Red Eyes, Blue Eyes

Ok, I have an elvish mercenary company supporting me and a translator. I have a sword, my family cloak, and 500 gold coins. I need a base of operations, not too far, but not too close. Finally, I need a source of income. Where would that be? An arrow whizzed past my head and plopped into the sea. I turned around to see another one within arm's reach. I flung myself to the ground. My left eye began to turn red. Well that's going to be annoying. 

"Fucking bastard! I know you're there." One of the assassins walked out onto the deck. His eyes a dark, cold blue, like the incomprehensible depths of the sea. He reached towards his quiver. I threw myself towards him as he aimed his other arrow. We both fell to ground in a frenzy of fists. My eye became redder. The elf grabbed my the waist and threw me off the side of the boat. I'vd heard rumors of elvish strenghth, but I didn't believe them until now. The last time I was thrown like this was when I was five or so. I grabbed onto a crack in the hull of the boat and began to climb my way back up. We need a new boat. I heard a disgruntled mumble as I scrambled back up. I saw the elf walking back below deck and the leader now above deck, looking over the other side of the boat. I charged blue eyes from behind and grabbed him by the ears, flinging him to the ground. His hood was knocked off revealing long yellow hair. I heard golden elf hair sells for a lot. What a waste. I kicked him in the face twice. The leader then threw me away from blue eyes. Again? Really?  He then cut blue eyes' hair, took his bow, his arrows, and sat down. I moved closer to the edge of the deck. My left eye became redder. Blue eyes charged towards me. I prepared myself to jump out the way, but he stopped if only momentarily. His eyes turned red. I threw him overboard. The red in my eye began to fade. I looked at the leader to see him nod and walk below deck, leaving behind the spoils of war.

Shaoleim Lessons

I walked down below deck and into my room. I placed my new goods on a desk in the corner of the room. I looked through the various compartments. In the top left, I found a map of the world. There's where I should go. I can sell this hair there too. In another compartment I found 3 silver coins and a scroll. Too bad I can't read this language. This could be important. In the bottom most compartment, I saw a stack of papers bound together with leather. I can't read this either. Why couldn't they put in pictures for a curious foreigner? There's lots of info though, unless it's just a novel, but I guess a novel is useful too. I walked over to my bed where the egg lay. I held it up above the candles. The outline if the embryo, surrounded in a golden halo shone through the eggshell. I give it around another week at most. I grabbed my sword and walked out of my room on a search for Guangmei. I knocked on the doors down the hallway, accidentally waking up another assassin, but luckily he left me be, shooing me away with only a grunt. I walked to the kitchen to see her drinking mead. "Guangmei, time for you to teach me."

"Alright," she said, "do you want to know my native tongue or Joshiere's?"

"Josheire? Leader elf?"

Guangmei chuckled, "leader elf? Really?"

"Well I didn't know the guy's name. Josheire, huh? Interesting name. Anyways, follow me, we can decide when I show this map I found." We walked back to my room, and I showed her the map. "Ok, I can't read any of this, but out of the eastern countries closest to me, what language do they speak?" I asked pointing towards the large country bordering the ocean.

"It speaks my native tongue, Shaoleim. Most of those countries on that side of the land do."

"Ok," I replied. "Does Josheire also speak Shaoleim?"

"Yes," she said, "his native tongue is Keoran, but many elves know both."

"Oh, alright."

" Now Barrékél, this language is much more complicated than your native tongue. Many more vowels, lots of compound vowels. Can you handle it?"

"Give me examples of the vowels."

"Ok. a, e, i, o, u, oo, ei, ee, ao, ang, ong, aong, ung, eing, eng, ing. Those are all of the vowels. Are you ready?"

"Doesn't seem to hard."

"If you say so."

