1 Iset I

25th of the Month of Spirits, 11:15, before Midnight

When Nenu died, Iset stayed strong, she would not allow the death of her husband affect her, she was stronger than that, she was the Lady of House Ardashir, not a noble family, but old blood nonetheless. Her family had a reputation and she would hold it before her own interests and emotions. She had to worry about her daughter and heir, nothing else was important at the moment.

After her daughter was born, Iset could not become like every widow and widower in Neth. She would not let it affect her and yell insults at whoever dared to look at her with pity. Nenu was gone, but the time she had spent with him had been good, he may be gone, but Iset knew he would always watch over them. His Baru was proof enough of it, only Iset and Nima present— and what a memory that had brought, it was just like when their father had died, only them left in the Ardashir line—and his Omen had been just for her, a good one, filled with hope and beginnings. It would be okay.

But even now, Iset still wears mourning red.

So, she had concentrated on Zarniqa, with hair like Nenu, skin like Iset and chubby cheeks. Her first and last child. Her heir. She would not marry again, she had other things to worry about. Like Nima being stupid an almost dying after a fight with Lady Zasya, it had been Iset the one to warm him as he lay shivering on a cot in the cells under Night Hall, as she glared at the Nocturnals guarding the cell's door, not allowing anyone inside the cell, with the prince as the only exception. Because her stupid little brother and his dumb prince were both too loyal for their own good.

It happened a year after the Zasya nomad crossed over, after the nomads gained their memories back, and after the princess was gifted by Ayth and was named like a Netherian and not like a nomad. All the while Iset continued her hobby, tending to the flowers at the cemetery, with Zarniqa at her back, now bigger and talkative, able to walk wobbly steps as Iset and Nima praised her and she giggled like she herself was proud of her own achievements.

Her scissors cut a stem of the overgrown bush on the grave, and Iset slowly gave it a more round shape, softly touching each flower that had grown, their glowing petals leaving small droplets of water on her tattooed skin. Zarniqa babbled nonsense in her ear and Iset was content, she would later have lunch with Nima before he left for the palace to gawk and baby talk to princess Alala and then continue his duties at the Ogdra, after all the end of the month was nearing at with it Aosauin. Iset would stay at the house until the new night started and she had to go work at the apothecary. She could no longer go to the ancestral home of her family, at least, not yet. Too many memories had invaded the space, most of Nenu, and since Nima was staying at the palace most of the time, the Haruspex house would be her home until she was ready to return to the house.

As she cut another rebellious stem, a yell echoed around the cemetery and Iset immediately rose to her feet. It had come from the woods not far from the cemetery. Maybe a hunter had gotten too close to a caith's den.

But then, a figure broke the forest's edge, running towards her, wearing soaking wet clothes and barefoot.

And following right behind, an enraged ula. Its enormous size a warning to any foolish hunter to never approach, even if the ula doesn't eat human flesh, they still don't like to be bothered. And now, there's one charging at her.

Not good.

"Shit" mutters Iset as stands, turns around and starts running towards the Haruspex's house. Nima has a bow for his bird-killing crimes, and those are the best weapon for killing an ula, unless they have an earth or lightning Asha present, which is definitely not the case.

"Nima!" screams Iset as she stomps inside the house. Zarniqa has started to wail in fear "Nima! Where the fuck is your bow!? We have a ula at the door!"

"Study room!" Yells Nima from upstairs, sounding unbothered by the fact of a beast about to possibly eat his sister and niece.

"Figures" mutters Iset as she enters the aforementioned room and finds the bow immediately "Not even an ula is worth getting out of his room for"

She grabs the bow and a couple of vardera arrows, running back outside, where the wet and terrified man has almost reached their door.

Iset slaps him aside and knocks an arrow, aiming for a second at the approaching doom, before shooting, hitting the ula on its chest.

The man— a nomad with bright green nomad eyes and pale yellow hair tied back in a low ponytail, scrawny and scarred—hides behind Iset as the ula bellows in pain and slows down. A killing hit thanks to the venom in the arrowhead, the vardera are truly terrifying but sweet looking birds.

The nomad is mumbling nonsense in his language, as he fearfully glances between the ula and Iset. It must be quite the sight, that, Iset knows, Netherian eyes are so different from outsiders'.

The ula finally drops with a final howl, and Iset sighs and lowers the bow. It's that the precise moment when Nima exits the house squinting like he just woke up.

Both nomads stare at each other, Nima taller and stronger, while the scrawny and dripping wet blonde man is a head shorter and full of scrapes, scars and black tattoos, some of them on his chest and visible thanks to his half open wet white shirt.

"What the fuck" mutters the nomad and Nima tilts his head.

"Not new" he simply says "How long have you been here?"

"Here? The forest? Errr I don't know, the sun hasn't risen yet" says the man, he has a gap between his two front teeth and his face is so full of freckles it looks like his skin is two different colors.

"How many times did the moon disappear?" Asks curtly Nima and then he goes inside the house, leaving Iset and the nomad outside. Iset sighs in exasperation and waves at the nomad to enter as she follows her little brother.

"A couple of times, I think" says the man distractedly as he looks around the house "I found a cave and stayed there, only went out to catch some birds to eat, ended up at a lake where that thing started to chase me"

Iset sighs again. Not good. Why do nomads have such a predilection for killing and eating birds? Are they truly that delicious?

"Iset" says Nima "Prepare the carriage, I'll dove Night Hall"

"Come with me nomad, I hope you don't freak out about nervals, the last thing we need is you running away again" says Iset as she walks back outside and the man doesn't follow "come on!"

"I won't follow you anywhere, devil woman!" Yells the man as he stomps behind her "What creature are you anyway?"

"I'm no creature, dumbass" says Iset and Zarniqa babbles 'mama' in her ear as they approach the side of the house where the nervals, Reba and Mahza, are resting in their small stable. "What's your name anyway?"

It's not every night that Iset gets to ask that question. A year ago that would have been unthinkable, who would ask that of a nomad? One that would be renamed and would forget their own name after a few nights? But after the memories of the nomads came back, that law was unnecessary. A family would still need to adopt the nomad, but a new first name was no longer needed.

"My name is Edward Shaw, boatswain of the Royal Rover, under Black Bart himself!"

"I understood nothing of that" says Iset in a deadpan face "My name is Iset Ardashir, lady of House Ardashir, and this is my daughter and heir, Zarniqa"

The nomad, Edward was it?, nods but looks confused. Not a surprise, he probably understood nothing of what Iset had said just now. How nice, they're both in the same situation.

Iset guides Reba and Mahza to the carriage, Edward looking at them with wide eyes.

"Where am I anyway?" Asks Edward after a moment of silence "I was in a battle, I need to return as soon as possible!"

"Yeah, not happening" mutters Iset attaching the nervals to their small carriage. Iset wasn't sure how the Zasya Nomad even got out, but Iset was sure it wouldn't happen again.

They didn't have to wait long for Nima to arrive, all dressed up in his Vora.

"I'll drive, Iset" he says and Edward flinches and takes a step back when Nima approaches "You sit with our guest and make sure he doesn't do more stupid things"

Great. Iset is not looking forward for this trial. Less so if what the nomad was true and he hunted birds. The court won't like that.

Not. One. Bit.