Learn How to Dream

"Your wife has a very dirty mind."

"What?"

"Your wife has a very dirty mind!"

"How would you know? You always told me she was an angel come to earth."

"I came to her in her dreams, and it was not easy to get her attention."

"You visit Larna in her dreams?"

"You two are far apart, what other option did I have?"

"So, you are not just a figment of my imagination?"

"What do you think happened during the revelation? Was everything just a figment of Gugor's imagination, when he wrote what the goddess of the living and the goddess of the dead said to him?"

"Since you ask this way, possibly not. But I was never sure about that."

"I am sure now. But that does not mean anything. I am dead.

I visited the goddess of the dead. She complained to me. So many are coming to her, who do not know about the revelation; so many men, whose hearts are not like feathers, but like a chain of steel, binding their hearts to their riches, ships and treasures."

"Are those the men from the free cities?"

"Mostly, yes. She not just wants you to rebuild the free cities, she wants you to bring them revelation.

Some people are even petty when they are dead. They have a hard time accepting, that their goddess for this period of their existence is female."

"Why do you talk to me so openly, when in the past dreams you always talked in riddles?"

"I have your attention now. I do not need to talk in riddles to you. You know who I am, and you know what I am talking about."

"I suppose you did not visit me to tell me about my wife's dreams."

"No, I did not. But really, that would be a long chapter in my book.

I came to talk to you about the free cities. You can, quite literally buy them. They would do absolutely anything for money. Of course, they will lay to your feet if you rebuild them. But they will do so much more if you buy your way into their hearts -- or better their purses. That's where their hearts are anyway."

"I wonder in what dirty way you explained this to Larna."

"Haha, very funny."

"But their men are mostly dead. Do their women think the same way?"

"They may be the main victims of their society's inner workings for a few hundred years. But this is the only way they know. They will not be changed overnight. You must separate them, educate them, bind them to you and to your kingdom. It will never again be as easy as it is now."

"And what does this have to do with you coming to Larna's dreams?"

"She will send a ship full of money to Dagrala. It will be enough to buy your way at least into three cities. The ship will look as if it was full of radishes. It will come to Dagrala two days after your arrival."

"And how did you explain this to her?"

"She will send you a letter. That should be enough."

"How is she? I only get her letters, and I know only what she wants to tell."

"Did she ever tell less than the truth when she wrote to you in the past?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Then you know, how she is. She misses you very much, but she is not idle and handles the palace very well."

I woke up immediately after these words. Voices were outside my shed. They talked about preparing the horses. When I went outside, I could see the first light on the horizon, but it was still early in the morning.

One of the soldiers came to me and looked at me like he wanted to say something. But he did not know how to start, so I started for him.

"Good morning, soldier. Tagor is the name if I remember correctly."

He seemed relieved.

"Yes, ahhm, duke, I am Tagor. We are preparing your horse. You will need to start early. A scout came to our camp half an hour ago and said that you are being awaited at the Low Pass."

"Who is awaiting me?"

"The old priest, who still tends to the temple of Lavak on the pass. He said he needs to speak to the king as soon as possible."

"And he cannot wait any longer? How does he know the king is on his way?"

"He made it very clear, that it is urgent. I will ride with you. The others will look after your luggage."

"Good. Give me two more minutes, there are only a few things I have to take with me."

I went back into my shed and took my saddlebag with the drafted letters, the royal seal and my father's book. I woke Mandrak and told him, what I was about to do and that he should look after my other bags.

A few minutes later I sat on Talalla, Tagor at my side and we started the ascent to the Low Pass.

"We will be there in two hours. We are faster than the whole party without our luggage. The road is trustworthy here, this part of the route is not that dangerous."

"Thank you, Tagor."

We rode in silence for some time, then Tagor spoke again:

"I am from Nefatil. Or at least I was conceived there. My father was a slave, and my mother was a merchant's daughter, who made the mistake to fall in love with a slave. When she found out she was pregnant, she fled to the temple of Lavak on the Low Pass. The priest there took her in, and she stayed until after I was born.

