*Suddenly a high voice shouted "Stop!", Before anyone was able to do anything Nazlik ran form the sidelines and grabbed Armath by the arms. "Father please, do not do this. I love him, do not kill him!". She said begging. "No my daughter, don´t do this "he replied, "this Magister has a hold on you which makes you think you love him. It is called blood magic. I witnessed it being used on our people when they we were captured by the Imperium. Only my quick actions saved me from the faith of the others. I was lucky to get away. Once this Magister is dead the spell will dissolve on its own". Nazlik looks at Ukki, "is this true my love?" she asked with saddness in her voice.
He looks at her sincerely, "It is true that my house processes new slaves with specific blood spell to remove any will for rebelling. The history has proven this to be a strong possibility. The spell itself does not cause affection, only loyalty. However, I removed the spell from you long before we left for Nevarra. Anything that has passed between us ever since or before that has been from our own consent. You have not been under any spell for a long time, and definitely not ever under such spell" he says quieten down.
Armath shakes his head and looks at his daughter with affection, "I know you will hate me for this, but later you will understand why I had to do it" he whispers to her. "No father, you do not know how powerful he is, he will kill you all!" she cries. With a soft move he pushes her to the side and steps forward lifting his huge sword. Ukki takes a step back and magical power surrounds him, it swirls around him in a dense pulsating web of power. "Listen to her!" he shouts, "I do not want to do this!"
Armath lifts the sword above his head for a gigantic swing. Nazlik jumps up and grabs his hands from behind shouting in qunlat, "I am with child!".
Whole room stops right there, no one moves, their wide open eyes are fixed in her. Some gasps can be heard in the silence. Armath turns to her shocked to his core, "(in qunlat) But.. how is that even possible?"
"(in qunlat) I don´t know, but he is the only man I have been with these past 10 years. Maybe it is the magic he has or the magical potions I have drank to speed my performance and healing. I don´t know. But what I do know, is that I am with his child" she says silently.
Armath puts his swords tip on the ground and looks at Ukki in disbelief.
He doesn´t understand what just happened between Nazlik and her father, but apparently she said something to calm him down. He lets his power to faint away. Silence in the room could be cut with a knife.
He sits in a chair outside the small hut pointed to him looking at the bustling village. These past few days have baffled him tremendously, not just how because the attitude toward him changed after his first meeting with the Tal-vashoth leader. After Nazlik talked her father down people have grudgingly shown acts of kindness towards him. He still does not know what was said in that room and she is not willing to tell him. He hoped eventually to be able to find out what it is.
The good thing about this change was that he was actually able to have a polite conversation with the Armath. He spent a long time explaining himself and their relationship which Armath accepted with reluctance. He offered a alliance between the Tal-vashoth, Fog Warriors and the Imperium to beat the qunari off Seheron. In exchange of their help he promised, as a member of the senate, for these freedom fighters the northern part of the Seheron as their own country, under the Imperiums protection of course. Armath was left with the job of convincing other tribes to cooperation. He knew it would be a lot to ask for in the Senate but was confident it would be accepted should the qunari finally be defeated, and these people to actually provide substantial help. He also gave Armath a travel parchment with his own seal should he want to officially visit the Imperium. Armath informed that he would think of all this and that he would give his answer through a messenger in due time.
He saw Nazlik coming from her parents house. She had spent her time mostly with them to make up the lost time, but occasionally had come to see him too. She convinced her parents not to say anything to him, she would do it on her own time. "Are you ready to go home?" she asks with a smile. "Are you coming with me?" he asked suprised, "I thought you wanted to stay with your family". "No, as much as I love my parents my life is with you. That has not changed" she says and bends down to give him a kiss. Children spying them giggled at the sight of it.
"Thank you love. I promise to you, we will not loose touch with them" he said, "now that we have a connection, we can at least be in touch with them through messengers".
After a few days they packed for the trip and captured members of Ukki´s team were brought to them, they were held in another part of the village. Angry, but no one was hurt. While they headed out to the jungle after she had said her goodbyes to her parents she watched him walk before her and rubbed gently her belly with a smile, "lets go home" she whispers.
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