Planning

At sunset, I gathered all of the elves and brought them into my room. The map still lay open on my desk. The black eyed elf stood to my right, Josheire to my left, Guangmei behind us. So, we have Guangmei, Josheire, and Black Eyes. "Black eyes," I said pointing to the elf to my right, "what is your name?" He tilted his head to the side confused. I pointed to myself, "Barrékél. You?" He righted his head, seemingly understanding what I asked. "Gaoreng," he said pointing to himself. I nodded, and looked towards Guangmei, "translate what I say like usual." I pointed towards the archipelago to our south. "We are a day away from Tarí'ívaz. In five days, we will be in Island Confederation waters. In a week and a half, we will reach one of their islands." I pointed to the small island closest to us. "There we will gain supplies and sail towards the capital. Once at the capital, we will ally ourselves with a rebellious or ambitious noble. From there we will make plans for conquest." Guangmei spoke in her tongue to the two other elves, receiving cold glares from the two of them.

"Yabeing fa'oreetaten tunao va'aongzakreino shaloe zao'ei'aknamreiya'eing? Hemota mel nu'ayee be'ao'ozaota meleoma hahaoshame?" asked Josheire.

"This land," I said after hearing Guangmei's translation, "will a stepping stone to my homeland. We need money for a war. This is a wealthy nation, connecting global trade, producing various spices, and selling a fabric the upper classes seem to love. From here, we will bulid fleets and conquer my homeland." Josheire nodded after Guangmei translated, acknowledging the value of this land.

"Konel yasha'olejeire wavashei'ode?" asked Gaoreng.

"A rebel army with nothing to lose," I said once Guangmei translated again. "Slaves, which elves have, have a desire for freedom. Which takes us to the second part, starting a slave revolt. We can discuss that later though, the Confederation comes first."

"I just have one question," asked Guangmei, "how are we going to find a noble who has rebellious sentiments."

"Spy on them, simple. We have two assassins, so it shouldn't be that hard. They should know what to do."

Rhoskeil

This is gonna be interesting. I thought to myself after the elves left. I'm going to be a conqueror. Who would've thought of it? " Your brother, though injured, lives." Rhoskeil is alive huh? I went to blow out the candles. It's been a long day. I laid on my straw bed, staring up at the boards above me. Well, maybe I'll talk to my dear brother. I closed my eyes to sleep, wondering about my elder's fate.

Smoke! I lept out of bed and ran out of the house. In the distance, I see large swaths of the city ablaze. "Rhoskeil! Mother! Father! We're under attack!" I screamed as I ran back into the house. I need to get them. We need to gather ourselves and fight. I ran to my parents' room, fearing that the armory may have been compromised. "Mother! Fa-" I threw the door open to see pieces of flesh, hacked up into pieces on the ground. .

"Hey Bar!" called Rhoskeil. "Hold this for me, will you." He threw a hard object at my feet. I was frozen. "What you doing little one?! I said hold it." I stared at him. "Rh...Rh...Rhoskeil, is this a head? One of of parent's heads?"

"Look down and see what it is. I won't do anything to you." A coldness filled me. "What's wrong Bar? You scared little one?"

"Rhoskeil. How could you?" I said getting colder. "They were your parents! They loved you. They loved us. Mother, she taught us swordplay. She taught you magic. Father, he taught you how to tame beasts and to hunt. How could you do this?"

"Bar Bar," he said. " It's nothing personal, just politics."

"Bullshit! Bullshit! How is this politics?!"

"This is the politics of the kingdom. Could you not see it before?"

"See what? This? The King is much better than murder. He is much better than this. No king, no one except for you would dare desecrate their ancestors, dead or alive!" I shouted, pointing at our parents.

"Such a shame little one. Almost as shameful as our parents." He punched the stone wall, causing it to shatter. "I hoped you would think the way I do."

"The way you do," I snarled, "this is the way you think, nothing but chaos."

"That hurts little one." He stepped over the rubble. "I hope you reconsider."

"I'll kill you for this. I'll fucking kill you!"

I jumped up out of bed to see Guangmei, Josheire, and Gaoreng in my room.

"You have goal. Good. But you too loud. Keep screaming and I kill you." Josheire said. Guangmei smiled and looked at me. "He's learning your language faster than you're learning mine. I know you're a human, but hurry up. I just looked up at the boards above my head once more. "Five days. I'll get to his current level in five days."

"I doubt that, but good luck." Guangmei said as she walked out the room, leaving a trail of brown hair behind her.