I visited the old man every year ever since. I stay at his house for two or three weeks and repair as much as I can and help him keep the temple in order.

The High Priest of Lavak had no interest in this temple for the last fifty years. Maybe this will change now when the Low Pass becomes an important route again."

"What happened to your parents?"

"My mother still lives in Buladri. She has a small house there with a garden. The count of Buladri allows his servants to support her. My father had to work on Nefatil's ships for some years. My mother saved some money to buy him free, but it was never enough. The count finally paid half the price for my father. But he was crippled by then and died a few years later, when I was still a boy.

I grew up with my mother and as a ward in Lavak's temple in Gutmir. The temple paid for my education until I joined the military. I was posted with the ceremonial guards after the battle of Khorrham."

I was surprised. This young man had gotten around quite a bit. He had fought by my side in one of the most gruesome battles in the war against the north.

"I am happy to have you with me, Tagor. And I am happy to be led to the temple on the Low Pass with someone who was born there."

A few minutes later the sun came up and put warmth in our faces. We rode again in silence until the river became smaller and smaller and the landscape flattened. Suddenly we were on the pass. On a mountain flank on the left side stood the temple, glistening white in the morning sun.

"This is beautiful."

We rode up to the temple. Right behind it was the house for the priests, obviously not inhabited by many.

Before we could even get off the horses, the door of the house opened and out came a blind old man, finding his way with a long stick.

"Tagor, come here, I know that it is you, I can recognize the sound of your horse."

"But Gulrak, I came on a different horse today."

"That may be, but you ride them all the same way. And you have brought someone with you. Is it another messenger?"

I walked up to him and wanted to clear my throat and greet him. But he suddenly fell to his knees and was about to kiss the rubble on the pathway. Tagor jumped at his side and wanted to get him back on his feet.

"Get up Gulrak, let me help you!"

"How can I stand before the king. My king, Shathor, finally we meet. I have dreamt about you since the day you were born. I have important messages for you."

I still was not sure what to make of this scene.

"I am happy to be here too, Gulrak. For I am travelling, I am not king Shathor, I am duke Haruk of Lambaragh. May we come to your house, and may I trouble you for something warm to drink? We started our journey up here very early without any breakfast."

"Of course, your majesty. But I must insist. As long as you stay in the temple area, there are no lies, no aliases, no deceiving. There is just the truth of the gods."

"Good. May we come in."

"Of course. Tagor will prepare something for you. I am blind, I find my way around the things I need daily. But there is no way I can prepare anything for the king."

We went inside and sat in the kitchen. Gulrak seemed to study my face as we sat there. He seemed to see something without his eyes. We were in complete silence until I finished my coffee. When I put away my mug, he stood up took my hand, kissed it, and said, "Let's go to the temple." He pulled me away. "Tagor, you stay here or around the house. I need to be alone with the king."

He went to the temple quickly, opened the doors and let me inside. Inside temple was one big room, with an altar in the middle and some bookshelves on the walls. Near the back wall were two chairs.

"Are the chairs still there? I did not sit on one of them in over thirty years."

"They are there, a bit dusty, but they seem well enough."

"Will you guide me?"

When he found his chair and sat, he began to talk again.

"I came to this temple when your grandfather was still king. This is a temple of monks, well, a temple of one monk now. We were thirty-five, when I started. After the wars with the south the border to the free cities was closed and my brothers left the Low Pass. No more merchants came through seeking the help of Lavak.

I must apologize to you. I made use of one of your messengers to inform the High Priest about the reopening of the border. He will send thirty-four monks and enough resources to rebuild the temple and the guesthouse."

"The crown will pay for the construction work."

"No, no, the main temple has enough money and I expect this temple to be a big source of income once again."

"Are privileges for your temple in force, so you can fulfil your duty?"

"The old privileges are still intact. The temple will take care for itself, as it always did.

The merchants' guild will rebuild the streets and bridges in the kingdom and the military will reopen a presence on the Low Pass, but not to guard the border, since there will be none.

