered in rags, "My concoction will do you a lot of good" she said, smiling. She stood up.
"Say, have I become too old to hope?" She asked herself, as she left the room.
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