You, my king, will need your forces in the south. You will claim the free cities and you will rebuild them as you like it. They will change. They will become the kingdom's door to the far south and to the sea.

But what is more important: The gods are gathering. They await you. They will reveal themselves once more, as they did, when Gugor lived. But other than Gugor you will witness them all. Prepare your mind and soul for them. Visit them. Prepare your kingdom."

"How do I meet with the gods?"

"I don't know. They will tell you, as they told me how to listen to them.

I have a few more messages for you:

First, when you come to Faltara visit the temple of Baramir, the god of dreams. I heard that you experience quite something in his realm. His temple is the only building still intact in Faltara. Once we had a good neighbourhood with the priests in Faltara, but that is long gone. When you come there, just say, that Gulrak sends you. I think they are already waiting for you.

Second, you will take in many wards and over time concubines from the south. More than the royal palace has ever seen. You will need space for them. Your great-grandfather, king Shathor VI. once started building a palace near the Long House. Finish it and the Long House. And finish the western rotunda. Your palace will have many visitors over the next years.

And finally, don't forget about the north. The king of the north is once more gathering his forces. But when you stand strong, he can do nothing against you.

I will live for ten more years. I have asked Isanna for some time to see the temple flourish once again. Then I will die and go to her sister, who has called for me already. But she is patient with those who are not yet done."

"What is your full name? I want to remember you."

"I am Gulrak Nabuk."

"Are you in any way related to Rallgar Nabuk?"

"Yes, he is my younger brother's grandson. His sister Kalina is a servant in the Inner Palace."

"Then I will remember you even better."

"Now, let's get outside. The sun is shining and the scouts from the south are already waiting for you. You are about to meet some very interesting people. And, my king, do not hide your identity for too long. They are waiting for you, but there are no lies and no deceiving when you have business with the gods."

"Goodbye, Gulrak. I hope we will meet again."

"I don't think so, it will be years until you come to the Low Pass again. I will be decrepit or dead. Goodbye, my king, may Lavak bless you. I will not talk to you outside these doors. I cannot call you by your wrong name."

We left the building. I was blinded by the sun for a moment. When I was able to see again, the old man was already on his way back to the house.

To the south I saw five men on horses waiting. I assumed these were the scouts from Dagrala. I decided to walk back to the house and greet them sitting on my horse. Tagor was already waiting for me.

"The scouts from the south are here. Our people must arrive every second. I can already hear the horses behind the temple."

"Let's go, greet them."

"Is it wise, when it is only us?"

"We are not at war, and they asked us to come. I don't think they will harm us."

We rode a few hundred meters to the south. A sign on a post marked the border. They had not passed this point yet. We stopped at the sign, and they came closer.

Now I saw that they were two men and three women. They wore long coats with a hood. One of the women came close to me and pulled the hood back. She wore her hair tied back in a ponytail and she seemed to freeze. I estimated her to be about twenty years old.

"My name is Tieka Faya. Daughter of Zurat Faya, Doge of Dagrala."

"My name is Haruk, duke of Lambaragh. I am the king's emissary to the south."

She seemed unsure what to do, and she was obviously freezing.

"Tieka, may we change places around the post, so that I am in Dagrala territory, and you are in the kingdom. It is no longer forbidden to cross the border from the north."

"Neither is it from the south. We may do, as you said."

Her companions were watching us closely.

"I was looking forward to meet you, but I wished it was under better circumstances."

"As do I. My mother asked me to accompany the royal expedition to Dagrala to bring you there as fast as I could."

"My men are a bit behind us. I came up here early. I wanted to visit the temple of Lavak before I leave the kingdom."

"The messengers said you were about twenty riders?"

"Yes, sixteen from the expedition and a varying number of scouts and messengers."

"You can leave your scouts behind. We have our own. You should take your messengers with you."

"I will speak about it with my men. First, we will make a short stop at the temple to warm up. You look like you are freezing."

"I cannot allow that, we must reach Dagrala as soon as possible."

"It is of no use if we reach Dagrala when you are frozen to death. You look like you are very cold."

"But..."

"I have a proposal. Who is your best messenger? I give him news from the north, good news, to bring to the city, so your mother can prepare. And we travel as fast as we can, without harming ourselves or our horses."

She thought to herself for some time, then looked to the others and back to the temple, where she could already see the rest of the expedition come up to the plain on the Low Pass.

"Your proposal is acceptable. My sister Rannika is our fastest rider. She will bring your message to our mother."

"Thank you."

She called after her sister. "Haruk, the king's emissary, will give you a message for our mother. Bring it to Dagrala as fast as possible. We will come after you, but the trail needs some time and Haruk does not wish to bring anyone in danger."

"I listen." She kept her hood up. She seemed even younger than her sister, but I could not see much of her.

"Thank you, Rannika, I am pleased to meet you too.

The king has sent this expedition to gather information about what you need and what we can do. I have the mandate to sign treaties, agreements and to conduct every form of negotiations about our future.

A relief fleet is on its way to Dagrala. Your home will be helped first. From what we gather your city is quite damaged and you reached out first.

Our military has mobilized an engineers' corps with the necessary abilities to rebuild your cities, your ports, your streets, and your bridges. They will come over the Low Pass beginning in the next few days. At first, they will repair the road on the pass and then move on to Faltara and Dagrala. The relief fleet will bring food and clothes, later it will bring construction materials and everything we need.

The first ships will be in Dagrala in eight to ten days.

I am personally here to find out how we can work together and how our relations will be in the future.

It has come to our attention, that Nuret may try to sabotage our efforts to help you. If Nuret does so, it will be destroyed to the ground and what's left of it will be spread all over the continent.

I have come to guarantee you the kingdom's first aid for free. Everything that comes after that will be subject to negotiations.

I must visit the temple of Baramir in Faltara for personal reasons. As far as we know it is the only building in Faltara to be intact. I estimate we will be in Dagrala in four days."

Tieka turned to her sister: "Ride and tell mother everything you have heard here. The duke's estimation is correct. We should be in Dagrala in three to four days."

Rannika rode off and Tieka asked the other three riders to follow us. "Now where is this warm place you promised?"

I smiled at her, "I did not promise anything yet. Follow me to the temple."

Tagor accompanied me to the temple house. Gulrak was nowhere to be seen, but when we entered the house, especially the kitchen was warm, and everything was prepared to make coffee and tea. Tangara, Mandrak and Ladar came with us, and we made introductions. With Tieka came her third sister Imila and two boys from Dagrala, Zultor and Hamur.

The kitchen was warm enough that we could take of our coats. Tieka and Imila were both stunning beauties, with long, nearly black hair, a slender figure, and very lively bright eyes. They both did not talk too much, but they laughed at our jokes and answered our questions politely.

After we had warmed up a bit, both in body and mind, we decided to resume our journey and make our way to Faltara.

"One bridge is destroyed on our way to Faltara. We were able to repair it and it should hold for now. Maybe the engineers from the north can do a better job. I would not trust our repairs with a wagon." Tieka explained as we examined our path.

"Where will we stay for the night?" Ladar asked.

Imila answered, "There is a shelter we will reach before the sun goes down. We do not need to hurry, but neither shall we be too slow. The road through the Falir valley can be treacherous."

"Did the rain destroy anything along the way?"

"Not here up north, but south of Zaffa's gate the rain did not spare much."

Then she turned to me, "We will be in Faltara tomorrow in the evening. We could travel further during the night. But if you plan to stay at the temple longer, we will start in the morning and reach Dagrala two days later."

"Thank you. I am not sure how much time I will need at the temple, but I think it would be best anyway if we rest for the night. Our horses are tired, as are we."

The two Faya sisters kept mostly to themselves for the rest of the day. The two boys from Dagrala talked much with our military company. They seemed somewhat excited to see soldiers from another country.